A pair of big plays – one on defense and another on offense – turned this game upside down and were keys in Malvern picking up a 16-10 win over Strasburg in an Inter-Valley Conference battle Friday night at Ron Hurst Field. 

So here’s the scene. Leading 10-8, the Tigers put together a strong drive to open the third quarter. Play after play, Strasburg moved closer to the end zone. Finally, on 4th and goal from the 1, Malvern’s defense held. 

The Hornets were flagged for an offensive penalty, moving the ball halfway to the goal line. 

That’s when it happened. A pitch to senior tailback Julius Gore turned the game around. Gore took the pitch 5 yards deep in the end zone, raced up the right side of the field and never stopped running. 

Despite being hit several times, Gore cut back to the middle of the field and scored a touchdown following his 99-yard run. 

“A couple weeks ago against Harrison Central, they had a big kickoff return and we were dead in the water, but we made a big play that turned the game and tonight did too,” said Malvern coach Matt Chiurco. “Then we got the 99-yard run. We thought he was going to go down four or five times, but he kept battling and that was a heck of a run.” 

A two-point conversion pass stretched Malvern’s lead to the eventual final score of 16-10 with 3:24 left in the third quarter. 

The stop at the 1 was a turning point in itself. 

The Tigers had scored a few plays before, but the touchdown was called back on a penalty. 

“That’s a bread and butter play for us at the goal line,” said Strasburg coach Jimm Morris. “The way we lined up … I just don’t understand it. That was the turning point in the game because then he took it 99. 

“That’s the way the game goes. They took advantage of our opportunities and we made mistakes that we haven’t made all year and it came back to bite us.” 

Malvern opened the scoring with a pass from Jaxon Jones to Roy Simmons. Gore ran the conversion that made it 8-0. 

Strasburg struck back with a scoring pass from Brody Baughman to Ryan Becker. 

Strasburg took the lead with no time on the clock at the end of the second quarter. The Tigers missed a long field goal, but Malvern was called for roughing the kicker, giving Jake Kirkbride a second chance. He didn’t miss on a 25-yard try that gave the Tigers a 10-8 lead at halftime.

Gore’s big run accounted for the only touchdown in the second half. 

“We moved the ball pretty well in between the 20s tonight,” Morris added. “We just didn’t do well playing behind the sticks and that’s very uncharacteristic of us.” 

Sparked by his big run, Gore led all rushers with 184 yards on the night. Jones passed for an additional 95. 

Micah McVay had 101 yards for the Tigers, while Keizer Thomas added 86. The loss was the first of the season for Strasburg, now 5-1. Malvern improves to 4-2.