East Stroudsburg South football showed a competitive offense, the next step is finishing

EAST STROUDSBURG — East Stroudsburg South taking on Freedom was always a "David vs. Goliath" matchup, as the Patriots came into the game as one of the best teams in Pennsylvania. But the Cavaliers' biggest issue Friday night wasn't what Freedom did to beat South; it was what South did to beat themselves.

Yes, Freedom's offense flexed its muscle with a barrage of big plays en route to winning 40-14, but South's offense showed that it was legitimate, accumulating around 300 yards of total offense against the best team they'll face until the state playoffs.

"I am so proud of the offensive line and how they handled that Freedom front," South head coach Matt Walters said after the game. "Freedom was able to do whatever they wanted to do on the defensive side of the ball versus Parkland Trojans and the Nazareth Blue Eagles, who have arguably the best offenses in this conference. And for all our offensive line, the way that they played for 48 minutes, I couldn't be more proud of them.

"But we need to finish. And that was the message in the locker room. We left points up on the board in the first half. Stalled out on some drives, and you can't do that against a team like that. If you can't finish drives, Freedom is going to take advantage of that, and that's what happened."

Another bright spot was running back Charles Capers, who ran for two touchdowns and had several big gains out of the backfield and in the passing game. He made his mark against the Patriots, further solidifying his place among the top offensive weapons in the EPC.

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"Charles ran with the purpose tonight," Walters said. "He's so explosive, and Freedom had a really tough time trying to take him down, man. He ran with energy. And again, 24 is a special player."

In the end, there were things the Cavaliers could hold their head up about, but it certainly didn't start that way.

South was already in the hole as Freedom only needed five plays to go from their own 36-yard line to the end zone. Things went from bad to worse after South's first drive ended with a blocked punt to give the Patriots great field position, where they scored and jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead in under 5 minutes.

Once Freedom scored on a 66-yard pass from Chase Walker to Xavier Dejesus and took a 20-0 lead, it started to look bleak for South. But on the Cavaliers' third offensive drive, it looked like they found their groove after picking up a couple of first downs.

That was until a mishandled exchange between Ivan Laubach and Capers led to a fumble, which Freedom recovered, and they ultimately scored. Next drive, the same thing happened: positive plays and first downs, but Laubach threw an interception within 40 yards of the end zone. Patriots score, making it 33-0 with 6:49 left in the half.

"I think the biggest thing that hurts after tonight is the turnovers and the way that we just handed Freedom the ball," Walters said. "You can't do that to a team like that. They're going to take advantage of it."

South tried to end the first half with a field goal, but that was also blocked and nearly returned for a touchdown as the Cavaliers trailed 33-0 going into the break.

It looked like the game would be over for the Cavaliers, but the offense finally converted a drive with 32-yard rushing touchdown from Capers. In the following drive, South's defense forced Freedom's offense to punt, creating a small window for a comeback.

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The Cavaliers march down the field and get into a first-and-goal. With the game clock approaching 9 minutes left in the game, the score had to happen quickly. Unfortunately, Laubach tried to force a throw into traffic, and Jelani Fredrick picked it off, slamming the door shut on any comeback.

Walters prides himself and his program on going against the Lehigh Valley schools, and on Friday, his team received the best it had to offer. For the rest of the season, however, East Stroudsburg South will play the role of Goliath as they take on the rest of the mountain over the next four week before the district playoffs, where they are the heavy favorite.

"These four games are going to define our season," Walters said. "How are we going to handle the expectation of being the team that is going to win this? How are we going to handle knowing that we should win every single game here? We didn't have that expectation last October, but we came out, and we played well, so now there's expectation. How are we going to rise to the occasion?

"I think we have the senior leadership to get that done. We're excited to play back in Monroe County. I think our boys are excited to have an opportunity to play championship football from here on out."

South's next opponent will be Pocono Mountain East.

Week 6 Pocono football scores

Northampton 42, Pocono Mountain West 6

Three out of the Panthers' last four games have come against 6A programs, and as a newly minted 6A program, Jim McCarroll's squad has had a rough year. East Stroudsburg South proved last year that it's not impossible, but it will require perfection from here on out. That road starts with fellow 6A school Stroudsburg.

Liberty 39, East Stroudsburg North 0

Liberty is currently the top 6A team in the District 11 power rankings, and the Hurricanes showed why against a Timberwolves team that will be competitive in the North division and possibly the district playoffs, but they aren't ready for the upper crust of the EPC yet.

Easton 43, Stroudsburg 14

The Mounties have given up the most points in a game this season to the Red Rovers, their third Class 6A opponent in the EPC and District 11. Stroudsburg has yet to win such a game, and all of them have been defeats by a significant margin. Their last chance to get a 6A win will be against class' newest member, Pocono Mountain West, in Week 7.

Nazareth 60, Pleasant Valley 7

The Bears have arguably played the most brutal schedule of any mountain team through the first six weeks, culminating with a crushing blowout loss to the Blue Eagles. Pleasant Valley's home stretch begins in Week 7 against East Stroudsburg North at home.

Bethlehem Catholic 41, Pocono Mountain East 7

The growing pains continue for Dustin Thomas and the Cardinals after facing one of the favorites in Class 4A. It doesn't get any easier as they have South in Week 7 before a meeting with Pleasant Valley for the Oaken Bucket in Week 8.

(This story was updated to add new information and to add a photo or video.)

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This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: East Stroudsburg South football showed a competitive offense, the next step is finishing