Bluestone Stays with Montrose: Meteors Edge Susquehanna in 21-20 Thriller
By: Justin Bradley | SportzWire | September 4, 2026 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus
SUSQUEHANNA — Two games into the Brett Stage era, Montrose remains unbeaten and the Bluestone is staying with the Meteors.
Montrose survived Susquehanna, 21-20, Thursday night in another memorable Battle for the Bluestone, scoring the deciding touchdown with just 59 seconds remaining.
Sawyer Aukema opened the scoring with a four-yard touchdown run before Susquehanna answered when Owen Cook connected with Mason Keyes for a 31-yard score.
Montrose struck again late in the first when Evan Strohl found Weston Nabywaniec for an eight-yard touchdown, giving the Meteors a 14-6 advantage.
Susquehanna battled back before halftime. Cook connected with Keyes again, this time for a five-yard one handed circus touchdown snag, and Caedon Stone converted the two-point try to make it 14-14.
The Sabers took their first lead in the third when Gabe Maby found Stone for a 27-yard touchdown. The conversion failed, leaving Susquehanna ahead, 20-14.
Late in the quarter, however, the game took a concerning turn when Strohl was injured and required medical attention on the field. Play was delayed for approximately 20 minutes as local emergency personnel and team training staffs tended to him before he was transported by ambulance staff.
With football understandably secondary in that moment, play eventually resumed with Evan McComb taking over at quarterback for Montrose.
McComb helped guide the Meteors through the remainder of the game, contributing in multiple ways. He finished with 47 rushing yards, 31 receiving yards and 30 passing yards, then capped Montrose’s final drive himself with a one-yard touchdown run with 59 seconds remaining.
Gabriel DeLlano Duran converted the extra point to give Montrose a 21-20 lead, and the Meteors made it stand.
Aukema finished with 121 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, another strong showing after helping Montrose end a nine-game losing streak in the rivalry last season.
Susquehanna received 106 rushing yards from Maby, while Keyes caught two touchdown passes and Stone finished with 85 receiving yards and a score.
The final numbers were nearly as close as the scoreboard. Montrose produced 262 yards of offense to Susquehanna’s 249, with the Meteors holding a 153-125 advantage on the ground and the Sabers throwing for 124 yards and three touchdowns.
The night also continued a tradition that connects the two programs beyond wins and losses.
Montrose linebacker Keith Gregory was presented the 2026 Thomas E. Robinson Memorial Award by Robinson’s nephew, Bob Passetti. The honor recognizes outstanding play while demonstrating respect for opponents and officials.
Created following Robinson’s death in 2015, the award honors his contributions to launching the football programs at both schools as well as his years of service as a PIAA official.
Thomas E. Robinson Memorial Award recipients
2015 — Seth Bulkley, Montrose
2016 — Kyle Donovan, Susquehanna
2017 — Adam Roe, Susquehanna
2018 — Gavin Baker, Susquehanna
2019 — Garrett Decker, Susquehanna
2020 — Calvin Scheideler, Susquehanna
2021 — Jesse DeLousia, Susquehanna & John Tyler, Montrose
2022 — Colton Stone, Susquehanna
2023 — William Marcy, Susquehanna
2024 — Rykin Hobart, Susquehanna
2025 — Sawyer Aukema, Montrose
2026 — Keith Gregory, Montrose
Now in its 12th year, the award has become part of the tradition surrounding the rivalry. With two recipients selected in 2021, Gregory becomes the 13th player honored since the award’s creation.
Montrose moves to 2-0 under Stage and returns home to face Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech. Susquehanna falls to 0-2 and travels to Holy Redeemer next Saturday.
For the second straight year, the final whistle belonged to Montrose and so did the Bluestone.
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