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IMG_3790BY JEFF FALK

SOUTH LEBANON – In the huddle, at the line of scrimmage, in the pocket, Logan Horn’s importance to the Cedar Crest football team can’t be oversated. Last night, the Falcons were reminded of Horn’s importance in a much different manner.

On a balmy Friday night at Edward and Jeanne Arnold Field at Earl Boltz Stadium, the Falcons lost Horn to a second-quarter ankle injury, and then eventually their non-league contest to York High, 42-14. With Cedar Crest ahead 14-7, Horn went down early in the second quarter and did not return, and after that the Falcons experienced difficulties moving the ball and the Bearcats ripped off 35 unanswered points by using a punishing rushing attack spearheaded by explosive senior Dayjure Stewart.

IMG_3915Consistently employing their speed to get off tackle and to the outside, the Bearcats scorched the Cedar Crest defense for 422 rushing yards alone. Fast, quick and hard to bring down, Stewart accounted for 254 of those rushing yards on 28 carries, and scored four touchdowns on runs of 13 yards and longer.

On the other side of the ball, Cedar Crest managed just 59 yards of total offense after Horn left game. On their first three possessions of the game, with Horn at the controls, the Falcons gained 128 yards of total offense.

The result was the first setback of the season for the now 2-1 Falcons. York High improved to 3-0 with its third straight impressive victory.

“Everything you saw was what we thought would happen,” said Cedar Crest head coach Rob Wildasin. “We did things we thought we could do. We had opportunities. We dropped two in the end zone. We were running the ball. It was a different ball game when (Number) Four (Horn) was in there, and when he wasn’t.

“He can run. He can throw,” continued Wildasin. “He can get us in the right spots. In the second half, they (the Bearcats) brought everyone and we couldn’t stop them.”

IMG_3816“We started off well,” said Falcon senior Brody Dunlop. “In the second quarter we nearly went up two touchdowns. But when Logan got hurt, we ran out of bullets.

“He’s super important to us,” added Dunlop. “He’s a four-year starter. He brings a ton of energy to the team. He’s a good leader. I hope he’ll be able to recover quickly and come back next week, because we’re going to need him.”

After spotting William Penn an early 7-0 advantage, the Falcons came roaring back with a pair of touchdowns in a 1:10 span late in the opening period.

First, Horn engineered an 11-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Tyler Cruz’s three-yard burst to pay dirt. Then Cedar Crest parlayed a York fumble into a 14-7 lead, on the strength of Cruz’s one-yard plunge.

“We were physical tonight,” said Wildasin. “We battled. I wish we could’ve played at full strength. That would’ve been a heck of a football game.

“We made a huge step forward tonight,” Wildasin continued. “If we can get healthy, we’ll be fine moving forward. We’ve just got to keep working hard in practice. We had good practices and it led to a great game.”

“Our linemen were out playing their linemen and making big holes,” said Dunlop. “This team was way better than the first two we played. But we did play a lot harder.”

The Falcons nearly made it a two-score game early in the second period when they drove to the York High one-yard line. But Horn’s fourth-down pass atempt fell incomplete.

Cecdar Crest got the ball back on the next snap, thanks to a Cole Miller interception. But with Dunlop at the controls, the Falcon possession stalled at the Bearcat 16.

IMG_3860During the second half, Horn was active on the Cedar Crest sideline, dressed in street clothes and with a splint taped around his left ankle.

“Brody did a great job,” said Wildasin. “We just threw him in there. Obviously we had to stick Chris (Danz) in there. But he’s young and he’s learning.”

“I did alright,” said Dunlop. “I didn’t get too much practice (at quarterback). I tried to do what I can for the team.”

The contest was tied 14-all at halftime, thanks to Stewart’s 13-yard touchdown jaunt with 3:38 of the second stanza remaining. The Bearcats took the lead for good on a 20-yard touchdown pass reception, 5:56 into the second half.

Four minutes later, Stewart was at it again, as he raced into the end zone from 30 yards out to make it 28-14.

“He’s an awesome kid,” said Wildasin of Stewart. “He’s a great runner. He’s a heck of a football player. He’s going to be a good college player. He can catch the ball too. He can do it all.

IMG_3757“That’s (running to the outside) what they do,” Wildasin added. “They did what they do. They didn’t throw the ball. We score there in the second quarter and stay healthy, we’re up 21-7. That’s the position we wanted to put them in. But we couldn’t make them uncomfortable.”

“He’s (Stewart) just a ball player,” said Dunlop. “He’s big. He’s quick. He’s everything you want in a running back.

“They thought they were better athletes than us,” added Dunlop.

The Bearcats tallied a pair of touchdowns in a 25-second span in the middle of the final quarter to turn the contest into a route. Stewart recorded his fourth TD, and Robert Rideout returned an errant Crest aerial 65 yards for a score.

IMG_3775“I wanted them to play their tails off,” said Wildasin of his troops. “I wanted them to play the way they’re capable of. We’re going to be back next week.”

“We felt pretty good coming in,” said Dunlop. “We thought we could get a win.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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IMG_3770To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to view more go to https://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/photo-gallery/.

 

 

 

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IMG_3789 2018 Cedar Crest Football Schedule
DATE OPPONENT TIME RESULT
08/24
@Lebanon
7:00 PM W 42-19
08/31
@Hershey
7:00 PM W 28-14
DATE OPPONENT TIME LOCATION
09/07
York
7:00 PM Cedar Crest High School
09/14 *
McCaskey
7:00 PM Cedar Crest High School
09/21 *
@Hempfield
7:00 PM Hempfield High School
09/28 *
Warwick
7:00 PM Cedar Crest High School
10/05 *
@Penn Manor
7:00 PM Penn Manor High School
10/12 *
Manheim Twp.
7:00 PM Cedar Crest High School
10/19 *
@Wilson West Lawn
7:00 PM Wilson West Lawn High School
10/26
Garden Spot
7:00 PM Cedar Crest High School

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