BY JEFF FALK

LITITZ – The Palmyra football team got dumped on. And then the Cougars got wet.

Just further proof that when it rains, it pours.

In a driving, torrential down-pour  – under near unplayable conditions – at Warwick High High School’s Grosch Field on Friday night, Palmyra endured a miserable conclusion to a marvelous season, during a 64-0, mercy-rule loss to the homestanding Warriors, in the opening round of the District Three Class AAAAA playoffs. The Cougars fell behind 36-0 in the first quarter, as Warwick scored on its inital five possessions – and touchdowns on each of its first three offensive snaps.

With the outcome, the 12th-seeded Cougars finished their year at 8-3. After opening the fall with seven straight wins, Palmyra went 1-3 over its last four contests.

During the 37 years that District Three has conducted its football tournaments, Lebanon County squads have now gone a combined 4-28 in them.

The Warriors needed just 1:57 of game clock to assume a 7-0, on a nine-yard, quick-screen pass from quarterback Joey McCracken to speedy receiver Trey Glass.  The score was set up by a blocked punt, after Palmyra had gone three-and-out on the opening possession of the game.

As the rain intensified, things went quickly down hill for Palmyra. Thanks in part to their recovery of an on-side kick, the Warriors tallied two touchdowns in a span of nine seconds to push their lead to 22-0.

The Warriors’ second touchdown was a similar McCracken-to-Glass hook-up, only this time the quick screen covered 77 yards. Then on the very next snap following the on-side kick, McCracken and receiver Hilton Michael collaborated on a 39-yard scoring strike to the left corner of the end zone.

With 4:20 left in the opening quarter, the Warriors scored again, on a short TD burst by Nick Fucci. And before the first period was out, Warwick pushed its lead to 36-0 on a touchdown pass from McCracken to Hayden Rucci.

A pick-six by Warrior Justin Gerhart early in the second quarter made it 43-0. Warwick led 50-0 at the break.

Warwick out gained Palmyra 389 total yards to 31. The Cougars managed a negative-seven yards of rushing.

 

 

 

 To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018 Palmyra Football Results

DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	OUTCOMES
08/24	Hershey	7:00 PM	W 21-17
08/31	Mechanicsburg	7:00 PM	W 31-10
09/07	@Garden Spot	7:00 PM	W 44-20
09/14 *	East Pennsboro	7:00 PM	W 28-21
09/21 *	@Camp Hill	7:00 PM	W 35-21
09/28 *	Steel-High	7:30 PM	W 42-36
10/05 *	@Boiling Springs	7:00 PM	W 47-7
10/12 *	Milton Hershey	7:00 PM	L 14-28
10/19 *	@Trinity	7:00 PM	W 14-13
10/26 *	@Middletown	7:00 PM	L 6-42
11/02 #	@Warwick	7:00 PM	L 0-64

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Mid-Penn Conference

 Capital Division Final Standings

TEAM	LEAGUE	OVERALL
Middletown	7-0	9-1
Milton Hershey	6-1	9-1
Palmyra	5-2	8-3
East Pennsboro	4-3	4-6
Steel-High	2-5	4-7
Boiling Springs	2-5	3-7
Camp Hill	1-6	1-9
Trinity	1-6	1-9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 PIAA District Three

 Final Class AAAAA Power Rankings

AAAAA	School	W	L	T	Rating	TWP	OWP	TWPW	OWPW	TWPL	OWPL
1	Manheim Central	10-	0-	0	0.836804	1.000000	0.637341	11.5	65.2	0.0	37.1
2	Cocalico	8-	2-	0	0.781421	0.849057	0.698755	9.0	73.0	1.6	31.5
3	Shippensburg	9-	1-	0	0.747605	0.928571	0.526425	9.8	50.8	0.8	45.7
4	Cedar Cliff	8-	2-	0	0.729951	0.849057	0.584377	9.0	58.4	1.6	41.5
5	Warwick	8-	2-	0	0.727775	0.858407	0.568113	9.7	56.3	1.6	42.8
6	William Penn	9-	1-	0	0.727124	0.935345	0.472632	10.9	44.9	0.8	50.1
7	Waynesboro Area	6-	4-	0	0.655402	0.663265	0.645792	6.5	64.5	3.3	35.4
8	Elizabethtown Area	6-	4-	0	0.635047	0.657143	0.608040	6.9	60.5	3.6	39.0
9	Governor Mifflin	6-	4-	0	0.631691	0.673077	0.581108	7.0	58.8	3.4	42.4
10	Solanco	6-	4-	0	0.607771	0.666667	0.535787	6.8	52.4	3.4	45.4
11	Northern York	6-	4-	0	0.605902	0.640777	0.563278	6.6	54.3	3.7	42.1
12	Palmyra Area	8-	2-	0	0.603080	0.801980	0.359979	8.1	34.5	2.0	61.3
13	Exeter Township	6-	4-	0	0.599669	0.669811	0.513940	7.1	48.9	3.5	46.2
14	Northeastern	5-	5-	0	0.596444	0.601010	0.590863	6.0	58.2	4.0	40.3
15	Conestoga Valley	5-	5-	0	0.568778	0.575000	0.561173	5.8	55.5	4.3	43.4
16	Dover	5-	5-	0	0.541305	0.551546	0.528788	5.4	52.4	4.4	46.7
17	Twin Valley	5-	5-	0	0.524725	0.549505	0.494439	5.6	48.9	4.6	50.0
18	Daniel Boone	5-	5-	0	0.521516	0.572165	0.459611	5.6	45.0	4.2	52.9
19	Ephrata Area	5-	5-	0	0.510653	0.505319	0.517172	4.8	51.2	4.7	47.8
20	New Oxford	3-	7-	0	0.487572	0.370968	0.630089	3.5	63.5	5.9	37.3
21	Hershey	2-	8-	0	0.407152	0.247312	0.602513	2.3	60.0	7.0	39.6
22	Lower Dauphin	2-	8-	0	0.400598	0.244681	0.591163	2.3	58.2	7.1	40.3
23	Mechanicsburg Area Senior	2-	8-	0	0.396692	0.247312	0.579268	2.3	57.0	7.0	41.4
24	South Western	1-	9-	0	0.372253	0.136905	0.659901	1.2	66.7	7.3	34.4
25	Spring Grove Area	1-	9-	0	0.338067	0.133721	0.587824	1.2	58.9	7.5	41.3
26	Red Land	1-	9-	0	0.327919	0.117978	0.584514	1.1	57.8	7.9	41.1
27	Garden Spot	0-	10-	0	0.325578	0.000000	0.723507	0.0	75.1	8.5	28.7
28	Muhlenberg	1-	9-	0	0.301172	0.134409	0.504995	1.3	50.6	8.1	49.6