BY JEFF FALK
Grounded may be the best way to go through life – and into the playoffs.
On Friday night at COBO Field in Camp Hill, the Trinity Shamrocks brought the Palmyra football team back down to earth a bit with a 46-14 win. The Cougars fell into a 13-0 hole before ever possessing the football and trailed 32-7 at the break.
For Palmyra, it was its first setback of the season. The Cougars are now 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the Capital Division of the Mid-Penn Conference.
Trinity, which figured to be the Cougars’ stiffest test to this point of the season, moved to 6-2 on the year and 5-1 in the Capital.
After scoring on the opening possession of the contest, Trinity recovered the ensuing kickoff, then took it in for a second touchdown, just three minutes in. The Shamrocks’ advantage reached 26-0 before Palmyra got on the board through a short scoring pass from quarterback Mason Laudermilch to Nick Slobozien.
The Shamrocks dominated the statistics as well. Trinity amassed more than 500 yards of total offense and its defensive scheme slowed the Cougars’ prolific runner, Preston Bare.
Bare, the area’s leading rusher, was held to 80 yards on the ground, one of his lowest outputs of the campaign.
Slobozien and Laudermilch collaborated on the Cougars’ only other score, a touchdown completion late in the third quarter that made it 32-14.
Next Friday, Palmyra, which last week clinched its first playoff appearance in program history, visits Fredericksburg and the Northern Lebanon Vikings.
Elsewhere in scholastic football on Friday:
Donegal 35, Northern Lebanon 34, OT In Mount Joy, the aforementioned Vikings dropped a tough one when they missed a point-after-touchdown on their only possession of the extra session. After regulation ended in a 28-all draw, Northern Lebanon converted the initial possession of overtime on a Colton Ryan burst.
But Northern Lebanon’s PAT was blocked. Donegal also scored on its possession in OT, then booted the game-winning extra point.
The setback was a huge hit to Northern Lebanon’s postseason aspirations. Now 4-4 overall and 3-2 in Section Three of the Lancaster-Lebanon League, the Vikings must win their two remaining regular-season games, and hope.
Donegal improved to 4-4 on the year and 3-1 in the circuit.
Northern Lebanon had a chance to win it late in regulation, but its drive stalled deep in Indian territory.
Ryan Daub’s second touchdown of the contest, late in the third quarter, had staked the Vikings to a 28-13 lead.
Northern Lebanon’s three-headed rushing monster of Ryan, Daub and senior quarterback Tanner Dresch accounted for more than 350 yards on the ground.
Conestoga Valley 28, Lebanon 0
At Lebanon Alumni Stadium, the Cedars were shut out on their home turf by the Buckskins. The loss was Lebanon High’s 11th in its last 12 L-L Section Two outings.
The setback was also the Cedars’ sixth consecutive overall and dropped them to 2-6 on the year and 0-5 in the circuit.
The Cedars enjoyed some success moving the football early, but not late.
Conestoga Valley assumed a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter when it drove the length of the field for a touchdown. Lebanon encountered difficulties stopping the run most of the evening.
Despite those difficulties, the Cedars only trailed 13-0 at the break.
Next week, Lebanon takes its act on the road, to Manheim Central.
McCaskey 35, Cedar Crest 20
In Lancaster, the Falcons grabbed a 17-14 halftime edge on a Daulton Ritter field goal, but the second half was all Red Tornado. McCaskey outscored Cedar Crest 21-3 during the second 24 minutes of action.
The result made Cedar Crest 1-7 on the year and 1-4 in Section One of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. McCaskey upped its overall mark to 2-6 and its section record to 2-4.
Ritter’s short field goal in the waning seconds of the first half snapped a 14-14 tie. But McCaskey recovered an on-sides kick to start the second half and it proved critical.
McCaskey would score on that extra possession to take a 21-17 advantage, and never trailed the rest of the way.
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