West Perry Mustangs steam roll Susquehanna Township at home to remain undefeated

Tagged under: District 3, Gameday Hub, News

Nick Myers | September 14, 2024

The West Perry Mustangs secured their victory at home on Friday in a 34-14 battle with the Susquehanna Township Indians. This win was largely due to the Mustangs running game, with them being responsible for three touchdowns across over 40 handoffs.

This matchup started off hot with a fumble recovered by West Perry on the opening kickoff after Susquehanna chose to receive. In this opening drive West Perry wasted no time showcasing their running ability, with #44 Brad Hockenberry scoring a touchdown on the first play, that would unfortunately be called back due to a penalty. This would not be his only chance however, as he would later find the endzone for the first time towards the end of the first quarter.

We would not go on to see another score until late into the second quarter, with Susquehanna QB Torin Evans reaching the endzone off of a designed run play. Now with less than a minute left in the half, many would assume West Perry would simply end the half and go into the locker room with a tie game. However, they chose to march down the field with the help of Hockenberry, and were only held to a field goal, due to a huge sack on third down.

With the score now being 10-7 at the start of the third quarter, the Mustangs would receive the ball. However, after multiple scoreless drives by both teams, Susquehanna Township would eventually answer with a touchdown by wide receiver Xavier Rivera, making the score 14-10 halfway through the quarter.

At this point it seemed that the Indians had found their footing, causing a nightmarish offensive possession for the Mustangs causing them to go three and out. However, the tides would soon change as Brad Hockenberry found the endzone for the second time off of an 80-yard fake punt attempt on fourth and four, now making the score 17-14 in favor of West Perry.

That play appeared to really hurt the Indians, as they never seemed to gain their momentum back. They would go on to give up another touchdown from Brad Hockenberry less than five minutes later, making that his third of the night. Then, in their next drive, QB Torin Evans would give up an interception off of a bobbled pass, giving West Perry the ball at the 50.

The Indians began showing signs of life again however, with them recovering a fumble on their own 27-yard line. This drive would then consist of a 25-yard QB run by Torin Evans, and a 35-yard reception, now putting Susquehanna in great field position with enough time to stage a comeback. Unfortunately, though, they would eventually be hit with 5 consecutive penalties, two of those resulting in touchdowns being taken away until they were forced to turn over on downs.

With less than a minute left in the game, and West Perry up 24-14, it appeared as if they were going to run the clock out themselves. But again, the Mustangs surprised everyone by launching a 60-yard touchdown pass down the field, making the final score 31-14.

Next week, the West Perry Mustangs will travel to face the 2-2 Middletown Blue Raiders, while Susquehanna Township will face the 3-1 Steelton-Highspire Steamrollers

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