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Positives Abound: Comets Win 47-6 Over Hard-Fighting Lions

Tagged under: District 6, Gameday Hub, News

| September 14, 2019


Written by:  on Saturday, September 14th, 2019

The United Lions stand for their Alma Mater after losing to the Comets.

A 47-6 loss is never a desired outcome for any football team.

However, to have any outcome, no matter how ugly of a score, is a major step in the right direction for the United Lions.

After forfeiting to Ligonier Valley in Week 2 due to a depleted roster, the Lions acquired enough players to face off against the Penns Manor Comets, who were recovering from consecutive blowout defeats against the Rams and Wildcats. Though United spent the bulk of the first half within close reach of the Comets, a stalled possession for the Lions while trailing by eight points led to a snowball effect in favor of Penns Manor. The Comets proceeded to score 34 unanswered points with over 400 offensive yards en route to their second win of the season.

“I thought our effort was a lot better tonight,” Comets Head Coach Bill Packer explained in comparison to previous weeks. “We did show a little enthusiasm, which is the first we’ve seen in a while. That was important for us, so hopefully we can build off of that.”

The Lions began their first game in two weeks with possession, but were quickly held to a punt after gaining only one first down. Without passing, it only took the Comets eight plays to get fullback Conner Keith in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown. As a result of failing to recover an onside kick, Penns Manor gifted the Lions with great field position. Hunter Cameron’s 28-yard spiral to Jacob Boring put the Lions in goal-to-go territory, and Cameron snuck in for the score. Since both teams failed on their extra-point attempts, the score was tied a 6-6 late in the opening quarter.

The Comets steered away from the passing attack on their next drive. Once again, their approach was highly successful. Quarterback Max Hill scored a 2-yard goalline touchdown to push the Comets back ahead of United. A successful 2-point run by Dimitri Lieb made the score 14-6.

On the Lions’ following possession, Hunter Cameron began the drive with a modest 5-yard carry, but it may have been the most monumental play of his personal career. With 3,027 rushing yards, Cameron became the all-time leading school rusher in Lions’ history.

“It has just blown me out of this world that I am one of those people that got a chance to actually break this record,” Cameron said. “I talked to Mr. Stokes, and he told me, ‘Everyone who broke this record broke it for a reason. They push themselves, they push each other, and you are one of those people,’ and I’m just so grateful to be one of them.”

After a brief moment of celebration, the Lions continued their drive into Comets’ territory. Following three plays in a row without picking up a yard, the Lions faced 4th & 10 at the 30-yard line. Cameron threw to Boring, who made a 22-yard catch at the 8-yard line. Three plays later, Cameron fought his way forward for a 2-yard score. Unfortunately for United, a holding penalty invalidated the touchdown and pushed them to the Comets’ 12-yard line. An incompletion presented 4th & Goal, and Cameron was taken down for a loss of six on the play.

The Comets’ rushing attack lived up to the test on the following series. Propelled by Dimitri Lieb’s 46-yard run to United’s red zone, Penns Manor was quickly in position for another score. Conner Keith would later get an 8-yard touchdown, and the Comets found themselves ahead by 16 after the 2-point conversion.

With less than four minutes left in the second quarter, United’s situation significantly worsened after fumbling on the kickoff. Mike Rizzo recovered for Penns Manor at the Lions’ 46-yard line, setting up another Penns Manor touchdown with Conner Keith scoring from the 3-yard line. While trailing 28-6, the Lions did not force the issue in the final moments of the half.

Penns Manor spent no more than 15 seconds on the field before putting up another touchdown. Starting from United’s 41-yard line after a strong return by Rizzo, Hill threw a short pass to Mason Engel. He sprinted around the Lions’ defense to score on a one-play drive, giving the Comets a 29-point lead immediately after halftime.

After forcing a turnover on downs, the Comets were back in possession from their 32-yard line. They failed to get any further than midfield before Lieb fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Lions. However, facing 3rd & 20 as a result of a holding penalty, Cameron’s pass was intercepted by Ashton Courvina from the 47-yard line. He returned it to United’s red zone to set up another touchdown. This time, Kevin Baum ran for a 9-yard touchdown to increase their lead to 41-6.

The Lions punted after another three-and-out, but were gifted with another opportunity after Mark Bagley fumbled on Penns Manor’s next drive. United was then held to just five yards on the following possession before getting held to a turnover on downs, setting up a 43-yard rushing touchdown by Bagley to redeem himself from his previous mistake.

Despite a 43-yard run by Austin Clark to set United’s drive into motion, the Lions were unable to capitalize with great field position. Midway through the fourth quarter, Penns Manor kept them short of the first-down markers on 4th & 13 within the red zone. Both offenses had little success on their final possessions of the night, keeping the score at 47-6 in a commanding win for the Comets.

Following his 100-yard outing and scoring a pair of 2-point conversions, Dimitri Lieb talked about Penns Manor’s rushing performance and recovering from a concerning start to the season, stating, “We as a team experienced great success tonight. Our line blocked tremendously well and put us back on track for the season. Now we are able to come into next week with a full head of steam.”

On the losing end, Lions’ Head Coach Kevin Marabito also mentioned the effort from his players, in spite of their small roster size. “When you have low numbers, it’s difficult,” he stated. “It’s very hard to try and mimic anything in practice. The kids are working hard, and that’s all you can ask for. We dressed sixteen tonight and had a couple more injuries, and we have to reevaluate now with what we have left.”

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