Red Dragons upset first seeded Comets in quarterfinal playoff game
Tagged under: District 6, Gameday Hub, News
Avery Falisec | November 1, 2020
Senior running back Josh Syster scores Purchase Line’s game winning touchdown.
The Dragons weren’t picked to win their game against the number one seeded Penns Manor Comets on October 30. Then again, some didn’t expect the Dragons to overcome the West Shamokin Wolves either in last week’s game. It’s no easy thing to be the underdogs, but Purchase Line keeps defying all odds, and continued to do so Friday night, conquering Penns Manor 22-14 in a defensively dominant game. The Red Dragons held their opponent’s offense to zero yards on the ground and no touchdowns in the second half.
Senior lineman Logan McCracken said, “No one ever thought a 2-4 team would have made it this far. We are happy to be playing another week of football.”
Despite the final score, the game didn’t start out in Purchase Line’s favor.
The Comet’s opening kick first bounced at the 17-yard line and then continued to roll behind the receivers in white. Once it was picked up, senior Dylan Overman tried to get moving but was quickly surrounded and taken down, fumbling the ball in the process. The ball was recovered at the 8-yard line by Penns Manor, which is where their offense would open.
On third down, sophomore quarterback Max Hill punched it one yard into the endzone, and his fellow sophomore, Justin Marshall, added the extra point kick. One minute and forty seconds into the game, Penns Manor was up, 7-0.
The Comets tried for an onside kick, and although it did slip through the first line of Dragons, Purchase Line was able to fall on top of it. The blue defense didn’t give Purchase Line anywhere to run, so the Dragons punted, which was the common theme of the first quarter.
For ten minutes, the defenses aggressively battled it out. As soon as one side would get their offense moving, the other side would take it away. The Comets maintained the lead, 7-0, at the end of the quarter.
Penns Manor put an end to the defensive battle early in the second quarter. Max Hill dropped back to pass and connected with senior wide receiver Dimitri Lieb, who took it up the left sideline for a 69-yard touchdown to make the score 14-0. The Purchase Line offense needed to get moving, but the Comets would not allow it, forcing them to punt.
The Comets received the ball again and a penalty put them deep into their own territory. Two plays later, Penns Manor fumbled it on the 10-yard line and Purchase Line’s senior linebacker Isaac Huey was able to recover it. Soon after, senior running back Joshua Syster took it ten yards to the endzone. Finally, the Dragons were on the board, 14-6.
The Dragons were brought back to life as the momentum started swinging their way. They forced the Comets to punt, and a few plays later, Syster broke through the right side and sprinted down the sideline to the 20-yard line. He gained four yards on a few short runs, and then 16-yards later he was in the endzone. Syster also scored the two-point conversion, tying up the score, 14-14.
The defense in white continued to give Penns Manor trouble. After a sack from senior defensive end Clayton Patrick and incomplete passes, they punted. Freshman John Elick was now quarterbacking for Purchase Line. Elick threw a pass to junior fullback Jayce Brooks, advancing the Dragons to the 36-yard line. The Dragons tried endzone passes, but the clock ran out before they could score. The halftime score was tied at 14-14.
Purchase Line’s defensive pursuit continued and so did Penns Manor’s. The second half opened up with back to back punts. Finally, Max Hill connected with his brother Austin Hill at the 35-yard line for a big first down for the Comets. On the next play, Max Hill was sacked by Patrick, which was followed by an incomplete pass and then an interception by junior safety Mello Sanchez at the 38-yard line. Two plays later, Syster slipped through all the way to the 7-yard line.
The ball was fumbled on the next play and recovered by Penns Manor, but they failed to capitalize on this turnover and the ball was in the Dragon’s hands again. Elick hooked up with sophomore wide receiver Andrew Beer at the 45-yard line and he was able to cross over into Penns Manor territory. Purchase Line’s offense worked together to get to the red zone to end the quarter.
Josh Syster punched it in for 1-yard, not even a minute into the last quarter, giving the Red Dragons their first lead of the night with a score of 20-14. With a new sense of urgency, the Comets tried taking it to the air again. Max Hill hit senior Reece Hays and Lieb for some first down yardage, but after a sack by Huey and an incomplete pass, the Dragons forced the Comets to punt.
Josh Syster was able to force the ball through for a few plays, but then a muffed snap put the Dragons back too far, calling for another punt. The Comets got one more chance to score and win the game. A deep punt from Brady Syster put Penns Manor at the 14-yard line. Max Hill hit Lieb at the 20-yard line for a first down, but a few penalties forced the Comets back to the 10.
Max Hill dropped back to pass and was immediately under pressure from the Dragons. Hill tried to get the ball out but he was already in his own endzone and Patrick was there to take him down. He was called for intentional grounding in the endzone, meaning the Dragons were given two points for a safety. Purchase Line’s lead increased 22-14 over Penns Manor. The Comets tried another onside kick but the Dragons got to it first, enabling them to run the clock out and take the win from the number one seeded Penns Manor Comets.
Josh Syster rushed for 242 yards of Purchase Line’s 272 rushing yards and 325 total yards. Elick passed for 51 yards. Penns Manor passed for 163 yards and was held to nothing on the ground.
Patrick, who had 4 sacks, said, “Going into a game with an undefeated offense, we knew that our defense had to step it up. Our line created a lot of pressure and our backs did a great job at covering their passing game.”
Huey said, “It felt amazing. Losing to them the first time left a bitter taste. We wanted to play them again and we did. We came ready this round and we just wanted to play football. It felt great to beat them.”
The Purchase Line Red Dragons will take on the Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders this Saturday in the District 6 single-A semifinals.
Purchase Line Head Coach Matthew Falisec said, “This was an awesome to be a part of. All week at practice, we worked hard and were confident that we could test them. Our defense played lights out and I’m proud of the way the kids battled for 48 minutes. We are excited to move on and face Bishop Guilfoyle at Mansion Park.”
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