Superman Syster: Red Dragons Carried to Win by Junior Running Back’s 5 Touchdowns @PLRedDragons

Tagged under: District 6, Gameday Hub, News

Billy Splain | October 5, 2019

Red Dragons’ Coach Matt Falisec speaks to his players after defeating the Comets.

Written by: Luke Rainey on Saturday, October 5th, 2019

When a team-leading player nearly doubles his season touchdown total during a game in Week 6, it is obvious that he had a night to remember.

Josh Syster was certainly not an exception against the Penns Manor Comets. Throughout the Purchase Line Red Dragons’ matchup against their rival opponent, Syster was able to accumulate an impressive 258 rushing yards, accompanied by five touchdowns to put his total at 11 for the season. After a slow start in the first half, the Red Dragons’ offense was nearly invincible, and despite allowing Penns Manor to stay uncomfortably close until the middle of the fourth quarter, the Red Dragons were able to drop the hammer and run away with the lead to win by 36-14.

“We went right at them,” Red Dragons’ Coach Matt Falisec said after the game. “As hard as Josh ran, the line blocked awesome tonight. Cullen was doing a great job on the Isos, and the kids battled back.”

The Red Dragons received the kickoff to start the game. The offense did not start on the right foot, as they only gained 19 yards on six rushes before the Comets stopped Syster on fourth-and-3. Penns Manor’s offense began with a time-consuming drive, spending over eight minutes on the field. Yard by yard, they pushed through the Red Dragons’ secondary and eventually worked inside goal-to-go territory. Their success would be cut short once Purchase Line held Conner Keith out of the end zone to force a turnover on downs.

Having terrible field position, the Red Dragons were crammed against the end zone on their next possession and punted immediately. The Comets failed to capitalize, falling short by inches on fourth-and-1 from inside Purchase Line’s 30-yard line.

The Red Dragons’ offense then proceeded to take flight. Kyle Day’s 40-yard run from the Comets’ 44-yard line put Purchase Line in scoring position. Syster finished the job with a 2-yard touchdown, putting his team ahead of the Comets 6-0 midway through the second quarter.

In less than a minute, Purchase Line’s offense returned to action. From inside positive territory on the Comets’ second play of their drive, Penns Manor fumbled the ball and Cullen Goncher was able to recover. Both teams would then go three-and-out, leaving one minute to go in halftime for the Red Dragons to score again. Instead, Day fumbled and gave possession back to Penns Manor.

With help from a 30-yard pass to Dimitri Lieb, the Comets found themselves at Purchase Line’s 21-yard line with an opportunity to appear on the scoreboard. For the second time in three series’, Penns Manor gave away a crucial drive by fumbling. Purchase Line recovered to end the half ahead 6-0 over the Comets, who failed to score in the opening half for the third time of the season.

A three-and-out kept Penns Manor empty-handed to begin the third quarter. Purchase Line took over and Syster quickly did his damage against the Comets’ defense. On the opening play of the series, he broke free for a 74-yard touchdown, putting him over 100 rushing yards for the night with plenty more to come. The successful 2-point try gave Purchase Line a 14-point advantage.

Trailing by two scores, the Comets needed to get creative. Penns Manor brilliantly executed a catch-and-lateral from Max Hill to his brother Austin Hill, and then to Dimitri Lieb, picking up 32 yards on the play to reach Purchase Line’s red zone. Three plays later, Lieb would score the Comets’ first points with a 12-yard touchdown, and would be behind by eight points with a failed 2-point attempt. However, Purchase Line executed a flawless response to Penns Manor’s score. Following a 24-yard run by Day, Jacob Caldwell threw for a 40-yard touchdown to Syster, his third score of the night. The Red Dragons increased the lead to 16 points with the 2-point conversion.

While behind 22-6 entering the final quarter, Penns Manor tried to open up the passing game. They began with a 35-yard completion to Lieb, and after picking up two yards on three plays, the Comets were faced with fourth-and-8 at Purchase Line’s 18-yard line. Hill evaded heavy pressure and threw a pass to Austin Hill, who was double-covered in the end zone. He made an impressive catch to score the touchdown, but behind by 10 points, they needed the 2-point conversion. Lieb was able to get the score, and with 11 minutes remaining, Penns Manor trailed by only one possession.

Once more, Syster carried the workload for the Red Dragons’ offense. In six carries, he ran for 69 yards and eventually scored on an eight-yard run with just over seven minutes left in the game. Day’s run on the 2-point attempt was successful, re-expanding Purchase Line’s lead to 30-14.

The Comets, in a must-score situation, failed to gain any yardage from midfield and allowed the Red Dragons to reclaim possession. Syster would punctuate his night with an exclamation point and score on the drive’s first play for a 51-yard touchdown, and the game was in their control as they led by 22 points with six minutes left. Neither offense would cash in for points in the final minutes, giving Purchase Line their fourth win of the season, highlighted by Josh Syster’s memorable performance.

Following the game, Syster mentioned the contributions of his offensive linemen toward the Red Dragons’ victory. “We started off slow in the first half,” he began. “But then in the second half, my linemen executed just how they should have, and we scored points.”

On the other hand, Coach Bill Packer talked about some of Syster’s biggest plays, and the impact they had on the outcome. “Syster had some big runs, and that was a killer. But I thought we improved defensively. We played right up to the end with them, and if weren’t for those couple big plays, we would have been right in it.”

He also discussed the positive change of attitude he witnessed from his players. “I saw some emotions tonight, and it’s the first time I’ve seen that in a while. When I talked to the kids afterward, I said, ‘You guys improved and played a good game.’ But we have to stop the mistakes, and if we get enough big plays, then we’ll be alright.”

Photos Greg Ricupero