Penn Hills wins thriller over Pine Richland

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News

Andrew Schaffer | September 9, 2023

It was certainly a thrilling game Friday night and it came down to the final millisecond when a pass was intercepted in the end zone and Penn Hills survived for a 26-20 win over Pine Richland. “It was a confidence booster” said Coach Morris Jr.

Pine Richland got the ball first and thanks to a short kick they started in Penn Hills territory.  The drive featured a ton of runs by Ethan Piller who had a big game for the Rams. Despite getting almost all the carries the drive was finished off on a 12 yard run by Talan Hill-Ressler. That made it 7-0 Pine Richland with 9:02 in the first quarter.

On the first drive for Penn Hills they got the ball close to midfield but punted it away. Pine Richland got the ball for a second time but on the first play the ball was fumbled and recovered by Penn Hills at the Pine Richland 29 yard line. Eventually Penn Hills capitalized on the turnover when Julian Dugger found Naytel Mitchell for a 8 yard touchdown pass. The extra point was no good and Pine Richland still had a 7-6 lead with 3:26 in the first quarter.

Pine Richland started their next drive on their own 32 yard line. They marched down the field and the key play was a big 31 yard pass. Despite that big play Pine Richland settled for a 48 yard field goal by Grant Argiro. That made the score 10-6 Pine Richland at the end of the first quarter.

Penn Hills answered right back and a big play was a big run by Amir Key the drive was finished off on a 4 yard run by Dugger. That made the score 12-10 Penn Hills with 10:58 in the second quarter. Amir was a big key in the win for Penn Hills he had 127 yards rushing on 18 carries.

Pine Richland got the ball back and thanks to a big return started at midfield. Eventually Ethan Pillar scored on a 21 yard run which gave Pine Richland a 17-12 lead. Pillar had 127 yards on 32 carries.

On the next drive for Penn Hills they went three and out and thanks to a bad punt Pine Richland had a big opportunity to extend their lead but they weren’t able to move the ball much and on the field goal attempt the kick was blocked which gave the ball to Penn Hills near midfield. Later on in the drive on fourth down Dugger found Martel Palmer for a 15 yard touchdown pass. That gave Penn Hills a 18-17 lead.

Dugger was another key player in the win for Penn Hills he had 150 yards rushing on 12 carries and also had 68 yards passing. “When we need a play, we gotta go to our playmakers” said Coach Morris Jr. The score at half was 18-17 Penn Hills.

Penn Hills got the ball to start the second half but the drive ended with an interception. Pine Richland was able to get into Penn Hills territory but the drive stalled. Penn Hills got the ball back and Julian Dugger busted a big 60 yard run for a touchdown. That made the score 26-17 Penn Hills. “We ran the zone read, nobody was guarding me, so I took it to the house” said Dugger.

On the ensuing kickoff Pine Richland fumbled it and Penn Hills recovered and had a golden opportunity to take full control of the game. They were at the Pine Richland 10 yard line but after 4 plays they turned the ball over on downs.

Pine Richland got the ball back on their own 6 yard line and it was a long drive and they eventually got into Penn Hills territory on a fake punt but they ultimately settled on a 30 yard field goal by Grant Argiro. That made the score 26-20 with 9:20 left in the game.

On the final drive Pine Richland did have a shot to win, the drive featured 2 fourth down conversions. They had one last play from the Penn Hills 25 yard line and the ball was intercepted and Penn Hills hung on for the 26-20 win. After the game I asked Coach Morris if he was nervous on that last play and he replied “I wasn’t really nervous, I had confidence in our kids, they told me coach trust us”.  “It was a great game, it was a tough hard win, we fought through it” said Julian Dugger.

Next week Pine Richland travels to Seneca Valley and Penn Hills looks to remain unbeaten when they host Moon.

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