Penns Manor routes West Shamokin & Marion Center grinds out victory over Homer Center!

Tagged under: District 6, Game Photos-Videos, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Scores

Greg Ricupero | September 6, 2025

4 teams, 2 questions and some football!

Or We have some pretty good coaches!

Or what I did Friday night, I like to talk to people!

High School sports are the best form of entertainment and football is the number one sport. Last night I made it to, two football games. I live in Indiana Pa. And there are three schools in a triangle a little north of me. You can get to each school from the other in about 20 minutes. I have made it to all three in a single night but you miss too much football. Go Dragons! There are only 10 weeks(9 my kids always take me on vacation )in the season and 12 teams in the conference. Everyone plays Friday at 7:00. You would think we could have a game of the week and play it on Saturday. I know the little guys play Saturday. I got to see two full halves at two different schools. I saw every first half play at PM and every second half play at MC.

I started in Clymer? That’s what the address states.

I try to cover all the young athletes from all the schools, I can’t. But you get to know these kids and you want to try. The Comets hosted the Wolves and according to the polls these two teams aren’t supposed to make any noise. Don’t tell the players. Both coaches are new. Coach Phil Parks is in his second year at West Shamokin and Coach Carson Rhea is in his first year at Penns Manor. Both schools are very low on numbers. The Comets are just a small school. The Wolves lose players to soccer & a very good golf team. The players and the coaches are getting ready for the game and I usually stop by and chat and move on. Last night I spend some quality time with a volleyball coach I respect greatly and her husband. My question to them is what makes a good coach? Is it there record? If you have 8 games on your schedule you should win and two games you shouldn’t win and go 8-2, did you do a good job coaching? The said it was about improving the players and the team. I agree. You can only coach the kids you have. I try to get to 7 on 7’s and some practices to meet the players and coaches. It so nice to get to see these young men and coaches when there is no Friday Night pressure.

Coach Parks doesn’t have a Swartz, but he has some gritty volleyball players and some young men who want to play football. Coach Rhea is already starting to be one of my favorites, he knows about social media.

1st Half in Clymer

The game wasn’t really close, the Comets who are known for their physical play didn’t disappoint. They dominated upfront on both sides of the ball. They held the Wolves to two first downs in the opening half. They led 21-0 with two grinding drives and a quick two play scoring drive. The young man I was excited to see was senior captain Nick Frampton(#62) center/ defensive line. I have talked to Nick several times, seems like a normal senior, but he is tough and motivated. The Comets loss a chunk of their line from last year but you would never know. Frampton did not disappoint. The Comets skill players didn’t get much hype. But quarterback Tyler Cooper, fullback Justin Vojtek and athlete Brady Lewis looked pretty good. The Comets defense was swarming holding the Wolves to 13 first half yards, Vojtek and Lewis capped two grinding drives with touchdown runs.

Brady Lewis TD ⁦@PM_Comets⁩ ⁦@PaFootballNews⁩ ⁦@WestShamokinSH⁩ pic.twitter.com/FVEDVe0BsM

— Gregory Ricupero (@GregoryRicupero) September 7, 2025

The Comets went 77 yards in under 24 seconds to close out the half. Lewis took a jet sweep 37 yards (22 after penalty) and Cooper hit Vojtek on a pass that covered the final 55 yards, both down the PM sideline. Vojtek ended the game with over 100 yards rushing.

The Wolves have some big kids but they just got physically beat at every position. Quarterback Cole Wingard who I got to see last year against PL had to run for his life most of the night. Senior Connor Gervasoni showed some leadership trying to get his follow lineman going. Sophomore Tight end JJ Cessna looks like he might have a bright future. It is his first year playing football and he is hard not to notice.

WS 0 0 0 0 – 0

PM 0 21 7 7-35

C-Justin Vojtek 8 run xp Ty Brendlinger

C-Brady Lewis 1 run xp Brendlinger

C-Vojtek 55 pass from Tyler Cooper xp Brendlinger

C-Vojtek 11 run xp Brendlinger

C-

The 2nd half in Marion Center

The HC- MC game still had over three minutes to go in the first half as I left Pat Corrigan Field. I got to Marion Center and there are 18 minutes to go in the halftime show, it was 7-6 Stingers. What to do? I see a VanHorn in the MC color guard. I talk some volleyball with two of my favorite Wildcats, Emma-Lee & Bella. HC won three volleyball games last week. The West is so loaded. Both football teams were 2-0. According to the polls it was expected in MC and surprising in HC. Both teams have a group of great young men and two of the conference’s best coaches. Both teams have had trouble getting players out but the ones they have are pretty good. I’m always trying to get Wildcat coach Greg Page to get the ball to #2 Brady Frazer & Stinger coach Adam Rising to get the ball to #7 Troy Slovinsky. These two coaches always have their defenses ready and after a hard hitting first half( watched on Renda) the second half was just a tough. Two plays decided this one. On the Stingers first drive of the half, the offense came out no huddle and went right down the field. The big play was by one of my all time favorite Stingers Tyler Phillips who raced 48 yards to the HC twelve. TP is your typical fullback he runs you over, he doesn’t outrun you. He was caught from behind by Mr. Frazer. Last year in a game Mr. Philips got the ball in wide open space four yards from a touchdown, but decided to run back into the middle of the field and carry two players into the end zone. TP is listed at 170, he isn’t, but you want him in a street fight.

Phillips long run ⁦@PaFootballNews⁩ ⁦@HCWildcatSports⁩ ⁦@MCStingersFB⁩ pic.twitter.com/MjQrzTk3BF

— Gregory Ricupero (@GregoryRicupero) September 7, 2025

What happened over the next few plays was confusing. MC got the ball to the two, then one, the referees weren’t sure of down. MC tried repeated quarterback sneaks but the Wildcats were solid on defense. On third down, quarterback Cam Rising appeared to get into the end zone? Neither linesman signaled touchdown, one said I didn’t see him get into, the other then signaled touchdown.

Rising TD run ⁦@PaFootballNews⁩ ⁦@HCWildcatSports⁩ ⁦@MCStingersFB⁩ pic.twitter.com/ioaf54elPv

— Gregory Ricupero (@GregoryRicupero) September 7, 2025

Both teams played lights out defense the rest of the way except one play. Senior Cam Rising who is an amazing athlete ran around like Doug Flutie (young kids goggle him) and threw the ball over 50 yards in the air to a wide open receiver for a touchdown. The pass just cleared a diving defender. The receiver who made the play Junior Alec Brudnock. He never gave up on the play found a soft spot and made the play. It is really good to see Alec getting a chance to show his stuff. Great game by Carter Knox on the line, he’s a different type of leader than Collin Anderson was last year but you have to love him, I started praying immediately when he went down in the fourth. The Stingers need him. The Wildcat defense played great, the Stingers do so many things well they are tough to defend. Connor Deyarmin looked good at running back, first time I have seen him play there. Riley Cobaugh also played well for the Wildcats. But if I had to pick a player of the game it was Tarzan. I know sounds like I’m writing a fantasy novel. But Stinger nation knows who I am talking about. There was a set of 5 or 6 plays where he was unblock-able and just blew up the HC offense. He is also a very good tackle on offense. Write it down #73 Brooks Stormer! I got to talk to new Indiana Gazette Sports editor Colby Sherwin, he is getting to know the people in the community and I think he is going to get the paper back on track. Good Luck Colby! He got my second question to answer. HC got ball back down 14 with less than a minute to go. What do you do if you are coach Page was my question? Colby answered throw long which probably is the number one answer. I said take a knee. Coach Page is a class act and Wildcats Nation is looking up. Thanks to everyone who made this article possible, special thanks to Amber Lockhart at PM who does an awesome job in her dual role.

I know most of the referees, they do a great job most of the time and don’t ever make everyone happy!

Welcome to a brand new referee, I forgot to get your name!

HC 0 6 0 0- 6

MC 7 0 7 6-20

S-Troy Slovinsky 8 pass from Cam Rising xp Joshua Troup

W-Connor Deyarmin 9 pass from Carson Arone xp blk

S- Rising 1 run xp Troup

S-Alec Brudnock 60 pass from Rising xp ng

Heritage Conference Scoreboard

River Valley 39 Conemaugh Township 21

United Valley 27 Northern Cambria 21

Portage 28 Conemaugh Valley 20