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Penn Manor Football: 2006 Comet News / Statistics
Penn Manor Football

Saturday, January 21
JANUARY 2006 ETEAMZ SPOTLIGHT SIGHT WINNER
We are proud to announce that this Website has been named by Eteamz.com as the
SPOTLIGHT SITE WINNER FOR JANUARY 2006!



Thursday, August 31
HESS and ALECXIH NAMED PRESEASON ALL L-L LEAGUE
Senior Running Back Geoff Hess and Senior Defensive End Chas Alecxih were named to the Intellingencer Journal's inaugural Preseason All Lancaster-Lebanon League Football Team. Both Hess and Alecxih were first team Section One All-Stars in 2005 after outstanding junior seasons. Hess was named one of the two Comet Offensive Players of the Year for 2005.
Geoff Hess (Sr. RB)
Chas Alecxih (Sr. DE)
Geoff not only led the Comets in rushing but was second in Section One behind Wilson's outstanding running back, Jake Stopper, now a junior. Hess also captured All-State Honors for 2005 as he received honorable mention at running back by the Pennsylvania Football News. Alecxih led the Comets in sacks with 7 and was tied for fifth on the team with 40 tackles. Chas was named one of the two Comet Defensive Players of the Year for 2005 when he had 13 tackles for loss, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 blocked kicks.

Sunday, September 10
COMETS FADE IN THE FOURTH QTR IN LOSS TO L-S
2006LS001
Coach Bob Forgrave
The Comets fell to Lampeter-Strasburg for the third consecutive season Friday night at Chryst Field at Biemesderfer Stadium. After coming up short at the goal line last year in a 13-7 loss, and losing on a late kick-off return for a TD the year before, the Comets ran out of gas in the 4th quarter and surrendered 22 unanswered points to fall to the Pioneers 34-21. In a game that was much closer than the final score, the Comets held a commanding 21-12 lead at halftime and appeared to be driving for the knockout touchdown early in the 3rd quarter. Suddenly the Comets seemed to be losing the battle at the line of scrimmage and L-S quarterback Brett Graeff and the Pioneers seemed to be energized as they made play after play down the stretch. Despite playing two games in five days, the Comets did not deviate from their methodical smash-mouth ground attack approach as they had 55 rushing attempts on Friday, after running the ball 48 times on Monday. Of those 103 carries 98 of them were by three players: Geoff Hess, Mike Stover, and sophomore quarterback, Michael Treier. Unfortunately, it seemed to wear down the Comets rather than the L-S defense. "...There is a reason you only play one football game a week" lamented Forgrave. "I'm not making excuses, but it's not fair." L-S scored 2 touchdowns, a PAT and a 2 point conversion to take a 27-21 lead with a little over 5 minutes left in the game. After a muffed kick-off return, the Comets started inside their 10 yard line. The Comets still had time to drive the length of the field for the win, but the L-S defense stopped the Comets on 4 plays and took possession at the Comet 17 yard line with about 3 minutes to play. Riding the momentum from the defensive stop, the Pioneers needed only 2 plays to reach the endzone and put the game out of reach. Coach Forgrave took the 2005 loss hard and, as he seemed to know in September, that loss would be the difference between a 5-5 season and a 6-4 winning season. This loss is even tougher since the Comets were favored and seeking to even the score from a year ago. Fortunately, Forgrave and the Comets will have a full week to rest and prepare for the Cocalico Eagles on Friday at Biemesderfer. NOTES: Fullback Mike Stover had his second straight 100 yard game as he followed up his 120 yard effort against Solanco with 106 yards rushing vs. L-S. Hess scored twice giving him 6 TDs in two games. Treier completed 2 passes, both for touchdowns, the first two of his varsity career, including a 55 yard aerial to Bryan Brill, who scored his first varsity TD.

Sunday, September 17
COMETS TROUNCE THE EAGLES
2006Cocalico001
Comets may occur naturally in the sky but the Penn Manor Comets scorched another opponent on the ground Friday night as they burned the Eagles for 336 yards on 48 rushing attempts. The Comet offense is putting up big numbers for the season to date. Penn Manor has three, yes three, players averaging 100+ yards per game: Sr. RB Geoff Hess at 116.3 yds/game, Soph QB Mike Treier at 105 yds/game, and Sr. FB Michael Stover at 100.7 yds/game. The young Cocalico team was no match for the Comet’s offensive line which led the way for the ground attack. On the defensive side of the ball, the Comets stuffed Cocalico’s big fullback, Devin Orme, holding him to 24 yards on 10 carries. Quarterback Kyle Payne was not a factor. Payne sprained an ankle in the first quarter, but played the rest of the way. Hess picked off a Payne aerial in the 4th quarter and returned it 30 yards for a TD, his second interception return for a TD this season. Many expected the Eagles to give Manheim Central a run in Section Two this season, but after a first game 28-6 loss to L-S and the trouncing by the Comets on Friday, that doesn’t seem likely. Penn Manor opens the Section One season on Friday when they host a young Cedar Crest team coming in with a 1-2 record after a 35-14 thrashing by Conestoga Valley of Section Two. NOTES: Hess now has 10 TDs in three games. Senior TE Jordan Gibbs had his first catch of the year in the first quarter, a 15 yd TD pass from Treier. Treier also hooked up with Senior WR Bryan Brill for his second TD of the season. Soph Treier is the offensive catalyst: 315 yds. rushing, 7-20 passing for 220 yards and 4 TDs.
2006Cocalico002
Senior RB Geoff Hess

Tuesday, September 19
PMF PREVIEW WEEK 4

PMF PREVIEW
WEEK 4

Cedar Crest
"FUF"
Penn Manor opens the Section One season on Friday with a visit from the Cedar Crest Falcons. The Comets are looking to avenge last year’s 43-26 loss in a game that the Comets could have won. The Comets were their own worst enemy as they gave away at least 21 points, including 7 on a poor game management decision (4th and 2 from their own 27 yard line in the 1st quarter, trailing 7-0) and 7 on a bad luck collision between two defenders (Miles Kilby and Geoff Hess) on a fake punt by the Falcons which went for a TD. Furthermore, the Comet’s leading tackler for the past two seasons, was limited to less than half of the game by Coach Forgrave. This time around the Comets big, experienced senior class, led by returning starters Hess, Gibbs, Alecxih, Stover, Hamby, Stambaugh, Crider and Haney, should control the line of scrimmage against the young Falcons. The Falcons, like the Comets, are breaking in a new signal caller (Tim Walburn 15-35 1 TD, 6 INT), but they return the multi-talented Kyle McConnell (who scored that fake punt TD) who has 340 yds rushing and 4 TDs. A talented senior class graduated including RB Tobias Robinson, TE/DE Ben Weaber, RB Albert Monk, and QB Patrick Kline. Stopping McConnell will be key for the Comets, just as stopping the Hess/Treier/Stover (HTS or hard to stop) combo will be key for the Falcons. The Crest defense is led by Freshman Eric Hitz (25 tackles 1 sack), Sr. Tyler Hoy (21 tackles) and Sr. DE Clarence Robinson (18 tackles and 3 sacks). Cedar Crest was soundly defeated last week by Conestoga Valley 35-14 on Saturday and comes in at 1-2 on only 5 days rest.


Monday, September 25
Hess Leads Comet Romp over Cedar Crest 39-0
HESS LEADS COMET ROMP OVER CEDAR CREST 39-0
Kevin Freeman of the Intelligencer Journal wrote “If there is a common denominator between an opportune offense and a stingy defense, it’s the players who control the line of scrimmage. When your players are bigger, stronger and more experienced, chances are your offense will get nearly everything it wants and the other team won’t have a whole lot of success when they have the ball.” Although this quote completely describes the Comets dominance over the Falcons on Friday night, Freeman was actually reporting on the Manheim Central 40-7 win over Garden Spot. The Comets dominated the line of scrimmage and got nearly everything they wanted and didn’t allow the Falcons anything in shutting them out 39-0. Penn Manor opened the game with one of its trademark double digit play drives (13 plays 56 yards) to go up 7-0 on a 10 yard TD run by Sr. running back Geoff Hess. A short time later, Hess took a toss to the right, hit a seam and outran the defense 78 yards for another score to put the Comets up 14-0. Hess racked up a total of 225 yards rushing on 27 carries. If Cedar Crest stood a chance on this night it would need a monster game from junior RB Kyle McConnell. McConnell came into the game with 340 yards rushing, only 23 behind Hess. Maybe it would have made a difference, maybe it wouldn’t, but McConnell suffered a shoulder injury on the first play of the second quarter with the score at 14-0. McConnell wouldn’t return and neither would the Falcon’s offense. The Comets held the Falcons to 67 total yards (38 rushing and 29 passing) and only allowed 5 first downs. The Comet’s defensive line shut them down. Senior defensive tackles Jordan Gibbs (6’7” 300) and Josh Stambaugh (6’ 285) and Senior defensive ends Chas Alecxih (6’5” 220) and Ryan Crider (6’6” 220) completely controlled the line of scrimmage. When they weren’t stuffing the run, Alecxih and Crider were pounding the quarterback. Alecxih finished with 3 sacks and outside linebacker Geoff Hess and Stambaugh led the team in tackles. When the Comets had the ball, Senior fullback Mike Stover repeatedly smashed the interior of the Falcon defense for a total of 78 yards on 17 attempts. Hess picked up the slack for the absence of injured quarterback, Michael Treier. Treier was replaced by another sophomore, Eric Rintz, making his first varsity start. Rintz executed the offense without error, as neither Rintz nor the Comets had any turnovers on the night. Michael Treier had been averaging almost 15 carries a game through the first 3 games for a total of 315 yards. Hess added about 12 of those carries to his usual 15. Rintz’s responsibility was to get the ball to Hess and Stover; he did that and more as he completed 3 of his 6 passes for 63 yards, and on one of his two carries, made a nice run down the right sideline for a 38 yard touchdown to finish the scoring in the 4th quarter. Rintz clearly gained more and more confidence as the game progressed. NOTES: Another indication of the dominance, despite a 39-0 score Crest had no turnovers and only 25 yards in penalties. Hess now has 14 touchdowns on the season, 1 short of last years’ total and he has 574 yards rushing on 71 carries. The Comets find themselves thin at the QB position with Treier temporarily on the shelf. Backing up Rintz is senior FB/NG Zach Booth, who took a few snaps late in the game. Booth didn’t play at all last season but did see some time at quarterback as a sophomore. The No. 2 and No. 3 quarterbacks from a year ago did not return. Last years’ backup, who would have been a senior this season, did not play, primarily due to issues with Coach Forgrave. The Comets are home for the 4th week in a row as they host the winless Reading Red Knights for Homecoming this Friday.


Wednesday, September 27
PMF PREVIEW WEEK 5

PMF PREVIEW
WEEK 5

Reading
"FUF"
The Comets will be playing their 4th consecutive home game on Friday when they host the Reading Red Knights (0-4) for Homecoming. Last year Penn Manor defeated Reading 21-6 at Albright College in Week 10. The Red Knights come to Millersville after visiting McCaskey last week losing 43-25. Reading and McCaskey combined for 7 turnovers (5 by the Red Knights) and 31 penalties for 232 yards. Reading Junior QB Robert Kresge was 16-37 with 2 TD's and 3 INT's last week and is 29-82 for 434 yds 3 TD's and 7 INT's on the season and ranks 23rd in the L-L out of 26 QB's (Cedar Crest's Walburn is 25th and Cocalico's Payne is 26th) Reading will look to move the ball through the air on the Comets to try to compensate for the Comet's size up front. L-S exposed the Comet's pass defense back in Week 2, but the pressure on the QB against Cocalico and Crest negated any passing game the last 2 weeks. Kresge's primary target is 6'6" 185 lb. junior WR Jermaine Jackson, who caught 2 TD passes last week against McCaskey. Sr. RB Frank Parker-Stewart is their leading rusher with 30 carries for 287 yds and 4 TD's. Parker-Stewart had 2 touchdown runs against McCaskey, including a 70 yd scamper. Reading's defense is ranked 20th out of 24 teams in the L-L league based upon yardage allowed and the Comets are ranked 5th. Reading has given up more than 900 yards on the ground through 4 games. The Comet offense is ranked 1st in the L-L League averaging a whopping 420 yards per game, with 350 yards per game on the ground. The Red Knights will look to find a way to stop the pounding Comet ground attack led by Sr. RB Geoff Hess (71 carries for 574 yds 11 TDs) while they will try to protect their QB long enough to fill the air with the football. It doesn't look good. Reading has fallen on hard times drastically since the 2003 season. In 2003 the Red Knights boasted 4 Division I players including RB/LB James Bryant, now with the Miami Hurricanes. Reading has lost 13 straight games, having gone 1-9 in 2005 (0-7 in Section One for the first time ever) and 0-4 (0-1 Section One) to date in 2006. Hess was named Section One Back of the week after his 225 yards on 27 carries against Crest. Sr. Defensive End Chas Alecxih was named Section One lineman of the week for his effort against the Falcons which included 2 QB sacks.


Tuesday, October 3
Reading Smashes the Comets 52-26
READING SMASHES THE COMETS 52-26
(HESS, STOVER and BRILL INJURED)
I said it wasn’t going to be pretty, but I really wasn’t referring to the headlines: “Reading rips battered Comets” (Intelligencer Journal) and “Reading beats up Penn Manor” (New Era), but they were true. The Comets came into Game 5 riding two straight blowout wins and looking for another against an 0-4 Red Knight team. Looking ahead to Hempfield? I don’t think so. Reading came in and took the Comets head on, and the Comets started to fall, literally as the Red Knights blasted the Comets 52-26. Senior tailback Geoff Hess and Senior fullback Mike Stover seemed to get off to a good start as did the Comets as they drove 80 yards for the first score of the game, a 4 yd. run around the left side by Hess. The Comet game plan was business as usual; pound the ball with Stover and Hess and mix in a surprise pass from sophomore QB Eric Rintz every 10 plays or so. Surprisingly, the Red Knights came right back moving the ball on the ground against the Comets with Senior RB Frank Parker-Stewart bursting through the middle of the Comet defense for a score from 22 yds out. Parker-Stewart finished with 113 yards and 4 TD’s on only 12 carries. With the power running of Hess and Stover last week, the Comets had been able to get by without the running of injured QB Michael Treier. Unfortunately, this week the Comets had to try to find a way to run the ball without Treier, Stover and Hess. Geoff Hess suffered a shoulder/collarbone injury in the first quarter which sidelined him for the rest of the game (x-rays were negative) and Mike Stover aggravated a shoulder injury which put him on the sideline for most of the first half. Somehow Stover returned and played most of the second half. The injury list was not yet complete. Senior WR/DB Bryan Brill suffered a first quarter shoulder injury and Sophomore safety Mark Rintz suffered a broken ankle. When Coach Forgrave lamented to the newspapers about the numerous position players lost (six), he was actually referring to 3 players (Hess, Stover and Brill), all starters on both sides of the ball. The injuries highlighted the Comet’s lack of depth. All of the replacements in the backfield were sophomores. Backup FB Senior Zach Booth was presumably held out as he is now the backup QB to Rintz due to Treier’s injury and backup Senior RB Tony Mayo has been sidelined. Sophomores Hudson Crider (7-50 yds), Brandon Spangler (10 – 30 yds), and Sean Noll (12 – 48 yds) got considerable playing time. Besides the starting backfield, a major strength of this team has been the line play. So, despite losing Stover and Hess in the backfield, the Comet’s seemed to overcome the emotional letdown usually associated with the loss of senior impact players, as the Comets put together a 79 yard drive that included a 20 yd. 4th down completion by Rintz to Senior TE Ryan Crider as they regained the lead 20-18 on a 1 yd. TD run by Hudson Crider. Still in the second quarter, the Red Knights came right back and drove 73 yds to take back the lead 25-20 on a nifty 35 yd. run by Parker-Stewart. The Comets got the ball back trailing by 5 as the first half was winding down. Faced with a 4th and 1 at their own 45 yard line with 1:12 remaining, Coach Forgrave, seemingly oblivious to his loss of personnel, opted to go for it. Rather than punt the football and give Reading a longer field with less than a minute on the clock and go in at the half trailing by only 5 points, the Comets were stuffed for no gain. After this poor game management decision, the rejoicing Red Knights took over on the Penn Manor 45 yd line and proceeded to punch in another touchdown with only 8 seconds left in the half to go up 32-20. This was devastating to the Comets and was a huge momentum shift to Reading going into the locker room. If the Comets had any chance of going toe to toe with the Red Knights without Hess, it was gone. Reading came out in the second half and scored 20 more unanswered points to turn the game into a rout before the Comets tacked on a TD in the waning seconds on a 17 yd pass from Rintz to Senior TE Ryan Crider. NOTES: The Crider brothers, Soph Hudson and Senior Ryan, each scored their first varsity touchdown in the same game. Senior All-State/Pitt recruit TE Jordan Gibbs has only 3 catches for 46 yds and 1 TD after 5 games (all in the Cocalico game, meaning 4 games with no catches). The Comets gave up 413 total yards to the Red Knights who played a flawless game, no turnovers, 9 of 14 passing, only 4 penalties for 18 yds. The Comets gave Reading the ball twice inside the 10, on a fumble and a botched punt snap. QB Eric Rintz was 3 of 4 passing for 69 yds. and a TD. Hess’s TD gives him 15 on the year equaling his 2005 total. Despite the Comet’s success last year (5-5) and this year to date (3-2) there are only 35 or 36 healthy players in uniform on the varsity/jv squad (not counting the dozen or so freshman that Coach F. has dress each week). The Comets will have to heal fast and regroup as they go on the road to face the depleted, struggling 1-4 Black Knights of Hempfield on Friday.


Wednesday, October 4
PMF PREVIEW WEEK 6

PMF PREVIEW
WEEK 6

Hempfield
"FUF"
The teams come in at 3-2 and 1-4. But this year it is Hempfield, not Penn Manor, with the four losses. The Black Knights are clearly in a rebuilding year. Last year the Knights were 10-2, Section One Champs and advanced to the District III semi-finals. But with huge graduation losses and only 3 starters returning, the Black Knights have struggled, having lost 4 straight after a season opening 28-24 win over Conestoga Valley. They might be 0-5 but for a late game interception return for a TD by Senior WR/DB Tyler Swezey, which turned out to be WGAL Football Friday’s Play of the Week. The Comets and the Knights both are banged up, as are most teams at this point in the season. Hempfield lost one of its best all around players for the season when Junior WR/DB Parker Dickerson suffered a broken collarbone. Dickerson had returned 6 kickoffs for 272 yds including a 97 yd. TD. The Comets, still without soph QB Mike Treier, should have the services of their powerful backfield tandem of seniors Mike Stover and Geoff Hess. Hess is third in the league in rushing with 621 yds on 79 carries despite missing 3 quarters of the Reading game with an injury. Hess’s 7.9 yds per carry is tops in the league amongst the top 10 rushers. As a team, Penn Manor still leads the league in rushing and total offense with 1,630 yards on the ground, 352 passing, and they are averaging 396 yds per game. Despite the Reading debacle (413 total yards), the Comet defense also remains strong at 5th in the league giving up only 241 yds. per game. Of concern is the fact that more than half of the yardage given up is through the air. The Black Knights on the other hand have been as statistically bad as their record. Hempfield’s defense is second to last in the league (not the section, but the league). The Black Knight offense isn’t much better coming in at 21st out of 24 teams. Hempfield is led by Sr. RB Jamerson Lewis (96 carries for 399 yds 3 TDs) and Jr. QB Mark Duke (29-71 passing for 477 yds with 4 TDs and 6 Ints). On defense, underclassmen are rising to the challenge, as sophomore sensation linebacker Eric Macik leads the team with 48 tackles and 2 interceptions and Junior DE Sean Sheehe is amongst the league leaders in sacks with 5, including 3 against Manheim Township and Pat Bostic. Sr. LB Michael Kastanidis has 42 stops and an Int.. The Penn Manor defense has been led by Sr. linebackers Mike Stover and Geoff Hess, Sr. DE Chas Alecxih (amongst the league leaders in sacks), and Sr. DE Ryan Crider. Sr. defensive tackles Jordan Gibbs and Josh Stambaugh have been able to stuff the running lanes and control the line of scrimmage. This game is the turning point of the season for the Comets after the upset last week. With McCaskey, Wilson and Manheim Township remaining, not to mention an improved Warwick team, this is a must win for the Comets. Hempfield will be up for this game, because, believe it or not, they are not out of the playoffs just yet. A 5-5 record will likely be enough to make the district playoffs and the Knights have winnable games remaining against Reading, Warwick and Cedar Crest. Look for the Black Knights to throw on Penn Manor using Lewis to keep them honest. The Comet ground game will be business as usual (provided Hess and Stover are healthy), but soph QB Eric Rintz will have to continue to make a few big plays to continue drives. Presumably the Comets had their “bad” game last week and will not make the same mistakes and poor decisions this week.
Hempfield Football Website


Wednesday, October 11
PMF PREVIEW WEEK 7

PMF PREVIEW
WEEK 7

Red Tornado
"FUF"
The Comets (2-1, 4-2) are coming into this game after a dominating win over Hempfield (0-3, 1-5). While a win over Hempfield in any sport is usually a big deal, anyone who knows L-L League football is aware that the Black Knights are in the midst of their worst season in many years, and, as many expected, are likely to finish at 3-7 or possibly even 2-8, after going 10-2 last year. Penn Manor, on the other hand, has had two of their best varsity seasons in many years. The class of 2006 was good (5-5 record), and the class of 2007 (19 seniors) is even better. These two classes are used to winning at almost every level. Despite their past successes the Comets must not let their record go to their heads as they have to prepare for the top teams in L-L Section One over the next 4 weeks, starting with the McCaskey Red Tornado (2-1, 4-2) this week. Penn Manor defeated McCaskey 41-40 in week 8 last season and while a win against McCaskey in football is also usually a big win, McCaskey was in the midst of their worst season (3-7) since 1999 when they went 2-8 and were also defeated by Penn Manor 34-31 at Biemesderfer. In fact, the following year (2000), when McCaskey went 6-4, the Comets took the Red Tornado to overtime before quarterback Perry Patterson (now of Syracuse University) scored the walk-off TD at McCaskey. Perry’s brother Lamar, a 6’4” 215 lb sophomore, is the backup QB for McCaskey.
The 2005 win by the Comets did not sit well with the Red Tornado faithful. The McCaskey defense was not able to stop anyone last year, as the Red Tornado gave up 334 points, the most allowed in Section One. Their success was tied to their high scoring offense putting up big numbers since their defense was giving up 33.4 points per game. The Red Tornado offense was led by since graduated QB Lance Diamond and WR Kevin Aguilera (West Chester) who combined for over 3,200 yards in 2005. Ironically, against the Comets, Aguilera sat out the first quarter for disciplinary reasons and Diamond’s season came to a halt before halftime, when he was hit by Comet DE Ryan Crider just after releasing a pass that Aguilera caught for a 20 yd TD making the score 27-12 McCaskey. Diamond scored 2 touchdowns (5 yds and 40 yds) running McCaskey’s lead option (which the Comets didn’t seemed prepared to stop), and including the Td pass to Aguilera, McCaskey totaled 223 yards of offense in the first half. The Comets turned the ball over before half deep in their own territory, but without Diamond, McCaskey wasn’t able to cash it in. The Comets rolled up 29 points in the second half while holding McCaskey to 13. Penn Manor QB Dean Roark scored his second TD of the second half to tie the score at 40 and Jack Hamby’s PAT made it 41-40 with 1:30 remaining. Backup QB Jared Johns and the Red Tornado were swarmed by the Comet defense and Johns was sacked several times by Chas Alecxih and Josh Reynolds during the waning moments of the game. The Comets took over with a few seconds left when McCaskey spiked the ball to stop the clock only to realize that it had been 4th down. QB Dean Roark was named the New Era Player of the Week for leading the Comets to the win.
The Red Tornado is coming home after a rough 20-7 loss to Section One co-leader Wilson (3-0, 5-1). In a sloppily played game Wilson prevailed despite losing 5 fumbles and missing an extra point and a short field goal. McCaskey Sr. QB Jared Johns had a night to forget, as he threw 3 interceptions (one of which was returned for a Td), lost a fumble and was sacked 3 times. Keep in mind that the Wilson defense is ranked 3rd in the League. The Red Tornado running game is highlighted by flashy Jr. running back Jerome “Hassan” LaRue who has 489 yards on 89 carries and 6 Tds. LaRue’s touchdown run against Hempfield in Week 5 was the WGAL Football Friday Play of the Week. LaRue had a tough night against the Bulldogs as he lost the ball on a punt return and also suffered what was reported to be a bruised thigh. The good news for the Comets is that Wilson’s strengths are their offensive line, their running game, and their tough defense. Sounds just like the Penn Manor recipe. Sophomore Mike Treier should return this week to run the Comet offense, no pun intended, led by Geoff Hess, now 3rd in the League in rushing with 760 yds on 102 attempts, and Fullback Mike Stover, 11th in the league with 507 yds on 98 carries. Senior TE Jordan Gibbs is the sleeping giant. Only 3 catches so far this year, Gibbs had 5 receptions for 103 yards and a 51 yard td against McCaskey last year. McCaskey’s passing attack features Senior wide receiver Damar LaRue with 27 catches for 508 yds (18.8 avg.) and 3 Tds. Nino Figueroa has 14 catches for 280 yards (20.0 avg.) and Jerome LaRue has 141 yards on 12 catches. Jared Johns has completed 61-123 for 1,000 yards, 6 touchdowns and 7 ints. The Comet defense is big, strong and aggressive. The test will be how well the Comets handle McCaskey’s speed. The Red Tornado offensive line hasn’t been able to give LaRue a lot of running room; and the Comets will look to continue that trend as they come in with the League’s 5th rated defense against the run and overall. Look for McCaskey to take note of Reading’s success and try to throw the ball down the field to Damar LaRue and Figueroa and underneath to Jerome LaRue out of the backfield. The McCaskey defense will likely put almost everyone in the box to stop the run; most have tried, few have succeeded. If they succeed, that's when Gibbs may reappear. Junior linebackers Xavier Dominguez and Ryan Feldman lead the McCaskey defense in tackles with 54 and 51 respectively.
J. P. McCaskey Football Website


Tuesday, October 10
PENN MANOR DOMINATES HEMPFIELD 14-0
PENN MANOR DOMINATES HEMPFIELD 14-0
Woody Hayes is probably still smiling since Friday night. If you ever wanted to describe what football domination used to be, back in the day, this was it. Penn Manor didn’t complete a pass and had zero passing yards, none, nada, zip. But nobody cared. Why? How about 65 rushing attempts for 321 yards and 20 first downs. An even more amazing statistic was the time of possession. The Comets had the ball for almost 40 of the 48 minutes in the game. Hempfield only had the ball for 12 plays in the first half and Penn Manor held them to 5 yards of total offense and no first downs. Although the Comets didn’t score in the half, they consumed the game clock with a 15 play drive and a 17 play drive. Penn Manor mounted another 15 play drive at the start of the second half which covered 61 yards and was capped off by fullback Mike Stover’s 4 yard TD rumble. Stover and the offensive line were like a battering ram against the castle gate, it was just a matter of time before they were going to break through and Stover (95 yards on 25 carries) would get into the endzone. Backfield mate Geoff Hess, coming off a collarbone injury against Reading, and showing no ill effects, plowed through the Black Knight defense for 139 yards on 23 carries. Although Hess was held scoreless for the first time this season, he picked up important first downs to keep the drives alive. QB Eric Rintz (13 carries for 67 yds) was solid again in executing the offense, and broke off a few nice runs, including a 5 yd TD jaunt to conclude yet another 15 play drive. Hempfield’s defense, while injury riddled and undersized, to their credit, did not give up the big play. The Comet offensive front was relentless as it marched methodically down the field 3 and 4 yards at a time. It was almost surprising that the score wasn’t much higher, but there were no break-a-ways. The Comet defense was impressive in shutting out the Black Knights. The Knights knew that they couldn’t run on the massive Comet defensive front, led by Seniors Jordan Gibbs, Ryan Crider, Chas Alecxih, and Josh Stambaugh, and they were stuffed for only 14 yards on 10 attempts. Taking to the air, quarterback Mark Duke didn’t fare any better, completing only 7 of 19 attempts with one pick. Duke was under constant pressure from Alecxih and Crider. The Black Knights didn’t help themselves either, as Coach Getz acknowledged, “we were dropping passes and missing open receivers.” On one play, a Hempfield receiver got behind the defense and was all alone for what would have been a sure touchdown, but Duke’s pass was just beyond the reach of wide receiver Mark Merrifield. It would not have mattered on this night. The Penn Manor defense held the Black Knights to 84 total yards and 5 first downs for the game. Hempfield’s last drive of the game produced all of the first downs and 65 of the 84 yards. NOTES: This is Penn Manor’s first varsity win over Hempfield since it moved up to Section One in 1994; but not the first win over Hempfield by many of the Comet players. 14 of the 27 current juniors and seniors were members of the 2001 Jr. Comet B Team which defeated Hempfield on their way to winning the Red Rose League Championship. More on that later… Hempfield Jr. DE Sean Sheehe had a stellar game with 15 tackles. Sophomore QB Mike Treier was in uniform Friday and will probably return against McCaskey. The Comets are 2-1 so far in Section One but all 3 opponents to date have 1-5 records. The Comets will need to step it up for the serious part of the schedule with McCaskey (4-2) and Section One co-leaders Wilson (5-1) and Manheim Township (5-1) coming up.


Wednesday, October 18
PMF PREVIEW WEEK 8

PMF PREVIEW
WEEK 8

Wilson
"FUF"
Penn Manor (3-1 L-L, 5-2 Overall) gets set to host the Wilson Bulldogs (4-0 L-L, 6-1 Overall) this week after an exciting 40-33 come from behind win at McCaskey. The Bulldogs won for the 6th straight week as they topped Hempfield 31-7. With that win, Wilson has assured itself of another winning season, keeping alive their consecutive winning season streak which dates back something like decades. This season the Bulldogs had to contend with some controversial off field issues which surrounded the program. This past summer, longtime head coach Jim Cantafio resigned as part of a compromise settlement with the school district, allegedly relating to issues with Cantafio’s SVS football camps. Unfortunately for Cantafio, the current Bulldog sophomore and junior classes have been closely followed all the way up through the ranks and are expected to make a deep run into districts and states, this year and peaking next year. In addition, Cantafio’s son is a junior QB on the Wilson roster, as the Cantafio’s moved from the CV school district to Wilson a few years ago. Wilson’s only loss this season was in Week 1 when they fell to Governor Mifflin (6-1) 14-12. It was rumored that as many as 10-12 Bulldog players were suspended for that game. The Wilson football team is described as a powerful running team with a dominating defense. That description fits the Comets as well. The Comets lead the L-L league in rushing, averaging 320 yds per game and are second in total offense. Sr. RB Geoff Hess now leads the League with 964 yards on 125 carries. The Bulldog defense is second in the league, allowing only 140 yds per game, giving up a mere 80 yds per game on the ground and 60 yds per game through the air. The Comets and the Bulldogs each have posted 2 shutouts this season, but Wilson hasn’t given up more than 14 points in a game (twice). In Week 6 Wilson held McCaskey to 7 points as then won 20-7. Both teams have utilized two quarterbacks. Penn Manor’s sophomore duo has been outstanding in execution. Michael Treier led the Comets to a 2-1 record to start the season before injuring an ankle. Eric Rintz came on in relief and has led the Comets to a 3-1 record. The quarterback production has been outstanding, not in totals, but in efficiency. The two QB’s have only attempted a combined 36 passes; but they have completed 15 for 450 yards, and 7 touchdowns. Add in Geoff Hess’s one completion, and the Comets have completed 16 passes for 8 touchdowns! Sr. TE Ryan Crider has become the “go to” guy with 7 receptions for 141 yds and 3 TDs. The Bulldogs “go to” guy, Sr WR Josh Smith, has caught almost as many as the Comets have thrown, 35 for 375 yards. Sr. Eric Wimer (46 of 80 for 398 yds 4 tds 1 int) and Sophomore Steve Huber (29 of 57 for 394 yds 4 tds 2 ints) have shared the signal calling duties for the Bulldogs. Junior RB Jake Stopper, who led the league in rushing in 2005, is questionable for the game as he injured his knee against McCaskey in Week 6 and didn’t play against Hempfield last week. The Penn Manor defense is ranked 6th in the league and is only giving up 225 yds per game. The Bulldog offense is ranked 7th and is averaging 324 yds per game. Looks to be a battle of power vs. power. Will the passing game be the difference? Treier (43 carries for 315 yds) will probably return this week to enhance the running attack, but I said that last week. Rintz got the start, played well, and on 4th and 17 he made a tremendous read, audibled to a wide open Geoff Hess, and then made a perfect pass for the game winning TD. Wilson will be the strongest team up front that the Comets have faced, but will they be strong enough to prevent the Comets from clinching a winning season?


Thursday, October 26
PMF PREVIEW WEEK 9

PMF PREVIEW
WEEK 9

Warwick
"FUF"
Coming off of a tough loss to Wilson the Comets travel to Lititz this week to take on the Warwick Warriors. Both teams are having successful seasons and are vying for District III playoff berths and have identical records: 3-2 League, and 5-3 overall. Last season Penn Manor shut out the Warriors 34-0 in a driving rainstorm at Biemesderfer. With rain in the forecast again, the Comets may have a decided advantage on a natural grass field with their powerful smash mouth running attack. If Warwick has an edge at all it would be in the passing game where junior QB Jon Resch has completed 50 of 103 passes for 732 yards with 10 TDs and only 3 picks. Warwick is on a 3 game win streak having rallied to defeat Hempfield 21-19 last week. Warwick is at McCaskey next week while the Comets host the Blue Steaks of Manhem Township. If the Comets have the best one-two punch in the backfield with seniors Geoff Hess and Mike Stover, the Warriors may have the next best tandem with Sr. Ty Steffy (143 carries for 897 yds) and Sr. Trevor Sell (84 carries for 504 yds). Steffy is sixth in the league in rushing while Hess (137 carries for 1024 yds) is second to Cocalico's Devin Orme. Hess was held to 60 yards on 12 carries before leaving the game against Wilson late in the 3rd quarter with an ankle injury. Fortunately, the injury was much less severe than first appeared and Hess may play this week. If Hess isn't able to go, look for Sr. running back Tony Mayo to get some carries now that he has returned to the lineup after several weeks. Power back, Mike Stover (136 carries for 692 yds, 13th in the L-L), bulldozing behind the strong Comet offensive line, will be hard for the Warriors to stop. Warwick's defense, led by senior Teal Stutzman with 64 tackles, is 10th in the league giving up an average of 262 yds/game (166 yds/game on the ground). The Comet defense is coming off of a great effort against Wilson, holding them to 217 total yards, slightly less than their 225 yds/game average which is 5th in the league. Don't expect Penn Manor to deviate from their usual game plan as they will run the ball right at the Warrior defense, control the ball, and the clock. Look for the Comets to pick up win number 6 and punch their ticket for the District III playoffs with their first winning season since they joined Section One.


FORGRAVE "FLINCHES" AND COMETS LOSE DUEL TO WILSON (10-20-06)
FORGRAVE "FLINCHES" AND COMETS LOSE DUEL TO WILSON
The Wilson Bulldogs (5-0 League, 7-1 Overall) came into Biemesderfer Stadium as the favorite. The underdog Comets (3-2 League, 5-3 Overall) gave the Bulldogs all they could handle. This game matched the hype as it was power vs. power. Tough defense ruled the night. The Penn Manor defense played an outstanding game and kept the Bulldog offense from controlling the ball. On offense, the Comets had some opportunities in the first half but shot themselves in the foot with a fumble in Bulldog territory and then a 34 yd. TD run by Geoff Hess was called back on a holding penalty. The Comets were moving the ball but were unable to sustain a drive all the way to paydirt. Mike Stover was his usual powerful force in the first half as he racked up 108 yards on only 12 carries, including a 40 yard gallop. Stover, Hess, Chas Alecxih, and Jack Hamby were leading the way on defense as they were putting the collar on Wilson RB Jake Stopper, who finished with 76 yds on 21 carries. The game was deadlocked at 0-0 at halftime with more of the same to come in the second half. Wilson made some adjustments in the middle and shut down Stover after halftime, holding him to 1 yard on 4 carries. With about 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter (all times are estimated since the scoreboard clock was dark) still knotted at 0-0, the Comets were stopped short on 3rd down and faced a 4th down and a yard to go with the ball on their own 37 yard line. No brainer, right? Send in the punt team and play field position. Put the ball back on the Wilson side of the field and let the defense continue to play pumped up football, maybe force a turnover in Wilson territory, cash it in, etc. etc. Wrong! Coach Bob Forgrave made the decision to go for it on 4th down. This was not, or should not have been, a particularly tense point in the game, but it suddenly became one as Forgrave called out the Wilson defense. Maybe it was the 125th anniversary of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral the day before, and visions of Doc Holliday, the Earps, and Tombstone that played a part in the thought process. We’ll never know, but Coach Forgrave made it clear after the game when he said, “It was a game that came down to whoever flinched first.” Forgrave flinched first and created the turning point of the game. Another in an accumulating series of poor game management decisions that directly impact game results. As fans yelled from the top of the stands to “punt the ball,” Penn Manor was stopped short of the first down and the Bulldogs took over at the Manor 37 yard line. Despite being put in a bad situation, the Comet defense did not back down and pushed the Wilson offense back to midfield and forced a punt on 4th and very long. The Bulldog punt rolled dead at the Comet 4 yard line. Unfortunately, field position had been flipped. The Comet offense wasn’t able to mount a drive and punted this time from the shadow of their goal line, with Wilson taking over at the Penn Manor 34 yard line. With the short field, on 4th and 7 from the Comet 31, Wilson converted the first down with a 20 yard pass from Steve Huber to Josh Smith to the Comet 11 yard line. Two plays later Huber hit Smith again, this time for a 7 yard touchdown. In those 2 possessions by Wilson, the Comet defense gave up only 18 net yards in 9 plays (-13 on the first possession and 31 on the second), yet the Bulldogs had put a huge touchdown on the board to break the scoreless tie. Certainly, if the Bulldogs had faced that 4th down in their own territory, instead of in Comet territory, they would have punted. Star running back Geoff Hess picked up 61 yards on 13 carries to go over 1,000 yards for the second season in a row. Hess left the game near the end of the 3rd quarter with what first appeared to be a serious leg injury, but was later diagnosed as a bruise. Without Hess in the lineup in the 4th quarter the Comets weren’t able to rustle up enough offense to put any points on the board. The Comets turned the ball over on downs again just short of midfield with about 8 minutes left in the game. Wilson took over and mounted their only real drive of the day when they went 56 yards on 9 plays, with RB Jake Stopper taking it in from 7 yards out to put the Bulldogs up 12-0 with about 4 minutes to play. As Coach Forgrave said after the game, the Comet defense “…played valiantly” holding Wilson to 122 yards rushing on 41 attempts, and only allowing 12 points to a team averaging 33 points per game. The Penn Manor offense picked up 181 yards rushing on 38 attempts against a Wilson defense that was allowing only 80 yds/game on the ground. The Comet players deserved a better outcome.


Friday, November 3
PMF PREVIEW WEEK 10

PMF PREVIEW
WEEK 10

Township
"FUF"
The Blue Streaks of Manheim Township (5-1 L-L, 7-2 Overall) will clash with the Comets of Penn Manor (3-3 L-L, 5-4 Overall) at Biemesderfer Stadium in Millersville this week in the regular season finale for both teams. Township is led by their much heralded 6’4” 220 lb. QB Pat Bostick, who is headed to the University of Pittsburgh on scholarship. Bostick has had to take more on his shoulders this year as he is not surrounded with quite the same talent level that the Blue Streaks had in 2005. Bostick has been hit and sacked numerous times this season, including 8 sacks in one game alone. Last year it seemed that Bostick had much more protection and probably wasn’t sacked 8 times all of last season when the Blue Streaks went 9-2 and lost in the first round of the District III playoffs to State College 51-20. Manheim Township will be making their second straight trip to the District Playoffs. Over the course of the season the Blue Streaks have jelled into a well balanced offensive football team, with 1,242 yards rushing and 1,652 yards passing for a combined average of 321.6 yds/game, 7th in the League. The beneficiaries of having a blue chipper at QB have been Sr. WR Jay Ridinger (59 receptions for 793 yds. 7 TDs) and Jr. WR Nate Pagan (48 receptions for 504 yds, 6 TDs) who are first and third respectively in the League in catches. Sr. TE Matt McDonald is another of Bosticks weapons. Bosticks numbers are, as you would imagine, impressive: 138 of 215 for 1,646 yards, 14 TD’s, only 3 interceptions. The Blue Streak offensive line, led by 6; 4” 310 lb. Sr. Cory Pfautz, has improved as the season has progressed and has done a nice job of opening holes for 5’11” 180 lb. Sr. TB Matt Minnick who has very quietly accumulated 997 yards rushing on 170 carries. A 1,000 yard rusher to go along with Bostick’s numbers equals the balance that every coach wants. Defensively Township has been holding their opponents to an average of 250 yds/game which ranks 8th in the League just behind the Comets who are 7th in the League only giving up 235 yds/game. The scary thing for Township opponents is that they are young, with a wealth of underclassmen: 25 juniors and 29 sophomores, some making major contributions this season, including 5’ 11” 205 lb. Jr. Mike Gillespie (6 sacks) and 6’ 1” 215 lb. Soph FB/LB Nick Sizemore, who appear to have a bright future. The Penn Manor Comets come into this game on an emotional roller coaster. After defeating McCaskey for the second year in a row, 3 weeks ago, they are coming off two consecutive tough losses, 12-0 to Wilson and 26-14 to Warwick last week in the rain, with star RB/LB Geoff Hess missing the 4th quarter of the Wilson game and all of the Warwick game. The Comets were hoping to clinch their first winning season in years and their first District III Playoff berth with one more win. The Comets will be fired up to face Manheim Township with the same goals still in their sights. Township defeated the Comets 56-7 last season in a game in which everything that could have gone wrong for the Comets, did. If there is any way that Hess can play, he will be in there against the Blue Streaks. Clearly, the Comets miss him when he’s not on the field. Of the Comets 4 losses, Hess only played the entire game once, against L-S. Hess missed 3 quarters of the Reading game, the crucial 4th quarter of the Wilson game, and all of the Warwick game. Hess is having another outstanding season with 1,024 yds. on 137 carries 14 TDs (18 TDs overall), as is FB Mike Stover with 747 yds. on 154 carries. The Comets are first in total offense in Section One (tied for 4th in the League) averaging 339.9 yds/game. Penn Manor has amassed 2,558 yards rushing but only 501 yards passing. That passing total is last in Section One and 22nd (of 24) in the League. The Comet’s lack of balance in their offensive attack has made the absence of Hess all the more critical. The Comet receivers are big, led by 6’ 6” Sr. Ryan Crider with 9 catches, and 6’ 7” Sr. Jordan Gibbs with 4 catches. Sr. Bryan Brill is second on the team with 5 catches, with an amazing 30.6 yards per catch with 2 TDs. Gibbs, who will be joining Bostick at the University of Pittsburgh next season on scholarship, has been underutilized. Last season Gibbs had 20 receptions. Although both Comet quarterbacks (sophs Treier and Rintz) are young and inexperienced, short play-action throws to big targets would seem to be a high percentage option to balance the attack. With no rain in the forecast, maybe this will be the week. Defensively, the Comets are second in Section One behind only Wilson, and will need to put pressure on Bostick to slow down the Blue Streak passing attack. With Minnick’s presence, the Comets can’t ignore the Township running attack. Sr. Tony Oppido has quietly excelled in the defensive backfield for the Comets and sophomore linebacker Jacob Rebman has been a big part of the defensive success this season. Sr. DE Chas Alecxih is having a stellar season, leading in quarterback sacks and blocked kicks.
With the return of Hess, the Comets will be able to move the ball against the Blue Streaks defense. No deviation in strategy is expected, keep the ball away from the Blue Streak offense, grind it out and finish. However, the Comets must produce yards through the air in important situations because the Blue Streaks will be loaded in the box all night to stop Stover and Hess. The Comet defense will have to play its best game of the season to stop both Bostick and Minnick. With a winning season and their first District III playoff berth as the prize, the Comets and their fans will be as fired up as ever to bring home win number 6.
District Playoff Note: According to Keith Schweigert of the Lancaster New Era, the Comets can still clinch a playoff spot even if they lose to Manheim Township, depending upon the outcome of some other games. Here is a link to the article: 3 Local Teams Still in the Hunt


Saturday, November 18
2006 GAME ARTICLES/PICTURES
Solanco Articles/Pictures:

Penn Manor Opens with Rout of Solanco (New Era)
PM Hits the Ground Running (Intelligencer Journal)		 L-S Articles/Pictures:
Comets Fade in the Fourth Quarter in Loss to L-S
L-S Charges Past Comets (Intelligencer Journal)
Lampeter-Strasburg Game Pictures!!!
Cocalico Articles/Pictures:
Comets Trounce the Eagles
Hess Racks Up 4 TD's as Comets Roll (New Era)
Cocalico Game Pictures!!!		 Cedar Crest Articles/Pictures:
PMF Preview Week 4
Hess Leads Comet Romp Over Cedar Crest 39-0
Comets Blank Crest (Intelligencer Journal)
Cedar Crest Game Pictures Coming Soon!!!
Reading Articles/Pictures:
PMF Preview Week 5
Reading Blasts the Comets 52-26
Reading Game Pictures Coming Soon!!!		 Hempfield Articles/Pictures:
PMF Preview Week 6
Penn Manor Dominates Hempfield 14-0
Comets Play Keep-Away (Intell Journal)
Comets Finally Snap Skid...(New Era)
Hempfield Football Website
J.P. McCaskey Articles/Pictures:
PMF Preview Week 7
Don't Mess With Hess (New Era Player of the Week)
Last-minute TD Lifts Comets...(Intell Journal)
Comet Comeback (New Era)
J. P. McCaskey Football Website 		Wilson Articles/Pictures:
PMF Preview Week 8
Forgrave "Flinches" and Comets Lose to Wilson
Bulldogs Shut Down Comets (Intell Journal)
Penn Manor Doesn't Quite Measure Up (New Era)
Wilson Game Pictures!!!
Warwick Articles/Pictures:
PMF Preview Week 9
Resch Leads Warwick Past PM, Into District Playoffs (Intell Journal)
WARWICK GAME PICTURES!!!		 Manheim Township Articles/Pictures:
PMF Preview Week 10
Ridinger's Roll Carries Streaks (Intell Journal)

MANHEIM TOWNSHIP GAME PICTURES!!!		  


Thursday, November 9
PMF PREVIEW WEEK 11

PMF PREVIEW
WEEK 11

Penn Manor (5-5)
at Gov. Mifflin (9-1)
"FUF"

PLAYERS TO WATCH

PENN MANOR

GOV. MIFFLIN

# 20 RB Geoff Hess Sr.
137 - 1024 Yds 14 Tds
2 Rec 165 Yds 2 Tds

#7 QB Brad Rhoads Sr.
104 - 715 Yds 14 Tds
38-105-8 547 Yds 4 Tds

#39 RB Mike Stover Sr.
199 - 945 Yds 8 Tds

#25 RB Dustin Manz Sr.
111 - 632 Yds 10 Tds

#7 QB Michael Treier So.
73 - 388 Yds 4 Tds
19-49-7 417 Yds 4 Tds

#33 RB Jon Ruffner Sr.
112 - 493 Yds 1 Td

#89 TE Jordan Gibbs Sr.
11 Rec 196 Yds 1 Td

#31 RB Joe Favinger Sr.
19 - 153 Yds 2 Tds
6 Rec 23 Yds

#87 TE Ryan Crider Sr.
11 Rec 144 Yds 3 Tds

#5 WR Ryan Bricker Sr.
16 Rec 218 Yds 1 Td

#22 WR Bryan Brill Sr.
6 Rec 187 Yds 2 Tds

#45 WR Daniel Koch Sr.
8 Rec 143 Yds 2 Tds

#9 QB Eric Rintz So.
43 - 159 Yds 2 Tds
10-23-1 238 Yds 3 Tds

#13 WR Sam Eagleson Jr.
8 Rec 180 Yds 1 Td

"ON PAPER" COMPARISON

PENN MANOR

OFFENSE

GOV. MIFFLIN

262

Points Scored

277

26.2

Points Scored/Game

27.7

197

First Downs

150

2833

Rushing Yards

2604

523

Rushing Attempts

437

283.3

Rushing Yards/Game

260.4

5.42

Rushing Yards/Attempt

5.96

76 - 30 - 9

Passing (Att-Comp-Int)

107 - 39 - 8

662

Passing Yards

584

66.2

Passing Yards/Game

58.4

3495

Total Offense

3188

349.5

Total Offense/Game

318.8

9 - 6

Fumbles (Total-Lost)

22 - 13

15 - 15= 0

Turnover Ratio
(Turnovers - Takeaways)

21 - 18= -3

21-27.1

Punts-Punt Average

27-25.65

45.9

Penalty Yards/Game

30.8

PENN MANOR

DEFENSE

GOV. MIFFLIN

220

Points Allowed

115

22.0

Points Allowed/Game

11.5

149

First Downs

110

1107

Rushing Yards

955

292

Rushing Attempts

305

110.7

Rushing Yards/Game

95.5

3.79

Rushing Yards/Attempt

3.13

199 - 99 - 8

Passing (Att-Comp-Int)

188 - 88 - 4

1348

Passing Yards

1026

134.8

Passing Yards/Game

102.6

2455

Total Defense

1981

245.5

Total Defense/Game

198.1

13 - 7

Fumbles
(Total - Recovered)

27 - 14

32 - 34.88

Punts-Punt Average

52 - 29.52

34.1

Penalty Yards/Game

28.5
The Mustangs of Governor Mifflin (5-1 League, 9-1 overall) are co-champions of Section 1 of the Inter-County League as they tied for first place with Daniel Boone. Daniel Boone defeated Mifflin 22-10 in Week 7. Daniel Boone (5-1 League, 9-1 Overall) lost to Muhlenberg (7-3 overall) 20-17 in Week 9. The Mustangs beat Muhlenberg 17-7 in Week 10. Muhlenberg is facing Conestoga Valley (8-2) in the first round of the playoffs. The winner of the Comets-Mustangs game will play the winner of that game. A quick review “On Paper” shows that Gov. Mifflin is very similar to the Comets in that they run the ball most of the time. The Mustangs run the triple option effectively; they also run from the I Formation as well as the Shotgun. Sr. QB Brad Rhoads is the leading rusher for Mifflin and will be the focus of the Comet defense. Rhoads has only completed 36% of his passes (38-105) and has 8 interceptions vs. 4 Tds. The Comet “Rookie of the Year” sophomore duo of Mike Treier and Eric Rintz have combined to complete 40% of their aerials (29-72) for 7 Tds with 8 Ints. While the offenses appear to have similar numbers, the defenses do not. Gov. Mifflin’s defense has only given up 115 points (11.5/game) and is holding their opponents to 198 yards per game in total offense. Like the Comets, they have given up a lot of yardage through the air, but they are tough against the run, allowing 95 yds/game. The Comet’s defensive strength is also in stopping the run (110.7 yds/game). There is no doubt that Sr. RB Geoff Hess will play; the only question is how effective will he be. Hess played almost exclusively on defense last week against Manheim Township and Sr. RB Mike Stover carried the load on offense as he carried the ball an amazing 46 times for 198 yards. Once again, like the Wilson game, this will be strength against strength. The Comets are a very dangerous 15th seeded team. Despite the No. 2 vs. No. 15 labels, this should be a tough, hard fought football game. The Comets have an opportunity to show the critics of the expanded playoffs this year (from 8 teams to 16 teams) that despite a 5-5 record, they belong. Notes: The Mustangs have played 3 L-L League Section One teams this season and defeated them all, including Wilson 14-12 in Week 1, Manheim Township 42-21 in Week 2, and Reading 28-14 in Week 3. Penn Manor defeated Gov. Mifflin 19-12 the last time they played, October 17, 2003, in a rainy mud game. The Mustangs left the L-L League at the end of the 2003 season after finishing 1-9.


Monday, November 13
COMETS SUFFER ONE POINT PLAYOFF LOSS TO MIFFLIN
COMETS SUFFER ONE POINT PLAYOFF LOSS TO MIFFLIN
During every football game, at virtually every level, from high school football through pro football, a head coach is faced with a few game situation decisions which directly impact the outcome of the game. The actual number of in-game decisions varies from game to game and increases with each level of football; but, at the high school level, there are probably only 2 or 3 times during each game where the head coach has a game-changing decision to make. It is the responsibility of the head coach to quickly and accurately identify those situations, assess them, and make decisions which give the team the best opportunity to win the game. It is also the responsibility of the head coach to avoid making decisions which create critical situations, where none existed, which could jeopardize the outcome of the game.

Playing in Shillington on a beautiful fall evening in their first ever District III playoff game, Penn Manor lost by an extra point to Governor Mifflin 14-13. The loss was the fourth in a row for the Comets who finish the season with a disappointing 5-6 record after starting the season 5-2. Before the game, on paper, the teams looked statistically evenly matched, despite their records (9-1 Gov. Mifflin vs. 5-5 Penn Manor) and their seeding (No. 2 vs. No. 15). Furthermore, the Comets, although tough against the run, had been vulnerable to the pass all season; yet the Mustangs’ passing game had produced only 58 yards per game coming in. Not only did their strengths match up, but their weaknesses matched up as well for the Comets. The final score, 14-13 Mifflin, and the final statistics (PM 202 yds, 13 first downs; GM 233 yds, 13 first downs), accurately reflected the closeness of the contest. In typical fashion, the Comets drove 80 yards in 11 plays in the first quarter to take the early lead. Quarterback Mike Treier scored the first touchdown of the game on a 13 yard run. The key play of the drive was a 4th down completion by Treier to senior wide receiver Bryan Brill which covered 24 yards. Senior Jack Hamby kicked the extra point to put the Comets up 7-0. That score held up until halftime as the Comet defense held Gov. Mifflin in check in the first half, holding them to 64 yards and 4 first downs, well off their usual pace (319 yds/game and 15 first downs/game). The Mustangs opened the second half with a nice drive of their own, going 72 yards in 13 plays, with speedster Dustin Manz going around left end from a yard out for the touchdown. Chris Carabello kicked the extra point to tie the score 7-7. Late in the 3rd quarter, senior defensive lineman Jordan Gibbs picked off an attempted screen pass by QB Brad Rhoads at midfield and returned it 34 yards until he was tackled at the Mifflin 16 yard line on a touchdown saving tackle by Manz. On 4th and 9 from the 15 the Comets executed their familiar halfback option play as Hess tossed a TD pass to senior tight end Ryan Crider, who made yet another spectacular diving catch in the endzone with a little over a minute left in the 3rd quarter. As the Comet faithful celebrated the go ahead TD, their jubilation was abruptly dampened by confusion; Crider’s catch made the score 13-7, but rather than send out Hamby to kick the extra point to make it 14-7, the Comet offense stayed on the field. Leading 13-7, Coach Forgrave decided to go for the two point conversion. Further confusing matters, Forgrave called a pass play, which was unsuccessful as Treier’s pass was incomplete, despite borderline interference in the endzone. Just prior to the TD and conversion attempt, I had been talking with a small group of Berks County football old-timers, who proceeded to tell me that they had never seen a coach go for two in a situation like that before. I concurred, but offered the only logical explanation that I could think of, perhaps Hamby was injured. Not so. Forgrave was quoted in the Intelligencer Journal as saying, “We’re not real consistent that way (in our kicking) so we felt like going for two.” What a difference a year makes. Last season, in the Comets 41-40 come from behind win against McCaskey, early in the game, Hamby, then a junior, had attempted and missed his first career extra point kick. In the waning seconds of that game, the Comets scored a touchdown to tie McCaskey 40-40; Forgrave called upon Hamby, who, in his second career attempt, kicked the PAT to win the game 41-40. A year later, on a clear, dry, relatively warm night on artificial turf, after having made his only PAT attempt of the night, Hamby wasn’t given the opportunity to try another. Gov. Mifflin highlighted the issue even more as they scored on their next possession, when quarterback Brad Rhoads turned the corner and went 55 yards for the score. Carabello kicked his second extra point to give the Mustangs the lead for good at 14-13. The Comets threatened twice more but were stopped on downs at the Mifflin 33 yard line and an interception by Sr. linebacker Joe Favinger ended the last threat with less than 2 minutes on the clock. Once again, a game management decision created a situation which directly impacted the outcome of the game. Brian Rippey of The Reading Eagle wrote “The second-seeded Mustangs (10-1) benefited from a strong defense and a curious call on a two-point conversion to eliminate the 15th-seeded Comets (5-6).” Ken Smiley Jr. of the Intelligencer Journal wrote: “The decision backfired as Treier’s pass fell incomplete…” The Intelligencer Journal quoted Forgrave as saying: “They had one more play than we had, that quarterback sweep, so it was devastating.” The fact is that Gov. Mifflin didn’t have “one more play than we had;” both teams had 2 touchdown plays, and both teams had 2 conversion /PAT opportunities. What was devastating was the decision to go for two.
Notes: The Comets were, once again, without the offensive services of senior running back Geoff Hess, who had gone over the 1,000 yard mark for the season back in Week 8 against Wilson. Hess had 3 carries for 2 yards against Mifflin, his only carries since he injured his ankle late in the 3rd quarter against Wilson. Hess finished the season with 1,027 yards rushing on 140 attempts (7.3 yds/carry). While senior fullback Mike Stover has been even more of a workhorse since Hess’ injury, the loss of the Hess and Stover tandem in the backfield, and particularly the breakaway ability of Hess, has had a direct correlation to the Comet tailspin. Stover picked up 77 yards on 23 carries which took him over 1,000 yards for the season as he finished with 1,022 on 222 attempts (4.6 yds/carry). Two running backs with over 1,000 yards in the same season is amazing; unfortunately, it makes 5-6 even harder to understand. For the season, Hamby converted 19 of 31 PATs (61.3%) and the Comets completed 36 of 89 pass attempts (40.4%).


Monday, November 13
GAME 11 RESULTS

GAME #11 RESULTS - FIRST ROUND
DISTRICT III AAAA PLAYOFFS
Penn Manor 13 Gov. Mifflin 14
vs.
Comets (5 - 6) Mustangs (10 - 1)

Articles/Pictures:


GOV. MIFFLIN GAME PICTURES!!!

MUSTANGS ESCAPE PENN MANOR

PMF PREVIEW WEEK 11 GOV. MIFFLIN

L-L SENDS DOZEN INTO POSTSEASON

GOV. MIFFLIN SCHEDULE, ROSTER, STATS
Berks Game Day - ReadingEagle.com

DISTRICT 3/6 PLAYOFF BRACKET
EasternPAFootball.com



Sunday, November 19
NEW ERA ROOKIES OF THE YEAR
Lancaster New Era names
both Penn Manor Sophomore Quarterbacks
Rookie of the Year in L-L Section One
QB Michael Treier
19-49 416 Yds. 4 TDs		 QB Eric Rintz
10-23 238 Yds. 3 TDs


FOOTBALL FRIDAY PLAY OF THE YEAR

Senior TE Ryan Crider's Spectacular Catch of a TD Pass from QB Eric Rintz in the McCaskey Game is WGAL Football Friday's PLAY OF THE YEAR


Check out WGAL Football Friday's Expanded Site: View Scores, Video Clips



Thursday, November 23
JUNIORS ARE POWDER PUFF CHAMPIONS 2006!!!

2006 POWDER PUFF CHAMPIONS!!!
JUNIORS DEFEAT THE SENIORS 7-3

2006 PLAYERS OF THE GAME
OFFENSE
Katelyn Miller
80 Yard Touchdown Run
DEFENSE
Chelsea Overmyer
Leading Tackler

2006 POWDER PUFF PICTURES CLICK HERE



2006 POWDER PUFF SENIORS!

POWDER PUFF PHOTO ARCHIVES

2005 Champions - Seniors
2004 Champions - Seniors


2006 Penn Manor Comet Statistics - MaxPreps High School Football

2006 SEASON STATISTICS!!!

OFFENSE DEFENSE




  
 
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