Lampeter-Strasburg learned Saturday that winning the statistical game does not always lead to a victory on the football field.

The host Pioneers (0-2) had more first downs, rushing yards and passing yards than Penn Manor, while also forcing one more turnover.

But the Pioneers failed to capitalize on some scoring opportunities and fell to the Comets 14-10 Saturday.

Penn Manor (2-0) scored a tying touchdown three plays after forcing a key turnover as the Pioneers were going in for a second score, and the Comets went into the half tied 7-7 despite a large difference in time of possession and yardage.

The difference came when the Comets opened up their offense in the third quarter with quarterback PJ Rehm wearing down the Pioneers with his legs.

 "We have a resilient group of kids and they proved it tonight," Penn Manor head coach Todd Mealy said.  "We could not do what we wanted to in the first half. It got us out of our game plan with little time having the ball. We were tied at the half and got a quick three and out which allowed us to open up our attack."

The drive that gave Penn Manor a lead it wouldn't relinquish started at its own 20. Rehm, who ran the ball only once in the first half, ran three straight times for 28 yards. He then broke off a 16-yard run on second-and-11, with Mealy fooling the defense with his four-receiver set on the play.

The Pioneers' defense stepped up, though, putting the Comets in a fourth-and-11 from the 31. Rehm dropped back and drilled a pass over the middle to Laronn Lee at the goal line for the score. Aaron Vickers' kick made it 14-7.

Neither team scored in the first quarter, though the Pioneers drove to the 4-yard line on their first possession. It ended when quarterback Nate Shank overthrew his receiver in the end zone. The Comets then turned the ball over on the L-S 43 when they failed to convert on fourth-and-10.

Two plays later, on the first play of the second quarter, Shank found Jordan Groff wide open behind the defense at the 25. Groff outran the defenders and scored for the 7-0 lead.

L-S appeared ready to score again on its next drive, but fumbled at the 17-yard line. PM's Teon Lee picked up the loose ball and rumbled 78 yards to the 5.

"Our outside linebacker blitzed off the edge and stripped the quarterback. Teon picked it up and almost got it in the end zone," Mealy said.

Two plays later, Rehm laced a ball through tight coverage to Laronn Lee for the score. The two passes to Lee were Rehm's only completions on the day.

Zach Halpin was strong at fullback for the Pioneers. The senior ran for 112 yards on 21 carries.

"We knew teams would be keying on Chad Frey," said Pioneers head coach John Manion. "It is only his second game at fullback, and he is really coming along."

L-S used a mix of runs and passes to drive inside the Comets' 20 of the Comets early in the fourth quarter. Shank overthrew Chad Frey in the end zone on third down, but Chris Garaffa came on and kicked a 33-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10. The defense forced a three-and-out, giving L-S the ball back with 5:34 on the clock.

L-S drove to the 34, where it faced a fourth-and-six. Shank's pass was deflected by lineman Kenny Tomaszfski, allowing the Comets to run out the clock and escape with a hard-fought victory.

"The hope was to pound the ball on the ground, but late in the fourth quarter we had to go to the air more than we would have liked," Manion said. "We faced a strong team tonight and were very close to winning the game."      

Shank completed six of 12 passes for 89 yards and ran for 15 yards on six carries.