By Jason Guarente
Published Oct 07, 2006 11:39
“Tape me up real good, give me a cortisone shot or something,” Penn Manor’s tailback said. “I had to play in this game.”
The Comets needed him.
Hess rushed for 146 yards as Penn Manor used two second-half touchdowns to defeat Hempfield 14-0 in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 play in Landisville.
“I never beat Hempfield before in my whole career,” Hess said.
Actually, the drought goes back much further.
This was the first time Penn Manor ever defeated Hempfield. The teams have played every season since the Comets moved up to Section 1 in 1994.
Hess didn’t want to miss the occasion.
The 5-11, 205-pound running back was injured during Penn Manor’s disappointing 52-26 loss to Reading last week.
Hess went from the field to the hospital after that game. He thought his collarbone was broken, which would have likely ended his season.
X-rays revealed no break and Hess was cleared to play.
This rivalry means something more to the senior, who played youth football for Mountville. Many of Hempfield’s players were Hess’ teammates or rivals back in elementary school.
“They’re tough kids,” Hess said. “Hempfield is a tough team. We put together our work ethic, our good coaching and our talent and we came out with the victory.”
Hess anchored Penn Manor’s bruising running attack, which proved to be the difference.
What the Comets’ offense lacks in explosiveness and creativity, it makes up with muscle and determination.
This night was three yards and a cloud of dust at its finest.
“That’s our offense,” Penn Manor coach Bob Forgrave said. “We really feel like if we execute we can move the ball.”
The Comets do it methodically.
Penn Manor had possession for nearly 39 of the 48 minutes. The Comets ran 68 plays and only two went for more than 11 yards.
It didn’t matter.
Penn Manor kept getting first downs and kept Hempfield’s defense on the field.
“That’s one of our goals every week to dominate at the line of scrimmage,” Hess said. “If we do that, we’re going to be OK.”
After having a couple of long drives bog down in Hempfield territory in the first half, Penn Manor broke through in the third quarter. Fullback Mike Stover’s 4-yard scoring run with 4:04 left snapped a scoreless tie.
Quarterback Eric Rintz added a 5-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to seal it for the Comets.
Penn Manor didn’t complete a pass. All of its 325 yards came on the ground.
Hempfield knew the Comets’ game plan, but the Knights couldn’t stop it. They were overwhelmed up front.
“I was surprised it was that one-sided,” said Hempfield coach Tom Getz, whose team fell to 1-5 overall and 0-3 in league play. “We’re struggling at the line of scrimmage. There’s no doubt about it.”
How thorough was Penn Manor’s dominance?
Before Hempfield’s final possession, the Comets had 307 yards of total offense. The Knights had 19. The Comets had 18 first downs. The Knights had zero.
“Our philosophy is stop the run and make them throw,” Forgrave said. “If we don’t stop the run, we’re in trouble.”
On this night, Penn Manor stopped everything.
Part of that was because Hempfield rarely had the ball.
“We were dropping passes and missing open receivers,” Getz said. “When you don’t have that many chances, you have to put something together and we didn’t do it.”
This was a satisfying win on many levels for Penn Manor, which improved to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Section 1.
The Comets played without starting quarterback Michael Treier, who is nursing a sore foot. They also rebounded from the loss against Reading.
Forgrave sees progress from this team.
“The kids are starting to show that they’re not going to lay down,” the second-year coach said. “In years past, I think they would have.”
In years past, Penn Manor would have lost to Hempfield.
This year is a different story.
