That's the lesson McCaskey learned last Friday when the Penn Manor senior rushed for 204 yards and 2 TDs and added a 79-yard TD reception in the Comet's 33-32 win.
By Jeffrey Reinhart
Published Oct 17, 2006 13:48
Fourth quarter. Just 1:07 showing on the clock. And McCaskey led 33-32.
The Comets had to go 79 yards, and if that wasn’t tricky enough, it was 4th-and-17.
“That was it,” Penn Manor coach Bob Forgrave said. “Last play.”
And what a last play.
Geoff Hess, Penn Manor’s outstanding senior tailback, was lined up in the slot. And when sophomore quarterback Eric Rintz noticed that McCaskey was double-teaming two other Comets’ receivers, he called an audible at the line of scrimmage.
And he looked Hess’ way after the snap.
Hess came off the line untouched, cradled Rintz’s short pass over the middle and raced 79 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
He also converted the 2-point conversion for the winning margin:
Penn Manor 40, McCaskey 33.
“For Geoff to come through on 4th-and-17 like that was big-league,” Forgrave said. “All of our kids played great. But in a big game like that, all of your big guns need to play well, and Geoff, who is one of our big guns, definitely stepped it up.”
The 5-11, 205-pounder carried 23 times for 204 yards and rushed for a pair of touchdowns: a 10-yard run in the third quarter and a 57-yard sprint that sliced McCaskey’s lead to 33-32 with five minutes to play.
Hess also tossed an 8-yard TD pass to Ryan Crider on a halfback option play in the second quarter, and he returned one kickoff for 17 yards.
That’s 308 multi-purpose yards and four TDs — including the game-winner — if you lost track.
“I don’t know how much more he possibly could have done,” Forgrave said.
For his efforts — and for helping Penn Manor improve to 3-1 in Section 1 and to 5-2 overall with an unforgettable come-from-behind victory — Hess is the New Era Player of the Week.
“That’s as good as Geoff has ever been,” Forgrave said. “He showed everyone that he is a special player.”
Hess and the Comets certainly are having a special season.
Penn Manor is in the thick of the District 3 Quad-A playoff chase and is just a game behind Manheim Township (4-0, 6-1) and Wilson (4-0, 6-1) in the Section 1 race.
And through seven games, Hess is the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s leading rusher with 964 yards on 125 carries.
He’s also rushed for 14 TDs, and he had some fabulous answers in the New Era’s 5 Questions:
SO WHERE DOES FRIDAY’S VICTORY OVER McCASKEY RANK ON YOUR LIST?
For me, personally, it was No. 1. It was just incredible. To catch that pass and to run straight down the field … I could just hear the crowd roaring. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So that was it … my No. 1 victory. Easily.
THIS PROGRAM HAS TAKEN A MAJOR UPSWING SINCE COACH FORGRAVE CAME ABOARD. WHAT’S IT LIKE PLAYING FOR HIM?
I better watch what I say here (chuckling). He’s demanding, but he’s very reasonable. He’s an incredible coach and he’s an incredible person. He told us that we won’t surprise him with anything we do because he knows what we’re capable of. I think we surprised him on Friday. I could be completely wrong, but I think we surprised him.
IS THERE A RUNNING BACK OUT THERE THAT YOU EMULATE?
Of all time I’d say Barry Sanders. At the present time I’d say Reggie Bush. I still remember USC’s game against Fresno State last year when he ran down the field in a full sprint, stopped, and cut all the way back across the field and scored a touchdown. Incredible. I like to watch him. He takes what he has and he uses it. He doesn’t hold anything back, and I respect that.
IS PENN MANOR BACK?
Yes. If we haven’t opened up anyone’s eyes or changed anyone’s minds this season, then we’re not going to. Momentum is a very dangerous thing, and now we have even more momentum after beating McCaskey. We believe we can keep winning. And if we all believe that we can keep winning, we will.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE FOOD?
I’m going to go with barbecue chicken wings at Carlos & Charlie’s. I like the mild wings. I was there with my parents one time and I tried the suicide wings and I had about one lick and no more. So I stick with the mild wings and the honey barbecue wings.
