Comets outscrap Streaks

Keep share of Section One lead

Intelligencer Journal

Published: Oct 11, 2008
02:13 EST

Millersville

By KEVIN FREEMAN, Assistant Sports, Editor

Like a presidential candidate trying to convince voters to pull the lever for him, the Penn Manor football team has been on a campaign of its own this season.

The Comets are not looking for votes but they are trying to make people believe in them. It's been an uphill battle, what with coming off a 1-9 season a year ago.

But even the Comets' naysayers might find it tough to argue with a 7-0 overall record.

That's where Penn Manor is today, 7-0, after a thrilling 20-19 victory over Manheim Township Friday night at Chryst Field in Millersville.

In a back-and-forth affair befitting two teams with undefeated league records, the Comets held on when Tyler Musser recovered a Township fumble with the Blue Streaks on a late fourth-quarter march.

"I'm not sure any Penn Manor team has invested themselves in the program the way that these kids have," said Comets coach Todd Mealy, whose team is tied atop Section One with Wilson. "They have a chip on their shoulder and they are resilient."

Sean Noll's 1-yard dive midway through the fourth quarter gave the Comets a 20-13 lead. The Blue Streaks (3-1, 4-3) answered with Dan Wertz's 7-yard dart to the end zone. But when Township kicker Garrett Perau's potential game-tying PAT sailed wide left, Manor (4-0, 7-0) kept the lead.

"We always come in thinking we're the underdogs," Musser said. "Everybody looks past us. Township beats us every year. What was it, 45-7 last year? We wanted this one."

Getting it, however, wasn't easy. The subplot was Manor's stingy defense against Township's jazzy offense. At times, Township stung the Comets with their series of direct snaps. Other times, the Comets snuffed it out.

Nick Sizemore's 11-yard TD run put the Streaks up 7-0 on Township's first possession. The Streaks put Perau in position for a 20-yard field goal and led 10-0 but there was enough time left in the half for Penn Manor to run a two-minute drill.

Manor quarterback P.J. Rehm (9-for-23, 1 INT, 153 yards) got the drive started with a 24-yard completion to Mike Treier. Rehm ended the drive with a 22-yard TD toss to Aaron Frederick and the Comets trailed at halftime, 10-7.

Township's Jake Marchioni lost the handle on a toss play and the Comets converted it into Rehm's 7-yard scramble for a TD and a 13-10 lead (Manor kicker Josh Bitner rang the PAT off the right upright) midway through the third quarter.

The Streaks returned the favor, picking up another 20-yard field goal from Perau when Brian Sourber recovered a Manor fumble, tying the game at 13-13 with 11:55 to play.

"Both teams made mistakes and both made plays," Mealy said. "Fortunately, we made one less mistake than they did."

Rehm's 32-yard completion to Frederick (4 catches, 76 yards) set up Noll's TD plunge, but Township answered with Wertz's 7-yard TD run. Although the Streaks trailed by one, they took over with 3:23 to play after forcing a punt.

But on the fifth play of the drive from the Manor 41, the Streaks ran a double reverse and the ball fell from Matt Curcio's hands. Musser then out-wrestled Curcio for the bouncing ball.

"We were all pretty confident that we were going to stop them," said Musser. "Things went our way. He fumbled it before anybody touched him. I was just lucky enough to be the one to get it."

Township coach Mike Melnyk, whose team has lost three games by a total of five points, was asked if he might re-think a double handoff at that point in the game.

"You're always going to second-guess when things don't work out," he said. "We didn't execute the play. They made a couple of more big plays than we did."

Just enough. But enough to make the Comets winners and add to their list of believers.

E-mail: kfreeman@lnpnews.com