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PC falls short in final seconds of game

CRESSON — If you have to rate — on a scale of 1-10 — heartbreaking defeats in Penn Cambria High School football history, the Panthers’ 28-20 loss at home Friday night to Somerset would have to garner some heavy consideration.

Penn Cambria jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead, watched Somerset take a 28-20 lead in the final minutes, then took the ensuing kickoff, with the help of a penalty, down to the Somerset 10-yard line in the closing seconds. However, a fumble at the 5 with 24 ticks left on the clock was recovered by the Golden Eagles, making it four straight losses for the Panthers, who were once 4-1.

“Our kids played with everything they had. They feel bad. We feel bad for them,” Penn Cambria coach Jason Grassi said. “We just have to win a football game. We are on a skid right now. We just wanted to get a ‘W.’

Trailing 28-20, Nick Hite, who finished with 223 yards rushing on 26 carries for the Panthers, took the kickoff with 1:20 to go and nearly made it to the end zone, returning it 55 yards down to the Somerset 25. A personal foul penalty on the Eagles put the ball at the 10, first-and-goal.

“He’s a ballplayer, a ballplayer,” Somerset coach Bob Landis said of Hite. “We were hoping to get one rolling around on the kickoff and he made a heckuva play catching that.”

On first down, Hite carried the ball 5 yards. With 24 seconds left, and second-and-goal from the 5, Penn Cambria attempted a pass, however, quarterback Garrett Martynuska was pressured and fumbled the ball as he attempted the throw.

“I should have called a timeout,” said Grassi, whose club still had two timeouts. “I was going to call timeout and run the play we wanted, but we called that play. We were trying to catch them there. We had a matchup we wanted, but it didn’t turn out the way we wanted.”

Landis wasn’t sure if it was a fumble or an incomplete pass attempt.

“Actually, I was already thinking ahead, doing the math and what matchup we would get on their two-point pass atttempt,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if his arm followed through or not. I am anxious to look at the film, but honestly, we just told our defense to go out and make a play. We lined up and reacted to what they did.”

What they did in the first quarter was watch Hite score on touchdown runs of 70 and 15 yards. The Martynuska PAT kicks made it 14-0 with 4:07 to go in the frame. Hite, a senior, needed 129 yards to hit the 1,000-plateau. He did that on carry No. 13.

“He has been this all year for us. I feel so bad for him. He gave us a chance to win. He is a great football player,” Grassi said.

A Penn Cambria turnover in the second quarter led to Somerset’s first touchdown, a 16-yard run by Austin Hemminger. The PAT kick failed, and Penn Cambria still led at the break, 14-6.

Somerset, 5-4, tied the game up with 2:58 to go in the third quarter when quarterback George Coyle scored from 4 yards out. That score also followed a Penn Cambria turnover. Coyle’s two-point rush attempt made it 14-all. He finished with 82 yards on 23 carries while Hemminger had 126 on 19 carries.

Somerset went ahead 22-14 early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Coyle He then hit Ethan Hunt with a two-point conversion pass.

Penn Cambria came right back, scoring on a 43-yard touchdown run by Hite with 8:45 to play. However, the two-point rush attempt failed, leaving it 22-20 Somerset, in a game that featured only 5 yards of passing combined by both teams.

The Panthers got the ball, and had to go for it with 4:44 to go in the game on a fourth-and-2 at their own 37. Penn Cambria was stopped less than a yard short. Somerset got the ball back, scoring on a 5-yard Coyle run. The PAT failed, making it 28-20.

Game notes: The top six teams in District 6 3A make the playoffs. Penn Cambria, currently No. 6, hosts Bishop McCort next week, Bedford, which is right on Penn Cambria’s heels, won Friday night over Cambria Heights and plays Forest Hills next weekend.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Somerset    0  6  8  14 — 28

Penn Cambria    14  0  0  6   — 20

First quarter

PC–Hite 70 run (Gr. Martynuska kick), 9:41

PC–Hite 15 run (Gr. Martynuska kick), 4:07

Second quarter

S–Hemminger 16 run (kick failed), 5:45

Third quarter

S–Coyle 4 run (Coyle run), 2:58

Fourth quarter

S–Coyle 1 run (Hunt pass from Coyle), 9:57

PC–Hite 43 run (run failed), 8:45

S–Coyle 5 run (kick failed), 1:20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Somerset–Coyle 24-87, Hemminger 19-126, Funa 2-(-8), TEAM 1-(-1). Penn Cambria–Hite 26-223, Zupon 9-28, Ga. Martynuska 3-10.

PASSING: Somerset–Coyle 1-6-0-5. Penn Cambria–Ga. Martynuska 0-4-1-0.

RECEIVING: Somerset–Funa 1-5. Penn Cambria–None.

INTERCEPTIONS: Somerset–Barron. Penn Cambria–None.

TEAM STATISTICS    S    PC

First downs    17    10

Rushes-yards    46-204    38-261

Passing (comp.-att.-int.)    1-7-0    0-4-1

Yards passing    5    0

Total yards    209    261

Fumbles-lost    3-1    6-3

Penalties-yards    3-30    6-60

Punts-avg.    7-26.7    3-27.3

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