×

Hilltoppers put clamps on Panthers’ offense

JOHNSTOWN — Strong defensive play and halftime adjustments resulted in success for Westmont Hilltop as it defeated Penn Cambria on Saturday, 24-7.

After Brandon Kaesler converted on a 30-yard field goal to put the game’s first points on the board, Derek Brown broke loose on a 33-yard run midway through the first quarter.

After allowing the early touchdown, the Hilltoppers scored 21 unanswered points and shut down the Panthers’ offense en route to their third win of the season.

“It took a lot of grit and grind today, but we’re certainly happy with the outcome,” Westmont Hilltop coach Pat Barron said.

The Hilltoppers were led by Camden Moors, who picked up 88 yards on 22 carries along with the game’s only catch — a pickup of 30 yards.

Moors played an instrumental part in each of the Hilltoppers’ scoring drives, averaging 4 yards per carry.

But he was not alone in the effort. Westmont Hilltop (3-2), as a whole, picked up 242 yards on the ground.

“It’s awesome to be able to rely on my teammates,” Moors said. “I know that if I can’t get it done that day, they’ll be able to.”

Down by four with only a few minutes remaining until halftime, Westmont Hilltop’s Hudson Holbay reached the end zone with a 3-yard run to give his team a 10-7 lead at the half.

With both teams evenly matched and sharing chances back-and-forth through the first 24 minutes of the game, Barron decided it was time to make a few changes, specifically in his defense.

“We made some adjustments at halftime to try to simplify some things,” Barron said. “They just came out and played Westmont football. We were able to make some stops and control the clock and shorten this game down in the second half.”

Barron’s mid-game changes certainly made a difference, as Penn Cambria was only able to muster 32 total yards on offense in the entire second half.

With a few players banged up or sitting out due to injury, Moors admitted it was a difficult task.

But he said he trusted himself and the rest of the defensive unit to go out and get the job done.

“We suffered a couple injuries and had a few people out, but we’re all meshing really well,” Moors said. “…I can’t say enough about how well our defense has been playing.”

Mason Muto added to the lead with a 2-yard run in the third quarter, and Moors himself took a 7-yard run to the house to solidify the final score.

After starting the season 3-0, Penn Cambria (3-2) has hit a roadblock in its season.

Coach John Franco was quick to point to his offensive unit.

“Our offense let us down,” Franco said. “Our offense just really gave them field position, gave them the ball, a couple plays didn’t give our defense any time to rest. … I’m really disappointed in our offense.”

In total, Penn Cambria was only able to generate 167 total yards. Derek Brown, who had 477 rushing yards through the first four games of the year, was only able to pick up 35 yards against Westmont Hilltop.

One major area of concern, the Panthers coach said, was his team’s inability to win the battles in the trenches.

“I thought they beat us up front,” Franco said of Westmont Hilltop’s defensive line. “I thought their front four, especially in the second half, dominated our offensive line.”

Franco, however, did pinpoint one reason to be optimistic.

While the scoreboard may paint a negative picture, he was happy with his defense’s play.

“I thought we had a really good defensive effort,” Franco said. “I thought our defense did a really good job, especially in the first half and even through the third quarter.”

Score by Quarters

Penn Cambria 7 0 0 0 — 7

Westmont Hilltop 3 7 7 7 — 24

First Quarter

WH–FG, Kaesler 30, 6:46

PC–Brown 33 run (Michina kick), 4:36

Second Quarter

WH–Holbay 3 run (Kaesler kick), 2:24

Third Quarter

WH–Muto 2 run (Kaesler kick), 3:43

Fourth Quarter

WH–Moors 7 run (Kaseler kick), 6:19

Team Statistics PC WH

First downs 7 10

Total yards 167 272

Rushing yards 82 242

Passing yards 85 30

Comp-Att-Int 7-16-1 1-1-0

Kick returns 5-164 3-74

Interceptions-ret 0-0 1-3

Punts-avg. 3-47.6 1-24

Fumbles-lost 1-0 3-1

Penalties-yards 6-40 5-50

Individual statistics

Rushing–Penn Cambria, Brown 8-35, Marinak 6-27, Perrone 1-11, Tsikalas 1-9. Westmont Hilltop, Moors 22-88, Holbay 9-70, Muto 11-51, Dunn 3-17, Kushner 6-16, Santee 1-0.

Passing–Penn Cambria, Tsikalas 7-17-1-85. Westmont Hilltop, Santee 1-1-0-30.

Receiving–Penn Cambria, Perrone 3-29, Weigand 2-226, Smith 1-18, Marinak 1-12. Westmont Hilltop, Moors 1-30.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.39/week.

Subscribe Today