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By Todd Irwin
sports@altoonamirror.com
PHILIPSBURG -- Philipsburg-Osceola caught the attention of Penn Cambria early in Friday's home game by going on a 14-play, 68-yard drive for a touchdown on its first possession.
But the Panthers were the ones playing keep away from there on.
Led by the deadly combination of quarterback Brady Jones and wideout Gavin Harrold, the Panthers scored on four of their next five series to beat the Mounties, 32-13.
Jones completed 12 of 15 passes for 216 yards and three passing touchdowns and ran for another. Harrold caught nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns, including a backbreaker before the half, in a little more than two quarters of play and ran for another.
"He's unbelievable," Penn Cambria coach Nick Felus said of Harrold. "There's nothing he can't do. It starts Monday, when he comes in and studies film. They were putting two guys on his side. He has the it factor. We're going to keep getting him the ball as much as we can."
"(Harrold) is tough," P-O coach Jeff Vroman said. "This conference, somebody has a good one somewhere. He runs well, is a good receiver."
Play of the game: The Mounties looked like they were only going to be down by one entering halftime, but Harrold gathered in a bubble screen pass from Jones and raced to the end zone for a 53-yard scoring play with 16.6 seconds left. Jones ran for the two-point conversion to make it 16-7 at halftime.
Responding well after P-O's first score: "I think we played pretty well," Felus said. "Coach Vroman had them well prepared in the first quarter. We had to make a few adjustments, but our kids are very resilient. We never panic. We knew what we had to do to take control of the game."
Unsung heroes: The Penn Cambria offensive line protected Jones and opening up gaping holes on running plays.
Most vital statistic: The Panthers outgained P-O, 402-203.
Felus on his hoarse voice: "I'll get it back maybe in December," he joked. "That's just part of coaching. We've got a good group of kids. I've got to give a shoutout to our fans, parents, community, student section. They had almost half the stands filled."
Vroman on his team: "We gave up a couple big plays in the first half. If it wasn't for that screen pass we're in great shape. In the second half, I thought they wore us down and they were able to hit us up inside.
Notable: Thomas Plunkett led PC in rushing with 74 yards on 14 carries. ... Corbin Vinglish entered the game in the second half for PC and ran for 50 yards on eight carries. ... The Panthers intercepted P-O quarterback Archer Baughman twice. ... Penn Cambria had 24 first downs. ... Derek Hite made clutch tackles and blocked an extra point.
Next week: Penn Cambria hosts Forest Hills while Philipsburg-Osceola hosts Clearfield.
Records: Penn Cambria (2-0), Philipsburg-Osceola (1-1)
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Penn Cambria 0 16 8 8 -- 32
Philipsburg-Osceola 7 0 6 0 -- 12
First Quarter
PO--Chapman 1 run (Long kick), 2:52
Second Quarter
PC--Harrold 11 run (Plunkett run), 11:53
PC--Harrold 53 pass from Jones (Jones run), :16.6
Third Quarter
PC--Harrold 12 pass from Jones (Plunkett pass from Jones), 7:11
PO--Baughman 1 run (kick failed), 1:59
Fourth Quarter
PC--Jones 8 run (Jones run), 7:49
TEAM STATISTICS PC PO
First downs 24 13
Total yards 402 203
Rushes-yards 41-186 27-95
Yards passing 216 108
Passing (comp.-att.-int) 12-15-0 9-17-2
Punts-avg. 1-20 3-32.3
Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 7-56 1-5
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Penn Cambria--Plunkett 14-74, Vinglish 8-50, Mar. Eckenrode 2-24, Jones 13-16, Harrold 4-22. Philipsburg-Osceola--Chapman 16-61, Baughman 5-16, Lamb 4--12, McDonald 2-6.
PASSING: Penn Cambria--Jones 12-15-0-216. Philipsburg-Osceola--Baughman 9-17-2-108.
RECEIVING: Penn Cambria--Harrold 9-184, Nadolsky 1-17, Gides 1-12, Plunkett 1-3. Philipsburg-Osceola--McDonald 5-73, Peterson 4-35.