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Panthers hang on late thanks to Harrold INT

By Matt Michelone 3 min read

CRESSON -- It's becoming clear that the Penn Cambria Panthers have been well tested so far during the 2024 football season.

"Through our three games we played, Richland was a tough opponent at home, that was a tough game," Penn Cambria coach Nick Felus said. "Go on the road to Philipsburg, they scored first, we faced some adversity. Tonight, you name it, the adversity we faced, we're built for it."

Friday night, both the Panthers and Rangers of Forest Hills went back and forth from the opening kickoff and the fans were in for a treat. The Panthers have showed so far why they're ready for moments like they faced Friday night as they survived a thriller against the Rangers, 30-22, in Laurel Highlands Athletic Conferencea ction at Penn Cambria Athletic Field.

Play of the game: During the last defensive drive, a backward pass sent the Rangers from the Penn Cambria 43-yard line back to their own 33 for a loss of 24 yards, thwarting any chance of a rally.

Player of the game: Gavin Harrold ran 6 times for 82 yards, and scored two touchdowns while registering a crucial interception in the fourth quarter on defense.

Unsung hero: Mason Mento racked up 102 yards on 18 carries with one score for PC.

Mistakes adding up: Both teams committed a staggering 23 penalties for 260 yards. They also turned the ball over four times.

Felus: "Defensively, we had a next man up mentality. We get a lot of guys reps throughout the week. A lot of guys stepped up. Tommy Plunkett moved inside; Gavin stepped up to play outside linebacker and Bryce Wheeler came in. Ayden Himmer can play every position.''

Forest Hills coach Justin Myers: "It's our fault. We got penalties we shouldn't have, but we battled through it. We had chances. I'm proud of our kids, they battled through adversity. Our kids stayed strong; their guys had penalties in the second half. That's part of football.''

Harrold on Panther resilience: "A lot of guys, new guys stepped up and were able to get it going, and definitely showed some energy and passion.''

Notable: Forest Hills was hit with 13 penalties for 156 yards while the Panthers racked up 10 for 104. ... Penn Cambria only attempted one pass during the second half. ... Plunkett also had a strong day on the ground racking up 82 yards on 15 carries and a score. ... The Panthers lone punt went 60 yards. ... Penn Cambria racked up 298 yards rushing on 47 carries.

Records: Forest Hills (1-2), Penn Cambria (3-0)

Next week: Forest Hills hosts Chestnut Ridge while Penn Cambria travels to Bedford.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Forest Hills 7 0 7 8 - 22

Penn Cambria 0 14 8 8 - 30

First Quarter

FH--Pramuk 15 pass from Cornell (Carpenter kick), 2:27.

Second Quarter

PC--Mento 8 run (pass failed), 8:31.

PC--Plunkett 6 run (Jones run), 4:49.

Third Quarter

FH--Richardson 54 run (Carpenter kick), 11:37.

PC--Safety (Inttentional Grounding for QB in the end zone), 5:26.

PC--Harrold 47 run (run failed), 3:27.

Fourth Quarter

FH--Richardson 3 pass from Cornell (Richardson pass from Cornell), 9:16.

PC--Harrold 1 run (Vinglish pass from Harrold), 6:47.

TEAM STATISTICS FH PC

First downs 16 15

Total yards 252 339

Rushes-yards 32-126 47-298

Yards passing 126 41

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 11-21-1 1-5-1

Punts-avg. 3-20.3 1-60

Fumbles-lost 1-0 3-2

Penalties-yards 13-156 10-104

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Forest Hills, Custer 4-8, Papinchak 5-15, Cornell 15-52, Richardson 5-62, Mayes 4-2, Pramuk 1-1, TEAM 0-10. Penn Cambria, Plunkett 15-82, Jones 8-32, Mento 18-102, Harrold 6-82.

PASSING--Forest Hills, Cornell 11-21-1-53. Penn Cambria, Jones 1-5-1-41.

RECEIVING--Forest Hills, Willamson 2-22, Pramuk 4-58, Richardson 1-6, Wirfel 2-31, Chumley 2-9. Penn Cambria, Harrold 1-41.

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