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Messiah Mickens and his Harrisburg Cougars ran over the Altoona Mountain Lions in a 33-0 Mid-Penn Conference Commonwealth Division rout Friday night at Mansion Park Stadium.
Mickens, a Penn State commit, scored a 32-yard rushing touchdown on his third carry of the game, and from there it was all Cougars.
He finished with three touchdowns on the night with two others from
19 yards out and 1 yard out.
Touchdowns by Quincy Brannon, one each on offense and defense, rounded out the scoring for Harrisburg, which handed Altoona its fourth shutout of the season.
Play of the game: Quincy Brannon hauled in his only reception of the game for a 20-yard touchdown that he grabbed with one hand and secured to his hip en route to the end zone.
Player of the game: Mickens.
Unsung hero: Harrisburg's Jaiyon Lewis was 6-for-14 for 110 yards and a touchdown while adding 65 yards on the ground.
Most vital statistic: Altoona had 307 yards on the ground last week against Bishop McDevitt but was held to 102 Friday.
Harrisburg coach Calvin Everett: "Things are starting to open up for us. We struggled a little early in the season. We're running the ball, and we've been working at it. Things are working out for us, and Mickens is doing a great job.''
Altoona coach Vince Nedimyer: "Credit to them. They made plays. I mean, we're a possession away from it being a game. Realistically, we're looking at it at halftime and could have been 14-0 if we tackled better. It could have been a little bit different, but they've got great, great athletes. Those guys do a great job with the kids that they have, and they executed."
Notable: Penn State head coach James Franklin was on hand at the start of the game scouting … Branson Adams hauled in his second interception for Altoona in the third quarter … Allanah Irwin (outdoor track and field) was crowned homecoming queen at halftime.
Records: Altoona (0-7), Harrisburg (6-1).
Next week: Altoona at Chambersburg, 7 p.m. on Friday; Cumberland Valley at Harrisburg, 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Harrisburg 14 6 6 7 -- 33
Altoona 0 0 0 0 -- 0
First Quarter
H--Mickens 32 run (Lopez kick), 10:51.
H--Brannon 20 pass from Lewis (Lopez kick), 4:46.
Second Quarter
H--Mickens 19 run (kick failed), 5:10.
Third Quarter
H--Mickens 1 run (run failed), :33
Fourth Quarter
H--Brannon 30 interception return (Lopez kick), 9:34.
TEAM STATISTICS A H
First downs 6 13
Total yards 101 173
Rushes-yards 37-102 23-238
Yards passing (-1) 135
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 1-7-3 9-17-1
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-0
Penalties-yards 0-0 6-40
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Altoona, Harrington 17-68, Staines 12-48, Hazlewood 1-4, Adams 4-(-9), Emeigh-Ballos 3-(-9). Harrisburg, Mickens 9-130, Lewis 7-65, Ewell 7-32, Penn 4-12.
PASSING--Altoona, Harrington 1-6-2-(-1), White 0-1-1-0. Harrisburg, Lewis 6-14-1-110, Shank 3-3-0-25.
RECEIVING--Altoona, Hazlewood 1-(-1). Harrisburg, Coke 5-90, Brannon 1-20, Griffin 3-25.