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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
NEW PARIS -- Penn Cambria running back Thomas Plunkett wears No. 2, but someone who saw him after the Panthers' 45-7 win over Chestnut Ridge Friday at Dr. Giovacchini Stadium would have a hard time seeing that.
Plunkett carried the ball 20 times and ran for 147 yards while carrying several Chestnut Ridge players on his back and down into the mud with him. His grit and determination was matched by his teammates, and Lions coach Max Shoemaker said after the game his squad had not played a team as physical as Penn Cambria this season.
"It's about the weight room," Penn Cambria coach Nick Felus said. "Our kids are very tough up the mountain. We feel like we're a very physical football team. We played relentlessly tonight."
Play of the game: Blake Lilly opened the game with a 56-yard kickoff return to set Penn Cambria up at the Chestnut Ridge 24 to start the game. Brady Jones scored on a 12-yard touchdown run three plays later to set the tone for the game.
"We were hoping to come out with intensity and an attitude to get after them," Shoemaker said. "Then the opening kickoff kind of took some wind out of our sails. Give all the credit to Coach Felus and Penn Cambria. They came ready to play, and they took it to us in the first half. We knew they were a very good team. We just have to regroup. We're a little nicked up. It's not time to panic. It's time to refocus, get healed up and finish the season strong."
Player of the game: Plunkett was the workhorse, but Gavin Harrold was the player the Panthers turned to when they needed a score. He caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jones, ran for three touchdowns and caught a two-point conversion pass.
"We talked during the week that we wanted to come out and start hot," Harrold said. "That's what we did."
Unsung hero: Mason Mento had several big stops defensively, ran in a two-point conversion and capped the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that put the mercy rule into play with 3:09 left in the game.
Most vital statistic: Chestnut Ridge had only one first down in the second half, and it came on the final play of the game against Penn Cambria's backups.
"Our defensive staff does a great job," Felus said. "They are meticulous with their game breakdown. The kids did a great job all week of watching film and buying into the plan. When you know what you're doing, you feel confident and can play fast. That's what we did tonight. We wanted to limit (Webb) on the ground, and we did that. It was our No. 1 goal."
Two-point experts: Penn Cambria was 4-for-4 on two-point conversions and got scores from four different players. The Panthers have been going for two rather than kicking an extra point for the most part this season, though Ryan Hanlon was 1-for-2 on kicks later in the game.
"It's a lot different when you're playing a team and you're up 8-0 instead of 7-0," Harrold said. "We definitely use our athleticism, and we love going for two every time."
Felus on Plunkett: "The whole season, from game one, he has been tremendous for us. He runs really hard and has been doing such a great job in the weight room and preparing during the week. He's a senior, and you're seeing what he's capable of. He gets stronger as the game goes on and puts his pads down and finishes runs."
Shoemaker: "Offensively, we're not the type of team we have been in the past as far as explosiveness. We need to be very methodical and mix a pass here and there in. It's kind of been the story of our season so far where we have shot ourselves in the foot. We have to stay on schedule, because when we have to throw, we're not very good at it. We have to eliminate mistakes."
Harrold: "We want a district championship -- and more."
Notable: Chestnut Ridge got a 3-yard touchdown run by Haydan Webb in the second quarter. Webb finished with a team-high 49 yards on 17 carries. ... The Panthers are in great shape to represent the West in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship game as the only undefeated team in the West. Richland is the only team with one loss, and that loss is to the Panthers, so they would have the tiebreaker if they did lose a game.
Records: Penn Cambria (7-0); Chestnut Ridge (4-3).
Next week: Chestnut Ridge travels to Bishop Guilfoyle Academy, and Penn Cambria visits Bellwood-Antis next Friday.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Penn Cambria 16 16 6 7 -- 45
Chestnut Ridge 0 7 0 0 -- 7
First Quarter
PC--Jones (Plunkett pass from Jones), 10:42.
PC--Harrold 33 pass from Jones (Jones run), :54.
Second Quarter
PC--Harrold 13 run (Mento run), 10:11.
PC--Harrold 9 run (Harrold pass from Jones), 4:39.
CR--Webb 3 run (Kostenbauder kick), :53.
Third Quarter
PC--Harrold 1 run (kick failed), 6:17.
Fourth Quarter
PC--Mento 6 run (Hanlon kick), 3:09.
TEAM STATISTICS PC CR
First downs 20 7
Total yards 378 152
Rushes-yards 48-306 32-55
Yards passing 72 97
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 4-5-0 6-11-0
Punts-avg. 1-33 3-33.7
Fumbles-lost 1-0 4-1
Penalties-yards 4-30 1-5
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Penn Cambria, Plunkett 20-147, Jones 11-68, Harrold 8-51, Mento 8-42, TEAM 1-(-2). Chestnut Ridge, Webb 17-49, Harrison 8-8, Claycomb 5-4, Dishong 1-(-2), TEAM 1-(-4).
PASSING--Penn Cambria, Jones 4-5-0-72. Chestnut Ridge, Harrison 4-9-0-67, Pinson 2-2-0-30.
RECEIVING--Penn Cambria, Harrold 2-42, Hite 2-30. Chestnut Ridge, Claycomb 2-69, Dishong 1-21, Weaver 1-9, Ickes 1-0, Webb 1-(-2).