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SIDMAN -- Through two quarters, Penn Cambria held the high-powered Forest Hills offense in check.
The Rangers, after running for 30 yards on their first snap, mustered just 49 total yards for the remainder of the half. But, the Rangers eventually broke through.
Forest Hills overcame multiple two-score deficits in the second half by tallying two touchdowns in the final 3:26 to earn a 22-18 comeback victory over Penn Cambria on Friday night at G.H. Miller Field.
"It was a heavyweight battle, and we slugged it out for four quarters," Penn Cambria coach Jason Grassi said. "The last four minutes of the game was the difference. They got a big pass that flipped the field and led to a touchdown, and then they got another one. We definitely left some things out on the field there."
Play of the game: With 59 seconds remaining, Forest Hills quarterback Xander Richardson ran up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown to give the Rangers a four-point lead after the ensuing two-point conversion pass failed.
"They kept (Richardson) in check in the first half," Forest Hills coach Justin Myers said. "They kept us off the board. In the second half, Xander did Xander things. He found open receivers and he ran the ball. You have to give a ton of credit to our offensive line and our fullback, they do a tremendous job up front."
Penn Cambria took over at its own 4 yard line, as Brady Jones completed three consecutive first down passes to give the Panthers the ball at the 48 with 14 seconds left.
After Jones was sacked for a 2-yard loss, Penn Cambria had time for one final play. Jones threw a heave to Evan Latterner, who hauled in a 44-yard reception, but he fell out of bounds at the Forest Hills 10-yard line.
"I'm so proud of the guys for not quitting," Grassi said. "We got the ball back with less than a minute to go and we got all the way down to the 10-yard line. We battled until the end. I'm very proud of the effort we gave."
Player of the game: Richardson spearheaded the Rangers' game-winning drive by carrying the ball five times for 47 yards in a stretch of six plays.
He also scored on a 10-yard rush to bring Forest Hills within two points at 18-16 with 3:26 to go.
Richardson compiled 107 rushing yards and two scores on 18 carries, while completing 11 of 20 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Unsung hero(es): The Forest Hills defense allowed just six points on Penn Cambria's final seven possessions after giving up back-to-back touchdowns in the second quarter. The Panthers led 12-2 at halftime.
Penn Cambria tallied three giveaways, including two interceptions and a turnover on downs. The Panthers were also penalized 11 times for 83 yards.
"We had a lot of pre-snap penalties, which was on us," Grassi said. "That's stuff that can't happen. We put ourselves behind the sticks a good bit, which limits us offensively. That normally isn't us. We have to get back to work and get those things corrected.
"We're probably going to see those guys again. We're both in triple-A. It was a good fight. Hopefully we see them down the road."
Myers: "For these seniors, it's never say die. They've been through tough games already in other sports, and this is the toughest one they've had this year so far."
Richardson: "We play four quarters. That's our motto, we always play four quarters. We never give up. Even if we're down two scores in the fourth quarter, we know we're not out of it. We played our hearts out and we were fortunately able to get the victory."
Records: Penn Cambria (2-1), Forest Hills (3-0).
Next week: Penn Cambria hosts Bedford, Forest Hills travels to Chestnut Ridge.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Penn Cambria 0 12 0 6 — 18
Forest Hills 2 0 7 13 — 22
First Quarter
FH -- Safety, 4:06.
Second Quarter
PC -- Vinglish 7 pass from Jones (conversion failed), 8:52.
PC -- Lilly 11 pass from Jones (kick failed), 2:25.
Third Quarter
FH -- Pramuk 19 pass from Richardson (Singer kick), 1:23.
Fourth Quarter
PC -- Lilly 6 pass from Jones (kick failed), 4:46.
FH -- Richardson 10 run (Singer kick), 3:26.
FH -- Richardson 7 run (conversion failed), 0:59.
TEAM STATISTICS PC FH
First downs 11 9
Total yards 345 244
Rushes-yards 31-103 24-141
Yards passing 242 103
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 16-28-2 11-20-1
Punts-avg. 3-37.6 5-34.8
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-yards 11-83 4-35
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Penn Cambria, Jones 11-50, Gides 3-3, Vinglish 16-43, Beck 1-7. Forest Hills--Custer 3-31, Richardson 18-107, Raptosh 1-1, Geisel 2-2.
PASSING–Penn Cambria--Jones 16-28-2-242. Forest Hills--Richardson 11-20-1-103.
RECEIVING--Penn Cambria, Lilly 7-139, Nadolsky 2-16, Gides 2-20, Vinglish 3-18, Latterner 2-49. Forest Hills--Pramuk 2-31, Custer 1-(-1), McGough 1-40, Geisel 3-18, Vitez 3-17, Raptosh 1-(-2).