Big plays help Altoona Mountain Lions bounce back
Trending
Altoona junior quarterback Mekhi Jackson accounted for five total touchdowns as the Mountain Lions took down Central Dauphin, 41-27, Friday night at Mansion Park in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game.
Jackson scored four touchdowns on the ground for Altoona, including two that were 55 and 41 yards, while also throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to Noah Stump.
"Mekhi did what we expected of him tonight," Altoona coach Vince Nedimyer Jr. said. "He's a phenomenal athlete and works his tail off. We couldn't be happier for him."
The Mountain Lions took the lead on the opening possession thanks to a 1-yard run by Jackson and never looked back despite a late rally by the Rams and a three-rushing touchdown performance by Central Dauphin's Xaivion Allen.
Play of the game: Altoona's Cody Chathams returned a kickoff 93 yards to go up 21-7 with 7:42 left in the second quarter.
Player of the game: Jackson rushed for four touchdowns and threw for another. He finished with 149 net yards rushing and threw for 140 yards.
Unsung hero: Central Dauphin's Allen rushed for 242 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries.
Most vital statistic: Altoona had eight runs of 10 yards or more.
Nedimyer: "They are probably the most physical team on our schedule every year it seems, but we responded and we were resilient. So many kids stepped in and answered the phone when it rang, and we couldn't be more proud.''
Central Dauphin coach Glen McNamee: "Really proud of our kids the way they hung in there and came back in the second half, especially on the road in this environment.''
Jackson: "I just had a calm mindset and knew all the guys around me can make plays and knew I could make plays myself. Everybody was just trying as hard as they could and we didn't take a play off.''
Notable: Altoona linebacker Luke Geishauser did not play due to injury … The win against Central Dauphin marked the first since 2009 … The Altoona defense racked up three sacks.
Records: Central Dauphin (0-2), Altoona (1-1)
Next week: Altoona heads to Central Dauphin East next Thursday for a 6 p.m. kickoff. Central Dauphin hosts Carlisle on Friday.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Central Dauphin 0 7 7 13 -- 27
Altoona 7 21 0 13 -- 41
First Quarter
A--Jackson 1 run (Chathams kick), 8:59.
Second Quarter
A--Stump 9 pass from Jackson (Chathams kick), 11:56.
CD--Allen 11 run (Baumgartner kick), 7:56.
A--Chathams 93 kickoff return (Chathams kick), 7:42.
A--Jackson 55 run (Chathams kick), 3:07.
Third Quarter
CD--Morgans 6 pass from Hodgson (Baumgartner kick), :47.
Fourth Quarter
A--Jackson 41 run (Snyder kick), 11:46.
CD--Allen 67 run (Baumgartner kick), 10:42.
CD--Allen 6 run (kick failed), 4:50.
A--Jackson 5 run (kick failed), :39.
TEAM STATISTICS CD A
First downs 15 13
Total yards 331 329
Rushes-yards 47-250 25-189
Yards passing 81 140
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 6-15-0 11-18-0
Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-1
Penalties-yards 6-30 5-56
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Central Dauphin, Allen 32-242, Paige 5-(-2), Saintil 3-4, Pepen 4-7, Ioni 1-(-1) . Altoona, -- Clemons 10-61, Jackson 14-159, Nedimyer 1-(-1).
PASSING--Central Dauphin, Hodgson 6-13-81, Paige 0-2-0. Altoona, Jackson 10-17-140.
RECEIVING--Central Dauphin, Price 3-41, Morgans 2-36. Altoona, Chathams 3-47, Stump 2-35, Pike 1-5, Clemons 2-17, Nedimyer 3-19. Helsel 1-15.