Comets bounce back, rip Mounts

Penn Manor head football coach Todd Mealy admitted his team took a few days to get over last week's heartbreaking overtime loss to Hempfield, but he was confident the Comets were ready by Wednesday.

They were definitely ready by game time Friday as Penn Manor (1-1 Section One, 3-2 overall) rolled to a 42-7 [box score] victory over Ephrata (0-2, 0-5).
 

"It's not easy to bounce back," affirmed Mealy.

Penn Manor's stingy defense stifled the Ephrata offense in the first half, holding the Mountaineers to 24 yards on 19 carries.

"It was nice to play with a lead for a change," Mealy said. "We have been very solid on defense all season."

Mealy and his fellow coaches preach the concept of forcing teams to make long drives, figuring that offenses will eventually make a mistake. That strategy certainly held true as the Comets forced three Ephrata turnovers, two interceptions and one fumble, inside the red zone. Both interceptions came courtesy of Adrian Viruet.

The Comet offense, meanwhile, mixed in some big plays with ball control in building a 21-7 halftime lead.

"It was nice to finally make some big plays," said Mealy. "We had been chipping away all year."

Adam Hess capped off an impressive opening drive by sweeping around the right side for an 11-yard touchdown run.

Penn Manor quarterback Adam Sahd showed his speed on the last play of the first quarter, sprinting right through the middle of the Ephrata defense en route to a 69-yard touchdown run.

In the second quarter, Sahd demonstrated both his athletic ability and his strong arm. After scrambling away from pressure, he connected with Daulton Parmer (5-97 receiving) on a 32-yard touchdown pass.

Sahd fueled the Comet attack, rushing 11 times for 99 yards and a pair of scores, while also completing 9 of 12 passes for 175 yards and another TD.

Penn Manor made more big plays in the second half, highlighted by a 40-yard pass from Sahd to Viruet.

Sahd again demonstrated his mobility by dodging would-be tacklers and scrambling for a four-yard touchdown run to give the Comets a 28-7 lead.

Running back Brandon Stone, who tallied 58 yards on 17 carries, scampered in from five yards out.

Joe Bucek capped off the scoring by recovering a fumbled punt in the end zone for the 42-7 final score.

Earlier in the first quarter, Ephrata capitalized on a Comet fumble deep in its own territory. Quarterback Jeremy Franck plunged into the end zone from two yards out to tie the game at 7.