By Travis Wells –
Despite the lack of rain the Comets still seemed to have a slippery ball.
“We missed a lot of opportunities to win the game,” said running back Brandon Stone.
It started out rough for Penn Manor when they just couldn’t seem to get a feel for the ball and Hempfield scored after two fourth down conversations. The quarter ended with the Knights leading 7-0.
But the Comets came raging back in the second quarter when Adam Sahd, quarterback for the Comets, rushed 20 yards for a touchdown to tie the game.
After a loss to Hempfield last year the Comets were hoping that the home turf advantage would help lead them to victory, but it just wasn’t enough.
“We really just started to play better as the game went on and played a hard game,” said linebacker Joziah Rodriguez. “But in the end we just didn’t do good enough.”
It was a constant battle in the second half with the Comets and the Knights. Both teams clashed helmets causing injuries on both sides and after an interception thrown by Penn Manor’s quarterback, Hempfield got a slight advantage in the third quarter leading by seven points.
Sahd had to make up for his mistakes and he did, early in the fourth after a fake handoff to running back Adam Hess, Sahd rushed 30 more yards for another TD. But he wasn’t satisfied with the tie, he wanted more. With four minutes left in the game Sahd rushed for another 30 yard TD, giving the Comets a lead of 21- 14 over the Knights.
The Comets seemed to have it in the bag after safety, Daulton Parmer, intercepted a ball thrown by Hempfield’s quarterback. With only seconds left on the clock, Sahd became confused during the next play which caused him to fumble the ball. Hempfield quickly recovered the ball and ran back for a touch down.
Penn Manor then called on Brian Sloss with 2.3 second left on the clock to try and save the game from overtime with an attempted 47 yard field goal. Unfortunately the ball bent to the left and was no good.
In overtime, the Comets tried to hold off Hempfield but the quarterback rushed for yet another touchdown. Penn Manor hustled until the end while the Knight’s defense stood strong, and wouldn’t allow the Comets to score. The game ended with Penn Manor 21, Hempfield 28.
“In the end this is just a huge learning experience for us, we know what not to do now,” said Adam Hess. “We’re just going to come back next week and try to play a better game.”