Nick Singleton goes for 5 touchdowns as Mifflin blasts York High, 55-6
By Dustin Haluska — Correspondent for MikeDragoSports.com.
Nick Singleton knows he’ll have plenty of opportunities to play on Saturdays in his future.
A Friday rainout and another 90 minutes one-way on a bus wasn’t exactly the route the Gov. Mifflin senior had in mind, but the Penn State commit made the most of it anyway.
Singleton rushed for a career-high 281 yards and five touchdowns as the Mustangs opened their season with a 55-6
thrashing of York High Saturdayat Smalls Athletic Field.
“He’s one of a kind,” said Mifflin head coach Jeff Lang. “He’s just strong, powerful and fast. We’ve got some unfinished business as a team, and so does he.”
It was the third time Singleton has scored five TDs in a game; he did it twice as a sophomore, against Reading High and Muhlenberg.
His yardage total ranks as the second-highest in program history, behind only Dustin Manz’ 352 yards against Conestoga Valley in 2006. Singleton’s previous best was 248 yards last season against Exeter.
As the highest expectations lie ahead for a team that was just points away from the PIAA Class 6A final last year, waiting another night to pull the curtain on the 2021 season and then turning the ball over on their first possession wasn’t the way the Mustangs wanted to start.
Fortunately, a first-quarter interception by Tyler Minick to halt York’s first possession put life into the Mustangs.
A 16-play, 95-yard drive followed. It was keyed by a fourth-and-6 conversion by Singleton, who lowered his shoulders and ran through two defenders on his way to a first down at the 37.
“I have always been impressed that when our backs are against the wall, he can take the ball and make a play like that,” Lang said.
Singleton’s run not only keyed the sustained drive but also allowed fellow running backs Trey Rock, Ayden Martin and Jordan Kershner to chew up yardage. That helped set up the first of Singleton’s five TDs, from 8 yards out, to give the Mustangs a 7-0 lead with 1:52 left in the first quarter.
On the next play from scrimmage the Mustangs got their second of three interceptions as Martin picked off Sam Stoner and raced 41 yards to give his team a 14-0 lead.
“I credit our defense for playing aggressive football and causing those turnovers,” said Lang, whose team also got an interception from Braylon Stewart.
Mifflin’s defense held York running back Jaheim White in check, surrendering just 86 yards to the sophomore standout.
“They had so many weapons on that offense and we just wanted to grind it out on offense to keep it away from them,” Lang noted.
Mifflin did just that. It scored on all six of its remaining possessions, highlighted by Singleton runs of 8, 50, 32 and 70 yards.
The only thing that slowed Singleton was a leg cramp that put him on his back for several minutes late in the third quarter after he ripped off a 44-yard run and was tackled at the 1.
Singleton pushed his career rushing total to 4,548 yards, just 230 short of the Berks record.
He has scored 77 career TDs, two short of Iggy Reynoso’s Berks-record 79.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Gov. Mifflin | 14 | 14 | 21 | 6 | 55 |
| York High | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Scoring summary
| Team | Player | Play | From | PAT Player | Extra Point |
| Gov. Mifflin | Singleton | 8 run | Schools | kick | |
| Gov. Mifflin | Martin | 41 INT return | Schools | kick | |
| Gov. Mifflin | Singleton | 8 run | Schools | kick | |
| Gov. Mifflin | Singleton | 50 run | Schools | kick | |
| York High | White | 1 run | Pass failed | ||
| Gov. Mifflin | Singleton | 32 run | Schools | kick | |
| Gov. Mifflin | Johnson | 1 run | Schools | kick | |
| Gov. Mifflin | Singleton | 70 run | Schools | kick | |
| Gov Mifflin | Jones | 8 run | Kick failed | ||
Team statistics
| Gov. Mifflin | York High | |
| First downs | 22 | 7 |
| Rushes-yards | 49-458 | 13-85 |
| Passing yards | 0 | 70 |
| Total yards | 458 | 155 |
| Passes | 0-1-0 | 9-21-3 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 1-0 |
| Punts-average | 0-0 | 3-24 |
| Penalties-yards | 2-20 | 9-75 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Gov. Mifflin: Singleton 19-281, Johnson 10-70, Rock 6-34, Harter 3-26, Jones 5-23, Rapp 3-13, Kershner 1-7, Martin 2-4.
York High: White 12-86, McBride 1-(-1).
PASSING
Gov. Mifflin: McNeil 0-1-0–0.
York High: Stoner 9-20-2, White 0-1-1.
RECEIVING
York High: Cheshire 3-29, Simmons 4-18, Price 1-13, White 1-10.
Interceptions
Gov. Mifflin: Martin, Minick, Stewart.
