Blue Streaks get last-minute TD to top Cumberland Valley
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Kyle Morgan — LNP/Lancasteronline
MECHANICSBURG — The Class 6A District 3 quarterfinal matchup between Manheim Township and Cumberland Valley began eerily similar to the first time both sides met this season. The Eagles quickly got up two scores before the Blue Streaks battled back to make things interesting.
The ending, however, was the complete opposite. After falling to CV back in Week 1 Manheim Township earned some hard-fought redemption, going ahead on a touchdown pass from Hayden Johnson to Landon Kennel in the final minute for a 37-31 victory.
“We were down 10 to these guys the first time around, but we never wavered and only lost by four,” Township head coach Mark Evans said. “We just didn’t know how to win back then. That’s what our message was at halftime tonight, and it was the message all week long.”
CV started the game quickly with a five-play drive; Bryce Staretz did most of the work on the ground before Isaac Sines found Caiden Pines for a 31-yard touchdown.
Ethan Dansereau initially had a nice kick return out to midfield, but Gavin Kendrick stripped him for a fumble and Bryce Beutler pounced on the ball. Seven plays later, Sines found the end zone on a 3-yard QB keeper to put the Blue Streaks in a 14-0 hole.
“We weren’t worried at all,” Evans said. “Not with this group. Other teams might’ve folded and packed it in. Our leadership and our experience had to be the difference-makers.”
Township threatened briefly after a 43-yard catch-and-run from Asher Wolfe, but Johnson got sacked on a third-and-long, forcing a 35-yard field goal from Hunter Nguyen.
CV moved the ball to midfield on the ensuing possession, but Carter Bair came up big for the Blue Streaks, disrupting a handoff in the backfield and allowing Eli Rodriguez to swipe the fumble recovery. Johnson would score from 2 yards out six plays later to cut the score to 14-10 early in the second quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, Township had an efficient 10-play series, ending with a sneak from Johnson after he connected with Kennel for 17 yards down to the 1-yard line; that gave the Blue Streaks its first lead of the night.
That wouldn’t last. CV marched 91 yards on 13 plays to end the half. The Eagles got some help via a defensive pass interference in the end zone on the Blue Streaks, but Sines finished things off in style; he rolled out to his right, avoided a few tackles and scrambled back to the left for a 6-yard TD, putting CV back up 21-17 at the break.
The Blue Streaks came out of halftime strong; Johnson hooked up with Nick Palumbo for 44 yards down inside the Eagles 5, then crossed the goal line on a 2-yard option a snap later. A partially blocked extra-point kept the Streaks’ lead at 23-21.
CV was able to respond with a 9-play drive, with 6 carries going to Staretz for 32 yards. The Eagles scored through the air, however, with a 28-yard screen to JD Hunter, who shed a few Blue Streaks tacklers along the way.
A short MT drive ended with a punt late in the third. Aided by a third-down defensive pass interference, CV used 12 plays to move inside the Blue Streaks 30 before getting hit with a 19-yard holding penalty; on fourth and 10, Sines scrambled close to the markers but was stopped a yard short.
Johnson made the Eagles pay, first by tossing a gutsy 21-yard third-down throw to Dansereau, then hitting a haymaker with a 47-yard TD to Palumbo. An incomplete 2-pointer made the score 29-28 for the Blue Streaks with just under five minutes left in regulation.
Sines took over on the next drive for CV, hitting Hunter on a third-down pass before scrambling 25 yards on another third down. The Eagles stalled afterward, but Sines stepped up on special teams from there, hitting a 39-yard field goal with 1:42 left to give his team a 31-29 advantage.
In a flash, Township went back in front. A defensive holding on CV kickstarted things before Johnson scrambled for 8 yards and hit Wolfe for 13. He then put up a dagger to the front of the end zone, where Kennel made a juggling catch for the go-ahead 32-yard TD with 51 seconds left. Johnson ran in for two as well.
“I had a go-route, and I saw that (Hayden) was rolling out,” Kennel said. “I turned toward the ball like a corner. I know my quarterback has all the trust in the world in me. Honestly, I’m just in awe. I don’t even know what happened after that.”
“It’s a very special relationship between those two,” Evans said. “That was evident on the play.”
But CV wasn’t done. The Eagles dinked and dunked their way into scoring position with short throws and Sines scrambles. With time running out, it appeared that a Griffin Huffman reception would give CV a chance to win it from inside the Blue Streaks 5.
Except for an ineligible man downfield flag that left the Eagles at the MT 21 with 3 seconds on the clock. Sines lofted a Hail Mary pass to the end zone as time expired that was broken up by Kennel and Charlie Kingsbury.
“Normally, I only play defense in long-yardage situations,” Kennel said. “I was in the middle of the field at first, but I saw the ball go toward the other side of the field. Charlie and I got there at the same time to bat it down.”
“Bend but don’t break,” Evans said. “That’s always our philosophy. I felt like we found some new guys to plug in tonight, and they performed outstanding. Hats off to our coaches on both sides of the ball; they called an excellent game.”
The Blue Streaks will now look ahead to a second chance at redemption. They’ll meet Section One rival Hempfield in the semifinals next Friday.
“Retribution tour continues,” Kennel said. “We just need to focus all week and treat it like any other game.”
“1-0 is all we can do,” Evans said. “But we also have to act like we’ve done this before. We didn’t win anything tonight but a football game. We got to keep our heads about us and keep chipping away.”