Grady Garner carries Mustangs past Black Knights
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Daryl Simione — LNP/Lancasteronline
LANDISVILLE — Another big night by Gov. Mifflin running back Grady Garner led the Mustangs to a 28-23 non-league victory over Hempfield Friday.
Garner rushed for 207 yards and four touchdowns to pace the Mustangs’ run-heavy offense.
“Boy, he’s tough,” Mifflin coach Nick Morrissey said. “Without a kid like that our offense can’t go.”
Mifflin quarterback Javien Pletz contributed 66 yards passing and another 43 yards on the ground to keep Hempfield’s defense on its toes.
Trailing 14-0 at halftime, Hempfield rallied behind a quick-passing attack led by quarterback Derek Katch.
Katch completed 18-of-28 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown and added a 4-yard touchdown run as the Black Knights kept within striking distance.
“Obviously, Gov. Mifflin had a great game plan and they executed,” Hempfield head coach George Eager said. “They bled the clock. In the second half, when you’re down, you feel the need to score quick and our guys were able to do that. We fought as hard as we could, we just didn’t play well enough to win.”
Mifflin took a 28-10 lead on Garner’s fourth touchdown, coming with 8:28 remaining.
Undaunted, the Knights embarked on a 10-play, 68-yard drive capped by Katch’s 4-yard plunge to get within 28-17. During the drive Katch completed six passes to four different receivers, including a pair of first downs to Orion Abrams (four catches, 69 yards).
The Mustangs hoped to run out the clock from there, but Lebron Leaf (eight carries, 72 yards) was stuffed on a fourth down to give Hempfield possession with four minutes remaining.
Knowing Mifflin would be defending the deep ball, Eager drew up a trick play with wideout Cam Margeson receiving a pitch and then heaving a pass to Brayden Charles down the sideline for a 72-yard touchdown.
Charles finished with seven catches for 110 yards while Margeson had four catches for 56 yards and a score.
In the first half the Mustangs opportunistic defense came away with two interceptions to thwart a pair of Hempfield drives.
“Our secondary played really well,” Morrissey said. “We had to mix things up and our kids made plays when it mattered.”
In the first quarter Katch hit Philip Krauser on a 53-yard pass down the sideline to put the Knights on the brink of the end zone.
After two short runs, Katch’s pass was tipped by cornerback Stephen Mayo and intercepted by Leaf in the end zone for a touchback.
From there, Garner capped a seven-play, 80-yard Mustangs drive with a 47-yard dash to the end zone.
Late in the half Mayo snagged an interception of his own and caught a 25-yard pass on the subsequent drive to set up Garner’s 3-yard plunge just before the half.
Mayo was injured on the first play of the fourth quarter and had to be carted off the field.
“He was the player of the game,” Morrissey said. “He had the huge catch before the half to get a touchdown. He was all over the field on special teams and played good defense. We’re praying for him, big time.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Gov. Mifflin | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Hempfield | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 23 |
Scoring summary
| 2 | Gov. Mifflin | Garner, 47 run (Koenig kick) | 7:10 |
| 2 | Gov. Mifflin | Garner, 3 run (Koenig kick) | 0:07 |
| 3 | Hempfield | Biscoe, 28 FG | 5:44 |
| 3 | Gov. Mifflin | Garner, 24 run (Koenig kick) | 1:20 |
| 4 | Hempfield | Margeson, 10 pass from Katch (Biscoe kick) | 11:32 |
| 4 | Gov. Mifflin | Garner, 7 run (Koenig kick) | 8:28 |
| 4 | Hempfield | Katch, 4 run (Biscoe kick) | 6:14 |
| 4 | Hempfield | Charles, 72 pass from Margeson (pass failed) | 3:46 |
Team statistics
| GOV. MIFFLIN | HEMPFIELD | |
| First downs | 20 | 13 |
| Rushes-yards | 56-386 | 14-71 |
| Passing yards | 66 | 306 |
| Total yards | 452 | 377 |
| Passes | 5-11-0 | 19-29-2 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 3-25.3 | 3-34.7 |
| Penalties-yards | 3-30 | 4-40 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Gov. Mifflin: Garner 32-207, Leaf 8-72, Jenkins 3-60, Pletz 10-43, Hohl 3-4.
Hempfield: Katch 7-63, Doyle 7-8.
PASSING
Gov. Mifflin: Pletz 5-11-0–66.
Hempfield: Katch 18-28-2–234.
RECEIVING
Gov. Mifflin: Murray 2-17, Mayo 1-25, DiNatale 1-14, Hohl 1-10.
Hempfield: Charles 7-110, Abrams 4-69, Margeson 4-56, Krauser 1-53, Haworth 1-8, Caban 1-6, Caldwell 1-4.
INTERCEPTIONS
Gov. Mifflin: Leaf, Mayo.
