Red Knights let early lead slip away, lose in OT

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2023 Berks football coverage presented by

Utilities Employees Credit Union

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By Matt Hagy — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent

You could see it in Reading High coach Troy Godinet’s face after the game; he knew the Red Knights let one get away.

Reading High had control of its Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 contest with Penn Manor until the very end. Penn Manor scored a late game-tying touchdown, then stopped the Red Knights on a two-point conversion in overtime to steal a 28-27 win Friday night at Shirk Stadium.

“We could not take care of the little things tonight,” Godinet said. “They started throwing some things in there that made us struggle on offense; we just killed ourselves with penalties and mental mistakes.”

Reading (0-2, 1-4) saw a 21-7 lead in the final minute of the second quarter slip away over the course of the game behind various miscues such as penalties, turnovers, and poor execution.

The reeling Red Knights dodged a bullet when the Comets missed a 30-yard field goal with 14 seconds left in regulation but Penn Manor needed just two plays on its first overtime possession to take a 28-21 lead.

Red Knights running back Alexis Alvarado scored for the Red Knights on their second play of overtime but quarterback Jason Plylaharn was stopped 1 yard short on the two-point conversion to preserve the come-from-behind win for the Comets.

“We knew we were 100 percent going for two if we responded to their touchdown,” Godinet said. “We had success most of the night with our short-yardage game and we wanted to go for the victory.”

​All systems clicked early as Reading opened the game with an 11-play 78-yard drive, all on the ground. Alvarado did the bulk of the work on the drive and capped it with a 2-yard score that gave Reading a 7-0 lead.

The loss hampered a valiant performance on the ground by Alvarado, who finished with a career-high 203 yards off 31 carries and his two touchdowns.

“Our backs run strong, and they run hard,” Godinet said. “We are not surprised how much and how fast they have progressed this season.”

Things looked to go off the rails early for Penn Manor (1-1, 1-4) as the Comets fumbled on the second play of their opening drive in Red Knights territory. Reading made quick work of the short field and Cameron Small punched it in from 3 yards out to extend the lead to 15-0 after a two-point conversion by Alvarado.

Reading shook off a Comets touchdown and fumble in their own end during the second quarter. Wide receiver Xavier Beatty made a pair of exceptional catches on another Red Knights scoring drive which included a 46-yard catch-and-run after snatching the pass high over a Comet defender.

Beatty finished the drive by hauling in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Plylaharn to make it a 21-7 game with 2:12 before halftime.

“There is no ceiling for X,” Godinet said. “He is continuing to grow and is taking the coaching very well. Credit to Penn Manor for doing some things in the second half to prevent him from having more success.”

Reading seemed to have all the momentum and control heading into halftime after Michael Odeyemi blocked a punt and returned it to the Penn Manor 30 with 41 seconds left in the second quarter.

However, a screen pass attempt from Plylaharn turned into a fumble. Smith was the only one to realize the miscue and scooped it for a 60-yard fumble return touchdown that made it a 21-14 game at the half.

“There were some timing issues on that play but at the end of the day we need to jump on the ball,” Godinet said.

Despite the miscues before halftime and in the third quarter, the Red Knights defense preserved the lead and kept the game in their control with a pair of stops inside the 5-yard line.

Finally, disaster could not be averted when an 11-yard Reading punt set the Comets up with good field position halfway through the fourth quarter.

Comets quarterback Collin Robinson found his big tight end, Dhamir Wesley, over the middle for a 30-yard touchdown to tie the game with 5:19 left in regulation.

Alvarado set the Red Knights in Comets territory after nearly breaking a 40-yard run on third-and-12 from their own 20-yard line but penalties halted a potential go-ahead drive.

It got worse on the ensuing punt from midfield when the snap was launched over the head of Red Knights punter Jondre Murcia that put the Comets at the Reading 26-yard line with 33 seconds left in regulation before the missed field goal.

After not scoring a point during its first three games the jubilant Comets stormed the Shirk Stadium turf to celebrate their first win.

Running back Willard Smith finished with 102 yards on 28 carries along with his one score.

“We have to continue to build off the brotherhood and what we believe in as a program,” Godinet said. “You have to love the kids up but continue to love them tough. Make sure they are doing what they need to do to get better.”

	1	2	3	4	OT	Final
Penn Manor	0	14	0	7	7	28
Reading High	15	6	0	0	6	27

Scoring summary

1	Reading	Alvarado, 2 run (Murcia kick)	6:53
1	Reading	Small, 3 run (Alvarado rush)	3:22
2	Penn Manor	Smith, 2 run (Jeffers kick)	11:56
2	Reading	Beatty 23 pass from Plylaharn (kick failed)	2:12
2	Penn Manor	Smith, 60 fumble return (Jeffers kick)	0:21
4	Penn Manor	Wesley, 30 pass from Robinson (Jeffers kick)	5:19
OT	Penn Manor	Furnier, 1 run (Jeffers kick)	0:00
OT	Reading	Alvarado, 7 run (Rush failed)	0:00

Team statistics

	Penn Manor	Reading High
First downs	14	15
Rushes-yards	39-128	47-190
Passing yards	70	109
Total yards	198	299
Passes	3-7-0	7-13-1
Fumbles-lost	5-2	2-2
Punts-average	2-21.5	2-19
Penalties-yards	7-62	13-99

Individual statistics

RUSHING

Penn Manor: W. Smith 28-102, A. Smith 2-18, Robinson 7-4, Loy 1-3, Furnier 1-1.

Reading High: Alvarado 31-203, Small 8-18, Plylaharn 5-(-5), Team 3-(-26).

PASSING

Penn Manor: Robinson 3-7-0–70.

Reading High: Plylaharn 7-13-1–109.

RECEIVING

Penn Manor: Wesley 2-54, Torres 1-16.

Reading High: Beatty 2-69, Santos 2-28, Drayton 2-10, Sheriff 1-2.

INTERCEPTIONS

Penn Manor: Warfel.

MISSED FIELD GOALS

Penn Manor: Jeffers 30.