Wildcats Host Green Dragons Friday
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP – Another Friday night approaches and the Central Mountain football team will try to put four quarters together in an effort to break a three-game losing streak when the Lewisburg Green Dragons (2-2) make their first-ever visit to Malinak Stadium.
In their first two losses (after a season-opening win at Williamsport) the Wildcats fell behind early and could not come back. It was different last Friday at Mount Carmel, a fairly solid first 24 minutes but not so good in the second half, the final 54-28 in favor of the Red Tornadoes.
It was a game that saw Pennsylvania’s all-time football win leader going for number 823 and favored going in but had to battle for a while to come away with the victory.
The visiting Wildcats played some of their best ball of a1-3 season by matching the home team touchdown-for-touchdown into the second period at the Tornadoes’ Silver Bowl. In fact Central Mountain owned a 21-14 lead early in the second. But then Wildcat mistakes and a diversified Mount Carmel offense led to 40 unanswered points from the victors before a late final quarter Bryce Bitner to Justin Neff 13-yard pass resulted in the game’s final t-d.
The loss took away from a phenomenal performance from Wildcat sophomore Neff. He scored all four Central Mountain touchdowns: a 37-yard rushing score and an 85-yard kickoff return in period number one, a 32-yard t-d reception from Bitner in period two and the 13-yard touchdown pass from Bitner in the final quarter.
Neff also was 1-for-2 passing, a 51-yard strike to fellow sophomore J.J. Harris, just missing with a second bomb to Harris.
Otherwise Central Mountain struggled, outgained by Mount Carmel by a 497 to 284 margin. Hunter Weaver again led the Wildcat ground attack, 28 carries for 116 yards, Neff just behind him with 57 yards on five carries. Neff also caught a total of three Bitner passes for 45 yards.
The Wildcats had no answer for Tornado running back Blake Panko, the junior carrying 19 times for 216 yards.
Central Mountain will need to find a way to stop another good running back this Friday in the person of Green Dragon senior Dew Newcomb (6-0, 170). Newcomb rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns and returned a pass for a 96-yard score in Lewisburg’s 42-13 home win over Milton.
Trent Gower, a 5-10, 155-pound junior is the Lewisburg quarterback; he had two touchdown passes last Friday night.
Lewisburg was pushed around by Milton in the first half but still led by a 14-7 score. They broke things open with a 65-yard ball control drive to start the second half and outgained Milton by a 189 to 32 margin in the final 24 minutes.
It has been an up-and-down season for the 2-2 Green Dragons: a 21-20 loss to Shikellamy on opening night, followed by a 19-10 win over Montoursville, a 32-14 loss to Mount Carmel, followed by the win over Milton.
Central Mountain heads back on the road next week, an Oct. 3 date at Shikellamy (2-2).
