Mechanicsburg earns third win

The "meaningless" high school football game is a misnomer.

Mechanicsburg's 28-25 triumph over Hershey last night is proof enough.

Based strictly on won-loss record, there weren't a whole lot of tassels attached to this Mid-Penn Keystone Division game. Between the two, Hershey (3-5 entering the game) and Mechanicsburg (2-6) had collected just five victories.

Division title? Playoffs? Not part of either team's conversations.

But on Senior Night at John H. Frederick Field at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park, the two attacked each other like dogs fighting over the wiener that had fallen off the grill.

Mechanicsburg took advantage of four Hershey first-half turnovers -- two fumbles on kick returns and two interceptions -- to build a 21-7 halftime lead that Hershey nearly erased with a strong second-half effort.

The first of those turnovers, a muffed punt at the Hershey 33 on the opening drive, was immediately cashed in when Mechanicsburg quarterback Jake Zeigler hit uncovered Tyler Chubb on a corner route.

Hershey came back to execute a seven-play, 80-yard drive (after a missed Mechanicsburg field goal) to tie it at 7-7. The touchdown was Kevin Kettl's 5-yard flip from Mike Wagner, but the big plays were runs of 33 and 30 yards by junior tailback Tyler Neal.

But Hershey unraveled. A pick by Mechanicsburg's Ben Anderson set up a 70-yard drive ended by Jason Statler's 4-yard score with 5:20 remaining in the half.

Hershey barely got its hands on the short kickoff, and the Wildcats' recovery led to Zeigler's 16-yard run at the 3:23 mark

"We shot ourselves in the foot in the first half," Hershey coach Bob "Gump" May said. "We challenged our kids to play better in the second half, and they did."

The Trojans laid into Mechanicsburg immediately, and got a brilliant 29-yard touchdown run by Neal that started out as a trap and ended up as a dance routine.

Hershey forced a three-and-out, and the Trojans moved from their own 33 to the Mechanicsburg 17 before fizzling, but Ed Stene ripped a strong 33-yard field goal to make it 21-17.

Mechanicsburg bounced back with a sharp drive that included the play of the game. Facing third-and-18 from the Hershey 46 because of an earlier holding penalty, Zeigler found running back Jason Misiti down the seam for 23 yards. The pass arrived at the same time as Hershey D-back Chris Walizer, but Misiti hung on.

Two plays later, Greg Drake ran another sharp corner route that turned around the Hershey coverage, and Zeigler laid it on the mark for a 21-yard score at the 10:01 mark.

"I saw [Drake] turn the guy around, and he ran a beautiful pattern," Zeigler said. "It was a beautiful play."

But Hershey wasn't done. The Trojans got a nice 33-yard return on a short kick by Harry Arndt, then punched in with 3:51 left on Neal's 1-yard run.

Zeigler, trying to kill time on an ensuing third-and-four, wildly threw the ball to the middle of the field, and Adam Goodspeed made a diving pick at the Mechanicsburg 34.

But the Trojans went just 6 yards, and Stene's 45-yard field-goal attempt with 1:23 left never had a fighting chance, going wide right and short.

ROD FRISCO: 255-8122 or rfrisco@patriot-news.com

Zeigler helps Wildcats past Hershey

By the Sentinel staff reports, October 31, 2006

HERSHEY - Quarterback Jake Zeigler passed for two scores and ran for another to help Mechanicsburg top Hershey 28-25 in a Mid-Penn Keystone Division makeup football game Monday.

In a game that was postponed from Friday, Zeigler helped stake the the Wildcats to a 21-7 halftime lead thanks to a 33-yard scoring pass to Tyler Chubb and a 16-yard run.

But the Trojans pulled within 21-17 after three quarters thanks to a 10-point third quarter. Zeigler then helped put the game away with a 21-yard pass to Greg Drake with 10:01 to play in the game. Hershey scored with 3:51 to play to pull within 28-25, but got no closer.

Zeigler completed 9-of-16 passes for 168 yards and added 76 yards rushing on eight carries. Drake had five catches for 81 yards.

Mechanicsburg (3-6 overall, 2-4 Keystone) closes its season at Middletown Friday.

WILDCATS 28, TROJANS 25

Hershey 7 0 10 8 - 25

Mechanicsburg 7 14 0 7 - 28

First Quarter
M - Tyler Chubb 33 pass from Jake Zeigler (TJ Hertzler kick), 10:32
H - Kevin Kettl 5 pass from Mike Wagner (Ed Stein kick), 1:00

Second Quarter

M -- Jason Statler 4 run (Hertzler kick), 5:20
M -- Zeigler 16 run (Hertler kick), 3:23

Third Quarter
H -- Tyler Neal 29 run (Stein kick), 9:33
H -- Stein 33 field goal, 2:24

Fourth Quarter
M -- Greg Drake 21 pass from Zeigler (Hertzler kick), 10:01
H -- 1 run Neal (Jayson Elmore pass), 3:51

Team Statistics H Mech
First downs 15 12
Rushes-yards 28-176 37-162
Passing 15-27-2 9-16-1
Passing yards 151 168
Punts-avg. 1-30 3-31
Penalties-yards 2-10 1-10
Fumbles-lost 3-2 1-0

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: Hershey, Neal 13-119; Arndt 8-40; Wagner 6-15; Otey 1-2 . Mechanicsburg, Zeigler 8-76; Jason Misiti 15-49; Statler 7-26; Tarik Leftenant 6-11; Jon Only 1-0.

PASSING: Hershey, Mike Wagner 15-27-2, for 151 yards. Mechanicsburg, Jake Zeigler 9-16-1, 168 yards..

RECEIVING: Hershey, Walizer 7-73; Kettl 3-22; Boyer 3-17; Wallace 1-26; Elmore 1-13 . Mechanicsburg, Drake 5-81; Chubb 1-33; Matt Morell 1-23; Misiti 1-23; Statler 1 - 8.

Hunt guides Red Land to win, playoff berth

Perhaps a full Mechanicsburg assembly could have extended Red Land's District 3-AAA playoff search by a week.

The youthful Wildcats had dented a few Mid-Penn Keystone Division defenses before, but a couple of magnified mistakes at critical junctures afforded just two victories in seven chances.

Learning on the fly can be difficult, and the host Patriots were more than willing to extend Mechanicsburg's on-field education last night at West Shore Stadium.

Thanks mainly to a compelling effort from quarterback Skyler Hunt, and a churning defensive front that owned the line of scrimmage, Red Land easily toppled the Wildcats 38-14 to lasso its first postseason berth in school history.

With Mechanicsburg's top rusher, Jason Misiti, hobbled and the Wildcats missing head coach Rich Lichtel, Hunt targeted 12 of 20 attempts for 150 yards and guided the Patriots to 28 second-half points.

It was redemption for Red Land's engineer, who struggled in last week's eight-point setback to division front-runner Susquehanna Twp.

"Our extra incentive came from that loss," Red Land coach Frank Gay said. "We qualified for the playoffs for the first time, and that's important. But we've got bigger aspirations than that. We're pleased, but we can't afford to be lethargic like we were in the first half."

Three of Red Land's five opening-half possessions started in Mechanicsburg territory, and the Patriots racked up 153 total yards to 89 for Mechanicsburg.

Still, Red Land (7-1, 4-1) managed a mere 10-0 edge at the break on a Matt Cox first-quarter plunge and a 31-yard field goal from Chad Christen just before the half.

Gay used the extended homecoming break to his advantage.

"I asked them, where was their passion?" Gay said. "We had a big gain in the second quarter and guys are walking down the field. But we settled in and got back to our assignments."

The adjustment was noticeable as Red Land took the opening second-half kickoff and moved 75 yards in 10 plays, highlighted by Hunt's 24-yard flea-flicker to Kyle Otstot to Mechanicsburg's 4. Brian Danner's blast right made it 17-0 with 7:41 left in the third.

Three minutes later, Cox lined up at fullback and parlayed a simple dive into Red Land's third touchdown.

"Our guys played tough and we're happy with their effort," said Jeff Costello, who called the Mechanicsburg offense and assumed head coaching duties for Lichtel (illness). "They certainly came out in the second half and slammed it down our throats."

The Wildcats (2-6, 1-4) finally broke through with 3:13 left in the third as Jake Zeigler's 46-yard streak to Greg Drake set up Misiti's 5-yard TD burst. Misiti (11-42), suffering an apparent leg injury on his sixth carry of the first quarter, rushed only twice in the second half.

Hunt would get two more scoring chances after Mechanicsburg fumbled on back-to-back possessions. The final one stuck.

Starting at the Wildcats 18, Hunt targeted Dan Klein, who collected a well-timed fade and stuck his left foot on the pylon with 9:47 to go. The reserves took care of the rest.

Linemen Aubrey Moore and Justin Weyant were just two defensive standouts that helped Red Land limit Mechanicsburg to 99 yards rushing on 25 attempts.

SCHOLASTIC NOTEBOOK

From start to finish, there is little doubt Red Land owned last night's 38-14 victory over Mechanicsburg at West Shore Stadium. The celebration, marking the school's first postseason invitation, should last a while, or at least until Friday's match with Keystone rival Gettysburg.

But Mechanicsburg certainly struggled offensively without well-liked skipper Rich Lichtel at the helm. Assistant coach Jeff Costello said Lichtel was desperate to make the game, but an illness prevented it.

Costello called the offense, while usual coordinator Chris Hakel called the shots on defense.

"Rich wanted to be here and when the team found out he couldn't make it, they really wanted to do well for him," Costello said.

ERIC F. EPLER: 255-8187 or eepler@patriot-news.com

Patriots rolling

By Brett Smith, October 21, 2006

Red Land may not have started its Keystone Division game against Mechanicsburg like a team that needed to win one game to secure a spot in the District 3-AAA playoffs.

But adjustments, a halftime speech, or maybe a tongue-lashing seemed to do the trick.

After the break, Red Land looked like a now 7-1, 4-1 team that was hungry to reach the postseason in its first year in its new division.

A 10-0 lead at halftime turned into a 38-14 score by the end when the Patriots' offense started finishing drives, something it didn't do for the most part in the first half.

“We came out a little flat tonight and didn't take advantage of some opportunities in the first half,” said Red Land head coach Frank Gay. “I think it's safe to say we were a little lackadaisical. I told our guys at halftime that we should be blowing this team out right now with the chances we had. Mechanicsburg is a team that can stay with you if you are making mistakes. We were able to come out in the second half and played hard and get the job done.”

“I can't say too much about that,” said Red Land's Matt Cox with a laugh about the halftime talk. “But we knew we needed to come out harder in the second half and we did. We were able to start moving the ball and finish drives. We were very motivated for this game. We knew if we could win this one, we qualified for playoffs. We've never been in district playoffs so this is big for us. But we need to keep moving forward. We've made the playoffs but we want to finish 9-1 to get the higher seed.”

It wasn't that Red Land looked like a completely different team offensively in the third and fourth quarters. The Patriots moved the ball in the first two quarters as well and scored on their second drive of the game with a 10-play drive that ended with a Cox run from one yard out.

On their second possession, they put together eight plays but stalled at Mechanicsburg's 48-yard line. That was followed by a six-play drive that resulted in a missed field goal. The chances were there.

A 31-yard field goal by Chad Christen with three seconds remaining in the first half made it a two-possession game.

Red Land came out rejuvenated to start the second half and did what it does best - pound the ball.

Brian Danner and Cox worked their way down the field with handoff after handoff. There was some trickery with a flea-flicker from Skyler Hunt to Kyle Otsot that put the Patriots in the red zone. From there, Danner scored on a two-yard run on the opening drive.

Before Mechanicsburg (2-6 overall, 1-4 Keystone) could recover, Cox found the end zone for the second time of the night, this time on a 14-yard run, making it 24-0.

The Wildcats didn't let that get them down, though.

Wildcats QB Jake Zeigler found Greg Drake twice through the air on the ensuing drive for a total of 74 yards, and Jason Misiti scored on a five-yard touchdown run to get Mechanicsburg's first points of the night.

Misiti finished with 46 rushing yards on eight carries. The senior opened the game with a 28-yard run, but never found his groove again after being injured early on.

Dan Klein got into the scoring action when he caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Hunt in the fourth quarter. Klein finished the night with four catches for 39 yards.

Red Land scored its last touchdown when Junior Rodriguez broke open a 32-yard run with five minutes remaining in the game.

Sophomore quarterback Mike Poplaski came in for Mechanicsburg to get some time and looked impressive when he hit Matt Koveleski for a 23-yard touchdown in the final minutes.

“I wanted to come out and re-establish our defense tonight,” said Gay. “For the most part I think we did. There were a few exceptions when we were late on adjusting to some plays, but overall I thought we did well. Now we qualified for playoffs, but we're not happy with that. We have two big games left that we want to win.”

Red Land travels to Gettysburg next Friday while Mechanicsburg hosts Hershey.

PATRIOTS 38, WILDCATS 14

Mechanicsburg 0 0 7 7 -- 14

Red Land 7 3 14 14 -- 38

First Quarter

RL -- Matt Cox 1 run (Chad Christen kick), 4:27.

Second Quarter

RL -- Christen 31 field goal, :03.

Third Quarter

RL -- Brian Danner 2 run (Christen kick), 7:41.

RL -- Cox 14 run (Christen kick), 4:43

Mech -- Jason Misiti 5 run (Terry Hertzler kick), 3:13.

Fourth Quarter

RL -- Dan Klein 18 pass from Skyler Hunt (Christen kick), 9:47.

RL -- Junior Rodriguez 23 run (Christen kick), 1:54.

Mech -- Matt Koveleski 23 pass from Mike Poplaski (Hertzler kick), 1:54.

Team Statistics M RL

First downs 9 17

Rushes-yards 20-91 51-276

Passing 10-25-0 10-17-0

Passing yards 139 100

Punts-avg. 6-30 4-43

Penalties-yards 4-27 7-50

Fumbles-lost 3-3 1-1

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: Mechanicsburg, Jason Misiti 8-46; Tarik Leftenant 5-20; Jake Zeigler 5-14; Jason Statler 1-1; Jon Only 1-10. Red Land, Hunt 4-(-13); Cox 13-63; Danner 14-39; Kyle Boyer 3-15; Ryan Dill 2-49; Kyle Otsot 1-10; Mike Hackenberg 5-30; Junior Rodriguez 3-45; Scottie Acri 2-2; Ryan Sherry 1-10.

PASSING: Mechanicsburg, Zeigler 7-21-0, 99 yards; Mike Poplaski 3-4-0, 40 yards. Red Land, Hunt 10-17-0, 100 yards.

RECEIVING: Mechanicsburg, Statler 2-9; Leftenant 1-2; Ryan Gates 2-18; Greg Drake 3-75; Dan Mateja 1-12; Koveleski 1-23. Red Land, Klein 4-39; Otsot 3-42; Dill 2-9; Cox 1-10.

JV 'Cats Beat the Warriors 33-6

Evan Lewis threw for 203 yards and two TDs to lead the host Warriors (5-2, 3-1) to a Mid-Penn Keystone Division win over the Wildcats (2-5, 1-3). Storm Woerner, who had four catches for 68 yards, caught Lewis' first TD throw for 37 yards with nine seconds left in the first quarter. Zach Michael led the Warriors with six catches for 101 yards and a 42-yard reception with 8:05 left in the game. Gettysburg running back R.J. Vanbrakle rushed for 145 yards on 23 rushes and two touchdowns. The Warriors had a 13-0 edge before Mechanicsburg got on the scoreboard with 1:20 remaining in the first when Jake Zeigler connected on a 3-yard pass to Ryan Gates.

First Quarter
G - Storm Woerner 37 pass Evan Lewis, (Kick failed), 0:09
Second Quarter
G - R.J. Van Brakle 9 run, (Attempt failed), 6:08
M - Ryan Gates 27 pass from Jake Zeigler, (T.J. Hertzler kick), 1:20
G - Evan Lewis 23 field goal 0:00
Third Quarter
G - Justin Jones 16 run (Lewis kick), 7:49
G - Van Brakle 6 run (Lewis kick), 2:05
Fourth Quarter
M - Zeigler 3 run (Hertzler kick), 11:02
G - Zach Michael 42 pass from Lewis (Lewis kick), 8:06
M - Tarik Leftenant 71 run (Hertzler kick), 3:13