Sentinel photo by MIKE GOSS Mifflin County's Dodger Weaver defends a pass trying to be caught by Hershey's Bryan Maduena.

LEWISTOWN — Mifflin County’s struggles continued Friday night at Kish Bank Field at Donald M. Chapman III Stadium as Hershey rolled to a 27-7 victory behind a relentless ground game and another big night from senior quarterback Cam Sweeney.

Sweeney, the reigning Mid-Penn Keystone Offensive Player of the Year, set the tone early and never let up. He finished with 264 yards of total offense and punched in the first score of the game, capping Hershey’s opening drive with a 15-yard touchdown run after breaking loose for gains of 19 and 42 yards on the same possession.

Hershey (3-1, 2-1 Mid-Penn Keystone) dominated the first half, putting together back-to-back touchdown drives that featured a bruising run game and sharp execution on third and fourth downs. The Trojans twice moved the chains on fourth down and converted two more third downs during a methodical second scoring drive. Grant Later finished it with an 8-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 midway through the second quarter.

Mifflin County (2-2, 1-2) had no answer for the Trojans’ offensive front or Sweeney’s dual-threat ability. By halftime, Hershey held a 259-26 advantage in total yards, pounding out 131 rushing yards and 128 passing while limiting the Huskies to negative-20 on the ground and only 46 through the air. Mifflin County managed only two first downs in the first half and went into the break trailing 21-0 after Sweeney found Later wide open for a 64-yard scoring strike with four minutes left in the half.

The Huskies showed a spark early in the third quarter. With four and a half minutes left, quarterback Chase Hartung hit Lucas Hartung for a 44-yard touchdown–Mifflin County’s lone score of the night. Joel Beamer added the extra point, cutting the deficit to 21-7. But Hershey answered immediately, marching down the field as Samir Edwards-Pace broke off a 16-yard touchdown run. The extra point failed, but the Trojans had reestablished control at 27-7.

Every time the Huskies seemed poised for a momentum shift, Hershey’s defense answered. The Trojans racked up six sacks and forced Mifflin County into negative yardage on the ground for the second straight game. Chase Hartung completed 13 of 26 passes for 163 yards and the one score, but pressure in the pocket and minimal running room kept the Huskies from mounting any sustained threat.

Sweeney’s stat line reflected his steady command–he ran 13 times for 100 yards and a touchdown, while completing 8 of 13 passes for 164 yards and another score. Later, his primary target finished with two catches for 68 yards and a touchdown and added 51 rushing yards and another score. Edwards-Pace added 59 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Bryan Maduena hauled in four passes for 61 yards.

For Mifflin County, Lucas Hartung led the way with four receptions for 98 yards and the Huskies’ only touchdown. Joel Beamer finished with three catches for 33 yards, but the running game never got off the ground–Mifflin County finished with minus-13 rushing yards on 18 attempts.

With the win, Hershey bounced back from last week’s defeat and kept pace in the Keystone race. Mifflin County dropped its second game of the season after opening with two straight wins. The Huskies have minus-19 total rushing yards in their last two outings, highlighting a need for answers on the offensive line.

Mifflin County returns to action next Friday night on the road against Shippensburg.

Hershey 27, Mifflin County 7

Hershey 7 14 7 0 – 27

Mifflin County 0 0 7 0 – 7

SCORE BY QUARTERS

First Quarter

H–Cam Sweeney 15 run (Carson Goodman kick), 6:03.

Second Quarter

H–Grant Later 8 run (Goodman kick), 6:32.

H–Grant Later 64 pass from Cam Sweeney (Goodman kick), 4:03.

Third Quarter

MC–Lucas Hartung 44 pass from Chase Hartung (Joel Beamer kick), 4:33.

H–Samir Edwards-Pace 16 run (kick failed), 2:27.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING:

HERSHEY–Cam Sweeney 13-100-1, Samir Edwards-Pace 13-59-1, Grant Later 8-51-1, Caleb Simmons 3-9, Reggie Onwe 5-7.

MIFFLIN COUNTY–Jaxon Strohecker 6-9, Brandon Kauffman 5-6, Chase Hartung 7-(-28).

PASSING:

HERSHEY–Cam Sweeney 8-13-164-1-0, Grant Later 2-2-20-0-0.

MIFFLIN COUNTY–Chase Hartung 12-26-163-1-0.

RECEIVING:

HERSHEY–Bryan Maduena 4-61, Grant Later 2-68-1, Samir Edwards-Pace 1-35, Alexx Guzman 1-12, Gavin Kastin 1-6, Caleb Simmons 1-0.

MIFFLIN COUNTY–Joel Beamer 3-33, Dodger Weaver 1-7, Kyson Russler 1-0, Dom Siennick 1-15, Lucas Hartung 4-98-1, Jaxon Strohecker 2-8, Landon Bowen 1-2.