H.S. Football: Trojans sack Mifflin County in 17-7 win
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LEWISTOWN - Hershey's defensive front spent Friday night wrecking whatever rhythm Mifflin County tried to build.
The Trojans sacked Mifflin County six times and held the Huskies to 62 rushing yards, while Harrison Farmen supplied the offensive damage with 158 yards on 17 carries in Hershey's 17-7 Mid-Penn Keystone victory.
Hershey improved to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the conference. Mifflin County fell to 1-4 overall and 0-4 in conference play.
Farmen's biggest run covered 67 yards for a third-quarter touchdown that stretched Hershey's lead to 17-0. Mifflin County answered later in the quarter on Zyhair Hill's 1-yard run, but the Huskies never got closer.
Hill finished with 50 yards on nine carries, accounting for most of Mifflin County's production on the ground.
The Huskies spent much of the night dealing with unfavorable down-and-distance situations because Hershey kept getting into the backfield. The six sacks repeatedly stalled possessions and prevented Mifflin County from developing much continuity.
The problems weren't limited to the passing game. With only 62 rushing yards, the Huskies couldn't consistently give themselves manageable situations or keep Hershey's pass rush from attacking.
For a while, Mifflin County's defense kept the game close enough for the Huskies to survive those offensive problems.
Neither team scored during the first quarter, and Hershey didn't get on the board until Carson Goodman kicked a 34-yard field goal with 7:41 remaining in the second.
The field goal finished a 14-play, 63-yard drive and gave Hershey a 3-0 lead.
That margin held for nearly the rest of the half.
Then the Trojans landed a damaging blow with only 10 seconds left before halftime.
Quarterback Bentley Kohr connected with Isaac Williams for a 25-yard touchdown pass. Goodman kicked the extra point, and Mifflin County went to the locker room trailing 10-0 after spending most of the half within one score.
That touchdown gave Hershey some separation. Farmen created much earlier in the third quarter.
With 4:17 left in the period, Farmen broke through for a 67-yard touchdown run. Goodman's extra point made it 17-0.
Farmen's long touchdown accounted for a large portion of his rushing total, but the junior didn't need one run to make his presence felt. He averaged over 9 yards on his 17 carries and finished with nearly 100 more rushing yards than the entire Mifflin County offense.
The Huskies finally broke through late in the third.
Mifflin County put together a seven-play, 30-yard possession that ended when Hill powered in from the 1 with 57 seconds remaining. Danny Quinn added the extra point and cut Hershey's advantage to 17-7.
Hill's touchdown gave the Huskies life entering the fourth quarter, but Hershey's defense never allowed the comeback to develop.
The Trojans didn't score again. They didn't need to.
Mifflin County's defense kept Hershey off the board throughout the fourth quarter, giving the offense opportunities to make the final period matter. The Huskies couldn't turn those chances into points.
Hershey's six sacks remained the obstacle Mifflin County couldn't solve. Each one carried more weight because the Huskies had so little production available from their running game.
Hill gained 50 of Mifflin County's 62 rushing yards. The rest of the Huskies combined for 12. The sacks wiped out most of the Huskies’ rushing yards.
Hershey could play from ahead and continue relying on Farmen. Mifflin County had to search for bigger plays while dealing with a pass rush that rarely gave the offense enough time to settle.
The score stayed close enough that a touchdown could have changed the fourth quarter. Hershey's defense never allowed the Huskies to find one.
The result came down to a small collection of numbers that told most of the story.
Six sacks.
Sixty-two Mifflin County rushing yards.
And 158 rushing yards from Farmen.
Mifflin County's defense did enough to keep Hershey from running away with the game, holding the Trojans to 17 points and shutting them out in the fourth quarter. The Huskies' offense couldn't match that effort.
Hershey's defensive front made sure of it.
Mifflin County travels to Waynesboro on Friday.