Offensive woes plague Huskies in 37-6 loss
Hartung’s 82-yard TD catch is lone highlight for MC
Trending
LEWISTOWN -- Mifflin County trailed Northern York by 10 points at halftime. Fifteen seconds into the third quarter, Cash Keck made the deficit 17 and sent the Polar Bears toward a 37-6 victory.
Northern York improved to 6-1 overall and 6-0 in the Mid-Penn Keystone. Mifflin County fell to 2-5 overall and 1-5 in conference play.
Keck returned the second-half kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, giving Northern a jolt after the Huskies had remained within reach despite producing no first downs and 26 yards in the opening half. Keck struck again later in the quarter, catching a 26-yard touchdown pass from Mason Barnett as the Polar Bears turned a competitive score into a rout.
Northern York finished with 322 yards and held Mifflin County to 122. The Huskies didn't record either of their two first downs until the fourth quarter, when the outcome had been settled.
The game stayed scoreless through the first quarter. Northern moved the ball, but Mifflin County kept the Polar Bears from turning those yards into points. Northern also had a 52-yard touchdown run erased by a holding penalty.
Beckham Kalnins finally broke the tie with a 34-yard field goal at the 8:49 mark of the second quarter. The margin remained three points until the final minute of the half, when Gabe Macke scored on a 3-yard run. Kalnins added the extra point, sending Northern into halftime with a 10-0 lead.
The scoreboard offered the Huskies some hope. The statistics offered considerably less.
Northern had amassed 207 yards by halftime, nearly eight times Mifflin County's total. The Huskies couldn't sustain a possession, and seven penalties costing 45 yards made their task harder.
Any chance to reset at halftime disappeared when Keck took the kickoff 95 yards. Instead of beginning the third quarter one score and a field goal behind, Mifflin County found itself facing a 17-0 deficit before its offense returned to the field.
Keck kept applying pressure. He caught eight passes for 94 yards, including Barnett's 26-yard touchdown throw with 3:06 remaining in the third quarter. Kalnins' fourth extra point of the night pushed Northern's lead to 24-0.
The Polar Bears added two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Macke scored from 2 yards with 11:43 remaining, his second touchdown of the game. Braxton Porter followed with a 1-yard run at the 2:02 mark. The extra-point attempt was blocked, leaving Northern ahead 37-0.
Macke's two short touchdown runs finished drives built by an offense that kept possession and repeatedly made Mifflin County defend another series. Brody Leathery helped provide that control with 102 yards on 19 carries. He also caught four passes for 44 yards.
The Huskies found their lone offensive opening with 1:32 remaining. Nick Wolfkiel connected with Lance Hartung for an 82-yard touchdown, preventing the shutout. The conversion pass failed.
Hartung accounted for nearly all of Mifflin County's production through the air. He finished with five receptions for 100 yards and the touchdown. His 82-yard catch supplied the explosive play the Huskies had spent most of the night trying to create.
It came far too late to affect the result.
Northern's defense controlled most of the game, limiting Mifflin County's ability to put plays together or keep its defense off the field.
Mifflin County hosts Mechanicsburg next Friday.
Northern York 37, Mifflin County 6
Northern York 0 10 14 13 – 37
Mifflin County 0 0 0 6 – 6
Second Quarter
N – Beckham Kalnins 34 field goal, 8:49
N – Gabe Macke 3 run (Kalnins kick), :56
Third Quarter
N – Cash Keck 95 kickoff return (Kalnins kick), 11:45
N – Keck 26 pass from Mason Barnett (Kalnins kick), 3:06
Fourth Quarter
N – Macke 2 run (Kalnins kick), 11:43
N – Braxton Porter 1 run (kick blocked), 2:02
MC – Lance Hartung 82 pass from Nick Wolfkiel (pass failed), 1:32