Saturday’s Mid-Penn Commonwealth matchup between a 4-0 Cumberland Valley team and Harrisburg Cougars squad gaining steam looked on paper to have the makings of a classic matchup.
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And after a tepid start where neither team scored in the first quarter, the game at Severance Field in Harrisburg turned into a fun affair, with the Cougars overcoming a late push by the Eagles to hand CV its first loss, winning the game 30-14.
Here’s how they did it.
The stars
Once again, Harrisburg’s senior all-purpose weapon Kyle Williams dominated, showcasing the skillset that will have him at Temple in the fall.
Williams took 17 carries for 137 yards and two touchdowns, while hauling in four catches for 25 yards.
His fellow running back Mahkai Hopkins was also big-time, taking 19 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
Sophomore Quincy Brannon also snagged an interception, while the defense as a whole shut down the Eagles’ passing attack, holding CV to 19 total passing yards on the day.
Cumberland Valley was paced by Bryce Staretz, who had 71 yards and a score, while JD Hunter ran for 40 yards and returned a kick for a touchdown.
Game-deciding plays
Cumberland Valley entered the third quarter with one first down. But on its second drive of the half, the Eagles picked up back-to-back first downs on runs by Staretz and Hunter.
They’d then really break the seal with 3:22 to go, as Staretz burst through the middle of the field for a 42-yard touchdown run to cut the Harrisburg lead to 14-7.
Harrisburg would seemingly answer in the fourth quarter, as Hopkins would ramble for a 14-yard touchdown run of his own. But on the ensuing kick, Hunter field the ball and ran 85 yards for a score to lower the deficit back to 22-14.
Still, the Cougars would put together their biggest drive of the game, running 4:43 off the clock and seeing Williams eventually score a four-yard touchdown with 2:04 remaining that would put them up 30-14 and all but ice the game.
They said it
“It definitely was [on our minds]. We talked about all week giving them their first loss and making sure they don’t come in here and mess up our thing. Because we definitely don’t want to lose again. With us being back here [at home] and last time losing, we had a lot of fire going on in us.”- Harrisburg running back Kyle Williams on if Cumberland Valley’s unbeaten record motivated them
“Once its [Mid-Penn] Commonwealth play, we have to really lock in. Because the Commonwealth is great competition every single week. So we just have to focus and continue work and improve on the things we need to improve on.”- Harrisburg head coach Calvin Everett on how important it is for his team to round into form as divisional play begins
“I think I could’ve done a better job play-calling. First half, I’m kicking myself for some of the things I failed to do. We left our defense out there to dry in the first half. And we come into halftime getting the ball in the second half down 14, it could’ve been a whole lot worse. Their defense is what it is. [Terrell Reynolds] is a stud. Their MIKE linebacker played well. [Mahkai Hopkins] played well. [Amir Jones] played well. [Quincy Brannon] had the pick. You have a lot of guys that are just kind of an amoeba.”- Cumberland Valley head coach Josh Oswalt on how the Eagles handled the Harrisburg defense
Cumberland Valley 0-0-7-7 -- 14
Harrisburg 0-14-0-16 – 30
SECOND QUARTER
H- Kyle Williams 6 run (Mahkai Hopkins run) 6:02
H- Shawn Lee Jr 1 run (run fails ) 2:26
THIRD QUARTER
CV- Bryce Staretz 42 run (Isaac Sines kick) 3:22
FOURTH QUARTER
H- Hopkins 14 run (Williams run) 6:58
CV- JD Hunter 85 kick return (Sines kick) 6:43
H- Kyle Williams 4 run (Amir Jones run) 2:04
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