Altoona, P.A. (WHTM) — All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately for the Eagles, Cocalico’s Cinderella run through the 5A playoffs ended in the state semifinals Friday night at the hands of Pine Richland.
Cocalico became the first 12 seed ever to win a District III title with their upset run through the 5A district playoffs, but a meeting with District Seven champion Pine Richland proved to be too much for the Eagles in a 34-12 state semifinal loss Friday night at Mansion Park Stadium in Altoona.
The Rams got off to a quick start, with quarterback Ryan Palmieri finding Brad Gelly on a deep touchdown on the second play of the game for a 7-0 lead. Palmieri found the endzone quickly after with his legs, then delivered another through the air in the second quarter to give Pine Richland a 21-0 halftime lead.
Cocalico pieced together a pair of strong drives in the third quarter. The first was capped off by a Josh Myer QB keeper to get the Eagles on the board, then two big plays by Aaryn Longenecker, including a short touchdown run, gave Cocalico their second score of the night.
The big problem for the Eagles was that despite finding the endzone twice in the third, they couldn’t keep the Rams out of theirs. Ethan Pillar rattled off two big runs in the third, including a rushing touchdown, to keep the Eagles at arms’ length.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter when Pine Richland delivered the knockout blow. Palmieri dropped back and found Gelly once again on a deep ball to give the Rams a 34-12 lead to put the game out of reach and end the Eagles’ Cinderella season in the 5A state semifinals.