Dragon Football Downed by the Panthers

In a rematch game from last year’s district six title, the Penn Cambria Panthers found a way to change the outcome from last year, coming out on top with a 42-28 victory over the Dragons.

In the first quarter, the Dragons started with the ball and, after a quick drive ending with a 10-yard pass to Eli Lingenfelter, scored to take an early lead. The Panthers returned with an equally successful drive, scoring to tie. Within 30 seconds, the Dragons had completed a 70-yard pass to Lingenfelter for another touchdown to take the lead once again. Before the end of the quarter, however, the Panthers were able to score again, putting the game back into a tie. A 13-yard scoring pass to Shalen Yingling early in the second quarter gave the Dragons a tight lead once again, a lead broken with under a minute before halftime with another scoring drive by the Panthers.

Starting the second half, the Panthers completed a scoring drive to take the lead for the first time in the game. The Dragons returned with a scoring drive of their own, ending with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Yingling. Tied and heading into the fourth quarter, the game was growing ever more intense. The Dragons could not complete a drive in the end, allowing the Panthers to score twice in the fourth quarter.

Dragon quarterback Jeff Hoenstine completed 20 of 35 passes for 290 yards and four touchdown passes. Lingenfelter had 126 receiving yards over six passes, while Yingling had 86 receiving yards over nine passes. The Dragons had a mere 63 yards rushing throughout the game. This loss settles the Dragons at 1-2, heading into another tough game in the following week against the Forest Hills Rangers.