Mirror picture by Patrick Waksmunski
Penn Cambria’s Ayden Himmer celebrates a cease against Sharon on Friday night time in Clarion.
CLARION — Penn Cambria’s historic 2024 season beneath its former head coach Nick Felus ended one recreation in need of a spot within the PIAA Class 3A state championship recreation — with a loss to eventual state runner-up Avonworth within the state semifinals.
Last 12 months’s group, which gained the varsity’s first District 6 soccer championship, set a college document for victories, and superior additional within the state playoffs than some other group at school historical past, set the bar very excessive for this 12 months’s group.
And this 12 months’s Panthers, in head coach Jason Grassi’s second tenure as their head coach, have confirmed greater than able to assembly the problem of the precedent.
After defending their district championship two weeks in the past, the Panthers (12-2) earned their second berth within the state semifinals Friday night time, capitalizing on an enormous momentum swing late within the second quarter to carve out a hard-fought 12-7 quarterfinal-round victory over District 10 champion Sharon in a recreation performed on Clarion University’s Memorial Field.
Penn Cambria will meet a WPIAL champion in subsequent week’s semifinal spherical at a website and time to be decided. The winner of in the present day’s WPIAL title recreation that pairs two unbeaten groups, Avonworth and Imani Christian, at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium, will present the semifinal-round opposition for Penn Cambria.
Mirror picture by Patrick Waksmunski
Penn Cambria’s Evan Latterner (15) celebrates his TD run after recovering a fumble on Colin Gongloff’s interception (proper).
“This feels awesome,” Grassi stated. “I’m so happy for these kids, and so happy for our seniors in particular. We had a great group of seniors last year that helped us get to a place that this program had never been before, and we have a great group this year that has put a lot of time and effort in to keep up that standard.”
Friday’s recreation was scoreless till Penn Cambria broke via with huge performs offensively and defensively late within the second quarter to take a 12-0 halftime lead.
The Panthers marched 63 yards in 11 performs earlier than senior quarterback Brady Jones rolled proper and hit senior wideout Grant Gides with a 5-yard TD cross within the nook of the top zone to interrupt a scoreless tie and put Penn Cambria up, 6-0, with 1:36 left within the first half.
“This means everything to us to be back to where we were last year again,” Jones stated. “It was gritty and it wasn’t pretty, but we got the job done tonight.”
A turnover on Sharon’s ensuing possession resulted in Penn Cambria’s second landing and a 12-0 halftime lead.
Mirror picture by Patrick Waksmunski
Penn Cambria’s Brady Jones throws a completion.
Senior quarterback Ethan Englemore’s first-down cross was intercepted by Penn Cambria sophomore defensive lineman Colin Gongloff. As Gongloff raced upfield, he was hit by Englemore close to the 10-yard line and the ball popped free. But junior defensive again Evan Latterner alertly recovered the ball and took it into the top zone for what proved to be the sport’s decisive landing.
“I felt their lineman release, I dropped back and intercepted the pass,” stated Gongloff, who additionally made a key fourth-quarter sack. “It didn’t end well for me. I was hit by their quarterback, I fumbled, but my buddy Evan Latterner recovered and went into the end zone with it.”
Grassi thought the late second-quarter sequence was pivotal.
“Any time that you can get a turnover like that in a playoff game, it’s big,” Grassi stated. “Our defense has been doing the job all year, and those players did it again tonight. I can’t ask for more from our players. I’m proud of them.”
Play of the sport: Gongloff’s interception and Latterner’s fumble restoration for the landing was the largest play in an air-tight recreation.
Player of the sport: Junior fullback Corbin Vinglish was a beast with the ball once more, dashing for 101 yards on 29 carries and carrying defenders with him for further yardage a number of occasions.
Unsung heroes: Penn Cambria’s protection held Sharon’s vaunted offense at bay, save for a 97-yard landing drive within the third quarter. Jones boomed three punts for a median of 51.3 yards per kick to assist the Panthers flip the sphere.
Most very important statistic: Sharon racked up vital benefits in complete yards (295-162) and passing yards (211 to 48), however turned the ball over 3 times, together with two on interceptions.
Vinglish: “The guys last year helped set up the expectations for this year’s team and set an example of what we needed to do to get to where we are again now. In high school football, momentum is everything, and getting the momentum late in the second quarter sparked us, and we kept it going.”
Sharon coach Jason McElhaney: “Our kids battled their butts off tonight. Ultimately, what this game came down to is that we made a few too many mistakes against a really good team.”
Notable: Blake Lilly additionally made an interception for Penn Cambria … Sharon junior Ghafir Lampkins entered the sport within the second half at quarterback and offered the group with a spark, finishing 4 passes for 95 yards on the group’s 97-yard third-quarter landing drive that was capped off by senior again Terrian White’s 2-yard run … Rakeem Hughes had an interception for Sharon.
Records: Sharon (9-4), Penn Cambria (12-2).
Next week: Sharon’s season is full. Penn Cambria advances to the PIAA semifinals subsequent weekend against the winner of in the present day’s WPIAL championship recreation between Avonworth and Imani Christian.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Penn Cambria 0 12 0 0–12
Sharon 0 0 7 0–7
Second Quarter
PC–Gides 9 cross from Jones (kick failed), 1:36.
PC–Latterner 10 fumble return (cross failed), 1:13.
Third Quarter
S–White 2 run (Kanan kick), 2:04.
TEAM STATISTICS PC S
First downs 9 15
Total yards 162 295
Rushes-yards 41-114 29-84
Yards passing 48 211
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 8-16-1 15-25-2
Punts/avg. 3-51.7 2-12.5
Fumbles-lost 0-0 5-1
Penalties-yards 5-52 6-80
NDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING–Penn Cambria, Vinglish 29-101, Jones 11-18, TEAM 1-(-5). Sharon, White 13-55, B. Root 2-16, Lampkins 8-11, Englemore 6-2.
PASSING–Penn Cambria, Jones 8-16-1-48. Sharon, Englemore 6-13-2-59, Lampkins 9-12-0-152.
RECEIVING–Penn Cambria, Vinglish 3-25, Gides 2-15, Lilly 2-(-1), Mack 1-9. Sharon, Norris 7-111, B. Root 3-40, Hughes 2-38, White 2-14, Smith 1-8.