Penn Manor holds off Cedar Cliff 27-20 in Ireland matchup

Story posted August 30, 2014 in Ireland by Eric Shultz / John Curley Center.

Pennsylvania high school season begins in Dublin
 

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DUBLIN — A lot was different in Penn Manor's season opener.

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The uprights went straight into the ground, making a vintage “H” with the crossbars, and the chilly and windy conditions were reminiscent of an October game, rather than an August matchup.

A lot was different, but it added up to the same result for Penn Manor. The Comets defeated Cedar Cliff — the same team they vanquished the past two postseasons — winning 27-20 Friday night in Ireland after fending off a rally in the second half.

Q2VkYXIgQ2xpZmYgcXVhcnRlcmJhY2sgR3JhbnQgQnJlbmVtYW4gcHVzaGVzIGF3YXkgZnJvbSBQZW5uIE1hbm9yJiMwMzk7cyBLZWFnYW4gR2FtYmVyICgxMCkgaW4gdGhlIGZpcnN0IGhhbGYgb2YgdGhlaXIgZ2FtZSBpbiBEdWJsaW4sIElyZWxhbmQsIEZyaWRheSwgQXVnLiAyOSwgMjAxNC4gQXQgcmlnaHQgaXMgUGVubiBNYW5vciYjMDM5O3MgU3RldmUgSm9obnNvbi4=“There's a lot of new players and the jury's out on how good this team's going to be.,” Penn Manor coach Todd Mealy said. “We have a long way to go, I think, but having said that there’s no doubt we beat a very good team, a Midd-Penn team, and my hat's off to [Cedar Cliff] coach [Colin] Gillen and his team.”

The game, organized by Global Football and played at University College Dublin, served as the return of high school football for fans at the game. It will be followed by Saturday's Croke Park Classic, which pits Penn State against Central Florida.

Both high school teams spent months of fundraising to reach the contest, held five time zones away from central Pennsylvania.

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“He just carries and runs the offense and does a great job,” Gillen said, calling Erisman a difference maker. “He's a great athlete, a great quarterback, and you could really see his being an upperclassman.”

The Comets received to start the second half, and Jamal McCaskell appeared to blow the game open with a 36-yard touchdown run to make it 27-6. But the Colts fought back, cutting the deficit to seven points on Grant Breneman's quarterback sneak. After that, though, both offenses stalled and neither scored in the fourth quarter.

“We had to come back in the second half and we drove the ball and ran the ball a lot,” Breneman said. “The second-half adjustments were big – we just couldn't finish.”

Erisman's first touchdown came during Penn Manor's first offensive drive. He avoided trouble by cutting back on a rollout and found Tyler Spangler in the right side of the end zone to take a 7-6 lead.

The Comets never trailed after that.

Erisman was poised in the pocket throughout the contest. That was probably most evident during Penn Manor's third scoring drive.

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The signal-caller's performance bested Cedar Cliff's Grant Breneman, who made his first start at quarterback. The sophomore started hot, capping the game's opening drive with a 34-yard run down the left sideline after a fake hand-off.

After that, though, Penn Manor began to clamp down, rushing Breneman on passing plays and bringing him down in the backfield on designed runs. Breneman ended his debut with 5-of-11 passing for 77 yards, and 18 carries for 92 yards. His brother, injured Penn State tight end Adam Breneman, was in attendance with his family. 

More game photos

 

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Penn Manor High and Cedar Cliff High football teams face off at University College Dublin. Penn Manor is in the foreground. / Photo by Hannah Byrne
 

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Penn Manor's Jamal McCaskell (33) tries to elude Cedar Cliff defender Jordan Stiles (22). / Photo by Kelsie Netzer
 

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Penn Manor's Grant Gale outruns Cedar Cliff defender John McGhee in the first half. / Photo by Kelsie Netzer
 

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Cedar Cliff coach  Colin Gillen screams from the sideline. At left is  Penn Manor's Ashton Leschke. / Photo by Hannah Byrne
 

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Penn Manor and Cedar Cliff players shake hands after their game in Dublin. / Photo by Kelsie Netzer
 

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Penn Manor and Cedar Cliff high school players kneel in prayer after the game. / Photo by Hannah Byrne


(Writer Eric Shultz, and photographers Hannah Byrne and Kelsie Netzer, are students in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.)