Sleepy Cedar Cliff gets a tour of Dublin; Penn Manor lands in Ireland

Story posted August 28, 2014 in


DUBLIN – Cedar Cliff players got a tour of Dublin as soon as they landed in Ireland on Wednesday. Some of them missed it.

Fault jet lag and a long flight.

“They were tired,” coach Colin Gillen said. “A number of them fell asleep on the bus when we touring, which was understandable.”

The tour was a piece of the Colts’ itinerary after they took flights from Harrisburg to Toronto and finally to Dublin in advance of their game with Penn Manor, which also landed Wednesday. Despite the journey, both teams put in productive practices later in the day.

The trip was “too long,” Gillen and guard/defensive tackle Dylan Farrow both joked.

Yet both head coaches noted how prepared their players were once they hit the practice field at University College Dublin.

“If you watched us at lunch time, it looked like we would’ve had a bad practice today. ... The kids were sleeping at lunch,” Penn Manor coach Todd Mealy said. “They ate really quickly and then they slept right there at the lunch table. But they did a nice job hitting the switch, changing gears. They were focused today, they were energetic.”

In addition to game day preparations, both teams got the opportunity to explore parts of Dublin.

Penn Manor’s day included a visit to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Meanwhile, Cedar Cliff took their bus tour. Cedar Cliff will continue with a tour of Causey Farm on Thursday, followed by a trip to Malahide Castle on Friday.

“It doesn’t feel real yet, but I’m sure come tomorrow or Friday it’ll feel good,” Farrow said of the overall experience.

“[The tour] was pretty cool. I got to see some old buildings. Trinity College is pretty cool to see; I’ve heard things about it. It looks pretty nice.”

The Colts and Comets will meet Friday at 7 p.m. local time at UCD.

(Eric Shultz is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.)