Green Knights use big plays to pull away from Panthers
Kris Kessler caught a thirddown screen pass late in the third quarter with Pen Argyl leading by just two touchdowns over Panther Valley.
When the Green Knights senior did next epitomized Saturday afternoon’s game for both teams.
Kessler broke a couple tackles, tiptoed the left sideline, cut back to the middle and outran the rest of the Panthers defense for a backbreaking, 68-yard touchdown.
“I turned around and saw great blocking by the line,” Kessler said. “Can’t thank them enough for that. Saw a cutback, took that. It worked out. It was a great play by the whole team.”
Kessler also had a 56-yard TD run. Brad Rissmiller turned two quarterback draws into 38- and 34-yard scoring runs and Chase Kennedy’s 17-yard run capped Pen Argyl’s 42-7 victory.
It also completed a frustrating day for coach Mark Lavine’s Panthers.
“Our tackling was bad,” Lavine said. “We’re just not tackling people.”
Pen Argyl’s victory gives the program momentum entering next Saturday’s 103rd meeting with Slate Belt rival Bangor with a lot riding on the outcome for both teams.
The Green Knights (4-5) are fifth in the District 11 Class 2A race for four playoff spots. The Slaters (6-3) are third in the 4A standings with the top four advancing.
“We’re looking good for an Eastern Conference spot right now,” Pen Argyl coach Brady Mutton said. “A win next week might give us some magic in the district ratings. Catty is a little far ahead, but Bangor is a 6-win 4A team, so who knows.”
What Pen Argyl does know is that it is making progress because it has stuck together through the ups and downs of the season.
The Green Knights racked up a season-high 292 rushing yards. They’ve had at least 221 yards in three of the last four games. Not surprisingly, they’ve won those three games.
In the four-game losing streak before the stretch, Pen Argyl had 135 rushing yards total.
Kessler had a career-high 152 Saturday.
“He hasn’t wavered every week,” Mutton said. “He’s telling me, ‘Give me the ball. Give me the ball.’ Some weeks I have to tell him that it’s not a good time to run the ball. That stinks.
“But it’s finally coming together for him. He’ll be the first to tell you that it’s because of his line, but today he made some plays in open space. That’s something he’s never done. Unfortunately, he’s a senior. But he’s playing his best football right now.”
Pen Argyl stopped Panther Valley’s first offensive series then scored two plays later on Kessler’s 56-yard touchdown run around right end.
The Panthers responded with a 12-play, 60-yard drive capped by Mike Pascoe’s 32-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to Brody Breiner with 9:40 left in the first half.
Panther Valley converted three times on fourth down on the series.
The Green Knights took the lead for good on their next possession. Rissmiller ran 38 yards for the score on a quarterback draw. His 22-yard completion on third down to Damian Tyminski kept the drive alive.
And the Panthers’ offense never got going again. They had minus12
yards and no first downs in the second half until Austin Hadley’s runs of 9 and 5 yards on back-toback plays midway through the fourth quarter.
Panther Valley was 0 for 12 in the game on third down.
“All year we’ve been able to run the ball and get some drives,” Lavine said. “Our M.O. has been: ‘We’d have drives, but not be able to put it in [the end zone].’
“We didn’t do anything today. We weren’t able to stay on our blocks, get to their linebackers. We never got the running game going at all.”
Pen Argyl extended its lead to 21-7 at halftime thanks to Rissmiller’s 34-yard TD run on a QB draw that followed his 21-yard completion to Tyminski.
Kessler’s screen pass for a touchdown came when Pen Argyl needed a positive play. A muffed punt and a holding penalty had Mutton’s team facing a thirdand-24. Kessler got that and a lot more.
Game notes
Austin Hadley had a sack and a fumble recovery for Panther Valley. Jeremy Phelps had a sack and another tackle for loss. … Nuallan King had a sack and another tackle for loss for Pen Argyl. Gian Greggo had two tackles for loss.
Kael Grim had a sack and forced fumble. Chase Kennedy had an interception . ... Panther Valley had seven first downs, four came on fourth-down conversions in the first half and another came on a second-half penalty.
Up next
Pen Argyl (4-5) hosts Bangor (6-3) in the 104th annual Slate Belt rivalry game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Panther Valley (2-7) visits Tamaqua (3-6) in the regular-season finale at 7 Friday.