Red Land loses shootout to Cedar Cliff

LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP — Red Land wasn't supposed to be competitive with arch-rival Cedar Cliff this year. After all, it's been a rebuilding year for Chad Weaver's Patriots.

And the record shows it, with Red Land limping to a 3-7 mark after Friday night's 56-34 loss to the Colts. Meanwhile, Cedar Cliff keeps marching on, heading into the postseason again with an 8-2 mark.

But the final score Friday was deceiving, more a comment on the Patriots running out of gas than the competitiveness of the game. Punting and defense were in short supply as both sides raced up and down the field from the opening kickoff.

Cedar Cliff needed a Jayden Demmy touchdown run with 25 seconds remaining to send the rival high schools to the locker rooms tied 21-21 at halftime. After the teams traded third-quarter touchdowns, a pair of third-down plays separated the teams.

Red Land came up short on both plays. The first came on defense -- with the Colts in a third-and-13, the Patriots' defense put the heat on quarterback Grant Brenneman. A sack seemed inevitable, but Brenneman scrambled and found Demmy, who ran it 30 yards to make the score 35-28.

Red Land took over and drove to the Cedar Cliff 34-yard line, where quarterback Jake Radic faced a third-and-5. The Patriots had run several successful screen plays in recent weeks and tried another one here. Radic backpedaled under heavy pressure, and finally let the ball go.

But the Colts' Manny De Los Santos stepped in front of the pass and returned it about 55 yards. Demmy scored again on the next play.

"It was one of those games where both teams seemed to move the ball well," Weaver said. "With that interception, the momentum seemed to go against us."

Red Land had one trick left when Hunter Briner took a pitch off a reverse and threw a 53-yard pass to wide receiver Zi Reevey. Running back Justin Johnson scored on the next play. The Patriots missed the conversion, but trailed 42-34.

But it was all Cedar Cliff in the fourth, as Demmy scored his fifth touchdown of the game. The senior piled up 327 yards rushing.

"The kid's a great kid and a workhorse," said Colts' coach Colin Gillen, adding that Demmy's 30-yard score off the desperation pass "was big-time stuff you can't teach."

Red Land71476—34

Cedar Cliff7142114—56

First Quarter

RLa — Hunter Briner 3-yard pass from Jake Radic (Stout kick) 10:47

CCl — Mike Viti 15-yard pass from Grant Brenneman (Betrtram kick) 7:22

Second Quarter

RLa — Briner 21-yard pass from Radic (Stout kick) 10:59

RLa — Zi Reevey 9-yard pass from Radic (Stout kick) 8:11

CCl — Jayden Demmy 5-yard run (Bertram kick) 4:39

CCl — Demmy 7-yard run (Bertram kick) 25.5

Third Quarter

CCl — Ryan Schoppert 5-yard pass from Brenneman (Bertram kick) 11:25

RLa — Briner 16-yard pass from Radic (Stout kick) 6:30

CCl — Demmy 30-yard pass from Brenneman (Bertram kick) 4:21

CCl — Demmy 5-yard run (Bertram kick)

Fourth Quarter

RLa — Justin Johnson 6-yard run (pass failed) 6:57

CCl — Demmy 6-yard run (Bertram kick) 5:06

CCl — Chris Thompson 2-yard run (Bertram kick) 1:50

RLaCCl

First downs1520

Rushes-Yards34-14842-386

Passing16-3512-21

Passing Yards241161

Total Yards389547

Punts3-1061-47

Fumbles-Lost1-02-2

Penalties-Yards3-268-82

Individual Statistics

Rushing — RLa, Jake Radic 5-(-6), Johnson 25-143, Hunter Briner 4-11. CCl, Brenneman 8-28, Demmy 29-327, Chris Thompson 5-31.

Passing — RLa, Radic 15-33-188-1, Briner 1-2-53-0. CCl, Brenneman 12-21-161-0.

Receiving — RLa, Briner 7-93, Zi Reevey 4-84, Joe Crocenzi 2-32, Jaelyn Gaither, 2-29, Jake Yentzer, 1-3. CCl, Demmy 3-49, Ryan Schoppert 2-20, Trysten McDonald, 1-11, Mike Viti 4-41, Bobby Whalen 2-40.