Week 6 scores: Huskies control the scoreboard to earn first Keystone win vs. Palmyra

After a night full of weather at Buck Swank Stadium, Mifflin County came out on top in a battle of quarterbacks making their debut.

Both teams went scoreless through the first quarter of action, but the Huskies found the end zone on a fourth down goal-line throw by junior Chase Hartung — and they took every advantage of big plays for the rest of their 20-0 win.

The Cougars had moments of promise through a tight game, but Mifflin County junior Landon Haigh said he’s proud of how his squad took control throughout.

“We responded really well, I think that's what helped us come out with the win the most,” Haigh said. “Our momentum came with that touchdown, and we just kept rolling after that a little bit.”

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“Our offense was slow at some points, but when (Palmyra) started chirping, we punched them right back, and we came back with the W.”

The junior wide receiver was a difference maker for the Huskies — as his 70-yard receiving touchdown in the third quarter put Palmyra in a two-score deficit for added pressure. Haigh ran a deep post to split the Cougars’ defense, allowing Hartung to hit him perfectly in stride for the game-changing score.

“This is Chase Hartung’s first start, and he did great. I'm very proud of him,” Haigh said. “He was vocal on the play calls, and he was vocal with our coach with what he’s seeing on the field.”

Following the win, Hartung said his focus as a passer has been “staying patient,” and that the support around him allowed for success at Buck Swank Stadium.

“(Our) O-line held up for zero sacks, and the defense held the other team to zero — that’s a good day,” Hartung said.

The Huskies’ defense fought all game long, and it led to the group’s first win in four games. Haigh said the defense played well at all levels, and the consistency throughout led to his squad’s first shutout performance.

“We did a really good job of breaking down and tackling at the knees, not letting their guys get extra yards,” Haigh said. “We did a great job covering them downfield — they didn’t do a lot.”

On the other sideline, Palmyra’s defense led the way for its squad — as the offense was just stuck outside of the end zone through 48 minutes. The Cougars came within 5 yards of the goal line after a couple of big plays in their favor to begin the second half, but the Huskies defense held on four straight plays to force a turnover on downs.

Palmyra coach Chris Pavone said his sophomore quarterback, Roman Russek, played well in his first start, but there wasn’t enough to answer the defense forcing punts consistently.

“Overall I thought the defense had one of its best weeks this week — holding them to just those couple big plays,” Pavone said. “If our defense gets stops we have to cash in on those opportunities, and we can limit that with playing a little more complimentary football on offense.”

The Cougars offense saw its trio of running backs headline once again, but there were only a few big runs that came this week around.

While splitting backfield carries with junior Braxtin Risser, junior Travis McDannell led the rushing duties for 18 carries and 69 yards. Pavone mentioned how the Cougars’ athletes can play elsewhere, and how the emergence of their rushers has shaped the offense.

“Our best offensive approach is having the best guys on the field at the same time,” Pavone said. “We can move Braxtin (Risser) into the backfield, but we can also play him in the slot and still give him carries — he’s a versatile player.”

Risser finished as the team's leading receiver, and finished with four catches along with seven carries. Palmyra’s offense has seen big days from each rusher this year, so the group has prioritized getting their playmakers the ball in different ways.

“Sometimes in a loaded running back room we feel that we have only so many carries to go around,” Pavone said. “We have different personnel packages that we're adapting as time goes on.”

Following an injury to senior quarterback Ryan Kowalski, the Cougars looked to Russek’s first opportunity to lead in a start. The sophomore made plays with his legs and through the air, so there’s plenty to build on despite the zero-point showing on offense.

Pavone said Russek’s confidence as a passer has stood out along with the mobility he brings, and that the sophomore’s arm brings a vertical attack for the Cougars going forward.

“As he gets more time and experience and feel for the game, things are going to slow down for him.” Pavone said. “There were some moments tonight I felt like things were probably moving pretty quick, but overall I thought he was poised.”

“We want to be able to effectively run the ball — but we also know we have receivers who are able to stretch the field.”

As the Huskies advance to 2-4 and look to keep that momentum rolling, the Cougars have yet to stop a five-game slide. Palmyra’s coach had positives about his defense’s physicality, but said the team needs to find its balance.

“No one is perfect. Everyone's making mistakes on the field, and we gotta clean a lot of things up,” Pavone said. “We were able to get off the field (on defense), which has been a big thing this week, but we also just need to play complimentary football.”

Other scores from Week 6:

Cedar Crest 42, Reading 20

Annville-Cleona 35, Kutztown 28

ELCO 19, Daniel Boone 14

Twin Valley 42, Northern Lebanon 0

Conestoga Valley 54, Lebanon 14

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Week 6 scores: Huskies control the scoreboard to earn first Keystone win vs. Palmyra