Quick strikes by Ruffin, Mahalik lift Penncrest

MIDDLETOWN >> Penncrest senior Manny Ruffin spent the summer getting ready to play wide receiver after playing quarterback last season.

Lions junior Caleb Mahalik did a lot of thinking after his 2015 season ended before that of his teammates because of a disciplinary issue.

Ruffin and Mahalik appeared to have learned their lessons well as they scored eight seconds apart in the opening minute of the second half after Ruffin made a scoring reception in the first quarter to help Penncrest open its 2016 campaign with a 26-6 nonleague decision over Pope John Paul II at Louis Scott Field Friday night.

Ruffin raced 89 yards with the second-half kickoff to earn his second six points. Two plays later, Bryan Dewar fell on a Panthers fumble at the PJP 24, and Mahalik turned the turnover into a TD on Penncrest’s first snap from center of the half.

“I’m happy with the way things went,” Penncrest head coach Rick Stroup said. “Getting three turnovers was good. It’s different playing (the first game) so early, especially when it’s as hot as it’s been. We’re just glad to be 1-0, and now we’ve got to get ready for Marple Newtown next week.”

Pope John Paul II coach Rory Graver said his Panthers can take some positives away from their long Friday drive as they focus on next week’s return trip to Delaware County to take on Sun Valley.

“We started slowly, but then we got ourselves back in the game,” Graver said, referring to junior Dan Cirino’s 20-yard scoring run after taking a middle screen pass from junior Matt DeLaurentis. That play cut the visitors’ deficit to 13-6 two minutes and 45 seconds before halftime.

“Then they scored those (two TDs) so quickly, and we had to get out of what we wanted to do. We’d like to be able to run the ball, but when you fall behind like we did, it changes things up for you.”

Ruffin and Mahalik, who were Media Little League teammates on a District 19 championship team several years ago, made a big hit with their Penncrest teammates Friday night.

“The coaches just said to take whatever they gave me on that kickoff return,” said Ruffin, who caught five passes for 49 yards in addition to playing in a secondary which faced 33 air attempts by the Panthers.

“It wasn’t so much about what I did. The other guys all did their jobs, and I just followed their blocks.”

Penncrest drove 57 yards in seven plays for its first touchdown, which came on a 1-yard run by junior John Cosgrove. Three minutes later, Ruffin added six points as he turned a Chris Mills pass into a 32-yard scoring play with 3:19 left in the opening quarter.

After Ruffin electrified the crowd at the start of the second half, Mahalik turned around right end and danced down the sideline for his touchdown.

“I was really motivated to come back this year and be a better player,” Mahalik said. “At halftime, we adjusted our defense to try to defend their passing better. They were all over our sweep, so the play I scored on we set up in that formation again but ran a different play.”

Ruffin knocked down a pass to halt one PJP drive late in the third quarter, then Mike Wilson picked off a pass five minutes later.

“It’s a great feeling starting off my senior year with this win after how hard we worked for it,” Ruffin said.