LEWISTOWN - Mifflin County's offensive line must have had a chip on its shoulder.
The Huskies came out storming, literally.
The Mifflin County running game got off to a fast start and was on pace to a lopsided victory over Williamsport. The Huskies had 210 rushing yards through the first 21 minutes of play. Then the momentum was dashed.
The Huskies and Millionaires were forced to leave the playing field with 8:30 left in the second quarter due to lightning.
Eventually, after numerous strikes around Mitchell Field, the game was suspended with Mifflin County holding a 27-6 lead. The game will resume Monday in Lewistown at 5 p.m.
Besides one big play from Williamsport, Mifflin County was in total control. Kyle Kahley rushed for 80 yards on seven carries and three touchdowns prior to the game being called.
"I think we did an exceptional job of finishing to this point," Mifflin County coach George Miskinis said. "But we still have a lot of game to play. You can't be complacent."
Williamsport, coming off a loss to Central Mountain last week, struggled with the size of Mifflin County up from to this point.
"Right now we're trying to change the culture," Williamsport coach Kevin Choate said. "Any time you do that you need 48 men to buy into what we're trying to do."
Coming off a loss to DuBois in which the Huskies held a substantial halftime lead, Mifflin County got out of the gates like Secretariat.
A six-play drive was highlighted by Tim Beck's 26-yard scamper on his first carry. Kahley then added a 25-yard run down the the Williamsport goal line. He took the next play in for a score. Just like that, 2:20 in, the Huskies were on the board.
But going in, the Huskies knew that Williamsport had playmakers. Devin Miller is one of them.
On the second play of the drive, the Millionaires broke into a motion and the ball was given to Miller. He snuck through the Mifflin County line and broke to the sideline. Miller's speed did the rest and we had a ballgame.
"We have the intensity to come back," Choate said. "These guys are loyal to me and are doing everything they can. We just have lost the edge of how to win a game."
But as rain started to fall on Mitchell Field, the Huskies were able to add two more scores prior to the first quarter bell.
The Huskies put together a two-play drive that was capped off by Kahley's 33-yard touchdown. Mifflin County started that drive with nice field position, starting on Williamsport's 42.
The second play of the second quarter would turn out to be one of the biggest so far in Mifflin County's young season.
The Millionaires faced a third and long and Owen Lukens' pass was incomplete. Then Williamsport was forced to punt. But as the ball was snapped, Mifflin County sent five players through the line, led by Derrick Specht.
Specht got his hand on the punt and Jordan Treaster recovered in the end zone for a Husky score.
Willamsport's offense was non-existent after Miller's 68-yard run. Take that run away from the Millionaires and Mifflin County held them to only 19 yards.
"Hopefully that keeps going," Miskinis said. "Coach (Al) Hepner and the defense are doing a great job. But there's a lot of football left to be played."
With the game in Mifflin County's favor 20-6, Kahley wasn't finished.
The Husky fullback took the handoff from Shane Whalen and cut back. Ten yards later Kahley had his third score. And the game isn't over just yet.
"We have to keep doing what we're doing and hopefully Monday night we can come back and our kids can continue to move people back from the ball," Miskinis said.
The coach was hesitant to take much out of this game. And he knows that coming back and resuming a game isn't easy. Last season, Mifflin County and Tyrone were called for the same reason. But the Huskies took care of business on a Monday.
"We've done this before," Miskinis said. "We went to Tyrone and won."
