Mifflin County used the momentum of the new stadium, large crowd and the pregame celebrations to take the 42-0 win.

“The first quarter we came out and executed. We moved their offense ball well. We had some stops but we shot ourselves in the foot on special teams. We couldn’t get two punts off. It backed us up and gave them a short field. That gave them a lot of momentum to build on in the second quarter,” said Central Mountain coach Travis Thompson.

“We came back out after halftime and they didn’t score until there was less than a minute left. Even in the fourth quarter we stayed in it. The last one we had our second string in and they throw a pick six. It happens. Overall, I’ve seen a lot of improvement with the guys. We’re going to keep working and we’re going to keep grinding. It’s a long season so get back to work.”

Mifflin County quarterback Chase Hartung found receiver Joel Beamer twice for touchdowns, leading the team early on. Hartung went 8-14 with 97 yards and one rushing and three passing TDs.

TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Central Mountain competes against Mifflin County on Friday.

In the first half, Central Mountain held the Huskies on their first possession of the day, forcing them to punt the ball on a three-and-out. The Wildcats then went to work on offense with strong runs by Dalton McDermott and a nine run by quarterback Kyle Everett, the team found itself rolling down the field, getting across midfield.

However, the MIfflin County defense held.

Neither team was able to put points on the board and the first quarter ended in a scoreless tie.

“They’re a lot better than they have been,” said Breon. “They moved their offense and defense around and gave us some fits there. It’s a good group over there. They got some great kids and they took away a lot of the things we wanted to.”

Mifflin County’s defense forced Central Mountain to punt deep in their own territory. The defense proceeded to put pressure on the Wildcats punter, giving the Huskies the first big break of the ball game, getting the ball at the Central Mountain 10.

TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Central Mountain competes against Mifflin County on Friday.

That would be all the Huskies needed to get things rolling, going on a four-play scoring drive, capped off with a one-yard quarterback keeper by Hartung to put the Huskies on the board.

As the half wound down, the Huskies’ defense warmed up, finishing the half with three first half sacks.

Things continued to roll for the home team as they continued to force the Wildcats back. Then, their next offensive drive again started in favorable position on the Central Mountain 26.

With clutch runs from Brandon Kauffman, the Huskies rolled down to the seven. Hartung found Beamer for their first hook up of the day, scoring on a seven-yard touchdown pass with 4:31 left in the half.

Mifflin County was able to score one last time before the half when Hartung once again found Beamer, this time on a 25-yard catch and score, giving the home team a 21-0 advantage. Total yardage in the first half for Mifflin County was 96 while Central Mountain was held to only four.

TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Central Mountain competes against Mifflin County on Friday.

Coming out of the half, the Wildcats were able to slow down the Huskies for the most part, keeping the game at 21-0.

The Wildcat defense held in its first plays of the half, forcing Mifflin County to punt the ball.

However, the MIfflin County defense remained just as tough, holding the Wildcats to two four-and-outs in the stanza.

Mifflin County struck again late in the third quarter when Hartung once again went to the air, this time he found a wide-open Dodger Weaver for 17-yards and the TD with just 15 ticks left in the third. And with the 28-point lead going into the final stanza, Coach Breon started to get some of the younger players some playing time.

With 3:45 left in the game, running back Lucas Hartung muscled his way into the endzone, upping the lead to 35-0 on a 27-yard run.

TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Central Mountain competes against Mifflin County on Friday.

“We got some good kids who are second string,” said Breon. “They work hard in practice and it’s great to see them get a chance to get out there under the lights on Friday night.”

Mifflin County’s defense rounded out the scoring when Talon Hopple read the quarterback’s eyes and stepped in front of his receiver and ran it back 40 yards for the TD, ending the scoring and giving the Huskies its first win in their new stadium by a score of 42-0.

TIM WEIGHT/Special to the Sun-Gazette Central Mountain tackles a Mifflin County ball carrier on Friday.