Life and tragedy sometimes intersect. We all know that is part of this journey during our time here.
That doesn’t make it easy at all.
Friday morning life tragedy rocked the undefeated Mechanicsburg football squad with a Week 9 home game with Hershey on deck.
Star running back Isaac Dollman’s father, Andrew, passed away suddenly Friday morning. I’m sure head coach Dave Heckard and his staff had a lot of choices and decisions to make in a short window.
This was not anything close to resembling a normal game day Friday.
The Wildcats played Hershey at John H. Frederick Field without Dollman and exploded for 35 first-half points on their way to a comfortable 42-21 victory that wasn’t as close as the final score.
Raw emotion and pain for a hurting teammate can go either way, and in this case the Wildcats used it as fuel to dominate a Trojans team that could never prepare for the scenario that unfolded.
After the game the entire Wildcats team and coaches went over to Dollman’s house and presented their grieving teammate with the game ball. It’s a memory that will stick with the young men and the adult men who were part of the experience.
Prayers for the Dollman family as they navigate this sudden and unexpected loss.
EXPLOSION AT COBO FIELD
The Colonial showdown between top dogs Trinity (still the best story of 2024 season) and Susquehanna Township lived up to the billing in every way and shape imaginable.
All I know is both clubs are playoff bound and will remember the ins and outs of this one come the second season because by all indicators this was a playoff game wrapped up in a regular season box.
Anyway, the final score was 40-34 Hanna Tribe coming out on top in double overtime. The lids came off this one the final 15 minutes and it was a heart attack waiting to happen for both teams during that wild final ride. Because late in the third quarter Trinity held a 19-7 lead. Nearly combined points later the Indians were celebrating.
You know it’s a great game when the biggest stars on each team showed up and made their star power known.
Hanna QB Torin Evans threw for nearly 200 yards and a couple scores plus pitched in a couple rushing TD’s. Tribe WR Lex Cyrus had five grabs for 80 yards and a TD. Trinity RB Christian Joy rushed for 162 yards and four touchdowns. You can’t ask for anything more than that.
As you put the final touches on the regular season and get ready for the playoff party, everything points to these clubs playing some of their best football right now. The outcome of this one mattered. I just have a hard time seeing how the T-Rocks really lost anything based on their performance.
MY 2 CENTS
Week 9 provided plenty of crazy results. For starters, how about one week after handing Harrisburg its first Commonwealth Division loss of the season, Cumberland Valley turns around and gets upset by Chambersburg. That is one wild six-day swing. … Camp Hill has been all over the map this season for a variety of good reasons. With only one win in its last four games, the Lions go out and edge Line Mountain 21-19 to restore a little order. Look, the Lions are capable of beating anybody on their schedule in a given week. And sometimes they feel like they could lose any given week. Why do I find that appealing? … Don’t look now but Milton Hershey has won three in a row to creep one game above .500 and travel to Roscoe Warner for a Week 10 clash with the Hanna Tribe. The Spartans dropped 58 on West Perry Friday night, and have scored a staggering 150 points over the last 12 quarters. A playoff spot will be on the line for Milton Hershey in the final regular season game. … Lower Dauphin has enjoyed an October pushback after a September swoon that saw the Falcons lose three consecutive games last month. LD has won three in a row and surrendered only one touchdown over its last 12 quarters with two shutouts – including 31-0 over Waynesboro in Week 9. They are squarely on the playoff bubble in Class 5A. Always helps when you get 198 yards and three touchdowns on the ground from your Homecoming King/RB.
