Mifflinburg Football 2007 Season

Mark Reitz's 2007 team went 7-4. The coaching-records line is 4-2 in the division and 6-3 in the league. Warrior Run beat Mifflinburg 21-19 in the opener. Mifflinburg then beat Lewisburg 34-24, Shamokin 23-15, Shikellamy 14-7, and Milton 12-8. The Daily Item wrote the Danville, Central Columbia, Selinsgrove, Montoursville, Jersey Shore, and Athens games.

William Bowman's Daily Item story, dated Sept. 15, covers the Friday night game at Ironmen Stadium. Danville came in unbeaten. Mifflinburg beat Danville 35-28 in double overtime. Bowman had Mifflinburg at 2-1 and 1-0 in the CSC-I, and Danville at 2-1. Danville turned the ball over four times in the first half, and Mifflinburg led 14-0 at the half on two of them. Alex Shambach's interception reached the 9, and Chris Porter scored midway through the first quarter. After a fumble, an eight-play, 47-yard drive ended with Porter taking an option pitch from Cory Dorman around the right end. Jonathan Mrockosky had 105 yards and three scores after halftime. His touchdown with 9:33 left made it 21-13. After a stop near Danville's goal line, Andrew Shoop scored with 45 seconds left and hit Michael Smith for the conversion to tie it. Mrockosky scored on Danville's first overtime possession. On fourth-and-7, Dorman hit Darren Reynolds across the middle for a 7-yard touchdown. In the second overtime the first two plays gained nothing. On third-and-10 Dorman avoided the rush and scored. Shoop's third-down pass fell incomplete, a false start left Danville needing 14, and Travis Moyer intercepted at the goal line.

Shawn Wood's Daily Item story, dated Sept. 22, covers the home game with Central Columbia. Mifflinburg beat Central Columbia 24-14, and Wood had the Wildcats at 3-1. Junior Jon Himes was in his second varsity game. Cory Dorman hit Mark Musser for 7 yards on the opening drive. Derek Wiand's first interception set up Chris Porter's 5-yard run, and it was 14-0 at the half, both scores inside the first six minutes. Central, at 1-3, ran 24 plays to Mifflinburg's four in the third and scored eight: Jacob Machinski from the 5, with Adam Diltz running for the two-point conversion. A Mifflinburg drive stalled at its 38 early in the fourth. Machinski took the handoff from Diltz, started right, cut back, and went 78 yards. The extra point missed wide left, and it was tied. Machinski finished with 148 yards on 23 carries. Himes then kicked a 27-yard field goal, his first attempt, with just over five minutes left, and it was 17-14. His kickoff pinned Central at its 5. Seven plays later Wiand intercepted Diltz again and returned it 28 yards, and it was 24-14. Mifflinburg had three interceptions.

Todd Hummel's Daily Item story, dated Oct. 6, covers the Friday night game at Harold L. Bolig Memorial Field. Selinsgrove beat Mifflinburg 35-0 under the mercy rule. Hummel had the Seals at 4-2 and 4-1 in the CSC-I, and Mifflinburg at 4-2 and 1-1. It stayed close for most of the first half, then Selinsgrove scored four touchdowns in the final 5:02, three of them in the last 1:14. Mifflinburg finished with 76 yards. The opening kickoff was a squib, and the Seals started at their 44. Sophomore fullback Bryant Troutman scored from the 5, and it was 7-0 with 8:43 left in the first. Eric Deckard ran a 26-yard fake punt on fourth-and-four from the 50. He was 8 of 13 for 92 yards and added 41 rushing yards and a touchdown. After five punts, the Seals drove 70 yards in nine plays, and sophomore Cameron Benner scored from 21 with 5:02 left in the half. Benner had 103 yards on 10 carries, all of them in the first half. The defense pushed Mifflinburg back 16 yards to the 4. The punt went 19 yards, and Selinsgrove started at the 23. Seth Lauver scored from a yard with 1:14 left, and it was 21-0. Mike Ritter tipped a pass, caught it, and returned it 30 yards. Teighler Doak intercepted at the Mifflinburg 24 with 23 seconds left. Two Selinsgrove touchdowns were called back, and Deckard scored from the 3 with one second left in the half.

Todd Stanford's Daily Item story, dated Oct. 20, covers the Friday night game at Wildcat Stadium in the rain and mud. Montoursville beat Mifflinburg 28-0. Stanford had Mifflinburg at 5-3 and 2-2 in the CSC-I, and Montoursville at 7-1 and 4-0. Mike Steele ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns, from 17 and from 52 before the half. The 52 came the play after Zach Kreamer intercepted Cory Dorman, with the ball at the Warriors' 48, and it was 14-0 with 1:55 left in the half. In the second half Josh Cillo finished a four-play, 70-yard drive with an 18-yard run. The long play was Chad Jacobson's 50-yard pass to Cillo. The next punt snap sailed over Alex Shambach's head, and he fell on it at his 12. A penalty wiped out a Steele touchdown. Jacobson scrambled 13 yards on third-and-13 from the 15, and Steele scored. Mifflinburg had 149 yards and three turnovers and never got inside Montoursville's 30. Jacobson completed two passes, 50 yards to Cillo and 42 to Keenan Michael. Dorman was 7 of 14 for 57 yards. Chris Porter had 63 rushing yards.

Stanford's story dated Nov. 3 covers the Friday night game at Wildcat Stadium. Mifflinburg beat Jersey Shore 27-26. He had the Wildcats at 7-3 and 4-2 in the CSC-I, and Jersey Shore at 5-5 and 3-3. The lead changed seven times. Sophomore defensive end Kaleb Snyder knocked down quarterback Derek Smith's fourth-down pass with 35 seconds left. With 2:26 left, Travis Moyer caught a 72-yard touchdown from Cory Dorman, who was 6 of 12 for 227 yards and three touchdowns. It was Moyer's only catch. The two-point pass failed. Smith was 15 of 28 for 206 yards and drove to the Mifflinburg 38. Joe Loffredo dropped him for a 4-yard loss, Smith gained 7, and third down gained nothing. On fourth down, with 40 seconds left, Smith rolled right and Snyder knocked the pass down. Earlier Snyder had stripped Smith on the goal line. The officials ruled that play dead, and Loffredo scored from the 1 on the next snap, his second touchdown. Loffredo finished with 51 rushing yards, and Jaron Smithgall had 144. After the teams traded punts, Mifflinburg started at its 25 with 3:10 left. Dorman ran for 3 yards, then threw the score to Moyer. He also hit Mark Musser for touchdowns of 83 and 25 yards. Musser had five catches for 155. Fullback Chad Wolfgang scored from 20 up the middle for a 14-13 lead in the third. Smith hit Jake Cox for 70, and Shore led 20-14. Shore missed its first extra point after taking a 6-0 lead in the first quarter and made the rest. Eli Skinner slipped on a 41-yard field-goal try in the second quarter. After Loffredo's touchdown made it 26-21, Shore went for two. Smith bobbled the snap and fumbled while rolling out, and a teammate recovered.

Harold Raker's Daily Item story, dated Nov. 10, covers the Friday night District 4 Class AA quarterfinal at Alumni Stadium in the rain. Athens beat Mifflinburg 40-12. Raker had Mifflinburg at 7-4 and Athens at 8-3. Mifflinburg forced a three-and-out, then drove 81 yards in nine plays. Cory Dorman ran for 17 on the first play, behind center James Brobst, and hit Travis Moyer for 16. The kick was blocked, and it was 6-0 with 6:20 left in the first. Athens then scored 27 unanswered, starting with Shane Raupers's 35-yard punt return. Raupers, a junior, also kicked field goals of 44 and 42 yards, missed from 45, threw a 12-yard touchdown to Eric Wells, and returned the kickoff after Mifflinburg's second score 85 yards. He broke up two throws to Mark Musser in one series with Athens ahead 20-6 in the third. Dorman rushed for 103 yards. His 36-yard touchdown to Moyer made it 27-12 with 11:52 left. He also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. A holding penalty ended a drive at the Athens 36, and he overthrew Moyer when Moyer was open.