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Cedar Crest Pulls Away from CD East for Statement Opening Win
Cedar Crest entered Friday night looking to build on last season’s postseason appearance and take another step forward in 2026. After finishing 5-6 and qualifying for the District 3 Class 6A playoffs a year ago, the Falcons opened the new campaign on the road against Central Dauphin East and quickly showed that they have plenty of firepower on both sides of the football.
The Falcons received the opening kickoff and wasted little time striking. Steven Reyes connected with Terrance Wilson for a touchdown to give Cedar Crest an early 7-0 advantage. Wilson made his only reception of the night count, turning it into a 50-yard touchdown as part of a passing attack that would eventually produce 238 yards.
Wilson scored the Falcons’ first TD of the season
Cedar Crest’s defense immediately went to work as well. Skyler Sherman intercepted a pass to create another opportunity for the Falcons. Cedar Crest threatened after a fourth-down completion to Mason Cevette and a big gain from Antonio Tirado, but CD East came up with an interception to end the drive.
Tirado looks for more yardage
That would become an early theme. Even when the Falcons gave the Panthers opportunities, Cedar Crest’s defense repeatedly answered.
“I think the defense was really strong, and after every quick switch we were able to hold them and put our offense in a better position to score,” Sherman said.
After the defense forced another punt, Isaiah Zimmerman found the end zone to extend Cedar Crest’s advantage to 14-0. The Army commit would ultimately become the centerpiece of the Falcons’ offensive attack, carrying 25 times for 110 yards and four touchdowns.
Zimmerman cuts back to the hole
CD East, however, refused to go away quietly. A 50-yard pass on a fake punt helped set up a touchdown run that cut Cedar Crest’s advantage to 14-6. The Panthers later connected on a deep touchdown pass to make it 14-12, suddenly turning what had looked like a potential runaway into a two-point game.
The Panthers created another opportunity when Tristan Sok intercepted a pass, but once again Cedar Crest’s defense prevented the turnover from becoming points and forced a punt. Zimmerman then answered on the other side of the football, scoring his second touchdown to restore some breathing room at 21-12.
From there, Cedar Crest began taking control.
Tirado, who contributed on both sides of the football, intercepted a CD East pass before the end of the half. Offensively, the senior caught three passes for 51 yards, making him one of four Falcons to finish with at least 40 receiving yards. Jackson Smith led Cedar Crest with 53 receiving yards, while Wilson had 50 and Kai Speaks added 41.
The Falcons squeezed three more points out of the first half when Gabe Kaighn connected on a field goal with just two seconds remaining, sending Cedar Crest into the locker room with a 24-12 advantage. Kaighn also went a perfect 6-for-6 on extra points.
The second half belonged entirely to Cedar Crest.
Zimmerman scored his third touchdown during the third quarter to push the advantage to 31-12, and the Falcons’ defense continued to swarm the Panthers. Cedar Crest finished the game with 10 tackles for loss and 14 quarterback hurries, consistently disrupting CD East before plays had a chance to develop.
CJ Hallman hits the QB as the Crest defense swarms
Garrett Starry was at the center of that effort, leading the Falcons with nine tackles, including four tackles for loss and a sack. Jackson Chernich added five tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and three quarterback hurries, while Kasen Dudek recorded six tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry.
Damyen Derr also helped Cedar Crest maintain control with four tackles and three quarterback hurries as part of a defense that kept CD East off the scoreboard for the entire second half.
Smith felt the Falcons’ ability to execute their plan — particularly defensively — was one of the biggest reasons they were able to turn a competitive first half into a convincing victory.
“We did a good job executing our game plan,” Smith said. “Our defense played very well, and our offense got stuff going in the second half.”
That offense certainly did.
Zimmerman eventually reached the end zone for a fourth time, stretching Cedar Crest’s lead to 38-12 and completing a huge opening-night performance. With Zimmerman carrying the load on the ground, the Falcons accumulated 159 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
Reyes complemented the running game with an aggressive night through the air. The quarterback completed 11 of 20 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown, helping Cedar Crest consistently generate explosive plays despite throwing a pair of interceptions.
The Falcons added one final score after Smith hauled in a deep completion to put Cedar Crest in scoring position. Reyes finished the possession himself with a rushing touchdown, completing a stretch of 31 unanswered Cedar Crest points and producing the final 45-12 margin.
Reyes focused pre-game
By the end of the night, Cedar Crest had accumulated 397 yards of total offense — 238 through the air and 159 on the ground — while scoring six offensive touchdowns. Zimmerman supplied four of them on the ground, Reyes accounted for one rushing and one passing score, and Wilson hauled in the touchdown pass.
Perhaps more significant than the 33-point final margin was how Cedar Crest responded when things became uncomfortable. CD East had battled back from a 14-point deficit to make it 14-12 and twice intercepted the Falcons, but Cedar Crest never surrendered the lead. Instead, the Falcons scored the game’s final 31 points while their defense pitched a second-half shutout.
Now 1-0, Cedar Crest will quickly turn its attention toward one of the most anticipated games on its schedule. The Falcons return home Thursday night to host Lebanon in the Cedar Bowl.
For Sherman, the formula for building on the opening victory is straightforward.
“Everyone needs to just keep doing their jobs and show up every day at practice ready to get better,” Sherman said.
Smith echoed that approach as the Falcons prepare for their rivalry matchup.
“We need to stay focused on our goals, going one game at a time and getting better every day at practice,” Smith said.
Cedar Crest 45, CD East 12
Cedar Crest Stats
Passing
- Steven Reyes: 11/20, 225 Yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
- Ben Danz: 1/1, 13 Yds
- Team: 12/21, 238 Yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing
- Isaiah Zimmerman: 25 Att, 110 Yds, 4 TD
- Eddiel Nunez: 5 Att, 26 Yds
- Ben Danz: 4 Att, 16 Yds
- Steven Reyes: 5 Att, 11 Yds, 1 TD, 1 Fumble
- Cayden Cruz: 1 Att, -4 Yds
- Team: 40 Att, 159 Yds, 5 TD
Receiving
- Jackson Smith: 2 Rec, 53 Yds
- Antonio Tirado: 3 Rec, 51 Yds
- Terrance Wilson: 1 Rec, 50 Yds, 1 TD
- Kai Speaks: 3 Rec, 41 Yds
- CJ Hallman: 1 Rec, 17 Yds
- Mason Cevette: 1 Rec, 13 Yds
- Cayden Cruz: 1 Rec, 13 Yds
- Team: 12 Rec, 238 Yds, 1 TD
Defensive Stats
- Garrett Starry: 4 Solo, 5 Assist, 9 Total, 4 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 QB Hurry
- Eli Beard: 4 Solo, 3 Assist, 7 Total
- Kasen Dudek: 6 Assist, 6 Total, 1 TFL, 1 QB Hurry
- Jackson Chernich: 1 Solo, 4 Assist, 5 Total, 2 TFL, 1 Sack, 3 QB Hurries
- Damyen Derr: 4 Assist, 4 Total, 3 QB Hurries, 1 INT
- Calvin Dash: 2 Solo, 1 Assist, 3 Total, 1 TFL
- Jordan Pfaff: 3 Assist, 3 Total, 1 TFL
- Antonio Tirado: 1 Solo, 1 Assist, 2 Total, 1 INT
- CJ Hallman: 2 Assist, 2 Total, 3 QB Hurries
- Skyler Sherman: 2 Assist, 2 Total, 1 INT
- Ben Garland: 1 Solo, 1 Assist, 2 Total
- Mason Cevette: 2 Assist, 2 Total, 1 QB Hurry
- Isaiah Zimmerman: 1 Assist
- Kai Speaks: 1 Assist
- Max Funderburk: 1 Assist
- John Sherk: 1 Solo
- Brandon Grose: 1 Assist
- Hayden Moore: 1 Assist, 1 QB Hurry
- Cole Shanaman: 1 Assist, 1 TFL
- Griffin Schomp: 1 Assist
- Axel Roman: 1 QB Hurry
Turnovers
- Damyen Derr: 1 INT
- Antonio Tirado: 1 INT
- Skyler Sherman: 1 INT
Scoring
- Isaiah Zimmerman: 4 Rushing TD
- Steven Reyes: 1 Rushing TD, 1 Passing TD
- Terrance Wilson: 1 Receiving TD
- Gabe Kaighn: 6/6 PAT, 1/2 FG
Kicking
- Gabe Kaighn: 6/6 PAT, 1/2 FG
Team Offense
- 397 Total Yds
- 238 Passing Yds
- 159 Rushing Yds
- 6 Offensive TD
Team Defense
- 10 TFL
- 2 Sacks
- 14 QB Hurries
- 3 INT
Cedar Crest Falcon Football – 2026 Season Outlook
For more Week 1 Coverage, check out: LebCo High School Football: Week 1 Results
2026 LebCo Football Team-by-Team Season Outlooks
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