Written by Tommy Steelman
Steelman is a senior at Palmyra & a member of the Cougars Football team. In this article, he lends his insight to provide a recap of the Week 1 clash.
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On Friday, August 22, the first Friday of the 2025 football season, the Palmyra Cougars faced off against the Lebanon Cedars at Northern Lebanon High School. While both teams were looking to start the season strong, the first half was a defensive battle, with both defenses forcing turnovers and making big stops. After a 4th-down stand and a deep ball to senior receiver Braxtin Risser, the Cougars found themselves in the red zone late in the first half. Palmyra’s offense sputtered, leading to a missed field goal, and Lebanon regained possession before halftime.
The teams headed into the locker room still scoreless, with the Cedars holding momentum and starting with the ball to begin the second half. After a nice return from senior Malachi Briddell, Lebanon’s offense started near midfield. After two big plays, the Cedars had 1st-and-10 just outside the red zone, until the Cougars defense stepped up again. On a deep shot to the end zone, sophomore cornerback Sid Harrison went up and came down with a huge interception, swinging momentum to Palmyra.
The Cougars started their drive on the ground, feeding senior running back Travis McDannell. They marched down the field, gashing the exhausted Cedars defense on an 80-yard drive, capped by a 14-yard touchdown run by McDannell. After a Cedars penalty on the extra point, the Cougars went for two, giving McDannell the ball again, and he powered in for the conversion. The Cougars kept rolling, forcing Lebanon into a 4th-and-long on the next possession. A fumbled snap was recovered in the end zone by sophomore linebacker Anthony Pinko for six more points.
With the Cedars trailing by two possessions, a sense of urgency set in. They leaned on the run game, picking up three first downs and moving into opposing territory. After three stalled plays, the offense stayed on the field for 4th down, but the increasingly dominant Palmyra defense shut them down, returning possession to the Cougars. Palmyra put together a strong drive, gaining multiple first downs on the ground and through the air. On first down, looking for the knockout punch, junior quarterback Roman Russek dropped back and connected with senior wide receiver Talon Speck, who made an amazing catch in the end zone.
Lebanon regained possession, trying to find a groove offensively. After attempting to beat the Cougars defense deep, freshman safety Mason Kyper read the play perfectly, intercepting his second pass of the game, though he fumbled on the return. Lebanon started their next drive backed up deep in their own territory and could not get moving. Another special teams miscue resulted in a safety, stretching the Cougs’ lead to 24-0. On the following kickoff, junior returner Alex Csongradi took it all the way for another special teams touchdown, capping an impressive second-half performance for Palmyra.
After a slow first half, Palmyra blew the game open, securing a convincing 30-0 win. The Cougars hope to build on this victory and carry momentum into Week 2. Senior captain Nate Holt says, “To keep the momentum going, I feel like as a team we need to stay humble and just keep up the good things we did and also perfect the things that we didn’t do so well.” The Palmyra defense was outstanding, shutting out the Cedars and forcing four turnovers. Senior defensive lineman Tyler Comarnitsky adds, “We need to keep up the aggression and keep putting pressure on the quarterback.”
The Cougars will take on Mechanicsburg in Week 2, looking to start conference play strong.
Palmyra 30, Lebanon 0
Palmyra Stats
Passing: Roman Russek – 4/9, 84 yds, TD, INT (long 41)
Rushing: Travis McDannell – 20 carries, 132 yds, TD (long 17); J. Robinson – 1 carry, 15 yds (long 15); Braxtin Risser – 1 carry, 6 yds (long 6); Roman Russek – 4 carries, 0 yds (long 13); Aaron Villafane – 2 carries, 0 yds (long 1)
Receiving: Braxtin Risser – 1 reception, 41 yds; Talon Speck – 2 receptions, 32 yds, TD; Brayden Hoover – 1 reception, 11 yds
Defensive Leaders: Nate Holt – 5 tackles, 3 assists, 1 sack, 4 TFL; Jake Schelhorn – 4 tackles, 2 assists, 1 TFL; Aaron Villafane – 3 tackles, 1 assist; Talon Speck – 2 tackles, 1 assist; Braeden Basehore – 2 tackles, 2 assists, 1 sack, 1 TFL; Cadin Smith – 2 tackles, 2 assists; Tyler Comarnitsky – 2 tackles, 1 assist, 1 TFL; Garrison John – 2 tackles, 1 assist, 1 TFL; Travis McDannell – 1 tackle, 1 sack, 1 TFL; Greg Stoak – 1 tackle, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 TFL; Justus Maina – 1 tackle, 2 assists, 1 TFL; Anthony Pinko – 1 tackle, 1 assist, 1 TFL; Chris Kleinfelter – 1 tackle, 2 TFL; Kyler Sparks – 1 tackle, 1 sack, 1 TFL; Adam McKelvey – 1 tackle; Noah Krupko – 1 tackle, 1 sack, 1 TFL; Jackson Smith – 2 assists, 1 sack, 1 TFL; Jackson Kipp – 1 assist; Riley Litzenberger – 1 assist; Camden Cope – 1 tackle; Sid Harrison – 1 INT; Mason Kyper – 2 INT (32 yds), 2 FF, 2 FR
For more Week 1 Coverage, check out: LebCo High School Football: Week 1 Results
2025 LebCo Football Team-by-Team Season Outlooks
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