Football: Trojans Defeat Cougars in Cross-Town Rivalry Game (Member’s Edition)

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 3 battle.

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Week 3 was lined up for a huge game between two cross-town rivals, but the game didn’t exactly live up to the hype. On Friday, September 5, the Hershey Trojans hosted the Palmyra Cougars in a highly anticipated matchup between two 1-1 teams looking to bounce back from Week 2 losses.

The environment was electric, with both teams’ fans and student sections arriving early, and you could feel the energy in pregame. The Trojans won the toss and deferred to the second half, so Palmyra started the game on offense. Hershey kicked off, and we were off and running in Week 3. The Cougars started with great field position, facing 1st and 10 near midfield. They came into this game with a clear strategy—get the run game going early—and that’s exactly what they did. They fed senior running back Travis McDannell five straight times to start, gaining chunk play after chunk play and picking up three first downs. After a costly holding call, the Cougars found themselves in 3rd and long just outside the red zone. After a small pickup on 3rd down, the Cougars kept the offense out there on 4th down but came up short. You could feel the momentum swing the Trojans’ way, and they never looked back. They put together a long drive capped off with a rushing touchdown from senior wide receiver Grant Later. At the end of the first quarter: Hershey 7, Palmyra 0.

Palmyra didn’t let the score diminish their energy, as they still felt confident and in the game. The offense trotted back out for their second drive. After a couple of short runs, it was another 3rd and long attempt for the Cougars. Junior quarterback Roman Russek dropped back, and after his receiver lost his footing, senior cornerback Cameron Sweeney jumped the route and took the interception all the way to the end zone: 14-0 Trojans. The Cougars’ offense then stalled, struggling to get anything going the rest of the half. After a Palmyra punt, the Trojans had the ball with just over a minute left. After a huge pass play, the exhausted Cougar defense had their heels on the goal line, trying to keep it a two-possession game going into half. But after a couple of power runs, Hershey found the end zone again. Halftime score: Hershey 21, Palmyra 0.

The second half was very similar to the second quarter, with the Cougar offense unable to get into a rhythm and the Trojans looking unstoppable. After a dominant 3rd quarter, Hershey led 41-0. The Cougars’ first drive of the 4th quarter looked promising, moving the ball well and moving the chains—until disaster struck yet again. A tipped ball found its way into a Trojan safety’s hands, and he returned it 80 yards to the house. That capped off a brutal night for Palmyra, one they will try to learn from but quickly forget. Final score: Hershey 48, Palmyra 0.

Palmyra came into Week 3 confident and believing this was where they would turn their season around, and there was no better time to start than with a statement win against their rival. While the outcome isn’t what they wanted, the team might use this loss as a wake-up call. With seven weeks left in the season, there is still plenty of time for Palmyra to get back on track and be as successful as they know they are capable of.

The Cougars are back in action in Week 4 against Shippensburg at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 12, at Lebanon Valley College.

Hershey 48, Palmyra 0

Palmyra Stats

Passing: Roman Russek – 4/8, 18 yds, 1 INT; Jaxin Robinson – 4/8, 23 yds, 1 INT

Rushing: Travis McDannell – 11 carries, 46 yds (long 12); Roman Russek – 11 carries, 21 yds (long 17); Cadin Smith – 3 carries, 10 yds (long 4); Aaron Villafane – 5 carries, 3 yds (long 7); Jaxin Robinson – 1 carry, -8 yds

Receiving: Anthony Pinko – 2 receptions, 23 yds; Braxtin Risser – 2 receptions, 9 yds; Peter DiGuardia – 1 reception, 6 yds; Riley Litzenberger – 2 receptions, 4 yds (long 3); Talon Speck – 1 reception, -1 yd

For more Week 3 Coverage, check out: LebCo High School Football: Week 3 Results

2025 LebCo Football Team-by-Team Season Outlooks