On Friday evening, J.P. McCaskey returned to its newly renovated home football stadium, Lancaster General Health Penn Medicine Stadium at the Barney Ewell Sports Complex, for the first time in nearly two years. Head Coach Todd Mealy earned his first win as head coach of J.P. McCaskey, marking a milestone in his tenure leading the Red Tornado. Prior to this game, Mealy’s record as head coach of the Red Tornado was 0-15. When asked what he’d like to see from his players in their stadium debut, he commented that “I’m hoping that, you know, the kids can show this week and the rest of the season with improved focus and improved maturity and discipline.”
For Mealy, playing at home meant more than just being back on their home turf. “Because when one’s invested in their school, they try harder. They invest more time, they make more sacrifices,” Mealy explained. Nonetheless, they faced a rival in the Reading Red Knights, defeating them 39-14.
McCaskey forced a punt on Reading’s opening drive before sophomore Robert Anderson caught a 3-yard touchdown pass on McCaskey’s first possession. Penalties stalled drives for both teams, but affected Reading more. Late in the first quarter, Reading recovered a muffed punt by McCaskey sophomore Wesley Ray.
Reading threatened to score after the muffed punt, but McCaskey stopped the Red Knights on fourth down at the 1-yard line. The goal-line stand stopped Reading’s scoring opportunity, but both teams struggled to score again before halftime. However, with six minutes left, McCaskey recovered a Reading fumble. This enabled the Red Tornado to enter in the end zone once more, soon connecting with sophomore Robert Anderson again to extend their lead to 14-0 at halftime.
After halftime, a poor kickoff by Reading gave McCaskey possession at the 40-yard line. McCaskey capitalized when sophomore quarterback Marlon Valentin connected with upperclassman Haneef Porter for Valentin’s third touchdown pass of the evening. The Red Knights ran hard the following drive to attempt to fight back with a 3-yd rushing score to cut it to 20-8. Continued disciplinary penalties occurred for both teams, though the infractions proved to be more detrimental towards a Reading team playing from behind. Jahsier Reeves ran in for a goal-line touchdown with under 2 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter to make this one 26-8 to open the 4th quarter.
Reading later cut into McCaskey’s lead with a 20-yard touchdown run by Jahleer Nunn, but Jahsier Reeves answered with another rushing touchdown. Haneef Porter sealed the win with a pick-six to end this one at 39-14. With under two minutes remaining, the game ended due to forfeit. The 39-14 victory gave McCaskey its first win of the season and snapped a 22-game losing streak. For the players, returning home brought positivity in the locker room and on the field. Sophomore Shamier Payne described the feeling, “I feel it makes us more energized and happy to go on the field.” As a captain, Jahsier Reeves has been asked to lead the team and have a voice. He commented that “We played hard today, played as a team more, but we got it done and I’m feeling really great.” Jahsier feels he and his team can carry this momentum throughout the rest of the season.
