Imhotep Charter football falls, 28-14, to Pine-Richland in the PIAA 5A championship
After the two teams were tied a touchdown apiece at the half, Pine-Richland took over a 14-point lead in the third quarter to take home the state title.
Pine-Richland scored 21 unanswered second-half points for a 28-14 win over Imhotep Charter in the PIAA 5A state title game at Cumberland Valley High School on Friday.
Imhotep (10-3) scored first after sophomore running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman, who’s committed to play college football at Georgia, ran for a 35-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
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Pine-Richland tied the game in the second quarter, 7-7, when Ryan Palmieri capped a nine-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.
The Rams (13-3) failed to take the lead with seven seconds left in the first half when they missed a field goal on the 20-yard line.
In the third quarter, Palmieri took over with a 24-yard pick-six and a 1-yard rushing touchdown to give the Rams a 21-7 advantage. Pine-Richland extended its lead to 28-7 on Palmieri’s 33-yard touchdown pass to Luke Rudolph in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers found the end zone one last time in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.