Ty Maluchnik finished with more than 200 yards on the ground for the Cougars — most of them in the second half.
“I’m real proud of the effort from our guys,” Landis said.
KICKSTART: The Cougars went scoreless in the first half of their first two games, but had no such trouble Friday.
Carter Weible started things off for North Star with a kick return to midfield. They gained additional yardage on the tackle, when the last man back pulled Weible’s facemask to make the stop.
A deep pass from Connor Yoder to Weible set the Cougars up at Meyersdale’s four, which set up a short touchdown run from Maluchnik to give North Star a lead just minutes into the game.
On North Star’s third possession, Yoder connected with Ethan Yoder on quick 1-yard passing touchdown midway through the second quarter.
GOOD BOOT: Meyersdale head coach Ryan Donaldson didn’t hesitate to turn to his special teams.
On a drive set up by a long pass from quarterback Briar Sheets to Daulton Sellers — who beat a defender down the sideline — the Red Raiders faced a fourth-and-8 from the opposing 13. Trailing just 7-0 at the time, Donaldson opted to kick, and Brennan Campbell didn’t disappoint.
The senior kicker drilled a perfect 30-yard field goal to put the Red Raiders on the board late in the first quarter, as they trailed 14-3.
WEIBLE WOWS: After providing early energy to the team, Weible continued to make big contributions. The 5-foot-8, 140-pound junior caught a 40-yard pass from Connor Yoder late in the half. He was brought down at Meyersdale’s 15. Weible soon after caught a quick slant from his quarterback. An option pitch from Connor Yoder to Maluchnik led to the successful 2-point conversion, giving the Cougars a 21-3 lead with just 49 seconds left in the half. That score would remain as the teams entered intermission. Landis said he’s liked what he’s seen of Weible from the slot position. “Tonight we were able to turn him loose a couple of times,” he added. SEALING THE DEAL: North Star’s defensive performance was also stellar for most of the game. Sheets found some rhythm for Meyersdale to begin the second half, connecting for several completions and driving into North Star territory. The drive, however, ended on the Cougars’ 20 when his scramble on fourth-and-8 fell well short of the chains. The Red Raiders soon after scored off a pick-six that came on an underthrown deep ball. Sellers took it in, cutting the North Star lead to 21-0 late in the third. Maluchnik helped seal the win. Facing a third-and-long, the running back took an option pitch from Connor Yoder. He cut back, found a seam in the middle and pulled off an explosive 67-yard touchdown run with 9:30 remaining. A blitzing Bryce Shroyer blindsided Sheets on the following Meyersdale possession, forcing a fumble that was recovered by North Star defensive lineman Alec Hoffman. Maluchnik added his third touchdown of the night from 35 yards away with 4:39 to play. Sellers punched in a short rushing score for Meyersdale to conclude all scoring late in the game. Landis said he was pleased with the improvement from his team and the execution of the defensive gameplan. His team had given up a combined 104 points in the first two games. “We worked all week on edge defense,” he said. “Our edge guys did a great job. (Early struggles are) just the learning curve of a young defense.” UP NEXT: Both teams will face tough tests next week against unbeaten opponents. Meyersdale hosts Windber (3-0) next week, while North Star travels to Berlin (3-0).