BY: Kyle Moylan Sports Editor
The Allentown High School football team’s win against Ewing two weeks ago was a big leap forward for the program.
This past Saturday, the team took a step back.
“Big time,” noted Allentown Coach Pat Dowling of the backward movement.
Allentown lost at Pennington, 34-7.
The strange thing was Allentown ran more plays and the game finished in almost a statistical standoff. Pennington ran for 195 yards and passed for 83 more. Allentown ran for 164 yards and passed for an additional 102. That’s a difference of only 12 total yards.
Unfortunately, Allentown had 35 yards of penalties (none for Pennington) and turned the ball over four times.
“We kind of shot ourselves in the foot,” Dowling said.
On the opening drive, this seemed like a game headed for a much different result. Allentown was coming off a 35-13 win that ended a 31-game losing streak. It seemed to be carrying over that momentum.
Allentown held the ball for 11 plays and over half the first quarter. It got as far as the Pennington 34 before being pushed back and forced to punt.
On its second possession, Allentown turned the ball over on downs at the Pennington 39.
Pennington scored on both of its ensuing drives.
“In the first half we took up a lot of the clock and had some chances to score,” Dowling noted.
As it was, Allentown’s lone score came on a 5-yard run by Brian MacNiven with 34 seconds left in the game. MacNiven finished the game with 98 yards on 21 carries. John Millet added 47 yards on five carries. Millet also caught two passes for 27 yards.
“I was proud of our guys for getting that last score, but you know how it goes,” Dowling said.
A touchdown in the first quarter might have meant an entirely different game.
Allentown, now 1-3, will be hoping to get that early score when it hosts West Windsor North Friday night at 7 p.m.
“Teams coming in don’t want to be our number two victim,” Dowling said. “Teams are now going to play against us with more urgency than they did in the past. Our kids better be ready for a battle.”
NEHS
After a bye this past week, New Egypt will be back in action when it hosts Woodrow Wilson Friday night at 7 p.m.
New Egypt will take a 3-0 record into the game. This is an especially difficult part of the schedule for New Egypt. Following Woodrow Wilson, New Egypt will play Florence. Woodrow Wilson defeated Florence in overtime, 21-14, this past Saturday.

