By Christian Eby

For the Mirror

CARLISLE — With a District 3 Class 6A playoff berth hanging in the balance for Carlisle, the Herd proved they’re craving the postseason bid as they ran all over visiting Altoona, 56-20, in Friday night’s Mid-Penn Commonwealth clash at Ken Millen Stadium.

Carlisle used the one-two punch of flex options Jeremiah Hargrove and Ezeekai Thomas to combine for four scores and run for a joint 212 yards. Hargrove struck pay dirt on runs of 53, 27 and 6 yards.

Alex Yost was the lone bright spot for the Mountain Lions as he completed a touchdown trifecta of his own on a 24-yard screen pass and added bulldozing runs of 16 and 2 yards.

Play of the game: Off an Aidan Steinbugl opening-possession fumble, Hargrove found the promised land two plays later on a 27-yard dash, which ultimately swung the pendulum in Carlisle’s favor straight out of the gate and hushed any form of Altoona momentum.

Player of the game: Hargrove proved to be a nagging headache for the Lions in a multitude of facets. He kicked up grass for 136 stripes across eight carries in addition to breaking up a pair of passes from his cornerback position. He nearly returned a punt return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Unsung hero: With Ethan Stroup continuing to nurse an injury, Yost maximized the extra bulk of snaps for a second straight week, rushing for 112 yards on 21 carries. He added 35 yards on three catches in the receiving department to complement his trio of scores.

Most vital statistic: Altoona had trouble holding onto the rock Friday night as it fumbled three times. Each fumble translated to a Carlisle score, including a 26-yard scoop-and-score by Eli Hargrove in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

Carlisle coach Brett Ickes: “I’m proud of the kids. You know, we came here and we preached all week what we have to do and what we got to do to win the game and, offensively, I couldn’t be more prouder of the kids.”

Altoona coach Vince Nedimyer Jr.: “Carlisle came out of the gate great, with a great game plan, and they shoved it down our throats there in the first two quarters of the game. …We just couldn’t stop them, and, offensively, you know, we gave them the ball a couple times and that never helps, so we kind of added to it.”

Hargrove: “We practiced hard a lot. Coach pushed us through it because knowing this is a big game, especially for us, and especially for the seniors, it meant the most to them, so I wanted to come out here and contribute to the team in any way possible.”

Records: Altoona (4-5); Carlisle (6-3).

Next week: Altoona visits State College while Carlisle travels to Central Dauphin East

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Altoona 0 7 7 6 — 20

Carlisle 14 14 7 21 — 56

First Quarter

C–J. Hargrove 27 run (Dirk Godjin kick), 10:40.

C–J. Hargrove 53 run (Godjin kick), 4:07.

Second Quarter

A–Yost 24 pass from Steinbugl (Ian Palilla kick), 10:33.

C–L. Shank 1 run (Godjin kick), 8;41.

C–Thomas 1 run (Godjin kick), 2:06.

Third Quarter

C–Shank 3 run (Godjin kick), 9:26.

A–Yost 2 run (Palilla kick), 3:53.

Fourth Quarter

C–J. Hargrove 6 run (Godjin kick) 11:56.

A–Yost 16 run (kick no good), 5:11.

C–M. Miller 43 run (Godjin kick), 4;42.

C–E. Hargrove 26 fumble return (Godjin kick), 3:43.

TEAM STATISTICS A CV

First downs 19 13

Total yards 320 328

Rushes-yards 49-202 32-303

Yards passing 118 25

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 10-16-0 1-2-0

Punts-avg. 3-27.6 1-46

Fumbles-lost 3-3 0-0

Penalties-yards 5-50 3-20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Altoona, Yost 21-112, Steinbugl 17-57, Hardison 3-21, Dokes 4-12, Friewald 1-3, Jackson-Shephard 2-(minus 1), Clark 1-(minus 2). Carlisle, J. Hargrove 8-136, Thomas 7-76, E. Hargrove 4-38, Trolinger 1-21, Morrell 8-18, Fraker 1-10, Shank 2-4, Dodson 1-0.

PASSING–Altoona, Steinbugl 10-16-1-118. Carlisle, Shank 1-2-0-25.

RECEIVING–Altoona, Dokes 5-52, Yost 3-35, Hardison 1-16, Hileman 1-12. Carlisle, Barclay 1-25.