Last week, Pitt-commit quarterback Julian Dugger led the way for Penn Hills in its win over Seneca Valley, posting 140 passing yards in a 32-20 hard-fought victory over the Raiders. But this week, Penn Hills found another star to rely on in athlete Cameron Thomas.
Thomas showed off his versatility this week in a 27-0 win over Norwin. The 5’10, 180-pound senior made plays on both offense and defense, including a fumble recovery and several key catches for the Indians.
But Thomas’ most crucial play came on special teams. Right after halftime, with Norwin threatening to score, Thomas came in clutch, blocking a field goal to keep the Knights off the scoreboard.
“Just go out for my brothers,” Thomas said about his field goal block. “I read that there was a zero on that scoreboard. So I just said I’m going to try and block them.”
Still, despite the impressive personal performance, Thomas remained focused on his team. Penn Hills accumulated over 20 penalties in the game, which cost the Indians several scoring opportunities. Thomas said he wants his team to improve on this moving forward.
“I feel as though we could have done better with penalties and stuff like that, just being more sound,” Thomas said. “But at the end of the day, it’s a W on the chart. So, we just keep moving, to next week.”
Of course, Thomas got a little help from his star quarterback Dugger. The pair connected on several passes to lift the Indians over the Knights. But Dugger really impressed with his legs. The Pitt-commit ripped off several massive runs, including a long-rushing touchdown in the waning moments of the game.
“It was good,” Dugger said about his rushing performance. “[Norwin] was running man, so they had nobody spotting. So they were leaving me free, I was taking what I could get.”
Penn Hills will take on Pine Richland next week in a Class 5A brawl. The Indians will need to clean up the penalties if they hope to get the win over the Rams. Nonetheless, look out for the duo of Dugger and Thomas leading the Indians.
