Week 10 highlights: Falcons win the Cedar Bowl for 10th straight year

Cedar Crest picked up its 10th straight Cedar Bowl victory despite a rocky first quarter Friday, dominating Lebanon in each phase of the game to win, 47-0.

Sophomore quarterback Jackson Custer led the charge for Cedar Crest (5-5, 2-4 in L-L Section One) scoring three rushing touchdowns and passing for another. Lebanon ended the season winless at 0-10, 0-6 in L-L Section Two.

The Falcons now lead the series 34-15-1 in the 50th game in the series that started in 1972. Friday was also the 100th meeting between the two programs.

"It's awesome, it's what you always dream of: coming in against Lebanon as a Falcon," Custer said of playing in the Cedar Bowl. "You've got everyone back in the stands, and I did it for those seniors. Half of our starters have dealt with injuries, and it was sad to see them standing on the sideline. I did it for them."

The Falcons scored three times in a span of 2:07  in the second quarter on a Custer 1-yard sneak, a 58-yard pitch and catch from Custer to Aiden Schomp and a Zion Rolon pick-6. Cedar Crest held that lead until the half.

"We just started making smarter decisions with the ball," Custer said of the change in momentum. "We just eliminated our big mistakes and blew it open."

On just the second play of the third quarter, Owen Chernich picked off a pass and returned it 56 yards for the Falcons second pick-6 of the game, and the rout was on.

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"Getting points on the board changes everything," said Cedar Crest head coach Rob Wildasin. "We kinda just found some cracks and made some plays, and that's when things changed."

Custer added a pair of scores on keepers, a 43-yard designed sweep and a 40-yarder in which he cut through traffic and made several defenders miss to make it 40-0 after three quarters.

"He (Custer) made some plays," Wildasin said of his sophomore quarterback. "He's got it in him, and I'm looking forward to seeing him progress in the next couple of years."

Leo Tirado added a fourth-quarter score on a 16-yard touchdown run to close out the scoring.

The Cedar Crest defense got in on the action, too, sacking Cedars quarterback Brandyn Castro seven times in the second half and intercepting three passes.

Lebanon's best offensive drive came on its first offensive drive after forcing a Falcons fumble on their own 15-yard line as they moved the ball all the way inside the 10-yard line before an interception ended the drive. They were never able to get the offense going outside of that drive as they were forced to punt seven times.

"It's a community event and there's not many of these left," Wildasin said of the Cedar Bowl. "Our two communities truly are kinda one community playing against each other, and it's a neat experience to be a part of."

Week 10 scores

Annville-Cleona 48, Northern Lebanon 10: The Dutchmen (7-3) presumably wrapped up the top seed in the District 3 2A power rankings. The rankings will be final on Sunday. Annville was led by Phoenix Music, who ran for three touchdowns and more than 200 rushing yards.

Berks Catholic 49, Elco 28: The loss dropped the Raiders (4-6) to 14th in the District 3 Class 4A power rankings. The top 10 teams make the postseason in Class 4A.

Hershey 17, Palmyra 7: The Cougars end their season with a 1-9 record.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Central PA high school football scores: Week 10 Lebanon County results