JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
He was billed as a dual-threat quarterback with a very bright future in the preseason.
And then Hempfield’s Jarvis Cummings was slowed by an ankle injury, and the Black Knights scuffled a bit, going 1-2 in non-league games.
Last Friday night against Penn Manor, Cummings, now healthy, had his best game to date, showing off that duality that is sure to make him famous.
The 5-11, 180-pound junior, who switched from wideout to quarterback prior to this season, accounted for 271 yards in Hempfield’s 28-0 win over Penn Manor:
Cummings carried 16 times for 196 yards and scored on touchdown gallops of 65 and 43 yards, respectively.
He also passed for 75 yards, including a 68-yard TD toss to Manny Mendez.
And he flipped a pair of 2-point conversion passes as the Knights won their second game in a row and improved to 2-1 in Section 1 and 3-3 overall.
For his efforts, Cummings is the New Era Player of the Week.
“He’s special,” Hempfield coach Bob Forgrave said. “This is what we thought he could do. And remember, he was a wideout last year, so everything is new. But every week he’s learned something new, and it’s all sort of coming together.”
Perfect timing.
Up next for Hempfield is a Section 1 showdown against Wilson on Friday in Landisville.
Cummings took a couple of minutes out of his prep time for the Bulldogs on Monday to tackle the New Era’s Five Questions:
THAT’S TWO WINS IN A ROW IN SECTION PLAY. HOW BIG WAS THE VICTORY AGAINST PENN MANOR?
“It was important for us to get a win because it kept us in the Section 1 race right up there with Township and Warwick and Wilson, and we play Wilson this week for our Homecoming. We knew we had to get through Penn Manor because it was a big Section 1 game, and we needed a win to get over that hump and get back to .500.”
THIS IS COACH FORGRAVE’S FIRST YEAR ON THE JOB HERE. HOW IS THAT TRANSITION GOING?
“I think the transition is going pretty good. Coach Forgrave is a great coach and I like his philosophy and how he gets us all together and motivates us. I was excited to hear when he got the job. I knew how he helped Penn Manor get things turned around, and I was excited to hear he was coming here. When he got the job, there was like a gigantic spark that went off around the team.”
SO WHY SO SUCCESSFUL THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS?
“After the Township game (a narrow 9-7 loss on Sept. 21), we were feeling a little bit down, but we’ve really picked it up. We still have a chance to win the section, we believe. Our defense has been playing amazing and we have guys stepping up and making plays. Our defense has been lights out the last two weeks. And we held Township without a touchdown in our last loss. We’d like to keep this thing rolling.”
WHAT’S THE COOLEST THING ABOUT PLAYING QUARTERBACK?
“It’s nice knowing the guys and the school and the fans are counting on you. I like being back there under center reading defenses. It’s a great feeling knowing that you’re in charge out there, and that you have to do it. I like that challenge.”
AFTER TWO WINS IN A ROW, SURELY YOU GUYS ARE FALLING INTO THE SUPERSTITION TRAP, RIGHT?
“Yeah. The last two weeks, me and a couple of other guys have gone to Olive Garden on Thursday night. That’s been working for us. So we’ll be there this Thursday night. Last week they recognized us, and they were like, ‘Hey! You guys are back again.’ And we were like, ‘Yeah! We won.’”
