SLIPPERY ROCK — Brendan Hathaway moved from player to player, some with tears in their eyes and others wearing frowns on their faces, and tightly embraced each one.

He thanked them for what they had done to turn around a program that just four seasons ago went 0-10.

This season, the Rockets were 10-0 heading into their first District 10 Class AAA playoff game. They had taken care of the football and rolled over the opposition with a punishing and deceptive ground game.

Everything Slippery Rock had done to get to this game against General McLane in the district semifinals betrayed them on a balmy Friday night as the Rockets committed six turnovers in a 35-15 loss at Slippery Rock University.

Before the Rockets had even run one offensive play, they were down 14-0.

“Against a good team like McLane, they did what we wanted to do: get ahead, run the ball and control the ball,” Hathaway said. “They're a great program and my hat's off to them.”

General McLane (9-3) marched 63 yards in seven plays on the opening drive of the game to go up 7-0.

Zach Fox found tight end Chris Laird over the middle for a 20-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-8 play.

Slippery Rock (10-1) fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Lancers went 40 yards in eight plays to extend the lead to 14-0.

Again, General McLane scored on a fourth-down play when Tyler Sanders plowed in from the 1 after the Rockets had stopped him on three previous carries from the 1.

“We stressed the three Ts this week: tackling, turnovers and toughness,” said General McLane coach Jim Wells. “I was very proud. Slippery Rock is a very good team and the scoreboard isn't an indication of how evenly matched these two teams are. We just got some turnovers.”

Six of them to be exact, and just about every one hurt. Slippery Rock out-gained the Lancers 339-288, but General McLane had just one turnover, an interception in the end zone by Ryan Lauster, on the final play of the first half.

“Nothing that happened on this field tonight was from a lack of effort,” Hathaway said. “I'm proud of them for that, and I told them that after the game. For the last four years all they have given is effort. And I think more than anything I let them down tonight for maybe not having them prepared.”

Slippery Rock closed the gap to 14-6 thanks to junior quarterback Jake Whitmer, who rumbled 79 yards down to the General McLane 8 and then scored two plays later from the 2.

It stayed that way until Fox scored from the 8 on a keeper late in the third quarter for a 21-6 lead.

Slippery Rock got back into it with an 8-play, 69-yard drive, capped by a 23-yard touchdown run by Whitmer.

But turnovers struck Slippery Rock again.

An interception led to a 6-yard scoring run by Sanders and a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown by Evan Dillen sealed Slippery Rock's fate.

Sanders was the workhorse for the Lancers, rushing for 160 yards on 33 carries.

“He's a very tough kid,” Wells said of Sanders. “He plays middle linebacker for us. He runs hard and he never complains. He got a lot of carries tonight and those were hard yards in there.”

Whitmer led Slippery Rock with 123 yards rushing on nine carries.

For Slippery Rock, another promising season was cut short.

The Rockets are 19-1 in the regular season the last two years.

“These seniors have meant everything to this program,” Hathaway said. “They made this what it is. In the off-season, in the weight room, they have been unbelievable leaders. The work they have done, not only on the football field, but in the classroom, it shows what great young men they are. They are going to be successful in life. That's what I'm most proud of them for.”

General McLane 35, Slippery Rock 15

Gen. McLane 14 0 7 14 — 35

Slippery Rock 0 6 0 9 — 15

GM SR

14 First Downs 10

48-190 Rushes-Yards 33-257

98 Passing Yards 82

5-13-1 Comp.-Att.-Int 6-16-4

288 Total Yards 339

0-0 Fumbles-Lost 3-2

3-22 Penalty Yards 3-25

First Quarter

GM — Chris Laird 20 pass from Zach Fox (Evan Dillen kick), 8:42

GM — Tyler Sanders 1 run (Dillen kick), 4:39

Second Quarter

SR — Jake Whitmer 2 run (kick blocked), 3:09

Third Quarter

GM — Zach Fox 8 run (Dillen kick), 3:05

Fourth Quarter

SR — Whitmer 23 run (Mark Cessar kick), 11:18

GM — Sanders 6 run (Dillen kick), 6:58

GM — Dillen 24 interception return (Dillen kick), 3:24

SR — Safety, Fox ran out of back of end zone, :05

Individual Statistics

Rushing: General McLane, Tyler Sanders 33-160, Joe Dunn 7-60, Zach Fox 6-(-24), TEAM 2-(-6). Slippery Rock, Jake Whitmer 9-123, Travis Lauser 9-72, Frank Conlon 12-58, Ryan Lauster 2-4, Brandon McKnight 1-0.

Passing: General McLane, Zach Fox 5-12-98-1, Jarrell Johnson 0-1-0-0. Slippery Rock, Jake Whitmer 6-16-82-4.

Receiving: General McLane, Clay Smith 2-48, Chris Laird 1-20, Jarrell Johnson 1-16, Evan Dillen 1-14. Slippery Rock, Chris Reeseman 3-42, Ryan Lauster 1-26, Brady Kadlubek 1-12, Travis Lauster 1-2