Plymouth Whitemarsh defeated Upper Moreland, setting the stage for next week’s American Conference showdown against Upper Dublin.
By Scott Huff
Willow Grove – Plymouth Whitemarsh hit the road to play a very good Upper Moreland football team with PW owning a remarkable 24-game Suburban One League American Conference winning streak.
And the three-time defending SOL American Conference champion Colonials (4-2, 3-0) left the field with a 25th consecutive conference victory with a rock solid 33-20 win over the Golden Bears (4-2, 1-2).
“I love playing on this football team, and I’m happy that I transferred here,” said massive PW defensive tackle Joe Desanto (6-3, 270 pounds) who made the move from Archbishop Carroll to the Colonials for his senior season. “Carroll was a 2-A team and PW is 4-A, and the experience I am getting here has been tremendous.
“I haven’t been here a full season, and I already feel like part of the PW football family,” added Desanto who dominated the line of scrimmage all night against the Bears. “And now we have to get ready to play Upper Dublin (5-1, 3-0) next week for first place.”
“It is sometimes hard to believe how big and fast Joe is on the field,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Dan Chang. “Teams have struggled to block him all season.”
Desanto fueled an excellent Colonial defensive effort in the first half that saw PW snatch a 21-6 lead. The swarming PW defense held the superlative Upper Moreland tailback – senior Tyler Whitmore – to just 22 first half rushing yards.
Whitmore – who finished the night with 142 yards and three touchdowns – rebounded with an exceptional second half.
“We really game planned hard for him, and the defense was flying to the ball in the first half,” said Chang. “But he is too good a back to take away for an entire game.”
“We made some adjustments at halftime and did a better job of getting Tyler the ball where he could be productive,” said Upper Moreland head coach Adam Beach. “Plymouth Whitemarsh is a quality team and you have to give them credit for the way they played in the first half.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh took the lead on its second possession of the game. Nyfeese Nasir – who matched Whitmore’s three-touchdown performance – scored the first touchdown of the game on a 49-yard touchdown burst. The PAT failed – and the Colonials settled for the 6-0 lead.
Upper Moreland rallied to knot the score at 6-6 by the close of the first period. The Golden Bears pieced together an impressive 10-play scoring drive that was capped by a gutsy 11-yard touchdown run by Whitmore. The PAT failed.
Plymouth Whitemarsh answered with a scoring drive on the ensuing possession. The Colonials marched 50-yards on nine plays with Nasir earning scoring honors with a five-yard run. Senior place-kicker Ethan Miller added the point after touchdown to expand the lead to 13-6.
PW extended its lead to 21-6 by halftime with another scoring march. The Colonials scored on a six-play, 65-yard touchdown drive with the scoring play coming on a dazzling 53-yard touchdown pass completion from sophomore quarterback Anthony Mirabile to junior Luke Mascio. Junior Jake Winterbottom added the two-point conversion.
Upper Moreland appeared to get itself back in the game at the outset of the second half. The Golden Bears executed an on-sides kick to open the second half to steal a possession from PW. Whitmore followed with his most impressive series by running six times in the scoring drive for 46 yards – and scored on a 3-yard run. The PAT failed and the Bears were still down 21-12.
Momentum did not stay in Upper Moreland’s favor for long. Almost as quickly as the Bears got into the game – they fell out of it on the next two PW offensive possessions.
The Colonials went on a 10-play, 81-yard scoring march to answer the Upper Moreland score. Nasir – who had a dazzling 29-yard run in the drive – capped the march with a 6-yard touchdown burst. The run for the two-point conversion failed – and PW led 27-12.
Plymouth Whitemarsh would follow with a spectacular 70-yard touchdown dash by Winterbottom before the close of the third period. The pass failed, and PW led 33-12.
Upper Moreland closed to 33-20 early in the fourth period. Whitmore capped a nine-play, 62-yard drive with a gorgeous 26-yard touchdown scamper. Whitmore snared a two-point conversion pass from senior quarterback Josh Abrams to score what proved to be the final points of the game for either team.
“This game was a measuring stick, and we kept it close,” said UM coach Adam Beach. “We gave ourselves a chance to win – but in the end we had some bad penalties that really hurt us. We gave a good effort.”
“I told the players after the game to enjoy the win,” said Chang. “But we’re already focused on Upper Dublin next week. They have so many weapons and it is a huge game for us.”
It is just the type of game that huge Joe Desanto came to Plymouth Whitemarsh to play.
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 6 15 12 0 – 33
Upper Moreland Golden Bears 6 0 6 8 – 20
PW: Nafeese Nasir 49 run (kick failed)
UM: Tyler Whitmore 11 run (kick failed)
PW: Nasir 5 run (Ethan Miller kick)
PW: Luke Mascio 53 pass from Anthony Mirabile (Jake Winterbottom run)
UM: Whitmore 3 run (kick blocked)
PW: Nasir 6 run (run failed)
PW: Winterbottom 70 run (pass failed)
UM: Whitmore 26 run (Whitmore pass from Josh Abrams)
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials Upper Moreland Golden Bears
14 First Downs 14
260 Rushing Yards 179
120 Passing Yards 49
380 Total Offense 228
0-0 Punts / Average 4-32
2-10 Penalties / Yards 6-50
Plymouth Whitemarsh
Rushing: Jake Winterbottom 9-111-TD; Nyfeese Nasir 15-102- 3 TD; Jimmy Rodgers 7-47; and Rat Clarkson 1-0. Totals 32-260 & 4 TD.
Passing: Anthony Mirable 4-5-1; 80 yards & TD; Rodgers 4-7-1; 40 yards. Totals 8-12-2; 120 yards & TD.
Receiving: Luke Mascio 3-78 & TD; Clarkson 2-24; Jarid Hutchins 1-11; Rodgers 1-12; and Winterbottom 1 (minus 2). Totals 8-120 & TD.
Interceptions: Nasir.
Upper Moreland
Rushing: Tyler Whitmore 25-142 & 3 TD; Josh Abrams 14-38; Nick Delucas 2-2; and Joey Colbridge 1 (minus 2). Totals 42-179 & 3 TD.
Passing: Abrams 5-12-1; 49 yards.
Receiving: Delucas 1-16; Colbridge 1-15; Nick Pagano 1-7; Peter Herbert 1-6; and Colton Hooker 1-5. Totals 5-49.
Interceptions: Whitmore & Kevin Conley.
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