Quakertown and PW saw their successful playoff runs come to an end in the district semifinals Friday night. Quakertown/Garnet Valley photos provided courtesy of Jesse Garber. (Photos of Eatherton and Woodman contributed)
Quakertown/Garnet Valley stats provided courtesy of Intelligencer/Courier. For additional football stats and coverage, visit the Intelligencer (https://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school) and Courier Times (https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/)
CLASS 6A Semifinal
#1-1 GARNET VALLEY 58, #1-5 QUAKERTOWN 39
Will Steich never stopped believing. Neither did his teammates.
“I thought we had a chance until the final touchdown they scored,” the Panthers’ senior quarterback said. “It’s just tough to lose like that.
“I thought our guys fought all game. We had a couple of plays not go our way. That’s just the name of the game.”
The Panthers trailed 42-31 after senior Zach Fondl – never breaking stride – caught a perfectly thrown 19-yard touchdown strike from Steich on the first play of the fourth quarter. It was still a two–score game (50-39) with 7:33 remaining in regulation after John Eatherton took a Steich pass 52 yards to the house.
The Jaguars, however, were all but unstoppable in the second half, and when Shane Reynolds raced 43 yards for the score with 5:11 remaining, the Jaguars – who outscored the Panthers 38-15 in the second half – led 58-39, a score that held until the final horn.
“That team – their offense is unstoppable,” Fondl said. “Our offense did the best we could. We had a great run.
“Coming out, we had some mojo. Halftime we were up. They came out hot (in the second half), they’re a great team, and they just outplayed us.”
The Panthers certainly had plenty of mojo in the first half, and after a rare four-and-out for the Jaguars, they marched 55 yards for the score with Eatherton punching it in from two yards out. The TD was set up by Steich’s 21-yard pass to Zach Greulich, who was taken down at the two-yard line.
Garnet Valley knotted the score in the opening minute of the second quarter and went on top 14-7 with 7:40 remaining in the 
half. The Panthers had an immediate answer. Steich found Fondl for a 23-yard completion and then hooked up with Eatherton for 11 more. A 15-yard pass to Fondl took the Panthers to the Jaguars’ 13, and Eatherton did the rest, taking it in for a touchdown that knotted the score.
The Jaguars used a 50-yard pass play from quarterback Max Busenkell to Ryan Saunders for the go-ahead touchdown, but the blocked extra point gave the Jaguars a 20-14 lead. The Panthers – capitalizing on a clutch catch in traffic by Eatherton and a costly Garnet Valley pass interference – went on top 21-20 after Steich connected with Tyler Woodman for an 11-yard touchdown with 13.1 seconds remaining.
The Panthers recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff at the Jaguars’ 16, and Riley Gaj split the uprights with a 33-yard field goal, sending Quakertown into halftime with a 24-20 lead.
The Panthers appeared poised to add to that lead when – on the opening kickoff of the second half – they recovered Gaj’s on-sides kick at the Garnet Valley 39. They could not convert on fourth-and-short, and the Jaguars took over. One play later Reynolds took it 65 yards for the score, marking the beginning of a 22-0 Jaguar tear to go on top 42-24 late in the third quarter. The Panthers would get no closer than 11 the rest of the way.
“We thought we would have to stop them 3-4 times, but we thought our offense could run with them,” Quakertown coach George Banas said. “It’s 24-20 at half, and we get the kickoff to start the second half. If we punch it in there, maybe it’s a different story because momentum would have definitely been big there.
“To win games like this, you have to have things go your way. We had some things go our way but just not enough tonight. We played well into the fourth quarter – it was a two-score game. It’s definitely a lot closer game than it was in ’18 here (a 49-14 district loss to the Jaguars).”
Reynolds – who will be taking his talents to the U.S. Naval Academy – was the offensive catalyst for the Jaguars, rushing for 261 yards and five touchdowns.
“They’re a quality (team),” Banas said. “They’re well coached. They’re playing on an emotional high with this being (coach Michael Ricci’s) last year. This group for them has won everything coming up through, so it’s a good group.
“They have three Division 1 athletes on that team – two lacrosse players (Max Busenkell – Notre Dame & Sean Gallagher – U.S. Naval Academy) and a football player, so it’s a solid club.”
For the Panthers, Steich threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns with Eatherton hauling in 10 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. Fondl had six catches for 84 yards and a TD.
“I’ve been throwing it to them all year, some of these guys since I was 10 years old,” Steich said. “It sucks for it to end like this because I thought we could have beaten them, but it is what it is.
“I think we definitely opened some eyes. I wish we could have continued it, but we couldn’t.
“I hope this sets them up for the future, sets coach Banas up, my favorite coach I ever had. The stuff he’s done for me just as a person – it’s awesome. I love that man to death. I wish the best of luck to him and the rest of the guys.”
“It’s emotional,” Fondl said. “I love this team. I think we played a great game. There’s not much more we could have done.”
Quakertown pre-sold 650 tickets to Friday’s game at Garnet Valley. The visitor’s side was packed with Panther fans, who cheered their team’s every move until it was over.
“They’re phenomenal,” Banas said. “It’s an hour-and-a-half drive, it’s packed and it’s standing room on the sidelines. They’re awesome, and they’ll show up on Thursday.”
The Panthers (12-1, 7-0 SOL) will look to bounce back when they travel to Pennridge Thursday for their annual rivalry game at 10:15 a.m.
“This one’s going to hurt,” Banas said. “It’s going to hurt tomorrow. It will hurt into Sunday, but I think when we get back to school on Monday and start getting back in the rhythm – we realize we’ve got a game to play. I think we’ll be all right.”
Quakertown 7-17-0-15 39
Garnet Valley 0-20-22-16 58
CLASS 5A Semifinal
#1-1 WEST CHESTER RUSTIN 19, #1-5 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 14
(Stats provided by Ed Morlock/PA Prep Live: https://papreplive.com/2021/11/19/wc-rustin-makes-plays-in-4th-quarter-to-rally-past-plymouth-whitemarsh/)
The Colonials took a 14-13 lead into the fourth quarter and came oh-so-close to pulling off the upset of the top-ranked Golden Knights, who scored a late touchdown to eke out the come-from-behind win.
“Obviously, we’re disappointed in the outcome, but I am extremely proud of how our kids battled, not only tonight but throughout the home stretch,” PW coach Dan Chang said. “That was the message to them going out – our seniors showed us what it means to keep fighting to the very end, and that’s how we ended the season tonight.
“Rustin is an excellent team. They are physical, they execute well, they’ve got a great offensive line and a stellar running back with a lot of good coaching and surrounding characters. They were tough. They ran the ball well and did what they needed to do. We’ve got to be able to put some more points on the board.”
The Colonials got on the scoreboard first when quarterback Aiden O’Brien connected with Phil Taormina from 22 yards out. The Golden Knights blocked the extra point, and the Colonials led 6-0. Rustin answered with a touchdown in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 7-6 lead.
In the third quarter, the Colonials used a bit of trickery when Chris McLaughlin – who last year was the team’s quarterback – connected with Taormina for a 65-yard touchdown on a halfback option. O’Brien found Jared Kolsun for the successful two-point conversion, and the Colonials led 14-7.
That lead stood until the Golden Knights – benefitting from a short field after the Colonials were forced to punt from deep in their own territory – scored on a five-yard Dayshwan Jacobs run for the 19-14 final.
Chang bids farewell to a special group of 15 seniors.
“We rode these seniors the whole way,” the Colonials’ coach said. “It was their leadership that got us through those tough moments.
“We had tough games against Cheltenham, against Upper Moreland, against Upper Dublin, and it was definitely the strength of those seniors that pushed us through it. I am tremendously going to miss those guys – all of them. It’s a big group for us, and they all had a lasting impact on us.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh closed out its successful season with a 10-2 record overall. The Colonials captured the SOL American Conference title with a perfect 6-0 record, setting the bar high for future squads.
“We talked about that tonight – this is not a once-in-a-while thing,” Chang said. “We expect to be here regularly.
“We bring a pretty good core group of kids back, and they know what it takes, they’ve experienced it, and they’re already excited and ready to start preparing for next year.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-6-8-0 14
West Chester Rustin 0-7-6-6 19
About the Author
