Norristown eked out a 27-20 win in its inaugural football game at its new athletic complex. To view game photos of all the action, please visit the Photo Gallery.
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By Scott Huff
West Norriton – The inaugural football contest at the Norristown Area High School Athletic Complex was indeed a memorable one as the host Eagles (1-3, 1-0) scored a pair of touchdowns in the final three minutes of the game to secure a 27-20 victory over rival Upper Merion (0-4, 0-1). It was the Suburban One League American Conference opener for both teams.
Senior Darius Wills – who scored on a 60-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter – made a couple of huge plays for Norristown on the game winning drive. Wills rambled 33-yards on a beautifully executed screen pass from quarterback Sonny Brewer to the Viking 9-yard line and scored the game winning touchdown on the next play on a powerful burst through the heart of the Upper Merion defense.
“Upper Merion came with a lot of pressure on the screen pass, and Coach (Tom) Pierantozzi made a great call,” said Wills. “All I wanted to do was to try and take it as far as I could.”
“Before that last drive, Darius came up to me and said ‘Coach give me the football,” said Norristown head coach EJ Smith. “And I was smart enough to listen to him. We were able to come up big when we had to both on offense and defense.”
The Eagle defense – which surrendered 300 yards of total offense – forced five critical Viking turnovers. Michael Brown, Khalif Lyons, Curtis Pardea, and Sean Hill each had interceptions for the Birds, while Tyheed Perry recovered a fumble.
“I thought we made some great reads on their passing game,” said Smith. “Upper Merion has some weapons.”
One of those weapons was running back Hassan Gardner. Gardner lugged the football a staggering 36 times for the Vikings for a game-high 134 yards. Another weapon for Upper Merion was quarterback Carmen Fortino who completed 10 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns.
“I just want to say that I am proud as hell with the way that we competed today,” said Upper Merion head coach Harold Smith. “We played with confidence, and we competed for all four quarters. We are still learning how to win football games, and we got closer to that today.”
Upper Merion – which led 20-13 with 10:38 left in the football game – has now lost 24 straight games.
The Norristown defense earned scoring honors in the first period. Defensive back Michael Brown came up with an interception in full stride and jetted 65 yards to the end zone. Placekicker Tom Detwiler booted the first of four successful extra points for the Eagles.
Upper Merion countered with a quick score on its next possession. Fortino floated a gorgeous 45-yard scoring strike to Michael Grant, however, the Vikings failed on a two-point conversion attempt and trailed 7-6.
“Both of our kickers play on the soccer team,” said Smith. “And they had a game today and we were without them. Our kicking game really suffered because of that.”
Norristown added to its slim lead in the second period when Wills darted 60-yards for the score. The Eagles’ attempt at a 2-point conversion failed, and NHS settled for a 13-6 lead.
Upper Merion pieced together a 12-play scoring drive that covered 70 yards to close out the scoring in the first half. Showcased in that march were 10 carries by Gardner for 56 yards and a nine-yard scoring pass from Fortino to Jequan Mitchell. Again the attempt for the 2-point conversion failed, and the halftime score remained 13-12 – Norristown.
The Vikings took their only lead of the contest in the fourth period. Upper Merion scored on a seven-play scoring drive that covered 65 yards and featured a 26-yard burst by Gardner and a 10-yard touchdown pass from Fortino to Grant. Gardner punched in the 2-point conversion, and it appeared that Upper Merion was about to snap its losing streak.
Norristown refused to lose – though – and the Eagles soared back to snatch the victory.
Norristown scored on a nine-play scoring drive that covered 89 yards. Big plays in the drive were an 18-yard run by Joe Smith on a third and 13; a 15-yard pass from Brewer to Wills on a third and 12; and a 46-yard touchdown scamper by Smith with 2:51 left in the game. The Detwiler PAT knotted the score at 20-20, and the fans that circled the field expected some overtime action.
Wrong!
Norristown took possession with 59 seconds left in the game, and Wills did the rest in the game winning drive with his score with 17 ticks left on the brand new scoreboard clock. And as the fans exited the ‘stadium,’ the Eagles earned their first win of the season – while the Vikings are still in search of a victory.
“This is going to be a great place to play football,” said Smith of the new Eagles nest that still lacks such items as stands, lights, and rest room facilities. “The surface is great, and the students deserve to have a field here at the high school.”
The complex may be far from complete – but the first game played at the Norristown Area High School Athletic Complex ended just fine.
With a Norristown Eagle victory over Upper Merion.
Upper Merion Vikings 6 6 0 8 - 20
Norristown Eagles 7 6 0 14 - 27
N: Mike Brown 65 interception return (Tom Detwiler kick)
UM: Michael Grant 45 pass from Carmen Fortino (pass failed)
N: Darius Wills 60 run (pass failed)
UM: Jequan Mitchell 9 pass from Fortino (pass failed)
UM: Grant 10 pass from Fortino (Hassan Gardner run)
N: Joe Smith 46 run (Detwiler kick)
N: Wills 9 run (Detwiler kick)
Upper Merion Vikings Norristown Eagles
20 First Downs 12
160 Rushing Yards 193
140 Passing Yards 54
300 Total Offense 247
1-39 Punts / Average 3-30
5-35 Penalties / Yds 5-43
Upper Merion:
Rushing: Hassan Gardner 36-134; Jequan Mitchell 5-27; Ryan Cho 2-5; Carmen Fortino 1- (minus 6). Totals 44-160.
Passing: Carmen Fortino 10-17-4; 140 yards – 3 TD.
Receiving: Michael Grant 3-71 – 2 TD; Tyreice Jenerette 3-38; Connor McGrath 2-17; Jequan Mitchell 2-14 and TD. Totals 10-140 – 3 TD.
Interceptions: None.
Norristown:
Rushing: Joe Smith 13-100 & TD; Darius Wills 4-75 & 2 TD; Robert Parker 4-17; Sonny Brewer 7-1. Totals 28-193 – 3 TD.
Passing: Sonny Brewer 3-8-0; 54 yards.
Receiving: Wills 2-48; Jonathan McCray 1-6.
Interceptions: Mike Brown (TD); Khalif Lyons; Curtis Pardea; and Sean Hill.
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