To view game action photos, visit the photo gallery at the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
WILLOW GROVE – Bill Conover’s uniform was drenched with sweat.
It had been a long and grueling night on the gridiron for the Upper Moreland defensive tackle and his teammates, but Conover was feeling no pain after Friday night’s emotionally-charged 7-6 win over Upper Merion – a win that was highlighted by an inspired goal-line stand on a Vikings’ two-point conversion attempt with 34 seconds remaining.“Not even words can explain it,” Conover said. “No words can explain what happened.”
Conover didn’t need words.
The jubilant celebration after the Golden Bears stopped Upper Merion standout Naim Cheeseboro less than a yard from the goal line said it all.
“This is a big one,” Conover said. “Our first league win is the biggest win we’ve had all year. We needed this momentum change.
“All week we talked about how we needed to work together to become a team as a defense. The wolf pack just came through tonight. Everybody works together, gets to the ball, and hopefully gets the ball on the ground or gets a stop like we did.”
If the Golden Bears’ defense was looking to become a team, it became just that on Friday night.
After spending the better part of the second half on the field - the Bears had just one first down in the final 24 minutes, they found the strength to make a goal-line stand, and it was their response – when asked who made the stop - that was most telling.
“They said, ‘The defense made the hit,’” coach Adam Beach said. “That’s what they want to say, and that’s good. It’s good that they’ve come together like that.”
On the other side of the field, Upper Merion coach Joe Powell was not second guessing his decision to go for two after James Brennan took it in from one yard out for a touchdown that made it a 7-6 game.
“We did what we needed to do, and we just thought going for two was the right decision at that point,” the Vikings’ coach said. “Without a doubt, I thought that was the time to go for the win. We just came up a little short.”
The Vikings’ 45-yard touchdown drive featured a whole lot of Brennan, whose 20-yard burst up the middle to the Golden Bears’ five was the big play on the drive.
“He’s a kid we love to give the ball to,” Powell said. “Once he started getting it – he’s not going to be denied. He’s a tough runner, and he got extra yards just by sheer will.”
Brennan finished the night with 51 yards while Cheeseboro had a team-high 73 yards.
For the Golden Bears, Chris Smallwood made a triumphant return to the starting lineup after being sidelined with a high ankle sprain.
“It felt good to be out there,” he said. “People get banged up in football. You just have to take advantage when you do get in.”
It was Smallwood’s 42-yard burst up the middle for a touchdown as time expired in the first quarter that – after Dan Cripps’ extra point – put the Golden Bears on top 7-0.
“He has good vision, and he was able to see that crease,” Beach said. “He didn’t have to make too many cuts – he just saw it and went.
“That’s one of his strengths as a runner – his vision. We wanted to give him the ball a lot, and maybe he’d break one. We were hoping it would be more than one, but he got the one, and that’s all it took.”Smallwood, who finished the night with 88 yards on 20 carries, credited his offensive line.
“The line did everything right,” he said. “The wide receivers and everybody blocked. It was just wide open. I had to do my job because they did their job, and that’s the way I repay them.
“When they raise their level of play, I get better. They just do their job, and I do my job.”
The Vikings , meanwhile, didn’t so much as manage a first down until 6:16 remained in the second quarter when the Golden Bears were whistled for a roughing the passer penalty. For the game, the two teams combined for 19 penalties for a total of 162 yards, which represented more yardage than either team accumulated.
The second half belonged to the Vikings, but they had nothing to show for it.
During one particularly frustrating stretch, the Vikings had the ball for close to 11 minutes. The 19-play drive began at their own 13 and went all the way to the Golden Bears’ six-yard line where a holding call was followed by a delay of game penalty that effectively took the wind out of that drive
The Vikings turned the ball over on downs at Upper Moreland’s 16.
“It’s disappointing,” Powell said. “We kind of hurt ourselves. We drove the football, and toward the end we had some penalties that really hurt us. Our guys hung in there.”
It was three-and-out for the Golden Bears, and the Vikings had another golden opportunity when – after a 46-yard punt return by Cheeseboro – they took over at the Bears’ eight-yard line. This time, they turned it over on downs at the six-yard line.
“We work on goal line ‘D’ every week,” Beach said. “They got down to the goal line a lot. They’re a well-coached team, and it was a battle, it was a war.
“I had a hunch that some time at the goal line we were going to need to make a stand. I told them that this week at practice, and we worked on it, talked about it, and it came to fruition here tonight.”
The Vikings finally put points on the board after another three-and-out Upper Moreland possession. After taking over at the Golden Bears’ 45 with 3:07 remaining, the Vikings survived a penalty on first down, recovered their own fumble on second down and punched it in five plays later for the score, setting the stage for the Bears’ big stop on the two-point conversion attempt.
“We just had a couple of guys blitzing on the play,” said senior captain Pat McKay, who plays safety. “The key was to just get to the ball as it always is. When I saw him hit the ground, and the ball came loose – I knew he was down. It was the best feeling.
“We’re a young team, and we got off to a slow start. We got off to slow start in ’07, but we know how to come back. We’re a strong group of kids.”
Beach was pleased with his team’s gutsy effort.
“We talked this week about getting back to Upper Moreland football, getting back to playing 48 minutes,” he said. “We came out and we showed that tonight. We had the resilience, we had the relentlessness, and we played a full 48-minute game.”
While the Vikings (2-1) lost for the first time in conference play, the Golden Bears (1-2) notched their first conference win. It came on the heels of a disappointing loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh one week earlier.
“Most of the seniors – we decided it had to be different in the locker room, on the practice field, and we had to step up with the leadership,” McKay said. “We had to teach the young guys – you have to respond to a loss like that.
“We lost at home (last week), and you can’t do that. We’re a strong team, we have great coaches, and we deserve more than that. We have to win.”
Could Friday’s win be the start of something good for the Golden Bears?
“We’ll see next game,” Smallwood said. “As long as we keep working, hopefully we’ll keep getting better. That’s all we have to do. We have to keep working. You never know what’s going to happen.”
McKay was a bit more definitive.
“It can boost the momentum so much,” he said. “Throughout the four years I’ve been here – a win like this can take you far."
NOTES: The Vikings were whistled for a pair of personal fouls after Upper Moreland's goal-line stand, and Cheeseboro was ejected. As a result, he will have to sit out next week's showdown against Norristown.
UPPER MORELAND 7, UPPER MERION 6
Upper Merion 0 0 0 6-6
Upper Moreland 7 0 0 0-7
UMo – Smallwood 42 run (Cripps kick)
Ume – Brennan 1 run (Run failed)
Upper Merion Upper Moreland
First Downs 9 7
Rushing Yards 116 86
Passing Yards 41 27
Total Yards 157 113
Passing (C-A-I) 5-9-0 2-6-0
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-0
Penalties – Yards 10-107 9-55
Punts – Avg.
RUSHING:
Upper Merion: Naim Cheeseboro, 20-73; James Brennan, 12-51; Mike Lewiski, 3-14; Andrew Legendre, (-22).
Upper Moreland: Chris Smallwood, 20-88, 1 TD; Matt Sawick, 3-12; Pat McKay, 3-5; Greg Adamson, 1-4; Terrell Watson, 1-(-5); UM Center 1-(-18)
PASSING:
Upper Merion: Andrew Legrendre, 5-9-41.
Upper Moreland: Matt Wawick, 2-6-27.
RECEIVING:
Upper Merion: Naim Cheeseboro, 3-33; Tyler Zeoli, 1-7; James Brennan, 1-1.
Upper Moreland: Ronye Dennis, 2-27.
- Log in to post comments
0
