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BENSALEM – In a muddy but happy post-game scene, Pennridge senior Brandon Cope admitted that his team took the field for Friday night’s game against Bensalem with a bit of a chip on its shoulder.
“Basically, we got embarrassed on our home field last week,” the senior captain said of the Rams’ 34-21 loss to Pottsgrove. “So we wanted to make sure we returned the favor to this team.”
The Owls, meanwhile, came into the game riding the momentum of their 30-6 romp over Overbrook.
“We had big hopes to be 2-0 to start off the season,” Bensalem senior Tim Farlow said.
Bensalem’s ‘big hopes’ were dashed rather quickly as the Rams played with an intensity the Owls could not match, opening up a 14-0 halftime lead on their way on their way to a 20-0 win.
“We came out on fire, and we didn’t lose it,” Cope said. “We kept saying, ‘Don’t lose it. Don’t lose it.’”
The Rams never lost it, and on the other side of the field, the Owls never found it.
“I don’t know what happened,” Farlow said. “The conditions were hard to play in – it was slippery out there, and throwing the ball – you couldn’t really get a solid grip on the ball most of the time.
“We really didn’t come out like we should have. We came out kind of flat.”
The Rams, anything but flat, were led by the gritty effort of Jesse Knepp, who rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown and took a Kyle Peters pass 26 yards for a TD.
It was Knepp who set the tone early for the Rams when he rumbled 35 yards around the left side for a touchdown with 4:20 remaining in the first quarter. Dan Caya’s extra point made it a 7-0 game.
“After he scored that one, I said, ‘I love you man,’” Cope said with a laugh. “I was so happy that we got our offense going and took a little pressure off of our defense.
“Jesse kept running, and that’s what we needed.”
While Knepp was having a big-play night, his teammate in the backfield, Ian Walbridge, ran for 91 yards and a touchdown in a supporting role. 
The Rams’ defense limited the Owls to just 128 yards of total offense. Farlow was the lone bright spot. The senior quarterback accounted for 75 of his team’s total yards and exploded for a run of 58 yards.
“We just gobbled them up,” said Cope, who had a hand in a ton of tackles. “We give them credit. They have a great quarterback, their running back was shifty, and they have a big line.
“We came out here and wanted it just a little bit more than them. We were just flying to the ball. After having not such a great game last week – including me, it was great to see our guys step up.”
The Rams all but cut the heart out of the Owls with a second-quarter drive that appeared destined for disaster but instead turned into a drive that broke Bensalem’s back. The Rams found themselves with a first-and-goal at the Owls’ eight, but then came a series of penalties – three, all told – that set up a seemingly impossible fourth-and-goal from the Owls’ 26-yard line.
“Penalties will kill you, especially when you make a play and then have to come all the way back,” Knepp said. “You’re shooting yourself in the foot. That’s something we need to work on.”
On this drive, at least, the penalties were hardly cause for concern.
Peters lofted a pass that Knepp hauled in at the 13 and waltzed in for a touchdown that – after Caya’s extra point – put the Rams on top 14-0.
“I give a lot of credit to God,” Knepp said. “He’s the one that gives me the strength and the vision but also the line (Cope, Andrew Rice, Ben Knipe, Cory Cowdery, James Worthington and Adam Scott) opened up holes.”
Farlow gave the Bensalem faithful something to cheer about when he eluded one would-be tackler after another for a 58-yard scamper that took the ball to the Rams’ 30-yard line.
Christian Fernandez carried for six yards on first down, but the Rams’ defense threw Reggie Roberts for a two-yard loss. Two incompletions turned the ball over to the Rams, who took their 14-0 lead into the intermission.“Our defense really stepped up,” Knepp said. “I knew it would be more of a low-scoring game because of the rainy conditions, and teams aren’t going to pass as much.”
The Owls’ fate was all but sealed midway through the third quarter when – after taking over on the Rams’ 27-yard line – they were pushed back to their own 42, thanks to a series of penalties as well as a sack by Dan Kornfiend.
“Penalties killed us,” Farlow said. “All the penalties – we beat ourselves with that. We had plenty of opportunities to put the ball in the end zone.
“We were in the red zone, and penalties did us in.”
The Owls never threatened the rest of the way, and Rams put the finishing touches on the big win when Walbridge punched it in from two yards out.
“I thought they played really well with the weather and field conditions,” Cuthbert said. “It changed the game drastically. We had to do more under center, and we tried to control the ball. 
“Our defense really stepped up. Their quarterback did a nice job running the ball, but other than a couple of plays, I think our guys did a good job.”
Both teams enter week three of the season with identical 1-1 records, but both have decidedly different emotions.
“It’s great,” Cope said. “We come to practice not dreading running, not dreading anything – just focusing on PW next week.”
So exactly how much running did the Rams do after their loss to Pottsgrove?
Not much, according to Cope.
“The coaches realized we already had our punishment,” the senior captain said. “We had to run the first day, but after that, it was all business.”
That approach netted big dividends for the Rams, and the Owls might want to use that same approach when they return to the practice field.
“This game is in the past,” Farlow said. “We have to forget about it, come out and play hard next week.”
EXTRA POINTS: The two teams combined for 19 penalties for a total of 150 yards. “I have never seen penalties like that,” said Cuthbert, whose team was whistled for 13. “I don’t know how many there were. It was crazy.”…While Pennridge’s entire defensive unit came up big, Cuthbert acknowledged the strong play of Cope and Drew Smith as well as outside linebackers Dan Wolfe and Pete Leatherman.
PENNRIDGE 20, BENSALEM 0
Pennridge 7 7 0 6-20
Bensalem 0 0 0 0-0
P-Knepp 35 run (Caya kick)
P-Knepp 26 pass from Peters (Caya kick)
P-Walbridge 2 run (kick failed)
P B
First Downs 11 5
Rushing Yards 270 109
Passing Yards 52 19
Total Yards 322 128
Passing (C-A-I) 7-18-0 5-11-0
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 4-2
Penalties-Yds. 13-91 6-65
Punts-Avg.
RUSHING:
Pennridge – Jesse Knepp, 17-157, 1 TD; Ian Walbridge, 20-91, 1 TD; Kyle Peters, 7-22.
Bensalem – Tim Farlow, 16-75; Christian Fernandez, 4-32; Reggie Roberts, 7-2.
PASSING:
Pennridge – Kyle Peters, 7-17-52, 1 TD; Ian Walbridge, 0-1-0.
Bensalem – Tim Farlow, 5-11-19.
RECEIVING:
Pennridge – Jesse Knepp, 1-26, 1 TD; Chad Moyer, 2-14; Brandon Cope, 1-7; Ian Walbridge, 2-5.
Bensalem – Lewis Vincent, 3-12; Dave Sanko, 1-7; Christian Fernandez, 1-0.
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