To view action photos of the CB South/CB West and Quakertown/Hatboro-Horsham games, visit the Photo Gallery by clicking on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/. To read Rick Woelfel’s game story, visit PhillyBurbs.com at the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/article/content/titans-roll-big-win-over-bucks-rick-woelfel-phillyburbscom
DOYLESTOWN – Dan Brown had just picked apart Central Buck West’s defense for a 26-yard touchdown run to put the Titans on top 38-7 when the Central Bucks South student section began chanting, “This is our house, this is our house.”
Moments later, they began a variation of that theme, this time personalizing it for Brown with chants of “Breezy’s House, Breezy’s House.”
If War Memorial Stadium was Brown’s house on Friday night – and the gifted senior running back had owned the opening half, his offensive line had laid the foundation of that house.
“Without them, it’s not possible,” said Brown – known also as ‘Breezy’ to his fans –of his offensive line. “They consistently open big holes and make it easier for me. That’s how I end up in the end zone.”
By halftime, Brown had ended up in the end zone four times – once on an 88-yard kickoff return and three times on the ground. As a team, the Titans had accumulated 328 yards of total offense and had a commanding 45-14 lead on their way to a win by that same score.
“It’s unreal,” said senior Mike Newnam, a member of the Titans’ offensive line. “It’s something that you dream of. You only imagine putting up 45 points in one half, but everything came together, and we did what we needed to do.”
“A half like that is unbelievable,” Titan coach Dick Rackovan added. “The hardest part of a half like that is the second half. It really is, and we were very sloppy, but a half like that takes all the pressure off.”
In just one half of action, Brown - a spectator in the second half - accumulated 159 yards on just 11 carries and boasted touchdown runs of 59, 26 and six yards, and while the fans were singing the senior running back’s praises, Brown was handing out credit to his offensive line.
“They’re what keeps me going,” he said. “They fire me up, and I fire them up. It goes two ways.”
Talk to the linemen who are making holes for Brown, and they agree there’s nothing better than seeing the elusive senior back running downfield.
“It pumps us up and drives us,” senior left tackle Jin Lee said.
“We see him running for a touchdown – that gets us going,” Newnam said. “It makes us more anxious to get on the field and score again.”
The Titans’ offensive linemen might be nameless and faceless to many fans, but those close to the team know that Newnam, Lee, Greg Frasch, Brandon Burrell and Tyler Paradysz are the engine that has made the Titan offense run like such a well-oiled machine.
“They have improved every game,” Rackovan said. “One of the things we’ve been able to do this year is run the football, and the thing that people don’t see is they protect Matt (Johns) extremely well. I don’t know if Matt has gotten sacked all year, and it’s a tribute to those guys. They’ve done a good job.
“They’re very confident. Tommy Hetrick does a great job with them. They’re well coached, and they’re assignment sound all the time. They do a good job.”
The Titans have bought into the offensive philosophy of Rackovan in a big way, which is no big surprise considering that it was the second-year coach who had turned Princeton University’s offense into one of the Ivy League’s most explosive.
“With a mastermind like coach Rack, it’s a whole new thing,” Lee said. “Everything is fast. We have to always be ready and conditioned well because without conditioning, I don’t know if we could run this offense.
“Ever since he’s been here, the whole attitude, everything about the team has changed. It’s really helped us.”
“Since coach Rackovan is here, the entire team’s attitude has changed,” Newnam added. “We have a new way of doing things, and it’s working out so far. Hopefully, we can keep going.”
While the Titans’ offense stole the spotlight, its defense – much maligned last season when it allowed 30-plus points a game – allowed just one offensive touchdown. That came with the Titans on top 38-7.
“Our defense just realized we couldn’t let that happen again this year,” Newnam said. “When our offense is putting up 35 points a game, we need to be able to stop the other team. When they were putting up the same amount as us, it’s hard to win.”
Preparation on both sides of the ball, according to the players, is key.
“We come out and we see them in the scheme we’ve been practicing all week,” Newnam said. “We make our calls, make sure our backs and quarterback know what’s going on, what linebackers we’ve called out and who we have, and we just go out and do what we can do.”
In the Titans’ postgame meeting after Friday’s big win, the players – despite being behind close doors – could be heard counting to 45. It was a far cry from last year when the Bucks put up 49 points against the Titans in a 49-7 win.
“They beat us up pretty bad,” Newnam said. “We got here, and we knew we had to come out and try and get a win for South.
“This (win) is huge. Any time you’re coming out against a rival team, it’s going to be a big game, and this game in general is great.”
“We have to keep going forward,” Lee said. “We have a long season to go. We have to keep working hard.
“For us seniors, this was the last time we’re going to play them, so we had to make sure we came out and got a win.”
On Friday night, the Titans got a win and built their confidence in the process, and it began with the play of Brown and the team's offensive line.
- Log in to post comments
