Upper Dublin downed PW in a thriller on Friday night. To view photos of all the action, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By Scott Huff
Fort Washington – It might be difficult to determine exactly what was the biggest factor in the game – but there was no difficulty determining the final outcome as Upper Dublin soared to an entertaining 34-28 Suburban One League American Conference victory over Plymouth Whitemarsh.
The win by the host Cardinals (6-1, 4-0) ended a glorious 25-game conference-winning streak by the Colonials (4-3, 3-1) – and gave Upper Dublin a wide-open path to a SOL American Conference title.
“There were two very good football teams on the field – and one had to leave the field disappointed,” said Upper Dublin head coach Brett Stover. “It was a fun game to play in and a fun game to coach.”
“Great teams will get better with tough losses,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Dan Chang. “And we lost to a great football team.”
There will be some debate as to the pivotal part of the game that put the contest in the win column for the Cardinals.
Some would argue it was at the end of the first half when Plymouth Whitemarsh – leading 14-7 – had a first-and-goal at the Cardinal 5-yard line with 29 seconds left. The Colonials ran four plays in that final 29 seconds – but gained just four yards and did not score as time ran out – and PW settled for the 14-7 lead.
“That was a huge series of downs,” said Stover. “Our line got good push on them all night, and we were able to keep them from scoring.”
“No excuses – we have to score there,” said Chang. “We had to bear down – it was very unlike us not to cash it in.”
Some might argue it was the scoring pass from junior quarterback Ryan Stover to junior wide receiver Matt Thompson in the fourth period that turned the game around for UD. The swarming PW defense had Stover all wrapped up for a sack on a fourth down play, but Stover managed to shake free and fired a bullet into the end zone to Thompson for the game-tying score with 4:39 left.
“Ryan reminded me a little of (former Upper Dublin quarterback) Andrew Derr on that play,” said Stover. “He had defenders draped all over him and he refused to go down.”
Some might argue that the game winning score with 34 seconds left in the tie game was the final game changer. Senior John Lee capped the scoring drive with a magnificent 23-yard TD burst.
“John does a lot for our running game blocking for Kalief (Lee),” said Stover. “I saw something on film that I thought might work – and John did a great job of buckling some knees for the touchdown.”
Upper Dublin took advantage of a fumble recovery by Jack Rapine to set up the first score of the game. Kaleif Lee – who raced for a game-high 163 yards – capped the drive with a 9-yard scoring run. Senior Cole D’Andrea added the first of his four placements for the Cardinals.
Plymouth Whitemarsh answered with a 10-play scoring drive that covered 67 yards. Junior Jake Winterbottom – who rushed for 105 yards – culminated the drive with a 1-yard run. Senior Ethan Miller added the PAT as PW knotted the score at 7-7.
The Colonials would also score in the second quarter to snatch a 14-7 halftime lead. PW scored a touchdown when Winterbottom scored his second touchdown of the night on an electrifying 41-yard run. Miller’s placement was perfect.
Upper Dublin scored quickly in the third period to knot the score at 14-14. Kaleif Lee ticked off a 19-yard run – an 11-yard run – and scored on a 29-yard burst.
PW again answered with a scoring drive to regain the lead. Senior quarterback Jimmy Rodgers capped the 12-play, 77 yard scoring drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. The kick failed – and the Colonials settled for a 20-14 lead.
Upper Dublin would take its first lead of the game – 21-20 – after mounting a 7-play, 73 yard scoring drive. Kaleif Lee rushed four times in the drive for 49 yards – and capped the drive with an 18-yard scoring run.
PW again answered with a scoring drive that would forge a 28-28 deadlock. Nyfeese Nasir – who rushed for a team-high 111 yards – finished off the scoring drive with a 6-yard run. Nasir knotted the score with a two-point conversion run. The highlight of the drive was a 32-yard pass from Rodgers to Jarid Hutchins.
The Cardinal defense would stop the Colonials on a critical fourth-and-two at the PW 46-yard line. Stover connected on three straight passes – John Lee for seven yards – Gary Fields for 11 yards – and Michael Sower for five yards. And on second-and-five at the 23-yard line, John Lee took the handoff and rambled for the game winner.
“Both teams wanted to win this game, and maybe we wanted it a little more,” said Upper Dublin senior nose guard/fullback Tamir Bailey. “We were confident that we could win the game, and we played hard. Now we have to work even harder.”
“We have never won a title outright at Upper Dublin,” said Stover – and if the Cardinals win out in conference play that will become a reality. “We have some work to do.”
And it doesn’t really matter how it gets done – just that it does get done.
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 7 7 6 8 – 28
Upper Dublin Cardinals 7 0 14 13 – 34
UD: Kalief Lee 9 run (Cole D’Andrea kick)
PW: Jake Winterbottom 1 run (Ethan Miller kick)
PW: Winterbottom 41 run (Miller kick)
UD: K. Lee 29 run (D’Andrea kick)
PW: Jimmy Rodgers 4 run (kick failed)
UD: K. Lee 18 run (D’Andrea kick)
PW: Nyfeese Nasir 6 run (Nasir run)
UD: Matt Thompson 8 pass from Ryan Stover (D’Andrea kick)
UD: John Lee 23 run (kick failed)
Plymouth Whitemarsh Upper Dublin Cardinals
15 First Downs 18
213 Rushing Yards 219
111 Passing Yards 100
324 Total Offense 319
1-34 Punts / Average 1-21
4-25 Penalties / Yds. 6-60
Plymouth Whitemarsh:
Rushing: Nyfeese Nasir 16-111 & TD; Jake Winterbottom 17-105 & 2 TD; Jimmy Rodgers 10-7 & TD; Anthony Mirable 1 (minus 10). Totals 34-213 & 4 TD.
Passing: Rodgers 5-9-0; 111 yards – Mirabile 0-2-0; 0 yards – Totals 5-11-0, 111 yards.
Receiving: Jarid Hutchins 2-48; Ray Clarkson 1-41; Nasir 1-14; and Winterbottom 1-8. Totals 5-111
Interceptions: Matt Melusky & Blaise Gravinese.
Upper Dublin:
Rushing: Kalief Lee 17-163 & 3 TD; John Lee 9-58 & TD; Ryan Stover 5-2; and David Bryant 1 (minus 4). Totals 32-219 4 TD.
Passing: Stover 13-16-2; 100 yards & TD.
Receiving: Gary Fields 3-31; John Lee 3-24; Matt Thompson 3-18 & TD; Kalief Lee 2-9; John Barrett 1-15; and Michael Sowers 1-5. Totals 13-100 & TD.
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