QUAKERTOWN – Josh Barndt hadn’t forgotten.
Neither had his Quakertown teammates.
It’s hard to forget the kind of thrashings the Panthers had taken at the hands of defending Continental Conference champion Souderton.
“The past two years they beat us 83-10 combined score,” Barndt said. “They have been beating up on us the last couple of years.”
Barndt glanced in the direction of the golden 309 Bowl trophy, which would be in the Panthers’ possession for the next year thanks to their emotionally-charged 27-25 victory over the Indians on Friday night at Alumni Field.
Memories of past beatings were rapidly fading in the euphoria of the moment.
“Having the 309 Bowl trophy back is the greatest feeling ever,” Barndt said. “It’s just amazing.
“We were 1-11 last year, and now we’re 8-2. It’s mind blowing. I think we just had a different mindset in the off-season. We worked much harder and really focused on fundamentals. Everyone is a lot more focused and putting a lot more time into it. It’s the best thing ever.”
It was a proud night for Quakertown football. Not only did the Panthers lay claim to the coveted 309 Bowl trophy, they all but assured themselves a home game in the opening round of districts next Friday.
“This is a big confidence booster,” said Panther junior Tony Latronica, whose 111 yards rushing led the Panthers. “A home playoff game is what you want. It’s the first time in a while the Panthers are going to be in the playoffs.
“Of course, you want to be undefeated and turn it around, but I never expected it to be like this. A lot of guys have stepped in, filling in for guys with injuries, and everybody is playing together as a team. Hopefully, it will continue next week.”
The players weren’t kidding when – in their post-game huddle - they chanted ‘We don’t lose at home. We don’t lose at home.”
“We’re undefeated at home this year,” Barndt said. “We really pride ourselves in that. Our fans were great tonight. It’s a great atmosphere to play in.”
On the other side of the field, the emotions were decidedly different for an Indian squad that saw its playoff chances take a serious hit.
“It’s a shame to have it end this way,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “Maybe we got some help. You never know.
“I thought our kids played very hard, and I’m proud of the effort they gave.”
The Panthers delighted their fans by showcasing their big-play capabilities. Few plays loomed larger than Ryan Tinknell’s 48-yard pass that Kurtis Roberts caught in stride in the closing seconds of the opening half.
The junior wide receiver was pulled down at the one, but on the next play, Tincknell lunged in for a touchdown that – after Geoff DeLan’s extra point – sent the Panthers into the locker room with a 14-10 lead.
“Their quarterback made a heck of a play,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “It was a bad snap. He catches it, keeps his composure while he’s getting hit and throws it into double coverage.
“I give their kids credit. I don’t know what else you can do. We had a guy in perfect coverage underneath. The kid threw a perfect pass.”
Tincknell’s TD lunge capped a 63-yard scoring drive that began when the Panthers took over at their own 37 with 1:17 remaining in the half.
“The last couple of weeks we have been able to score pretty quickly with not a lot of time left in the half,” coach John Donnelly said. “We have that capability. We have some guys who can make plays.
“Kurtis made a great play, and Ryan got hit right after he threw it. It’s always about making plays. Whoever makes the most plays is going to win more times than not.”
Souderton had led for the better part of the opening half, going on top 3-0 when Shawn Leo split the uprights on a 24-yard field goal on his team’s opening possession.
The Panthers took a 7-3 lead at the 6:08 mark of the second quarter when Latronica turned the corner and sprinted 60 yards down the far sidelines for a touchdown that put the Panthers on top 7-3.
But not for long.
Souderton senior Ryan Hollingsworth blocked a punt and then ran it in 19 yards for a touchdown that – after Leo’s extra point – put the Indians on top 10-6 with 1:22 remaining.
“We executed it very well, and thankfully, the ball bounced up, and he had room to pick it up and score,” said Gallagher of the called play. “That was huge because our offense was not executing well in the first half. We needed some kind of boost to get some points on the board.”
Unfortunately for the Indians, there was still plenty of time for Hinknell’s late heroics.
The Panthers built on the momentum of that first-half play, opening the second half with a 60-yard touchdown drive. The drive featured a whole lot of Latronica – who had five carries. It also included a Tincknell to Mike Olimpo pass for 24 yards. Latronica took it in from three yards out as the Panthers opened up a 21-10 lead.
That lead lasted all of four minutes – the amount of time it took the Indians to move the ball 60 yards. Justin Powell (115 yards on 18 carries) was the workhorse, delivering carries of 22 and 12 yards and capping it with an 11-yard run up the middle for a TD.
“Justin’s our biggest threat offensively,” Gallagher said. “I tried to line him up at a couple of different places to utilize him, and I thought he had a couple of nice runs at halfback for us.”
Peter Jenne, who had an 11-yard carry on the drive, took it in on the two-point conversion attempt, making it a 21-18 game.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Panthers extended their lead when – on a huge third-down play – Eric Fath came down with a jump ball in the middle of two Souderton defenders in the end zone for a touchdown that put the Panthers on top 27-18.
“He just made a fantastic play,” Donnelly said. “That was huge, no question.”
Souderton answered with a 71-yard TD drive that once again was sparked by Powell, who took it in from 11 yards out to make it a 27-25 game.
But Roberts came up with an interception with 1:48 remaining, sealing the Indians’ fate and giving the Panthers possession of the 309 Bowl trophy.
“It’s multi-layered good feelings here,” he said. “We’re in the playoffs, potentially have a home playoff game. To get this against our rival – it’s something we haven’t had in our possession since we created it.
“We see Souderton a lot with our lifting competitions and passing scrimmages in the summer. It’s as heated rivalry as it is with Pennridge.”
And beyond the trophy, a playoff game awaits the Panthers.
“It’s going to be amazing,” Barndt said. “That was my dream – to be playing in the playoffs. Playing at home makes it that much better.”
QUAKERTOWN 27, SOUDERTON 25
Souderton 3 7 8 7-25
Quakertown 0 14 7 6-27
S-Leo 24 field goal
Q-Latronica 60 run (DeLan kick)
S-Hollingsworth 19 run (Leo kick)
Q-Tincknell 1 run (DeLan kick)
Q-Latronica 3 run (DeLan kick)
S-Powell 11 run (Jenne run)
Q-Fath 23 pass from Tincknell (kick failed)
S-Powell 11 run (Leo kick)
S Q
First Downs 18 9
Rushing Yards 186 125
Passing Yards 67 151
Total Yards 253 276
Passing (C-A-I) 5-10-1 8-14-0
Fumbles-Lost 5-2 1-0
Penalties-Yds. 7-70 4-55
Punts-Avg. 3-34.0 4-22.0
RUSHING:
Souderton – Powell, 18-115, 2 TDs; Lynch, 10-39; Jenne, 7-35; Kelly, 3-9; D.Passarella, 3-(-12).
Quakertown – Latronica, 18-111, 2 TDs; Burke, 5-15; Festa, 1-1; Tincknell, 8-(-2).
PASSING:
Souderton – D.Passarella, 5-10-67, 1 INT.
Quakertown – Tincknell, 8-14-151, 1 TD.
RECEIVING:
Souderton – Muller, 3-39; Powell, 1-17; Lynch, 1-11.
Quakertown – Fath, 3-58, 1 TD; Roberts, 2-55; Olimpo, 1-24; Latronica, 2-14.
- Log in to post comments
0
