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By Scott Huff
Almost everyone you talked with around town – whether it was in Quakertown or Perkasie - expected the 2008 Quakertown-Pennridge game to be a good one. After all, both the Panthers and the Rams were PIAA District One Class AAAA playoff teams.
Almost everyone would be wrong – it was a great high school football game. The 79th meeting was a classic as Quakertown (9-3) rallied back to defeat Pennridge (6-6) at Alumni Field – 34-29.
“This was a game where you didn’t know who was going to win until there was 0:00 on the scoreboard,” said Quakertown head coach John Donnelly. “I thought that since both of us lost in the playoffs it might have taken something out of this game.”
But it didn’t – not by a long shot.
“We wanted to be aggressive,” said Pennridge head coach Randy Cuthbert. “This was the last game of the year, the last game for seniors – and it’s Quakertown.”
“There is no question that we wanted to unload the barrel,” said Donnelly. “We worked hard to prepare for this game, and sometimes that means you have to go against your tendencies.”
The game got off to an electrifying start.
Quakertown kicked off to the Ram 16-yard where junior Ryan Metzler cradled the ball. Twelve seconds and 84 yards later, Metzler crossed the goal line for the TD return. Place kicker Oliva O’Neill – the PHS Homecoming Queen – split the uprights on the PAT to give the Rams a 7-0 lead.The Panthers clawed right back. Quakertown marched 55 yards on eight plays for the score as junior quarterback Ryan Tincknell fired an 18-yard scoring pass to junior Kurtis Roberts. Geoff DeLan’s placement knotted the score at 7-7.
A key play in the drive was a fake punt on fourth and three at the Pennridge 48-yard line. DeLan took a toss from punt formation as rambled 26 yards for a first down at the Ram 22-yard line.
“We just put the fake punt in yesterday,” said Donnelly. “We felt that we needed to change some things up on offense, defense, and special teams. And that was one of them.
Pennridge reclaimed the lead behind some excellent carries by sophomore running back Jesse Knepp. Knepp accounted for 48 yards on the drive with the last 35 coming on a brilliant touchdown run. O’Neill’s PAT boosted the Ram lead to 14-7.
Quakertown again clawed right back with an eight-play, 52-yard scoring drive. Junior tailback Tony Latronica stole the spotlight on the drive with 33 yards rushing, and capped the march with an 11-yard scoring reception from Tincknell. DeLan’s PAT deadlocked the score at 14-14.
The roller coaster ride continued as Pennridge quickly regained the lead. Senior quarterback Brad Herrmann scooted along the Pennridge sideline and sprinted 45 yards for the score. O’Neill’s extra point gave the Rams a 21-14 halftime lead.
A scoreless third period preceded a breathtaking fourth period.
Quakertown knotted the score for a third time with a six-play, 71-yard scoring march. The Tincknell-to-Latronica TD connection worked again – this time on a gorgeous 20-yard TD pass. DeLan’s PAT made the score 21-21.
“Ryan did a great job of putting the ball where only I could catch it,” said Latronica. “But he has done that all season.”
Quakertown finally took the lead with just 1:25 left in the game. The Panthers took possession on the Q-town 26-yard line and went on a relentless march to the end zone.
Latronica – who carried the football a staggering 30 times for 213 yards – was workhorse that carried the Panthers to the win. Latronica carried the ball nine times on the drive as Q-town rushed for five key first downs. And the diminutive running back skirted the left side for a three-yard touchdown run. DeLan’s placement seemed to seal the deal at 28-21.
However, the fans were treated to a whirlwind finish.
Metzger returned the kickoff 48 yards to the Quakertown 38-yard line. And on a second-and-eight from the 18-yard line, Roberts intercepted Herrmann, under pressure from the Panther defensive front – on the five-yard line.
Roberts weaved his way through Ram tacklers and raced 95-yards with what appeared to be the final score with just 18 seconds left in the game.
The Rams were not done – however – as Zach Knepp scooped up the ensuing kickoff and jetted 80 yards for a touchdown. A two-point conversion from Herrmann to Daniel Pasquale would make the score final at 34-29.
“We had a good season – we made it to the playoffs,” said Herrmann, who rushed for 116 yards and passed for 91 more yards. “We tried to do everything we could today, but it wasn’t enough.”
“Brad is a player that we will really miss next year,” said Cuthbert. “He is a unique kid – a unique talent. He along with (Matt) Pattison and (Kyle) McCabe provided good leadership for this team.
“I feel the returning kids have a bright future,” added Cuthbert. “We were undersized most of the year against teams we played, and we took some good teams to the limit.”
“A win like this gives our seniors a great way to go out, and provides a lot of motivation for the underclassmen,” said Donnelly. “It’s a lot easier to pick up the weights when you can think back to a game like we played today.
“People didn’t give us much of a chance at the beginning of the season,” continued Donnelly. “But I think they know about us now.”
Talk around Quakertown will be of the success of the 2008 team – and the promise of the 2009 team.
And talk around Perkasie will have to be - wait until next year.
Pennridge 14 7 0 8 - 29
Quakertown 14 0 0 20 - 34
P: Metzler 84 kickoff return (O’Neill kick)
Q: Roberts 18 pass from Tincknell (DeLan kick)
P: J. Knepp 35 run (O’Neill kick)
Q: Latronica 11 pass from Tincknell (DeLan kick)
P: Herrmann 45 run (O’Neill kick)
Q: Latronica 20 pass from Tincknell (DeLan kick)
Q: Latronica 3 run (DeLan kick)
Q: Roberts 95 interception return (kick failed)
P: Z. Knepp 80 kickoff return (Pasquale pass from Herrmann)
First Downs: [P] – 16; [Q] – 21
Rush Yards: [P] – 212; [Q] – 335
Pass Yards: [P] – 91; [Q] – 72
Total Offense: [P] – 303; [Q] – 407
Punts: [P] – 3-35; [Q] – 2-30
Penalties: [P] – 5-50; [Q] – 4-30
Pennridge:
Rushing: Herrmann 15-116- TD; Knepp 13-94- TD; Walbridge 7-1; Metzler 2-1. Totals 37-212- 2 TD.
Passing: Herrmann 7-12-1; 91 yards.
Receiving: Swartley 3-29; Moyer 2-28; Pattison 1-31; Walbridge 1-3. Totals 7-91.
Interceptions: Cope
Quakertown:
Rushing: Latronica 30-213- TD; Tincknell 10-76; Burke 3-20; DeLan 1-26. Totals 44-335- TD.
Passing: Tincknell 5-12-1; 72 yards – 3 TD; Latronica 0-1-0, 0 yards. Totals 5-13-1, 72 yards – 3 TD.
Receiving: Latronica 2-31- 2 TD; Roberts 1-18- TD; Fath 1-18; Beach 1-5. Totals 5-13-72- 3 TD.
Interceptions: Roberts – TD.
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