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LEVITOWN – Fans might have gotten the idea early in Saturday afternoon’s Homecoming Game against William Tennent that this was going to be Truman’s Day.
A day to remember, a day to savor for a struggling football program hoping to turn the corner.
Two plays after the Tigers recovered a fumble at their own 38-yard line, quarterback Derron Thompson turned an option play into a 50-yard gain. The junior quarterback was pulled down from behind at the nine-yard line, saving – albeit temporarily – a touchdown.
“The play was an option pitch or handoff,” Thompson explained. “I saw a big opening.
“I never knew a kid that small could catch me. I felt embarrassed, and I’ll hear about it from my uncle when I get home.”
No one should be complaining about Thompson’s failure to get into the end zone.
The junior quarterback’s big run – which two plays later resulted in a touchdown – ignited his jubilant Tiger teammates, who sprinted down the sidelines alongside Thompson.
The tone had been set.
By halftime, the Tigers led 20-0 on their way 35-0 rout of the Panthers, and for a Truman squad that was still stinging from its 44-0 loss to Pennsbury one week earlier, it was an afternoon to celebrate.
“It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s also a reward for them,” coach John Iannucci said. “They’re good kids.
“Twenty-eight players suited up today, but they hung in there. They proved that if you do it the right way, you’ll eventually get better and better. It takes time, but eventually you’ll get better and better.”
The Tigers opened the season with 40 players on their roster. They’re down to 33, but those players have bought into the system, and on Saturday, they began reaping the rewards.
“I think some of the guys who left thought it would be an instant fix,” Iannucci said. “There are still a lot of things to fix in the whole system.”
Those who didn’t hang around may be wishing they had, and the players were already looking forward to school on Monday.
“We can look at the people who’ve been saying, ‘You guys are losers,’” senior Anthony Dale said. “We’re just going to walk right by them with smiles on our faces.”
The shutout was the first in memory for Truman
“It feels great actually because defense has been good for us all year except for last week, but we turned it right around,” senior Anythong Dale said. “It just feels good.”
“More importantly, we played as a team,” Travis Thomas said.
“And we hit hard,” Donald Crawley added.
Thomas also deflected credit to the coaches.
“I just want to say thanks to the coaches because if it weren’t for them we would not have been here,” he said. “They have inspired us and shown us we shouldn’t give up and to keep striving for excellence.
“We’re not quite there yet, but we’re getting there slowly but surely.”
While the Tigers celebrated their big win, the Panthers were left to pick up the pieces after a loss that saw them turn the ball over six times – five times in the first half when all five of their possessions ended with turnovers.
“Let’s be honest – six turnovers is ridiculous,” Tennent coach Biz Keeny said. “We had 38 plays the first half but nothing to show for it other than turnovers.
“It’s frustrating. You just can’t give up the ball that many times at any level – let alone when you’re playing a high school football game.”
The first turnover at Truman’s 38-yard line brought a quick halt to a five-play drive that included a pair of Panther first downs.
One play later, Thompson was sprinting down the sidelines for a 50-yard gain.
“That started the fire,” Truman senior Tom Bremme said. “It made the whole team pumped up, and we kept it up the whole game.”
“I only play defense, but just seeing that motivates me more to get the job done,” added Dale. “It just feels great that your offense is doing something and you want to go out and shut them out.”
That’s exactly what the Tigers did.
A 10-yard completion from quarterback Adam Asterito to John Archut gave the Panthers another first down, but four plays later, the ball was on the turf again, and this time Thompson – who had himself a monster day – pounced on it and raced 48 yards for a touchdown that put the Tigers on top 12-0 with 4:07 remaining in the first quarter.
Things went from bad to worse for the Panthers.
On their ensuing possession, a Panther receiver slipped down, and Thomas was there for the interception, sprinting all the way to the Panthers’ 12-yard line.
Three plays later, Lional Chapman took the pitch and ran it in from 10 yards out for a touchdown, and after a Thompson to Thomas completion on the two-point conversion, the Tigers led 20-0.
The Panthers watched a 12-play drive late in the half come to a screeching halt when Truman’s Drew Peterson came up with an interception, allowing the Tigers to take their commanding lead into the intermission.
“First of all, they didn’t know how to act when it was 20-0 at halftime,” Iannucci said. “That’s a new experience for them.
“I told them in the second half we needed to take the ball and drive it right down the field and show that we’re the better football team.”
The Tigers were happy to oblige, opening the third quarter with a 15-play, 80-yard scoring drive that culminated when Thompson punched it in from a yard out. Ishmil Bullock pulled in a Thompson pass for the two-point conversion, and the Panthers led 28-0.
The drive included a pair of huge fourth-down conversions.
On a fourth-and-one at the Panthers’ 18, James Schmidt, who finished the day with 55 yards, gained six yards. On another fourth-and-one – this one at the three-yard line, Thompson picked up the necessary yardage to move the chains.
“Good teams make fourth and shorts, and we made a couple,” Iannucci said. “Average teams can move the ball, but good teams make those plays.
“We also stopped them three times on fourth and shorts, and that’s always great.”
Three times in the second half the Tigers took over on downs as their defense made all the plays, and with time winding down, they tacked on their fifth touchdown of the day – this one after a five-yard Thomas run. Bremme’s extra point made it a 35-0 game, and the mercy rule went into effect.
While Tennent fell to 0-4 in the SOL (1-6 overall), the Tigers improved to 1-3 in the league (2-5 overall). They hope their big win is an omen of good things to come.
“Our coaches are the only ones who think we can do it,” Bremme said.
“And the people with the Truman jerseys on standing on the sidelines,” Crawley added.
“And parents,” a teammate said.
“And guardians,” another said.
For now, that’s more than enough.
NOTES: Thompson finished the day with 110 yards on the ground and a pair of completions on two-point conversions. He also had a fumble return for a TD. “He’s got a long ways to go, but he’s improving every week,” Iannucci said of his junior QB. “Sometimes he’s his own worst enemy because he thinks too much. If he just plays and has some confidence in his mental ability, he’ll do fine.”…Tyler Hamlet led the Panthers with 72 rushing yards.
HARRY S. TRUMAN 35, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
William Tennent 0 0 0 0-0
Harry S. Truman 12 8 8 7-35
HST-Chapman 6 run (Kick failed)
HST-Thompson 48 fumble return (Kick failed)
HST-Chapman 10 run (Thomas pass from Thompson)
HST-Thompson 1 run (Bullock pass from Thompson)
HST-Thomas 5 run (Bremme kick)
WT HST
First Downs 13 11
Rushing Yards 141 238
Passing Yards 65 5
Total Yards 206 243
Passing (C-A-I) 3-11-2 1-3-0
Fumbles-Lost 5-4 1-0
Penalties-Yds. 3-20 9-60
Punts-Avg. 0 1-51.0
RUSHING:
William Tennent – Tyler Hamlet, 17-72; Ed Ruiz, 9-38; Conner Geiger, 9-28; Adam Asterito, 2-9; Matt Pirolli, 3-(-6).
Harry S. Truman – Derron Thompson, 11-110, 1 TD; James Schmidt, 10-55; Travis Thomas, 7-41, 1 TD: Lional Chapman, 7-23; Chris Ramsey, 2-12; Drew Peterson, 1-(-3)
PASSING:
William Tennent – Adam Asterito, 2-9-35, 2 INTs; Kevin Kilkenny, 1-2-30.
Harry S. Truman, Derron Thompson, 1-3-5, 1 INT.
RECEIVING:
William Tennent – Matt Pirolli, 3-55; John Archut, 1-10.
Harry S. Truman - Dejuan Green, 1-5.
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