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FORT WASHINGTON - Upper Dublin’s players, according to senior running back Tyler Marks, were hoping to make a statement heading into next week’s American Conference play.Accumulating 218 yards of offense in the first half – 165 of those on the ground – and 413 in the game in a 44-13 win over Harry S. Truman might have sent a message to the Flying Cardinals’ conference foes.
“This was so important because we needed to establish ourselves as a contender, not only in our conference but in the Suburban One League,” Marks said. “We’re thinking about going to the playoffs 9-1 to finish the season and be a big contender.”
With Marks and a healthy Anthony Williams in the backfield to complement talented quarterback Andrew Derr, the Flying Cardinals boast a formidable offense.
Williams returned to the starting lineup fully recuperated from an ankle injury that limited his touches in Upper Dublin’s loss to Central Bucks West and kept him on the sidelines in last week’s win over Upper Perk.
“It’s very nice to have Anthony back,” Marks said of his teammate in the backfield. “It just makes the running game a lot better. Anthony really steps it up.”
Williams made his presence felt immediately, rushing for 91 yards and three touchdowns in a superb first half. The senior running back added 15 more in a cameo appearance early in the second half before taking a seat on the bench with 106 yards.
“This is my first game back, and I was a little nervous in the beginning, but I started getting a little more comfortable,” Williams said. “The atmosphere, and the crowd started getting into it.
“It’s our home opener. We wanted to set things straight (after last season).”
Marks added 74 yards – all in the first half, and Derr was 8-for-12 for 116 yards in a solid outing. All told, 12 different players touched the football for the Cardinals as coach Bret Stover went deep on his bench.
“It was nice to have that luxury and get everybody in,” the Flying Cardinals’ coach said. “We haven’t played a jayvee game yet. Truman obviously doesn’t field a jayvee team, so it was a chance for our guys to see the field and keep them energized.”
On the other side of the field, Truman coach Ed Cubbage knew that things would get tough in a hurry after his team’s win over Ben Franklin last week, and they certainly did. The shorthanded Tigers – with 25 players dressed – wore down noticeably as the game progressed, but they battled to the end.
“I kept telling the guys I was proud of them,” Cubbage said. “I know the score was out of hand a little bit, but all I can ask them to do is keep on fighting and keep fighting for each other, and we’re doing that.”
The Tigers’ effort was not lost on Stover.“Those kids play hard for 48 minutes out there,” the Flying Cardinals’ said. “I have trouble believing their other coach quit on them, but I think Ed is doing a great job holding the ship together.
“Their kids just ran out of gas. I’ve been on the other end of that before.”
On their opening drive of the night, the Flying Cardinals marched 55 yards on six plays for a touchdown. The drive included a 14-yard pass from Derr to Marks, who also had a 20-yard run. Williams made his presence felt, dashing 19 yards on his second touch of the night. Marks took it in from three yards out, and Eric Boyer’s extra point make it a 7-0 game.
But not for long.
After a 40-yard kick-off return by quarterback Derren Thompson took the ball to the Tigers’ 48, Truman went 52 yards on seven players with Thompson taking it in untouched for a TD from 11 yards out. Quinton Bryant’s extra point made it a 7-7 game with 5:24 remaining in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, a Tiger fumble was recovered by Marks on the Truman 29-yard line. Williams ran it 28 yards on the first play and then punched it in for a touchdown that – after Boyer’s extra point – put the Cardinals on top 14-7.“Fumbles are big,” Marks said. “They fumbled a lot – it was important that we covered them up because it could get a touchdown for us, and they missed out on a chance to score.”
Another Tiger fumble – this one recovered by Ryan Hopkins – on the Tigers’ 26-yard line – set the stage for a six-yard TD run by Williams. Hopkins had a big 20-yard reception from Derr on the short drive.
“We gave them the ball twice inside the (30), and they capitalized on the second play after each fumble,” Cubbage said. “That’s what happens when you’re a struggling team. You hang your head a little bit.
“That’s something we have to learn from. If we turn the ball over, we can’t go into the tank and hang our heads. We have to stop it right there.”
The Flying Cardinals weren’t finished yet, and a 55-yard TD drive in the closing moments of the half sent them into the intermission with a 28-7 lead.
On the Cardinals’ opening possession of the second half, they took it 62 yards for a touchdown that featured three straight completions by Derr as well as Jino Park punching it in from five yards out. The Cardinals didn’t convert the extra point but still led 34-7.
The Cardinals turned yet another Tiger fumble into a 30-yard Boyer field goal, and when sophomore Khalid Weems took it in from two yards out early in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals led 44-7, and the mercy rule went into effect.The Tigers put another TD on the scoreboard when Larry Winton raced 80 yards into the end zone for the 44-13 final.
The win was the second in six days for the Flying Cardinals after a season-opening loss to West.
“I think we matured a lot from the first game,” Marks said. “Everyone just steps it up.”
“We got beat by a pretty good team at Central Bucks West, and I think everybody is figuring that out,” Stover added. “Our kids have answered the bell the last two weeks.
“We’re not looking past anybody. We didn’t look past this team tonight, and we’re certainly not looking past Cheltenhem – they knocked us off last year. We know we’ll have a tough battle ahead of us, and that’s what we’re focusing on.”
NOTES: With the game well in hand late in the contest, Stover had back-up quarterback Brooks Kirk take a knee on four straight downs after his team had a first-and-goal. “That was very classy of him,” Cubbage said. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about him, and obviously, he runs a class program. To be honest, they’re a program we attain to become. They struggled for years, and they got a little bit better every year, and that’s what we want to do and hopefully keep the class part as well.”
UPPER DUBLIN 44, HARRY S TRUMAN 7
Truman 7 0 0 0-7
Upper Dublin 7 21 9 7-44
UD-Marks 3 run (Boyer kick)
HST-Thompson11 run (Bryant kick)
UD-Williams 1 run (Boyer kick)
UD-Williams 6 run (Boyer kick)
UD-Williams 1 run (Boyer kick)
UD-Park 5 run (Kick failed)
UD-Boyer 30 field goal
UD-Weems two run (Boyer kick)
HST-Winton 80 run (Kick failed)
HST UD
First Downs 7 18
Rushing Yards 190 297
Passing Yards 0 116
Total Yards 190 413
Passing (A-C-I) 0-4-0 8-12-0
Fumbles-Lost 4-3 2-0
Penalties-Yds. 4-25 6-55
Punts-Avg. 4-29.5 3-36.0
RUSHING:
Truman: Larry Winton, 6-98, 1 TD; Derron Thompson, 13-48, 1 TD; Dominique Leary, 6-27; Chapman, 5-17; Chris Ramsey, 2-2, Walther Long, 1-(-2).
UD: Anthony Williams, 16-106, 3 TDs; Tyler Marks, 10-74; Khalid Weems, 6-45, 1 TD; Brian Carson, 1-26; Tybre Stallings, 1-16; Mike Lee, 2-12; Nahmir Hack, 1-10; Jino Park, 2-6; Austin Stancato, 1-5; Zach Walsh, 2-1; Brandon Bing, 1-0; Andrew Derr, 1-(-4).
PASSING:
Truman: Derron Thompson, 0-4-0.
UD: Andrew Derr, 8-12-116
RECEIVING:
Truman: None
UD: Rich Orth, 3-37; Jeff Buchanan, 2-34; Hopkins, 1-20; Tyler Marks, 1-14; Anthony Williams, 1-11
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