By Scott Huff
Quakertown – Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
The 81st Thanksgiving Day meeting between Pennridge and Quakertown will most likely be remembered by alumni for the steady – and unexpected – snow that covered the Alumni Field landscape in the first half.
But for the seniors on both teams, the final score will also be deposited in their respective memory banks.
Pennridge 22 – Quakertown 12.
The Rams now own a 50-26-5 record in this storied series with the Panthers that dates back to 1930.
“Playing in the snow was amazing,” said Pennridge senior running back Jesse Knepp who rushed for a game-high 175 yards and a pair of long distance touchdowns. “These are the kind of game you dream about as a kid. It was like playing in your backyard with your best friends.”While Knepp stole the offensive spotlight for the Rams, senior Kyle McCabe stole the defensive limelight with some key plays at cornerback.
“This is it – the last game playing for Pennridge,” said McCabe. “This has been the best four years of my life. It has been a lot of fun.”
The scoring fun for the Rams, though, didn’t take place until the second period – the game was scoreless after one period.
Knepp – who saved a touchdown for Pennridge when he chased down Justin Hillegas after the Panther cornerback intercepted a pass – earned scoring honors for the Rams on a 63-yard run.
“Jesse chasing that kid down was a huge play for us,” said Pennridge head coach Randy Cuthbert. “That tells you all you need to know about him – he never gives up.”
Pennridge would score at the conclusion of the first half when Q-town was flagged for a controversial pass interference call, and Ram senior Dan Caya blasted a 25-yard field goal to stretch the lead to 9-0.“Let’s just say that I’m glad we didn’t lose the game by three points,” grinned Quakertown head coach George Banas. “I’m proud of the way that we battled back in the game. And we have done that all season.”
Quakertown scored on its first possession of the second half to slice the lead to 9-6.
Junior quarterback Zac Gravelle capped a nine-play, 61-yard Panther scoring drive with a nifty 14-yard touchdown run. Gravelle would finish with 108 yards rushing and 159 yards passing and a pair of TD runs.
“I think that Gravelle and (Matt) Johns (CB South) are clearly the best two quarterbacks in the conference,” said Cuthbert. “He is excellent both running and throwing the football.”
Pennridge took advantage of a Quakertown fumble to set up its second touchdown. Senior quarterback Kyle Peters dashed 33 yards to set up the one-yard TD blast by senior Brandon Cope.
Quakertown refused to go away.
The Panthers closed to within 15-12 with a scoring drive of their own. Gravelle – who highlighted the drive with a 21-yard pass to Nick Perrine – concluded the drive with a 17-yard scoring dash,
The final drive of the game – and the season – for the Rams secured the victory.
Knepp was again the catalyst of the drive and jetted 51 yards on a fake reverse for the touchdown. Caya’s placement would make the score final at 22-12.
“This season I thought our defense was the best that it has been in years,” said Cuthbert. “It set the tone for us in the games that we won.”
“I was proud of the kids, and proud of the season,” said Banas. “We played a very good nonleague schedule with (Archbishop) Wood and Downingtown (West). We really weren’t blown out of any game.
“We competed well in our conference against the Soudertons and the North Penns,” added Banas. “The kids will be able to look back at this season and be happy.”
Pennridge 0 9 0 13 - 22
Quakertown 0 0 6 6 - 12
P: Jesse Knepp 63 run (run failed)
P: Dan Caya 25 FG
Q: Zac Gravelle 14 run (kick failed)
P: Brandon Cope 1 run (run failed)
Q: Gravelle 17 run (kick failed)
P: Knepp 51 run (Caya kick)
Pennridge Quakertown
11 First Downs 13
241 Rush Yards 122
64 Pass Yards 159
305 Total Offense 281
4-32 Punts / Avg 2-26
3-25 Pen. / Yards 8-48
Pennridge:
Rushing: Jesse Knepp 17-175- 2 TD; Kyle Peters 8-38; Brandon Cope 11-30- TD; Carter Peters 1-1; Dylan Moore 1 (minus 3). Totals 38-241- 3 TD.
Passing: Kyle Peters 3-10-1; 64 yards.
Receiving: Rocky Ferrier 2-52; Cope 1-12. Totals 3-64.
Interceptions: Dylan Moore
Quakertown:
Rushing: Zac Gravelle 18-108- 2 TD; John Keller 6-11; Joe Able 3-6; Cole Schmidt 3 (minus 3). Totals 30-122- 2 TD.
Passing: Gravelle 11-26-1; 159 yards
Receiving: Nick Perrine 4-62; Able 3-25; Justin Wieder 2-39; Nick Barndt 1-20; Schmidt 1-13. Totals 11-159.
Interceptions: Justin Hillegas
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