Pottstown holds off Methacton, 12-6, to get Fischer his first win

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> Pottstown first-year head coach Mark Fischer tried to blend in to a sea of white jerseys. Wearing a blue polo, he was easy to spot.

The Gatorade bath came flowing as the Trojans partied around him. The shower was coupled with a gift as he was given the game ball by quarterback Owen Morton before the team broke their huddle. The first win of hopefully many is finally under Fischer’s belt.

Really no one will care how pretty it was.

Morton threw for a game-high 194 yards and a score as the Trojans fought off penalties and a spirited Methacton fourth-quarter comeback en route to a 12-6 victory Friday night at the Warriors’ Military Appreciation Night.

The win snaps a three-game losing streak for Pottstown (1-3 overall) and is the Trojans’ first win since defeating Upper Merion 20-6 in Week 8 of last season. This one didn’t come easy as the Trojans were penalized 12 times for 90 yards and nearly saw a 12-0 lead dissipate in the game’s final six minutes. However, a stout defensive effort was critical as they limited the Warriors (0-4) to just 126 yards of total offense before coming away with the takeover of the game, stopping Methacton on a fourth and seven at their 15-yard line with two minutes remaining.

“The biggest thing is these guys fought hard all night long,” Fischer said. “At halftime we said ‘it’s 0-0 game, we just have to come out and win one half of football’ and we did,” Fischer said. “Speaking of the defense, we’ve gotten a lot better than where we were at in Week 1 so we’re going in the right direction. It’s well deserved.”

Morton led the way through the air with a game-high 194 yards and two total touchdowns, his 1-yard sneak giving Pottstown a 6-0 lead midway through the third quarter. Sophomore receiver Josiah Wiggins hauled in three receptions for 51 yards, his 25-yard touchdown reception in the fourth acting as the decider as he hauled in a pass on a crossing pattern from Morton, shook off a tackler, toed the sideline and raced the rest of the way for the score.

“I was coming on the crossing route and when I got to him (Methacton defender) I was thinking of lowering my shoulder but I knew I could get around him,” Wiggins said. “I did what I could do to get him off of me and score the touchdown.”

His touchdown proved vital as Methacton battled right back. Following Wiggins’ touchdown, Joe Costello came away with a momentum boosting kickoff return, shirking off would-be tacklers before finding the edge and racing 65 yards for the Warriors first touchdown of the season. His touchdown was followed by a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff that gave Methacton possession at Pottstown’s 36 with five minutes remaining where Dylan Shultz capitalized and found a wide-open Nicholas Olivieri on a flag route for a 41-yard catch that brought the Warriors down inside the Pottstown 5. The celebration, however, was short-lived. Penalized for their second sideline infraction (first coming on the kickoff return for touchdown), the Warriors were sent back to the Pottstown 18 and turned the ball over on downs four plays later.

Schultz finished with 106 yards on a 12-of-21 effort with Olivieri finishing with 57 yards on four receptions for a Methacton squad that hasn’t scored an offensive touchdown in their 0-4 start.

“Joe makes a super play on the run back. We get decent blocking, saw a lane, bounced it outside and made a hell of a run to give us an opportunity,” Methacton head coach Paul Lepre said. “We pick up the ball on the next drive and take it down to the 2 and unfortunately get penalized for being excited about having something good happen. We just couldn’t get what we needed there after that.

“It is what it is. We have to be able to execute better and these guys will grow into that.”

Receiver/defensive back Jamal Adams finished with a game-best four receptions for 86 yards and his third interception of the season. Daniel Darden and Aubrey King finished with a sack apiece.

“Defense picked it up tonight,” Adams said. “I was just trying to be around the field as much as I can, back them up just like they back me up. That’s all there is to it, I got my brothers just like they got me.”