Garnett, Boyertown power past Methacton
BOYERTOWN >> He knew he’d have to put his teammates on his shoulders.
With his team leading by just six points at the start of the second half, quarterback Lawrence Garnett knew it was time to get into rhythm.
Orchestrating a stellar second half, Garnett led Boyertown to a 38-13 win over Methacton Friday night at Boyertown’s Memorial Stadium on the school’s Homecoming Night.
Garnett finished with 318 total yards to go along with six touchdowns.
“We were all out of sync in the first half, and it showed,” he said afterward. “We knew we needed to come out in the second and play a lot better. Once our offense got back into sync and started making the plays, it really helped out our defense.”
The win propels Boyertown to its second-straight win, making the Bears 3-2 in the PAC-10 and 3-3 overall.
Methacton drops to 0-5 in the PAC-10 and 0-6 overall.
After a slow 1-3 start to the season, Boyertown head coach George Parkinson hopes being back at an even record can help his team to stay focused as it hits an integral point in the season.
“Getting back to .500 is definitely good for the team’s morale,” he said. “We had a slow start to our season, but we’re hoping these wins can help us keep rolling as we hit the tough stretch in our schedule.”
Overcoming the team’s slow start against Methacton, Garnett completed 13 of his 25 passes on the night, good enough for 167 yards through the air. Two of his touchdown passes went to wide out Jerry Kapp while fullback Marcus Thomas hauled in another.
Thomas also carried it 11 times for 60 yards while Chris Berry made four catches for 68 yards.
On the ground, Garnett piled up 161 yards on 18 carries for three touchdowns.
“I knew I had to make plays for us to stay ahead,” he said. “The offensive line played excellent today. They created holes when we needed to run the ball and gave us good pass protection all night. They definitely deserve a ton of credit.”
Kapp also recognized his team’s efforts down in the trenches.
“Without those guys up front, it’s a completely different game,” he said. “They gave Lawrence a lot of time in the pocket and he made the most of it. It was good to be able to get us on the board twice.”
Boyertown’s defense didn’t make life easy for the Methacton offense, either.
Hunter Vogels and Chris Berry each had an interception while David Terry came up with a sack.
Evan Giannetti, Pat Ricci and Robert Cavalari each made a tackle for a loss.
Nearly midway through the second quarter, Nicholas Moccia forced a fumble and had the mind to fall on top of it.
Methacton head coach Paul Lepre says the turnovers proved costly.
“Our offense put our defense in a few too many bad positions and (Boyertown) made us pay for it,” he said. “They got the short field in a few situations. We’ve got to do a better job of limiting our mistakes and taking care of the ball.”
On the game, quarterback Jason Eckman finished 12 of 23 for 143 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Receiver Dylan Feaster hauled in both touchdown receptions, including a beautiful 10-yard goaline fade on the first play of the second quarter while racking up 87 yards on seven receptions.
“Jason is putting a lot of time and effort into his game and he’s getting better every week,” said Lepre. “He’s a team type of guy. It was good to see he and Dylan connecting out there. They have both been plugging away all season.”
Although the Warriors still boast a winless record on the season, Lepre admires his players’ efforts even down to the final minutes.
“It’s something we constantly try to instill upon these guys,” he said. “It’s about the effort all the way through. We’re proud of the guys and the efforts they’ve been giving week after week.”
Coming off the win, the Bears will be in for a real challenge over the next few weeks.
With a trip to Perkiomen Valley (5-0, 6-0) coming next Friday, the Bears will then return home to take on Pottsgrove (3-2, 3-3) the following week.
“We needed these two wins to get the right mindset heading into our next handful of games,” said Parkinson. “We’ve got some really tough games coming up against PV and Pottsgrove, so we’ll need to play our best.”
NOTES >> Boyertown was flagged for 128 yards on 14 penalties. Methacton had nine penalties for 71 yards. … Methacton’s Dylan Henry made three tackles for a loss.
