Gutowski’s return buoys Delco Christian
NEWTOWN SQUARE >> There wasn’t much else Luke Gutowski could do Saturday at Marple Newtown’s Crozer-Keystone Stadium to atone for last week’s disappointing loss.
Delco Christian’s senior quarterback and team captain was injured and unable to help his team to victory at Morrisville. Late mistakes cost the Knights a game they were favorite to win.
“We could have won that game last week,” said Gutowski, who returned to the starting lineup Saturday. The Knights went back to work against another Bicentennial League foe, Lower Moreland, and this time avoided the pitfalls that sunk them last week.
Gutowski’s three touchdown runs, including two in the fourth quarter, propelled Delco Christian to a 38-24 win.
“The hard work in practice pays off,” said Gutowski, who accumulated 105 yards on 13 carries.
Jalen Mitchell led all DC rushers with 169 yards on 17 totes. As a team the Knights amassed 350 yards on the ground.
“That was a good team we played here today,” said Gutowski, tipping his cap to LM. “We just had to fight them the whole way. They came back against us in the second half and made it a close ballgame. They were on us the whole time. Getting this win today, it feels pretty good. We’re 3-2 right now and that’s great.”
Gutowski sprinted out of the pocket, turned the corner and raced 29 yards to the end zone three minutes into the fourth quarter to put the Knights (3-2, 2-1) ahead by two touchdowns. Lower Moreland (0-3, 0-2) had an answer for most DC scores, as quarterback Coleman Peppleman connected with fullback/tight end Matthew Stefurak for three-yard touchdown strike to pull within seven points with seven minutes to play.
Peppleman and LM’s aerial attack gave the Knights fits for most of the day, although Noah Warren and Jordan Mitchell notched interceptions in the second half to thwart further damage. Peppleman was 13 of 19 for 212 yards and four touchdowns. Stefuark made seven catches for 152 yards and two TDs.
Gutowski’s third scoring run, with two minutes left, sealed the Knights’ third win of the season.
The Knights wore the Lower Moreland defense out. When their wishbone offense is clicking, the Knights are finely-tuned machine.
“It’s what we do. It was fun to see our kids execute,” Delco Christian coach Drew Pearson said. “I thought that drive we had right before the half (to go up 21-12) … that was a crusher to them. But to their credit, they came out at halftime and (recovered) an onside kick right away and they scored on us. But for our kids to be resilient, that was great. Our defense responded with a couple big turnovers in the second half, and our offense just kept pounding the ball. That’s what we need to do if we’re going to be successful.
“The kids responded. Last week was tough. We were without Luke. Our backup quarterback did a great job, but we had four turnovers. It’s hard to win when we do that. For us, it’s always an execution thing with our offense.”
Despite the loss, Lower Moreland coach Justin Beck has been satisfied with the solid play of Peppleman, who is a first-year quarterback, and believes his program is taking steps in the right direction.
“We’re really happy with how (Peppleman) has grown,” Beck said. “He’s a very athletic kid and his athleticism allows him to extend plays, and we got receivers who know how to come back to the ball and make plays.
“They’re growing and playing at a higher level every week. Their athleticism is becoming a bigger part of what we’re seeing on the field, which is where we want them to play.”
