Quakertown rides Patrick, atmosphere to homecoming victory over Cheltenham
QUAKERTOWN >> A quick look around Quakertown’s football stadium will reveal a certain oddity; there’s no track.
Built in the middle of town, Alumni Field simply doesn’t have the space for one, placing the bleachers right on top of the field. And, boy, were those stands rocking Friday night as the Panthers rolled to a 40-6 homecoming victory over Cheltenham.
“Our student section is always supporting us, the stands are always filled,” junior running back Christian Patrick said. “It’s always loud and a great atmosphere.”
“It’s second to none,” Quakertown coach George Banas added. “There aren’t any stadiums where the crowd and the band are on top of you like this. I can turn around from the sideline and let the band director know we need something and they answer the call every time.”
Patrick led the way for Quakertown (6-1, 4-0 SOL American), finishing the night with 17 carries for 117 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.
“It’s just so much fun being out there,” Patrick said after the game. “I love my offensive line. They’re great people. Our coaches wanted us to focus on the basics so we wouldn’t make any mistakes.”
Quakertown’s lead is up to 20-6 after Patrick’s second TD of the game. pic.twitter.com/p8GmMA5vFv
— Tucker Bagley (@tbagley515) October 6, 2017
Quakertown got the lead on the first drive of the game when linebacker Nick Levinski recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.
“It was great to get off to that kind of start,” Levinski said. “Our whole team played well, but I’m glad I could start the game off with a play like that.”
Patrick’s first touchdown followed soon to give the Panthers a 13-0 advantage, but Cheltenham (0-7, 0-3) responded quickly as Jamir Barnes rushed for a 39-yard touchdown that proved to be Cheltenham’s only score of the game.
Quakertown’s quarterback, Brad Bryan, threw just eight passes in the contest, but he connected on six of those throws, including a 21-yard touchdown pass to Tim Shevlin in the second quarter. Overall, the signal-caller finished the day with 93 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns before giving way to a pair of back up QBs in the third quarter.
“I think it’s a benefit that we run so much, because that opens up our passing game,” Banas said. “[Bryan] is a really smart kid, he didn’t try to force any throws where he shouldn’t have, he was just really patient.”
As a team, Quakertown put up 305 yards on the ground and held Cheltenham to just 157 yards of offense.
As the game wore on, Banas decided to let thirteen different Panthers carry the ball to make senior night, and homecoming, as memorable as possible for his players.
“I think we owe it to the players to get them on the field,” Banas explained. “Even the underclassmen who work so hard on the scout team during the week, everyone saw the field tonight. We try to make it meaningful so everyone can look back in 30 years and say, ‘I did that on senior night in 2017.’”
“It was awesome watching those guys run,” Patrick added. “Everyone loves getting the ball, and it also confuses the defense because they don’t know who it’s going to.”
And as for those cozy confines of Alumni Field, don’t expect any changes anytime soon.
“This is football,” Banas said. “You can take those eight-lane tracks and walking tracks and those far-away bleachers and shove it because you won’t get the atmosphere that you do here.”
