Covert’s action clinches Academy Park’s road victory

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FALLS TWP. >> Devon Covert jumped into the arms of a teammate, then bounced his way toward Academy Park’s side of the field. Smiling widely, Covert laughed as he uttered two words over and over again.

“Ball game, boys,” Covert said. “That’s it. Ball game.”

Barry Brown’s rushing touchdown, and Covert’s game-clinching interception two plays later clinched Academy Park’s 28-21 season-opening victory Friday night over Pennsbury. The Knights overcame a 14-point deficit and forced three turnovers (two after halftime) to rally past the Falcons.

Skylor Fillis went 9-for-15 for 159 yards, and added a team-leading 109 yards on the ground to carry the Knights to a win few at Falcon Field saw coming.

“Down 14-0, yeah, we felt like we had a lot of pressure on us,” said Fillis, the Knights’ senior quarterback. “Everyone always says adversity is our weakness. We’re trying to prove them wrong.”

No one would have faulted the Knights for breaking under the pressure of two missed chances to score touchdowns.
Fillis deftly floated a 27-yard fade in the first quarter to Ed Soloku, through whose fingertips slipped the first opportunity to score. Next, Fillis appeared to have evened the score at 7-all when he broke the goal line on a 10-yard keeper.

“That was a touchdown, for sure,” Covert said.

The game’s line judges thought otherwise, ruling that Fillis fumbled through the back of the end zone and awarding possession to Pennsbury.

“The score’s always 0-0 until the clock hits triple zero,” Covert said.

That mentality kept Academy Park competitive.

First- and second-quarter runs from Josh Boyda and Ed Dualu, respectively, handed Pennsbury a comfortable 14-0 advantage with slightly more than four minutes remaining in the half. Academy Park had other ideas.

Fillis guided the Knights across 90 yards in 2 minutes and 45 seconds, punctuated by a 48-yard catch and run from Brown and Zion Bradley’s 11-yard scoring rush. On its next possession, Pennsbury failed to earn a first down and Academy Park systematically used its timeouts. That set the stage for Johnson, whose 62-yard punt return down the left side brought Academy Park nearly level with the Falcons at intermission.

“We got discouraged, but we were never out of it,” Fillis said. “One play is all it takes.”

Actually, all it took was six plays.

After halftime, Academy Park’s defense reverted to its expected form. The first six snaps by Pennsbury’s offense in the third quarter resulted in four yards of total offense and zero first downs. That’s when the Knights saw their opening. Covert reversed field twice, covering far more than the 41 yards he was credited for on a lengthy scoring rush. That gave the Knights a 20-14 lead, their first of the game.

Pennsbury, two possessions later, capped a 77-yard drive with a 2-yard score by Boyda to put the pressure back on the Knights.

But with 2:29 remaining, Brown took a reverse, followed a block from Fillis, and found the end zone on a 12-yard scoring run that put Academy Park ahead for good.

So what was the play call?

“I called for the ball. I wanted the ball,” Brown said, laughing, “but that play call is exclusive. My man Sky put up a good block and I had to read off of that.”

Added Fillis: “Whatever it takes, even if that means throwing some blocks.”

Nothing was official until Covert swiped a pass from Pennsbury quarterback Drew Hensor, his third interception on 18 pass attempts.

“My man Marcus McBurrows tipped it up in the air,” Covert said. “I saw it. I just saw that jawn so I dove for it, I got it, and we won. Ball game. That’s it. That’s what I told the guys…

“Ball game.”

The Knights hope they won’t have to rally back from double-digit deficits too often, but if they do, that won’t bother Covert.

“There’s more to come from us,” he said.

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Christopher A. Vito

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