Pottstown drops Octorara 26-6 in opener

POTTSTOWN >> Pottstown football struggled mightily for much of Mark Fischer’s first year, losing eight of its first nine contests as the team sputtered to a 2-10 record. But the second year head coach still expected big things from his team as they entered 2018.

One game in: so far, so good. Quarterback Josiah Wiggins ran for 160 yards and the Trojan defense allowed just 99 total yards as Pottstown trounced Octorara, 26-6 on Friday night at Grigg Memorial Stadium.

“This win means a lot,” Fischer said after the game. “These guys have been working hard since February. They’ve been grinding it out and to come out here and get the victory is great because we didn’t get off to such a good start last year.”

The Trojans opened the game by going three-and-out, but got the ball back after Octorara fumbled on its first play from scrimmage. Once again, Pottstown’s offense couldn’t move the ball effectively and turned the ball over on downs, but the Trojans caught a break as Octorara mishandled a punt attempt on the ensuing drive and handed Pottstown the ball just four yards from the end zone.

Wiggins’ hit Jorge Mundo for a touchdown on the very next play to put Pottstown ahead, 6-0.

“That fumble was huge,” Fischer said. “Credit Octorara for stopping our offense early in the game, but being able get that lead and carry it into halftime was big for our guys.”

“It seemed like we were dealing with some nerves early in the game,” Octorara coach Jed Knight added. “Our defense forced some turnovers, but we couldn’t run the ball on offense and we made some bad mistakes.”

The Octorara offense continued to struggle for much of the game as Knight rotated Nick Mattingly and Janson Schempp at quarterback. The duo combined to go 10-21 for 99 yards, with Mattingly tossing Octorara’s only touchdown of the game.

“Mattingly and Schempp both do things well at quarterback,” Knight explained. “I’ll probably use them both as the season goes on because I think they both can execute the offense. If one of them clearly takes the spot, the job is his, but I didn’t see enough tonight, so we’ll keep working with both.”

Pottstown built up a 14-0 lead before halftime as a 28-yard touchdown run by Wiggins and the subsequent two-point conversion capped off an 11-play, 67-yard drive.

Friday was just Wiggins’ second appearance at quarterback for the Trojans, but he led the offense like a veteran, scoring all four of Pottstown’s touchdowns and averaging a hefty 12.3 yards per carry.

“Wiggins is a major competitor,” Fischer said. “He’s been leading this team all offseason. He’s done a lot of work this week to get these guys ready for tonight’s game. He’s a dual-threat and if he’s outside the pocket and no one is open, he can take off for a big play.”

However, Octorara came out of halftime and took the ball 67 yards for their lone score of the game, a beautiful, 20-yard pass from Mattingly to Matt Keaton, who made a leaping catch in the corner of the end zone.

“Mattingly did a great job of keeping the defense in the middle of the field with his eyes before finding Keaton in the end zone,” Knight said.

Trailing by just eight points, the Braves looked like a team ready to make a comeback, but just one play after making it a one-score game, Wiggins scampered 62 yards for his third touchdown to put Pottstown up 20-6. From there, it was up to the Trojan defense, who put the clamps down on Octorara, allowing just 16 total yards over the Braves final three drives to seal the victory.

“We had eight starters back on defense,” Fischer explained. “Having those guys back is huge because we can build on what we worked on last year. We can plug guys in if someone goes down because everyone is comfortable with our scheme and our terminology.”

Pottstown rotated four guys in at running back, but the quarterback Wiggins was the star of the show, amassing 195 yards from scrimmage and totaling four touchdowns. Daniel and Dereck Darden added 79 yards on 21 combined carries, while Ezra Fitzgerald picked up 33 yards on seven totes.

Octorara’s offense struggled all night, as it finished with zero rushing yards, while allowing five sacks and averaging just 2.2 yards per play. Schempp was the leading rusher for the Braves, gaining 15 yards on five carries.

For Pottstown, Friday’s victory marked the first time the Trojans won their season opener since 2015, when the team finished 7-5.

“We have a few more things we want to add into our playbook,” Fischer said. “We’re not even close to where we want to be, but we’ll come in tomorrow to fix the mistakes and get better as a team.”