Sloppiness aside, Penncrest wild about wet win

LOWER MERION >> The rain was relentless and the offense was stagnant. It was not going well for the Penncrest Lions.

Fumbled snap. Punt. Turnover on downs. Interception. Their first four possessions Friday were one mistake, one miscue after another. Then Nicholas Benecke got a new football. Then he threw a touchdown. Penncrest beat Harriton, 14-0, in a wet and sloppy Central League opener.

“What’s funny was,” Benecke explained, “we were playing with the waterlogged ball the whole first half. We switched the ball out and then that play happens.”

That play was a 34-yard toss right up the seam to Jayden Brown. The standout receiver was wide open. He waited for the ball around the 10-yard line and walked into the end zone. There were 94 seconds left before halftime.

It was the ball.

“He’ll blame the ball, I’m sure,” Penncrest coach Andrew Pidgeon said. “A mechanic that blames the wrench, right?”

Benecke threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns. The other score came midway through the third quarter on a 10-yard fade to David Cage. He high-pointed the ball and kept his balance in the corner of the end zone. It was probably Benecke’s best pass of the night.

Penncrest (1-1 overall) didn’t do a ton right offensively. The Lions fumbled four times. They wound up rushing for negative-11 yards due to those loose balls. Benecke threw two interceptions. Yet, the Lions won.

“We had a rough one last week, but our guys worked hard all week and they did a good job getting in the right mindset,” Pidgeon said. “Harriton’s a tough team.”

The Rams (1-1) had their chances. Their first play from scrimmage was from the 2-yard line. They moved backwards and the field goal was blocked.

That was a sign of things to come.

Penncrest’s defense was the reason why. It yielded 67 yards of total offense and two completed passes.

“They executed their assignments (and) it paid off,” Pidgeon said. “They got the zero on the scoreboard, so that was the most important thing.”

Life will surely be tougher next week against Strath Haven. School starts Tuesday. The Lions will practice Monday despite not being able to enter their own facility. The season gets different and much more real now.

The Lions know what awaits.

“We came out with the (win), but we definitely need to score more,” Benecke said. “Especially next week against Strath Haven.”