Hun School overpowers Hill School, 60-7
POTTSTOWN >> It’s a unique dilemma Todd Smith faces.
The Hun School’s head coach and his assistants have an abundance of skill players capable of producing on the gridiron. With that plethora of quarterbacks, running backs and receivers, the challenge is to give them as many touches as possible.
“We’re fortunate to have good players,” Smith said following Saturday’s game with The Hill School at Dell Field. “We try to spread the ball enough.”
The Raiders were able to do that … and in an extremely big way. They rolled up a 60-7 win on the Rams in their Mid-Atlantic Prep League contest, one held in conjunction with the Hill recognizing its sixth-formers and their parents pre-game.
Ian Franzoni scored three times to lead the way, all on running plays. Nicholas DeGennaro reached the end zone twice on passes from Jackson Barletta, who split time behind center with Logan Clouse, and four other Hun players added single scores in the win.
A total of 12 Raiders either threw passes, caught the ball or ran it. Thusly fueled, the visitors from Princeton, N.J. built a 40-7 halftime lead and got the running clock in action with a third-period touchdown.
“We try to make sure we’re not a one-pony show,” Smith said. “We have a lot of kids who help with this.”
It made for a long afternoon for the Hill (0-2 MAPL; 0-6 overall), which remained in search of its first win of the season. The Rams’ high point came in the second quarter, when quarterback Javon Clements and Tim Youndt hooked up on a 51-yard scoring toss at the 7:12 mark, and Youndt added the conversion kick.
“We were facing a good team,” Hill head coach Jeff Hollway said. “They had 28 wins in a row at one time.”
The Raiders got their roll going less than 2-1/2 minutes from the opening kickoff, Joshua Henderson going 23 yards around his right end at the 9:39 mark. Franzoni racked up the next two scores, on runs of four and 18 yards, to stake Hun to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter.
The second quarter saw Ahmad Dixon — he ran the conversion after Franzoni’s first score — bull his way up the middle for two yards and a score with 8:44 left in the half. Barletta (4-for-10, 138 yards) then connected with DeGennaro (five receptions, 153 yards) on TD passes covering 10 and 70 stripes in the final four minutes of the first half.
In the second half, Clouse (9-for-13, 215 yards) found Barletta at the end of a 39-yard pass with about 3-1/2 minutes gone. Franzoni then sprinted 37 yards around his left end at 10:33 of the fourth, and Jai Miller ran a game-high 62 yards with 4:45 left to cap the romp.
“The big thing is, we came out healthy,” Smith said.
While the Raiders had a whopping 653 yards of total offense (297 rushing, 356 passing), the Rams were held to 248 (141 ground, 107 air). Maurice Mazzccua ran for 84 on nine carries in the first half before sustaining an apparent shoulder injury, and Gernard Finney had three receptions for 46 yards to lead the Hill receiving corps.
“The kids do fight,” Hollway said. “They may not be as big or strong as others, but they’re a fun group to work with.”
On the defensive side, the Rams’ Jackson Kretzing and Justin Adedinsewo came up with interceptions. Ahmir Lyles was credited with a sack of Barletta in the second quarter.
With what Hollway termed a “long weekend” coming up, the Rams will clear their collective heads and regroup for next weekend’s trip to Blair Academy.
“This will give the kids a chance to get away from each other, to reflect on how to finish the season strong,” he said.
NOTES >> After the Hun scored on its first two possessions, the teams went back-and-forth six times before the Raiders scored again. … While the Hill punted six times for an average of 34 yards per kick, the visitors didn’t punt once.
