CB East shows no mercy on William Tennent
WARMINSTER >> In a pass-heavy game featuring two senior quarterbacks, it was Central Bucks East that came away with a statement victory against William Tennent, winning 45-21.
CB East’s Evan O’Donnell went 11-20 for 198 yards and three touchdowns — one of them being a quarterback sneak. He was 9-for-18 in the first half, guiding his team to a 24-7 lead at the break. The Patriots kept the ball on the ground for much of the second half due to the big lead.
“(O’Donnell) has a lot of experience and a level of maturity that comes with that experience,” said CB East head coach John Donnelly. “He’s a very steady kid and he understands what we’re trying to do. He’s got good suggestions when he comes off on the sideline and he lives to play another down. He tries to avoid taking sacks as best he can. He’s played a lot of football for us and has made a lot of really great plays.”
O’Donnell’s counterpart, William Tennent’s Kip Mooney, held his own. Mooney completed 15 of 28 attempts with three touchdown passes. The Panthers threw the ball almost exclusively in the second half.
At the end of the night, however, perhaps CB East simply proved it had surrounded its quarterback with a better supporting cast.
Patriots tight end Anthony Giordano caught two touchdowns in the first half, one from seven yards out and the other on a seam-route that went for 38 yards.
CB East also mixed in a more effective running game than William Tennent. Jake Ventresca and Pat Volko provided Patriots head coach John Donnelly with a worthy one-two punch in the first half, providing O’Connell and CB East with a much more balanced offense than William Tennent. The Panthers ran the ball just six times in the first half.
In the second half, a different CB East running back commanded the spotlight. Bryan Kelly scored from 22 yards out on the first possession of the third quarter. On the second Patriots possession of the half, Kelly scored again, this time from 33 yards out on a highlight reel scamper.
Kelly got into the open field and cleanly hurdled a William Tennent player at the 10 before falling into the end zone. Kelly was not finished there. On the Patriot’s third possession of the second half, he scored yet again from 14 yards out.
“(Kelly) is a freak of an athlete,” Donnelly said. “He’s a guy whose responsibilities we’re trying to grow on offense, defense and special teams. He did a really nice job tonight.”
In a game that had the potential to be a platform for two senior quarterbacks to air it out, the Patriots quickly turned it into a one-sided affair. Kelly’s third rushing touchdown blew the doors open, giving CB East a 45-7 lead.
As part of the league’s “mercy rule,” the clock ran without stopping for the duration of the fourth quarter. The Patriots scored 38 unanswered points before two late Panthers touchdowns with the game far out of reach.
“This was a huge game for us, regardless of what (William Tennent’s) record was,” Donnelly said. “I feel like we did a nice job all around, in all phases of the game.”
Central Bucks East 45, William Tennent 21
CB East – Giordano 7 catch (extra point successful)
WT – Cosenza 20 catch (extra point successful)
CB East – O’Donnell 1 run (extra point successful)
CB East – Smigley FG
CB East – Giordano 38 catch (extra point successful)
CB East – Kelly 22 run (extra point successful)
CB East – Kelly 33 run (extra point successful)
CB East – Kelly 14 run (extra point successful)
WT – Goodz 27 catch (extra point successful)
WT – Pierson 27 catch (extra point successful)
Individual Stats
Passing: CB East: O’Donnell 11-20, 198 yards, 2 TDS, 1 INT. WT: Mooney 15-28, 224 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT.
Rushing: CB East: Kelly 4 carries, 98 yards, 3 TDs; Volko 9 carries, 50 yards; Ventresca 7 carries, 34 yards; Bethke 1 carry, 12 yards; O’Donnell 1 carry, 1 yard, 1 TD. WT: North 4 carries, 26 yards; Mooney 2 carries, 7 yards; Forr 2 carries, 4 yards.
Receiving: CB East: Giordano 5 catches, 85 yards, 2 TDs; Silverman 4 catches, 59 yards; Locheta 2 catches, 54 yards. WT: Cosenza 4 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD; Pierson 3 catches, 54 yards, 1 TD; Goodz 2 catches, 49 yards, 1 TD; Savage 3 catches, 24 yards; North 1 catch, 30 yards.
