Fast start sends Spring-Ford past Pope John Paul II, 42-21
ROYERSFORD >> After last week’s disappointing loss to Perkiomen Valley, the best thing Spring-Ford could hope for was a lightning-fast start against Pope John Paul II in its Week 10 Pioneer Athletic Conference crossover game.
A 35-0 lead early in the second quarter certainly qualified as ‘fast’, but late-game woes plagued the Rams in the final three quarters. In the end, while Spring-Ford (8-2, 5-1 PAC) walked away with a 42-21 victory, coach Chad Brubaker and his players were left wanting.
“I guess (fast starts) weren’t that important, since we let them right back into the game,” lamented Brubaker. “Two straight weeks, we’ve allowed teams to get back into the game. Are we taking our foot off the pedal? We have to figure that out.”
The game marked the second straight year the Rams have defeated the Golden Panthers during the conference’s annual ‘crossover week.’ Last year, it was Spring-Ford throttling PJP, 51-13.
Spring-Ford really couldn’t have asked for a better start, forcing a PJP fumble on the opening kickoff. Following a Blaize Scarcelle reception at the one-yard line, Stephen Brill powered across to give the Rams a 7-0 edge just 74 seconds into the contest.
After a couple first downs, Nick Uba pounced on another PJP fumble, leading to Ryan Engro connecting with Dante Bonanni for 18 yards and a 14-0 lead.
“We’re not gonna beat a team like Spring-Ford fumbling the football,” said PJP coach Rory Graver. “Maybe this is a different game if we don’t come out like that. We’ll learn, hopefully, going forward.”
A 40-yard completion to Andrew Yoon set up SF’s next score, a short Engro pass to Alex Koretke, and all of a sudden SF had a 21-0 lead only seven minutes into the game.
Meanwhile, the Golden Panthers could gain no traction—after the two fumbles to begin the game, the next two possessions ended when Spring-Ford stopped PJP on 4th-and-short opportunities.
By quarter’s end, Engro had amassed 154 yards passing and three touchdowns through the air, and the Rams had an insurmountable 28-0 advantage.
The lead was 35-0 before PJP’s Kamal Gray found Steve Skarbek for a 79-yard gain down the left sideline, setting up a short toss to Justin Kormos to get the Golden Panthers on the scoreboard 6:14 before halftime.
After CJ McCafferty picked off a Engro toss at the Rams’ 32, Gray would lead a short drive that culminated in his own 4-yard keeper to bring the Golden Panthers within 35-13 at the break.
In the third quarter, the junior QB found Skarbek for a 45-yard score, and brought the Panthers within 14 with 4:37 on the clock.
Gray was the bright spot for a PJP offense that committed four turnovers on the evening, accounting for 255 of the team’s 329 total yards (203 passing, 52 rushing) and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing).
“All year long, I’ve said the best thing about Kamal is he’s a competitor,” said Graver. “He keeps going no matter the score. He can do it with his feet, his arm–he’s been phenomenal for us.”
Steve Skarbek added eight receptions for 145 yards and a score in the loss.
The combined efforts of the two quarterbacks left them tied for the PAC regular-season lead in TD passes with 27 a piece. Engro would finish 20-for-28 for 287 yards and 4 TDs through the air, his lone interception coming on McCafferty’s second-quarter effort.
Toward the end of the third quarter, Spring-Ford would fumble away the ball after a big completion, but Leo Van Hulst stopped the bleeding, picking off Gray at the Rams’ 9-yard line.
After that, the Rams took away the deep ball and forced Gray to beat them underneath—which he was able to do for a time, until the Spring-Ford pass rush harassed him into a couple quick throwaways and on fourth down, a highlight-reel scramble that would ultimately end in an incompletion and turnover on downs. A late sack by Nathaniel Orkfritz-Robinson snuffed out the Panthers’ final hope.
Stephen Brill added a late 22-yard TD run for the final margin.
The confluence of the win and other results around the district (losses by Haverford and Downingtown East) means Spring-Ford is all but assured of opening the District One Class 6A playoffs at Coach McNelly Stadium next week. Their opponent won’t be official until Sunday, but should be all but determined Saturday.
Similarly, the Golden Panthers will open at the A Field in Conshohocken in their district opener against either New Hope-Solebury or District 12’s School of the Future. Coach Graver hopes the lessons of Friday night’s loss carry over into the postseason.
“Our goal is clear: We want to earn the first district win in our program’s history,” he said. “But we’re not going to do it turning the ball over like we did tonight. If you play a poor first quarter, that could be the end.”
