Unionville’s ground game too much for WC Henderson

West Chester >> Unionville’s strong running attack controlled the clock — and the game — in a 25-11 win against host West Chester Henderson Friday evening.
In the first half, the Indians used two long, run-oriented touchdown drives (59 yards on 13 consecutive running plays, then 67 yards on 10 runs) as the foundation for an 18-0 halftime lead. Connor Schilling broke off a 47-yard touchdown run midway through the final quarter to put the visitors up 25-0.
The 47-yard run was the third touchdown of the night for Schilling, who rushed for 121 yards on 15 carries. On the play, he initially broke to the right, but then cut back across the field and ran down the left sideline for the six-pointer.
“It was getting kind of late in the game, and we needed a big play at that point,” said Schilling. “It was a power run to the right side, but I followed my blocks when I saw an opening to the left. Our blockers did a great job.”
Unionville head coach Pat Clark said, “I thought our offensive line (Austin Weeber, Michael Burns, Gabe D’Angelo, Ryan Son, Daniel Son, Liam O’Rourke and Rafael Lara Matos) was pretty physical, and that was a big piece of our win tonight.
“I also thought Weston Grim also did a nice job in the running game. Weston’s a tough runner. I think we have balance with Connor and Weston, and it lets us keep the defense honest — if one guy gets a hot hand, we can ride him a little more.”
Maybe the biggest play on Unionville’s first touchdown drive was on a fourth-and-one at the Indians’ 44 yard line. Junior running back Sean Kelly plunged for a two-yard gain, and the Indians were on their way to a score.
Senior quarterback Blake Charlton also made some solid running gains on the first TD drive, in which the Indians picked up six first downs.
Henderson lost a fumble on the next series, and the Indians marched 36 yards for a touchdown in five plays, ending with a nine-yard scoring run by Schilling.
The host Warriors did better on the next drive, as senior running back Jay Pierce broke free for a 60-yard run down the left sideline to the Unionville 30. On the next play, however, a Henderson fumble gave the ball back to the visitors.
Unionville then hammered out a 70-yard touchdown drive that consisted of 12 running plays, one pass (a three-yard gain) and five first downs. The final two plays of the drive were a 17-yard run by Charlton and an 11-yard scoring run by the Indians’ quarterback to give the visitors an 18-0 lead with 1:06 to go before halftime.
Neither team scored again until Schilling’s 47-yard run to paydirt. Two plays after Schilling’s third touchdown run, Henderson’s Pierce broke free for a 76-yard romp to the Unionville 12-yard line.
“Pierce is a tough kid, he’s not a big kid, but he really fights for every yard, and he was able to pop a couple of long runs tonight,” said Henderson head coach John Lunardi.
The Indians’ defense stiffened, and on fourth-and-goal at the 6 yard line, the Warriors opted to try for a field goal. Joe Shur’s 23-yard attempt was through the uprights, and Henderson was on the scoreboard, trailing 25-3 with 5:35 left.
Unionville recovered the onside kick, but failed to get a first down, and Henderson took over at its own 38 yard line. On the very next play, Warrior quarterback Eddie Smink hit an open Pat Esemplare for a 62-yard touchdown. Henderson opted for a two-point conversion try, and junior Mark Gunther ran it in to make it 25-11.
The Indians recovered the ensuing squib kickoff at their 43 yard line, and after three running plays failed to gain a first down, punted to the Henderson 21. The Warriors failed to get a first down, and with 25 seconds left, Unionville got the ball and took a knee to end the game.
Lunardi, who took over as the Warriors’ head coach when Stefan Adams resigned a month before summer practice started, said, “I was proud of the way our kids fought back tonight. Early on, Unionville did some little things correctly and we didn’t, but our kids fought back. After last year [0-10 record], we have an uphill battle, but I believe in our kids and we’ve got to keep working and getting better.”
Clark said, “Overall, for our first game, we did some positive things, but after Week 1 I think everybody looks at the game and says, ‘OK, these are the things we have to fix.’”
Schilling said, “We’ve got to keep riding the momentum [of this win] against West Chester East next week.”