Figueroa, Pottstown roll to Senior Night win over Kutztown
POTTSTOWN >> He had the kind of Senior/Parent Recognition Night game every 12th grader dreams of, but not all experience.
Ezra Figueroa took his place alongside 12 other teammates honored by Pottstown High in pre-game ceremonies at Grigg Memorial Field Friday. He then showed his stuff when the opening whistle sounded, running wild in helping the Trojans roll up a 37-14 victory over Kutztown.
Like several other Pottstown players, Figueroa racked up a game’s worth of highlights in just the first half. He ran for a game-high 149 yards and one touchdown of 22 yards, providing a big chunk of the Trojans’ 300-plus ground stripes. It was key to Pottstown (2-1) rebounding in a big way from last weekend’s loss to Upper Moreland, building a 37-point lead in the first half good for a “running clock” through the second.
“It was satisfying,” Figueroa said after celebrating his team’s dominating win. “We feel like everyone had a good game. We all executed.”
Daniel Darden was another Pottstown senior enjoying festivities most schools normally schedule for their final home game. Darden added a workmanlike 116 yards and and touchdown runs covering 12 and 43 stripes, in addition to hauling in a 31-yard scoring pass from Joneil Oister.
And Bobby Richards set up Pottstown’s second TD drive when he recovered Kutztown’s muff of the Trojans’ kickoff following their first score. One play later, Oister hooked up with Dan Darden on a 27-yard touchdown toss.
The first-stringers’ play enabled head coach Jeff Delaney to give his reserves meaningful playing time in the second half. It was against them Kutztown (0-3) generated enough offense to score almost as many points as it mustered the first two weeks combined.
“In the locker room,” Figueroa recalled, “the coaches said we did our job and the jayvees were going to have their time. The jayvees held their ground. We wanted a ‘goose egg,’ but the jayvees stepped up.”
Several varsity underclassmen made big contributions to Pottstown’s win. Freshman quarterback Joneil Oister rushed five times for 54 yards to help the Trojans sustain scoring drives on all six of their first-half possessions, and he capped the first one with a game-opening 15-yard aerial hookup to junior Jahzeel Watson.
“The kids were more focused tonight,” Delaney said. “They came out and did a nice job.”
For understaffed Kutztown, Lucas Floyd provided the majority of highlights. The senior quarterback ran for one touchdown to start the fourth quarter and threw for another inside the final minute, in contrast to a first half that saw the Cougars manage only 23 yards total offense and two first downs.
“He’s been our go-to guy,” head coach Joe Moyer said, “but tonight he got better starting to look downfield. That makes him more of a double threat, which helps both ways.”
Floyd, who finished with 72 yards rushing on 15 carries, went five yards around his right end at the 8:32 mark in the fourth quarter to get Kutztown on the scoreboard. Then with less than a minute left, he connected with Ryan Brauer on a 31-yard pass to double its point production following the second of Dalton Furst’s conversion kicks.
For the game, Floyd went 3-for-9 passing for 31 yards with one interception. Jacob Lafferty, who took a turn behind center in the second quarter, went 2-for-4 for 17 yards with one pick.
“We’re thin,” Moyer said of a Kutztown roster listing just 26 players. “We should have 3-4 kids back by week five. We took a couple knocks tonight, but I’m hoping they’ll be back to start.”
Defensively, Pottstown was led by the interceptions from Watson and freshman Jared Hewitt in the closing minute of the first half, Jon Oister chased Floyd down for a sack in the first quarter, which forced a punt off which Pottstown rode Daniel Darden’s 12-yard burst through left tackle to an 18-0 lead.
“We wanted to get Dan more involved, running the ball in different positions,” Delaney said. “If we’re going to win, we have to be able to run the ball.”
“Looking at the film,” Moyer added, “we expected them (Pottstown) to do more zone sweeps. They looked good in the plays they ran sparingly.”
The Trojans now head into a seven-game run against Pioneer Athletic Conference schools. They visit Methacton next week in a non-divisional matchup, then kick off the Frontier Division portion of their schedule at neighboring rival Pottsgrove Sept. 20.
“We’re ready for that game,” Figueroa said.
“We’re continuing to grow and get better,” Delaney added. “I have to keep reminding myself this is a new system for these guys.”
NOTES >> Hewitt, getting the chance to run the ball in the second half, made the most of the opportunity. The freshman had four carries for 53 yards, the longest a 23-yard run on the Trojans’ next-to-last series. … Pottstown had issues with conversion kicks, missing its first five attempts before John Cipollini connected on the Trojans’ final scoring drive. … Pottstown punted three times in the second half, in comparison to a first half in which it scored on all its possessions. … Cheerleaders and band members were also part of Pottstown’s Senior/Parent Recognition activities.
