Quakertown captures “309 Bowl,” beats rival Souderton
QUAKERTOWN >> Quakertown played a trophy-producing fourth quarter and took firm control of the Suburban One League Continental Conference.
“You gotta give it to (quarterback) Will (Steich). He was throwing dots out there,” Panthers wide receiver Zach Fondl said. “All I have to do is catch the ball. You gotta thank the offensive line too. It was just great to get the trophy back.”
The “309 Bowl” trophy was in good hands. Fondl’s two clutch grabs – touchdown receptions of 61 and 32 yards – helped Quakertown pull away to a 36-14 victory over Big Red at packed Alumni Field.
“We really turned it around. The first half was rough but we made some adjustments and started airing the ball out,” said Fondl, who caught eight balls for 190 yards and two TD’s. “We took it over.”
The win raised Quakertown’s unbeaten record to 6-0, with a perfect 4-0 mark in the conference. Souderton, still in the thick of things for the postseason, is now 3-3 on the year, with a 3-1 mark in the Continental.
“It was such a team effort in that fourth quarter,” Panthers coach George Banas said. “It seemed like everybody was making plays.”
Steich’s one-yard sneak gave the Panthers a 20-14 lead with 10 minutes, 29 seconds left.
The extra-point attempt was botched, but John Eatherton came to the rescue, scooping up the football and running around the left side and taking it in for two to extend the margin to 22-14.
Also key on the drive was a 14-yard run by Tyler Woodman (141 yds, TD) and a 26-yard gain on a screen pass to Eatherton.
After a Big Red punt, Steich threw to a wide open Fondl off of play action, hitting him in stride for a 61-yard touchdown and a 29-14 Quakertown advantage.
Souderton could not handle the Panthers’ ensuing squib kick, and Quakertown pounced on the ball at the 32.
On 4th-and-10 from the same spot, Steich threw deep to Fondle, and the senior went up and made the grab – in tight coverage – to widen the gap to 36-14 with 5:42 to play, locking things up for the Panthers.
“I don’t know how I got that one but I did,” said a smiling Fondl afterwards.
Quakertown had scored touchdowns on three straight possessions in the fourth. Steich finished 10-of-22 for 259 yards and a pair of scores, and also had two rushing touchdowns in the win.
Said Banas: “In the fourth quarter, something clicked. And then everything clicked.”
Quakertown took a 7-0 lead in the first when Woodman raced around the right side and into the end zone from nine yards out.
But Souderton hung in, thanks in part to two interceptions by C.J. Winters.
Big Red evened things up at seven apiece in the second quarter when Daniel Dyches hauled in a 19-yard touchdown reception from Elijah Goods on a halfback pass.
After a 7-7 tie at the half, Quakertown – after a 59-yard halfback pass from Woodman to Fondl – pushed ahead 14-7 on a one-yard sneak by Steich. Big Red again tied things up, this time on a two-yard burst by Goods.
The fourth quarter would belong to the Panthers, who gave their many fans plenty to cheer about.
“It’s phenomenal here,” Banas said. “I’ll put this (home field) up against anyone in PA. The atmosphere here with our band, our student section, our cheerleaders and our community…They show up. I looked around and couldn’t find an empty seat. And you look at the gates and it was shoulder-to-shoulder, sometimes two deep.”
Hope is not lost for the defending District 1-6A Champs.
“Our kids were playing. Our kids were competing,” Big Red coach Ed Gallagher said. “We’re a little undermanned. I don’t wanna take anything away from Quakertown – that’s a good football team and they deserve to win the (Continental) this year because it’s a good, senior-laden football team. And George does a great job with his kids.
“We were right there and had some chances to make some plays. All we gotta do is lick our wounds and get ready for next week.”
Quakertown 36, Souderton 14
Souderton 0 7 7 0 – 14
Quakertown 7 0 7 22 – 36
First Quarter
Q-Tyler Woodman 9 run (Madison Peacher kick), 8:17.
Second Quarter
S-Daniel Dyches 19 pass from Elijah Goods (Ty Quintois kick), 5:56.
Third Quarter
Q-Will Steich 1 run (Peacher kick), 6:49.
S-Goods 2 run (Quintois kick), 3:09.
Fourth Quarter
Q-Steich 1 run (John Eatherton run), 10:29.
Q-Zach Fondl 61 pass from Steich (Peacher kick), 8:19.
Q-Fondl 32 pass from Steich (Peacher kick), 5:42.
S Q
First Downs 14 17
Rushes-yards 37-99 40-172
Passing (c-a-i) 9-19-1 11-23-2
Passing yards 68 259
Total yards 167 431
Punts 4 1
Penalties-yards 5-55 11-91
Turnovers 2 2
Rushing
S: Brayden Porter 14-65; Nate Hageman 8-8; Rylan Zuk 1-(-13); Chris Kerns 7-4; Elijah Goods 5-22, TD; Ryan Sadowski 2-13.
Q: John Eatherton 8-20; Tyler Woodman 21-141, TD; Steich 8-1, 2 TD; Lex Williams 3-10.
Passing
S: Hageman 8-18-49-0-1; Goods 1-1-19-1-0.
Q: Steich 10-22-259-2-2; Woodman 1-1-59-0-0.
Receiving
S: Kerns 1-(-4); Dyches 2-31, TD; Sadowski 2-14; Goods 3-14; Caleb Hageman 1-13.
Q: Zach Greulich 1-7; Fondl 8-190, 2 TD; Eatherton 2-62.
Interceptions
S: C.J. Winters 2.
Q: Eatherton.
