Owen J. Roberts stymies Norristown for Homecoming win
BUCKTOWN >> It was the perfect end to Owen J. Roberts’ Homecoming festivities Friday.
The Wildcats capped their day’s activities by rolling over Norristown, 35-14, at Wildcat Stadium. It was a game where their potent offense was complemented by a hard-charging defense.
Avrey Grimm rushed for more than 100 yards while making touchdown runs of six, 10 and 23 yards. Hunter Rhoads added a 10-yard TD run and Dan Cashman caught a 54-yard scoring pass from Michael Reed.
Defensively, Owen J. (3-1, 6-2) had one interception and two recovered fumbles.
Aston Shrum intercepted John DiNolfi on Norristown’s first possession. The Eagles forced Roberts to turn over the ball on downs, but a fumble off a completed pass was recovered by Christian Gregory at the Norristown 11. Francis McCoy recovered a fumble at the Eagle 49 on the visitors’ next possession, and it set the stage for Grimm’s first TD jaunt.
“It doesn’t help to turn the ball over,” Norristown head coach Joseph Milligan said. “The two games we played well, Methacton and Perkiomen Valley, we didn’t turn the ball over.
“We didn’t do that tonight.”
A combination of injuries and adherence to team rules and values left Norristown with a number of players out. Among them was the team’s starting quarterback, Robert Miller, dealing with a concussion.
“It definitely takes a toll,” Milligan said.
The OJR defense held Norristown to 85 yards total offense. The Eagles had 11 running plays go for negative yardage, and their first five pass completions went for minus-2 yards.
Norristown (0-4, 0-8) got on track during two fourth-quarter series, getting their touchdowns in that span. Rashad Triplett had a three-yard run in the first minute, and Chris Carter threw a 26-yard pass to Julian Arthur with 2:18 left.
But the drives came with the “running clock” the Wildcats secured in the first half. They also substituted for their starters down the stretch.
“Having a bunch of players on the varsity field … that’s cool,” OJR head coach Rich Kolka said.
Coming into the night 153 yards short of the 1,500 mark, Grimm got closer to that milestone. He collected 106 in little more than a half’s on-field time, breaking out on double-digit runs three times.
As usual, he credited his teammates on the line with making that happen.
“The line made it easy,” Grimm said. “There were a ton of holes.”
Reed, who threw for 104 yards on 6-for-10 passing, gained another 55 yards rushing in and around Grimm’s carries. Cashman was on the receiving end of three tosses for 82 yards, and Shrum had three catches covering 22 yards.
On the defensive side, Jon Havrilak had 4-1/2 quarterback sacks, Christian Gregory had one solo and Francis McCoy teamed up with Havrilak on one drop.
“I used my speed to the best of my ability,” Havrilak said. “In the gaps, I was beating my man every time.”
Carter got past his early problems with the Roberts pass rush to finish as Norristown’s ground leader with 29 yards. He was 7-for-11 for 57 yards, hooking up with Arthur on four passes.
“It was a long night,” Milligan said. “It’s going to be a long bus ride home.”
For Owen J, the stage is now set for next weekend’s rivalry game with Spring-Ford. The Rams (3-1, 5-3), coming off a 39-0 whitewash of Methacton, stand between the ‘Cats and sole possession of second place in the Liberty Division on the occasion of their own Homecoming contest.
“We’re going to stay focused and get Spring-Ford,” Kolka said. “We’ll see what happens.”
NOTES >> Roberts scored on all five of its first-half possessions. Its only punt of the night came in the fourth quarter. … The Wildcats had 323 yards total offense, 219 of them on runs.
