Perkiomen Valley defense dominates early, holds on late in win over Owen J. Roberts
BUCKTOWN >> It doesn’t matter whether it’s football or any other sport – athletes often hear about the importance of “playing to the end.” Forty-eight minutes, nine innings – the time frame may change but the message remains.
They won’t need any reminders at Perkiomen Valley after Friday night.
A dominant first three quarters turned into nail-biting time for the Vikings, who survived a furious rally from Owen J. Roberts, 20-13 at Wildcat Stadium.
“We needed to play cleaner football,” said Rob Heist, head coach of the victorious Vikings. “Give credit to OJR – their kids played with heart and desire to the last minute. We are fortunate to get out of here with a win.”
In the end, Perkiomen Valley’s eight sacks of OJR quarterback Michael Reed were the difference, as numerous OJR drives stalled out before the fourth quarter rally.
Drew Kenworthy led the charge with three takedowns, while Carson Pascoe got in on the act with a pair of sacks.
“We watched film and knew some of their tendencies,” said Pascoe. “But in the end, it comes down to effort.
“They got their passing game going, started running the ball better. We gave up some big plays, they kept hanging around.”
“We’re the defending champs, and we need to be better at the end,” said Kenworthy.
Indeed, the Wildcats shook off a lackluster start to come within inches of an improbable comeback.
Down 20-0 with about nine minutes to play, OJR’s Hunter Rhoads (22 carries, 127 yards) broke into PV territory on a 36-yard run, his longest of the evening. Three plays later, Reed found Danny Cashman for a leaping 23-yard touchdown to get the Wildcats on the board.
PV looked primed to run out the clock, but OJR was able to force a punt and move methodically back into range, finishing the next drive with Reed’s one-yard sneak to move within 20-13. After their first five drives yielded just 41 total yards, the Wildcats suddenly had two consecutive 60-plus yard scoring drives — and about 1:15 to tie the score. But the fun was just beginning.
PV recovered an onside kick but fumbled as they attempted to run out the clock on a second-and-two, OJR taking over at the Vikings’ 41.
After a couple scrambles, Reed would complete a 22-yard pass to Derek Hinrichs with 1.1 seconds left to give the ‘Cats one shot from the PV 20. With just enough time to throw, Reed lofted a final heave to Hinrichs in the right corner, but the all-purpose senior landed just out of bounds as he secured the ball.
The defending Pioneer Athletic Conference champs had survived – but barely. Aside from the late fumble, the comeback was more the result of OJR finally making the most of their opportunities after three frustrating quarters than any defensive letdown on PV’s part.
“I’m really proud of the way we played in the second half,” said OJR coach Rich Kolka. “If we play like that in the first half, I firmly believe we win this game.”
PV followed a simple-but-effective formula of ball control and disruptive defensive play in building the early advantage that led to the road win.
Following an early exchange of three and outs, PV started the scoring on an 11-play drive that thrived on consistency, with the Vikings gaining yardage on each play and spreading the ball among five different ball carriers.
Ryan Klimek was last to carry, but first to cross the goal line with a two-yard burst, followed by his own extra point to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, the ‘Cats moved the ball in short bursts behind senior running back Rhoads, but an inability to keep Reed clean in the pocket thwarted each early drive. The Vikings sacked Reed three times in the first quarter and forced an intentional grounding penalty that brought another possession to an abrupt end.
Utilizing a short field off that penalty and the subsequent punt return from Rasheem Grayson, PV powered 42 yards in just five plays with Klimek finishing the drive with a two-yard run that was the mirror image of his first score.
Right before the half, PV quarterback Patrick MacDonald (12-for-17, 79 yards, TD) made one of the plays of the night, scrambling to keep a 4th-down play alive before finding Michael Poruban for an 11-yard score and a 20-0 lead at the break. The way the Vikings’ defense was playing, it seemed it would be plenty.
PV’s 3-3-5 stack appeared to confound OJR, but Kolka gave a much simpler explanation. “We were just getting beat,” the coach said. “We looked at it at halftime, and they had guys winning one-on-one battles all over the field.
“It was a full team effort to get back into this one. The offense ran the ball well, the defense tightened up. We just ran out of time.”
In all, PV rushed for 167 yards, led by Jake Stewart who averaged six yards per carry in getting to 84 yards on the night. OJR’s Reed finished with 119 yards passing for the evening.
The Vikings (4-1, 1-0 PAC Liberty) travel to Methacton next week for the annual Battle Axe Game, while OJR (3-2, 0-1 PAC Liberty) heads on the road for another big matchup with Spring-Ford.
Perkiomen Valley 20, Owen J. Roberts 13
Perkiomen Valley — 7 13 0 0 — 20
Owen J. Roberts — 0 0 0 13 — 13
SCORING PLAYS
PV — Klimek 2 run (Klimek kick)
PV — Klimek 2 run (kick blocked)
PV — Poruban 11 pass from MacDonald (Klimek kick)
OJR — Cashman 23 pass from Reed (kick blocked)
OJR — Reed 1 run (Gantert kick)
TEAM STATISTICS
PV OJR
First Downs 17 16
Rushing Yards 167 108
Passing Yards 79 119
Total Yards 246 227
Passes C-A-I 12-17-0 9-20-0
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 8-82 9-76
Punts-Avg. 3-33.3 4-35.5
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Perkiomen Valley – Stewart 14-84, Klimek 8-28; 2 TD, MacDonald 7-21, Grayson 4-19, Curci 4-15.
Owen J. Roberts – Rhoads 22-127, Reed 14-(minus-21), Brower 1-7, Daubert 1-(minus-1), Hinrichs 1-(minus-4).
Passing
Perkiomen Valley – MacDonald 12-17, 79 yards, TD.
Owen J. Roberts – Reed 9-20, 119 yards, TD.
Receiving
Perkiomen Valley – Poruban 6-52; TD, Sturges 2-7, Peterlin 1-9, Klimek 1-8, Keough 1-7, Stewart 1-(minus-4).
Owen J. Roberts – Cashman 4-41; TD, Hinrichs 2-47, Daubert 2-18, Miller 1-13.
Sacks: Perkiomen Valley – Kenworthy 3, Pascoe 2, C. Euker, Sturges, Junker.
Owen J. Roberts – Miller.
