Perkiomen Valley keeps its distance in 49-7 win over Methacton
FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> The Perkiomen Valley football team wasn’t quite satisfied with its performance last Friday night against Owen J. Roberts.
Coming into Friday’s rivalry game against Methacton, the Vikings were focused on putting together a more complete victory.
A long pass from sophomore quarterback Patrick MacDonald to senior Michael Poruban on the Vikings’ first offensive play had PV rolling to start the game and they accomplished their goal, not letting their foot off the gas on either side of the ball in an all-around dominant outing.
The Vikings scored touchdowns on seven of their eight first-half drives and held Methacton to one first down in the first half in a 49-7 victory over the Warriors to hold onto the Battle Ax for the 15th straight time since the rivalry was renewed in 2008.
“I think it was good for us, especially after last week it got a little close at the end,” Poruban said. “We just kept the momentum going the whole game and finished our business.”
PV takes advantage of Methacton fumble. Jake Stewart scores from five yards out. 28-0 PV with 11:35 left in Q2. pic.twitter.com/rNDYz7sqJf
— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) September 30, 2022
After not finishing as it would have liked last week in a 20-13 victory over Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley (5-1, 2-0 PAC Liberty) put together a comprehensive effort on Friday night against Methacton (3-3, 1-1 PAC Liberty).
Junior running back Jacob Stewart put together another big outing for the Vikings, carrying 11 times for 94 yards and three scores. He found paydirt from five yards out twice and also zig-zagged across the field on a 34-yard touchdown run that highlighted why his teammates have nicknamed him ‘Slippery Stew’ and ‘Untamed’ early into his varsity career. Junior Bradley Curci added a one-yard touchdown run.
MacDonald also had the passing game going in his fourth start since filling in for the injured Danny Koehler. He finished 9-for-12 for 144 yards and a touchdown through the air and also added a rushing score. Poruban hauled in four grabs for 78 yards and Andrew Keough caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from MacDonald.
“I think I’m gaining a lot more confidence, feeling a lot better,” MacDonald said. “Huge credit to all the offensive guys. They believe in me and it helps a lot.”
The Vikings’ starting defense shut out Methacton in the first half, holding a Warriors offense that exploded for 49 points against Norristown last week to eight total yards through the first two quarters. The Methacton offense finally put some points on the board in the second half when Anthony Perillo ran in from eight yards out.
Poruban and sophomore Braydon Perone intercepted passes for PV. Curci and sophomore Carter Euker picked up sacks for the defensive group.
“We didn’t play to our standards last week and we knew we had to play better,” PV junior linebacker Drew Kenworthy said of the Vikings’ defensive performance. “This team was ready to punch us in the mouth, but we responded. Not that many yards for them offensively, and that was because of us.”
Methacton coach Brian Kennedy anticipated his team would come out with a better showing in Friday night’s rivalry. Instead, they will try to hit the reset button as they prepare to face Boyertown next week.
“We’re going to try and put it behind us and move on,” Kennedy said. “Jake Chapman said it best, ‘This does not define our season.’ We’ve got a lot of football left. It’s a setback. … We need to come out a little bit tougher.”
Perk Valley quickly turns its attention to Spring-Ford next week. The contest has decided the Liberty Division and eventual PAC winner in each of the five seasons since the league adopted a title game in 2017 and this year’s ‘Battle of the Horns’ appears no different with both squads entering with 2-0 league records, including victories over league dark horse Owen J. Roberts.
The reigning champion Vikings broke a two-year skid against the Rams last season on the way to the program’s first PAC title in three seasons. They’ll look to get the inside track on another league champion next week.
“We’ve had this circled on the calendar since Week 1,” Kenworthy said. “It’s ‘Ram Week’. It’s time to go, we’re ready.”
“We’re just going to keep on pushing in practice with our scout team,” Poruban said. “Everyone’s looking to get better no matter what. That’s what’s going to get us ready for next week.”
