MARPLE — Before the players exited Friday night, Marple Newtown turning a handful of big plays shaped around gamebreaker Brian Box into a 28-7 triumph over Penncrest, the message from the head coaches was eerily similar: Don’t be surprised if we play these guys again next week.
Though it won’t be etched in stone until the district football committee completes its masters-level math work on Sunday, Tigers coach Chris Gicking and Lions counterpart Paul Graham are bracing themselves for the possibility of a déjà vu game in the first round of the District 1 Class 5A playoffs. At least in terms of another showdown. Graham obviously would appreciate a different outcome as the Lions (5-5, 3-5) lost their 12th straight game to the tournament-tested Tigers.
Let’s just say Gicking is not a fan of back-to-backs with a Central League foe.
“That honestly would stink,” Gicking said of a rematch. “(Penncrest is) a really good football team, but we want to go outside the league and represent the league, not knock each other off. We want to root for them in the playoffs just like we want to root for all the Central League teams in the playoffs.”
There is no disputing the Tigers (8-2, 6-2) assured themselves of playing a home game in the first round with their hard-fought victory.
Box all but guaranteed it by rolling for 134 yards on 11 rushes while putting the ball in the end zone on a 15-yard run and a 13-yard reception. Box may be faster than his older brother Charlie, who terrorized defenses during an All-Delco career for the Tigers. The junior gashed a swarming Lions defense for runs of 41 and 46 yards in addition to his other work.
“We just came out here ready to play,” Box said. “We just wanted it for our seniors, all 18 of them on Senior Night. We got stopped three-and-out on the first drive but once we stopped them and scored, the momentum came back to us. It’s definitely a big win. It was a real physical game. They’re a real good team. It was a dogfight.”
Box put the Tigers on the board with 3:09 left in the first quarter on a quick throw from David Bertoline, who was just warming up. That came after the Lions moved the ball but fumbled it away, Eric Janda recovering. Box’s scoring run with 1:19 left in the first half was a backbreaker.
“They made more plays tonight, that’s what it came down to,” Graham said. “When we needed to make plays, they had some stops on fourth down and they did a nice job. But that’s football. We’ll clean it up and get ready. If we play (the Tigers) again it is what it is. As I said to the guys, you’ve got to beat everybody eventually.”
Senior Paul DeFruscio gave the Tigers a 21-0 lead on a three-yard scoring run with 7:52 left in the third quarter. The Tigers scored their fourth touchdown with 19 seconds left in the third quarter to grab a 28-0 lead.
Zach Mullin, who replaced injured Lions starting quarterback Paul Graham Jr. after the intermission, threw a TD pass to running back Matt Ferry on fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line with 6:17 remaining.
“None of our guys has ever been in the playoffs,” Graham said. “So, they’re excited. We’re in but I told them we’re not just there to be there. We’re there to compete. We’ll reset and we’ll fix what we did tonight and go forward.”
There are several scenarios utilizing power points and records that will be used to decide if the Tigers and Lions hook up again in the districts. Whoever Marple Newtown and Penncrest play it’s going to be a knockdown, drag-out affair.
“Coach Graham has done a great job, Coach Ellison, those guys have done a great job of implementing a system and having the kids committed,” Gicking said of the Lions. “I think they’re a really good team. They run the ball, they’re coached well, they play good defense. But really I would hope we play somebody outside the league. I would think that Coach Graham would feel the same way.”
