NORWOOD — Penn Wood’s coaching staff didn’t hold back in their post-game speeches with players Friday night.
Head coach Ato Troop and several assistants wanted them to know how proud they were. A challenging season that saw the Patriots win their first game and then struggle, then face an unexpected cancellation last week after gun shots were fired near the school’s Green Avenue campus in Lansdowne as students were being dismissed, and finally secure a convincing victory in their last game, the Patriots demonstrated unwavering resilience and camaraderie in the face of mounting adversity.
And they played Friday’s finale like a championship team.
“I feel like we came a long way,” senior running back/linebacker Dashawn Brown-Williams said. “We’ve had some rough times, but everyone turned it up in our last game. Everybody had two feet in this game. Everyone was playing to the best of their abilities. We gave up some plays, but we got right back on it.”
Bolstered by senior Kivaleon “Mouse” Clarke’s three touchdowns, and a bruising defense that forced five Interboro turnovers, Penn Wood rolled to a 42-21 triumph at the South Avenue Athletic Complex. For the Patriots, it was the perfect ending to a 2-7 season.
“Ending the program on a win, that feels really good,” Clarke said. “I feel like the extra week of practice we had made everyone want to buy in. Everyone was there to fit in during practice every day.”
Clarke, a multi-purporse star on offense, scored on a seven-yard run to cap a seven-play drive to start the game. He caught a 47-yard pass from senior quarterback Ahmaad Felder for a touchdown in the second quarter to put the Patriots back in front, moments after the Bucs (4-6) tied the game on a Momodu Rogers scoring run.
Junior Nasir Sherif did something many high school players can only dream of accomplishing, scoring a special teams touchdown and a defensive touchdown in the same game. Late in the third quarter the Bucs attempted an onside kick after they grabbed a 15-14 lead courtesy a Nadir Ali 17-yard TD pass from quarterback Mike McLaughlin. The decision backfired on the Bucs. Sherif scooped up the ball and raced 40 yards to the house as the Patriots went back on top, this time to stay.
Sherif then provided the crushing blow to the Bucs’ chance when, in the fourth quarter, he intercepted McLaughlin and darted 25 yards to the end zone to make it a two-score game. Sherif’s pick-six came moments after Clarke caught a Taj Cobbs pass and went 53 yards for a touchdown.
“Just watching a lot of film and paying attention to what the other team was going to do,” Sherif said. “I went out there and executed.”
As a receiver Clarke put up A.J. Brown-type stats: five catches for 181 yards and two TDs. Felder added an eight-yard TD run late in the fourth quarter.
“We put in a lot of work in practice. The connection was already there,” Felder said. “I just put it up there and he made the play.”
Freshman Richard Vahn came down with the Patriots’ third interception in the game’s waning moments. Seniors Jaleel Green, Shyheim Poe and Ernest Giahyue were buzzing and making big tackles all night.
Troop concluded his post-game speech by telling his players that he could never see himself coaching anywhere else. A game like Friday’s reinforces such an honest sentiment.
“These kids never quit on us,” Troop said. “They continued to trust the coaching staff and to trust each other. They’re like family, man. I’m just happy for them and couldn’t be more proud.”
