Bangor blows by Pottstown, 54-7
POTTSTOWN >> One is a “work in progress.”
The other is “progress at work.”
The disparate differences between Pottstown and Bangor were quite evident Thursday. In their home opener at Grigg Memorial Field, the Trojans showed the need for improvement while the Slaters displayed more polish in a 54-7 victory.
Bangor (2-0) brought the running clock into effect 15 seconds before the end of the first half, building a 38-point lead in that span. And even with considerable substitution in the second half, the Slaters boosted their lead to 46 before Pottstown got on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter.
“That’s the way we practice,” Bangor head coach Paul Reduzzi said in reference to his 12 players who got touches on the ball. “We have a good rotation. They jump in ready to do things.”
On the other side, the Trojans (0-2) showed some flashes of brilliance, particularly from 6-foot-5 wide receiver Nyles Bunn-McNeil and workhorse running back Malachi Neely. But in the estimation of head coach Jeff Delaney, not enough to be satisfying.
“We have to go back to fundamentals: Blocking, tackling and coaching,” he said. “We weren’t prepared for the game.”
Slaters like quarterback Eric Striba (6-for-7, 48 yards) and running back Karl Godshalk (seven carries, 42 yards) produced enough in the first half to earn an early-night finish. Godshalk accounted for 16 of the visitors’ first-half points with a pairs of touchdowns and conversion runs, and Striba chipped in with a rushing TD and two-point pass.
On defense, Greg Campbell and Dylan Miller converted interceptions into other first-half scores of 41 and 22 yards, respectively. Recovering a pair of fumbles along the way offered Bangor another bonus.
“We didn’t make turnovers last year. So I guess I owe them cheesesteaks,” Reduzzi said with a laugh.
Bangor’s versatility on offense was further affirmed by Noah Hillis, a sophomore running back part of the second-half substitution parade, finishing as the game’s leading rusher with 54 yards on eight carries. Godshalk (14-46) and Striba (7-42) were a respectable second and third.
On the Pottstown side, Neely was the rushing leader with 46 yards on 14 totes. Following him was Chris Thomas, with three carries for 42 yards in the second half.
The Trojans’ lone scoring drive was directed by Hicks and Neely in tandem with Thomas. On a second-and-goal from the nine around the game’s 8:30 mark, Hicks launched a pass Bunn-McNeil leaped to pull in, with Fredy Rodriguez adding the conversion kick.
“Those guys have to get more on the same page,” Delaney noted. “Bunn-McNeil has gotten so much better using his body.”
The Trojans’ other best scoring opportunity came early in the second quarter, when Rashean Bostic returned a Bangor kickoff for an apparent touchdown. A crackback-block penalty, however, brought the ball back to the Slater 46, from where Pottstown turned it over on downs.
For Reduzzi, the Thursday win was the prelude to what shapes up as a memorable weekend for him. With a daughter getting married Saturday, he was looking for an accommodation on a game this week, and Pottstown granted it.
“I feel gratitude to the coach for accommodating us,” he said.
NOTES
John Cranford made a key sack of Striba for one of Pottstown’s defensive highlights. Neely followed with a drop of Godshalk on a pass play that netted only two yards, and forced the Slaters to turn the ball over on downs.
