Brilliant Bodolus leads Pottsgrove past Bishop Shanahan in districts

LOWER POTTSGROVE >> It’s not often that one player can wow his own head coach week after week.

Yet for Pottsgrove, that’s been just the case with senior defensive end Ryan Bodolus this fall.

“I don’t think people understand the impact that Ryan Bodolus has on football games,” said Falcon head coach Bill Hawthorne. “If you watch a Pottsgrove football game, No. 81 stands out every single play.”

Bodolus was the standout Friday night, notching three key defensive plays to lead Pottsgrove to a 14-13 win over Bishop Shanahan during the opening round of District 1 Class 4A playoffs on a sloppy, rain-soaked night at Rick Pennypacker Field.

The 6-1, 220-pound Bodolus scooped up a loose ball and carried it 39 yards for a score at the end of the first quarter to give the Falcons an early 14-0 lead. It was a lead that would hold up the rest of the night, thanks in part to a blocked extra point by Bodolus as Bishop Shanahan was looking to even the game up on their second score late in the third quarter.

Then just for good measure, with his team clinging to a one-point lead late, Bodolus came up with a strip-sack of Shanahan quarterback Charlie Maddocks late in the fourth quarter as the Eagles were desperately trying to put together their two-minute drill offense.

“Tonight felt like being a little kid playing in the backyard, playing in the rain,” said Bodolus of the rain-soaked field after the game. “I just go hard every play, no plays off. It’s tough, it’s gritty but we just kept trying to battle them in the trenches.”

With the win, top-seeded Pottsgrove (10-1) heads back to the District 1-4A championship for the third straight season as the Falcons will go for the three-peat against Pottstown — a 28-13 winner over Springfield-Montco — next Friday night.

Shanahan’s season comes to a close at 4-7 overall as the No. 4-seeded Eagles fell in the opening round of the district playoffs for the second straight season.

On a night that was filled with rain, mud and plenty of fumbles, it was the return of Isaiah Taylor that sparked the Falcons’ offense during the first half.

Taylor, who had missed the previous two games, rushed for 148 yards in the first half, aided by a 76-yard touchdown carry up the left sideline for the game’s opening score late in the first quarter.

“It was good to have him back,” said Hawthorne. “He rebounded very well. He’s gonna be our tailback again moving forward. I’m glad he responded in the way that he did.”

Shanahan had its chances on the night.

The Eagles got great field position on their first three offensive drives, thanks to lengthy kickoff returns by Garrett Glendenning and Tyler Kingsbury. But Shanahan fumbled the ball into their own end zone on their opening drive before stalling on their next two drives and being forced to punt it away.

“The unfortunate part is that I think we lost; I’m not sure they won,” said Shanahan head coach Paul Meyers. “Too many mistakes. How many turnovers did we have, four, five? That’s what killed us. We turned the ball over way too many times.”

Junior quarterback Charlie Maddocks threw for 128 yards while completing 12 of his 23 passes on a night that was far from ideal for throwing the ball. He also punched in both of his team’s touchdowns on the game.

“He played well, stepped up today especially in this weather,” said Meyers.

Glendenning pulled in four catches for 44 yards while Brian Lake had four receptions for 42 yards.

The Eagles’ most substantial drive came midway through the third quarter. Aided by a pair of defensive pass interference calls and a 31-yard hookup from Maddocks to Glendenning, capped a 7-play, 60-yard drive with the QB barreling it in from two-yards out to make it 14-13.

Then came Bodolus.

Bodolus ripped through his block on the extra-point attempt and took the kick right between the numbers to send the Pottsgrove sideline into an uproar.

“I got leverage under the guy on me, blew him up and got through,” said Bodolus of the play.

Now as the Falcons begin to eye up neighboring rival Pottstown, who they had beaten 45-6 earlier in the season, Hawthorne and the Falcons know the stakes are much higher this time around.

“Trojans and Falcons, what more could you ask for,” said Hawthorne. “Hopefully some better weather, I’ll tell you that.

“But we’ve got to be ready for them. It’s not the same Pottstown we played during the season, that’s for sure. We know they’ve improved a lot during the season, so we’ve got to be ready.”