CB West runs its way past CB South for first win
DOYLESTOWN >> It was the exact type of drive Central Bucks West hopes comes to define its offense this fall.
After the defense stonewalled visiting Central Bucks South’s first possession of the third quarter, the Bucks offense trotted onto the field with 11:03 on the game clock. What followed took 7:34 off that clock and saw the hosts pound the ball behind their offensive line as the Bucks mauled their way down the field and punched it home.
It was the start of a second half controlled by West’s run game as the Bucks topped the Titans 28-20 to pick up their first win of the season behind 319 rushing yards as a team.
“We said we were going to come out here and punch them in the mouth,” Bucks tailback Donte Mancini, who led all rushers with 131 yards, said. “We hunkered down on our roles, the line up front did a great job, we kept moving our feet and yard-by-yard, we marched down the field. That’s what we’re all about, I think that’s a statement drive and it’s going to carry over the rest of the year.”
Mancini was the catalyst on that third quarter foray, toting the rock 10 times for West for 52 total yards and showing a knack for falling forward as his linemen cleared space for him. The senior runner, who also plays nearly every snap defensively at safety, isn’t the biggest either but that doesn’t deter him from fighting for extra yards.
He didn’t get to cap that pivotal third quarter drive with a score, but Mancini did end up with the score on the eventual game-winning drive. The tailback’s eight-yard drive with :23 left in the second quarter and the ensuing PAT capped a wild first half that saw the sister schools trade the lead back-and-forth but the Bucks take the lead 21-20 into the locker room.
There, the West ground game decided it was time to take over.
“Everyone was doing their part and that’s why we were able to drive the ball on them,” West senior center Chris Pionzio said. “We had reall good communication up front. We were getting the job done and sucking the life out of them for those eight minutes and they didn’t want to play after that.”
Mancini and fellow backs Eli Boehm and Vinny Cherubini didn’t favor one side of the line of scrimmage over the other, mostly because they didn’t have to. West’s offensive line and tight ends were consistent with their push up front, meaning the backs could go where the play told them to and be confident they were going to pick up yards.
It showed in the stats, with the trio of backs all hitting at least 80 yards on the ground. For the guys doing the blocking, it was just as much a win for them as it was the players carrying the ball.
Pionzio, who was flanked on the left side by tackle Quin Whalen and guard Ty McGuire and on the right by tackle Hayden Mulligan and guard Sam Heath with tight ends Jeremy Goldrick and Casey Smith rotating in, beamed with pride as he talked about his group’s play on Friday.
“Seeing Coatesville, that’s one of the best defensive lines we’ll see all year and it showed us we have to stay on blocks and everyone has to do their job to get the overall job done,” Pionzio said. “Being a 5-8, 200 pound center, everyone looks at me like ‘this guy can’t do anything’ so it makes me feel a lot better when we go out like we did tonight. I know the guys to my left and my right feel the same way, all those doubters make us want to play harder.”
West coach Rob Rowan also had high praise for his linemen, tight ends and backs, adding that ends Goldrick and Smith “are linemen in our offense.” He felt his team’s ability to sustain drives came from not turning the ball over and the three backs able to cycle through and remain effective.
“I challenged them before the game that we were going to run and be physical and play violently and I think they came out and did that,” Rowan said. “Our offense is at its best when everybody is sharing carries and everybody is getting chunk plays.”
Most of the game’s scoring game in the first half. A miscue on a punt gifted the Titans a short field for their opening drive and they were happy to capitalize when quarterback Patrick Maerz powered in from a yard out for the early 7-0 lead.
Vinny Cherubini, who ran for 81 yards, broke a big run then scored a few plays later as the Bucks tied the game 7-7 but their lone turnover of the night would prove costly on their next possession. South’s Ryan Smith picked off Ganz Cooper and ran it back 27 yards, giving his team the lead back but a missed extra point remained an important plot point later on.
The squads traded scores again, with a one-yard run by Cooper putting West in front 14-13 before the Titans responded with a drive capped by their own quarterback keeper as Maerz got in from a yard out for a 20-13 edge. West gave a preview of its second half act to close the second quarter, taking over with 4:51 remaining in the half and finishing it off with :23 on the clock and Mancini running into the endzone.
“It’s just a drive to do it for my teammates,” Mancini said. “I’m out here, I’m playing both ways but I’m not doing it for myself, I’m doing it for all these other guys because I know they want it just as bad as I do.”
The Bucks will try to keep things rolling when they host Abington next week with the Ghosts coming off a lopsided loss at North Penn. There’s a good chance the outcome of that game will also come up front, but the Bucks linemen are looking forward to the challenge.
“We’ve got a good crew, I love the way we work together and I think we can go places,” Pionzio said. “We just have to stick together and grow from this. We had a good game this week but to help ourselves, we have to get back there on Monday and start to focus on Abington.”
CB WEST 7 14 7 0 – 28
CB SOUTH 13 7 0 0 – 20
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
CBS – Patrick Maerz 1 run (Kevin Carrigan kick) 9:14
CBW – Vinny Cherubini 15 run (kick good) 7:52
CBS – Ryan Smith 27 interception return (kick fail) 3:18
2nd Quarter
CBW – Ganz Cooper 1 run (kick good) 10:28
CBS – Maerz 1 run (Carrigan kick) 5:00
CBW – Donte Mancini 8 run (kick good) :23
3rd Quarter
CBW – Cooper 1 run (kick good) 3:29
Team Stats
CBW CBS
First Downs 22 13
Rushes-Yards 57-319 25-88
Passing 3-8-0-1 11-16-0-0
Passing Yards 50 121
Total Yards 369 209
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-1
Penalties-Yards 3-30 3-32
Individual Stats
Rushing: CBW – Donte Mancini 27-131, Vinny Cherubini 11-81, Ganz Cooper 5-8; CBS – Zak Fischer 1-3, Patrick Maerz 8-22, Liam Goss 4-20, Brett Szarko 1-(-10), Cole Maholtz 9-46, Ryan Smith 1-(-4), Tommy Donnelly 1-12
Passing: CBW – Cooper 3-8-0-1-50; CBS – Maerz 11-16-0-0-77, Szarko 6-9-0-0-44
Receiving: CBW – Cherubini 1-31, Jeremy Goldrick 2-19; CBS – Fischer 1-20, Jordan Becker 2-5, Donnelly 2-18, Owen Wheeler 2-17, Maholtz 4-61
Interceptions: CBS – Smith
