Cold Turkey: Pennridge defense wins the day in victory over Quakertown
QUAKERTOWN >> Backed into his own end zone, Quakertown quarterback Brad Bryan was completely engulfed by the Pennridge defensive line, and 6-foot, 300-pound Brian Lafty came up with the prize.
His fumble recovery for a touchdown gave the Rams an early 9-0 lead, and ushered in a dominant day for the Pennridge defense.
“Fat-man touchdown. Our defensive line coach (Alex Smith) owes me a steak dinner,” Lafty said afterwards with a wide grin. “I’m so excited for it.”
Stuffing rival Quakertown 37-6 on Thanksgiving Day, Pennridge finished off its season in convincing fashion.
“We had to bring it to them,” Lafty said. “We got on ‘em right away.
“There’s nothing like this in the world. It’s just a great feeling. I love my guys and it’s great to finish out four years with them.”
Pennridge (5-6) took the ball away four times and produced three sacks on what was a blustery, cold afternoon at packed Alumni Field.
“The guys heard it all throughout the week. We had a couple alumni come back to talk about pride, tradition, and the guys took that to heart,” Rams coach Cody Muller said. “They felt ‘this is our last ride. This is our last time to be putting on a Pennridge uniform and stepping on a field.’ They went with it. They rolled.”
And they did it against a strong Quakertown squad (9-4) that reached the District 1-6A Quarterfinals.
“I give all the credit to Cody and Pennridge. They came in today with great enthusiasm and intensity,” Panthers coach George Banas said. “We had a rough time matching it.”
Its offense beginning to gain steam late in the first half, Pennridge extended to a 16-0 lead when 6-foot-2 Connor Pleibel went up and grabbed a 30-yard touchdown pass from Zak Kantor.
Ram momentum continued right into the third quarter.
Cooper Chaikin intercepted Bryan, and the Pennridge offense moved 49 yards in 10 plays, stretching the margin to 23-0 when Shane Hartzell pushed his way in from two yards out.
A 17-yard pickup on a toss play to Ryan Garner (82 yds) set up a one-yard touchdown run by Jack Ferguson, making it 30-0 in the final seconds of the third quarter.
Quakertown broke the shutout in the fourth quarter, when Christian Patrick (62 yds, TD) scored on an 11-yard run, making it 30-6. Brayden Landherr capped the scoring for Pennridge with a seven-yard burst.
“All season, they had the ability to do something like this and it clicked,” Muller said. “They did what they could all along.”
Pennridge, narrowly missing the postseason after a tough, Week 10 loss to Central Bucks East, came out and had a sustained, 10-play drive on its second possession of the contest, taking a 3-0 lead on Alex Lelii’s 26-yard field goal.
Soon after, Lafty had himself a touchdown, and the Rams were on their way.
“Big Lafty hopping on that ball,” Muller said with a smile. “He came up to me on the sideline, towards the end of the game, and goes, ‘coach, I’m pretty sure I’m tied as the leading scorer for this game.’ That’s him.
“He’s a kid that’s given me so much throughout the season and this senior class, I couldn’t be more proud of the way they played and the way they responded.”
