FOOTBALL: Defense, special teams lead way for Methacton

WEST NORRITON >> Methacton coach Brian Kennedy told his team going into their Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division opener against Norristown that it needed to win two out of three areas of the game – referencing offense, defense and special teams.

The Warriors offense didn’t have its best day – totaling just 140 yards – but the defense and special teams dominated. DJ Ballinger and Collin O’Neill scored defensive touchdowns while Chad Cummings scored on special teams to lead Methacton to a 26-7 win at Norristown Area High School Friday night.

“Tonight was good,” Kennedy, who credited defensive coordinator Eric Ranieri for having the defense prepared, said. “It’s a good opportunity for all the kids to step up on the defensive side and the special teams and show how important both of those teams are. You can’t just win offensively. We have to have the total package – all three.”

Ballinger got the scoring started with an interception return for a touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. A pass bounced off the hands of a Norristown receiver and the Warriors senior defensive back was in position to make a play. He grabbed the ball and raced 39 yards to the endzone, breaking a tackle around the 10, to give Methacton (4-1, 1-0 PAC Liberty) a 6-0 lead.

“I made a play just like that last week,” Ballinger said. “Honestly, it just felt natural making plays like that.”

Later in the second quarter, Cummings doubled the lead on special teams. Norristown (0-5, 0-1 PAC Liberty), punting from its own 22-yard line, snapped the ball over the punter’s head. Cummings won the race to the ball and recovered it in the endzone for a 12-0 lead with 4:12 left in the first half.

Methacton’s defense allowed a touchdown in the third quarter, but capitalized on two Norristown mistakes in the fourth to increase the 12-7 lead. The first came when Norristown accidentally snapped the ball on 4th-and-4 at their own 27 and lost a yard. The Warriors threw an interception on the first play of the ensuing possession, but Norristown was marked down at their own 1-yard line.Two plays later, the Eagles fumbled a snap and O’Neill recovered the ball in the endzone for a touchdown and 19-7 lead.

“Our D-line has been great all year,” Cummings, who grabbed two interceptions in the game, said. “We’re excited for them to make a push and try to get a safety. They did the job.”

“When teams make mistakes we have to capitalize,” Ballinger added. “We see a ball on the ground – that’s our ball, ball in the air – that’s our ball. When we see stuff like that we just have to make plays.”

Norristown’s defense played a strong game, holding Methacton to 2-of-11 passing for five yards and Tyler Henry grabbed an interception. The Eagles held the Warriors to 135 rushing yards on 29 carries. The total was inflated when Methacton’s Ben Grove ran for a 29-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to make it 26-7.

The Eagles lone touchdown drive came at the start of the second half. They faced a 1st-and-20 after a holding call on the first snap and put together a 12-play march down the field. The key conversion was a 4th-and-19 completion from quarterback Brendan Farrel to receiver Quadir Drummund to set up a Farrel one-yard sneak to get within 12-7 in the middle of the third quarter.

Both teams continue PAC Liberty play next Friday night. Methacton travels to Perk Valley while Norristown visits Boyertown. Both games are set to kickoff at 7 p.m.

Methacton 26, Norristown 7

Methacton 0 12 0 14 – 26

Norristown 0 0 7 0 – 7

Scoring

Second Quarter

M – DJ Ballinger 39-yard interception return (2-point failed) 11:48

M – Chad Cummings 0-yard fumble return (2-point failed) 4:12

Third Quarter

N – Brendan Farrel 1-yard run (Brett Murphy kick) 5:12

Fourth Quarter

M – Collin O’Neill 0-yard fumble return (Aiden Drozd kick) 6:01

M – Ben Grove 29-yard run (Aiden Drozd kick) 2:51

TEAM STATISTICS

M           N

First downs 7           7

Rushes-Yards 29-135   34-88

Passing yards 5           56

Total yards 140         144

Passing 2-11-1    10-19-3

Punts 5            4

Fumbles-Lost 1-0         2-2

Penalties-Yards 5-40        11-91

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING

M: Wesley Conover 6-20; Ben Grove 10-69, TD; Nick Remish 1-1; Kolby Howarth 8-26; DJ Ballinger 1-9; Jared Hall-Sanford 3-10.

N: Meyon Ferrell 19-65; Marcello Pabon Jr. 4-8; Amir Montanez 1-(-4); Brendan Farrel 4-(-15), TD; Marzon Carr 6-44.

PASSING

M: Nick Remish 1-3-3-0-0; Kolby Howarth 1-8-2-0-1.

N: Brendan Farrel 10-19-56-0-3.

RECEIVING

M: Ben Grove 1-2; Kolby Howarth 1-3.

N: Jaden Pratt 2-9; Jayden Byrd 2-15; Meyon Ferrell 2-0; Quadir Drummund 2-26; Tyler Henry 1-9; Rashon Giddens 1-(-3).

INTERCEPTIONS

M: Chad Cummings 2, DJ Ballinger.

N: Tyler Henry.