FOOTBALL: Pottsgrove picks up first win with complete performance against Norristown

LOWER POTTSGROVE >> Pottsgrove couldn’t have scripted a better first half than it had against Norristown Friday night.

The Falcons offense had the ball six times, scoring five touchdowns and kneeling the ball to head to the locker room with a 36-point lead. The defense allowed eight total yards and no first downs. The special teams had a 57-yard punt return and forced a fumble.

The dominant performance over the first 24 minutes were enough to enact a running clock for the second half and Pottsgrove cruised to a 36-12 win at Pottsgrove Stadium.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” Pottsgrove head coach Bill Hawthorne said. “They really worked hard all offseason and they come out with two tough losses and rebound with this third one. They got what they deserved. They really busted their butts in the offseason and this week. I’m very, very proud of them.”

The Falcons (1-2) won the opening toss and elected to receive. They put together a 16-play, 63-yard drive that lasted 9:19. They converted one third down and two fourth downs before quarterback Gabriel Rinda punched it in for a one-yard touchdown and 7-0 lead.

“That drive was special, too, because at the start we had a lot of setbacks,” Rinda said. “We had the false start call, we had the penalties. When we completed that big fourth down to Tom Sambrick – that really gave us the juice to keep going.”

The next drive was much shorter, spanning just four yards and three plays. Bryce Caffery returned a punt 57 yards to the Norristown 8-yard line and a holding penalty against the Eagles moved it half the distance to the goal. Caffery ran for a three-yard touchdown and converted the two-point conversion for a 15-0 lead less than a minute into the second quarter.

“I saw the ball bouncing and I saw grass in front of me,” Caffery, who totaled 42 yards of offense and two touchdowns in the first half, said of the punt return. “I went up, scooped it and took what I could get. Obviously I’m trying to score, but it won’t happen every time. I got my team in great field position and that’s what really matters to me.”

Pottsgrove’s Bryce Caffrey (1) makes an ankle tackle on Norristown’s Jayden Byrd (3) during their game on Sept. 8. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

The Falcons showed their quick-strike ability two more times in the second quarter. They scored on the first play of their drive twice – a 46-yard strike from Rinda to Deymein Doctor to make it 21-0 and a 16-yard connection from Rinda to Caffery to make it 36-0. Between those, Rinda ran for a four-yard touchdown.

“I studied my (butt) off this week,” Rinda, who went 7-for-8 for 85 yards and two touchdowns through the air, said. “Being 0-2, you’re never over-prepared, right? I just took those losses with a grain of salt and tried to come back, study more and take what the defense gives me.”

The Pottsgrove defense was just as dominant in the first half. They held Norristown to nine yards on 3-of-5 passing and negative-one rushing yard on seven attempts.

“Our line and our backers, honestly,” Caffery, a defensive back, credited for the success. “They were filling their gaps, doing what they had to do and playing Pottsgrove defense – hard and fast and making tackles, making plays.”

Norristown’s Jayden Byrd (3) looks for extra yards after a reception in the third quarter as Pottsgrove’s Bryce Caffrey (1) pursues on Sept. 8. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

Norristown (0-3) scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Amir Montanez capped a 12-play drive with an 11-yard touchdown run to get the Eagles on the board with 9:49 left in the game. On their next possession, Montanez broke off a 23-yard run to set up a 37-yard touchdown from quarterback Brendan Farrel to wide receiver Jayden Byrd. Byrd finished the game with five catches for 62 yards and the touchdown.

Norristown’s Meyon Ferrell (21) takes a carry against Pottsgrove during their game on Sept. 8. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

Pottsgrove 36, Norristown 12

Norristown 0 0 0 12 – 12

Pottsgrove 7 29 0 0  – 36

Scoring

First Quarter

PG – Gabriel Rinda 1-yard run (Cole Williams kick) 2:41

Second Quarter

PG – Bryce Caffery 3-yard run (Bryce Caffery run for 2) 11:09

PG – Deymein Doctor 46-yard reception from Gabriel Rinda (kick failed) 7:35

PG – Gabriel Rinda 4-yard run (Gabriel Rinda run for 2) :49.2

PG – Bryce Caffery 16-yard reception from Gabriel Rinda (Cole Williams kick) :16.9

Fourth Quarter

N – Amir Montanez 11-yard run (kick blocked) 9:49

N – Jayden Byrd 37-yard reception from Brendan Farrel (2-point failed) 2:46

TEAM STATISTICS

N           PG

First downs 7           14

Rushes-Yards 15-52   31-79

Passing yards 123           85

Total yards 175         164

Passing 9-15-0    7-8-0

Punts 4            1

Fumbles-Lost 2-2         1-1

Penalties-Yards 13-85        5-31

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING

N: Marzon Carr 6-13; Meyon Ferrell 5-10; Brendan Farrel 1-(-8); Rashon Giddens 1-3; Amir Montanez 2-34, TD.

PG: Mikhi Dargan 7-12; Bryce Caffery 4-24, TD; Anthony Mayes 5-9; Gabriel Rinda 8-28, 2 TD; Tyler Birch 4-8; Chase Hawthorne 3-(-3).

PASSING

N: Brendan Farrel 9-15-123-1-0.

PG: Gabriel Rinda 7-8-85-2-0.

RECEIVING

N: Jayden Byrd 5-62, TD; Rashon Giddens 2-10; Jaden Pratt 2-51.

PG: Deymein Doctor 2-52, TD; Bryce Caffery 2-18, TD; Tommy Sambrick 1-8; DeVon Grinnage 1-4, Riley Delp 1-3.