Gray guides the way in Phoenixville’s 37-7 takedown of Pottsgrove
PHOENIXVILLE >> Jamie Gray brought a royal flair to Friday night’s gridiron proceedings at Washington Field.
Not that Phoenixville needed any particular help in that regard, to be sure. The Phantoms dominated another Pioneer Athletic Conference opponent in their regal run through the 2023 schedule, this time Pottsgrove by a 37-7 count in the school’s Homecoming contest.
Jamie Gray, Phoenixville
It was another night of complementary performances by the home team (3-0 division, 6-1 overall), a high-scoring offense meshing with a shutdown defense to keep a perfect mark in the PAC’s Frontier Division intact. And Gray had his own memorable time in the process.
The two-way senior lineman displayed his talents in the trenches alongside younger teammates like Andrew Kirk and Cameron English, opening lanes for a pack of runners and giving quarterback Ty Romance (7-for-10, 145 yards) sufficient protection to hurl three touchdown passes. He also stood out on the Homecoming court, named a “royal” during the halftime ceremony.
“It was a big night,” Gray said. “This is a big rivalry we have on the field. But we’re all strong, and our running game is the biggest one.”
The ground-pounders combined for 299 yards and a pair of second-half touchdowns by Deacon Williams and Darius Watson, that after Romance hit Hayden Tenbroeck twice for scores and Chris Mull once. Williams finished with a game-high 114 rushing stripes, and Sam Moore capped his 88-yard output with a 49-yard sprint to the Falcon 11, setting the stage for Watson’s five-yard sprint off-center with 4:10 left in the game.
For head coach Anthony Ciarlello, it validates a bit of game-planning in practice.
“What I try to do,” he said, “is take our coaches and say to them, ‘If you’re the other team’s defensive coordinator, who are you wary of?’ Tenbroeck (three catches, 105 yards) is one who has been working harder.”
Pottsgrove (1-2 Frontier, 3-4 overall) had highlights on the defensive side. Tommy Sambrick intercepted a Romance pass at the Falcons’ seven-yard line in the final half-minute of the first half to quash a Phantom march, and the visitors forced a fumble at the Phoenixville 35 early in the second quarter.
But the Falcons’ lone score came midway through the fourth quarter, when Mikhi Dargan (11 carries, 87 yards) went seven yards off-center to cap a 10-play, 66-yard march. They managed just 201 yards total offense.
“Phoenixville deserves all the credit,” Pottsgrove head coach Bill Hawthorne said. “They outcoached and outplayed us. But our guys fought to the end.”
Ironically, the Sambrick interception was a spark for the Phoenixville defense. Pottsgrove getting the ball a half-yard from its goal line, English and Darius Watson scored the safety to get Phoenixville a measure of points toward its 16-0 halftime advantage.
“I think that sucked the energy out of them,” English said.
And while it didn’t impact the game’s outcome, Pottsgrove’s touchdown did get Phoenixville fired up. After Watson’s subsequent touchdown, the Phantoms held on down the stretch to keep the Falcons from adding another TD as time ran down.
“It was demoralizing to see them score,” Kirk noted. “It makes us mad, because we want to be perfect.”
With a showdown against Pope John Paul II – the defending division champs are equally unbeaten in the Frontier – two weeks away, Ciarlello and his staff are focused on keeping their charges in what they consider the proper mindset.
“Right now, we’re doing well,” he said. “But we got a new week starting, and we need everyone to step up. We’re becoming what we were every week.”
NOTES
Two-way junior lineman T.J. Howard, describing Phoenixville’s performance against Pottsgrove: “Sometimes we get off to a slow start. But tonight, we started the game out strong and kept it lasting all four quarters.” … Aleena Rakowski, a junior member of the Homecoming court, joined Gray in being accorded “royal” designation.
Phoenixville 37, Pottsgrove 7
Pottsgrove 0 0 0 7 – 7
Phoenixville 7 9 7 14 – 37
First Quarter
Px-Mull 29 pass from Romance (Jacobson kick), 6:17
Second Quarter
Px-Tenbroeck 10 pass from Romance (Jacobson kick), 11:09
Px-Safety, :27
Third Quarter
Px-Tenbroeck 37 pass from Romance (Jacobson kick), 7:41
Fourth Quarter
Px-Williams 39 run (Jacobson kick), 10:20
Pg-Dargan 7 run (Williams kick), 5:36
Px-Watson 11 run (Jacobson kick), 4:10
TEAM STATISTICS
Pg Px
First downs 11 17
Rushing yards 176 299
Passing yards 25 143
Total yards 201 442
Passes C-A-I 7-12-0 7-10-1
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-1
Penalties-Yards 8-55 10-71
Punts-Avg. 4-35.8 0-0.00
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Pottsgrove – Dargan, 11-87, 1 TD; Rinda, 8-55; Rivera, 4-20; Caffrey, 3-10; Palladino, 1-4.
Phoenixville – Williams, 14-114, 1 TD; Moore, 9-88; Watson, 9-41, 1 TD; Romance, 4-38; Kingsbury, 1-17; Lear, 1-1.
Passing
Pottsgrove – Rinda, 7-12-34.
Phoenixville – Romance, 8-10-149, 3 TDs, 1 INT.
Receiving
Pottsgrove – Waller, 2-20; Tibbs, 1-8; Caffrey, 2-3; Jargon, 2-3.
Phoenixville – Tenbroeck, 3-105, 2 TDs; Mull, 1-29, 1 TD; Crawford, 1-4; Lear, 1-3; Kingsbury, 1-2.
Interceptions – Pottsgrove: Sambrick 1.
Sacks – None.
