Ground game guides Methacton in 18-8 win over Wissahickon for first win

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> It has a running game. One that’s alive and well, and quite capable of putting a hurt on an opponent.

Methacton discovered that fact Friday when it hosted Wissahickon in a non-league meeting of teams seeking their first wins of the season. The Warriors were at their ground-pounding best, outrunning the Trojans 18-8 on a night where the school honored the country’s military and first responders in a pre-Patriot Day tribute.

A ground attack that managed only 36 yards in last weekend’s 34-0 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh covered 232 in its home opener. Tyler Weil-Kaspar and Anthony Perillo showed themselves to be a 1-2 rushing punch, combining for almost 190 yards of Methacton’s total output and leading the Warriors (1-2) to all its unanswered points after Wissahickon (0-3) struck first in the second quarter.

“This was something I knew we’d be able to do,” Methacton head coach Brian Kennedy said. “We felt running was our forté.”

Weil-Kaspar and Perillo were very active in the Warriors’ three scoring drives. They took turns running the ball on their team’s clock-beating drive in the first half, making hard run after hard run up the middle to set Weil-Kaspar up for a one-yard burst with 40 seconds to go before halftime.

Another productive drive to start the second half saw the duo fuel the bulk of a 15-play, 53-yard march capped by Tyler Ready’s 29-yard field goal. Wesley Conover and Jake Chapman, along with quarterback Michael Wolbers, got totes along the way.

A possession to start the fourth quarter saw Weil-Kaspar (127 yards on 19 carries) tear off a 19-yard burst through his left tackle with 8:57 left. Getting the ball back two more times, the Warriors ran the final six minutes off the clock to record the win.

“Last week was tough. They (PW) stacked the box,” Perillo, who had 62 yards on seven runs, said. “Tonight, we found our spots and got the running game going.”

“The second half set us up well,” Kennedy added. “We were moving the ball, and we were able to stop them.”

The final outcome and slow start to the season notwithstanding, first-year Wissahickon head coach Rory Graver – he formerly headed Pope John Paul II’s grid program the past eight years – is happy with the performance of his Trojans.

“I’m really enjoying it,” he said. “They are great men. I’m proud of the effort they showed tonight. They’re getting better every game.”

After seeing one of its first possessions ended on downs at the Methacton 28, Wissahickon got on the board with 3:41 left in the second quarter. Set up by Jaden McLean’s recovery of a Warrior fumble at the hosts’ 49-yard line, the Trojans used runs by McLean and Ronnie Weldon to move to the 16, from where quarterback Julian Perkins found McLean at the end of a 16-yard scoring toss.

“I think our quarterback played his best game of the season,” Graver said of Perkins, who completed 10 of 17 passes for 60 yards. His primary targets were Gavin Myers (four catches, 27 yards) and McLean (3-41).

“Myers caught some nice balls, as did McLean,” Graver said. “They and Weldon … they’re working hard for sure.”

The Methacton defense, however, proved stout in limiting Wissahickon to 74 rushing yards. Joshua Cancro dropped Perkins three times for losses and recovered a Trojan fumble late in the fourth quarter. Jackson Chase also left Perkins with lost yardage on a running play, as did D.J. Conover.

“Our defense came to play as well,” Kennedy said. “Wissahickon is a program on the rise. But our kids know their roles, and the jobs they have to do.

“Our special teams lit people up, too. They know what they’re doing.”

Still, Kennedy doesn’t see his team anywhere near being a finished product.

“We had a better week of practice,” he said, “but we still have work to do. We need to limit our mistakes and cut down penalties.”

NOTES >> Conover chipped in to Methacton’s ground game with 26 yards on three carries. “We have a great mix of backs,” Kennedy said. … Graver on the approach he’s taking with his new team: “I told the guy this game isn’t going to be won tonight. It’s going to be won in the weight room in January, February and March. That’s what they have to do.”

Methacton 18, Wissahickon 8

Wissahickon    0    8    0    0 –8

Methacton    0    8    3   7 – 18

Second Quarter

Wi-McLean 16 pass from Perkins (Pester pass from Perklns), 3:41

Me-Weil-Kasper 1 run (Weil-Kasper run), :40

Third Quarter

Me-Ready 29 FG, 4:28

Fourth Quarter

Me-Weil-Kasper 19 run (Ready kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

    Wi    Me

First downs    11    11

Rushing yards    74    232

Passing yards    60    11

Total yards    134    243

Passes C-A-I   10-18-0    1-5-0

Fumbles-Lost    2-1    1-1

Penalties-Yards   1-15    5-50

Punts-Avg.    3-33.3    3-29.3

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing

Wissahickon -Ronnie Weldon, 11-34; Jaden McLean, 8-17; Julian Perkins, 11-13; Sheppard Dorn, 1-7; Kareem Lee, 1-3.

Methacton -Tyler Weil-Kasper, 19-127, 2 TDs; Anthony Perillo, 7-62; Wesley Conover, 3-26; D.J. Ballinger, 2-12; Jake Chapman, 2-2; Michael Wolbers, 7-2; Ben Grove, 1-1

Passing

Wissahickon – Perkins, 10-17-60, 1 TD; McLean, 0-1-0.

Methacton – Wolbers, 1-5-11.

Receiving

Wissahickon – Gavin Myers, 4-27; McLean, 3-41, 1 TD; Weldon, 2-(-8); Jackson Micenec, 1-0.

Methacton -Chapman, 1-11.

 

Interceptions – None.

Sacks – Methacton: John Cancro 2, Conover 1, Chase 1.