Johnson, Buchholz shine for Great Valley
Johnson scored three consecutive touchdown and Buchholz was a terror on defense as Great Valley defeated Kennett, 55-21, in their Ches-Mont League American Division football game Friday at Great Valley High School.
“It’s nice to send everybody off right on their senior night,’ said Great Valley coach Dan Ellis. “The kids came out and played well. Scott’s (Green) kids played hard, we were just able to take advantage of some things. It’s a great way to end the regular season.’
Great Valley’s (5-1 Ches-Mont American, 9-1 overall) defense was tremendous from the start and it all started with Buchholz.
He finished the night with three sacks and three passes batted down at the line of scrimmage.
Great Valley kept Kennett (1-5, 1-9) off the scoreboard until late in the third quarter.
“I think we (as a whole) physically outmatched them, especially with a kid like that (Buchholz),’ said Ellis. “They were trying their best not to run at him but when you get a kid like that then sometimes it’s hard not to. He’s chasing plays down from the back side, rushing the passer, it’s
tough to avoid him completely.’
“I was just trying to go hard on every play,’ added Buchholz. “I know they were pushing the ball a little bit, so I tried to stop them and give our defense momentum. We have a good all-around defense that helped us stop their offense.’
On the offensive side, Johnson swiftly picked apart the Blue Demon defense with three touchdowns in the first half, but he gave all the praise to his men upfront.
“It was another big game for our offensive line,’ said Johnson. “It was their touchdowns. They’re opening up all the holes. I didn’t really have to work, I just did my job by running through the holes they make for me.’
Buchholz said the performance by Johnson reminded him of their youth football days together.
“It was crazy, just like when we used to play in our youth league with the Conestoga Generals,’ he said. “He would score all the time.’
Johnson ended his night with eight carries for 132 yards. Both Buchholz and Johnson’s stats were amassed in the first half as the Patriots built a 48-0 advantage at halftime.
Kennett finished its season with three unanswered scores late in the third quarter and into the fourth.
With Great Valley back on its two-yard line with under a minute to go in the third, subtitute quarterback Rob Geiss fumbled as he backed up into the end zone to pass. Defensive lineman Thomas Wessels picked up the loose ball in the end zone for the score.
The other two touchdowns were on runs by Frankie Perigo and Jacob Goudy. Perigo’s was a 6-yard jaunt one minute into the fourth. Goudy’s was a 41-yard canter with a minute left in the contest.
“Our effort is one thing we can control and our toughness is something we can also control,’ said Kennett coach Scott Green. “I think we had a lot of tough games (this year). The Ches-Mont is the best it’s ever been and to be able to control those things and play tough, hard, and never give up is the motto of this team. With all the young players coming back I hope this can be a learning point for them.’
Great Valley’s seniors can cherish the win Friday, but Ellis knows that to keep playing past the regular season you need to take things one step at a time.
“At this point of the year when you reach the playoffs you just take it a game at a time,’ Ellis said. “We’ll figure out tomorrow (Saturday) who we play and it’s just a matter of playing one game at a time, prepare, and get after it.’
