Kamara’s 4 TDs carry Interboro past Pottstown, 48-7

POTTSTOWN — Abu Kamara ran for 10 yards on Interboro’s first play from scrimmage on Thursday night at Grigg Memorial Field … definitely a sign of things to come for the Buccaneer offense.

The senior running back went on to rush for 179 yards and four touchdowns – all in the first half – as Interboro took out the frustration of a first-week loss with a 48-7 win over Pottstown.

The Bucs (1-1) scored on their first seven possessions and their swarming defense made it impossible for the Trojans (0-2) to get any kind of foothold on offense for most of the first half of the non-league contest.

Interboro finished with 309 yards on the ground and 351 total. Senior quarterback Rasheen Bostic ran for 38 yards and the Trojans’ TD and Nazhier Booker caught three passes for 64 yards for the hosts.

“We wanted to come out and show who we really are,” said Kamara, whose team dropped a 27-13 opener to Strath Haven, last year’s District 5 champion and PIAA semifinalist. “We just wanted to focus, focus, focus, focus.”

“Experience … we want to get where they are,” said Pottstown coach Levert Hughes. “We have to go brick by brick to build it. We’re basically a young team. We’ve got to teach them how to win.”

The Bucs drove 55 yards on four plays on their first drive, with Kamara taking the ball into the end zone from six yards out. Then Anthony Barr picked off a pass on a 3rd-and-13 play by the Trojans and returned it to the Pottstown 13 yard line. Julian Bulovas passed 11 yards to Dom Gunter four plays later for a score. 

Thomas also scored a TD on the ground, as did Tolu Awoemi, taking some of the Trojan defense’s attention away from Kamara.

“It takes the focus off of me,” said Kamara. “Those guys have the same mentality as I do … hard and focused. And thanks to the offensive line.”

Trojan ball carriers were dropped for losses nine times in the first half by the aggressive Bucs.

“In practice, our coach tells us to go after the football … ,” said Kamara, who plays strong safety on defense. “The emphasis he put on that influences the way we play in the game.”

Pottstown put together its first drive late in the first half, marching 61 yards as Bostic connected with Booker on 12 and 40 yard plays. Joel Mundo ran for five yards and a first down at the Buccaneer 13 before Interboro blocked a 30-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds to go until the half, leaving the score at 48-0.

The Trojans recovered a Buc fumble midway through the third quarter and drove 89 yards on eight plays for their first score of the season. Bostic hit Booker for 12 yards early in the drive and the Trojan quarterback ran for gains of 16 and 17 yards later in the march downfield and eventually got his team on the scoreboard with a 3-yard keeper.

“We really started thinking about our future, where we want to go in life,” said Bostic. “I told them we were going to score. When we really know what we want to do and put our minds together, we’re unstoppable.”

With the running clock  rule in play for the entire second half, the Trojans did not get a chance for another drive, but wound up with 168 total yards after gaining only 67 in the first half.

Pottstown will try to keep building when it travels to Harriton for another non-league contest next week.

“We can’t keep looking at this,” said Hughes. “We’ve got a good group of seniors to lead us. We want to do it game by game, install what we can that fits out team.”

Interboro will host Upper Moreland next week. 

“We have to do what we do,” said Kamara. “Run our system, and we’ll come out successful.”