Methacton records 12 sacks, tops PJP 21-14 for first win

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> His senior season hasn’t gone the way he envisioned, but for Dylan Feaster and Methacton, it’s crazy how rejuvenated a team can be after 48 minutes.

Feaster rushed for 123 yards and a score while Dylan Henry recorded 6.5 of the team’s PAC-10 best 12 sacks as the Warriors closed out their PAC-10 schedule with a gritty 21-14 victory over winless Pope John Paul II Saturday afternoon on the team’s Senior Recognition Day.

“I knew these guys would come out and play hard, which they did,” Methacton head coach Paul Lepre said. “Rory (Graver) deserves all the credit in the world for how he’s kept his kids playing. They were as hungry as we were today. Our kids are doing the same thing as they are. Their dynamic. They’ve been through turmoil, have gotten beat up and taken their lumps but they are able to come out every Monday and look at it as a new opportunity. They’ve really embraced that.”

The win provided some solace for Feaster, Henry and the rest of the Warriors (1-8 PAC-10, 1-9 overall) after a trying season that saw them winless entering the final two weeks. The defense had been suspect all season, allowing a PAC-worst 48.9 points per game and 349 yards per game, third worst in the league.

On Saturday, it was the defense that carried the torch.

Henry surpassed OJR’s Nick Duliakas’ season-high of five sacks with a dominating 6.5-sack performance as the team got to PJP quarterback Matt Duff all afternoon, compiling 12 sacks in the win. Ryan O’Toole finished with 3.5 sacks while Feaster and Jason Eckman had an interception apiece as the Warriors limited PJP to just 174 yards of total offense, only 11 coming on the ground.

“I just thought that with what we have, he (coach Rich Clemens) did a dynamic job of creating a defense, disguising different things and the kids got a quick lesson on it with only three days to prepare,” Lepre said. “They played it tough, they played it hard. They didn’t let the big plays by PJP come back and affect their efforts to make plays so a lot of credit goes to coach Clemens for stepping in and filling in the shoes of coach (Eric) Ranieri.

Told of his sack total, Henry couldn’t believe it, but then deflected his personal accomplishments to the work of his defensive line.

“Really? “Wow,” Henry said. “It’s just the 10 other guys on the team. They were all moving around and blitzing and I came in, it was all on them.”

Feaster’s 123 yards rushing were a season high. The senior finished the game with two scores, one on a 41-yard reception from Eckman in the first to make it 14-0, before capping off the team’s scoring with a 3-yard run from the Wildcat to make it 21-14 with nine minutes remaining in the third.

“We actually just started (the wildcat) this week because coach was saying it’d be likely that they would be double teaming me at wideout,” Feaster said. “It was a new look that could get us some success. I loved it. When I was a freshman I was actually a running back so it was kind of like old days.”

“We had put him (Feaster) back there against Spring-Ford out of need and he had some really good runs,” Lepre said. “Coach Clemens said it’d probably be a good week to come back with it and we put a few plays in for him and it turned out well.”

So well, that it overshadowed a solid performance from PJP running back Dan Cirino. The sophomore finished with 87 yards rushing on 22 carries while also hauling in four passes for 70 yards in the loss. Andrew Salvo finished the game with three receptions for 28 yards as the Golden Panthers (0-9, 0-10) couldn’t find the end zone in the second half after battling back from a 14-0 deficit in the first two quarters.

“It’s very tough,” PJP head coach Rory Graver said. “I’m really proud of my kids’ effort today. Going down 14-0 and battling back speaks a lot to the type of kids that we have and the type of team we have here. We just couldn’t get it done today, but it has nothing to do with their effort because they played four quarters as hard as they could. We played winning football again today, but we couldn’t get the results.”

The Golden Panthers recovery from an early deficit began after  Cirino fell on a blocked punt (by AJ Dejewski) in the end zone to make it 14-7 with 9:23 left in the second. After punting on its next possession, PJP’s Matt Duff capped off an eight-play, 43-yard drive with a one-yard sneak to tie the score entering the half.

It just wasn’t enough.

Feaster capped off the Warriors’ initial drive of the second half with a score that was set up by Henry’s 34-yard run to make it 21-14 before their defense took over. The Warriors forced PJP to turn the ball over on downs after the Golden Panthers marched down to their 15, before forcing two consecutive punts.

With 33 seconds left and a 21-14 lead, O’Toole sacked Duff to prompt a hurried play and Eckman’s interception to ice it, and cue the celebration.

“It feels amazing,” Feaster said. “This week in practice we finally realized that we can turn this whole season around. It’s senior day, do it for the seniors, and I think the young kids finally stepped up to what they know they’re capable of.”