No slowing down Upper Dublin in rout of Methacton

UPPER DUBLIN >> Anyone who thought Upper Dublin’s football team might be a tad down after losing 20 starters from last season’s District One championship team only had to watch the Cardinals for about 10 seconds Friday night.

Buoyed by Mike Cottom’s return of the opening kickoff for a touchdown, the Cards picked up right where they left off a season ago, scoring 41 unanswered points in the first half to subdue Methacton, 41-0, in the season opener for both schools.

Senior quarterback Justin Horn accounted for five touchdowns – two passing and three on the ground as the Cardinals coaches yanked their first teamers before the first half ended, then coasted to its first win since last season’s PIAA District One final.

“Our motto since the season started has been, ‘So what’” Horn proclaimed. “So what if we lost 20 starters to graduation. We still have that bar set high, and we expect to be up there all year.

“Last season, the people who are playing this year got lucky. We got a lot of time on the field because the people in front of us were so good, so we got playing time.”

As for the Warriors, they never really recovered from the early Cardinals strike.

Methacton went three-and-out on its first possession, and Upper Dublin was at it again, this time traveling 60-plus yards to paydirt, with Horn doing the honors from short range.

It was the beginning of the end for Methacton, although head coach Paul Lepre was not demoralized.

“I was happy with the way our veterans played,” the coach said. “Now we need our young guys to see how it’s done, and to follow their example.”

Meanwhile, the Cardinals didn’t rest.

Horn tossed a long touchdown strike to blow the lead out to 20-0, then hit Phil Butler from six yards away to push the lead t0 34-0 with 7:38 left in the half,

The quarterback then found himself all alone on the corner on an option play, so he strolled 59 yards, untouched, to finish off the scoring with 3:45 left in the half.

On the next series, the Cardinals turned the quarterbacking reins over to junior Julian Gimbel, and the game sped to a quick conclusion when the running clock kicked in to start the second half.

“I liked their energy,” Upper Dublin head coach Bret Stover said of Methacton. “They stopped us in the second half, and played much better.

“It’s a process. We were where they are now back in 2005 and 2006. You just have to be patient.”

But for the moment, the Warriors can’t afford patience.

Pottsgrove stands ready next week, and the Warriors youngsters will have to grow up even more in the coming week.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, have no desire to take their feet off the accelerator.

“In the past four years this program has just skyrocketed,” Horn said. “The coaches have done a great job bringing us up to where we are now.”