Pennridge plays ‘Ram Ball’ to snap CB East’s winning streak
EAST ROCKHILL >> Brayden Landherr runs like he hates being tackled.
It’s a trait he shares with his fellow running backs on the Pennridge football roster and with Friday being the senior’s final regular season home game, he was extra motivated not to be taken down. Landherr also plays defense on a unit that has not been broken easily this fall and was eager to break visiting Central Bucks East’s six-game winning streak.
It all spells something Pennridge likes to call “Ram Ball” and it was all on display as the Rams toppled the Patriots 24-7 at Helman Field.
“We go by accountability, family and heart and we want to play ‘Ram Ball,’ that’s what we call it,” Landherr said. “It’s tough, hard-nosed football where everybody does their job. That’s what we did and that’s how you win games.”
Friday’s game was a bit of a statistical oddity in that East nearly doubled the number of plays it ran compared to Pennridge (71-39) but the Rams won the battle of total yardage (343-272). There were a lot of splash plays and big moments, but the sequence that may have best summed up the game was the first drive of the third quarter.
After Pennridge (5-3, 3-2 SOL National) had used a late field goal to take a 10-7 lead to the break, East (6-2, 4-1 SOL National) took the opening possession of the second half and started marching. The Patriots ate nearly seven minutes of clock, running 14 plays to advance from their 14-yard line to the Rams’ 30 but came up with nothing when the drive stalled and ended on an incomplete fourth down shovel pass.
Despite being on the field quite a lot, the Pennridge defense just wouldn’t give in.
“Our defense played up to what our defense is capable of doing,” Rams coach Cody Muller said. “Doing your job is a big thing for us and I thought the kids did a great job of doing just that.”
Pennridge wasn’t flawless but unlike in prior games this season, early miscues and setbacks on the field didn’t lead to the game getting away. The hosts’ opening drive was thwarted by an interception, they were flummoxed on an onside kick the Patriots recovered after tying the game and lost a fumble on a muffed punt that put East in prime position to score in the second quarter.
Not one of those errors led to a point being scored as the defense just kept getting stops.
“All week we really did a good job of dialing in and focusing and I attribute that to our seniors,” Muller said. “We wanted to make sure they understood what was at stake and their legacy here and how they want to be remembered. They took it to heart and really led us from the front.
“I talked about adversity pregame, especially the seniors with all the adversity they’ve faced in their careers here at Pennridge. We’ve had just about everything you could have thrown at these kids and for them to still be here and weather all that storm, push through and play as well as they did, that’s all credit to them.”
Landherr was a model of efficiency on Friday, rolling up 135 rushing yards on just eight carries. He also had the biggest carry of the game and it wasn’t even his 59-yard scoring rush that put Pennridge up 7-0 in the first quarter. After the defense came up with another fourth down stop when East missed a field goal with 3:44 left, the Rams just need a couple first downs.
Two snaps later, Landherr broke free for 52 yards, flipping the field and getting the pink-clad student section whipped into a fervor. The senior, who is also a standout track athlete, didn’t even ask out of the game, taking the next carry as well.
“We want to score on every play. We run a tough offense and every time I get the ball, I want to run through people and I know it’s the same with all the other running backs,” Landherr said. “When you’re hitting a team hard every play, they’re going to quit eventually and that’s what we want to do.
“Being able to break a tackle like that and hear the crowd going, it’s awesome. It’s what Friday night lights is all about.”
East tied the game 7-7 early in the second quarter when Pat Keller hit Jack Donnelly for a 29-yard score. Sean Curry, Pennridge’s senior kicker, gave his team a lift when he was able to drill a 31-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the first half.
The defense firming up to stop East’s third quarter opening drive was a definite momentum-changer. Pennridge took over and went 70 yards, getting big runs from Tyler Wetzel, quarterback Xavier Dantzler and finally Brennan Fisher on the last 25 to make it a two-score game.
CB East had another long drive following the Fisher score, but like the previous one, it ended with nothing for the Patriots when Pennridge stuffed a run on 4th-and-2 to take over on downs. Rams linebacker Phil Piccotti, who was in on a host of tackles as usual, felt the defense’s ability to shut down East’s run was a key factor in the game.
The Patriots ran for 176 yards, but it took them 51 carries to get there.
“During the week, we had great preparation for the game. Everybody was watching film, doing their job and just grinding all week,” Picciotti said. “The line did well, which gave the linebackers room to flow and go get stops. We’re hard-headed on defense. We’re not going to let you score. We’re not going to let you get first down conversions.”
Friday’s win certainly helped Pennridge’s quest to make the postseason but there are still two games to go. Muller called it a “survive-and-advance” mentality from now until the end of the season and it’s just something more Landherr thinks “Ram Ball” can embody.
“We felt we needed to win out to make playoffs, so this one definitely wins something special,” Landherr said. “Whoever we face, we’ll play anyone, anywhere. The record doesn’t matter to us. We’re coming out to play ‘Ram Ball.'”
Pennridge 7 3 7 7 – 24
Central Bucks East 0 7 0 0 – 7
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
P- Brayden Landherr 59 run (Sean Curry kick) 6:29
2nd Quarter
CBE – Pat Keller 29 pass to Jack Donnelly (Jack Corrigan kick)
P – Curry 29 field goal :09
3rd Quarter
P – Brennan Fisher 25 run (Curry kick) 2:51
4th Quarter
P – Adam Mossbrook 29 run (Curry kick) 1:12
Team Stats
P CBE
First Downs 15 16
Rushing 33-344 51-176
Passing 1-6-0-1 7-20-1-0
Passing Yards 14 96
Total Yards 348 272
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 7-64 5-47
Individual stats
Rushing: P – Bradyen Landherr 9-135, Tyler Wetzel 8-52, Nate Mossbrook 5-43, Brennan Fisher 5-50, Xavier Dantzler 5-35, Adam Mossbrook 1-14; CBE – Tommy Day 14-48, Ethan Shine 21-66, Quinn Moody 4-10, Jack Donnelly 1-11, Pat Keller 11-41
Passing: P – Dantzler 1-6-0-1-14; CBE – Keller 7-18-1-0-96, Connor Callaghan 0-2-0-0-0
Receiving: P – Wetzel 1-14; CBE – Matt Labouliere 2-31, Shine 1-5, Donnelly 1-29, Moody 1-15, Joe Magelin 1-4, Luke Quillen 1-12
Interceptions: CBE – Labouliere
