Perkiomen Valley stays focused, overpowers Boyertown 41-7
BOYERTOWN >> For years, Perkiomen Valley head coach Rob Heist has preached the singular goal of going 1-0 each week.
The idea, of course, is if you can accomplish this, all other goals will fall neatly into place as a result.
But this mantra also ensures the Vikings never overlook any opponent regardless of what may lie ahead. The philosophy clearly has an impact on PV’s perennial success.
On a night with some potential distractions, Perkiomen Valley handled its business in defeating Boyertown 41-7 and improving to 8-1 (5-0 PAC Liberty) on the season.
“Every week, we forget the past and focus on the present,” said Carson Pascoe, a senior defensive lineman who had a thunderous sack in the first half and helped lead the PV defense in creating four turnovers on the evening.
“We may not have played our strongest game last week, and that was reiterated by our leaders. Tonight was a chance to come out and show everyone who we really are, after a great week of practice.”
Efficiency was the name of the game for the Vikings, who traveled no further than 44 yards on any on their five touchdown drives. Turnovers and special teams repeatedly allowed the offense to work on short fields, and sophomore QB Patrick MacDonald (8-for-11, 99 yards passing, 3 pass TDs, rush TD) led the unit to scores on five of six drives.
“We love games like this – grinding it out and running the ball,” said senior offensive lineman Yanni Tsitoukis. “We knew we needed to go downhill all night, and we were able to do it.”
After fumbling deep in Boyertown territory to open the game, PV scored on its next four possessions, adding a fumble return for a touchdown for good measure in building a 34-0 lead by the middle of the second quarter.
Sam Koehler got the Vikings started with the aforementioned scoop and score, followed by short touchdown runs from MacDonald and fullback Brad Curci.
From there, PV turned short fields via Boyertown turnovers into a pair of one-yard TD passes from MacDonald to Mike Poruban and Jake Stewart respectively.
In all, the Vikings turned over Boyertown four times before the break, with Carter Euker and Dimitri Toman snaring interceptions and Drew Kenworthy recovering a fumble in addition to Koehler’s earlier recovery.
Following halftime, PV widened the lead when MacDonald found Ryan Klimek for a 26-yard scoring pass.
Fighting gamely to the end, Anthony Panarello got Boyertown on the board in the fourth quarter with a two-yard scoring plunge. Cole Yesavage led the Bears on the evening with 59 yards rushing.
About those potential distractions – with the PAC Liberty Division title secured, one could wonder if the Vikings would’ve been caught looking ahead to next week’s PAC championship game, where they’ll play the winner of Saturday’s Pope John Paul II/Phoenixville contest.
But that would go against PV’s entire philosophy.
“For us, the key is focusing on our opponent once we know who they are,” said Tsitoukis. “Nothing is going to change for us – it’s the same mentality every week.”
For Boyertown (4-5, 2-3 PAC Liberty) the loss puts a serious dent in their postseason hopes. The Bears came into Friday night ranked No. 20 in what will be a 16-team field in District 1 Class 6A.
Boyertown will attempt to improve to .500 in coach Justin Konnick’s first season in a crossover game next weekend. Despite the tough loss, Konnick recognized the fight and determination of his players on Senior Night.
“These guys are the foundation for getting this program turned over,” he said. “TJ (Miller, Boyertown’s coach for the previous five seasons) did a great job for this community, and I miss him a lot.
“Those are his kids right there. They remember a lot of what he has taught them – I’m just steering the ship.”
Perkiomen Valley came into the night tied for the No. 4 spot in 6A, now guaranteed at least one home game in Districts and hopeful for more. But the Vikings have more immediate business to handle.
“We know what we’ve done all year. We push one another, and we plan to have a great week in practice,” said Pascoe, before repeating the tried-and-true motto.
“Our goal is to go 1-0 next week.”
NOTES: Before the game, Boyertown recognized 15 senior football players, eight cheerleaders, and two student managers on Senior Night. … Halftime saw an official dedication of the Jerry Karver Gate located at the main entrance to Memorial Stadium. Karver was a six-time PIAA state champion in cross country and track and field at Boyertown and went on to become NCAA champion in the mile and be an alternate for the U.S. in the 1948 London Olympics. Karver passed away in 2016, but friends and family were on hand to honor the lifelong Boyertown resident.
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perkiomen Valley | 14 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 41 |
| Boyertown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
SCORING
PV — S. Koehler 4 fumble return (Klimek kick)
PV — MacDonald 5 run (Klimek kick)
PV — Curci 6 run (Klimek kick)
PV — Poruban 1 pass from MacDonald (Klimek kick)
PV — Stewart 1 pass from MacDonald (kick missed)
PV — Klimek 26 pass from MacDonald (Klimek kick)
BT — Panarello 2 run (Chase Sennott kick)
TEAM STATISTICS
PV BT
First Downs 13 9
Rushing Yards 165 67
Passing Yards 99 82
Total Yards 264 149
Passes C-A-I 8-11-0 7-16-2
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 2-2
Penalties-Yards 6-50 3-25
Punts-Avg. 1-41 4-33.5
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Perkiomen Valley – Stewart 7-95, Klimek 5-46, MacDonald 4-17; TD, Miceli 2-22, Curci 2-10; TD, Nunez 2-8, Team 2-(minus-37), Poruban 1-4.
Boyertown – Yesavage 17-59, J. Oakes 6-27, Cade Sennott 4-3, Gehris 4-(minus-26), Ankoma-Mensah 1-3, Hagan 1-2, Panarello 1-2; TD, Team 1-(minus-1), Biletta 1-(minus-2).
Passing
Perkiomen Valley – MacDonald 8-11, 99 yards, 3 TD.
Boyertown – Gehris 7-16, 82 yards, 2 INT.
Receiving
Perkiomen Valley – Poruban 3-50; TD, Klimek 2-38; TD, Keough 1-7, Curci 1-3, Stewart 1-1; TD.
Boyertown – Yesavage 3-18, Cade Sennott 2-37, Chamberlain 2-27.
Sacks: Perkiomen Valley – Pascoe.
Interceptions: Perkiomen Valley – C. Euker, Toman.
