Phoenixville rolls Upper Perkiomen to set up Frontier Division showdown
RED HILL >> Phoenixville scored via a circuitous route early in Friday night’s Pioneer Athletic Conference football contest at Upper Perkiomen. Then the Phantoms continued to score time after time the rest of the half by more conventional means on the way to a 49-21 win at Bill Keeny Stadium.
That puts Phoenixville right where it wants to be for the second year in a row, playing Pope John Paul II next week for the Frontier Division championship, with the Phantoms hoping that the showdown in the division finale on the road on Saturday turns out better than last season.
The Phoenixville offensive line dominated the first half of play, paving the way for big nights by Deacon Williams (4 carries, 127 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Samuel Moore (8 carries, 99 yards, 2 touchdowns). Besides that, Ty Romance threw scoring passes to Shane Callen and Kevin Kingsbury and Kingsbury intercepted two passes as the Phantoms (4-0 Frontier, 7-1 overall) ran out to a 42-0 advantage at the half.
Jayden White (43-yard TD run), Kane Krier (8-yard TD run) and Gavin Weiss (fumble recovery in the end zone) scored for the Indians (0-4, 1-7).
The game began inauspiciously for the Phantoms when the Indians booted an onside kick and recovered it at the Phoenixville 37-yard line.
“I was in shock,” said Kingsbury. “I was kind of mad. I said, ‘Lets go. Let’s get the ball back’. They threw it up and I went up and got it.”
Even after that interception on the Indians’ first play from scrimmage, the Phantoms still had a long way to go as they started at their own three. Then they hurt themselves with three quick penalties for a total of 24 yards. But the visitors persevered and drove the necessary 97 yards, 58 of them on a pass from Romance to Jackson Ford, with Moore running the last three into the end zone.
“It showed that we came out with some grit,” said Kingsbury. “We wanted to come out and fire off the ball.”
“If we don’t have adversity, if we don’t struggle, what’s the point?” said Phoenixville coach Anthony Ciarlello. “We were still able to come back and still be productive.”
The visitors had an easier time on their second possession as Williams ran 63 yards for a TD to finish a three-play, 73-yard drive.
“Our offensive line has been doing an amazing job all year,” he said. “One of the best in the area. My success is because of all of them.”
“It’s not like that just happened,” added Ciarlello. “They have been in the weight room for a long time. These dudes have spent years in the weight room and on the track. They just show up and do the work.”
Romance and Callen hooked up on an 18-yard play to make it 21-0 early in the second quarter. Then the Phantoms broke the game wide open as they got the ball back on a fumble recovery, a punt and on downs and scored each time on just one play – a 24-yard pass from Romance to Kingsbury, a 54-yard run by Williams and a 53-yard run by Moore – to make it 42-0 at the half. A 9-yard run by Cameron Howard in the third quarter boosted the lead to 49-0.
Meanwhile, the Indians gained only 46 yards and three first downs in the first half.
“Our defensive line dominated the football game,” said Williams. “Our line is the strong suit of our defense. They’re able to get in the backfield and pressure the quarterback.”
“I think we all came together to make tackles,” Kingsbury added. “That’s something we’ve been working hard on all season long. It was a good night for the whole defense.”
On the other hand, Upper Perk coach Dan Heinrichs thinks his team is making progress, though that might not show in its record.
“Phoenixville is a good football team,” he said. “We’re making small strides that aren’t in the win column right now. Some guys are making strides. The truth is, we’re not there yet. But we will be eventually.”
Pope John Paul II downed Pottstown 38-6 on Friday to set up a second straight meeting between 4-0 teams for the Frontier title.
“This is where we want to be,” said Williams. “We knew it would come down to a game with PJP again this season. We’ve gotta come ready to play. We’ve got to be prepared.”
“We’ve been looking for this for a long time now,” added Kingsbury.”
Last season, Pope John Paul earned the Frontier championship and berth in the PAC final with a 42-0 win over the Phantoms.
“Last year we were in the same position and it did not go well,” said Ciarlello. “But we’re a different team. PJP is a brick wall. Hopefully we find a way to kick through that brick wall.”
Phoenixville 49, Upper Perkiomen 21
Phoenixville 14 28 7 0 – 49
Upper Perkiomen 0 0 14 7 – 21
PX-Moore 3 run (Jacobson kick)
PX-Williams 63 run (Jacobson kick)
PX-Callen 18 pass from Ty Romance (Jacobson kick)
PX-Kingsbury 24 pass from Ty Romance (Jacobson kick)
PX-Williams 54 run (Jacobson kick)
PX-Moore 53 run (Jacobson kick)
PX-Howard 9 run (Jacobson kick)
UP-Krier 8 run (Watkins kick)
UP-G Weiss fumble recovery in end zone (Watkins kick)
UP-White 43 run (Watkins kick)
Team Stats
PX UP
First Downs 15 10
Yards Rushing 284 124
Yards Passing 137 74
Total Yards 421 198
Passes C-A-I 8-9-0 7-18-3
Fumbles 2-1 3-1
Penalties-Yds 6-59 2-20
Punts-Avg 1-34 3-31.0
Individual Stats
Rushing
Phoenixville: Williams 4-127, 2 TD’s; Moore 8-99, 2 TD’s; Ty Romance 5-42; Howard 7-9, 1 TD; Watson 1-6; Kingsbury 1-5; Zackiewicz 1-0; Ja Romance 1-(-4); Totals 28-284, 5 TD’s
Upper Perkiomen: White 4-41, 1 TD; B Weiss 11-26; Krier 6-24, 1 TD; Schwartz 10-17; O’Donnell 3-16; Totals 34-124, 2 TD’s
Passing
Phoenixville: Ty Romance 7-8-140, 2 TD’s; Ta Romance 1-1-(-3); Totals 8-9-137, 2 TD’s
Upper Perkiomen: O’Donnell 7-18-74, 3 INT’s
Receiving
Phoenixville: Kingsbury 2-33, 1 TD; Lear 2-24; Ford 1-58; Callen 1-18, 1 TD; Williams 1-7; Howard 1-(-3); Totals 8-137, 2 TD’s
Upper Perkiomen: Void 6-63; Schmittinger 1-11; Totals 7-74
Interceptions: Phoenixville Kinsbury 2, Lear
