Pope John Paul II outlasts Upper Merion, remains undefeated through Week 7

UPPER PROVIDENCE >> Upperclassmen were in the spotlight during Pope John Paul II’s Senior Day activities Saturday.

Rightly so for the football team, whose seniors have provided inspiration and big performances toward the program’s continuing success in the 2022 season. Alongside the elder statesmen, though, the Golden Panthers have benefitted from key contributions by their youngsters.

A case in point for PJP’s game with Upper Merion was Braden Reed. A wide receiver by roster listing, the sophomore found himself actively involved in various aspects of the offense while helping the Golden Panthers roll to a 38-20 victory over the Vikings in their Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division contest.

Reed was on the receiving end of eight Luke Terlesky passes for 127 yards, two of them going for first-half touchdowns. He had a pass completion of his own to Boyd Skarbek in the second half, and three late carries for 10 yards.

All in a day’s work?

“Today was the most receptions I’ve had in a game,” Reed said. “It all depends on what the other team is doing.”

Reed’s scoring catches of nine and 21 yards alternated with Skarbek (26 carries. 130 yards) in the scoring department. Skarbek’s runs of three and six yards helped PJP (3-0 division, 7-0 overall) open a 30-13 halftime advantage after Upper Merion (1-2, 3-4) got off to a fast start, scoring in the first 2:15 before stalling a PJP drive at the visitors’ 12-yard line.

“We knew (the Vikings) were tough coming in,” Reed said. “They have a good quarterback, and other athletes in place.”

The game evolved into a pass-heavy affair with Terlesky and Upper Merion’s Zayd Etheridge filling the airways with footballs. Etheridge gave the Vikings 12-for-29 accuracy for 133 yards, with a 14-yard touchdown to Nolan Clayton to start off and a 19-yarder to Preston Thomas seconds before the end of the first half.

“Zayd is a warrior,” Upper Merion coach Chubb Davis said on his senior signal-caller. “And he has a ton of targets. We just have to protect him better.”

Pope John Paul II’s defense sacked Etheridge twice while dropping him for losses of 21 yards. T.J. Boccella had a solo sack while Chris Lucci and Nyzir Lake combined on another.

Lake also recovered an Etheridge fumble in the second quarter, setting the stage for the 21-yard Terlesky-to-Reed touchdown play that staked the Golden Panthers to a 22-7 lead. Reed saw a fourth-quarter interception erased by a pass-interference penalty.

“We look at our team as who’s going to get up this day,” Scott Reed, PJP’s first-year coach and Braden’s father, said. “Guys like (Brendan) Kenning, (Brent) Mitala and Skarbek can all get open. We have a lot of selfless players.”

Terlesky, who came into the game as the PAC’s leading quarterback, capped the Golden Panthers’ scoring with a 2-yard sneak at 2:14 in the third quarter. While going 18-for-23 for 208 yards, he added conversion completions to Mitala, Kenning and Reed in the first half.

“(The Vikings) were playing a lot of man (defense) without a safety,” Braden said. “Our guys did a good job up front.”

A defensive star for Upper Merion was Zander Gutkowski, who intercepted Terlesky at the 6:16 mark in the first quarter. It ended up being a minor glitch for PJP, with Terlesky and Reed combining on three pass plays to get the home team on the scoreboard 47 seconds before the end of the frame.

Also scoring for Upper Merion was Justin Besz, who ran 40 yards for a touchdown with 4:39 left in the third quarter. That brought the Vikings within 10 (30-20) of PJP, but Terlesky gave it breathing room with his ground score.

“It was tough. We were trying to keep the ball out of their hands,” Davis said. “We tried an onside kick, and running the clock. Not everything worked.

“We have to start playing harder. That’s what it takes. Some time we have to believe we can beat anyone.”
Continuing unbeaten for another week gives PJP the challenge of maintaining its “1-0” mindset. Braden Reed, though, noted it’s “a lot easier said than done.”

“There’s a lot of focus on that each week,” he said.

“It’s awesome,” Coach Reed added. “At some point we may enjoy it, but for right now we keep looking forward.”

NOTES

Pope John Paul II’s senior fall sports participants and their parents were recognized in the pre-game ceremony.

Following Reed in the Panthers’ receiving corps was Mitala, who had 79 yards on five catches.

Coach Reed on Boyd Skarbek’s role in the PJP offense: “A lot of what we do goes through him.”

Clayton ran three consecutive plays out of Upper Merion’s wildcat formation in the third quarter, gaining 26 of his 40 rushing yards in the process.

Pope John Paul II 38, Upper Merion 20
Upper Merion 7 6 7 0 – 20
Pope John Paul II 6 24 8 0 – 38
SCORING
First Quarter
UMe-Clayton 14 pass from Etheridge (Palladino kick)
PJP-Reed 9 pass from Terlesky (kick failed)
Second Quarter
PJP-B. Skarbek 3 run (Mitala pass from Terlesky)
PJP-Reed 21 pass from Terlesky (Kenning pass from Terlesky)
PJP-Skarbek 6 run (Reed pass from Terlesky)
UMe-Thomas 19 pass from Etheridge (kick failed)
Third Quarter
UMe-Besz 40 run (Palladino kick)
PJP-Terlesky 2 run (Reed run)
TEAM STATISTICS
UM PJP
First downs 12 20
Rushing yards 46 161
Passing yards 133 228
Total yards 179 389
Passes C-A-I 12-29-0 19-24-1
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 6-35 7-60
Punts-Avg. 4-37.5 2-11.0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Upper Merion – Clayton, 6-41; Besz, 7-15, 1 TD; Seals, 1-6; Riley, 1-5; Etheridge, 4-(-21).
Pope John Paul II – B. Skarbek, 26-130, 2 TDs; Mitala, 4-13; Reed, 3-10; Terlesky, 2-8, 1 TD;
Passing
Upper Merion – Etheridge, 12-29-133, 2 TDs.
Pope John Paul II – Terlesky, 18-23-208, 2 TDs, 1 INT; Reed, 1-1-20.
Receiving
Upper Merion – Crittendon, 4-30; Scavello, 2-27; Seals, 2-25; Thomas, 2-23; Clayton, 1-14;
Besz, 1-14.
Pope John Paul II – Reed, 8-127, 2 TDs; Mitala, 6-32; B. Skarbek, 3-39; Kenning, 1-19; Bradey,
1-11.
Interceptions – Upper Merion: Gutkowski 1.
Sacks – Pope John Paul II: Boccella 1, Lake 0.5, Lucci, 0.5.