Back-to-back: Brunson, Caffrey carry Pottsgrove past Methacton

POTTSGROVE >> Good things come to those who wait, according to the old saying.

So after a scoreless first half, the fans at Pennypacker Field on Friday night found themselves plenty entitled to an exciting finish.

Pottsgrove running backs Amir Brunson and Bryce Caffrey provided the fireworks. Brunson rushed for 116 yards before giving way to Bryce Caffrey late, as both running backs scored second-half touchdowns to give Pottsgrove a season-opening 12-7 victory over Methacton at Pennypacker Field.

Caffrey, a junior, finished with 82 total yards (49 rushing, 33 receiving), all coming after halftime. He accounted for every yard on the Falcons’ game-winning 59-yard touchdown drive, scoring from 17 yards out with 5:08 to play.

“I’m just trying to do what I can to win this game,” said Caffrey. “So my line started carving out holes, and I just got up field.”

The first meeting between the two schools since 2018 was the first of three Pottsgrove nonleague games against PAC Liberty schools. The Falcons will take on Boyertown and Norristown next month in contests that will not count in the official PAC standings.

For their part, Methacton will take on PAC Frontier opponents Upper Perkiomen in week four.

“The seniors on this team, they’re the guys I want to do it for,” added Caffrey. “As running backs, Amir and I make a solid combination, but it’s not just us. We’ve got other people who can carry the ball and an offensive line that can lead the way.

That line came together after a lackluster first half, as the Falcons – held to 34 yards before halftime – finished with a much more Pottsgrove-like figure of 171 rushing yards.

It didn’t take long to become apparent that the game would be a battle in the trenches, as a pair of physical offensive lines attempted to pave the way for their respective ball carriers. But it was the defense who would rule the day in the early going, as the two sides combined to barely eke out 100 yards of total offense before halftime.

The closest thing to a first-half highlight was an exchange of special teams miscues. An early second-quarter Methacton drive petered out around midfield, but a muff on the ensuing punt gave the Warriors possession inside the Falcons’ 25-yard line. 

One of the seniors Caffrey referenced was linebacker James McLaughlin, who had two quarterback sacks on the evening. The first forced the Warriors into a field goal attempt after the muffed punt, but an errant snap kept the game scoreless. 

McLaughlin, making his first career start after not playing during the 2021 season, had two sacks and an additional tackle for loss, spearheading a Pottsgrove defensive effort that held Methacton to only 84 total yards of offense – and a scant six yards after halftime.

His role became even more critical after an injury knocked defensive leader Xavier Leibensperger out of the game in the early going.

“We have a lot of players going both ways, offense and defense,” explained McLaughlin. “So when X [Leibensperger] went out, I had to switch sides.

“I think things came together after halftime. I’m so glad to be back out here this season – after I stopped playing last year, I immediately regretted it. But I got myself together and was in the weight room as soon as the offseason started.”

In all, the Falcons registered four QB sacks on the evening.

Methacton junior Wes Conover created the game’s first major shift, exploding out of the locker room with a 95-yard return of the second-half kickoff to put the Warriors ahead, 7-0.

Conover, who nearly broke a punt return later in the game for another score, could be the explosive answer the Warriors need to complement a stable of between-the-tackles runners, led on Friday night by Anthony Perillo (72 yards on 14 carries.)

“Wes is very dynamic, very coachable. He’s been waiting his turn, and I think his turn is coming now,” said Warriors head coach Brian Kennedy.

“I was hoping that [kick return] would give us a jolt,” he continued. “But I just finished telling [the team] – all 11 guys have to function as a unit. We are built to control the ball, and we didn’t get that done.”

Pottsgrove’s Brunson shook off nagging bumps and bruises all night en route to his 116-yard rushing performance, which included a 24-yard jaunt near the end of the third quarter to set up his own one-yard score. 

The Falcons couldn’t execute the point after, however, necessitating Caffrey’s late heroics.

Both quarterbacks – junior Gabe Rinda for victorious Pottsgrove and senior Michael Wolbers for Methacton – managed the game effectively in their first career starts.

The Warriors played their first game as a Class 5A school after spending the previous six seasons in the state’s top classification (Pennsylvania moved from four classifications for football to six in 2016.)

“We need to play football,” said Kennedy. “As an avenue to get into the playoffs? It’s fine, but there’s such a long way to go. I want to win one game at a time, focus on being competitive.”

Either way, for Class 4A contender Pottsgrove it constitutes “playing up”, as they will do when they take on Boyertown and Norristown (both Class 6A schools). 

Next week, the Falcons (1-0) welcome defending District 12-2A champions West Catholic, while 0-1 Methacton stays on the road for a nonleague tilt with Plymouth Whitemarsh.

Pottsgrove 12, Methacton 7

Methacton —    0   0   7   0  —   7

Pottsgrove —   0   0   6   6  —   12

SCORING PLAYS

M — Conover 95 kickoff return (Ready kick)
PG — Brunson 1 run (kick failed)
PG — Caffrey 17 run (pass failed)

TEAM STATISTICS

                                       M                PG
First Downs                 9                  13

Rushing Yards            55                171

Passing Yards             29                35

Total Yards                 84                206

Passes C-A-I            4-7-0           6-11-0

Fumbles-Lost             3-1               2-1

Penalties-Yards        5-35              5-30

Punts-Avg.                3-22            4-29.5

 

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing

Methacton – Perillo 14-72, Wolbers 8-(minus-10), Weil-Kaspar 6-(minus-4), Ballinger 5-9, Chapman 1-1, Conover 1-0, Grove 1-0, Team 2-(minus-13).

Pottsgrove – Brunson 15-116; TD, Caffrey 8-49; TD, Rinda 3-(minus-4), Leibensperger 2-8, Chestnut-Smith 1-2.

Passing

Methacton – Wolbers 3-6, 20 yards; Weil-Kaspar 1-1, 9 yards.

Pottsgrove – Rinda 6-11, 35 yards. 

Receiving

Methacton – Cancro 2-16, Brandi 1-9, Perillo 1-4.

Pottsgrove – Caffrey 5-33, Palladino 1-2. 

Sacks: Methacton – Chase, Iacavino.

Pottsgrove – McLaughlin 2, White, Birch.