Quakertown finds ground game in win over Plymouth Whitemarsh
QUAKERTOWN >> Quakertown’s rushing attack couldn’t find any room against the Plymouth Whitemarsh defense in the first half Friday night.
The Panthers totalled 61 yards on 20 carries — a mere 3.1 yards per attempt — during the first 24 minutes.
That changed after halftime.
Quakertown ran for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the second half to come from behind and beat the Colonials, 17-14, in Suburban One League American Conference play at Alumni Field.
“In the first half we were just trying to feel them out,” Panthers running back Christian Patrick said. “They were filling our gaps, stopping everything that we were trying to do. We talked about it in the locker room — what was working for us — and we came out in the second half just firing back and ready to keep running.”
Patrick ran for 86 of his team-high 89 rushing yards in the second half.
Of the first four plays after halftime, three were Patrick runs that resulted in 20 yards, including a six-yard score to put the Panthers ahead for good, 10-7.
Later in the third quarter, Patrick scored from five yards away to extend the lead to 10, 17-7.
Running back Delbert Ross ran for 33 of his 46 yards after halftime.
“Once we started getting (going) we were real confident,” Patrick said. “We want the ball to just keep coming to us. We knew that our line could get us five to 10 yards every play and we were fine.”
“I think we got worn down a little bit,” Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Dan Chang said of his defense. “We have to learn to finish that second half. We have to come out with the same intensity, get off of blocks and be able to play at that same level.”
Too many penalties
Plymouth Whitemarsh shot itself in the foot over and over again with penalties against Quakertown.
The Colonials committed 10 penalties for 112 yards to Quakertown’s four penalties for 30 yards.
Three penalties in particular really hurt PW’s chances.
They tackled Quakertown quarterback Brad Bryan short of the sticks on 4th-and-12 in the third quarter, but grabbed his facemask. Two plays later, Patrick ran for a touchdown.
After a defensive stop to get the ball back with three minutes left in the game, trailing 17-14, the Colonials committed a personal foul on the punt to back themselves up to their own 13-yard line.
Two plays later, they pushed themselves back to their seven with a holding penalty.
“Penalties are a part of the game,” Chang said. “There were a lot of penalties on us. We do have to clean that up.”
One last chance
Despite the penalties, Plymouth Whitemarsh still had a chance to win the game. Quarterback Larry McLaughlin connected with receiver Christopher Pierce for 37 yards on 3rd-and-14 from their own nine-yard line to get the ball out near midfield.
After two incompletions and a Philly Special that only gained a yard, PW faced 4th-and-9 with 51 seconds left.
McLaughlin dropped back to pass, but Quakertown defensive back Ben Schlegel came flying off the edge to bring him down for a seven-yard loss and seal the win for the Panthers.
“I told them we’re young,” Chang said. “We have to learn how to win these games. It comes down — at the end — and we just have to learn how to finish. That’s something we will work on.”
Fast start
Plymouth Whitemarsh couldn’t have asked for a better start.
The Colonials received the opening kickoff and put together a 10-play touchdown drive, eating up 93 yards and 5:02 off the clock.
Brian Dresnin, Michael Paciello, McLaughlin and Pierce all did damage on the ground on the opening possession and McLaughlin was 2-for-2 through the air — both to Pierce — for 25 yards.
Pierce finished off the drive with a 25-yard touchdown run to give PW a 7-0 advantage.
“Our o-line was blocking well,” Chang said, “our running backs were running tough, Larry was making good reads. I thought we were executing pretty well. We just need to be a little more consistent. We have to eliminate the big mistakes.”
