Alley throws 3 TD passes, Pennsbury shuts out Souderton 37-0

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FALLS >> Souderton was still within range of a comeback Friday night until Pennsbury quarterback Mike Alley rolled right looking to pass on a 3rd-and-13 from his side’s own 29.

“I saw the pressure came, so I scrambled outside and saw the safety come up on it,” Alley said. “I knew that I could throw the ball to Vinnie (Ratamess). I knew that he would bring it down.”

Ratamess came down with Alley’s toss behind the Indians’ defense for a 71-yard touchdown, pushing the Falcons lead to 25-0 with 5:11 left in the third quarter and effecting dashing the visiting Indians’ hopes of a third straight win.

Pennsbury tacked on two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter while Souderton was held to just 125 yards of total offense as Big Red dropped its Suburban One League National Conference opener 37-0.

“That was a backbreaker. Unfortunately, cause we were still in the game at that point I thought, and  even at 12-0 we were still in the game,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “There were a couple critical plays, obviously we’d like to get back, but you can’t get them back, you got to execute and make those plays and we didn’t.”

Alley threw just three passes and all went for touchdowns while the Falcons added racked up 214 yards on the ground while Souderton 2-2, 0-1) was shutout for the first time since Abington blanked Big Red 28-0 in Week 8 last season.

“Pennsbury’s a really good football team,” Gallagher said. “They’re a playoff football team, they’re district champs from last year. So obviously we knew we had to step up in class to compete with them. I thought our kids fought and gave everything they had, did well at times.”

The Falcons’ Daulton Hose ran 16 times for 120 yards and a touchdown while Chris Rupprecht had 92 yards on 23 carries and found the end zone on rushing and receiving scores. Alley was 3-for-3 with 172 yards.

“We knew Souderton came out and they were going to be a real tough and physical team, so we knew our line had to be ready,” Alley said. “So that’s what they did. They came out firing, they came out hitting and we executed our plays very well.

Jamar White paced Souderton on the ground with 30 yard on 12 carries. Quarterback Joey Curotto was 7-for-14 passing for 68 yards.

The Indians will look for their first SOL National win — and first conference points — when they host Bensalem Friday. Pennsbury, meanwhile, goes for a third consecutive victory Friday at home against Abington.

The Falcons (3-1, 1-0) took a 6-0 lead on the game’s opening series, an 11-play, 62-yard drive that Hose capped with a three-yard touchdown run at 7:18 in the first quarter.

Souderton proceeded to fumble on its second play on offense, setting the Falcons up Indians’ 36. Three plays later, Rob Daly dashed over the goal line on a 25-yard run to make it 12-0 Pennsbury at 5:05.

“We didn’t control the ball. We let them score first and then went two-and-out and that’s not the way you’re going to win football games with the way we operate,” Gallagher said. “So, credit to them. They’re a good football team. I’m sure they’ll be fine down the stretch, but we got to get our act together and get ready for Bensalem.”

Starting on its own 45, Souderton put together its best drive of the game as Big Red marched down the Falcon 13, but came away with no points after missing a 28-yard field goal.

“They’re just fast. They really run to the ball very well. I thought we executed a few plays pretty well early, we just couldn’t put two and three play together well. We’d get a first down, and then we’d shoot ourselves in the foot.
“I’m not going to say what I’ve been saying all year ‘You know, we’ve struggled finishing drive.’ We’ve done that all year long and tonight we had our opportunities and we lost to a good football team.”

Souderton stopped Alley short of the end zone on 4th-and-goal from the 3 at 4:38 in the second quarter. Pennsbury, however, forced a three-and-out and got the ball back at the Indian 41 with 2:19 left in the half. The Falcons took advantage of the series, with Rupprecht turning a short Alley pass into a 17-yard touchdown and a 19-0 lead.

Souderton moved into Pennsbury territory on the opening possession of the third quarter — White’s 11-yard run putting Big Red at the Falcon 43. But the drive stalled and Alley hit Ratamess on Pennsbury’s next series for a 25-point advantage.

Pennsbury added two more touchdowns in the fourth. Rupprecht bulldozed in for a two-yard touchdown at 9:55 while Alley connected with Daly for a 74-yard score on a 3rd-and-39 with 2:04 remaining.

Mike Cabrey

Mike Cabrey
Mike Cabrey is the Assistant Sports Editor for The Reporter and Montgomery News. Email him at mcabrey@thereporteronline.com.

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