Souderton off and running, bolts to 3-0 with win over Hatboro-Horsham
FRANCONIA >> Souderton Area’s DeAndre Wakefield can feel the difference.
“In previous years, we never got this done before,” the running back said after Big Red climbed to 3-0 Friday night with its 37-8 victory over Hatboro-Horsham. “So to play as a team this year and get everything done that we needed to get done, and really show out as a team this year and play together, means a lot.
“We’re going together on the right footstep, whereas other years, after we would get momentum going, it would go right back down after a loss and then it would keep rolling down.”
Momentum just keeps building for Big Red, who are off to their first 3-0 start since 2016.
“It was pretty good overall play by us,” coach Ed Gallagher said. “I thought offense, defense and special teams — we just took care of things. We executed, got the stops we needed to, and were able to put the ball in the end zone.”
Running Away >> Big Red’s defense was stifling from the start.
“The offense was predicated on the defense,” Gallagher said. “I thought our defense got a lot of stops, forced a couple punts and that gave us short fields.”
Quarterback Andrew Vince scored on a three-yard bootleg and Jalen White slipped through tacklers for a nine-yard score.
The special teams swarmed in for a safety on a punt attempt and soon after Nick Guthre broke multiple tackles on his way to a 32-yard gallop on a shovel pass from Vince.
Then, came the biggest one of the night, a 92-yard score by Wakefield.
“I got the ball and I was waiting for a hole to open up,” he said. “Once I saw it up the middle, I just hit it full speed and put my head down. I just went straight for the touchdown.”
Wakefield racked up a game-high 183 yards and two scores (11-yarder in the second half) on just eight carries.
“I felt more open and free,” he said. “I felt like I could do more of what I actually do. And once I saw the hole, I just hit it, and the offensive line helped me a lot. As a team, we played really well together, and I just tried running hard and playing my part.”
Growing Pains for Hatters >> Hatboro (0-3) had some moments.
Freshman Colin O’Sullivan completed seven of 16 passes and showed a nice touch on the deep ball — even in the persistent first-half drizzle.
Junior tight end Zehier Cheeze hauled in a touchdown reception later on in the fourth quarter and junior Ali Omar ran in for the two-point conversion. Omar had 78 yards rushing on the night.
“We’ve gone back and forth when he was at Neshaminy,” Gallagher said of Hatters coach Mark Schmidt, who is in his first season at Hatboro. “They always had a great program and Mark’s a great coach. He’s got a rebuilding program and he’s a little bit low with numbers in the upper classes so he plays a ton of freshmen.
“He’s gonna get that program turned around. And I really do believe there’s talent there but it’s a little young. So he’s gonna take a couple lumps this year but he’ll whip ‘em into shape and get them going and they’re gonna be a formidable program in the future.”
