Souderton sweats one out, 21-14 over West
DOYLESTOWN >> Fighting fatigue and a furious Central Bucks West comeback, Souderton Area dug deep and found what it needed to secure a victory Friday night.
“When we got the ball that last series,” Big Red coach Ed Gallagher said, “I knew those kids were gonna take it in and score. I just have faith in them.”
The Indians rewarded their coach’s faith with a 10-play, 37-yard march to the end zone, as Big Red pounded out a 21-14 win over the Bucks at War Memorial Stadium.
The go-ahead score was provided by Jamar White, whose quick, two-yard touchdown burst on 3rd-and-Goal provided a 21-14 lead with just 32 seconds left to play.
“The line made just a good enough seam for me to slip through,” White said. “It was perfect.”
And White wasn’t done. Moments later, the senior – playing deep in the Souderton secondary – went up high to secure the game-clinching interception around midfield, as the Indians battled back from a gut-wrenching overtime loss to PW to win on the road at West.
“I think we just came together. We got a lot stronger as a team tonight,” said Blake Gular, who had 55 yards on 14 carries for Big Red. “We came together at the end. We were up real high in the beginning, fell down, and then came back up.”
Souderton was rolling early.
Big Red (1-1) scored on its third offensive play of the game, as Koby Khan found a crack on the left side of the line and was gone, racing 51 yards for a score and a quick 7-0 lead.
The Indians doubled their lead on their second possession, as White scored on a 27-yard run to make it 14-0 barely five minutes into the contest.
But West (0-2) rallied after the break, powered by the battering runs of 6-foot-2, 210-pound sophomore Jake Reichwein.
“The kids played hard. They played for four quarters,” said Bucks coach Chas Cathers. “We had 10 penalties that killed us. Once we clean that up, we’re gonna be competing.
“Souderton’s a great team. We just gotta keep our heads up and continue to play. Play for four quarters, clean up the penalties, and we’re gonna be winning these games.”
Trailing 14-0 late in the third, West went for it on 4th-and-3 at its own 42. Reichwein crashed through the line and broke away, racing 58 yards for a score that got a spirited West crowd rocking and trimmed the Souderton lead down to 14-7.
West then used a 14-play drive in the fourth, with Reichwein (7-73, 2 TD) plowing in from a yard out, to tie the contest at 14 apiece with just 4:45 to play.
The Bucks’ defense held Souderton to a three-and-out on its next series, but the muffed bunt gave Souderton an opportunity at the West 37.
“CB West fought and fought and fought, and forced us to make that final drive,” Gallagher said. “Our kids certainly stepped it up at the end and punched it in.”
White carried the ball 18 times for 129 yards and a pair of scores, his final carry of the night the most satisfying.
Cramping plagued the Indians throughout the night, and White, following his go-ahead TD, was battling through them.
“I told him, we need you for 32 more seconds,” Gallagher said. “Credit to him, he went back out there and he was the one that made the play.”
Bucks quarterback Eddie Shields, from his own 19, lofted a deep pass down the right sideline, and – suddenly – White could see West’s final desperation chance spiraling towards him.
“When you see a ball in the air like that,” White said, “you just say ‘I know this is mine. I know this is mine.’
“(The win) feels so good. We knew, coming into Week Two, we had to come out with a win. That’s what we did. We executed pretty well.”
