Taylor celebrates birthday by running Pottsgrove past Pottstown, 30-6

LOWER POTTSGROVE >> Isaiah Taylor celebrated his birthday in unique fashion Friday evening.

The Pottsgrove senior running back got a nice gift from his coaches: The opportunity to run wild and often at Pennypacker Field. He gave back to the coaches, teammates and hometown fans a gift of his own: A workmanlike effort that helped the Falcons win their Pioneer Athletic Conference (Frontier Division) opener with Pottstown, 30-6.

Taylor’s number got called 36 times in the course of the night. He responded by racking up 231 yards and three touchdowns to give Pottsgrove a happy conclusion to its Homecoming festivities … and a convincing victory over its neighboring rivals, who hung with it for the better part of the first half.

“Pottstown is a tough team that pounds hard and plays aggressively,” Taylor said. “It smacked us in the mouth a bit in the first half, so we had to come back.”

The Falcons (2-3) got untracked on their second possession, marching 80 yards on 13 plays before Taylor finished off the drive with a two-yard plow up the middle at the 10:07 mark of the first half. He followed with an 18-yard roll through his left tackle 2:48 before halftime while the Pottsgrove defense forced the Trojans (3-2) to turn the ball over on downs after getting within 10 yards of the end zone in the closing minutes.

“Isaiah Taylor is excellent on the field,” Pottsgrove head coach Bill Hawthorne noted, “but even bigger is how he’s grown off the field. He’s a consummate team captain who runs hard and sets up blocks well. He’s a pleasure to have.”

Even with 137 yards in the first half alone, Taylor was far from done for the night. He added a one-yard score up the middle with 3:15 to go in the third quarter, staking Pottsgrove to a 27-6 lead before Luke Kaiser booted a 35-yard field goal inside the final two minutes.

Taylor’s production ran the gamut of long gainers around the ends and hard-fought pushes inside. His biggest run was a 53-yard sprint around left end that positioned Pottsgrove to score off Rylee Howard’s 12-yard plow through left tackle three minutes into the second half, He also tore off a pair of carries in excess of 20 yards.

“When he gets around the corner, he’s tough to bring down,” Hawthorne said of Taylor. “He’ll be the first person to tell you how much he owes to the offensive line.”

Pottstown got to within a touchdown of pulling even with Pottsgrove, scoring at the 10:48 mark in the third quarter when freshman quarterback Joneil Oister (9-for-19, 124 yards) hit Jahzeel Watson with a 23-yard pass. But a slew of penalties (12 for 95 yards) and a pair of turnovers hampered the Trojans’ attempts to keep up with their hosts.

“We self-destructed,” head coach Jeff Delaney said. “We played well on defense but did not do well on offense. We killed ourselves with penalties.”

Its “Oister-to-Oister” aerial connection — freshman Joneil to senior Jon — was good for 35 yards on three passes. The younger Oister also had pairs of tosses to Watson (40), Ezra Figueroa (26) and Dan Darden (23). But the running game’s main highlight was the 31-yard gainer Joneil had early in the second half.

“Pottstown is a good team that’s going to give a lot of people trouble,” Hawthorne said. “They’re explosive, and they have playmakers.”

On the home side, Evan White enhanced his status as a multi-faceted performer by catching two passes for 38 yards; and Jadore Colbert contributed 13 rushing yards on four carries and two receptions for 16.

“White has played fullback, tight end and guard … everywhere at one point,” Hawthorne said. “He’s a senior who’s the glue to the team. Every week he plays a different position, and he gives it his all.”

Defensively, the Falcons saw Amir Brunson intercept an Oister pass and return it 28 yards to the Pottstown 17, setting up Kaiser’s field goal. Justin Westcoat’s recovery of a Pottstown fumble put the home team in position to score off Taylor’s third TD.

It stood in stark contrast to Pottsgrove’s previous game, a 52-14 loss to Christ The King (New York City) that capped a stiff early-season schedule with games against Class 6A schools like Souderton and Boyertown, and 5A Academy Park.

“Last week was a very emotional game,” Taylor said. “We played as hard as we could, but we didn’t come out on top. We came out tonight with a vengeance.”

“We play a hard schedule, and I like it that way,” Hawthorne added. “We have to keep getting better and stop making mistakes.”

NOTES >> Ashley Livezey was crowned Pottsgrove’s Homecoming queen in halftime ceremonies. … Bobby Richards had a fumble recovery, and Jared Hewitt a sack of Pottsgrove QB Joe Silvestri, to head the Pottstown defense. … For the night, Silvestri went 4-for-6 passing for 54 yards. … Pottstown will look to get back on track next Friday when it hosts Phoenixville. “One game doesn’t make a season, any more than one play makes a game,” Delaney said. “The kids played hard. It’s a matter of putting together a complete game.”