UP The Ante: Still unsatisfied, Pope John Paul II dismantles Upper Perkiomen

September 22, 2018

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UPPER PROVIDENCE >> Don’t settle.

That’s the mantra Pope John Paul II has adopted this fall. Even with all the good they’ve accomplished, and the success that’s come with it, the Golden Panthers continue shooting to clear a bar they’re constantly raising.

A recent case in point was Saturday’s 40-0 win over Upper Perkiomen. Though it blew to a four-touchdown lead in the first half of this Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division opener, PJP was charged by its coaches to keep improving.

Pope John Paul II’s Steve Skarbek (25) pulls in a catch on a pass from Kamal Gray in front of Upper Perkiomen defender Collin Funk (80) during Saturday’s game. (Thomas Nash – Digital First Media)

“The team’s like this,” A.J. Natale, the team’s scoring star with three touchdowns, said. “At halftime, they were still on us.”

So the Panthers kept up the charge, ultimately putting enough points on the scoreboard to get the running clock in play early in the fourth quarter. They pitched the shutout on defense, leaving the Indians empty on a third sustained drive into PJP territory and kept pace with last year’s 7-0 start by securing their fifth victory of the fall.

Yet while they savored their multi-faceted domination of UP, the Panthers were already thinking to next week’s game at Pottsgrove.

Pope John Paul II’s AJ Natale (21) looks for running room during Saturday’s game against Upper Perkiomen. (Thomas Nash – Digital First Media)

“That’s a good mindset to have,” PJP head coach Rory Graver said. “We focus on the next play, to get better.”

“We want to enjoy this game as much as possible,” Natale added, “but we’re starting to get ready for Pottsgrove.”

Natale ended up the day’s rushing leader with 105 yards on 18 carries. His three scoring runs were short bursts up the middle, and he credited the PJP offensive line for clearing the space in front of him.

“Coach calls it a ‘wedge mentality,’” he said. “Drive them back. I didn’t have to do much.”

Pope John Paul II’s Kamal Gray throw a pass during the second half of Saturday’s game against Upper Perkiomen. (Thomas Nash – Digital First Media)

Quarterback Kamal Gray preceded Natale’s touchdown hat trick by hooking up with Justin Kormos on a 30-yard scoring toss with little more than 2-1/2 minutes left in the first quarter. Gray, who finished 11-for-16 for 100 yards through the air, added another 47 yards on nine carries.

C.J. McCafferty finished off the Panther surge with a three-yard plow up the middle with 7:44 left in the game. The ball was fumbled on the play, but Justin Mitala recovered it for the Panthers.

With the running clock in action, a final UP possession was halted by Chris Salvo’s interception of a Hunter Flack pass at the Indian 41. PJP ran out the clock with Steele DePetrille running three times up the middle.

Pope John Paul II’s Kamal Gray looks for running room during Saturday’s game against Upper Perkiomen. (Thomas Nash – Digital First Media)

“This, unfortunately, is Upper Perk football,” head coach Tom Hontz said after seeing his squad fall to 1-4. “We’re bright for one or two years, then we have a long rebuilding process. The first quarter, we couldn’t get out of our own way.”

The special teams in particular, and Matt Moroz specifically, got PJP going in that first quarter. Moroz booted field goals of 25 and 32 yards to salvage the Panthers’ first two possessions after they were unable to move the chains on third down.

“Matt is phenomenal,” Graver said. “He was disappointed in himself after missing a tough field goal against Chichester, but we told him to keep at it.”

Upper Perkiomen’s Luke Whary carries the ball upfield while Pope John Paul II’s CJ McCafferty (2) moves in for a tackle during Saturday’s game. (Thomas Nash – Digital First Media)

Defensively, PJP held the Indians’ offense to a combined 146 yards. Its biggest contributors were Luke Whary, with 44 yards rushing, and Max Kratohwill, who got 30 more on five catches.

But two interceptions — the first by Steve Skarbek in the first quarter — took a toll on UP. The inability to reach the end zone on early drives getting to the PJP 18 and 23, stopped on downs both times, made for a frustrating afternoon.

“Penalties, a snap over the quarterback’s head … we derailed ourselves,” Hontz said.

Justin Mitala and Andrew Duff made the fourth-down stops on UP’s two extended drives. Mark Dobrowolski and Bryan Bendig had other stops to their credit.

“Our defensive line had a much better game,” Graver noted. “And the defense coming up with two picks was big.”

The upcoming game with Pottsgrove figures to be a challenge to PJP’s unbeaten run in 2018.

“The biggest thing is to not be complacent,” Natale said. “Last year, when we started out 7-0, we thought we were the team to beat. We’re not going to let that happen any more.”

NOTES >> Owen Reinhart distinguished himself in the UP defense by picking off a Gray pass prior to the end of the third quarter. … Jaden Fisher and Riley Decker teamed up for a sack of Gray on third down, which forced Moroz’ second field goal.