Atglen – Entering Friday evening’s Ches-Mont American matchup, Great Valley’s offense was averaging 52 points per game.
Many wondered if the Patriots would be able to keep this explosive offensive production on the road against a tough Octorara squad. The Patriots passed the test with flying colors, defeating the Braves 33-7.
After forcing Octorara to go three-and-out on its opening drive, Great Valley took advantage of a short field situation and marched 30 yards down the field. The Patriots earned their first touchdown when Carter Rubin scored from one yard out, giving Great Valley the early 7-0 advantage.
Their stellar defense and running game did not stop there. Jake Hubley scored on a one-yard halfback dive in the second quarter.
After the defense pinned the Braves on their own one-yard line, in a fourth-and-34 scenario, the Patriots blocked Octorara’s punt and Ryan Buchholz recovered the ball in the end zone, opening their lead up to 20-0.
“We have a very athletic defense and special teams, and I think that helped our team tonight,’ explained Great Valley head coach, Dan Ellis. “I think the guys up front did a really good job and used their speed to make plays.’
After Great Valley carried a 20-0 lead into halftime, the Braves’ defense came out in the third quarter and made a stand.
“I just told our guys at halftime that we were doing a lot of things right in this game,’ Octorara head coach Jedd King said. “We needed to come out in the second half with the safe effort we brought in the first. They (Great Valley) have a lot of talent and I thought our guys did a good job handling them.’
The Braves’ defense kept the Patriots off the scoreboard in the third quarter.
Unfortunately for the home fans, their offense could not produce much. Octorara manufactured five first downs and a meager 17 yards passing on the night.
When the fourth quarter came around, Great Valley’s offense got hot.
Jake Hubley picked up his second touchdown of the game on a two-yard run.
After that, the Patriots’ quarterback, Zach Ludwig, snapped a 73-yard run for a touchdown and blew the game open 33-0.
Ludwig had a sensational performance, throwing for 121 yards and rushing for 107.
“This was a really good win for our team,’ Ludwig said. “We knew they (Octorara) would be a good test. In the second half, we just needed to take care of business. I thought we did a really good staying balanced and moving the ball down the field. To me, this second half was one of the best performances our offense has had the whole season.’
One of Great Valley’s most noteworthy accomplishments cannot be found in the box score. The Patriots’ offense kept possession for the final eight minutes and moved the ball 60 yards.
“I think the thing that impressed me about our team the most tonight was our ability to chew eight minutes of the clock,’ Ellis said. “When you look at the score, it may not look like a big deal. However, when we are in a situation later in the season where we need to kill the clock, it is good to know we can do it,’ Ellis said.
Ellis’s quarterback could not have agreed more.
“We have a really tough test against Rustin next week, they could be the toughest test of the season,’ Ludwig said. “To be able to hold the ball the final eight minutes is a really big accomplishment for our offense.’
A huge Ches-Mont American showdown awaits the Patriots next week, when they host West Chester Rustin. For Octorara, they will take on Oxford at home.
