BOOSTERCLUB3

GAME 12

Pennridge gets kick out of holiday win

By: DREW MARKOL

The Intelligencer

EAST ROCKHILL - During the course of the entire 2008 season, Pennridge did not attempt a field goal and only sparingly attempted extra points.

So it was fitting that the Rams' 2009 season ended the way it did - with junior Dan Caya drilling a 32-yard field goal as time expired to lift Pennridge to a wild 31-28 victory over rival Quakertown on Thanksgiving morning.

"I was just trying to stay calm," said Caya, who had three field goals and a pair of extra points in the win. "I've never been in this kind of situation before and everybody came through.

"It was a great hold by (senior) Dan Wolfe and a great snap by (junior) Adam Schoellkopf. I just had to kick it."

He did, but it wasn't easy. The Panthers used their final two timeouts to try to ice Caya and, right before the try, the Rams were flagged for a procedure call, turning a 27-yarder into the 32-yarder (all with just two seconds showing on the clock).

"Dan has a lot of confidence, he's an awesome soccer player, and he's a very good kicker," Pennridge coach Randy Cuthbert said. "I told the team in the huddle (during the timeouts) that if we protect, he will do it, and he did."

The Suburban One League Continental Conference game featured seven lead changes and saw the Panthers (8-4 overall, 4-3 SOL Continental) tie things up with just under two minutes to play.

Senior quarterback Ryan Tincknell (two TD passes) found senior Mike Olimpo for a 37-yard score, and senior Rachel Dolly converted her fourth extra point to make it 28-28.

The Rams then answered by quickly moving 63 yards (all but one play on the ground) to set up Caya for the winning kick. Junior workhorse Jesse Knepp, who ran for a game-high 177 yards and two scores while also eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark, contributed 43 of the yards on five carries.

"We liked going in as the underdog, and we knew it would be a battle," Knepp said. "We've had our struggles this year, but this is a great way to end the season. We were all praying on the sideline for Dan to make it. A field goal at the very end, you can't get any better than that."

The win evened Pennridge's record at 6-6 (3-4 in the SOL Continental) and also marked the ninth straight win in the series for the Rams at Poppy Yoder Field. Quakertown hasn't won on Thanksgiving at Poppy Yoder since 1991, and trails in the overall series, 49-26-5.

"As a coach, I think this was the greatest game I've ever been a part of," Cuthbert said. "We were big underdogs, but the kids were focused and ready to play."

Quakertown coach John Donnelly, whose team qualified for the PIAA District One Class AAAA playoffs, praised a large group of seniors playing their last game.

"Those guys are responsible for 17 wins over the last two years and are just a great group," Donnelly said. "This was a good game. We played well and they played well."

Notes: The Rams ran 64 plays from scrimmage to just 41 for the Panthers. + Quakertown's do-everything senior Kurtis Roberts, who has punted, played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back this season, returned Pennridge's lone punt 62 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter.

PENNRIDGE