THE GAME

THE GAME

THE GAME

Pennridge edges Quakertown

By ANDREW MARCUS

amarcus@montgomerynews.com

PERKASIE – There was just enough separation between Pennridge’s Cody Reimel and his defender for his quarterback to hit him in stride, break free for a 71-yard touchdown catch, and wake up the Rams’ sideline on Thanksgiving morning.

Quakertown had the momentum in the 82nd meeting until the senior wingback knotted the score in the third quarter. The Panthers were able to regain the lead, but a missed extra point opened the window for the Rams.

Feeding off Reimel’s catch and run, plus a few opportunistic defensive plays, the Rams drove down the field. Junior quarterback Alex Krivda connected on his second touchdown pass with 51 seconds left in the season finale. Senior fullback James Marrero came out of the backfield to catch the eight-yard game winner.

“It was a little different than we anticipated,” Rams’ coach Randy Cuthbert said. “Quakertown did a great job and played hard. We came out a little flat, but we made some adjustments at halftime. They were selling out to stop the run and we made them pay for it today.”

In the 21-20 victory the leadership of seniors Marrero and Reimel is what the Rams needed to improve to 51-26-5 in the all-time series against the Panthers. With many young players on the field, it took a quarter to settle in. The Panthers caused some frustration in the first half. Senior running back Justin Wieder churned up 146 yards on 27 carries.

“It was pretty much our season,” Marrero said. “We started off slow. Maybe some nerves with the crowd and noise. We came together, and this was the exclamation point to our season.”

Sophomore sensation Mike Class, who did have a six-yard touchdown run, was held to 54 yards and forced the Rams and Krivda to take to the air. Reimel, who entered the season in the quarterback competition, excelled in his new role and finally found the end zone through the air in the final game of the season.

“I got crap all year for being tackled at the five-yard line,” Reimel said. “But this was a different game and I was not going to let them tackle me. After week three when I made the switch to wingback, I feel like I was able to help our offense.”

“Those guys (Marrero and Reimel) were perfect examples for our younger guys,” Cuthbert said. “Maybe Cody did not want to play wing back, he wanted to play quarterback, but that’s where we needed him and he had a great year. You need guys like that if you are going to have a successful season.”

Marrero was another senior who did whatever was asked of him for the benefit of the team. The captain was projected to play defensive back and wide receiver and ended up excelling at fullback and linebacker.

“We had of guys changing positions and learning quickly,” Marrero said. “A lot of credit goes to the coaches. I think young guys stepped this year up and the team persevered.”

Marrero caught three balls for 79 yards in the final game of his high school career. Krivda completed 60 percent of his passes and compiled 160 total yards. It was a strong finale for the junior and the rest of the Rams that will return next season.

“We had to throw the ball a little more and Alex had his best game of the year,” Cuthbert said. “He made a lot of progress and I think the light is starting to go on. The team never lost its composure and we came out in the second half and made plays.”

SEASON STATISTICS

Pennridge     0  6 8 7 – 21

Quakertown  7  7 0 6 – 20

SCORING

FIRST QUARTER

Q – Nagele 24 yard pass from Jones (Fosbenner kick)

SECOND QUARTER

P – Class six yard run (kick failed)

Q – Potynski four yard run (Fosbenner kick)

THIRD QUARTER

P – Reimel 71 yard pass from Krivda (Bigam conversion)

FOURTH QUARTER

Q – Jones one yard run (kick failed)

P – Marrero eight yard pass from Krivda (Midgett kick)

                               Quakertown         Pennridge

First downs                      18                        7

Rushing yards                 201                      62

Passing yards                  58                      160

Total yards                       259                    222

  

Passing (c-a-i)                  (5-5-0)             (6-10-0)

Fumbles-lost                       2-2                   0-0

Punts-avg.                         2-35                  5-29

Penalties                           4-20                  2-20

RUSHING

Quakertown – Wieder 27-146; Potynski 13-35, TD; Jones 10-17, TD; Sawyer 2-3; Coleman 1-0

Pennridge – Class 16-54, TD; Marrero 5-13; Crawford 2-4; Krivda 1-(-4); Reimel 2-(-5)

PASSING

Quakertown – Jones 5-5-0 – 58, TD

Pennridge – Krivda 6-10-0 – 160, 2 TDs

RECEIVING

Quakertown – Roberts 2-20; Wieder 2-14; Nagele 1-24, TD

Pennridge – Marrero 3-79, TD; Reimel 1-71, TD; Stutzmnan 1-8; Bigam 1-2

INTERCEPTIONS

Quakertown – none

Pennridge – none

SACKS

Quakertown – Varchione

Pennridge – Graff, Newman

GAME SUMMARY