GAME 12
GAME 12
GAME 12
A WILD ONE TO END THE SEASON
RAMS  27QUAKERTOWN  35

Football feast

Drew Markol

QUAKERTOWN —Two words that have been linked together too much lately are instant and classic.

So many sporting events now get the designation that it cheapens even the games that deserve such lofty praise.

Well, we won’t call Thursday’s wild 34-29 Quakertown victory over Pennridge an instant classic, but it was awfully close.

There wasn’t much missing as far as things you’ll see in a football game and the huge Thanksgiving morning crowd loved it.

Namely:

 Kickoffs returned for touchdowns (twice by Pennridge).

 Superb quarterback play (from both Pennridge senior Brad Herrmann and Quakertown junior Ryan Tincknell).

 Nifty running by Quakertown junior Tony Latronica (game-high 217 rushing yards).

 Even some razzle-dazzle with fake punts and a couple of onside kicks.

“Our playoff game (a loss to Ridley) was tough for us, and it’s a long offseason,” Quakertown coach John Donnelly said. “To send our seniors out like this is great, and it’s good for the underclassmen who are coming back. And give Pennridge a lot of credit, too. They just kept making big plays and really went after it.”

The Rams finished their season at 6-6, including a playoff berth. The Panthers, at 9-3, ended up with the third-best record in school history and also won a remarkable eight more games than a year ago.

“Our kids just kept battling today the whole time,” Pennridge coach Randy Cuthbert said. “We just fell a little short.”

Pennridge was trying for its fourth straight win in the series, something that hasn’t happened since 1980-83, and the Rams nearly pulled it off. A year ago, Pennridge throttled the Panthers, 36-0.

“Last year, they beat us good,” Latronica said. “And we remembered that. We knew that we had to get a win.”

It was Latronica who provided the game’s biggest play as he scampered around the left side for a 3-yard touchdown run with 85 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

His score gave the Panthers their first lead and was his third touchdown of the game, the other two coming on passes from Tincknell (who also added a third TD pass).

The Rams weren’t finished, though, as Ryan Metzler, who opened the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown, brought one back 46 yards to put Pennridge on the Quakertown 38. However, a Herrmann pass near the end zone was picked off by junior Kurtis Roberts and returned 96 yards for a score, making it 34-21 Panthers with 18 seconds left.

Game, set, match? Well, no.

While most folks were gathering their belongings and getting ready to head home and eat, Pennridge’s Zack Knepp returned the Rams’ second kick for a score. Then Herrmann connected with Dan Pasquale for the two-pointer, bringing the Rams within five with two seconds remaining.

That would be it for the scoring, though, since the Panthers recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

“We tried to do everything we could,” said Herrmann, who rushed for a team-high 117 yards and will begin wrestling practice Tuesday.

“I’m not happy with the ending, but a lot of kids had really good games.”
Quakertown 34, Pennridge 29

Pennridge 14 7 0 8 —29
Quakertown 14 0 0 20 —34

SCORING SUMMARY

P – Metzler 86 kickoff return (O’Neill kick)

P – J. Knepp 35 run (O’Neill kick)

Q – Roberts 18 pass from Tincknell (Delan kick)

Q – Latronica 7 pass from Tincknell (Delan kick)

P – Herrmann 45 run (O’Neill kick)

Q – Latronica 20 pass from Tincknell (Delan kick)

Q – Latronica 3 run (Delan kick)

Q – Roberts 96 interception return (kick failed)

P – Z. Knepp 80 kickoff return (Pasquale pass from Herrmann)


TEAM STATISTICS

PENNRIDGE  QUAKERTOWN

First Downs    15   21

Yards Rushing 197        321

Yards Passing 89   70

Total Offense   286         391

Comp. Passes, Int        7-12-1            7-14-1

Fumbles-lost   2-1 1-1

Penalties-yards             4-35       5-53

Punts-Avg.           3-34.0    2-32.5

Sacked-Yds. Lost          1-3 0-0


INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Pennridge

RUSHING
P:Herrmann 15-117, 1 TD; J. Knepp 10-79, 1 TD; C. Swartley 1-4; Metzler 2-2; Walbridge 6-(-5).
Q:Latronica 28-217, 1 TD; Tincknell 9-61; Burke 3-19; Delan 1-24.

PASSING
P:Herrmann 7-12-1, 89 yards.
Q:Tincknell 6-13-1, 70 yards, 3 TDs; Latronica 0-1.

RECEIVING
P:Moyer 2-25; C. Swartley 2-18; Pattison 1-31; Z. Knepp 1-12; Walbridge 1-3.
Q:Receiving: Latronica 3-29, 2 TDs; Fath 1-19; Roberts 1-18, 1 TD; Beach 1-4.

INTERCEPTIONS
Cope.









Interceptions: Roberts. here to add text.