BIRDSBORO — Clock-eating scoring drives, pin-point passing, pile-moving and breakaway runs combined with clutch defensive stands were all part of Pottsville’s Berks Football League Section 1 game Friday at Daniel Boone.
Most of all, however, the best part was a 33-22 victory for the Crimson Tide (1-7, 1-4 BFL 1) that ended their 18-game losing streak. And while the Tide never trailed, there were more than a few anxious moments as the Blazers (3-5, 0-5 BFL 1) mounted a desperate fourth-quarter rally.
From the outset, the Tide made a statement when it put together a 99-yard scoring drive. Many times during the past two seasons starting a possession on its own 1-yard line would have been a blueprint for disaster for Pottsville, but this was not
one of those nights. Juniors Darion Jacoby and Eric Wapinsky keyed a 15-play drive that was capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Wapinsky to Anthony Angelichio on fourth-and-3 for a 7-0 lead with 3:04 left in the quarter.
Pottsville’s next possession was turned into a five-play, 49-yard scoring drive. Jacoby keyed the march with a 31-yard run to the 11, with Wapinsky scoring on a 2-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter. A 25-yard touchdown pass from Jacoby to Steve Drum capped a four-play, 41-yard drive on the Tide’s next possession for a 21-0 lead.
“Coming down here we felt we could have a good offensive game, but I didn’t think we’d do what we did,” Pottsville coach Tom McGeoy said. “Our offensive line probably had its best game in two years, which allowed us to get a lot of people involved in the offense and had a lot of people score.”
Although the Tide dominated the first half, it took a strong defensive stand to keep the halftime lead at 21-7 after senior running back Cinque Ramsey capped a 10-play, 73-yard scoring drive with a 7-yard touchdown run and the Blazers recovered an onside kickoff. Ramsey returned to the lineup for the first time since being injured in Week 2 and rushed 21 times for 52 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown with 59 seconds left in the game.
It was the Tide, however, that controlled the ball on the ground with 47 rushes for 245 yards, including 20 carries for 143 yards by Jacoby. Sophomore Ian Murhon was also impressive with 11 carries for 63 yards, and Wapinsky had 11 carries for 32 yards.
Wapinsky completed 8-of-9 passes for 103 yards and also had two receptions for 14 yards. Jacoby was 3-for-3 passing for 39 yards and had an 8-yard reception.
A third-quarter drive of 13 plays that covered 79 yards for the Tide’s first of two second-half touchdowns was nearly as impressive as its 99-yard drive. Wapinsky was 2-for-2 on the drive for 33 yards, and Chase Alisauckas capped the drive with a 1-yard run for a 27-7 lead with 2:31 left in the quarter.
A 10-play, 48-yard drive gave the Tide a 33-7 lead with 8:13 left when Murhon scored from the 1. Before the Tide could begin thinking about celebrating, it was jarred back to reality when quarterback Josh Ehst found Ryan Okuniewski open in the middle of the field for a 65-yard touchdown pass.
Once again the Blazers got the ball back when they recovered an onside kickoff, but their drive was stopped on an interception by Tyler Timberlake. With its offensive backfield filled with reserve players, the Tide drove for one first down before failing on a fourth-and-8.
A pass that was deflected resulted in a 26-yard reception by Okuniewski to the 4, and Ramsey scored moments later. By then, that score mattered little to the Tide, who after 18 consecutive losses had the time and the score on their side.
Game Summary
Potts (1-7, 1-4) 7 14 6 6 — 33
Boone (3-5, 0-5) 0 7 0 15 — 22
P — Angelichio 15 pass from Wapinsky (Kol. Kleckner kick)
P — Wapinsky 2 run (Kol. Kleckner kick)
P — Drum 25 pass from Jacoby (Kol. Kleckner kick)
DB — Ramsey 7 run (Kresge kick)
P — Alisauckas 1 run (kick blocked)
P — Murhon 1 run (kick failed)
DB — Okunlewski 65 pass from Ehst (Kresge kick)
DB — Ramsey 6 run (Kuhn pass from Ehst)
Potts Boone
First Downs 22 11
Rushes-Yards 47-245 31-72
Passes 11-12-0 9-16-1
Passing Yards 142 165
Total Yards 387 237
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-0
Penalties 8-92 3-15
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Pottsville — Jacoby 20-143, Murhon 10-63, Wapinsky 11-32, Alisauckas 2-7, Ondeck 3-7, Holobetz 1-(-7). Daniel Boone — Ramsey 21-52, Kuhn 2-31, Okunlewski 1-3, Ehst 5-2, Gilbert 1-(-2), Team 1-(-14).
PASSING: Pottsville — Wapinsky 8-9-0, 103; Jacoby 3-3-0, 39. Daniel Boone — Ehst 9-16-1, 165.
RECEIVING: Pottsville — Murhon 3-46, Heckler 2-20, Wapinsky 2-14, Drum 1-25, Angelichio 1-15, Kleckner 1-14, Jacoby 1-8. Daniel Boone — Okunlewski 3-95, Kuhn 3-40, Ramsey 2-26, Glenn 1-4.
INTERCEPTIONS: Pottsville — Timberlake.