Pottsgrove Rolls Over Phantoms

In a football game billed as a measuring stick between the two the top-rated AAA teams in District 1, Pottsgrove brought the big stick—and walloped the visiting Phoenixville Phantoms with it.

Starting fast and finishing strong, host Pottsgrove overwhelmed Phoenixville 47-7 in a Pioneer Conference contest Friday night.

Pottsgrove (8-1 in league and 8-2 overall) quickly showed why it came into the game as the top-ranked AAA team. On their third play from scrimmage, Falcon quarterback Tory Hudgins kept the ball on an option play and raced down the right sideline 74 yards for a touchdown. Nick Bleekly’s point after kick made it 7-0.

After the Falcons forced the Phantoms to punt on their next possession, Pottsgrove’s D.J. Ludy alertly scooped up the bouncing punt and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown. It appeared that the Phoenixville defenders thought the ball was going to roll dead and not be returned. After running only three plays from scrimmage, the Falcons led 13-0 with 3:36 remaining in the first quarter.

“That’s what we wanted to do, get a couple scores and make them drive the field,” Pottsgrove coach Rick Pennypacker said. “We took them out of their game a little bit and I was very proud [of our guys].”

Phoenixville (5-3 in league and 7-3 overall) never recovered. Pottsgrove built a 26-0 halftime lead and rolled to the victory that wraps up the top seed in the District 1 playoffs, which open Friday. The official rankings and playoff matchups will be announced early next week.

“You’ve got to give credit to them,” Phoenixville head coach Bill Furlong said of the Falcons. “They’re the number one seed and there’s a reason why, I guess. They are good and they’re well coached.”

While Friday night proved a bitter defeat for the Phantoms, they too will qualify for the AAA playoffs. Their opponent and the game site will be determined by the results of other games this weekend.

"We bounced back earlier and there’s not doubt that these kids will bounce back next week and give it everything they’ve got," Furlong said.

Pottsgrove’s triple option attack controlled Friday's game. With standout tailback Mark Dukes (927 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year) sidelined with a broken ankle, fullback Robby Curtin, Hudgins and a rotation of tailbacks led by Marquis Barefield kept the triple option triple. Curtin carried the ball 13 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Hudgins ran eight times for 102 yards—74 of which came on the long touchdown run—and threw a touchdown pass. Barefield carried seven times for 56 yards.

“If they’re going to take Tory out of the game like they did and not let him run, our fullback is going to have that game,” Pennypacker said. “And he did … It’s an option team, whoever gets the ball, we expect him to play well.”

While its option attack piled up yards, the Pottsgrove defense kept Phoenixville off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter.

“They’re good, but our defense played well and we’re happy about that,” Pennypacker said.

Vinny Nattle scored the Phantoms’ lone touchdown on a five-yard run in the fourth quarter. Nattle managed 50 yards on 13 carries against the tough Pottsgrove defense. But those hard-earned yards pushed him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season. The senior fullback entered the game with 974 yards, according to MaxPreps.com, giving him 1024 yards on the season.

Pottsgrove finished its league season at 8-1 and will now root for the Phantoms when they play 8-0 league-leader Spring-Ford on Thanksgiving Day. An upset by the Phantoms would give Pottsgrove a share of the Pioneer Conference title. The Falcons support for the purple and white could then vanish because it's possible that the teams could meet again in the District 1 playoffs.

Pottsgrove     13        13        14        7 – 47

Phoenxivlle   0          0          0          7 -- 7  

Po – Tory Hudgins 74 run (Nick Bleekly kick)

Po – D.J. Ludy 72 punt return (kick failed)

Po – Danny Michaels 12 run (run failed)

Po – Johnny Fowler 5 pass from Hudgins (Bleekly kick)

Po – Robby Curtin 12 run (Bleekly kick)

Po – Curtin 4 run (Bleekly kick)

Phx – Vinny Nattle 5 run (Ian Harrigan kick)

Po – Nick Sotera 14 run (Bleekly kick)