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Panthers escape Indians with late touchdown reception !

Tagged under: District 1, District 3, Gameday Hub, News

| September 1, 2023

There is an old cliche that’s been said many times, tonight is one of them nights it can be said. “It’s not how you start but how you finish”, is what this night showed. Down 5 with just under two-minutes to play in the game, the Panthers showed they can come back to finish the game.

*PHOTO GALLERY/VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS WILL BE PUBLISHED LATER*

The evening began with a beautiful mostly sunny sky, great game time temperature and a home crowd ready to get cheering on their team. Things would start off somewhat slow for both teams early on. Upper Perkiomen would start the game off with the ball at their 16 yard line, punting after just 7 plays. Schuylkill Valley’s first possession would go much the same as the Indians, going for a few plays more, but resulting in a turnover on downs at their 41. It didn’t go well for the Indians on their next possession as on the first play, the QB fumbled the snap luckily to recover eventually punting after 3 plays. Things weren’t very exciting in the game until the Indians were putting together a decent drive and then a long pass from QB-Logan O’Donnell would be picked off by Junior DB-Cooper Hohenadel when he would make a leaping catch into the end-zone.

A short possession by the Panthers would set up Upper Perk in Schuylkill Valley territory at the 47 just before the first quarter would end. The games first score would come early in the second quarter when Indians QB-Logan O’Donnell would connect with Sophomore WR-Tucker Ruch for a 24 yards touchdown reception with 10:16 to go until halftime.

It was time for the Panthers to get things going but that wouldn’t happen until later in the quarter with 2:50 to go till halftime, when Senior RB-Dominic Giuffre started to run off some yardage, finishing the drive off with a 4 yard run for the score to tie the game at 7 each. Upper Perkiomen wasted no time however to respond, running off 5 straight rushes, 3 to Brody Weiss who racked up 39 yards on the drive, capped off with a 16 yard rushing touchdown from one of the stars of the game for the Indians, Aiden Void to retake the lead 13 to 7. The PAT failed !

With just 1:27 left to go in the first half, Schuylkill Valley wasn’t ready to just sit on the ball and go into the locker room just yet, nope, 5 plays, 69 yards later, Dominic Giuffre would score his second touchdown of the game, this time a 10 yard TD reception to put the Panthers back on top, following the PAT that was good, now 14 to 13 with just :15 seconds to go in the half.

Schuylkill Valley would receive the second half kickoff with the momentum but that would be short lived after a quick 3 and out. Upper Perkiomen would settle down and run off almost 7 minutes from the clock, going 10 plays, all runs, mostly to Brody Weiss and Jayden White until the 1 pass play they would run, went for 10 yards and a touchdown by Aiden Void, giving the Indians the lead once again, 19 to 14 with 3:51 to go in the third. Upper Perk would missed the PAT.

Schuylkill Valley had their opportunities to retake the lead a couple of times until the Indians would intercept a deep pass by Nawrocki at the 18, stopping the Panther drive with just 3:41 left to play in the game, the Indians still leading 19 to 14. Upper Perk had the momentum until the BIG MAN, Nathan Searfoss would grab ahold of the quarterback and take him down for a 4 yard loss that would set up a punting situation giving the Panthers some new life. And with just 1:55 remaining, it came down to the QB taking control. Three plays and a HUGE roughing the passer penalty on what would’ve been 4th and 12 after the pass went incomplete, was now 1st and 10 at the 33 with 1:19 to go. Next play, Nawrocki threw a perfect pass to Junior WR-Kowen Gerner to put the Panthers back on top, a converted 2-point play made the score 22 to 19 with 1:11 left to play.

For the Indians to pull off the comeback, they would have to do so with just 1:05 to play, and go 78 yards in the process. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the night that was going to happen with the final score ending at 22 to 19.

Un-Official Stat Leaders:

Upper Perkiomen:
Passing: Logan Nawrocki – 12-27-2=225 yards, (2TDS)
Rushing: Brody Weiss – 27 carries, 109 yards, Logan O’Donnell – 5 carries, 33 yards
Receiving: Aiden Void – 4 receptions, 66 yards (2TDS), Cooper Schwartz – 1 reception, 24 yards (1TD)
Interceptions: Aiden Void(1), Zane Saeger(1)
_______________________
Schuylkill Valley:
Passing: Logan Nawrocki – 12-27-2=225 (2TDS)
Rushing: Dominic Giuffre – 3 carries, 45 yards (1TD), Logan Nawrocki – 8 carries, 35 yards
Receiving: Kowen Gerner – Dominic Giuffre – 6 receptions, 85 yards (1TD), 2 receptions, 67 yards (1TD), Dillon Lackner – 2 receptions, 57 yards
Interceptions: Cooper Hohenadel(1)

INTERVIEWS with the Panthers Players:

QB-Logan Nawrocki

RB-Dominic Giuffre

WR-Kowen Gerner

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