Plymouth Whitemarsh Rolls Past JP McCaskey in Blowout Win
Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News
Matt Licwinko | September 23, 2023
There were plenty of interesting story lines in an under the radar match up between the 2-1 Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials and the 1-3 JP McCaskey Red Tornado. The most intriguing of which was Junior Caiden Leszczynski making his first career start as the Quarterback for the Colonials. Unfortunately for McCaskey, their night would not be too enjoyable as they got routed en route to picking up their fourth loss in five weeks. And with a final score of 48-14, Plymouth Whitemarsh earned its third win of the year.
The opening possession showed us how the new look offense was going to function for PW. They had their new starter rush for a first down before taking a deep shot that he just overthrew. One thing that did not change was the usage of star WR Nazye Boggs in the run game, as he carried twice in the first set of downs. However, a bad snap would end the Colonials drive prematurely as the Red Tornado jumped on it to swing the momentum in their favor. PW was then able to get the ball right back as they forced a fumble on a rushing attempt and LB Kevin Heggarty jumped on it to secure their first turnover of the game. The Colonials offense would then roll down the field with Boggs and Winterbottom splitting carries, and their drive would be punctuated by a Winterbottom rush to open the scoring. As JP finally got a consistent feeling on their next drive, they would end up throwing an interception to Kevin Heggarty who picked up his second forced turnover of the game. The McCaskey defense struggled against the Colonials offense, who drove down the field lead by their play making WR Everett Baker, who forced five missed tackles in the drive alone as well as two plays for over 15 yards. Once they got inside the ten they let Leszczynski keep it from the six, and he powered in for a touchdown to make it a two score game. JP again looked great in their offensive game plan and were able to get a solid drive going downfield before they once again fumbled the ball away and it was recovered by PW. Just two plays later Nazye Boggs set the tone for the rest of the game, making four McCaskey players miss as he weaved his way to the end zone for an eighty yard score to cap off the first quarter at 21-0.
A JP punt within the first minute of the second quarter would allow PW to get right back to work. As they drove down the field Everett Baker broke free for a huge gain but a controversial fumble call would end up giving possession to McCaskey in a great spot. On the following drive, Senior DE Taeshaun Johnson would nullify the turnover by sacking the JP quarterback and forcing a punt. PW’s offensive masterclass continued into the second quarter, with Leszczynski hitting Winterbottom for thirty yards before Boggs rushed for a thirty piece of his own. The explosive drive would end with a seven yard rush from Winterbottom where he powered into the end zone to really take the life out of the opponent’s defense. JP WR’s Keandre Jones and Josh Morales both brought in receptions for the Red Tornado, but another lengthy drive was stalled out by a stellar defensive PW performance in which they forced a turnover on downs. PW showed just how good their offense was by executing a two minute drill almost flawlessly to set up Luke Winterbottoms third score on a six yard pass to end the half at 34-0.
Much like the first two drives of the game, the first two drives of the second half both ended in turnovers. A turnover on downs by JP McCaskey was followed with yet another PW fumble that was jumped on by the Red Tornado. Looking to put up some points, McCaskey opted to try and throw the long ball to open up the field for their offense. The Colonials secondary showed up and Nazye Boggs boosted his already spectacular night by adding an interception to his stat sheet. Just two plays later Nazye would break free on a toss play for another score, this time from 41 yards out. With the game standing out of reach, McCaskey was much more risky in their play calling and ended up turning the ball over on a fourth and short. By this point PW had subbed out most of their starting offense and were ready to showcase just how talented the rest of their roster was as well.
With their secondary offense on the field, PW was looking to get plenty of good reps for their backups. They got much more then they expected when Sophmore Michael Bongard broke a tackle and took off for a 51 yard touchdown that got a roar from the home crowd. JP would string together a great answering drive, but it had come too late. McCaskey would score again in the final minutes on a great 44 yard run, but these points were more of a morale boost than anything. JP McCaskey has now allowed 40+ points in their last three games, adding to a troubling 2023-24 start. Plymouth Whitemarsh bounced back from a harsh loss to Quakertown in the best way possible, and with their new look offense they seem more then ready as they head into conference play next week on the road vs Cheltenham.
Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews
