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Strong Second Half Propels Upper Dublin to District 1 5A Title

Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News

| November 14, 2020

 

The Upper Dublin Cardinals found themselves trailing West Chester Rustin 8-7 at halftime of the District One 5A championship game. The second half was a different story. Upper Dublin was able to turn the game around, shutting Rustin down, outscoring them 22-0 to win 29-8 and capture their third District One championship in six years. “I’m just happy with the way my kids played tonight, we played our best game of the year in a championship battle” Said Upper Dublin Coach Bret Stover after the victory.

The difference maker for the Cardinals was senior Micah Bootman. Bootman, who plays on both sides of the ball, was all over the field Friday, making play after play for his team. Bootman had an interception in the first half, to go along with 6 catches for 104 yards and a rushing touchdown late on to give his team a bit of breathing room “He’s our heart and our soul,” Stover said about his captain, “We gave him the ball every possible way we could get it to him and he produced, offensively, defensively and special teams. He’s our guy, there’s no doubt about it.”

Bootman is willing to sacrifice everything in order for his team to be successful, “It all comes down to being a team player. Especially as a captain, as a leader on this team, you’ve got to show the young guys how to play. A lot of the young guys look up to me, so I just try and make plays for them cause I know they’re going to try and do the same”

This wasn’t the senior’s first rodeo. Two years ago the Cardinals, were in the same spot, facing off against West Chester Rustin in the District championship. Just like on Friday, the Cardinals got the better of the Golden Knights 35-28. “Honestly it feels the same. When I won the first one, it took me a couple of months for it to really hit me and I feel like that’s what’s going to happen this year.” Bootman explained.

“It’s really emotional. As a senior, we were thinking we weren’t even going to have a season and now to be here winning the district chip at home, it’s just a great feeling.” Said Bootman.

The first half was a stalemate between two very disciplined teams. Upper Dublin took the lead in the first quarter when Colin O’Sulivan found Logan Trem in the back of the end zone for a nine yard touchdown. Rustin got on the board later in the half, capitalizing off of a Colin O’Sulivan interception. DeShawn Jacobs, the star from the week before, scored on a 24 yard run touchdown. Other than that run, Jacobs was held in check after two straight games of at least 200 yards on the ground.

Upper Dublin may have their arch rival, Wissahickon to thank for how they defended Jacobs. The junior ran all over the Trojans last week in the semi final and UD was able to get their hands on some of the game film, “We did get some good stuff from Wissahickon’s staff on the film against Rustin,” Coach Stover said. “It’s flattering when somebody takes your stuff and puts it into their own offense or defense, so I was very happy for the season Wiss had. Coach Fleming does a great job with Wiss.”

A big turning point in the game was the first possession of the second half. While trailing 8-7, Upper Dublin drove the ball 73 yards down the field for a touchdown. The Cardinals ran 14 plays on the drive, getting into a great rhythm on offense, finding a good balance between the run and pass, something they were unable to do in the first half. When they had their chance to take the lead, they didn’t waste it, scoring on a one yard touchdown run by senior running backJacob Rossman.

“We saw what they were doing on defense, we schemed up a good offensive drive” Micah Bootman said, “We just had to be patient, we had to take the short stuff before we went deep. It’s all the coaches, they tell me what to do and I execute it.” Sophomore quarterback Colin O’Sulivan added.

“Once you hold the ball for 4 minutes and take it down the field, that’s heartbreaking to a team. Especially when you take the lead and stop them, that’s just a heartbreaking feeling to them.” Bootman explained.

Bootman made two crucial plays on the next offensive drive for UD. First, he hauled in a 40 yard pass from O’Sulivan which set the Cardinals up at the 10, heading into the fourth quarter. He then he finished off the drive with a three yard rushing touchdown to put the Cardinals up two possessions. To make things even better, Bootman caught the ensuing two point conversion to make the score 22-8 with 11:13 remaining in the game.

The late game hero for Upper Dublin was freshmen cornerback Chris Kholbrenner. Despite only being a freshmen, Kholbrenner stepped up on the big stage, picking off Rustin quarterback John Crispino, not once, but twice in the fourth quarter. One of which, he returned for a touchdown that all but sealed the game for the Cardinals. “Unbelievable I’ve got to tell you,” Coach Stover said of his player, “He plays like a senior as a freshmen. I’m so excited to have him for three more years roaming in my secondary”

Kholbrenner’s teammate, Micah Bootman had high praise for him as well, “For a freshmen, that kid’s an All star. He comes out ready to work every day at practice. Especially being a young guy, he’s ready to play. He learned a lot this year, I tried to teach him as much as I know and it shows on the field. He’s an awesome player, especially to be making plays like that in a District championship is pretty amazing”

Kholbrenner was excited about both plays, but specifically the pick six, “The ball came right to me and I knew I was going to make a play on it. Once I got it, all I saw was green grass ahead of me and I took it in for the score.” The freshmen also praised the way his team played, “I think both sides of the ball, even special teams, that was the best we’ve played all year,” He said, “But, I still don’t think we’ve hit our peek yet, I still think we’re going up and getting better.”

Micah Bootman seemed to have the same mindset as Kholbrenner as their team heads into the state playoff, “I think that’s the best game we’ve played all year, but I don’t think that’s the best game we’re going to play all year. I feel like every week, we just get better and next week is a new challenge with a new team.”

The Cardinals do not know who they will be playing in their first state playoff game yet, but they will “Take it one step at a time” according to their coach. In what has been a crazy and unpredictable year, that has had a lot of negatives, the Upper Dublin Cardinals were able to add a positive on Friday Night.

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