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Late Heroics Lead C.B. South to Victory over C.B. West 22-17

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

| September 21, 2024

My Feature Photo was shot by @Jenn.mcdonald

Warrington- In heroic fashion, the Titans of Central Bucks South walked off their home field 22-17 victors over Central Bucks West. The game had it all: rivalry, smashmouth defensive stands, explosive plays, and even some questionable calls that may or may not have affected the outcome, either way, it was a game that will be remembered for a very long time.  The energy surrounding this matchup was electric from the opening whistle. Fans from both sides came out in droves to cheer on their teams, and you could feel the excitement in the air. The pregame events included a former player signing period and photo opportunities with the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders and their beloved mascot, Swoop. The Eagles drumline was on hand to deliver an awesome performance right before the opening kickoff.

West took the opening kickoff and marched down the field in only six plays after senior quarterback Noah Miller found a wide-open AJ Gerace, who split two defenders and hauled in the pass for a 48-yard touchdown with 8:57 left in the first quarter.

After the Ryan Clemens PAT, the score was 7-0. South’s first possession ended in a three-and-out as the West defense refused to budge. Both teams moved the ball during the remainder of the quarter but couldn’t produce any points. The defenses would bend but not break. South moved the ball in its third possession but then West ended that when they recovered a South fumble at midfield.  The first quarter came to an end knotted at 7-0 after quarterback Noah Miller converted the fourth down.

The second quarter saw South’s defense come up huge, and West would have to settle for a Ryan Clemens 33-yard field goal with 10:02 left in the half to make the score 10-0. Looking to spark the offense, Owen Pinkerton completed a 37-yarder to Danny Gies to pick up the first down. With 5:04 to go in the half, Pinkerton found Gies wide open in the endzone. After the completed PAT the score was 10-7 West. Both teams would exchange possessions with no luck. South moved the ball down the field, and with only seconds on the clock, Kicker Adis Formelio connected from 22-yards out to even the score at 10. We went into the half all locked up.

South would open up the third quarter with a bang. The Titans again went to the air looking to spark something, and Pinkerton connected with the outreached hands of Danny Gies again for a huge gain that would eventually set up an Owen Pinkerton 1-yard touchdown with 7:09 to play in the third. The extra point was missed, and the lead was 16-10. Not to be outdone, West moved the ball proficiently down the field and ate time off the clock. As time expired in the third quarter, Ryan Clemens powered his way into the endzone, but the officials ruled him down by contact at the 1-yard line and South would take over at their one to start the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter saw South move the ball downfield, only to be moved back after multiple penalties negated their positive yards. Offensive pass interference was called on a big catch on third and thirteen, and then they came up short and would have to punt. West took over with 5:39 left in the game. West controlled the ball and took nearly 4 minutes off the clock. The possession would end with 48.7 seconds left on the clock as Clemens took the ball in from nine yards out. After connecting with his own PAT, the Bucks took the 17-16 lead.

The final drive of the game saw Pinkerton connect with tight end  Dan McCusker for a first down. His next two pass attempts went incomplete and set up fourth down. Pinkerton found an open receiver and was downed at the Bucks 39 with only 5.4 seconds to go in the game.  With one more opportunity, Pinkerton took the snap, dropped back, sprinted to his left, and heaved a bomb in the back of the endzone. Gies was surrounded by a plethora of defenders but came down with the ball in his hands. Touchdown! Titans win! Titans win! 22-17 in walk-off fashion. What a thriller and it went down to the very end.

Here is my view from the winning catch.

Congratulations to Danny Gies for his selection as the Mayhem Player of the Game. Danny hauled in 7 passes for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns.  On the defensive side of the ball he was lockdown and didnt allow a completion to his side.

Other players of note: Owen Pinkerton had a career-high 244 passing yards while completing 65% of his passes. He also rushed for 78 yards on 15 attempts and a score. On the defensive side of the ball, Ends Nick Micewski(10) and Eddie bowen (7) combined for 17 tackles. Linebackers Jack Bartolillo and Elliott Francesco  each had 8 tackles a piece.

I would also like to highlight two students that stood out and were selected by their perspective coaches to be featured in this weeks student spotlight feature brought to you by my 2024 Sponsors.

Meghan is a Flyer, who has been cheering for nine years. Her favorite subject is math and after high school she plans on attending college in the fall. A fun fact about Meghan is that she has three sisters, which I hear she loves very much.

Kriti is a field manager and piccolo player in the marching band. She has been in band for the last four years. She loves English and will be majoring in psychology to become a forensic psychologist or therapist. A fun fact about Kriti is that her favorite color is blue. 

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