2024 News
Matt Zollers Signs NLI to University of Missouri
FOOTBALL: Touhey, OJR accomplish major goals with last-second win over Spring-Ford
Junior kicker’s 33-yard field goal gives Wildcats first win over Rams in seven years
Owen J. Roberts WR Dylan Drumheller had the biggest game of his career on Saturday, hauling in nine receptions for 168 yards and a touchdown in OJR’s 27-25 victory over Spring-Ford. (Courtesy Rick Martin/Rick Martin’s Sports Page)
By Rob Senior
UPDATED: October 19, 2024 at 9:08 p.m.
ROYERSFORD — Owen J. Roberts head coach Rich Kolka worked for years to celebrate a moment like Saturday’s last-second, 27-25 win over Spring-Ford.
But for Kolka, the celebration was short lived.
“I think I just tore my Achilles,” the coach said as he hugged junior kicker Ryan Touhey, the final hero for OJR on an afternoon filled with standouts. “I felt something, or someone hit me as we came off the sideline.”
“Doesn’t matter though. That might be the best game I’ve been a part of.”
It was certainly one of the least predictable. The Wildcats squandered a 12-point fourth-quarter lead before racing the length of the field in 56 seconds to set up Touhey’s 33-yard game-winning kick with no time remaining.
“When I kick, I can usually tell whether it’s good when the ball leaves my foot,” said Touhey, in only his second year of football after a childhood spent playing soccer.
“But this time was different. I couldn’t hear anything, and it felt like everything was shaking. But it felt great off my foot, so I just prepared myself because I knew I was going to get jumped on by my (celebrating) teammates.”
And rightfully so. The ‘Cats deserved the ensuing celebration after beating Spring-Ford for the first time in seven years and improving to 8-1 (4-1 PAC Liberty).
For years, Kolka talked about major goals for the OJR program – specifically, hosting a home District One playoff game, a task that would require overcoming division stalwarts Perkiomen Valley and Spring-Ford.
The Vikings remain a puzzle, but OJR got the monkey off their backs against the Rams in grand fashion Saturday.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet. Maybe tonight when I’m lying in bed, it will,” said senior wide receiver Dylan Drumheller, whose career-high 168 yards receiving kept the Wildcats offense humming throughout the back-and-forth contest.
“I’m just so proud of all these guys. That took a full team effort for 48 minutes today.”
OJR appeared to be in position to salt the victory away four minutes earlier. Leading 24-18 and with possession at the Spring-Ford 11, Rams linebacker Nick Garzarella registered his second sack of the day, this time stripping the ball from OJR quarterback Corey Schock (304 yards passing, 2 TDs).
From there, it was the Rams embarking on a 12-play, 82-yard drive engineered by sophomore quarterback Trent Yoder, showing his obvious growth within the offense since taking over for an injured Matt Zollers last month.
A highlight-reel catch by Jordan Marsilio set up Jamal Lewis’ 4-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds left. The Rams, plagued by long-snapping issues throughout the contest, executed their first conversion of the day to take their first lead at 25-24.
But Schock quickly hit Drumheller, Troy Swittenburg and Justin Daubert twice for completions, including Daubert’s sliding reception to put the ‘Cats in field goal range. With seven seconds left, Schock scampered for eight valuable yards before calling time out to set up Touhey’s heroics.
“(Dylan) doesn’t get nearly enough credit in this offense,” said Schock. “We knew someone would have to step up today. He was the one to do it.”
Kolka’s injury wasn’t the most impactful in this game. Spring-Ford has lost Zollers and several other seniors this year, while OJR played without sophomore All-Area back Mekhi Graham.
But you wouldn’t know it from the box score, with each offense amassing over 300 total yards in a seesaw battle.
A disjointed first half saw OJR start fast, as the offense overcame the absence of Graham plus some early penalties to turn a fourth-down opportunity into a 39-yard touchdown from Schock to sophomore Matt Gregory.
Owen J. Roberts sophomore WR Matt Gregory had three catches for 67 yards a touchdown in the Wildcats’ 27-25 win over Spring-Ford on Oct. 19, 2024. (Courtesy Rick Martin/Rick Martin’s Sports Page)
OJR forced a fumble on the first play of Spring-Ford’s ensuing drive, and Touhey’s 26-yard field goal gave the visiting Wildcats an early 10-0 advantage.
Spring-Ford found some traction late in the first quarter, with Yoder finding emerging freshman Rowan Harmon for a pair of first downs before a long pass to senior Chase Blanken got the Rams in scoring position.
On 3rd and 15, the Rams ran a misdirection reverse that initially looked similar to the famed Philly Special. The difference was that QB Yoder stayed in place to fire the pass to wide-open Ryan Kerchner for a 15-yard score. Despite the botched snap on the conversion, the hosts moved within 10-6.
In the second quarter, a battle of defenses ensued, with both teams forcing a pair of turnovers and OJR turning away Spring-Ford twice deep in their territory, as the Rams’ special teams woes continued on another exchanged on a would-be field goal attempt.
The offenses exchanged touchdowns on their opening possessions of the second half, but OJR’s nine-play, 80-yard drive at the end of the third culminated in Schock’s sneak for a 24-12 advantage, setting the stage for the roller-coaster fourth quarter.
The win sets up a showdown of one-loss teams next Friday at Phoenixville, where the PAC’s two second-place squads will meet. OJR appears to be in good position for their long-awaited home game but can remove all doubt with a win next week.
“We had the short week turnaround last week when we played Methacton, and that didn’t really affect us,” said Schock. “I think we’ll be ready to go.”
For Spring-Ford (4-5, 3-2 PAC Liberty) the situation is a little more dire next week when they take on Pottsgrove in a battle of third-place squads. The Rams, currently No. 15 in the rankings, will need a win to feel good about their inclusion in the District 1-6A playoff field.
Senior wide receiver Jordan Marsilio was a standout for Spring-Ford with seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. The wide receiver, who’s started garnering attention from Division I programs, has been instrumental as a leader, allowing the offense to continue to grow since the loss of Zollers.
“Jordan hasn’t really been 100 percent healthy yet this season,” said Spring-Ford head coach Chad Brubaker. “But he’s so valuable to this team. He’s even been helping with getting people lined up to take some pressure off of (Yoder).
“Right now, we’re trying to squeeze everything we can out of this roster. We were missing (All-area linebacker) Brady Welsh today, we had some JV kids out there contributing. And we didn’t quit once. We’re going to get ourselves ready to go after it again next week.”
But the afternoon belonged to Touhey and the Wildcats. Brand new to the sport just a year ago, the kicker has already cemented his place in program history.
“He hasn’t had to save us too much,” said Schock. “I’m sure glad he was here today though.”
But now, the Wildcats have to find a way to replace their suddenly hobbled coach – or do they?
“I’ll coach from the press box if I have to,” laughed Kolka while receiving medical attention. “We’ve got a lot of guts on this team. We have great senior leadership, our quarterback is fearless, and now look at our kicker. This is a great team to coach.”
MacDonald, McCabe and a dominant defense lead Perk Valley to 28-0 shutout of Spring-Ford
By ED MORRONE | emorrone@medianewsgroup.com
PUBLISHED: October 5, 2024 at 1:14 a.m.
GRATERFORD — Back during August training camp, Dimitri Toman did not shy away from the two most important goals he had for his senior football season at Perkiomen Valley: beat Spring-Ford and win a PAC championship.
One down, one to go.
Toman had an interception in the end zone to thwart the Rams’ most promising drive and was a key cog to a dominant defensive effort, while Patrick MacDonald and Carter McCabe each visited the end zone twice as the Vikings flexed their might in a 28-0 home shutout victory over their biggest rival on Friday night.
That the matchup looked entirely different than what everybody envisioned thanks to all-state Spring-Ford QB Matt Zollers’ season-ending ankle injury did not matter to Toman and company. After a 28-7 thumping in Royersford a year ago, the Vikings waited all year for their shot at redemption and did not disappoint when the moment finally arrived.
“It feels really good, but it’s also what we expected to do,” Toman said. “We went out there – the defense did their job, the offense did their job perfectly and that’s what we did. What I said back in August, that was one of our goals. Goal accomplished.”
Of course, the two goals of every Perk Valley season are always the same, but last year’s disappointments crystallized those aspirations more so entering the 2024 season for seniors like Toman and MacDonald.
Skip Ad
“This is a huge stage, Senior Night at home, so I’m really happy we could go out and execute,” said MacDonald, who threw for 161 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 47 yards and another two scores. “This is a huge rivalry. They’re a great team; I know they’re missing a great player, but they’re always tough.
“I’m glad we could come out with the win, but our main goal is always a PAC championship. This is a step to get there, and we got that today. Now it’s on to 1-0 next week.”
MacDonald needed less than four minutes to score, navigating Perk Valley through an eight-play, 60-yard opening drive that culminated in a 16-yard TD run by the senior signal caller.
The teams traded punts for the next three possessions before Perk Valley (5-2, 3-0 PAC Liberty) struck again. Five plays after MacDonald found McCabe on a short pass that gained 16 yards, the two hooked up again on a dump-off over the middle of the field that McCabe took to the house for a 14-0 lead with 5:48 to go before halftime. The short passing game to running backs McCabe and Colin Sturges have opened things up even more the past few weeks for a streaking Vikings offense that is constantly improving.
“It works for us because our line up front is holding them back and Pat has a lot of time to throw the ball,” said McCabe, who rushed nine times for 69 yards and a TD while hauling in three catches for 83 yards and another score. “After that, you just get lost in coverage and go find one. These are our rivals, so of course it felt great getting in (the end zone) against them. A lot of good play calls and good blocking up front.”
Spring-Ford (3-4, 2-1) went three-and-out on its next possession, and Perk Valley had to traverse just 37 yards in five plays on its next drive that concluded with a 1-yard MacDonald TD run and a 21-0 halftime advantage.
The Rams began the second half with possession at their own 31 and marched down to the Vikings 19 in the team’s best drive of the night. But Trent Yoder’s (11-for-22, 80 yards) end zone shot downfield ended up in Toman’s hands for a back-breaking interception. McCabe added a 49-yard TD run with 7:18 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Perk Valley had the edge in first downs (15-11), rushing yards (130-97), passing yards (161-80) and turnovers (1-0). The Vikings rushed for almost six yards per carry while Spring-Ford managed a shade over three. With Zollers out, running back Jamal Lewis had averaged 200 yards on the ground the past two weeks, both Rams wins; on Friday, Lewis never found his rhythm, rushing 17 times for 51 yards.
“Our main goal for this game was to stop the run,” Toman said. “We did that, and once they knew they couldn’t run on us they tried passing, but that didn’t work for them either.”
Perk Valley, which has won four straight after an uneven 1-2 start, will be at Norristown on Thursday night, followed by a road tilt at Methacton. If the Vikings handle their business, they should earn the right to square off against reigning PAC champ Pope John Paul II for the league crown in three weeks. Spring-Ford, meanwhile, will finish at Boyertown and then home against Owen J. Roberts before its own crossover contest decides where the Rams end this rollercoaster of a season.
“It’s obviously a huge win for us, and we’re all excited and pumped up,” Toman said. “But then we have to forget about it. In 24 hours, it needs to be gone and then we’re on to Norristown. Don’t get cocky. We won this game, but we’ve got to stay humble and move on to the next.”
Spring-Ford 28, Methacton 7
Spring-Ford isn’t letting the loss of all-state quarterback Matt Zollers derail its season as the Rams won their second straight PAC Liberty contest over Methacton to improve to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in division play. Spring-Ford jumped out to a 14-0 first half lead and pulled away with a pair of second-half touchdowns. The victory set up a titanic showdown next weekend at Perkiomen Valley that will give the victor a leg up on a division title. Methacton dropped to 2-4 and 1-1 with the loss.
FOOTBALL: Spring-Ford stops three-game skid, tops Norristown 42-3
Jamal Lewis’ 165 rushing yards lead resilient Rams offense
By Rob Senior
UPDATED: September 21, 2024 at 1:05 p.m.
ROYERSFORD — It’s a lot to ask any high school football player to become a starting quarterback midseason. It’s an even tougher ask when the quarterback being replaced is an all-state player.
So Spring-Ford did the next best thing in filling the considerable shoes of star quarterback Matt Zollers — they split the snap-taking duties among numerous players in Friday night’s 42-3 win over Norristown at Coach McNelly Stadium.
The win put an end to a three-game losing streak for the hosts from Spring-Ford.
Jamal Lewis powered for 165 rushing yards and a touchdown to lead the Rams’ ground attack, a role he plans to embrace for the remainder of his senior season.
“Oh yeah. In fact, I’ll take more,” Lewis laughed when asked if he was ready for the bell cow role in the Spring-Ford offense. “Of course, we’re going to miss Matt, but we still have playmakers and we’re going to be just fine. But I do feel like I have to step up now – I think we all do.”
But on this night, much of the attention was on the signal callers. Last week, the Rams lost Zollers, a Missouri commit, to a broken ankle for the remainder of the 2024 season, the most recent setback yet to a team that’s dealt with a season’s worth of injuries and adversity in the first month.
But life — and the high school football season — goes on, and the committee approach helped the host Rams to snap their three-game slide and more importantly, start the PAC schedule on the right foot.
Over the balance of the last three quarters, sophomore Trent Yoder emerged to take the majority of the snaps, making the most of his 11 passing attempts with nine completions for 140 yards and three touchdowns, each of which showed a different element of his game.
After the past week, Yoder wasn’t shaken by the early rotation approach. He’d spent the entire week getting ready.
“When Matt’s injury happened, I knew I had to get ready,” said Yoder. “Sunday night, we were here watching film, and I knew I’d be ready.”
But the first snaps went to senior Anthony Earley, utilizing a run-heavy approach. The Rams failed to gain much momentum despite a couple first-down runs from Earley, and Spring-Ford also gave opportunities to sophomores Kaden Pickersgill and Ryan McVey.
Meanwhile, Norristown’s pass-heavy approach moved the ball in spurts but yielded no meaningful drives. Brendan Farrell threw 41 passes on a night when the Eagles couldn’t do much on the ground (16 carries for 23 yards). Farrell finished with 180 yards passing, but Norristown was unable to reach the end zone.
“When we looked at the schedule, we knew we had to play our best football,” said Norristown coach Joe Milligan. “And that didn’t happen. So we need to go back to the basics and build from the ground up.”
The game remained scoreless until Yoder entered as Spring-Ford’s fourth quarterback of the evening. At the same time, senior Blake Turner started displaying his own versatility.
After a few short throws, Yoder rolled to his left on a second down just shy of midfield. Appearing to have room to run, the sophomore instead pulled up and fired to Turner, who’d gained separation on a deep crossing route. Turner corralled the ball around the 20-yard line and sprinted the rest of the way for a 7-0 lead for the hosts.
Turner wasn’t done, immediately picking off Farrell on the next drive. The first play of the ensuing drive saw Turner take a handoff, but quickly reverse the ball to Earley, who went downfield to a wide-open Brayden Hinkle, doubling the SF lead to 14-0.
“We just put that in this week,” Earley said of his role taking snaps. “The trick play, that’s something we worked on back in the summer and decided to run it tonight.”
Aided by some Spring-Ford penalties, Norristown set up Brett Murphy for a 30-yard field goal to get on the board before halftime.
The second half was all Rams, with Lewis powering across from five yards out a minute after the break, and Yoder adding late touchdown passes to a pair of tight ends, Ryan Kerchner and Declan Finney.
The last two touchdowns showed Yoder’s ability to find an open man as Kerchner separated down the seam, followed by a perfectly placed touch pass to Finney to open the fourth quarter.
“I can scramble a little bit,” said Yoder, “but I do like to stay in the pocket.”
Spring-Ford head coach Chad Brubaker, left, and quarterback Trent Yoder after Friday’s 42-3 win over Norristown (Rob Senior / For MediaNews Group).
Hinkle added a late 18-yard touchdown run to close out the scoring in the fourth quarter, giving him a score both rushing and receiving.
In addition to Zollers, Spring-Ford lost senior defensive lineman Gyasi Romu and defensive back Zack Stead to injury during the non-league slate, while leading receiver Jordan Marsilio missed two contests before returning last week against Downingtown West.
It’s a stretch unlike any coach Chad Brubaker has seen in 30 years of coaching. But the Rams’ opportunity to refuse to let the injuries define their 2024 season started on Friday and will continue through at least the next five weeks of league play.
“You have to move ahead,” said Brubaker. “Those guys who’ve been injured are still helping us. Injury does not prevent them from being part of the team. We need to bond together closer than ever now.”
When Norristown was able to move the ball, it was on the strength of receivers Joseph Melonson (eight catches, 88 yards) and Nasir Minor (seven catches, 64 yards). But Spring-Ford’s stinginess on the ground prevented them from getting any flow into their offense. Earley led the effort with several tackles and two passes defended, with linebacker Brady Welsh adding multiple tackles for loss.
Looking to start anew in PAC Liberty play, the Rams (2-3, 1-0) will stay at Coach McNelly Stadium for a fourth consecutive week when they host Methacton next Friday. Norristown (3-2, 0-1) travels to Owen J. Roberts.
“We knew we’d have to bring the energy all week in practice,” said Lewis. “We can’t worry about what’s already happened, we need to build on our momentum.”
“I think our talk on Sunday really helped,” added Yoder. “We had a great week in practice and put that together tonight.”
FOOTBALL: Spring-Ford QB Zollers ‘in good spirits’ after suffering season-ending broken ankle Friday
Spring-Ford quarterback Matt Zollers suffered a broken left ankle in Friday night’s game against Downingtown West, putting a premature end to his brilliant high school football career. (MediaNews Group file photo)
By Rob Senior
UPDATED: September 16, 2024 at 2:08 p.m.
Unfortunately, the biggest football story in the area this past weekend was the devastating injury sustained by Spring-Ford quarterback Matt Zollers late in a 21-12 loss to Downingtown West.
Zollers was tackled while attempting to escape the pocket in the fourth quarter. He was taken from the field in an ambulance and later confirmed to have suffered a broken left ankle on the play. The injury brings a premature conclusion to one of the more storied high school football careers in area history.
Zollers, a 6-foot-4 senior committed to the University of Missouri, is currently rated by On3 as the No. 18 player nationally in the class of 2025 and the top player in the state of Pennsylvania. In just two-and-a-half years as Spring-Ford’s starting quarterback, Zollers rewrote several chapters of the school’s record books, the latest in a line of prolific Rams passers. Last season, he threw for a school record 2,917 yards and 37 touchdowns against only two interceptions.
Concern immediately washed over a silent Coach McNelly Stadium and spread quickly to social media, where opposing Downingtown West coach Tom Kline offered his thoughts the following evening on X:
“I have coached high school football for 30 years now and last night witnessed a horrific injury to a generational talent from Spring-Ford,” Kline posted. “My heart breaks for that young man, his family, and his teammates and coaches. My thoughts go out to Matt Zollers for a full recovery.”
“Matt is in good spirits,” added Spring-Ford coach Chad Brubaker. “He means so much to this program and will continue to be a big part of what we do this season.”
It’s the latest setback in a run of bad luck that Brubaker says is unprecedented in his 31 years of coaching. Zollers joins fellow seniors Gyasi Romu and Zack Stead with injuries that put an early end to their senior seasons.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Brubaker said. “Nagging injuries, season-ending injuries. But we had a team meeting (Sunday) night, and there’s no other path. We’re going to have to overcome these obstacles.”
Brubaker added that Zollers joined Romu and Stead at that team meeting, underscoring the commitment the Rams have to their program and to one another, even when players are unavailable to the team and especially in trying times.
“There’s a resolve,” the head coach said. “A desire to play for those guys who can’t suit up anymore.”
FOOTBALL: Zollers injured as Spring-Ford falls to Downingtown West to drop to 1-3
Jamal Lewis rushed for 70 yards on 11 carries but Spring-Ford fell to Downingtown West 21-12 to fall to 1-3
(Rick Martin / Rick Martin’s Sports Page)
UPDATED: September 14, 2024 at 1:48 a.m.
ROYERSFORD — Downingtown West made it to the District 1-6A football championship game last year and have shown no signs of letting up this season. West boosted its record to 4-0 with a 21-12 win over Spring-Ford Friday night at Coach McNelly Stadium behind a strong defense and the passing and running of junior quarterback Cole Bricker.
Bricker passed for 132 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another as the Whippets stormed back with three consecutive TDs after the Rams (1-3) scored on the game’s opening possession. Spring-Ford senior quarterback Matt Zollers threw for 182 yards and two scores, but was injured late in the game while being sacked and was taken off the field in an ambulance.
The Whippets played without their two top running backs, but sophomore Marcus McComsey picked up the slack with 78 rushing yards on 13 carries and also caught a TD pass.
“We didn’t have our starting backs tonight,” said Bricker. “We kept it in the air a lot more than usual. That’s a good football team. But we did what the defense gave us and it worked tonight.”
“We did some nice things,” added first-year West head coach Tom Kline, who was a Whippet assistant for 10 years. “(Bricker) is a great kid. He showed me a lot. Even when he was pressured, he made some great throws.”
Spring-Ford drove 66 yards on seven plays, with Zollers passing 28 yards to Jordan Marsilio (5 catches, 106 yards, 2 TDs) for the score with 8:58 left in the opening quarter. But the Rams did not score again until early in the fourth quarter despite several good opportunities.
“We had a bunch of drives, but we stalled,” said Rams head coach Chad Brubaker. “Our defense played very well. We made mistakes on special teams and we were 4th-and-1 and we had illegal motion called. We could have had two more scores in the first half.”
Downingtown West took a 7-6 advantage late in the first quarter with a 39-yard drive, the last 26 on a scoring pass from Bricker to McComsey. Then the Whippets put together a 10-play, 72-yard march in the second quarter, scoring on a 1-yard sneak by Bricker for a 14-6 lead with 1:50 to go until the half. Bricker hit Darian Smith with a 31-yard scoring pass in the third shortly after a muffed punt by the Rams set the Whippets up at the Spring-Ford 26.
The Rams came right back with a 73-yard drive but fumbled the ball on 4th-and goal at the 3-yard line. They scored early in the fourth quarter on a 38-yard TD pass from Zollers to Marsilio and got the ball back with 5:26 to go. But Zollers was injured on the next play as he was taken down for a nine-yard loss
Jamal Lewis led the Rams’ running game with 70 yards on 11 carries and Blake Turner caught five passes for 40 yards as part of Spring-Ford’s 250 total yards of offense.
“We came in wanting to get some pressure on them,” said Kline. “We spent a lot of time meeting and talking about how to mix up the defense and get some pressure. We’re working hard every day. This is the best conditioned team I’ve had. They’re believers. There’s a tradition here and they want to keep it going.”
The Whippets gained 280 yards on the night – 148 on the ground and 132 passing.
“We have a new coach and we’re much more disciplined than last year,” said Bricker. “We’re a very conditioned team and we have a good mentality, always hustling to the ball.”
The Rams will begin Pioneer Athletic Conference play next week without their starting quarterback, among other injuries that have hurt them during their four non-league contests to begin the season.
“We’re beaten up,” said Brubaker. “We’ve got to rally. These guys are hurting. We’ve got to keep going, continue to play for each other, including the guys who can’t suit up.”
Downingtown East rallies past Spring-Ford to deal Rams second straight loss
By Rob Senior
UPDATED: September 7, 2024 at 1:51 p.m.
ROYERSFORD — Downingtown East graduated 10 starters off last season’s historic defensive unit and experienced some early growing pains in its first two games of 2024.
But in Friday night’s come-from-behind, 17-14 win at Spring-Ford’s Coach McNelly Stadium, the Cougars showed they’re well on their way to developing another stout unit.
Downingtown East held the Rams scoreless for the final 30 minutes of the game, sacking Spring-Ford quarterback and Missouri commit Matt Zollers five times and recovering a muffed snap inside the 10-yard line with under 20 seconds to play to seal the victory.
“That is Downingtown East football,” said linebacker and leading tackler Jack Griffiths. “I’d rather win a 17-14, hard-fought battle than blow somebody out 35-0 any day.”
Griffiths, the lone returning starter for D-East, is a throwback player, a hard-nosed linebacker who calls the shots for the Cougars’ defense and remains on track to set the school record for tackles by the end of the season. This game was right up his alley.
“We have a long tradition of tough, hard-nosed teams,” said Griffiths. “So what we’re down 14? We fought back, which is what we preached since January.”
Of course, the Cougars needed to score some points as well, and the offensive effort was led by junior halfback Alex Rios, who carried for 175 yards, finishing with well over 30 carries in a performance that turned from workmanlike to spectacular over the course of the second-half rally.
“That’s definitely a career high in carries for me,” said Rios.
Like a true workhorse, Rios got stronger as the game went on. Runs that were stopped for no gain turned into three-yard carries, and three-yard carries became five or six-yard gains. He capped the performance with his game-high 27-yard run that set up Michael Brown’s 21-yard touchdown catch from Mason Ippolito (12-for-14, 122 yards, TD) to give the Cougars their first – and permanent – lead with eight minutes to play.
“That’s all about my offensive line,” said Rios. “I can only run through the holes they make, and they push me to make those plays.”
Over an 11-1 season a year ago, the Cougars allowed only 56 total points — a figure eclipsed by their first two opponents in an uncharacteristic 0-2 start.
Again on Friday night, the defense started slowly when Zollers escaped pressure on a 3rd-and-8 at his own 22-yard line, evading would-be tacklers in the backfield, through the secondary and down the sideline for a career-long 78-yard touchdown run to give the Rams a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.
Early in the second quarter, Zollers doubled the lead when he pulled the ball on a zone read and rumbled 24 yards for a 14-0 advantage.
Meanwhile, Spring-Ford’s defense was managing Downingtown East’s varied tempos, making Rios earn each of his 53 first-half yards over 18 carries. The Cougars didn’t break through until a long completion from Ippolito to Zach Lindsay set up Rios’ three-yard scoring run, chopping the lead in half.
The defensive effort for Spring-Ford was led by senior safety Anthony Earley and linebacker Brady Welsh with multiple tackles for loss.
Ryan Hornack’s 25-yard field goal brought the Cougars within 14-10 late in the third quarter, but the D-East defense was the story, holding Spring-Ford to negative-10 yards of total offense over their first couple second-half possessions. In the interim, Brown’s touchdown reception gave D-East their first lead with 8:08 to play.
But Spring-Ford would rally behind further heroics from Zollers, who stood up physically to repeated hard hits. Zollers scrambled for 26 of his 132 rushing yards to move the ball into D-East territory with two minutes to play, then hit freshman Rowan Harmon for SF’s biggest pass play of the night to move into the red zone with 1:06 left.
But it wasn’t to be, as Downingtown East pounced on a botched snap in the red zone with under 15 seconds to play, sealing their first win.
Zollers led the Rams with 132 yards rushing and the two scores but was held to 91 passing yards on 25 attempts. The senior’s efforts were the main bright spot for a Spring-Ford offense that was without top receiver Jordan Marsilio for a second game, and also struggled in last week’s loss to Easton.
“The difference between this week and last is everybody fought,” said Spring-Ford coach Chad Brubaker. “Guys left it all on the field. No, we don’t like the outcome, but we’re going to build off the effort.”
Things get no easier for the 1-2 Rams, who remain at Coach McNelly Stadium next week to host the Cougars’ crosstown rivals, Downingtown West. Downingtown East improved to 1-2 on the season and looks to even their record next week when they welcome Boyertown to Kottmeyer Stadium.
“We’re ready to go after that rough start,” said Griffiths. “We’ve got some dogs on this team, a bunch of guys who people are going to know very soon.”
‘We went back to the old Easton.’ Red Rovers football runs over Spring-Ford at Cottingham
-
|Published: Aug. 31, 2024, 8:53 a.m.
By Desmond Boyle | For lehighvalleylive.com
As the Easton Area High School football team’s lead grew Friday night in front of its fans at Cottingham Stadium, the message became more clear.
As the Red Rovers broke off long runs with relative ease against a Spring-Ford team ranked 10th in the state among Class 6A teams by Pennlive.com and overwhelmed Rams senior quarterback Matt Zollers, a University of Missouri commit rated one of the top recruits in the state by several national outlets, with constant pressure, there could be no doubt.
Easton is back.
The Red Rovers dominated Spring-Ford 49-7. They scored seven touchdowns, all but one on the ground, on their first eight possessions, excluding a kneel down at the end of the first half, and only gave up a touchdown in the final minute with mostly reserves in for both sides.
“This win is amazing, taking down one of the top schools and top quarterbacks pretty much in the nation, it feels awesome,” said Easton senior Cael DiSora, who intercepted Zollers twice and had the Rovers’ only touchdown catch of the game. “... It’ll show everybody that Easton is back.”
Senior running backs Will Day, who was making his return to Cottingham after missing all but the first two games of 2023 due to injury, and Dorian Thomas combined for 229 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
“We knew from the get-go. They didn’t look too physical on film and we’re Easton,” Day said. “We went back to the old Easton, run the ball straight down.”
Add in junior running back Chris Martinez’s 79 yards and one touchdown on eight carries, all in the second half, and Easton (1-1) eclipsed the 300-yard mark on 33 carries overall for an average of 9.3 yards per carry.
“I thought we could be more physical than them up front,” Easton coach Matt Senneca said. “Yeah, they were a little bigger than us, they probably looked more the part than we did, but you come down to 11th Street, you better be ready to play some physical football. Our kids were ready to play tonight.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a game like that up front. Those five guys up front, they did a hell of a job tonight,” Senneca added on Easton’s offensive line, which is comprised of seniors Jackson Fuhrer and Marquis Labossiere and juniors Elijah Grovesnor, Algee Macon and Gavin Crosson.
Thomas capped the Rovers’ first drive with a 32-yard touchdown rush up the middle and, after senior linebacker Mekhi Grant tripped up Zollers for a short gain on third down to force the Rams to punt, Day rotated in.
Day ran for 24, 4 and 16 yards and, after being stopped for a loss, stayed low and dove into the end zone on a 16-yard touchdown.
“I do feel fresher… That one-two punch, it’s something special,” Day said of sharing the workload with Thomas in the backfield. “We both have dreams of being a 1,000-yard rusher. Easton football, I don’t think it’s ever happened in history where they have two backs at the same time. We’re coming to make history this year.”
DiSora intercepted Zollers near midfield four plays into Spring-Ford’s next drive. Junior quarterback Cole Ordway lofted a pass to senior receiver Jasir Frutchey for a 37-yard gain along the away sideline that moved the Rovers into the red zone right away.
Easton had back-to-back touchdowns called back by penalties, first a 15-yard run by Thomas that was negated by a hold and then a 22-yard touchdown pass from Ordway to senior JC Wilson that was called back for offensive pass interference. Thomas gained 11 yards to the Rams’ 26 on second-and-32.
On third-and-long, Thomas took a carry up the middle, stayed patient, cut right and found his way into the end zone courtesy of some downfield blocks.
That touchdown and junior Noah Borluca’s third PAT of the game gave the Rovers’ a 21-0 lead 8 seconds into the second quarter.
Easton’s defense once again forced a punt after giving up just one first down. Day gained 33 yards on four carries before, on fourth-and-8, DiSora collected a screen pass from Ordway, cut up field and, courtesy of a crucial block from Frutchey, crossed the goal line.
“Our line did a perfect job over here and Jasir Frutchey in the corner, he had the biggest block,” DiSora said.
DiSora also credited his teammates for his second interception, which came three plays into Spring-Ford’s next possession. Zollers faced immediate pressure while back in his own end zone and DiSora snagged the pass over the middle before he shouldered his way past Zollers on his way to the Rams’ 3.
“The pass rush was amazing,” DiSora said. “They came out, hands throwing; they came out to punch somebody in the lip.”
“Just a mentality, just having Easton on our chest,” Macon said of the Rovers’ relentless pass rush.
Two plays later, Day plunged in for a touchdown from a yard out that made it 35-0 with 5:05 left in the second quarter, ensuring the clock would run throughout the second half via the mercy rule.
Spring-Ford drove into the red zone on its final drive of the first half, but three straight incompletions, the third of which was an overthrow on play-action, resulted in a turnover on downs.
Zollers finished 7 of 18 for 88 yards with three interceptions.
“Phenomenal, fun, electrifying, physical,” Senneca said of watching Easton’s defensive performance. “We played Easton football tonight.”
“It was a big statement,” Macon added.
Easton’s third interception, which junior Skyler Fowlin snared with an acrobatic grab late in the third quarter, set up Day’s third touchdown, which was once again from a yard out.
Thomas finished with 131 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Day had 98 yards on 12 carries and three scores.
“It’s amazing, it’s something you dream about,” Day said of his first game back at Cottingham. “I barely slept all night just thinking about this game. I imagined myself making plays... I want to be a top rusher in this league.”
“I’ve said it before, I’ll go up against anybody. They’re the two best backs in the league,” Senneca said of Day and Thomas. “I’m thrilled I have them on my team.”
The Rovers host Northeast of District 12 next week before their schedule features in-conference opponents.
“It definitely shows the rest of the EPC, we’re here, we’re coming. We’re not the same team we were last year,” Day said. “We’re just going to keep our head down and keep working.”
“It’s amazing. With the (student section’s) blackout, the band. The community helped us, which is very fun,” Macon said. “Not going to forget it.”
Few who were at Cottingham Friday night will.
Second-quarter burst sends Spring-Ford past Souderton
By Mike Cabrey | mcabrey@thereporteronline.com | The Pottstown Mercury
UPDATED: August 24, 2024 at 2:05 p.m.
FRANCONIA – Bryce Roberts came through with a sack then came away with the football in his possession – the officials eventually ruling Spring-Ford’s senior nose guard had indeed recovered a fumble, setting the Rams up at Souderton 10-yard line.
“When I came from behind, I knew to try to punch the ball,” Roberts said. “And so as I did that, I try to look for the ball and I picked it up.”
Jamal Lewis reached the end zone on the next play for the first points in Friday night’s season opener at 9:31 in the second quarter.
Less than three minutes of game time later, Spring-Ford had pushed its lead to 19-0, scoring two more touchdowns after the defense forced a three-and-out and Shane Lewis snagged an interception.
“It happened quick,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said.
The host Indians pulled 19-7 before halftime but Spring-Ford started the third quarter with a pair of touchdown drives and went to claim a 31-14 victory.
“It’s definitely a big deal – we have four tough games to start the year out so it’s definitely good to get the first one down,” Rams senior quarterback Matt Zollers said. “I’d say we didn’t start off how we wanted to in the first quarter, we were moving the ball a little bit but then third downs got up to us.
“We started doing good in the second quarter – we had three touchdowns I think back-to-back-to-back. The momentum started going and we came out in the second half hot.”
Zollers was an efficient 18-of-22 pass for 255 yards and a score with the Missouri verbal commit also running for a touchdown. Jamal Lewis finished with three rushing TDs and 85 yards on 12 carries as Spring-Ford begins 1-0 for the fifth straight year.
“You had two good teams playing, kind of going back and forth in the first quarter and as you just said two turnovers swung the momentum in their favor,” Gallagher said. “You can’t make mistakes like that against good teams and we made the mistakes, they capitalized, their athletes made some plays and you got to give them credit.”
Houston Marshall getting across the goal line for a six-yard touchdown run with 2:53 left in the second quarter had Souderton’s deficit at 12. Spring-Ford drove to the Indians 44 before having to punt. Souderton took over at its own 14 at 1:12 and moved the ball to the Rams 32 but ended the half with three consecutive incompletions.
Spring-Ford proceeded to go up 25-7 on the first drive of the third. On a 1st-and-20 from the Souderton Rams 31, Zollers connected with Blake Turner for a 38-yard completion. Zollers hit Ryan Kerchner on a 2nd-and-7 for a 19-yard gain down to the nine, where Zollers scored from on option keeper at 9:38.
“I was just reading that defender, he backed out and the end came down,” said Zollers of his TD run. “And then when I pulled it around the edge it was just one-on-one I had to make someone miss.”
Souderton could not get off a punt, giving the Rams the ball as the Indians 47. After a holding penalty had Spring-Ford facing a 1st-and-20 at the 36, Zollers found Rowan Harmon for a 33-yard reception down to six. Two plays later, Jamal Lewis scored on a four-yard run at 1:15 to make it 31-7.
“We were just trying to be efficient and the short, quick passes, getting to our playmakers, having them run works,” Zollers said. “So I feel like we moved the ball down the field both drives pretty easily during that, so that was the gameplan coming out in the second half.”
Turner caught four passes for 80 yards for the Rams while Jordan Marsilio had six receptions for 77 yards.
Souderton’s Elijah Hampton had nine catches for 62 yards, his last off a deflection for a 15-yard touchdown from Brett Pollock with 52.9 seconds remaining in the fourth.
Hampton also ran five times for 59 yards while Hunter Smeltz made six catches for 61 yards for the Indians (0-1), who lost their first regular-season game since falling in Week 9 to Upper Dublin 2022.
The defeat was also Souderton’s second straight at home. Downingtown West snapped the Indians’ 19-game home win streak in last year’s District 1-6A quarterfinals.
“We start with three really tough teams nonleague and we want to get out of this healthy and hopefully win one or two of ‘em if we can and get into league play and see what we can do in the league cause it’s going to be tough,” Gallagher said. “But our goals are all still there – we can win a championship in the league, win can still get to playoffs and make a run there so we just got to lick our wounds and find a way to get back next week.”
Both the Indians and Rams play Friday, Souderton hosting Central Bucks South with Spring-Ford visiting Easton.
After Roberts’ fumble recovery led to Jamal Lewis scoring on a run from 10 yards out, Spring-Ford forced a three-and-out and took over at the 50. Turner boxed out a defender to haul in a pass for 33 yards and on the following play, Zollers hit Ian Peticca in the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown at 7:43.
“He threw jump balls and their kids went up and made plays. They did a good job of using their body and boxing our guys out,” Gallagher said. “We have a good secondary, we have kids that can cover and unfortunately some of the underthrown balls were harder than – they weren’t beating us over the top, it was just the underthrown balls that were to their benefit cause their kids did go up and make the play.
“So got to give credit where credit’s due and they’re a good football team that’s going to win a lot of games and maybe we’ll see them again in the playoffs but ‘til then we got a lot of work to do to get there.”
Spring-Ford’s Jamal Lewis, 20, is lifted up by Patrick Burke, 57, after Lewis’ 10-yard touchdown run against Souderton in the second quarter of their game on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Mike Cabrey/MediaNews Group)
Souderton’s next drive ended on its first play as Shane Lewis’ interception set the Rams up at the Indians’ 46. Marsilio boxed out a defender for a 34-yard completion down to the three and Lewis ran it in on the next play for a 19-0 lead at 6:32.
2024 Helmet Reveal
Spring-Ford quarterback Matt Zollers selects Missouri over Penn State, Pittsburgh, Georgia
By Rob Senior
ROYERSFORD >> Matt Zollers, the top-rated football prospect in the state of Pennsylvania for the Class of 2025, announced his commitment to the University of Missouri at a press conference at Spring-Ford High School Thursday afternoon.
The Tigers won Zollers’ pledge over fellow finalists Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Georgia.
But it wasn’t an easy call for the Spring-Ford quarterback, who said he was still debating his choice on Thursday morning.
‘I just felt the most comfortable (at Missouri),” said Zollers. “My number-one priority was finding who I’d connect best with, both players and coaches.”
Zollers, currently a junior, is the No. 46 prospect nationally in the Class of 2025 according to the On3 Industry Ranking, which accumulates ratings from various recruitment services in an attempt to form a consensus.
He’s the No. 5-rated quarterback in the class, and the top player in the Keystone State.
Zollers’ junior season saw the 6-foot-4, 205 lb. quarterback rewrite Spring-Ford’s single-season and career passing record book, throwing for 2.917 yards with 37 touchdowns and only two interceptions in leading the Rams to a 9-3 record in 2023.
Understandably, the quarterback’s recruitment reached a new fervor following a season that made him a consensus All-State selection. Zollers’ On3 profile names 21 FBS schools who offered him a scholarship.
“Matt has handled all the attention, travel, and general upheaval to his general routine better than even I imagined he would,” said Spring-Ford coach Chad Brubaker. “He’s remained humble, clear-headed, and he’s done his homework. I’m extremely proud of him as a young man and as a representative of our football program here at Spring-Ford.”
With one season still to play, Zollers is already Spring-Ford’s career leader in touchdown passes and stands less than 100 yards from the school benchmark for passing yardage in a career.
Thursday’s press conference was befitting of the most hotly contested recruitment of a PAC player in recent memory.
Zollers, his parents Pete and Beth, and Coach Brubaker shared a table in the Principal’s Conference Room at the high school. Brubaker introduced Zollers, who thanked his parents, friends, and family among others.
“I’d also like to thank all the coaches that have helped me through all the sports I’ve played,” said Zollers, also a standout basketball player at Spring-Ford. “They’ve taught me everything I know.”
A brief highlight video followed, complete with voiceovers comparing Zollers to Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, before the screen showed Zollers in Missouri black and gold with the inscription “Committed to the Zou.”
Missouri continues to make inroads in the Southeastern Conference, traditionally home to some of the nation’s strongest college football programs. The Tigers finished 11-2 in 2023, capped by a signature victory over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
Matt Zollers is Missouri’s first commitment in the Class of 2025, and figures to represent the lynchpin of a class that allows the Tigers to annually challenge Georgia, Alabama, and LSU for SEC supremacy.
The Spring-Ford signal caller is Mizzou’s highest-rated quarterback commitment since Blaine Gabbert signed with the Tigers in 2008. Gabbert was a first-round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011 and is a two-time Super Bowl champion (Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2021, Kansas City Chiefs 2024).
“There’s great stability (at Missouri), and even before I visited, I felt an instant connection,” said Zollers. “Going to visit there just reinforced that.”
“When I started out playing football, I knew I wanted to play in college. But I never knew it would turn into this, so it’s pretty surreal.”
Zollers and his family credited the Spring-Ford coaching staff and administration with helping him through the recruitment process.
“He’s remained the same kid throughout this process,” said Matt’s mother Beth. “Matt’s always wanted to be here at Spring-Ford, playing with his friends and coaches.”
Zollers spoke with excitement about wrapping up the recruitment process, allowing him ample time to enjoy the next year-plus of high school, including his senior football season. “To be honest, I never thought of [playing at another high school] just to get recruited. If you’re good enough, schools are going to find you. Why not do it and play with my friends?
“But it’s going to be more relaxing for the next couple of months.”
2024 Youth Camp Flyer
Class of 2024 Banquet Awards
Burlsworth Trophy - Tyler Moyer
Coaches Award - Dustin Flynn
Freed Award - Luke Hall
OL MVP - Luke Ellor
DL MVP - Evan Strzeminski
O MVP - Matt Zollers
D MVP - Mike Bendowski
ST MVP - Liam McGarvey
TD Club Award - Owen Norman
TD Club Scholarship - Max Stadler
Congratulations to the 2024 Wall of Fame Qualifiers:
Mike Bendowski - 100+ Points & Tackles
Evan Strzeminski - 100+ Tackles
Luke Ellor - OL Criteria
Owen Norman - OL Criteria
Belal Abdelrahman - 1,000+ Yards Receiving
Mason Scott - 1,000+ Yards Receiving, 100+ Points & 2,000+ All-Purpose Yards
Gary Rhodenbaugh - 100+ Career Wins
Congratulations to our current weight room belt champions:
Squat - Bryce Roberts
Bench - Nick Garzarella
Hang Clean - Zack Stead
Relative Strength - Shane Lewis
Relative Power - Zack Stead
Most Improved - Grant Dziedziak
Mason Scott Maxwell Ad
