H.S. football: John Eatherton keys Quakertown victory over Council Rock South
NEWTOWN — After posting a program-best 13-1 record last season, getting off to a 1-3 start this season is not what the Quakertown High School football team had in mind. So Panthers’ veteran running back/safety John Eatherton decided to do something about it.
Eatherton, a 6-foot, 185-pound senior, turned into a one-man wrecking crew Friday night against Council Rock South.
He scored a touchdown on a blast up the middle from the 1-yard line just before halftime, caught a 76-yard touchdown pass from Vincent Micucci and chipped in with a two-point conversion in the third quarter to pace the Panthers to a 16-0 Suburban One League Continental Division victory over the host Golden Hawks at Walt Snyder Stadium.
Eatherton was the only returning starter from last year on the field throughout the game, so naturally he is being looked upon to be a leader.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys on the team,” Eatherton said. “I’m trying to rally everybody. We’re trying to get everybody going. We just want to be as one, trying to back up last year. I know it’s a little bit hard from last year. We started off slow, but I think we’re going to start picking it up as the year goes on.”
Quakertown coach George Banas, who celebrated his birthday with the win, is glad to have a player of Eatherton’s experience and capabilities.
“We’re young, so we look to him for leadership,” Banas said. “We look for him to make some big plays (and) we look for him to rally the troops. Great kid.”
After beating Southern Lehigh to open the season, the Panthers were outscored, 154-21, by some pretty good teams over the following three weeks. But Eatherton is hoping those tribulations are behind his team.
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“It’s tough,” he said. “Last year we never let up more than 22 points and then we got blown out for three weeks. So it was a little tough, but a lot of our guys are young and they rallied together today. Definitely we’re going to keep moving forward from this.”
Three things we learned
Council Rock South has a passing game. Golden Hawks junior quarterback Chase Ennis completed 14 of 26 passes for 143 yards to eight different receivers. Ennis’ longest completion was for 28 yards to junior Lee Russell.
2. In spite of giving up 182 points in its first four games, Quakertown played solid defense against CR South, especially against the Hawks' ground game. The Panthers allowed just 36 yards rushing for an average of 2.3 yards per carry. South never got closer to Quakertown’s end zone than the 28-yard line.
3. Vincent Micucci, a first-year quarterback for Quakertown, can also throw the ball as demonstrated by his 76-yard scoring strike to Eatherton. It was a double-hitch pass down the left sideline that Micucci laid into Eatherton’s outstretched hands. He completed 8 of 12 passes for 115 yards.
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Game balls
Reagan Payne, Quakertown defensive back. The junior picked off Ennis on the first play of the game, then made an acrobatic interception in the third quarter at the Panthers’ 4-yard line.
Connor Omlor, Council Rock South linebacker. Getting in on several tackles and sharing a sack with Anthony Carey, the senior helped hold Quakertown’s running game to 98 yards.
Andrew Gansz, Quakertown center. The junior helped blow open a hole on the right side to allow Eatherton to squirm through for a 1-yard scoring run, then helped block for Micucci as he found Eatherton for a 76-yard touchdown pass.
They said it
“We did some soul searching and we moved a bunch of guys around on defense from last week to this week and we gave guys opportunities,” Banas said. “And that’s what we talked about tonight. When opportunity knocks on that door, you’ve got to be willing and ready to answer it, whether it’s for one play, two plays, a series, or for a game. We only get 11 opportunities a year. It’s a lot different than other sports, so you’ve really got to take advantage of them. So they gutted it out tonight.”
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: PA High School Football: Eatherton, Quakertown top Council Rock South
