High school football: After fast start, Souderton outlasts Pennridge, 24-21
FRANCONIA — Souderton senior quarterback Jared Zimmerman spent plenty of time running forward on Friday night against rival Pennridge, but it was the time he ran backward that he enjoyed the most.
"That was pretty cool running out the clock," said Zimmerman, who erased the closing seconds of the game by running backward and then sliding down to secure a 24-21 win over the visiting Rams. "You're just killing off the clock and that's when you know you have the win."
Zimmerman, who also plays basketball and throws the javelin, was one of several Big Red standouts in this one as a balanced effort (four Souderton backs were effective) moved them to 2-0 on the young season. Pennridge dipped to 0-2.
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"Chris Kerns, Shaun Purvy, Ryan Sadowski and Jared all did a nice job running the ball," Souderton head coach Ed Gallagher said. "We had what I thought was a comfortable lead at the end of the third quarter (24-6), but the next thing you know Pennridge is right there making it really close. That's a credit to them for not letting up one bit."
Souderton took the lead on short TD runs by Zimmerman and Kerns and a nifty 97-yarder by the elusive Purvy to build its advantage before the Rams made it interesting thanks to a long TD run by Army West Point commit Brennan Fisher (56 yards, his second score of the night) and a 20-yard touchdown catch by senior Nate Mossbrook from sophomore Pat Burdick with just under two minutes to play.
"When we were down 24-6 we needed our senior leadership to kick in and it did," said Pennridge first-year head coach Chuck Burgy. "That's what we expect from them and they did a good job. We're 0-2, but we're trending in the right direction."
At 2-0, the Big Red are flying and have a date with 2-0 Central Bucks East next Friday in Buckingham.
"We knew back in April when we started working that we could get off to a good start," Zimmerman said. "And now we just have to keep it going."
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Three things we learned
That Souderton's offense is more than just the electric Purvy. With Zimmerman, Kerns and Sadowski, plus junior tight end Joe Nase, the Big Red have plenty of options to test a defense.
We kind of already knew this, but Pennridge's Fisher is the real deal. It's no secret that he's going to get the ball a lot, but he fights for every inch and shrugged off two early fumbles to get his team back in the game with his long touchdown run.
The two-headed kicking machine of senior Ty Quintois and junior Rylan Zuk give Souderton a distinct advantage on the high school level. Zuk booms his extra points and the 31-yard field goal Quintois drilled would have been good from 50.
Game balls
Souderton's Shaun Purvy only had eight rushing attempts (partly due to cramping), but his 97-yard jaunt late in the first quarter showcased is home run ability, which is something all good teams need.
Pennridge senior running back/linebacker/punter Xavier Dantzler boomed three first-half punts that buried the Big Red deep in their own territory.
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They said it
"He just loves the game so much that if I asked him to play defensive tackle, he would run out there," Gallagher on Zimmerman's love for the game.
Drew Markol: dmarkol@theintell.com; @dmarkol
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Souderton holds off rival Pennridge, 24-21.
