Kimmel’s block saves Williamson
An injury kept Gregg Kimmel on the Williamson sideline for the first four games of the season.
The freshman linebacker from Ridley returned to action just in time to help the Mechanics stay undefeated.
Kimmel blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt with a little over one minute to play to preserve a 21-19 victory over Thaddeus Stevens Tech Saturday.
It was Williamson’s first win over the Bulldogs since
2007 and just the second over Stevens since 1999. It also made the Mechanics 4-0 for the first time since 1979.
“This is a huge win for our guys and our program,” Williamson coach Dan Drake said. “Everyone was a port of this win, from the starters to the backups. Our coaches did a great job and we really wanted this. I could not be more excited about the win for our guys and for Williamson.”
Williamson jumped out to a 21-6 halftime lead, thanks to a safety, a 21-yard touchdown run by David Williams and a pair of TD passes from quarterback Vince DelPercio. DelPercio tossed a 27yard TD strike to DeJuan Outlaw in the second quarter and then found Bryson Towsend on a 20-yard scoring pass a little over nine minutes later to give the Mechanics that 15-point cushion at the break.
Stevens, though, did not go quietly. Jeff May returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown with 20 seconds left in the third quarter and quarterback Josiah Edwards scored on a 15-yard scamper with 7:05 to play in the game to get the Bulldogs within a deuce. Stevens went for the two-point conversion to tie the game, but the try failed.
The Bulldogs had one more chance to win it when it drove from their 20-yard line to the Williamson 20. Faced with a fourth-and-nine, Stevens brought it Connor Zahm for a 38-yard field goal try, but Kimmel was there to block it.
WIDENER 41, KING’S 25 >> The Pride (3-3, 3-1 MAC) took advantage of some early turnovers to extend their winning streak to three games.
Widener forced fumbles on the first two possessions by the Monarchs and Pride quarterback Mitchell Vierling made those takeaways hurt. He threw a 25-yard TD pass to Pat Downey and a
16-yard scoring toss to Joey Bristow to give Widener a
14-0 lead 3:26 into the game. It was Bristow’s first touchdown of his collegiate career.
King’s (2-3, 1-2) never got closer than seven points the rest of the game.
Vierling, a freshman from William Tennent, was solid in his first career start. He completed 16 of 29 passes for
164 yards and three touchdowns. He did not throw an interception. The 16 completions went to eight receivers, including a six-yard TD strike to All-American cornerback Jordan Powell.
The big man on offense was Donte’ Harrell who had
113 yards and one touchdown on nine carries. It was his first 100-yard rushing game since 2016. Harrell reached the century mark in the first half. His TD came on a 63yard run in the first quarter. Linebackers Shane Mulhern and Mario Scolese set the tone on defense. Each had 15 tackles. Two of Scolese’s stops were for loss, another was a sack and he also blocked a punt. In all, the Pride forced three turnovers, which led to 17 points.