Paciello Power

Paciello finished the game with 131 yards and three touchdowns on six rushing attempts and added one catch for 25 yards.

“It feels nice,” he said of his dominance, “but I’m just thinking about the next play trying to get on with it. I wouldn’t say unstoppable, but I do feel a little confidence boost when everything is working. When you trust your other teammates you get through with it.”

He scored the first two touchdowns of the game. The first a 14-yarder and the second from midfield — both coming in the first quarter. His third covered 55 yards on the second play after halftime to give the Colonials a 42-0 lead.

He led a ground attack that piled up 334 yards and six touchdowns on 34 attempts.

“We game-planned well,” Paciello said. “We definitely practiced against a lot of different looks so we knew what to run when we saw what we were getting. I think our oline definitely gave a good push and we had really great downfield blocking.”

“It’s always good to see our running game working,” Chang said. “The offensive line has been steady all year. It really comes down to how they play each week and they have not disappointed.”

Brian Dresnin totaled 63 yards and two scores on eight carries and Ben Felgoise scored on a 20-yard run.

Defense returns

Plymouth Whitemarsh allowed less than 10 points per game during its five-game winning streak to start the season. Most of those points came after the games were decided.

After allowing 28 points in a loss to Cheltenham, the Colonials defense was dominant again.

They kept the Panthers (3-5, 3-2) off the board until the middle of the third quarter when it was 42-0. Christian Pierce forced a fumble in the first quarter that Josh Lynch recovered to set up Paciello’s first score. Pierce later grabbed an interception that he returned 45 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back for a block in the back.

“We came out ready to play,” Paciello said, “ready to bounce back after a tough one. We were really antsy to make a statement and really show what our defense can do.”

“Our defense is flying to the ball,” Chang said. “Danny Hannon jumped in there for Zach Trioli, who’s been a stud for us all year. Danny came in and played great. Phil Taormina is in for (Christopher) Pierce, who got hurt and Phil played great. It’s great to see that these next guys are ready to go and producing like that.”