Late drive lifts Rams past CB West
In a tie game in the fourth quarter Friday night, Pennridge coach Randy Cuthbert was not taking any chances.
With 72 yards to reach the end zone, Mike Class and Mackenzie Crawford were going to carry the Rams there.
“The game was on the line, so I wanted the ball in my best guys’ hands,” Cuthbert said. “Mike and Kenny are going to be touching it, we were trying to mix it up, to keep them a little bit off balance and to who’s going to get it.”
Class was the one who SuW WKH finLsKLnJ WRuFKHs Rn the 12-play drive, as his 10yard touchdown with 1:26 remaining allowed visiting Pennridge to hold off Central Bucks West, 28-21, in a Suburban One Continental Conference matchup at War Memorial Field.
“I got the ball and I saw they had a guy coming through. And I tried to cut it back and I got hit,” said Class of the game-winning score. “But luckily I broke the tackle and went through. And then I had another guy coming at me, and I just gave him a little stiff arm Dnd , wDs DEOH WR find WKH Hnd zone.”
Class ran for 168 yards and three touchdowns, while Crawford had 128 yards and a score as the Rams E4-1, 1-0 conferenceF earned their third straight victory.
“I think the best part is knowing that my team didn’t quit,” Class said. “And they didn’t quit on anybody else. And knowing that having that last drive, coming out, KDvLnJ WKDW firH uS Ln Rur stomachs. Knowing that we wanted to win more than they did.”
Sherrod eigginbotham had both a rushing and receiving touchdown, while Cody Riemenschneider had a pair of touchdown passes for Central Bucks West E2-3, 0-2F, which has lost its last three games.
“We’ve just got to get to a point where we get over the top,” West coach Brian eensel said. “Right now, on a skid with three consecutive losses, some teams might let doubt creep in. We don’t want that to happen to our team. And that was the message to them at the end of the JDPH WKHrH – EH FRnfidHnW Ln yourselves and believe in each other.”
The Bucks trailed 14-0 after a Crawford 38-yard touchdown run at 3:44 in the second quarter, but rallied to pull even at 21-21 at 6:53 in the fourth on Riemenschneider’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Kurt Logan and twopoint conversion.
Pennridge then took over at its own 28 with 6:57 remaining. Of the 12 plays on the drive, 10 were runs by either Class or Crawford . The other two plays were a two-yard run by John Kim
and quarterback Alex Krivda converting a third-and-6 from the Rams’ 44 with a 16-yard pass to Kim.
“I think the line played well. It was a heavy front to block against, but I think they did a good job of getting the guys some holes,” Cuthbert said. “Kenny and Mike when they got through, they got a bunch of yards.”
Riemenschnieder was 18for-32 passing for 215 yards. LRJDn KDG fivH FDWFKHs IRr 59 yards, while Higginbotham paced West on the ground with 65 yards on 14 carries.
Both teams play Friday, with Pennridge hosting Souderton and Central Bucks West facing Central Bucks bast back at War Memorial Field.
Class gave Pennridge a 6-0 lead as he went through the line then broke away for an 88-yard touchdown run at 4:49 Ln WKH firsW TuDrWHr.
“I’ll give this kid credit, that 88-yard run that he had, we had him hemmed in and we’re thinking, if we’re confiGHnW, WKrHH-DnG-RuW KHrH we’re getting some good fiHOG SRsLWLRn,” HHnsHO sDLG. “The kid made one unbelievable cutback read and he caught us.”
Crawford capped a twoplay, 43-yard drive with his 38-yard touchdown run at 3:44 in the second quarter. The Rams went up 14-0 after Krivda ran in for the twopoint conversion.
West made 14-7 at halftime as Riemenschneider connected with Higginbotham for a 15-yard touchdown with 44.6 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Higginbotham pulled the Bucks to within 14-13 by scoring on a six-yard run at 3:03 in the third. A missed extra point kept the Rams ahead by a point.
Class collected his second rushing touchdown on the firsW SODy RI WKH IRurWK, FrRssing the goal line on an eightyard run at 11:54.
Pennridge got the ball back when it forced the Bucks to go three-and-out, but the Rams turned the ball over on downs after coming up short on fourthand-1 at their own 33. Two plays later, Logan hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass at 6:53. Riemenschneider then found Higginbotham for the two-point conversion, tying the contest 2121.