Tennent runs over Pennridge

WARMINSTER >> With time winding down in the fourth quarter and William Tennent trailing Pennridge, 22-21, the team faced a third and goal from the twoyard line.

The entire stadium knew who was getting the ball for the Panthers with the game on the line, it was just a matter of whether or not Pennridge could stop it.

Unfortunately for the Rams, William Tennent leading rusher Thomas Santiago took the inside handoff, his 28th of the night, and broke through a couple would-be tacklers on his way to the endzone, giving the Panthers a 2922 win over Pennridge on Senior Night.

“This win means a lot,” William Tennent quarterback Matthew Miller said. “We’ve come a long way as a program and this win is part of that. It feels like we’ve really turned things around here.”

Santiago finished with 163 yards on those 28 carries, including two touchdowns. His first score of the night got things going for the Panthers’ offense, finding the end zone from 62 yards out to give his team an early 7-0 advantage.

“It was just the little things. Mental lapses, guys over playing things, and it hurt us,” Pennridge head coach Cody

Muller said. “But that takes nothing away from Santiago, that kid runs tougher than anyone we’ve seen. He’s a great running back.”

It wasn’t just Santiago that was controlling things on the ground for William Tennent (3-5). The Panthers finished with 277 yards rushing, including 88 yards and a touchdown from Miller.

“It’s fun seeing everyone on the team run the ball well,” Miller said. “The line really opens up big holes for us and it’s just up to us to hit them and run hard.”

The Pennridge (1-7) ground attack was led by a twoheaded monster of its own in the duo of Taj Utsey and Brayden Landherr.

Landherr finished with 73 yards, all of which came in the

first half, and a 35-yard score that tied the game in the first quarter.

Utsey led the team with 94 yards rushing but didn’t find the end zone.

Neither team got much of a passing game going, but perhaps the biggest play of the game came through the air.

With time winding down in the first half and the score tied at 14, Miller dropped back and hit wide receiver Nick Dejesus on a backwards pass to his right. Dejesus looked up, saw receiver Derrick Consenza running open down the field and let go of a perfect pass that found the junior for a 76-yard touchdown pass to give his team the lead at the break.

“I got the pass and saw Derrick

running,” Dejesus said. “I tossed it up and took a good hit so I didn’t even see the play, but when I got up I saw him running to the end zone and just started running toward him to try and celebrate.”

After a scoreless third, Pennridge took a 22-21 lead after Jack Garner intercepted Miller to set up a quarterback sneak by Pennridge junior Bobby Croyle. The Rams lined up to kick the extra point and tie the game at 21, but an offsides penalty by the Panthers convinced Muller to go for it and take the one-point lead on another Croyle sneak.

At 1-7, the Rams will finish under .500 for the second year in a row. Last year’s losing season was the first since 2007 for the program.