Souderton opener lives up to expectations
It was a different atmosphere at Souderton Area Friday night for the annual “309 Bowl.”
There were far fewer cars in the parking lot, only a limited number of fans allowed to attend. As a result, a small number of spectators dotted the stands.
It seemed quiet, especially for a rivalry game.
But football is football, and it was back at Souderton.
“How good is it to be back under the Friday night lights,” Big Red coach Ed Gallagher said after the season-opening win. “This should have been our sixth game. These kids have worked hard for the past 13 weeks, since we were allowed to resume workouts and practices.
“It’s been 13 weeks of hard work. It was time to get started.”
It was an overwhelming night for Souderton, as Big Red rallied back in the second half to upend its longtime rival. The pandemic delayed the start of the season and made things a bit different on Friday night, but the prevailing theme all evening long was that football was back.
“It felt great,” Big Red running back Brayden Porter said.
And it had been building for some time.
Participation — despite all the extra parameters — was at an all-time high at Souderton.
“Usually during the summer, we’ll show up to our offseason workouts and we’ll have 25 or 30 kids - kids are on vacation and they’re doing this or that,” Gallagher said. “This summer, when they said we’re allowed to come back, I was getting 70 or 75 kids out.
“It was unbelievable. We have a big freshman class and a very good freshman class, and they were dedicated. The future is bright.”
The Indians also have some experienced guys to help steady things.
“We have enough seniors and good senior leadership that we could make a run at this,” Gallagher said.
Evan Kutzler is under center for Big Red this year, and he delivered in the season opener, completing 11 of his 20 passes for 122 yards
and a pair of shovel passes for TD’s to Willie Goods.
In addition to showing his ability, Kutzler displayed his escapability when he evaded
a serious rush from Quakertown, slipped out of the pocket and was off running for a 35-yard gain, setting up Porter’s game--clinching TD.
“He made some really good plays in his first start as a varsity quarterback,” Gallagher said. “He’s played varsity football before but play
ing quarterback is an entirely different scenario.
“The guys came back and played a really good second half.”