Germantown Academy battles past Peddie

It was an ugly first half at Germantown Academy. Between the Patriots and the visiting Peddie School Falcons, who made the hourplus long ride down for the afternoon game, there were six turnovers and seven penalties in the opening two quarters alone.

But it was the Patriots who were able to capitalize on the mistakes in a bigger way. And at the end of the day, while the mistakes need to be addressed, GA knows that its record is nothing to be unhappy with.

rnder Matt Dence, the new head coach of the Patriots, GA improved to 2-0 following a 21-7 win over Peddie School (Hightstown, NJ) in a non-league meeting at Germantown Academy on Saturday afternoon.

The Patriots (2-0, 0-0) forced four fumbles and saw senior Rob Gorman score an offensive and defensive touchdown en route to the win.

“I’m so happy for these guys,” Dence said. “It’s just such a different atmosphere. To start out the way we did shows that this is a total team effort. These guys play for each other and it just feels so good. I can’t put into words how much I appreciate them for what they’re doing.”

Peddie (0-2, 0-0) actually went up first, capitalizing on one of GA’s three first half turnovers.

Late in the first quarter, GA quarterback Hayes Nolte had a pass intercepted at the line of scrimmage and returned 23 yards for a touchdown. But the Patriots fought back, scoring twice in the second quarter, including a defensive touchdown of their own.

At the 5:58 mark of the second, senior Joe Taylor, who was on the sidelines dealing with cramping in his leg for nearly the entire game, caught a 29yard pass from Nolte to give GA its first score of the game. And with only one minute, nine seconds to play in the half, when it appeared that GA would go into the locker room down by one, the Patriots forced a fumble and Gorman returned it 33 yards for a score.

GA, after being moved back 15 yards, then completed a 20-yard pass from Nolte to senior Lou Stevens for a two-point conversion and a 14-7 lead at the half.

“The coach has been preaching to us all week to work hard every day and take it one win at a time,” Gorman said. “Being 2-0 is a great step and we’re trying to go out and make it 3-0 next week. It’s a great win.”

Gorman, who finished with nine carries for 37 yards and a score, was a force on both sides of the ball. Besides his two scores, he also caught one pass for 11 yards and helped to completely shut down the Falcons’ passing attack.

“Rob doesn’t even want to come off the field, ever,” Dence said. “I thought we lost him for the game in the first quarter when he got injured, and it would’ve been a totally different game without him. He’s what makes this team go. To have him gut it out, I’m just real proud of him.”

Early in the fourth quarter, Gorman helped GA to cap off a six-play, 80-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run. Just one play earlier, Nolte found junior Kyle Donahue for a 45-yard pass to set up first-and-goal.

On the day, Nolte finished with 182 yards and one touchdown passing while completing 11 of 20 passes. He threw two interceptions in the first half, but calmed down and didn’t turn the ball over in the final two quarters. Besides Gorman’s performance, 5-foot-4 junior running back Myles Anthony led the ground attack with 48 yards on 13 carries.

Donahue caught three passes for 65 yards, while Taylor, who barely played in the second half, caught three passes for 70 yards and a touchdown.

GA will look to improve to 3-0 next Saturday when it hosts Blair Academy.

“In our first game, we didn’t have any turnovers and hardly any penalties, but that’s something we need to work on,” Dence said. “It was hot today and I think they lost a little focus and went down, but I told them stay locked in and now we just have to practice at a higher tempo. They have a lot to cut down, but I’m just so proud of these guys right now.”