Grin and Bear it

Bears survive tough test from Trojans

Along with the bumps and bruises, Upper Moreland is wearing a 4-0 record.

“It’s been crazy. It hasn’t been easy, but we always seem to get it done, that’s for sure,” said wide receiver Ryan Olexa, who racked up 117 yards on his four receptions Friday night against rival Wissahickon.

“We’re not the prettiest 4-0. We’re a very talented football team but we shoot ourselves in the foot a lot,” Golden Bears coach C.J. Szydlik said. “We work on it every day, but sometimes we get a little out of sync. And when we’re out of sync, we’re a mess. But when we’re flowing, like we were at the end of the first half, we’re a tough team.”

Upper Moreland survived a tremendous effort by the Trojans, winning a back-and-forth contest that saw the lead change hands five times to claw their way to a 35-31 victory in the Suburban One League American Conference opener for both teams.

“Our depth came back to shine for us,” Szydlik said. “We have enough kids that can make plays. You’re on your fifth wide receiver who catches the game-winning touchdown and your fourthstring running back who’s barrelling down the sideline at the end. We have kids. We just gotta keep plugging away.”

Upper Moreland went ahead for good with 5 minutes, 22 seconds left to play, when Paul Meyers made a juggling catch of a 20-yard pass from quarterback Byron Hopkins. The touchdown made it 35-31, and after a key stop by the defense, the Golden Bears muscled down the clock with a pair of tough runs by Hassan Johnson.

“Our star running back goes down, our backup running back got a little cramped up, and our big boys in the trenches made it happen,” Olexa said.

Without Cameryn Jackson (14 carries/73 yards, TD) and Cole Tucker (6/34), Upper Moreland still got it done in the fourth quarter. Runs of 24, 23 and nine yards by Johnson drained the clock and locked down the victory.

“Two-way team,” Olexa said of the balance between run and pass. “We’ll be scary in the future.”

It is hoped that Jackson and Tucker will return to action soon. Both played pivotal roles in a hectic first half.

Wissahickon used a methodical, 16-play drive to take a 7-0 lead.

A drive made possible in part by the running of Kyle Lehman and the passing of Aidan Defeo came to a close when Lehman burst into the end zone from five yards out.