Broderick leads Bears on rise

AMBLER >> Stephen Broderick and Jalen McLean had something in common on Friday night.

Broderick, the Upper Moreland senior, and McLean, the Wissahickon junior, may be at different points in their respective careers with their teams at different points of contention but the two were undeniably the center of attention for their squads as they faced off. The do-everything Broderick is hoping to end his career right and carry the Golden Bears on a playoff run while the emerging McLean is hoping to be the part of something new with the rebuilding Trojans.

Friday, Broderick's four touchdowns were too much for McLean's efforts to overcome as Upper Moreland downed Wissahickon 42-14 in a game that was within a score late in the third quarter.

“At one point in the game (McLean) started really eating us up on one drive and I told my guys ‘we really have to get up,'” Broderick said. “When guys start coming at us like that, I start getting heated and I want to stop them and return the favor.”

Broderick rolled up nearly 300 all-purpose yards for the Bears, running 17 times for 174 yards and a trio of scores, turning his one reception into a 30-yard touchdown and accumulating 89 kick return yards with 71 coming on one of the game's biggest plays. He had three consecutive rushing touchdowns after McLean and Wissahickon cut the lead to 21-14 with 4:10 to play in the third, effective closing the game out while rarely taking a snap off playing defensive back on defense.

McLean didn't get a touch on Wissahickon's first drive but he was superb after, rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries and adding 56 yards on eight catches including a jump-ball TD. Like Broderick, he also rarely left the field playing as a linebacker on defense.

The junior came to Wissahickon last year after spending his freshman year at Cheltenham,

“I have to trust my guys and when I see a hole, hit and hit it hard,” McLean said. “What I do when I run, I take the ball, see the hole and hit it then anything open, that's where I'm running to. I'm really going to give it to my guys, they really blocked great on the line and opened things up for me to find and hit it.”

Playing football at Upper Moreland wasn't much of a choice for Broderick, not after his older brothers Brett and Anthony were standout players for the Golden Bears. Stephen, the youngest of six, has already decided he isn't going to play at the next level so he's very cognizant his time playing is only guaranteed for three more weeks.

Predominantly a wide receiver last year, Broderick has assumed