Pope John Paul II comes from behind to top Phoenixville, books return to PAC championship game

UPPER PROVIDENCE >> The Pope John Paul II football team hadn’t needed to come from behind at all this season prior to Saturday afternoon’s battle for the Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division championship against visiting Phoenixville.

But when the Golden Panthers fell behind the Phantoms by two touchdowns early in the game, they kept their composure, wiped out the deficit by scoring 23 straight points and went on to a 38-21 win. That gave PJP the Frontier Division title and a trip to the PAC championship game Friday night at Liberty Division champion Spring-Ford (7 p.m.).

Quarterback Luke Terlesky threw for 210 yards for Pope John Paul II (5-0 Frontier, 9-0 overall), including four completions to Braden Reed for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and Boyd Skarbek ran for 97 yards and two TD’s.

Deacon Williams rushed for 122 yards and Samuel Moore for 72 yards and two scores to lead the offense for the Phantoms (4-1, 7-2).

“It’s the first time all year we’ve played from behind,” said PJP coach Scott Reed. “I was proud of our kids and coaching staff. We just stuck with it, made adjustments and started moving the football a little bit.”

“We just had to find a way back,” said Braden Reed. “We had a few breaks go our way.”

According to Terlesky, the Panthers just kept playing the way they usually do when they are ahead on the scoreboard.

“Even if we’re up, we try to keep pushing,” he said. “We never stop going forward.”

Phoenixville scored on its first possession when Moore broke away from defenders and dashed 59 yards down the right sideline and into the end zone. The Phantoms scored again on their next possession, driving 63 yards, with Moore scoring from the one. Darius Watson (6 carries, 67 yards) provided a big chunk of that yardage with a 35-yard pickup.

That made it 14-0 with 10:08 remaining in the second quarter. But the Phantoms did not score again the rest of the half.

Pope John Paul got on the board with an 80-yard drive and recovered the ensuing kickoff at the Phoenixville 26. Penalties moved the Panthers back to the 43, but Terlesky hit Reed with a touchdown pass from there to tie the score midway through the second quarter.

The Phantoms began their next drive from their own 32, but penalties pushed them back to a 4th-and-32 play from the 10. The snap from center sailed over the punter’s head and through the end zone for a safety, giving PJP its first lead of the day at 16-14.

Then the Panthers returned the ensuing free kick to their 43 and scored nine plays later when Terlesky hit a wide-open Reed in the end zone from 21 yards out.

“I actually improvised the route,” said Reed. “Fortunately Luke, our quarterback, made a great read and saw the play. It was backyard football.”

“Braden just works so hard,” said Terlesky. “He’s always grinding, trying to get better. He’s one of the best receivers in the area.”

That scoring pass, which came on a 4th-and-9 play, boosted the PJP advantage to 23-14 with 39 seconds left in the half. But Phoenixville drove 80 yards to start the third quarter and pulled to within 23-21 on a 4th-and-goal pass from the five from Ty Romance to Kevin Kingsbury.

Then the Phantoms stopped the next Panther drive at the Phoenixville 13 on a fumble recovery by Shane Callen. But Phoenixville didn’t have the ball for long as Dylan Skarbek intercepted a pass and ran it back 37 yards for a touchdown and a 30-21 lead.

The Phantoms could not get anything going after that as they were forced to punt on their next two possessions and turned the ball over on downs the next time. That gave PJP the ball at the Phoenixville 23 and Boyd Skarbek carried it in from the seven a few plays later. An interception by Braden Reed with less than two minutes to go wrapped up the win.

Terlesky went 9-for-17, including four throws to Brent Mitala, good for 73 yards. The junior quarterback benefited from strong offensive line play that almost always gave him ample time to find his receivers.

“All year they’ve been great,” Terlesky said. “They’re the foundation of our team. When they go, we go.”

“Our line played great today, especially on pass protection,” said Braden Reed. “It gives you more time to set up your route.”

Phoenixville had a good day running the ball, gaining 228 yards on 40 carries, but hurt itself with 109 yards in penalties.

“That’s the thing,” said Scott Reed. “They run the ball really well. From the offensive line to their running backs to their receivers, they’re really good … really physical. There’s a reason they came in with one loss.”

Phoenixville will visit Perkiomen Valley in its crossover game on Friday and then head to the district playoffs.

The Golden Panthers competed their first goal in winning the division, Now they’ll prepare for a Spring-Ford team that is 8-1 and swept the Liberty Division, winning each time by at least three touchdowns.

“Yeah … here’s your prize,” Scott Reed said with a laugh. “They’re one of the best teams in District 1. We’ll try to go out there and see what we can do.”

“A great week of practice, getting in the film room,” said Terlesky. “We’ve got to lock in. It’s going to take a great effort.”

Pope John Paul II 38, Phoenixville 21

Phoenixville 7 7 7 0 – 21
Pope John Paul II 0 23 7 8 – 38

PX-Moore 59 run (Jacobson kick)
PX-Moore 1 run (Jacobson kick)
PJP-B Skarbek 1 run (Bosio kick)
PJP-Reed 43 pass from Terlesky (Bosio kick)
PJP-safety
PJP-Reed 21 pass from Terlesky (Bosio kick)
PX-Kingsbury 5 pass from Ty Romance (Jacobson kick)
PJP-D Skarbek 37 interception return (Bosio kick)
PJP-B Skarbek 7 run (Mitala pass from Terlesky)

Team Stats
PX PJP
First Downs 11 13
Yards Rushing 228 118
Yards Passing 18 210
Total Yards 246 328
Passes C-A-I 4-12-2 9-17-0
Fumbles 1-1 2-1
Penalties-Yds 12-109 7-72
Punts-Avg 2-15.5 2-51.5

Individual Stats
Rushing
Phoenixville: Williams 18-122; Moore 6-72, 2 TD’s; Watson 6-67; Lear 1-(-3); Team 1-(-10); Ty Romance 8-(-20), Totals 40-228, 2 TD’s

Pope John Paul II: B Skarbek 26-97, 2 TD’s; Reed 4-32; Mitala 1-3; Terlesky 6-(14), Totals 37-118, 2 TD’s

Passing
Phoenixville: Ty Romance 4-12-18, 1 TD, 2 INT’s

Pope John Paul II: Terkesky 9-17-210, 2 TD’s

Receiving
Phoenixville: H Tenbroeck 1-8; Moore 1-6; Kingsbury 1-5, 1 TD; Williams 1-(-1), Totals 4-18, 1 TD

Pope John Paul II; Reed 4-111, 2 TD’s; Mitala 4-73; B Skarbek 1-26, Totals 9-210, 2 TD’s

Interceptions: Pope John Paul II-D Skarbek, Reed

Sacks: Phoenixville-Callen 2, Howard. Pope John Paul II-B Skarbek, Boccella