In last year’s season opener at Pennridge, Liberty’s Gabe Green returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, propelling the Hurricanes to a 40-14 lopsided victory.
The Rams remembered that night so well that they booted the opening kickoff as far away from Green as possible – out of bounds on the opposite sideline. Liberty coach Shawn Daignault forced them to do it again, but this time Adriaan Deleon fumbled and set the visitors up in terrific field position.
That set the tone for a blistering 14-0 start for coach Kyle Beller’s team, and while Liberty fought back to level the score, the Rams pulled away for a 31-21 victory in Friday’s season-opening contest.
Ryan Rowe was the star of the show by rushing for 101 yards and two touchdowns while adding a 52-yard gain through the air as well.
The Rams dominated on the ground with William Dougherty, Trevor Picciotti, Noah Keating and others contributing to a 290-yard performance in the running game.
Liberty struggled to secure the football, but the biggest hiccup came on a 13-yard reception by William Reese, who was just three yards away from paydirt before coughing up the ball. Pennridge’s Sean Leuthe recovered the fumble in the end zone before the Rams carried the ball 11 times for 80 yards and a touchdown to all but finish off the win.
A small consolation for the Hurricanes was an unbelievable performance by junior wide receiver Zyaire Davis who hauled in a 58-yard touchdown as part of an eight-reception, 166-yard night with a pair of touchdowns.
In the 1,000th game in program history, Pennridge celebrated a victory that the Rams are hoping will lead to the school’s first winning season under Beller, Dieruff’s head coach for seven years previously, and the first since 2021.
Derek Bast is a freelance writer who can be found on Twitter/X at @derek_bast. He can be reached by email at derekbast11@gmail.com.
PENNRIDGE 31, LIBERTY 21
Pennridge: 14; 3; 7; 7 — 31Liberty: 7; 7; 0; 7 — 21 First quarter P: Ryan Rowe 7 run (Luis Nunes kick); 10:26P: Trevor Picciotti 4 run (Nunes kick); 8:38L: Zyaire Davis 15 pass from Antonio Fontanez (Christian Hackett kick); 2:46Second quarter L: Adriaan Deleon 3 run (Hackett kick); 11:44P: Nunes 31 kick; 5:38Third quarter P: Rowe 14 run (Nunes kick); 4:03Fourth quarter P: Noah Keating 1 run (Nunes kick); 4:22L: Davis 58 pass from Fontanez (Hackett kick); 3:18
Source: Berkshire mont
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