Early lead points AP to victory - September 18, 1994

September 18, 1994 | Delaware County Daily Times (Primos - Upper Darby, PA)

Section: News

588 Words | Readability: Lexile: 1190, grade level(s): 10 11-12

Read News Document

Special to the Daily Times

POTTSTOWN -- Academy Park let another big lead vanish into the night as the Knights held for a 21-20 nonleague victory over Pottstown Friday night.

So what else is new?

The Knights (2-1) had a 20-0 lead on Marple Newtown a week earlier only to pull out a 26-20 victory over the Tigers. So when the Trojans (1-1) roared back from a 21-6 deficit, no one was surprised.

Actually, the game wasn't as close as the final score would indicate. AP not only squandered a 15-point lead, but also came up empty on two scoring opportunities in the fourth quarter.

Pottstown defensive back/running back Brandon Tinson picked off a Tom Flynn pass in the end zone and Flynn was stopped at the Trojan six-yard line on a key fourth down play late in the fourth quarter, so the margin of victory should have been a little wider.

But it was only one point, which was still enough to give the Knights a winning percentage of .667.

James Carmichael rushed 28 times for 123 yards and one touchdown and Flynn threw a pair of touchdown passes to lead Academy Park to its second straight win. Carmichael scored on an 11-yard run in the first quarter to offset a 23-yard TD run by Pottstown's Londun Ricketts.

Jeremy Klein pulled in a 36-yard scoring pass from Flynn and then booted the second of his three extra points to give the Knights a 14-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

That spread would stay the same until Flynn hit Chris Ferrari with an eight-yard scoring pass with 6:40 to play in the third quarter. Klein's PAT gave Academy Park a 21-6 advantage.

It would be enough, but just barely.

Pierre Faison returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a TD and after Ricketts ran for the two-point conversion, AP's lead had been cut to 21-14. Less than four minutes later, the Knights' advantage dropped to 21-20 when Ricketts scored from two yards out with 2:42 to play in the third quarter.

Pottstown lined up for what appeared to be the tying extra-point kick, but that was just a ploy. Tinson tried to run for the two-point conversion but got nowhere.

""Playing defense against a fast team like that can cause problems,'' Academy Park coach Sal Oropollo said. ""We should have done a better job, though after their first drive we made some adjustments.''

Those modifications prevented Pottstown from retaking the lead, and Oropollo elected to go for the end zone instead of the field goal when the Knights drove into Trojan territory twice in the fourth quarter.

""I thought we had to score,'' Oropollo said. ""I felt we had to go for six because a field would have made the score 24-20 and that wouldn't have helped us. I was worried more that they (the Trojans) would get on the field and score.'' Academy Park 21, Pottstown 20

Academy Park 14 0 7 0 -- 21> Pottstown 6 0 14 0 -- 20>

PH -- Ricketts 23 run (kick failed)

AP -- Carmichael 11 run (Klein kick)

AP -- Klein 36 pass from Flynn (Klein kick)

AP -- Ferrari 8 pass from Flynn (Klein kick)

PH -- Faison 75 kickoff return (Ricketts run)

PH -- Ricketts 2 run (run failed)

TEAM STATISTICS APPOT

First Downs155

Rushes-Yards48-21224-99

Passing Yards447

Passes2-4-14-8-1

Punts-Average3-26.34-30.0

Fumbles-Lost1-13-1

Penalties-Yards3-251-5

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Academy Park: Carmichael 28-123, Klein 7-42, Smart 7-38, Flynn 6-9. Pottstown: Tinson 12-74, Ricketts 8-25, Dalton 4-(-5).

PASSING -- Academy Park: Flynn 2-4-1, 44. Pottstown: Ricketts 4-8-1, 16.

RECEIVING -- Academy Park: Klein 1-36, Ferrari 1-8. Pottstown: Hargrove 1-9, Burr 1-4, Harling 1-3, Tinson 1-0.