Perk Valley surprises Upper Perk

by Jake Hallman, Special to The Pottstown Mercury

Posted on November 4, 2006

RED HILL -- This week was anything but ideal for Perkiomen Valley head coach Scott Reed to prepare for a football game.

On Monday, the Vikings were forced to travel to St. Pius to take on the Winged Lions in a game postponed because of rain. Four days later, Perk Valley was on the road again -- and this time set to face the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s lone unbeaten team in Upper Perkiomen.

While the task may be a daunting one for most .500 teams, it didn’t seem to bother Reed and his squad at all.

With nothing to lose and everything to gain, the Vikings (5-4, 5-5 overall) held on through four lead changes to outlast the Tribe, 32-29. The upset denied the Indians (6-2, 7-2) a chance to clinch at least a share of the PAC-10 title, which will now all come down to a Thanksgiving morning meeting between Upper Perk and Boyertown.

And while Reed understands the upset didn’t mean a trip to districts or a chance to play for a title, the third-year coach said it sure makes a big statement heading into next season.

"Not many teams get a shot to play an undefeated team this late in the season, and you know that’s something special when you can knock someone off," a soaking wet Reed said after a water bath from his squad. "To know you played the best in the league and beat the best in the league is very exciting, so I hope we can use that momentum in the next year."

The Vikings not only held a slim 296-293 total yard advantage offensively, but also came up with the clutch plays down the stretch.

One of the main culprits behind that success was senior Preston Faulkner. The senior running back-defensive back hauled in three passing touchdowns from quarterback Zach Zulli (10-31, 121 yards, 3 TDs) and was the go-to receiver in third-and-long situations.

"You can’t ask for anything else, all year we played hard and have been in the close games," Faulkner said. "The atmosphere was weird tonight after playing Monday, but we knew we had a chance to go after an undefeated team.

"We prepared the best we could, coach did an excellent job of doing that, and our team knew exactly what was at stake, especially the seniors."

Besides Faulkner, the Vikings were also bolstered offensively by Zulli’s 47 yards rushing and two scores, and a yeoman-like effort from running back Derrick Jones (15 carries, 94 yards).

And Perk Valley’s defense, which bent but surely didn’t break, collectively came up with a stuff of Indian quarterback Sean Nevin on fourth-and-goal from the six with under two minutes to play to all but seal the deal.

PV’s hit squad was led by Tyrone Jones (two sacks, pass break-up), Chris Pires (five tackles, sack) and fumble recoveries from Mitch Johnson and Matt Basile.

"We knew tonight was a huge game and we wanted to come out and show our best," Reed said. "Upper Perk is a very good football team, and I have a lot of respect for them. We just made the big plays and had to make the big plays."

PV found itself behind 6-0 as Shawn Wenhold scored on a 56-yard touchdown up the gut. The Vikings answered on their next touch as Zulli hit Faulkner in stride on a fly pattern right down the middle of the field for a 42-yard score to make it 7-6.

Upper Perk went ahead as Kellen Jarrett (8 catches, 57 yards, TD) took a pass and then threw the ball to a wide-open Dane Kress for a 22-yard scoring play.

Faulkner tied things up late in the half on a two-yard pass play before the Indians went into the break with a seven-point lead thanks to Jarrett’s eight-yard reception from Nevin (12 of 23, 126 yards).

In the second half, Faulkner scored from six yards out and then gave his team some good field position to work with after a 32-yard punt return that set up Zulli for a 32-yard quarterback-keeper.

Not to be outdone, Upper Perk went ahead 27-26 as Wenhold took the ensuing kickoff 86 yards. Zulli kept it on the ground for the Vikings’ deciding score from 13 yards out with 6:42 left in regulation and then relied on the defense to chalk up the victory.

"Kids are kids, they’ll come out and play football whenever," Reed said. "We always say it doesn’t matter what the day is, our kids will just come out and play football."

NOTES

Nevin led the Indians’ ground game with 67 yards on 16 carries, as Wenhold racked up 60 yards. ..Jarrett broke Upper Perk’s single-season receiving record against the Vikings, an honor previously held by Jason Stauffer. ..Upper Perk head coach Keith Leamer was not available for comment after the game as medical personnel drove him off the field on a golf cart.

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