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Injury doesn't stop Wenhold, Upper Perk against OJR
by Jake Hallman, Special to the Pottstown Mercury
Posted on September 15, 2007
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| NHSCA Sports Network photo/Mike Leister |
| Upper Perk running back Shawn Wenhold took his first handoff of the game 74 yards for a TD. It was Wenhold's first game back after an MCL injury. |
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| NHSCA Sports Network photo/Mike Leister |
| Dominic Marinello's 48-yard TD run in the third quarter helped spark a second-half rally for OJR. |
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RED HILL — Shawn Wenhold answered any and all questions about how his rehabilitating MCL would hold up in his first touch of the season. With his knee still in a brace and a noticeable limp in the Upper Perkiomen junior tailback's gait, Wenhold took his first handoff off left tackle for 74 yards to the end zone.
The score, the first of the night for the Indians, handed the Tribe a lead it wouldn't relinquish in a 28-19 victory over Owen J. Roberts in both teams' Pioneer Athletic Conference opener.
"I didn't think I was 100 percent ready to go," Wenhold said. "But coach had a long talk with me and I went as long as I could. I noticed I was out of shape, I didn't think I would make it to the end zone on the touchdown."
While Wenhold (five carries, 71 yards, TD) was finding his way back onto the field, two Upper Perk players found themselves at Lehigh Valley Hospital. First, it was senior wide receiver Justin Horning (three catches, 46 yards, TD), who left before the second half after laying out for a pass and landing hard on his stomach. Then midway through the third quarter it was senior defensive end Phil Ziegenfuse who injured his shoulder on a two-point conversion. He was taken by stretcher to a waiting ambulance.
"These kids have fought through adversity all season," said Upper Perkiomen head coach Keith Leamer. "And they went through more tonight and they found a way to get the job done."
Besides having to deal with the adversity of injuries, the Indians (2-1 overall) also had to deal with a young but determined OJR (1-2) squad.
Upper Perk staked itself out to a 21-7 lead at the half but the Wildcats came right back after the intermission with a three-minute, 80-yard drive that culminated in senior tailback Dominic Marinello's 48-yard touchdown run. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Marinello led all rushers with 19 carries for 139 yards.
OJR went right back to work on its next drive to make it a 21-19 game as junior quarterback Dan Miller (7-16, 181 yards, 2 TDs) hooked up with Jon Raymond for a 24-yard score. The touchdown was set up thanks to fullback Richard Zazo's 20-yard pass reception and two carries that spanned 20 yards.
But Upper Perk was able to grab the momentum back early in the fourth quarter as quarterback Tommy Paul sneaked his way in from three yards out on fourth-and-three to give the home team a nine-point lead with 10:42 left.
With OJR driving late in the game, the Indians' Justin Kresge intercepted a pass to give the ball back to the offense.
"Justin Kresge epitomizes the heart and soul of this team, what he did tonight," Leamer said. "He came to me tonight and said when Horning was down, ‘I can play corner.' He makes a big interception and says get Tommy (Paul) in there. He gave up his quarterback spot for the better of the team and that's so big about that young man, I can't say enough about the quality of the person he is."
Upper Perk's Ryan Connor led the Tribe on the ground with 10 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. On defense, senior linebacker Cody Fleming had one of his typical outings with 10 tackles, a sack and three tackles for a loss.
Brother Chase Fleming notched a sack and linebacker Michael Keller had two stops for a loss.
For Wildcat head coach Tom Barr, the game showed marked improvement for his young team.
"The second half we came out and started going after them and just didn't quit," Barr said. "We got the momentum and our kids just fed off of that. We improved in certain areas, we had trouble rushing the football and fumbling, and we didn't have those problems tonight.
"We just need to continue. We're a young team with a young offensive line and we're getting better, that's what we're looking for."
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