Wenhold leads Upper Perk past Allen

by Jake Hallman, Special to The Pottstown Mercury

Posted on August 30, 2008

RED HILL – Apparently, you can't keep Shawn Wenhold down.

No, just when it looks like the Upper Perkiomen junior tailback is down by contact, injured or both, he finds a way to overcome it.

Take, for example, Friday night's 42-7 home opening victory against William Allen.

Wenhold, who rushed for 94 yards and a score, and added four receptions for 102 yards and another touchdown, didn't quite look full speed – but he didn't need it.

His first touchdown came with the Indians in front, 13-0, in the second quarter on a highlight-reel, 38-yard run. Wenhold was stuffed at first on the right side, reversed his field to the left sideline, broke a tackle and headed across the goal line untouched.

And the play before that, it looked like he wouldn't even finish the game after he took a hard shot to the head while protecting a tender knee he's been rehabbing since tearing ligaments last season. Wenhold took some extra time on the grass after the hit, then bounced back for the touchdown on the ensuing play.

"My knee is acting up, it's still cramping, but I have to work with that," Wenhold said. "Right now, it's about 85 percent. But as a team tonight, I don't think we played our best, it should have been 55-0. But we did what we had to do."

Wenhold padded the lead before half with a 56-yard screen pass that went the distance, coupled with a two-point conversion from Tommy Paul (9-for-18, 188 yards, 2 TDs) to Mike Keller to make it 28-0.

While Wenhold may have led the offense, he had plenty of help. Fullback Ryan Connor (10 carries, 87 yards, TD) scored the opening touchdown on the Indians' first touch on a 20-yard trap. Jordan Force (five receptions, 86 yards) set up the score thanks to a 34-yard offering from Paul. Paul got it done with his feet on the Tribe's next touch as he jogged into the end zone on a seven-yard keeper.

"We just have to keep our focus," Upper Perk head coach Keith Leamer said. "We did what we had to, we got the opening-night jitters out of the way. At times our execution was fantastic, at other times it wasn't on. We've gotten better everyday, and I expect if we stay healthy, we'll be better next week."

Upper Perk sent the mercy clock running late in the third quarter after Jordan Force laid out for a 15-yard touchdown pass from Paul. It was a bit of redemption for the senior wideout after he caught what looked to be a touchdown on the play before, but dropped the ball after realizing there was no coverage.

The Canaries answered in the fourth quarter on a one-yard scamper, a feat the Indians matched as Jeff Randall (six carries, 57 yards, TD) bulled his way in from the one with less than a minute left in regulation.

Randall's score was an effort Wenhold took special interest in as he watched a fellow senior running back march his team down the field.

"This is the tightest team I've played with, we're all close friends, and that helps on the football field." Wenhold said. "My goal is to score two touchdowns a game and be the leader. Whoever wants to step it up with me, they deserve to be on the field."

While the Indians' offense, which racked up 462 yards, grabbed the spotlight, its defense was just as dominant. Upper Perk allowed just 20 rushing yards, 160 overall, and forced three turnovers.

Junior Chase Fleming had a busy night at linebacker, racking up an interception and a pair of tackles for a loss. Andrew Orlick and Mike Keller both picked off passes as Jawad Majeed tallied a sack and Jordan Force recovered an onsides kick midway through the first quarter. And lineman Nick Hale, safety Britt Kerr and cornerback Kenny Golden always seemed to be around the ball.

The Indians, who now hold a 4-0 edge over the Canaries, will continue their non-league schedule next Friday night at Downingtown West. Allen, meanwhile, will look to rebound from a winless season in 2007, and a 1-20 mark over the past two years.

"We'll be back at work tomorrow morning watching film and getting ready for our next game," Leamer said. "And we'll practice over the holiday, too, to make sure we will be a better football team and ready for Downingtown West."

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