Whippets jump on Upper Perkiomen early, cruise to victory

by Don Seeley, Pottstown Mercury Sports Editor

Posted on September 6, 2008

DOWNINGTOWN — In just two weeks, Upper Perkiomen learned all about the highs and lows of an entire football season.

The Indians were an up-and-coming bunch after opening the season with a 41-7 rout of Allentown Allen.

But were they ever a down-and-out bunch after Friday night's 41-7 loss to Downingtown West.

Head coach Keith Leamer would sure like to find a happy medium.

"That was just an old-fashioned butt whuppin'," Leamer said after seeing the host Whippets take control from the outset and, for all intents and purposes, put the game out of reach after just one quarter.

"I don't know if the kids were relying on last week or what, but (Downingtown West) came out to play. What they did in the first quarter can demoralize a team, but that's what happens when you don't come to play. We kept fighting, but ..."

But the fight, if you will, was an early knockout.

The Whippets, who have made it a habit of playing well into November — in the District 1-AAAA playoffs, that is — went up 27-0 after the first quarter. They had a 34-0 lead at halftime, and after Jared Heller took a handoff 48 yards at the 8:11 mark of the third quarter to create a 41-0 cushion and invoke the running clock, head coach Mike Milano gave his starters the rest of the evening off.

"I don't know if it was the long bus ride down here, which the kids aren't accustomed to, or playing here or what," Leamer said. "But those are just some of the intangibles you have to deal with, learn about. You have to come to play and be capable of fighting through those kind of things."

Whatever ailed the Indians (1-1), it was evident from the outset.

Before the first quarter had ended, the Whippets had run 24 plays from scrimmage, piled up 203 yards, and got into the end zone four times — quarterback Brett Gillespie's eight-yard run, Heller's one-yard and 13-yard runs; and Gillespie's 34-yard toss to Will Kender. The Indians, on the other hand, managed to get just nine plays off for 10 yards in between that offensive storm.

Even though Milano's reserves played nearly three-quarters of the second half, the hosts still finished with 326 yards and allowed only 156.

Overshadowed in those eye-popping numbers was Downingtown West's defense, which put the clamps on Shawn Wenhold (13 carries, 31 yards) and Upper Perkiomen's run game. Even quarterback Tom Paul found little time to set up let alone findreceivers to throw to. Thanks in part to four sacks and eight hurries, he was pressured into a 6-for-26 night that included three interceptions. The 6-foot-5 senior didn't lose his poise, though, getting the Indians on the board with 3:38 remaining on an eight-yard toss to Ken Golden.

Despite the lopsided score, Upper Perkiomen did come up with a few big plays on defense, two of them being interceptions.

"We talked about consistency all week," Leamer said. "We still have to get that in our game."

NOTES

Ryan Connor carried five times for 31 yards and Jeff Randall took three handoffs for 29 yards in support of Wenhold, who set up the Indians' score with a sideline-to-sideline, 36-yard reception from Paul. ... The Whippets got a pair of interceptions from Michael Moore and another from Michael Goodrich. ... Heller, who scored four times against Owen J. Roberts last week and now has eight touchdowns, finished with 126 yards on 13 carries.

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