Fleming TD lifts Tribe in overtime

by Jeff Stover, Pottstown Mercury

Posted on November 1, 2008

GRATERFORD — It was your textbook end sweep ... not particularly fancy in scope or execution.

But the last one he ran Friday proved memorable to Chase Fleming and, quite understandably, the Upper Perkiomen football team. The eight-yard play produced the deciding touchdown for the Indians in a 27-21 victory over Perkiomen Valley - a Pioneer Athletic Conference contest that went four regulation quarters and two overtime periods before a winner was determined.

"It's definitely up at the top," Fleming said of his second touchdown run on the night.

Coming in a second-and-eight situation, the junior fullback took the handoff from quarterback Casey Perlstein, followed the blocks of his line, and scampered into the end zone ... then weathered a joyous celebratory pileup by his teammates, who had twice stopped the Vikings' vaunted passing game on their previous OT possessions.

"(Steven) Grover and (Curtis) Zimpfer stepped up big," Fleming said of the UP guard-tackle tandem that cleared space for his decisive run. "It was a big effort by the whole team."

Fleming was key to the Indians (4-4, 5-5 overall) sending the game into overtime, a previous six-yard end sweep forcing a 21-21 tie with 6:03 left. PV (3-5, 3-7) drove the ball into UP territory on two subsequent possessions, only to see both runs shattered by free safety Tom Paul picking off quarterback Zach Zulli.

"We worked a 3-6 (defense), with two deep over the top," UP head coach Keith Leamer said of his team's plan against the Viking air game, which saw Zulli complete 18-of-27 passes for a whopping 270 yards. But Zulli was also picked off five times ... three of them by Paul, whose other swipe in the first OT kept the Vikes from snaring the win after the Tribe's Matt Kirkpatrick just missed converting a 30-yard field goal try.

"Tom Paul is a very smart player," Leamer noted. "He gave up the quarterback position because he saw Casey was moving the team more. He went over to defense, and tonight he came up with some big picks."

Upper Perk needed just three plays from the opening kickoff to get on the scoreboard, Shawn Wenhold (103 yards on six carries) scoring on a 62-yard sprint through his right tackle. PV took control from there, Zulli hooking up with Jeff Vogl (four catches, 120 yards) on a 35-yard TD pass and Rhashad Santiago taking a pitch 16 yards around his right end with 4:08 remaining in the first half.

The Indians responded with a tying TD drive that featured Perlsteinrunning twice and hitting Wenhold with an eight-yard pass before scoring off right tackle with 1:08 to go. A scoreless third quarter preceded a final frame that saw Zulli hit Vogl on a 40-yard touchdown toss at the 9:45 mark, followed by the second TD run by Fleming (nine carries, 49 yards).

"It was a great team effort," Leamer noted. "The players, staff, trainers ... everybody had a great game. The defense played extremely well.

"We had quite a few penalties (seven for 95 yards), but the kids were able to play through it."

PV's strategy in the overtime session was to ride Zulli as much as it could. But the senior signal-caller found himself bottled up by the Indian defense, going minus-eight on three running plays in addition to the interceptions - the second by Tyler Moser in the second overtime.

"We were trying to set it up," PV head coach Scott Reed said, "but they were putting a lot of inside pressure. We tried to throw, but they made a good play on Zach.

"We knew it was going to be competitive. It was a game that could come down to the end."

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