Pottstown hangs tough with Methacton in loss
POTTSTOWN, Pa. — The game between Methacton and Pottstown lacked much hype heading into the game. Both teams were heading in opposite directions with Methacton playing their typical brand of football and Pottstown in a rebuilding phase.
The game’s outcome was vastly different from what most people would have predicted heading into this matchup. Methacton was near the top of the conference, and Pottstown was at the bottom. A one-score game isn’t something that people could have predicted, given the results of each team’s performances to that point.
Methacton, who happens to have an offense that’s capable of putting up a good deal of points,
returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown to open the game. Methacton wanted to start
the game off fast, and this is exactly how they started the game. Returning the opening kickoff
is excellent for that team, but it is demoralizing for the opposing team.
Besides the opening kickoff from Methacton, both teams couldn’t get much going in terms of
scoring as that was the only score of the half for either team. Pottstown responded nicely from
their previous losses and came out with a strong mindset to keep Methacton off the board, and
they were able to do that effectively. Methacton also committed a handful of penalties that
aided Pottstown in their quest for win No. 1.
The second half started slowly just like the first half. Both teams were having trouble moving
the ball down the field to score. It wasn’t until late in the third quarter that Methacton was
able to move the ball into the red zone.
Methacton senior quarterback, Dan Brandi, was able to punch the ball into the end zone on a quarterback sneak to go up 14-0. Pottstown had done a solid job on defense until that point in the game restraining them from scoring any points.
In the fourth quarter, Pottstown knew they needed to elevate their play, or they’d lose for the
fourth game in a row to start the season. A renewed sense of urgency was felt in the fourth
quarter as Gabe Hicks, Pottstown’s starting quarterback, engineered a methodical drive to put
Pottstown on the board with a touchdown pass.
With Methacton’s offense stalling in fourth, Pottstown looked to tie this game up at 14-14. Another excellent drive by Pottstown put them in the red zone. Unfortunately, disaster struck for Pottstown as a misdirection play results in a lost fumble for the Spartans offense.
The late turnover proved to be too much for Pottstown to overcome as Methacton ended up
holding on for the 14-7 victory over Pottstown. This game wasn’t a high-scoring affair by any
means, but it did come down to the wire with overtime just being a few yards away. Both
teams were resilient and played a tough brand of football.
Methacton’s Brandi had himself and an uncharacteristically bad game with two interceptions
thrown. While continuing to put up yardage, the turnovers are something he’ll need to clean
up before the strength of schedule increases later in the season.
The closest game of the year for the Spartans, Pottstown showed a great deal of resiliency in
this one as they were within one score of a tie or winning this game. Pottstown hasn’t played
great football this season, but maybe this is the kind of performance a young team like this
needs to build momentum for the rest of the season. Pottstown is still in pursuit of a victory,
but one looks to be on the horizon for this hungry squad from Pottstown.
While this was a game between two teams on different sides of the standings, it turned out to
be a nail-biter in the fourth. Methacton didn’t play their best game while Pottstown looked to
play spoiler at home versus their in-conference foe Methacton. Both teams have issues they
will look to correct before their next games on Friday as they both look for continued
improvement of offense and defense.
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