By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

No matter the sport, anyone who coaches a group of high school teenagers is relegated to absorbing the Big Picture take aways of each game as it is played – a “warts and all” grand overview of the good, the bad and the ugly.

For Kennett High School Varsity head football coach Lance Frazier, there was a lot to take away that could easily fall under the classifications of good, bad and ugly in the Blue Demons’ 9-0 loss to visiting Phoenixville at Kennett Stadium on Sept. 13.

On the plus side, Kennett’s defense held the high-scoring Phantoms to under ten points, given that Phoenixville has already stormed to a 41-6 win over Reading and a 48-14 victory over Henderson in their early season. On the negative side of the ledger, however, the Blue Demons were racked with nine penalties that totaled 65 yards, many of which snuffed out potential rallies in all four quarters in their loss to undefeated (3-0) Phoenixville. 

“It’s about discipline, it’s about being focused and not letting our fatigue get the best of us,” Frazier said of his team’s penalties. “We have to get out of our heads, because a lot of these penalties begin pre-snap, and we’re shooting ourselves in the foot.”  

Sophomore Blue Demon quarterback Garrett McCracken came out firing, connecting on a 33-yard pass to Conner Schumaker on the first play from scrimmage that moved the ball to midfield, but despite another pass to Schumaker that got Kennett into Phoenixville territory, running back Aiden Ritch was stopped on a fourth-and-one conversion attempt.

On Kennett’s second series of downs, a facemask penalty on the Phantoms tacked 15 yards onto a drive that had begun with a Ritch carry and a pitch to Eli Frazier that moved the possession toward midfield. With 7:35 left in the first quarter, however, McCracken’s pass was picked off by Myles Tenbroeck, who ran 46 yards for the only touchdown of the game, one that gave Phoenixville a 6-0 lead after the point-after attempt was blocked.

While the Blue Demons could not touch the scoreboard, their defensive attack against Phoenixville quarterback Talon Romance – led by Andrew Sharpeta, Sam Oscar and Hunter Taylor -- kept the Phantom offense in check. On third and 25 in the second quarter, Romance was sacked by Taylor and with 45 seconds remaining in the quarter, Taylor helped kill another rally by picking off a Romance pass and running it back to Phoenixville 40-yard line. On their next possession, however, Kennett was assessed two penalties, and a McCracken pass was intercepted by Henry Roberts with 32 seconds left in the first half. Looking to add to its lead, Phoenixville inherited the ball on the Kennett 39-yard line, but on Romance’s first pass, he was picked off by Gaven Ritch with 21 seconds left in the half. McCracken then found Joalex Carabajal over the middle that moved the ball to the 18-yard line, but with seconds remaining, a field goal attempt by Shay Barker deflected off the left goal post.

While Phantoms were flagged 10 times in the game for 83 yards in penalties, the rushing of Deacon Williams served as the principal source of Phoenixville’s offense. Midway through the third quarter and inheriting the ball on their own 30-yard line, Williams took the snap from Romance and scampered 52 yards to Kennett’s 25-yard line that three plays later set up a 35-yard field goal by kicker Ryan Jacobson with 5:29 left in the third quarter that gave Phoenixville a 9-0 lead that rounded out their scoring effort.

Now 1-2 overall in the early season, Kennett will host Bayard Rustin on Sept. 20 at Kennett Stadium starting at 7 p.m. The Golden Knights will come into the game with a perfect 4-0 record that included a 56-7 victory over 3-1 Norristown on Sept. 13.

“It’s less about who we are playing and more about what we need to do in order to just get better as a team,” Frazier said. “Rustin will be Rustin, but we have enough of our own issues, and before we line up against Rustin, we have to line up against each other and figure ourselves out.”

Phoenixville will travel to Pope John Paul for a Sept. 21 game. 

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].