Defense regains form, while running game thrives in the rain
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Unionville’s Brandon Boon races into the open against Avon Grove Saturday. Boon rushed for 159 yards and scored 3 TD as the Indians won, 36-0. Jim Gill photo.
WEST GROVE — A little before kickoff of Saturday’s Avon Grove-Unionville football game, the skies opened up and a steady and often drenching rain fell that lasted through most of the game.
And while he might not have been showing it outwardly, Indians’ head coach Pat Clark probably felt a bit like grinning. The poor conditions meant a game of old school ground pounding — Clark’s favored style of play — and a win over the Red Devils that was a bit harder than the final 36-0 score indicated.
“For us, I like it rainy and cold,” Clark said, afterward. “We practiced with a wet ball, so it doesn’t bother us. And we have the ability to get under center (not use a shotgun formation, with the quarterback a number of yards behind the center), which is a dying art, I think, in some programs. We were prepared, we knew the weather was coming and it wasn’t a factor for our kids.”
Unionville’s Alex Pechin gets off a pass in a downpour — the rain made passing difficult, but the senior QB managed to throw for two TD in the game. Jim Gill photo.
Junior Brandon Boon had a breakout game for the Indians, rushing for a 159 yards and two touchdowns, while catching another. Senior Austin Hofmann-Reardon added 87 yards and a TD, as Unionville pounded away for some 280 yards on the ground.
“Brandon is a such a great runner,” Clark said. “He’s so elusive.”
And while the offense managed a second-straight outing of 30-plus points, the defense reverted to its week-one form after a tough week last week against Exeter and managed to keep Avon Grove off the scoreboard. After last week’s tough loss, Clark tweaked both the lineup and the scheme to better use the talents of his young defense.
“We made some adjustments,” Clark said. “We’re a little banged up, and so skill-wise, we shifted some guys around.”
Unionville’s Nate Christopher runs back an interception as Trevor Gardiner looks to make a block. Unionville’s defense rebounded for a strong performance Saturday. Jim Gill photo.
That appeared to pay immediate dividends as junior Nate Christopher had an interception and broke up another pass play the looked to be a scoring pass, while Drew Stradling stepped up with a strong performance in the defensive backfield.
“I thought Nate and Drew Stradling was outstanding, too,” Clark said. “I thought our guys upfront did the job of stopping the run game.”
Although Unionville ultimately dominated the second half, the plucky Avon Grove squad — under first-year coach Harry O’Neill, a long-time Unionville assistant — hung tough with Unionville, trailing just 7-0 at the half. The Indians grabbed a 7-0 lead on its first drive of the game, scoring on a 12-yard run by Boon. After that, O’Neill’s young defense held firm, including an impressive goal-line stand until halftime.
The second half was a different story, though, as Unionville’s explosive offense refused to be contained. A 75-yard drive, capped by an Alex Pechin TD pass to Hofmann-Reardon that opened the score to 14-0.
After the Indians’ defense forced a three-and-out, again, they mounted another long, clock-eating drive — 57 yards this time — largely on the backs of Boon and Hofmann-Reardon, who found more running room in the second half. Boon capped the drive with a five-yard run, as Unionville opened up a 21-0 lead.
The Indians added scores on a 29-yard pass from Pechin to Elan Nash and a capped the scoring on Boon’s 41-yard run in the final quarter.
well done Unionville football! pr
oud of the team and coaches