Our teams have covered 145 teams in the Delaware Valley and we’ve seen kickoffs returned for touchdowns, game-changing fumbles and O-Linemen hauling one in for a score. In week 8, our Game of the Week, voted on by our social media followers, was decided by a margin of just two votes. The voters took us to Montgomery County, where Pope John Paul II’s Golden Panthers hosted the Perkiomen Valley Vikings.
Going into the match, both teams sat at the top of their respective conferences, each with just one loss, and each on a winning streak of at least six games.
The match started tight, with neither team backing away. Pope John Paul II had a narrow lead of 14-12 going into halftime.
Determined to make a statement, the Vikings came out swinging in the second half. Quarterback Patrick MacDonald hit his receiver Joey Keough on a post route for a 65-yard touchdown, giving the Vikings a 19-14 lead early in the third quarter.
But the Golden Panthers answered moments later when Brandon DeAngelo returned the kickoff for a touchdown, dodging would-be tacklers to put Pope John Paul II back on top 21-19.
When the Vikings regained possession, they flowed down the field with a strong ground game, driven by running back Anthony Rodriguez.
However, as Perkiomen Valley approached the red zone, MacDonald fumbled during a scramble, and cornerback Dylan Skarbek recovered for the Golden Panthers.
Pope John Paul II would then go on to capitalize on the turnover as quarterback Luke Terlesky found his playmaker DeAngelo over the middle. DeAngelo again eluded defenders and outrun everyone into the end zone, extending the Panthers’ lead to 28-19.
The Vikings struggled to keep up the momentum in the fourth quarter and were forced to punt deep in their own territory. After an accident on the return, the Vikings regained possession and took the opportunity to strike.
MacDonald rolled to his right and threw a pass toward the end zone, but it was intercepted by Skarbek, sealing the victory for Pope John Paul II.
The Golden Panthers snap the Vikings’ seven-game winning streak in a 28-19 win.
