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Philadelphia Panthers vs |
8 |
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Central Penn Piranha |
31 |
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Game Played 8/15/2009 2:00PM
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Piranha Win Defensive Battle in Philly
On a sweltering Saturday afternoon in the City of "Brotherly Love," two powerhouse teams from the East Coast staged a battle on the gridiron. It was the Central Penn Piranha (6-0 NAFL) taking on the Philadelphia Panthers (4-2, LCFL). Neither offense could get into rhythm, thanks to outstanding performances by both defensive units. The Piranha were able to grind out a 31-8 victory.
As has been the case in most games this season, the Piranha scored the very first time they touched the football. Following a three-and-out to start the game, the Panthers were forced to punt. Cornerback Hassan Brockman fielded the kick at the 32-yard line of Philadelphia and was off to the races. After reversing direction and picking-up some blocks, Brockman ran down the sideline to the end zone. The Piranha held an early lead at 7-0.
The rest of the opening quarter was a stalemate, as both defenses dictated the tempo of the game. The Piranha added 10 points in the second quarter. First it was a 31-yard field goal by Andar Rehm. With 57 seconds left before halftime, quarterback Mark Jarmon connected with wide receiver Darren Echols on a 20-yard touchdown strike. The 17-0 halftime lead had a good chance of holding up for the Piranha, considering that the Panthers had zero first downs in the rushing & passing categories.
Central Penn put the game away for good early in the third quarter (12:37) when cornerback Mike Baldwin intercepted a pass and returned it 43 yards for another score.
Trailing 24-0, the 2008 LCFL National Champs weren't about to let the visiting Piranha shut them out on their home field. Facing a fourth and 1 situation, running back Sean Mayers ran toward the left sideline, broke one tackle, and raced 41 yards untouched for a Panther touchdown. Khalif Robinson hooked-up with Rashad Mins on a 2-point pass play after the touchdown, to make it 24-8.
Running back Roosevelt Turner capped a 59-yard scoring drive early in the final quarter (13:44) with an 8-yard touchdown run, making the final score 31-8 in favor of the Piranha. It was truly a great game by two classy football organizations. Both teams displayed great sportsmanship before, during, and after the contest.
As mentioned, this game was all about the defensive units. There were few first downs gained (CPP 7, PP 6), not many offensive yards ( CPP 143, PP 109), numerous turnovers committed (CPP 3, PP 4), and a lot of sacks recorded (CPP 0, PP 7). In addition to that, there were a total of 13 punts (CPP 5, PP 8), and neither team converted on 3rd down (CPP 0-7, PP 0-13).
Defensive tackle Brian Smith (6 tackles, fumble recovery, blocked punt) and cornerback Mike Baldwin (1 tackle, 2 INT-33 yards, 4 passes defended) led the way for Central Penn. Linebacker Chris Douglas (3 tackles, 3 sacks), defensive tackle Steave Coleman (6 tackles, 1 sack), and defensive back Malkebu Moore (1 tackle, 2 INT-47 yards, 2 passes defended) paced the Philly defense.
Rookie Piranha wide receiver Darren Echols notched 125 combined yards (71 punt return, 35 receiving, 19 kickoff return), and scored on a 20-yard touchdown catch, while running back Sean Mayers was the lone bright spot for the Panthers (13-90 yards, TD). In fact, Mayers had 90 out of the Panthers' 109 yards of offense.
Worthy of noting is that over 100 Piranha fans were in attendance for this road game.
The Piranha will have a BYE on the weekend of August 22nd, and will return to the field on Saturday August 29th when they travel to our nation's capital to battle the DC Explosion (3-3). Kickoff time is TBA.
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Philadelphia Panthers: 8 - Central Penn Piranha: 31 