It’s fine to stack the box to stop the run.
As long as your opponent doesn’t get through the box.
On the lone play of CB West’s second drive against host Abington Friday night, senior running back Eli Boehm bulldozed through the stacked defense and raced 62 yards. It gave West its opening touchdown in the Bucks’ 27-0 convincing defeat of the Galloping Ghosts.
“I got through the box. There was a lot of green. I made one cut and there was nothing there,” described Boehm, who ended the game with 181 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns.
The Bucks hit paydirt one time in every quarter. More importantly for West, the defense shut out a struggling Abington offense in every quarter.
“We really wanted to make sure we ended up with a zero on the board,” Boehm emphasized. “That’s all that mattered for us.”
“We had ups and downs. They had plays where they fumbled snaps,” added wide receiver and defensive back Conor McFadden, “but we had that 15-yard penalty” that extended an Abington drive.
“But even if they got to our 40, we held down the deal,” McFadden added. “Putting a zero on the board shows we can hold down the fort.”
In the opening play of the second quarter, West quarterback Ganz Cooper found McFadden for a 22-yard touchdown. The Bucks had success with the play in their prior week’s 35-14 win at North Penn. “I draw the safety over and they know I can be open,” McFadden said. “I give him a little fake. Ganz and I have a connection.”
West opened the second half with a 13-play, 76-yard drive that ate up 7:45. Boehm capped it by breaking through the line and cutting left for a 12-yard touchdown run to give West a 20-0 lead.
From there, a clean game got a touch sloppy. West mistakes extended Abington’s drive, and the next three drives all ended in a turnover. The Bucks righted the ship when Cooper Taylor recovered a Galloping Ghost fumble at the West-43. West’s subsequent 12-run drive ended with Cooper’s 1-yard touchdown sneak.
“I felt like we got complacent after the start of the game,” admitted West coach Rob Rowan. “We have to do our job and it’s why we stayed with it at the end. It was trying to drive home the point to our guys that we have to keep executing play after play. It’s about mental focus and staying on track.”
West outgained Abington 356 yards to 163. The Bucks had seven tackles for loss in the first half, and were aided by Abington snap snafus in the second. West’s averaging starting field position was 19 yards better than its hosts; the Bucks took advantage of the shorter fields.
“The key on defense was not letting momentum bug us. We played well and then (Jaime Rivera) would break a run for a first down,” McFadden said. “He is really good. But we stayed calm, did our roles and listened to our coaches. They gave us the right play calls.”
“We played very aggressively upfront, which I was pleased to see,” Rowan added.
Buck Vinny Cherubini totaled 59 yards on 10 touches. Cooper was 4 of 7 passing for 62 yards, with McFadden catching three balls for 50 yards.
“I do a bunch of runs and the defense is expecting another run to me and it goes to Vinny,” said Boehm. “They’re not expecting it. Then it goes back to me and they’re not expecting that. It’s hard to keep both handled.”
West passed a touch more than they did against North Penn, where Boehm’s 37-carry, 223-yard night headlined the win. “I think it’s a balance between making sure that you are doing what your kids are comfortable doing,” Rowan pointed out, “and doing it as well as you possibly can and also having some answers when they try and take X away or try and take Y away.”
West (3-3, 2-1 National) hosts divisional rival Neshaminy (4-2, 2-1 National) this Friday in a game with big playoff implications for both teams. A late touchdown gave Neshaminy a 7-6 win at Pennridge last Friday.
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