It was a spectacular night for the Quakertown Panthers, as the football team improved its record to 4-4 with a big victory over Council Rock North (2-6) on Friday Oct. 13.
After the game, Panthers head coach George Banas addressed the team with a slight grin on his face. It’s easy to understand why: the scoreboard behind him at Alumni Field read 50-7, and for a team vying for a playoff spot, the win served as a nice confidence booster.
“It’s a great confidence builder,” Banas said. “We had some ups and downs throughout the season, we lost a lot of kids, but that’s part of football. We’re starting to get healthy, but to be able to come out tonight…We were hoping for a decent win, but I didn’t think it was going to be like this. We just came out clicking on all cylinders.”
Nobody could have anticipated the 35-point first quarter the Panthers produced.
After returning the opening kickoff to Council Rock North’s 41 yard line, senior running back Ed Bittner wasted no time getting the Panthers on the board. He bounced off multiple defenders and powered his way into the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown run.
Bittner, who had three rushing touchdowns on the day, notched his second of the game on the next drive. After a big punt return placed the Panthers at CR North’s 10 yard line, Bittner punched in a 1-yard rushing touchdown.
On the Panthers’ next offensive possession, senior quarterback Vince Micucci tossed a 15-yard touchdown to senior Anthony Ferrugio — who scored again a minute later on the defensive side. Ferrugio intercepted CR North’s Giovanni Cozza at the line of scrimmage and returned it 38 yards for Quakertown’s fourth touchdown.
“I just do my job,” Ferrugio said. “If I succeed in what I’m doing, it makes everyone else’s job a little easier.”
Ferrugio definitely made everyone else’s job easier. As he and the defensive line constantly applied pressure, Cozza consecutively threw errant passes, including on the Panthers next defensive snap.
Cozza’s subsequent throw found the hands of the wrong team once again, resulting in back-to-back pick-sixes. This time it was Quakertown’s Reagan Payne, who returned the errant throw 36 yards for a touchdown.
Following the pair of quick scores, the Panthers sideline erupted with excitement.
“It was fun. We all had fun,” Ferrugio said. “It was good chance to actually enjoy the game.”
With such a large lead, Quakertown took out Micucci in the middle of the second quarter. He finished with just two pass attempts and went 2/2 with a touchdown.
Bittner went on to score Quakertown’s fifth touchdown of the first half after he punched in a 2-yard rushing touchdown.
CR North’s only light on offense came from a 50-yard catch and run touchdown from wide receiver Will Scibona in the third quarter. Cozza hit Scibona on a beautifully thrown ball down the sideline.
Quakertown’s defense had been unstoppable all game, and that continued even when the starters were taken out.
Senior Evan Hilton recovered a forced fumble and returned it to the opposing 1 yard line. Hilton then stayed in on offense and ultimately scored the Panthers final touchdown of the game with a 1-yard rushing touchdown.
While the massive win margin was special for Quakertown, it was equally special that every player got playing time.
“We were able to get everybody on the field tonight, which is special,” Banas said. “A lot of these younger guys really put a lot of work in, so to be able to get them on the field Friday night in front of their home fans, it’s really important to us.”
With just three games remaining — and a tough test in their final home game against Upper Dublin (6-2) on Oct. 27 — Quakertown’s playoff hopes are coming down to the wire. But with a couple consecutive wins, the team is feeling good.
“We’re on a two-game winning streak right now, so now we have momentum heading into our away game against Truman,” Ferrugio said. “We’re just going to keep riding that momentum and keep going and going and hopefully into the playoffs.”
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
