Indians can’t overcome mistakes, turnovers
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Great Valley’s jake Hubley races past Unionville’s Alex Pechin en route to a 100-yard kickoff return that dramatically changed the tone of the game, as the Patriots raced in the second half to a 41-9 win, Friday night. Jim Gill photo.
EAST MARLBOROUGH — With the season and a postseason berth on the line, Unionville High School’s football team held a narrow 9-7 lead at the half in a game that could have been a defining moment in Friday night’s contest against Great Valley.
But the inconsistent Indians (5-4, 3-2) found themselves slipping from the firm ground of a potential District One playoff berth to quicksand that dissolved their postseason footing as mistakes and turnovers turned a close game into a rout — losing 41-9.
“As a team, that’s as poor a showing as we’ve had since I’ve been here,” a clearly frustrated Unionville head coach Pat Clark said. “Ultimately, I have to look at myself in the mirror. When your team doesn’t play well, it starts with the guy at the top.”
From the opening kickoff of the second half, when the Patriots Jake Hubley raced 100 yards for a score, to give Great Valley the lead for good at 14-9, adversity confronted the Indians and they didn’t handle it well — with mistakes building on mistakes to put the game out of reach quickly in the third quarter.
Unionville’s Tyler Marmo loses the handle on a second-half kickoff return in the middle of a mistake and turnover filled third quarter that ended the Indians’ postseason hopes. Jim Gill photo.
“Adversity is tough to overcome,” Clark said. “I’ll be perfectly blunt: our kids are very fortunate in our community, and they don’t have to fight a lot of adversity, anywhere. The reality is in sports, there’s nowhere to hide when you get adversity. That’s one of the great things about sports, when you get adversity, you have to learn to fight back against it. I think what we can take from it, is that it is a learning experience.”
On a fake punt attempt on 4th-and-1, Alex Pechin was caught short after a blocking assignment was missed, giving Great Valley the ball and short field. Although the Pats were held to a Pat Sauer field goal, making it 17-9, a tone was being set. When Tyler Marmo fumbled the ensuing kickoff — again giving the ball to Great Valley on a short field — doom was stalking the Indians. the Pats ripped off a speedy, nine-play drive with QB Zach Ludwig hitting River Johnson for an eight-yard TD pass.
Seemingly, it couldn’t get worse.
It got worse.
Pechin, forced into throwing virtually every down with deficit, was leading a drive to midfield when he was picked off by Nasir Adderly, who raced 64 yards for the score, to make it 31-9. After another Pats’ field goal, another Pechin pass was picked off by Mark Deroberts, again for a score, to make the final 41-9.
The senior QB, playing his final home game, was under attack all night, ran for 59 yards and threw for 115, while kicking three field goals — the longest from 50.
Still, with just a potentially scary Halloween night contest at Oxford (2-7), which was pummeled by Sun Valley, 56-34, Friday night. Clark said he must find a way to refocus his football team to end on a brighter, winning note.
“We have to come out finish and play hard,” Clark said. “We have been above .500 for 10 years in a row and I’d hate to see us not show well next week.”
