D-11 Football: Tamaqua overcomes obstacles to outlast Saucon Valley
Tamaqua sophomore Ace Schickram (Photo by Leroy Boyer).
HELLERTOWN — A storm rolled through Saucon Valley before kickoff. Lightning forced Tamaqua off the field during warm-ups. Even the Blue Raiders’ trip took longer than expected due to a bus accident.
A fumbled opening kickoff only added to the chaos. But once the Blue Raiders settled in, they took control and never looked back.
Behind a powerful rushing attack and a defense that pitched a second-half shutout, fifth-seeded Tamaqua overcame a rocky start and several pregame hurdles to defeat No. 4 seed Saucon Valley 22-15 in a District 11 Class 3A quarterfinal Thursday night.
After fumbling the opening kickoff, Tamaqua trailed 7-0 less 30 seconds into the game — the only time it was behind all night — as the Panthers’ Braden Rohn scored from a yard out.
The Blue Raiders (4-7) didn’t flinch. A long return from Ace Schickram sparked the response, setting up a four-play, 31-yard drive that ended with Terrence McDowell’s 11-yard touchdown run. McDowell also powered in the two-point conversion for an 8-7 lead with 9:47 remaining in the first quarter.
“Yeah, definitely. I think it helped,” said Tamaqua coach Sam Bonner said of his team’s quick answer on offense. “We gave that one up, but we got a really nice offensive drive after it. I think that gave our kids some confidence that first drive.”
Quarterback Chase Serfass helped Tamaqua extend the margin later in the opening period, connecting with Brady McCabe for a 34-yard touchdown. McDowell again added the conversion, giving the Blue Raiders a 16-7 advantage with just over a minute left in the quarter.
Saucon Valley (5-6) answered on its next possession, as Rohn added his second rushing touchdown of the night — a 5-yarder — and Eli Szlachtianshyn ran in the conversion to make it 16-15 with 10:49 to play in the second quarter. The drive was aided by a 43-yard pass from wide receiver Thomas Cahill to Taylor Rohn.
The Panthers threatened again before halftime, but Schickram intercepted a pass in the end zone as time expired to preserve Tamaqua’s one-point edge.
“We really emphasize short memories,” McDowell said. “I was down on myself (after the fumble), but my teammates picked me up. We went right back out and scored, and everyone was locked in.”
McDowell credited conditioning and preparation for the Blue Raiders’ ability to handle the wet, physical conditions.
“Honestly, just conditioning,” he said. “I knew what role I had to take on this year, and every week I’ve just been trying to work for it. Just training throughout the season has gotten me ready and prepared for the games.”
Tamaqua’s defense stayed firm after halftime — and never allowed another point. Saucon Valley opened the third quarter with a drive that reached the Blue Raiders’ 21-yard line, but a field-goal attempt sailed wide.
Tamaqua then countered with its most complete series of the night — a 79-yard march that chewed nearly seven minutes off the clock and ended with McDowell’s 7-yard scoring run to make it 22-15 with 44 seconds remaining in the third.
“As long as we got that stop to start the second half, we felt good,” Bonner said. “Our guys bent a little bit, but they made some plays when they had to.”
Saucon Valley’s next two drives ended in turnovers, as Shawn Chen picked off a pass in the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Schickram later recovered a fumble forced by Luke Frohnheiser with just over two minutes to play.
From there, the Blue Raiders’ offense closed it out with McDowell and Malachi Stewart grinding out the final drive with seven rushes combined to seal the victory.
