UPPER DUBLIN — One way or the other, Upper Dublin was going to end the game.
Facing a 2nd-and-goal from the three-yard line with four seconds left and trailing Quakertown by three points, Cardinals head coach Bret Stover kept his offense on the field.
Quarterback Kevin Etkin took the snap, rolled right and pump faked before finding Eric Berman in the middle of the field. It was Etkin’s fourth touchdown pass of the game and Berman’s third touchdown reception to lift Upper Dublin to a 37-34 Suburban One League Continental Conference win at Cardinal Stadium Friday night.
“We played too well before not to win that game,” Berman said. “We knew that we had to go out and win this game at home for our fans.”
“I know there was (a thought about kicking),” Etkin added, “but we played all this time. That’s one of the games you just have to pull it out and win and we did.”
After surrendering the go-ahead touchdown with 1:04 remaining, Upper Dublin (5-2, 4-0 SOL Continental) started its drive on its own 38-yard line with 1:01 to play. On the second play, Etkin checked out of a pass and into a run. Running back Ron Shepherd broke free for 34 of his game-high 136 rushing yards and put the Cardinals in field goal range at the Quakertown 25.
“They were in man-press and nothing short was going to work,” Etkin, who was 15-for-22 for 238 yards, said of the audible. “I had to check run because the run box was looking great… Checked run and it all worked out in the end.”
“They took away what we took and just a great check from a senior,” Stover said. “Ron made it happen and that put is in field goal range. It took all the pressure off — with our kicker we’ve got three in the pocket. Now let’s go try and win this.”
Etkin found Berman for 15 yards on a 3rd-and-13 from the 28-yard line and again two plays later to set up 1st-and-goal at the three.
“We’ve been on the other end,” Quakertown coach George Banas said, referencing when his team erased a 28-point deficit and beat Souderton on the final play of the game a few weeks ago. “We have to have a short memory now on this end. We have a short week, which is probably good, and we get to come back on Thursday and go from there. We have to try to win our games the rest of the way and hopefully get a little bit of help.”
Berman finished the game with eight catches and 148 yards to go along with the three scores. He became Etkin’s top target after leading receiver Ryan O’Sullivan got banged up and left the game after a catch in the second quarter.
“Ryan’s a great receiver,” Berman said. “He’s done super-well all season, but when he came out, I had to step up. All offseason we’ve been working and the connection was there tonight.”
Upper Dublin needed its late-game heroics after Quakertown battled back from a 31-14 deficit with 8:24 left to take the lead.
Panthers quarterback Brady Martin led three straight touchdown drives in the final quarter. He trimmed the 17-point deficit to 10 with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Aiden Burgy with 6:28 to go. Kicker Dominic Pesce’s successful onsides kick gave Quakertown (3-4, 3-1 SOL Continental) an extra possession and the visitors made the most of it. Kyler Roesener scored from three yards away with 3:47 remaining to make it 31-28.
“Our mentality is we don’t give up,” Banas said. “That’s a great attribute, but it’s going to burn you at some point. You can’t live and die on that type of gameplan forever. Tonight it just burned us.”
After Quakertown’s defense forced a three-and-out, Martin went 68 yards in seven plays and 95 seconds. His 23-yard strike to Matt Thomas with 1:04 to go put the Panthers ahead, 34-31. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the score pushed the extra point back 15 yards and it sailed wide left.
Martin finished the game 25-for-44 with 229 yards, three touchdown passes and two interceptions while adding 31 yards and a score on the ground.
“What’s good about him is he doesn’t dwell on (the interceptions),” Banas said. “He’s going to gunsling. He’ll keep going. That doesn’t waver him at all. He doesn’t get down, but he doesn’t get super high either. He’s middle-of-the-road, even-keeled, which is great.”
Thomas turned 10 catches into 138 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers while Burgy had eight grabs for 126 yards and two scores.
Upper Dublin had positives across the board to build a 28-7 lead early in the third quarter and 31-14 edge in the fourth.
Defensively, Logan Fitzmaurice and Mikal Tindal grabbed interceptions. Fitzmaurice raced 74 yards for a touchdown with his interception and Tindal’s – which came on the second play after halftime – set up a 37-yard score from Etkin to Berman.
Matthew Miller did his part on special teams. He booted three touchbacks and all of his kickoffs resulted in Quakertown starting inside their 30-yard line. He also made a 44-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give the Cardinals a 31-14 lead.
“We got contributions from all three phases,” Stover said. “Kickoffs are in the end zone, he hits a field goal. Then our defense with the pick six. Offensively we moved the ball all night – running and throwing – not just one dimensional.”
Upper Dublin moves into sole possession of first place in the SOL Continental with the win, a game ahead of Souderton and Quakertown, who each have one loss. The Cardinals, who are ranked No. 5 in District 1-5A, will face Cheltenham and Bensalem in the next two weeks before closing out the regular season with Souderton.
“Our first goal is always win the league,” Stover said. “Everything else takes care of itself. If you can win this Continental — everything will take care of itself. Tonight doesn’t mean anything if we don’t keep going forward and getting better.”
Upper Dublin 37, Quakertown 34
Quakertown 7 0 7 20 – 34
Upper Dublin 7 14 7 9 – 37
Scoring
First Quarter
QT – Aiden Burgy 12-yard reception from Brady Martin (Dominic Pesce kick) 6:01
UD – Ryan O’Sullivan 16-yard reception from Kevin Etkin (Matthew Miller kick) 2:28
Second Quarter
UD – Eric Berman 62-yard reception from Kevin Etkin (Matthew Miller kick) 9:55
UD – Logan Fitzmaurice 74-yard interception return (Matthew Miller kick) 6:54
Third Quarter
UD – Eric Berman 37-yard reception from Kevin Etkin (Matthew Miller kick) 9:22
QT – Brady Martin 1-yard run (Dominic Pesce kick) 6:35
Fourth Quarter
UD – Matthew Miller 44-yard field goal 8:24
QT – Aiden Burgy 20-yard reception from Brady Martin (Dominic Pesce kick) 6:28
QT – Kyler Roesener 3-yard run (Dominic Pesce kick) 3:47
QT – Matt Thomas 23-yard reception from Brady Martin (kick failed) 1:04
UD – Eric Berman 3-yard reception from Kevin Etkin 0:00
TEAM STATISTICS
QT UD
First downs 30 18
Rushes-Yards 30-137 34-159
Passing yards 229 238
Total yards 366 397
Passing 25-44-2 15-22-0
Punts 3 2
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 4-2
Penalties-Yards 3-30 8-60
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
QT: Brady Martin 9-31, TD; Gavin Carroll 18-99; Jackson Connelly 1-2; Kyler Roesener 2-5, TD.
UD: Kevin Etkin 6-(-4); Ron Shepherd 24-136; Jordan Fields 4-27.
PASSING
QT: Brady Martin 25-44-229-3-2.
UD: Kevin Etkin 15-22-238-4-0.
RECEIVING
QT: Matt Thomas 10-138, TD; Aiden Burgy 8-126, 2 TD; Jackson Connelly 4-32; Gavin Mushrush 2-29; Gavin Carroll 1-4.
UD: Ryan O’Sullivan 3-45, TD; Eric Berman 8-148, 3 TD; Gavin Lapa 1-23; Ron Shepherd 1-4; Wesley Gill 2-8.
INTERCEPTIONS
UD: Logan Fitzmaurice, Mikal Tindal.
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