The Potomac School Panthers have never been used to perfection, but so far this season they have been getting more of it than they could have ever imagined. Friday night was no exception, as the Panthers dominated and defeated the Poolesville High School Falcons by a score of 32-0, taking their already stunning turnaround season to new heights.
An emphatic first half from the Panthers put the game out of sight before the teams even went in for halftime, and they then kept their defensive pressure up in the second half to ensure their second consecutive shutout and third of the season. The 7-0 start for the Panthers is now officially the best start in school history, and with two big conference games remaining in the season, the Panthers are feeling more confident now than ever.
“I really think we deserve this,” said Panthers’ head coach Rob Lee following the game, “We’re just playing really well right now. We’re confident, we’re flying around, we’re even getting to be the healthiest we’ve been in a while despite a few nagging injuries, but everyone is just so excited now about continuing with the way this season is going.”
The game started well for the Panthers, a way that seems to be becoming a tendency for the team, as an excellent return on the opening kickoff from Mikey Duffy gave his team great field position from which to work with to start the game. Already in the opposition’s territory, the Panthers were able to pound the ball through the Falcons run defense, as they have been able to do so successfully all season, latching on to a few big runs from Alex Falconer and Conor McNerney, before Jack Rhodes pummeled the ball into the end-zone from two yards out to give his team an early 7-0 lead.
As the Falcons then received the ball for the first time, the early momentum that Potomac had garnered would continue to build up, as the Falcons medium-range snap missed the quarterback entirely on only their second play, then took a long roll all the way into the endzone, where quarterback Darryl Lang had no choice but to fall on the ball for a safety.
Following a few less successful drives from both teams, the Panthers were able to tack on a few more points before the end of the quarter, when yet another series of long runs lead to another touchdown, this time hustled in from seven yards out by star running back Conor McNerney. His day was just beginning.
The second quarter started nearly as well for the Panthers as the first quarter did, as senior defensive back Brendan Evans, in his first game back returning from injury, picked off a rifled pass to once again set up his team to get another score. Their consistency pulled through again, as a few more runs set up McNerney’s second score of the day, running it in from two yards out to make it 23-0.
The defense continued to play on lockdown, getting big plays at crucial times, including pivotal tackles and sacks, lead by Jorman Heflin, Nick Shashy, John Marinelli and Andre Peterson. The offense continued to click, and while the red-zone efficiency was perfect on the day, they had to settle for a field goal on the next drive, as sophomore kicker Ryan Eckert perfectly landed a 30-yarder for his new season long.
With the score beginning to run away, the Panthers persisted in applying the pressure, and were able to add one more score before the half. A beautiful 25-yard connection between Panthers’ junior quarterback Edwin Kuhn and junior receiver Ian McNerney, with 30 seconds left, set up twin brother Conor McNerney’s third and final touchdown of the day, as he ran it through the line yet again from two yards out.
With the score at 32-0 at halftime, the Panthers had taken clear control of the game and were able to relax as they came out for the second half, and not have to worry about risking any injuries to key players. Conor McNerney had touched the ball for his final time of the night, as had quarterback Edwin Kuhn, as sophomore backup Russell Schmidt came in to replace him, and junior Forrest Ackerman took over as primary running back. While the effort was indisputably present all night for the Poolesville Falcons, they simply seemed incapable of finding any way to penetrate the flawlessly constructed Panther defense, and despite some flashes of strong combination play from backs Nikolay Henze, RJ King, Milton Pratt, and Ben Hessles, they never came even close to knocking some points of their own on to the board.
The Panthers successfully took the game down a level and played it out in the style that they know best, running the ball up the middle. They also threw in a few QB option plays between Schmidt and sophomore running back Brandon Arvanaghi to try to confuse the defense, and successful passing helped keep the offense alive. Scoring was clearly not high on the second half agenda for the Panthers, however, as they held their first half lead all the way through until the end of the game, taking it by a final score of 32-0.
The excitement among the Panthers players following the game was visually and audibly evident, as the perfect season had taken yet another turn for the better. None were more pleased than Coach Lee himself, as he could not speak high enough praise for his team following the game, commenting, “We just run the ball hard and very successfully, and while I think Poolesville did play really well, when we run it like that they have no way of stopping it. Edwin was throwing it well, there were one or two super catches, and right now everything is just clicking perfectly.”
Junior running back Conor McNerney added another 141 yards and three touchdowns onto his already extraordinary season, as he now takes his totals to 15 rushing touchdowns (17 overall), and 1,459 rushing yards (1,599 overall). He shared the enthusiasm of his coach, exclaiming, “It feels pretty good. All we wanted to do when we came out here was make history, and it just feels great to achieve our goals.”
As the Potomac School takes in their seventh victory from seven games, they will now turn back to conference play as they prepare for potentially the most important game of their season. Looking forward to Maret on next Saturday’s homecoming could not be a more exciting prospect for the team, as Coach Lee jokingly, but accurately noted, “I think that if they could, the boys would want to play that one in about an hour from now.” Facing foremost rival Flint Hill away on the last week of the regular season is another tantalizing matchup that the Panthers will be anticipating, but for at least this week, all attention will be focused squarely on the task at hand in defeating the Maret Frogs and continuing the perfect season.
Meanwhile, the Poolesville Falcons continue to attempt to rebuild their program, looking to improve on their 1-6 start as they host Wheaton at home in their second conference game of the season next Friday.
Making history is starting to become a trend this season for the Potomac School Panthers. Rebounding from a 2-7 season a year ago, they have now beaten their first IAC team in history, got off to their best start in history, with a running back making his own school history in the process. With the two weeks remaining in the season, the Panthers can only try to continue to do what they have been doing best, making history, as they look to complete the perfect regular season, win a MAC championship, and go on to the Virginia State Tournament. There has never been a more exciting time for Panther football.
Game Stats
Rushing
Potomac: Conor McNerney 17-141-3, Alex Falconer 6-52
Poolesville: Nikolay Henze 10-28, RJ King 6-27
Passing
Potomac: Edwin Kuhn 4-12-65, Russell Schmidt 2-3-11
Poolesville: Darryl Lang 7-13-29
Receiving
Potomac: Ian McNerney 1-25, Clay Buxton 2-11
Poolesville: Ben Hessles 3-11, Eric Gochenour 3-8
Scoring Summary
First Quarter: Potomac Touchdown, 7-0
2-Yard Run by Jack Rhodes (Ryan Eckert kick)
First Quarter: Potomac Safety, 9-0
Poolesville fall on loose ball in endzone
First Quarter: Potomac Touchdown, 16-0
7-Yard Run by Conor McNerney (Ryan Eckert kick)
Second Quarter: Potomac Touchdown, 23-0
2-Yard Run by Conor McNerney (Ryan Eckert kick)
Second Quarter: Potomac Field Goal, 26-0
30-Yard Kick by Ryan Eckert
Second Quarter: Potomac Touchdown, 32-0
2-Yard Run by Conor McNerney (Kick Missed)
