Demons hang tough, but Indians dominate second half
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
Unionville’s Austin Hofmann-Reardon loses the handle on the ball just short of the goal line, but Indians’ Brandon Boon (29) was able to jump on the ball for the score, as Unionville defeated Kennett, 24-7, Thursday night. Jim Gill photo.
KENNETT SQUARE — It was a bit of a tale of two halves, when it came to an annual football rivalry.
In the first half, a plucky but a bit outmanned Kennett High School team battled neighboring Unionville, frustrated the Indians’ high-flying offense a bit and looked to make a game of it. The second half, though, saw the Blue Demons battle injury and a bit of inexperience as visiting Unionville took command and cruised to a 42-7 win in Ches Mont American action, Thursday night.
And while it’s been a tough season for Kennett — its lone win in week one against Avon Grove — the 4-2 Indians needed a bounce-back game, after a tough loss last week to West Chester Henderson.
“I thought we regained our composure a little bit,” Unionville Head Coach Pat Clark said.
The Indians found their way, getting back to roots, by dominating in the run game. Austin Hofmann-Reardon (three touchdowns) and Brendan Boyle (92 yards rushing and one score) were a very effective one-two punch in the running game for Unionville — as the Indians’ offensive line was able to open up running room, especially up the middle.
Unionville’s Brendan Boyle was able to find running room consistently, Thursday night. Jim Gill photo.
“We have to keep getting better on the offensive line,” Clark said. “We really on brought two kids back with a ton of experience and we have a lot of underclassmen playing and we have to continue to improve every week.”
Kennett — behind the strong running of sophomore Myles Robinson (135 yards rushing) — was able to move the ball, but Unionville’s defense was largely able to lock down the Blue Demons’ dangerous option quarterback Nick Dunlevy. That, combined with a couple mistakes at key moments, kept Kennett off the scoreboard for much of the game. But although the final score didn’t show it, there were things for Kennett to feel positive about — including the effort of a young, mostly inexperienced team against a more powerful rival.
Kennett’s Frankie Perigo battles for yards against Unionville, Thursday night.
“The score doesn’t reflect the effort that we gave tonight,” Kennett Head Coach Scott Green said. “I think we did a good job in the first half, but they’re a good team, they’re well coached and they got onto our game plan a little bit. In the second half, defensively especially, we had some key injuries…and when you lose starters to injury, we do regress a little bit.”
After a tough and scoreless first quarter, Unionville broke through in the second quarter, after pounding the ball downfield 76 yards on a nine-play drive. Brandon Boon scored after recovering Hofmann-Reardon’s fumble just short of the goalline. Senior QB Alex Pechin — an efficient 5 of 7 passing for 77 yards — hit a pair of passes to help guide a second drive before the half, capped by a one-yard Hofmann-Reardon plunge to make it 14-0.
Kennett quarterback Nick Dunlevy had a tough time finding running room — here Unionville’s Andrew Jones (53), Quinn Cheyney (33) and Laz Kirifidies (41) have him surrounded. Jim Gill photo.
But the second half saw Unionville’s typically explosive offense emerge — scoring twice in just over six minutes to turn what had been a tense contest into a dominant performance. Hofmann-Reardon scored from 12 out and then again from eight out, to give the Indians a commanding 28-0 lead.
