Junior Andrew Latrash makes diving catch that set up PJ Zingler's 7-yd scamper for a TD on the next play.
Potomac’s junior Jalen Broome scored three times Saturday, including the game-winner on a 16-yard reverse late in the final quarter, to spoil Bishop Ireton’s Senior Day 30-29. The Cardinals’ quarterback PJ Zingler scored all 4 Ireton touchdowns in his final Fannon Field performance.
Both teams struggled through a scoreless first quarter, exchanging fumbles, before Ireton drew first blood with an 11-play, 90-yard drive. Zingler teamed up with junior Phil Thomas on a 46-yard pass play to the Potomac 39. The senior quarterback had his best day rushing of the year, and picked up 13 on a scramble to the visitors’ 21. Austin Carter gained 13 more on a Zingler aerial, Daniel Frazier rushed for 6 more before Zingler ran up the middle for the first of his touchdowns from 3 yards away. Matt Bocchi gave Ireton a 7-0 advantage with 6:47 left in the first half.
Potomac answered immediately on their third play of the ensuing possession, on 3rd and 10, when sophomore Josh Hansan hauled in a Kevin Havermann pass and lugged it to the Ireton 8. Broome took over there running from the “wildcat” formation and dashed into the endzone from six yards out. Phillip Bennett’s PAT tied the game at 7-7.
Ireton was stymied on its next two possessions while holding Potomac School in check on their next drive. When Havermann got his next chance, however, he connected with Hansan once again on a spectacular 56-yard pass that the fleet-footed Panther would catch one-handed in stride and streak untouched to the end zone. The Cardinals committed a penalty on the point after touchdown, opening the door for the Panthers to elect for a 2pt conversion and the successful effort pushed their lead to 15-7.
The Cardinals, behind a pair of Brandon Price-Williams rushes of 12 yards, soon drove Ireton deep into Potomac territory, but when the Panthers seemingly couldn’t slow the Cardinal offense, the clock stepped in to end the half, preventing a Bishop Ireton tally.
The teams exchanged punts to open the third quarter, but then Cardinals started their second possession of the third quarter near midfield. Zingler scrambled 21 yards to the Potomac 30, Price-Williams then ripped off 14 more yards, putting the Cardinals on the 10. Three plays later, Zingler had his second 3-yard touchdown and Bocchi’s PAT pulled Ireton to 15-14, with 6:04 remaining in the third.
Potomac would drive to midfield on the ensuing possession before once again forced to punt. Starting their next opportunity, a 75-yard scoring drive, the home team continued to pound the ball at the visitors on the ground as 7 straight running plays carried Ireton inside the Panther 20. Sophomore Andrew Latrash made a great catch on the sideline at the Potomac 7 yard line setting up Zingler’s 7-yard run for his third score. The PAT gave Ireton a short-lived 21-15 advantage.
The Panthers quarterback, Kevin Havermann, led the Panthers on a passing attack that overcame a pair of Potomac penalties and into Ireton territory as the game moved into the 4th quarter. Broome bolted for 13 yards down to the Cards’ 4-yard line, then finished the drive with a touchdown run and the PAT pushed the white-jerseyed McLean school back in front 22-21.
Again the teams stalled and exchanged punts, setting up the late game heroics. With Ireton starting their final scoring drive on their own 32, Price-Williams ripped off a 17 and 8 yard runs followed by a Zingler sprint that would be erased by a holding penalty. The lanky quarterback then found Austin Carter on third down and a mile, and the rangy senior wideout gathered in the pass, zigged and zagged through tacklers, and 29 yards down field for a drive-sustaining first down. Price-Williams again bulled inside, dragging Panthers to the Potomac 1 yard line. Two plays later, Zingler scored his fourth touchdown of the game. Coach Tony Verducci looked to extend the advantage to 7, so the point after touchdown saw Zingler roll right, scramble, and then throw back to the far left side of the end zone to a wide open Latrash for two points and a 29-21 lead with 3:44 to play.
Lady Luck would smile on the opponents, as she so often has this season with the Cardinals. Ireton was looking to drive the kickoff deep toward the Ireton sideline. Instead, the kick was a “mis-hit” resulting in an onside-kick type boot and recovered on the Ireton 49. With great field position, Potomac attacked immediately to regain the lead.
Havermann hit Broome for a 7-yard gain, Hansan for 20, then junior Chris Martin for 5 more. The Cardinals forced an incomplete pass, stuffed the Panthers for no gain on a third down rush setting up the play-of-the-game on 4th and 4 on the Ireton 16.
The junior quarterback rolled hard to the right, showing sweep, then pitching back suddenly to the reversing Broome, who broke a tackle 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage as he sped back toward the Ireton sideline on the reverse. He broke another tackle at the line of scrimmage, then shot down the sideline past the last Cardinal defender a play that stunned the senior day crowd with what would be the game-winning score. Quickly, the Panthers lined up and, again with Broome in the wildcat formation, snapped the ball to the athletic junior who plowed off tackle and through a pair of tacklers for a 2-point conversion and a 30-29 lead. When asked if a conviction they could “end it right here” motivated the second year Potomac head coach, Patrick Duffy, to eschew the tie and go for a “do or die” two-point conversion, he smiled and replied, “our kicker had injured his toe and I thought it was a our best chance.”
After a muffed kickoff return, the Cardinals started their final drive on their own 16. Daniel Frazier took a pass in the flat and charged past, over, and around a host of Panthers before being forced out of bounds at the Ireton 40. But the drive stalled near midfield on downs and the disappointed Cardinals could only watch as the visiting Panthers repeatedly took at knee to run out the clock.
For the Cardinals (0-9) the final contest of the 2012 campaign comes on the road at Pope John Paul the Great Saturday at 2pm. Ireton’s last visit to Dumfries was a disappointing 26-22 setback on a last minute touchdown for the Wolves. This will be the third meeting in the series, the redbirds pounded the Arlington Diocese’s newest high school on Fannon Field in 2011, 35-0.
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