BOYERTOWN — The stat sheet will show Boyertown with a decided edge on Owen J. Roberts in the turnover battle.

The on-field action, however, showed the Bears needed to win the giveaway/takeaway aspect of Friday's Pioneer Athletic Conference game in order to pull out a close 15-14 victory.

 

Boyertown intercepted four passes while being touched for just one by the Wildcats. Three of them came in the pivotal second half, when the Bears (2-2 league, 2-3 overall) were able to reverse a 14-6 deficit into a one-point win — aided in part by making two of its interceptions in the game's final 2½ minutes.

 

"We certainly needed to do that,' Boyertown head coach George Parkinson said. "The coaches did a great job of having the guys in the right position.'

 

The Bears made the first step to secure the comeback victory when Mike Murphy picked off OJR quarterback Dawson Stuart at the OJR 20 with 2:36 left. Four plays netted Boyertown just eight yards and a loss of the ball to the ' Cats on downs.

 

OJR (1-2, 1-4) passed its way toward midfield from the 1:27 mark, Stuart (7-for-18, 85 yards) hooking up twice with Tony Thomas and once with Mitch Bradford. But on a first down at his 41, Stuart threw into the waiting arms of Dalton Hughes at the Boyertown 21.

 

"Our players didn't get down,' Parkinson said. "It (early deficit) didn't faze them. They created the turnovers in the second half.'

 

And on a night when the school honored players and teams from its storied past, the current herd of Bears showcased their own ability to hold on for a close win in the wake of last week's 22-point loss to Spring-Ford.

"It was a huge game,' Murphy said. "We had a big letdown last week, so it was nice to get the win. It wasn't pretty, but we'll take it.'

 

Owen J. was looking for a bounce-back outing after being handled by Perkiomen Valley last Friday. It showed that spark in the second quarter, the first of its two touchdowns the result of exploiting a turnover.

 

With a 4th-and-9 at its 16, and less than 5½ minutes left until halftime, Boyertown attempted to punt the ball away. But Stuart knocked the ball down, and Dylan Wisen covered it in the end zone for the game's first score.

 

The Wildcats hit the end zone again with 1:03 left, Stuart connecting with Brad Kinckner on a 14-yard pass after OJR benefited from a pass-interference call against the Bears. Their 14-6 lead held in the half with Kolten Hainsey picking off Boyertown QB Lawrence Garnett at the Roberts 26.

 

"Both teams didn't do well holding on to the ball,' Wildcats head coach Tom Barr said. "I feel bad for our kids, how well they played to come away with a one-point loss. They worked hard all week.'

 

Murphy, who complemented his defensive play with 58 rushing yards and Boyertown's first touchdown three minutes into the second stanza, was hard-pressed to favor his play on either side.

 

"The linemen blocked for me, and the coaches put me in the spots I needed to be,' he said. "Defensively at the end, we knew they were going deep. That was a big bomb by them, and Hughes picking it off was big.'

 

Justin Siejk had two interceptions on the night, one in each half. But the second, coming just before the end of the third quarter, set the tone for what would be Boyertown's deciding score.

 

Siejk's pick got the Bears possession at their 40. Nine plays later, Garnett (21 carries, 43 yards) completed the mark by bursting up the middle for nine yards with 9:10 in the fourth. That 15-14 edge stayed unchanged after a pass-conversion attempt went incomplete.

 

Prior to that drive, Boyertown saw its first possession of the second half stopped at the Owen J. 7-yard line. It came away with three points, courtesy of Elijah DiGiorgio's 37-yard field goal.

 

In the final count, both teams lost the ball on fumbles twice. Owen J.'s drops were recovered by Alex Beidler and Mitch Warriner.

 

"I know our players are going to get better,' Parkinson said. "It's just a matter of time.'

 

Boyertown had three fumbles on the night, but lost only two of them. Matt McCollum was credited with the other recovery for Owen J.

 

"We played a pretty good football game,' Barr added, "but we shot ourselves in the foot. That hurt us.'

 

NOTES

 

Hunter Vogels was Boyertown's rushing leader with 85 yards on 12 carries. But his night was cut short by an injury sustained during the Boyertown drive that culminated with DiGiorgio's field goal. "That was a huge thing ... a big letdown,' Murphy said. ... In halftime ceremonies, Boyertown added two more names to its Area Football Hall of Fame: Carl Johnson (Class of 1956), a two-way center/linebacker; and Elwood "Woody' Adams, a key figure in the Boyertown Area Football Association and founding member of the Hall of Fame. ... The school also recognized its 1969 Ches-Mont championship football team, as well as observing the 75th anniversary of the program's first game (Sept. 30, 1939).