BOYERTOWN - The physicality of the Boyertown football team was on full display Friday evening. But along with their trademark hard-hitting, hard-charging style of play, the Bears showed a bit of big-strike capability on the offensive side.

That proved to be the difference in a 21-6 victory over Phoenixville at BASH Memorial Stadium.

Two big-gain touchdowns - Ryan Schwager, Chase Garber and Jon Neiman the principals - enabled Boyertown to break open what had been a nondescript Pioneer Athletic Conference contest with the Phantoms. Schwager accounted for a big chunk of his game-high 104 rushing yards with a 70-yard burst in the third quarter, and the sophomore tandem of Garber and Neiman combined on a 64-yard TD pass in the fourth that helped the Bears (2-1, 3-2 overall) keep Phoenixville (0-3, 0-5) out of the win column heading into the first full week of October.

"We want the kids to try to start blocking better," Boyertown head coach Mark Scisly, holding court with the media in a light post-game rain shower, said. "We picked up some big plays in the second half, though I think our offense has to play better."

The Bears' first score was a 10-play, 61-yard march from their 39, capped by Logan Herb (11 carries, 33 yards) plowing into the end zone from two yards out little more than 1ˆ½ minutes into the second quarter. That was the sum total of the game's scoring in a half that took just 45 minutes to complete, and into the final minute of the third quarter.

Much of that had to do with the Boyertown defense, which limited Phoenixville to 45 total yards offense (four on the ground) and two first downs in the first 24 minutes. The visitors weren't able to crease the scoreboard until they got inside the game's seven-minute mark, when running back Richard Yenchick (26 yards on 10 totes) hooked up with Ducky Ryan on a 52-yard option pass.

That was Phoenixville's response to the first of two serious injuries sustained by key seniors. Matt Viscuso suffered a compound fracture of his right leg while in the middle of a Boyertown run - that happening with 4:01 left in the third quarter, and requiring his transport to the Lehigh Valley hospital trauma center. And on the kickoff after the Bears' final TD, Gregory Porter was knocked unconscious by a hard hit while returning the ball.

"I think that's a testament to the kids, that they didn't quit," Phoenixville head coach Bill Furlong noted. "They played hard for each other. As long as I've been at Phoenixville, the kids have never quit."

Boyertown came back from the prolonged injury timeout for Viscuso by scoring two series later, Schwager taking a pitch at his 30, circling his right end and outrunning all Phantoms to the end zone 51 seconds before the end of the third quarter.

Phoenixville cut into the home team's 14-point lead with the Yenchick-to-Ryan hookup. But its comeback hopes were knocked down less than two minutes later, when Garber (6-for-7, 105 yards) and Neiman collaborated on a 64-yard TD toss at the 5:13 mark.

"Our defense did a great job, except for one play," Scisly noted. "Our offense has a lot of work to do, but a win is a win."

NOTES

At halftime, the Boyertown Area Football Hall of Fame inducted four former players into its ranks. The new members are Harold "Shorty" Zern, Doug "Peanut" Davidheiser, Pete Madeja and Irv Yeager. ... While both teams fumbled the pigskin a combined six times (four by Boyertown), none resulted in turnovers. ... Phoenixville executed a fake punt four plays into the game, quarterback Alex Quiston (5-for-8, 50 yards) throwing to Yenchick on a 26-yard strike that put the visitors in Boyertown territory. But they lost the ball on downs four plays later.