GRATERFORD >> It was a time to celebrate scholastic careers, remember past accomplishments and revel in the company of lifelong acquaintances.

 

Throw in some winning football, and you have the scene at Thomas J. Keenan Stadium Friday.

 

Perkiomen Valley staged its annual Senior/Parent Recognition Night for its gridders and other fall activities, and in the Vikings’ case it was “the more the merrier.” About two dozen players from the Class of 2024 were feted prior to PV’s Pioneer Athletic Conference (Liberty Division) game with Boyertown, many of them leading the way in a 35-7 roll over the Bears.

 

Sam Koehler rushed for two touchdowns, and Xavier Nunez one, to help the Vikings complete their division schedule on a decided “up” note. PV (4-1 Liberty, 7-2 overall) ran for other TDs behind quarterback Juliun Corropolese and Colin Sturgis en route to a mercy rule win that puts it in good stead for the upcoming PIAA District 1 Class 6A playoffs.

 

“Tonight was a fun night,” Kyle Gallagher, a senior lineman for Perk Valley, said afterward. “We had our whole line back, and we were ready to get out there.”

 

Ball control was a big part of the Vikings’ successful showing. They ran 35 first-half plays to Boyertown’s 17, and their first score – Corropolese’s seven-yard burst up the middle – capped an 18-play drive that consumed all but 2:13 of the first quarter.

 

For the game, the Vikes ran 57 plays to 42 for the Bears (1-4, 2-7). The visitors’ lone score came with 7-½ minutes left in the game, Anthony Famularo executing a “scoop and go” of a fumble at their 17.

 

“I thought we had a decent game plan,” head coach Justin Konnick said. “We were moving the ball passing, but we fumbled snaps and put the ball on the ground.”

 

The miscues – three lost fumbles among five on the night – took some of the luster out of the Bears’ success in the passing game. Ryder Gehris was 7-for-11 in the air for 91 yards, hitting Famularo twice for 41 yards and Jason Oakes covering 26 on a pair of catches.

 

But the ground game was off all night, collecting just 26 yards. Cole Yesavage had 45 of his own, though 11 carries by the Bears went for minus yardage.

 

PV’s numbers, by comparison, were considerably healthier. They had 185 on the ground and 117 in the air, Nunez rushing for a game-high 119 while Corropolese was 7-for-10 for 113.

 

“We try to spread the ball around,” PV head coach Rob Heist noted. “We use different kids, and they stepped up.

 

“Our offensive and defensive lines were great. Gallagher and (Francisco) Soto on offense, and 5-6 we rotate in three positions on defense.”

 

“We trust the boys to be physical,” Soto added.

 

Koehler’s TD runs helped the Vikings open a 21-0 lead in the first half. Sturgis upped the lead to 28-0 with his five-yard run up the middle at the 3:19 mark in the third quarter, and Nunez brought the running clock into play 20 seconds into the fourth.

 

Defensively, Drew Kenworthy (two), Jack Tarloski and Koehler all recorded sacks for PV. Sturgis recovered a fumble at his 22 to thwart Boyertown’s drive at the end of the first half.

On the Boyertown side, Michael Palmiero had one sack.

 

PV is now looking toward next week’s divisional-crossover game slate, where it will host the loser of Saturday’s Frontier Division showdown between Pope John Paul II and Phoenixville. It came into the weekend ranked seventh in a 1-6A bracket that advances 16 team to the post-season.

 

“These are great guys,” Heist said, noting PV teams in the past numbered 30 or more seniors. “What we lack in numbers, we make up for in toughness. Each class tries to leave its own legacy.”

 

For the Viking seniors, the legacy was built over a long relationship on the gridiron.

 

“We went to the same middle school,” Koehler said. “We worked out on our own. We cherish our friends.”

“The time goes by quick,” Soto added. “We trust the work we did in the off-season.”