Bears Throttle Panthers, Open Public League Schedule Strong

Working off an 127-yard rushing, two-touchdown performance from Ackeno Robertson and a trio of touchdowns from William Parks, Germantown High School (1-1) rode its offensive line to victory Friday afternoon at Fels High School (1-1) in Northeast Philly. The win avenged an opening and put the Bears on the board in the Public League.

IN SHORT            

Riding its offensive line to pay dirt, Germantown grinded Fels through most of the day and also capitalized on several turnovers. Sophomore QB Cedric Wright handled the O well, and launched two TD passes of his own.

After alternating possessions, Wright led the Bears on a five-play, 41-yard drive, culminating with a highlight reel pass to Parker, who raced the 30 yards home and left Germantown up 6-0. Following second quarter touchdowns from Robertson (7-yard rush) and Aaron Boyd (8-yard rush), the Bears were cruising at a 20-0 lead against the home Panthers.

However, Panther QB Isaiah Brinkley closed the half with a 29-yard touchdown strike to Jamiel Hines to narrow the gap—20-8.

As coach Mike Hawkins told his team, "We're going to have to put these guys away early, otherwise... they're going to come back and beat us."

The Bears stormed into the second half, forced two fumbles, and rolled for 27 unanswered points. Scores from Robertson (5-yard run), Myles Brooker (14-yard pass) and Parks (4-yard run and 85-yard INT return) sealed the Germantown win.

BEAR OF THE GAME

William Parks: The senior proved his coach right in comparisons to Deion Sanders, and the triple threat scored via rushing, passing and returning an interception.

OTHER KEY PERFORMANCES

The Offensive Line: Hawkins awarded a box of TastyKakes to lineman Steve Waddell, and later all the linemen will get a pizza for their dominating performance Friday.

Cedric Wright: A young passer, Wright shook off an early fumble on a handoff to lead his team up-and-down the field all day. 

COACH’S TAKE

"Normally, when we have a good practice, we have a good game... Whoever controls the line of scrimmage, wins the game, and we wanted to wear them down, and we did it."—Coach Mike Hawkins

THEY SAID  IT

"It's hard work in the off-season, that's what it's all about. We took the positives out of the last game and took them into this game, and it paid off."—RB/DB William Parks

"We were prepared. As a team, we've been working out all summer. Last week, it was jitters. This week, I think we came out, and we showed them what we've got for weeks to come." WR Myles Brooker

UP NEXT

The Bears will host Lincoln High School Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Germantown.

Editor's note: An early version incorrectly reported the rushing total of Ackeno Robertson. It has since been corrected.