It is always exciting to watch the two powerhouses, Parkland and Nazareth, battle it out on the football field. The Trojans and Blue Eagles met on Friday, September 17, and the game did not disappoint. This matchup was very hyped up as both teams are talented and highly ranked in the state. The stands at Parkland’s home stadium in Orefield were packed with excited fans, waiting to see which team would remain undefeated.
Parkland QB Luke Spang stated, “Personally I have never experienced that type of hype around a game, but I think the team enjoyed it. When it was game time, everyone understood that it wasn’t about the hype around the game, it was winning the game.” The players were certainly focused, since Parkland got it going early with a 33-yard touchdown run by Trey Tremba, on the first drive of the game. Early in the second quarter, the Trojans drove down the field and finished with a 4-yard touchdown run by Tremba. Nazareth responded with a 49-yard scamper by the sophomore transfer (from Parkland) Marquez Wimberly, which was immediately followed by a 35-yard touchdown run by senior, Jed Bendekovits. Trey Tremba then scored a 33-yard touchdown run. During the extra point attempt, there was an error on the snap that the placeholder, Satoshi Rosenblum, recovered and improvised a throw to Marshall Burden for a two-point conversion. This put the Trojans up 24-10, which remained the score until halftime.
The third quarter started off slowly, but close to the end of the quarter, Nazarath’s Caleb Newsome scored a 19-yard passing touchdown from sophomore QB, Peyton Falzone. Shortly after, Falzone and Newsome connected again for a 59-yard passing touchdown, making the score 24-24. The Trojans were driving when Tremba fumbled the ball, with 3:27 left in the game. The Parkland defense made a stop and the offense was ready to make a potential game-winning play. Though the run game for the Trojans was heavy, Luke Spang was ready for his moment. He stepped up in the pocket and while getting tackled, put the ball on the money to Trey Tremba for a 39-yard passing touchdown. “I knew right away it was going to be a touchdown. They were coming with a blitz and were man-on-man with Trey Tremba, so I knew I just had to get the ball off and he was going to make the play. When the play happened I saw he broke free by a little, but there was a ton of pressure from the defense. I made a guy miss and put the ball in front of Trey and the rest is history,” said Spang.
This incredible play gave Parkland the lead with 1:22 left in the game. On fourth down, with 32 seconds left on the clock, Falzone completed a pass to Mason Kuehner, one yard short of the first down. Parkland ran out the clock and celebrated the hard-fought 31-24 victory. Parkland battled to get the job done and passed the biggest test in their season so far. Spang said, “We knew going into the game that in order to win the game we need to play a full 48 minutes. That includes everyone doing their job every single play and limiting mistakes.”
The Trojans become 4-0 and remain undefeated. The Trojans will not have an easy game next week against another undefeated team, Allentown Central Catholic. Tremba said, “We are going to try not to get big heads and realize that Central is also a very good 4-0 team. We realize we have some players injured and some guys will need to step up. Our playmakers will have to step it up to another level.” Hopefully, the Trojans can take this momentum into next week and keep a perfect record.
