SPORTS

The PPBHS Football Team Plows Through Jackson Memorial

Brady K., Staff • October 10, 2024

Point Boro shakes hands with Jackson Memorial after their big win.

On Friday, September 20, the whole town rallied behind the Panthers at home as they dominated Jackson Memorial on the gridiron, with a final score of 34-24.

The Panthers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Sophomore Quarterback Jake Clayton found the end zone on the first drive of the game with a thirty-six yard touchdown run. Already up 7-0 with heavy momentum, Senior DB Jacob Reitmeyer added to the excitement on the defensive end as he stripped the running back and recovered the fumble. This gave Point Boro the ball right back with good field position, and Senior Running Back Dylan Reitmeyer didn’t let it go to waste as he reached paydirt a few plays later to give the Panthers an early 13-0 lead.

After a couple of good drives by both teams, Point Boro went into halftime with a 20-10 lead. However, there was no time to take the foot off the pedal as Jackson Memorial was receiving the ball at half. After shutting down Jackson’s offense on their opening drive, the Panthers knew they needed to capitalize; and they had the perfect play in mind. After running the ball all game, the best play of the night came in the air as Jake Clayton hit Senior Nick Albanese in stride for a 30 yard passing touchdown.

“It was an ‘I’m back’ feeling, brought me back to my roots,” Albanese said. He used to play tight end in pop warner football and now, as a senior in high school, he finally found himself back to catching passes from his QB. This put the Panthers up 27-10, and everybody could feel that the win was theirs.

Point Boro finished the game with a 34-24 win. The duo of Jake Clayton and Dylan Reitmeyer led the offense as they finished the game with a combined 314 yards and 5 touchdowns. On the defensive end, 1st Team All-Shore Linebacker Colin Obser led the defense with nine tackles. Sophomore Defensive Back Nick Spanola also had an interception.

When asked about what he thought about the win, Coach Brady said, “Everyone came together and played great. The offense was moving the ball and the defense was looking good. It is great to see all of them on the same page and winning.”

Point Boro’s next home game, the 2024 Homecoming Game, is scheduled for Friday, October 18.