Dan Heinrichs and his Upper Perkiomen defense found themselves in a spot they haven't been in during the past six weeks.

Logan O'Donnell, right, brushes away an Upper Merion def- ender as he crosses the goal line.  An offensive penalty neg- ated the touchdown.

            After scoring an early touchdown, the Indians saw Upper Merion pull within one point on an eight-play, 65-yard scoring drive. The score represented just the second first-quarter touchdown they have yielded this year.

            But after the score, Upper Perkiomen dominated the remaining three quarters, registering 35 unanswered points to put an exclamation mark on a 42-6 Homecoming victory.

            "The first quarter has been strong for us in the last five weeks," Heinrichs said. "Having them score and move the ball was certainly adversity. It came down to a miscommunication, but I was proud of our guys having the maturity to just go back to work and play at the consistent level we know we can."

            Backed by a steady run game that ground out 224 rushing yards, an efficient passing game and an opportunistic defense that scored as well, the Indians (3-0, 5-2) posted their third straight win. They maintained the top spot in the Frontier Division standings, one game ahead of Pope John Paul II and Phoenixville.

            Zach Adam led all rushers on 15 carries for 92 yards and a pair of scores. He was aided by fullback Kane Krier's 57 yards and a score on seven totes and junior quarterback Grayson Sabo rushed six times for 34 yards.

            In the air, Sabo completed 7 of 9 passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Three receivers caught two passes apiece including Adam (2 catches for 31 yards), Ethan Scharneck (two for 21 yards, TD) and Tucker Ruch (two for 18 yards, TD). Aaron Maiden pulled in one pass for 15 yards in the second quarter.

            The Tribe defense held the Vikings (1-2, 1-6) to 230 yards overall, and just 65 on the ground. Maiden notched a pick-six as time expired right before half as he raced 55 yards to the end zone. His efforts capped a 15-point flurry in 48 seconds for the Tribe as Ruch's 12-yard touchdown was followed by Maiden's interception two plays later to stake the Indians out to a 29-6 lead at the break.

             "All week we talked about the new target on our back and how every game is a trap game for us," Heinrichs said. "We respect every opponent the same and as many scores this week across the league showed, anyone can win on any given Friday. We need to continue this mindset and stay focused and hungry into week 8."

            Upper Perk's offense, which didn't punt the entire game, scored on its first five offensive series. Adam opened the scoring with 2:23 left in the first quarter as he went off right tackle for a three-yard touchdown. Scharneck added to the lead five minutes later as he pulled in a seven-yard bootleg pass from Sabo. Logan O'Donnell gave the Indians favorable field position on the march as his 55-yard kickoff return placed the ball on the Vikings' 35. Ruch's score made it 21-6, quickly followed by Maiden's interception that went the distance.

            In the second half, the Indians received the opening kickoff, which O'Donnell again returned 55 yards to the Upper Merion 35. From there, Adam notched his second score on a 35-yard touchdown up the gut.

            Krier ended a promising Upper Merion drive with a fourth-down sack on the Vikings' ensuing possession, and he appropriately accounted for the final score on a three-yard plunge, aided by his 35-yard run on the previous play.

            Krier tallied two sacks against Upper Merion, and O'Donnell broke up a pass and had a tackle for a loss.

            The Indians – currently ranked No. 12 in the District One Class 5A standings, where the top 16 qualify for the playoffs – will host its final regular-season home game tomorrow night as they entertain Phoenixville. The Phantoms are 2-1, 3-4 overall and defeated Pottstown last Friday, 34-8.

            "Where we are right now is a team who is playing for the guy next to us," Heinrichs said. "Playing as a family and a team will always overcome talent."

            Before the game, Upper Perk honored Larry Roeder as its hometown hero and honorary captain. Roeder, editor and publisher of The Town and Country, was honored for his decades-long service to several area fire companies, as well as his contributions to local history.

            The Indians were honored by Mr. PA Football this week as the Team of the Week in the Big School (Class 4A-6A) for Week 6. They were nominated for the honor after its victory over Pope John Paul II, and received enough online votes at mrpafootball.com to take the top spot.