A 66-yard punt return that went the distance after Upper Perkiomen's first offensive drive proved the difference in the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship game at Spring-Ford this past Friday night.

            After picking up a first down, the Indians punted to Blake Turner, who watched

Grayson Sabo is tackled by two Spring-Ford defenders on a quaterback keeper on Oct. 24.

the ball bounce and then picked it up and scampered to the end zone four minutes into the contest.

            The score gave the Rams a lead it wouldn't relinquish, as they held off a two-minute drill from the Tribe in the fourth quarter to claim a 14-10 victory and their first league title since 2020.

            "I think, in the moment, that return didn't do too much to our morale," said Upper Perkiomen head coach Dan Heinrichs. "All year our motto has been 'don't panic, just go to work.' It had large impacts on the outcome of the night, but ultimately in the moment it didn't deflate us."

            The Rams' special teams advantage also included punter Ryan Reavy, who punted five times and averaged 45 yards per punt, including a 60-yard boot. He pinned the Indians inside their own 20 on three of those five punts, and added two touchbacks on kickoffs.

            Special teams was one of the few areas Spring-Ford (6-4) did control, as Upper Perk held a 276-161 advantage in total yardage, holding the Rams to 41 passing yards and 120 on the ground. Junior quarterback Grayson Sabo completed 9-of-20 passes for 155 yards with three interceptions. Brody Weiss led the ground game with 10 carries for 54 yards and a score, while Zach Adam rushed for 44 yards on 15 carries.

            Aaron Maiden, who left the game in the second half with a shoulder injury, led all receivers with 49 yards on three receptions. Zane Saeger caught three passes for 38 yards.

            "I felt our guys battled hard and expected to win," Heinrichs said. "That's the mindset and culture we have been trying to build here. However, the end result was not what we wanted, obviously, and getting there and having a chance to win was not the goal."

            The Indians (7-3) got on the board in the second quarter as Matthew Wood booted a 30-yard field goal to make it 7-3 at the 8:37 mark. The drive featured a pair of five-yard, third-down conversion runs from Sabo (five carries, 17 yards).

            Spring-Ford added a score in the third quarter as Turner pulled in a 17-yard touchdown pass and two of his team's three interceptions. Down 14-3, the Tribe scored on its next offensive possession after a 10-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard run from Weiss out of the wildcat formation. Maiden added a key 16-yard reception on third-and-9, and Weiss added a 28-yard run to get the ball inside the Rams' red zone.

            The Indians held Spring-Ford on fourth-and-five to get the ball back with 2:26 left in regulation. They advanced to the Rams' 37 after a 26-yard pass to Saeger, but the drive stalled after a late interception.

            Upper Perkiomen's defense was led by nine total tackles from Weiss, as Saeger tallied eight and broke up a pair of passes. Krier finished with five total stops, as Dylan Bieber and Maddux Diaz had four apiece. Ethan Scharneck had a sack to go along with his three total tackles.

            Brayden Hinkle, a former Upper Perkiomen student, rushed 28 times for 130 yards. He accounted for all but 31 yards of Spring-Ford's total offense.

            The Indians (7-3), the No. 10 seed, advance to the District 1-5A playoffs to face Garnet Valley, the No. 7 seed at 7 p.m. Saturday in Glen Mills. The Jaguars (7-3) defeated Ridley, 17-7, in a Central Athletic League last week. Their losses have come against unbeaten Springfield, Coatesville (8-2) and Haverford (7-3).

            "Garnet Valley is a good football team that is coming off a big win against Ridley," Heinrichs said. "We will need to play again at a high level and the message has been that if you have that UP on your helmet the expectation doesn't change."