Benjamin Sands ended what little suspense remained for Upper Perkiomen's football team last week on special teams. His kick block just before halftime allowed the team to post its second straight shutout victory.           

Benjamin Sands dives in front of the ball during a field goal attempt, deflecting Fleetwood's attempt to get on the board just before halftime in last week's home opener against the  Tigers.

            The Indians dominated visiting Fleetwood on Thursday, Sept. 3. Grayson Sabo ran for three touchdowns and threw two others to Aaron Maiden, while the defense allowed less than 100 yards from scrimmage in a 33-0 win at Keeny Stadium.

            Sands' block of a 28-yard field goal attempt squelched the Tigers' only scoring opportunity and helped propel the Tribe to a 2-0 start for the second time in three seasons.

            "Starting 2-0 means everything," head coach Dan Heinrichs said.

            Sands, lined up at the opposite end of the formation, dove in front of the holder and deflected Jack Woodward's kick at the opposite hashmark with 1 minute, 35 seconds left in the second quarter. The play came after Fleetwood mounted their best offensive drive of the night, moving to the Indians 11-year line while trailing 14-0.

            Eight plays later, the Tribe delivered the proverbial knockout punch. Sabo's 2-yard touchdown run with 26.3 seconds remaining in the quarter staked UP to a 21-0 lead. The quarterback capped an 85-yard drive by recovering his own fumble on the exchange and pushing his way into the end zone.

            Upper Perkiomen's defense delivered its second straight dominant performance. The unit permitted only 95 yards from scrimmage and six first downs.

            "The defense is playing as well as I could have hoped," the coach said.

            Estrela Kubola, a 6-foot, 206-pound senior defensive lineman, and Nate Schramm each earned two sacks. Kubola notched one tackle for a loss. Nate Schramm, a senior defensive end, finished with four tackles, one sack and deflected one pass.

            Jacob Pedrick and Corbin Engle, a pair of sophomore outside linebackers, each delivered a tackle for a loss in only their second career start. Pedrick finished with six tackles. According to Heinrichs, both are maturing quickly.

            Sabo combined for 272 yards from scrimmage. The senior ran for a game-high 130 yards on nine carries, including a 71-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter to put his team ahead 14-0.

            He completed 11-of-16 passes for 142 yards. Sabo's 21-yard TD pass to Maiden on an option route opened the scoring with 3:56 remaining in the first quarter.

            Sabo combined for 272 yards from scrimmage. The senior ran for a game-high 130 yards on nine carries, including a 71-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter to put his team ahead 14-0.

          He completed 11-of-16 passes for 142 yards. Sabo's 21-yard TD pass to Maiden on an option route opened the scoring with 3:56 remaining in the first quarter.

            The classmates hooked up on a 32-yard scoring play with 3:32 left in the third quarter. Maiden -- who finished with a game-high 89 yards on four catches -- caught the pass in the middle of the field, shook off a defender at the 15-yard line and scored untouched to make the score 27-0.

            Sabo's 14-yard TD run midway through the fourth quarter capped the scoring for the Indians, who will host West Chester East at 7 p.m. today. Zach Adam ran for 84 yards on 13 carries, while Liam Weiss caught a game-high five passes for 39 yards.