It took West Chester East less than 90 seconds to score the first points of the season against Upper Perkiomen last week. However, the quick touchdown served as a wake-up call, sparking the team's third consecutive win.

Aaron Maiden, right, prepares to fight off a West Chester East defender as he carries the ball.

           Zach Adam and Grayson Sabo led the Indians to a 45-28 non-league win at Bill Keeny Stadium during Military Appreciation Night on Thursday, Sept. 10. Adam, a senior, scored two touchdowns and Grayson Sabo threw three touchdown passes and ran for another.

            "I think it was really eye-opening to get a punch in the mouth like that, given the last two shutouts," said Adam who finished with 239 yards from scrimmage.

            The Tribe, which started the regular season with three straight victories for the second time in three seasons under head coach Dan Heinrichs, built a 31-14 halftime lead despite falling behind for the first time this season.

            The visiting Vikings (2-1) scored 1 minute, 27 seconds into the game on a five-yard pass from quarterback Logan Cummins to Shane Dougherty. Upper Perkiomen trailed 7-0 after shutting out Boyertown and Fleetwood previously.

            "Mentally we just didn't come out with the right mindset," Heinrichs said.  "But I was really, really proud of the way we responded and found a way to fight back."

            The Indians' comeback started with Adam's 30-yard jaunt into the end zone with a screen pass on third and 13. Brody Lash's extra point tied the game 7-7 with 5:39 left in the first quarter. West Chester East counter-punched with another touchdown just 17 seconds after Adam's TD when Cooper Verbos broke three tackles and raced down the right sideline for a touchdown.

            "We came out flat and they get two pretty much right-away scores," said Heinrichs. "It's something we got to clean up. I told them there's no drill for it. It's a mental thing. We got to fix that."

            Lash, who registered nine points, brought his team within 14-10 with a 30-yard field goal before the end of the quarter. Upper Perkiomen came alive in the second quarter, outscoring the Vikings 21-0.        

            A forced punt by the Indians' defense sparked the outburst. After their offense took over at the Vikings 44-yard line, Sabo – who completed 13 of 15 passes from 243 yards – rolled left on first down and hit Aaron Maiden for a touchdown just 29 seconds into the second quarter to put them ahead for the first time at 17-14.

            The game turned permanently in Upper Perkiomen's favor with just over two minutes left in the first half when Benjamin Sands made the biggest defensive play of the night. His interception of Cummings at the deep in defensive territory halted a 10-play drive.

            On the next play from scrimmage, Adam took a short pass from Sabo and broke free for 51 yards to the Vikings 21. On the next play, Adam ran the ball to the two-yard line. Following a penalty, Sabo raced seven yards untouched into the end zone for a 24-14 advantage.

            Sensing the Vikings were on the ropes, Heinrichs called an onside kick that was recovered by Parker Munio. Two plays after an acrobatic 30-yard reception by Liam Weiss moved the ball to the West Chester East's 10-yard line, tight end Nate Schramm scored on a five 5-yard touchdown pass 28 seconds before halftime to open a 17-point advantage for his team.

           The Indians carried the momentum into the third quarter, needing less than two minutes to extend the advantage to 24 points. Adam raced 51 yards untouched into the end zone, delivering the technical knockout punch.

            Later in the third, Cummings hit Verbos with a TD pass for the Vikings. Then, the teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Corbin Engle scored on a 33-yard run for Tribe, and Cummings' four-yard scamper closed out the scoring.

            Upper Perkiomen finished with nearly 500 yards of total offense, including 251 on the ground. Adam ran for 154 yards on 17 carries and added 85 yards on three receptions.

            "A tough kid on both sides of the ball," Heinrichs said of Adam. "Runs hard, makes the right cuts, is a huge leader for us this year. You know, our offense wouldn't look the same without him."

            Heinrichs also lauded his offensive line and tight ends. "They usually don't get their names in the paper, but Cael Martin, Gage Trimbur, Carter Zola, Dylan Marshall, Gabe Good, Nate Schramm, those guys in the trenches and outphysicalled [West Chester East]. I thought they did a great job."

            This week, the Indians travel to Kennett Square (2-1), which is coming off a 30-6 win over Norristown 30-6. Kickoff is 7 p.m. on Friday.

            "They're going to be the best team we face," Heinrichs said of the Blue Demons, who compete in the Ches-Mont League. "We have to go 1-0 next week. We're going to have to come out and be physical up front again."