When the Penn Charter and Germantown Academy football teams meet each year, their records up to that point do not matter. For one afternoon, it's all about what is considered the nation's oldest continuous football rivalry.
On Saturday, that rivalry turned 125. The stakes were raised, and Penn Charter coach Jeff Humble knew it.
"I told them, you're going to go down in history one way or another," he said. "You're either going to be the 125th team that won or the 125th team that lost."
Humble's Quakers (5-5 overall, 2-3 Inter-Ac League) got the message, rolling over Germantown Academy, 54-7, to boost their advantage in the series to 81-33-11.
The Quakers ground game, led by fullback Eric Berger and tailback Eric Neefe, picked up huge chunks of yardage early behind an effective offensive line. The duo combined to carry the ball 14 times for 375 yards and six touchdowns in the first half.
Berger scored on runs of 65, 19, and 66 yards, amassing 169 total yards en route to being named the Geis Trophy recipient as the game's most valuable player.
"We have a great line," the junior fullback said. "Every single time, it was a dive right up the middle. The line just blocks man-to-man, so it's pretty much our guys vs. their guys."
The Quakers made no secret of their game plan, attempting only one pass. They lined up in the I-formation and fed Berger and Neefe play after play.
Neefe also scored three times, finishing with 209 yards on 10 carries. He said that Humble had former Quakers football greats visit their practices this week to make sure the team knew the historical significance of the game.
"We were so excited for this game. It's was all about getting the win for the seniors and sending them out with a bang," Neefe said.
"It's a great history, 125 years of both teams just going at it," Berger added. "Everybody on the team, all the lowerclassmen, just played for [the seniors]. Because we know in the back of our heads that this is the last football game that most of them will ever play."
Ryan Dolan racked up 125 yards on 20 carries for Germantown Academy (3-6, 0-5). The senior was disheartened after the loss.
"We can go 0-4 in the Inter-Ac up to this point, like we did, and if we won this game, it would be considered a special season," he said. "With the season we had, and to lose this game, 54-7, it's the worst feeling in the world."
Despite the lopsided score, Patriots coach Luke Harris was proud of his guys.
"It wasn't just Ryan; it was every kid out there today in a white jersey," Harris said. "The scoreboard shows things didn't go our way, but as far as effort level, those guys played as hard as they could."
Germantown Academy 7 0 0 0 – 7
Penn Charter 13 27 14 0 – 54
Germantown Academy PC: Eric Neefe 50 run (kick failed)
GA: Ryan Dolan 12 run (Luke Kisselbeck kick)
PC: Eric Berger 65 run (Tyler Beaton kick)
PC: Eric Neefe 76 run (Tyler Beaton kick)
PC: Eric Berger 19 run (Tyler Beaton kick)
PC: Eric Berger 66 run (Tyler Beaton kick)
PC: Eric Neefe 53 run (kick failed)
PC: John Moderski 87 pass from Kevin Murphy (Tyler Beaton kick)
PC: Tom Monzo 32 fumble return (Tyler Beaton kick)
Contact Alex Lee at rallysports@phillynews.com.
