Forty-eight hours after it was all over, head coach Rick Pennypacker was still having a difficult time digesting the end of Pottsgrove’s football season.

He didn’t feel any better Sunday night than he did Friday night, when the Falcons failed to come up with another one of their customary stops on defense or breathtaking big plays on offense in the waning moments of their PIAA-Class AAA showdown with Archbishop Wood and lost, 30-28.

“It’s going to take a while to get over it,” Pennypacker admitted. “I know there are people out there saying we had a great season, and it was. But it’s going to take a little time for me to get past this (loss) and look at (the season) like everyone else is right now.”

Time will eventually ease the pain.

Time will, as they say, heal all wounds.

What time will never erase, though, is the way the Falcons responded to all those late-summer expectations by staying focused from week to week, by executing on both sides of the ball. And despite giving up a few inches and a lot of pounds nearly every Friday night or Saturday afternoon, they exploited opponents with their quickness, their speed, and their knack of always seeming to be at the right place at the right time.

They had that resourcefulness on defense and that flair on offense. It was an unbeatable combination for 14 straight games – including three straight, come-from-behind postseason victories that led to the program’s first District 1 championship and first appearance in the state playoffs.

Everyone, including their throng of fans – which may have reached 2,000-plus last Friday night – sure wouldn’t have minded more than the cameo appearance, sure wouldn’t have minded another trek to who-knows-where this Friday or, for that matter, a trek out to Hershey for the state final in two weeks.

But getting as far as they did, winning 14 games, wasn’t too bad at all.

“Did I expect us to get this far … I don’t know,” Pennypacker said. “I know the biggest thing in the beginning of the year was hoping to play Rustin again. All we heard was how (Rustin) had everyone back from the team that beat us last year, from the team that won districts.

“So it’s a credit to the kids how they played this season. When they got the opportunity they seized it.”

The Falcons withstood challenges from their Pioneer Athletic Conference rivals – and won their second straight outright league championship – to finish first in the postseason points standings. They came from behind to beat Upper Moreland; regrouped and came from behind again to beat Rustin – which few in their right football mind thought they could do; then came from behind yet again to outlast Interboro in an overtime thriller for the district title.

That resiliency, that confidence, is what brought them back to even terms with Archbishop Wood last Friday night, and not just once but twice. It’s what brought them back a third time, which gave them a 28-24 lead with just over three minutes remaining, too.

But this time, the Falcons couldn’t hold the lead.

“These kids worked hard, they wanted to get to states,” Pennypacker said. “They wanted to win districts and get to states. When we beat Upper Moreland I was afraid of a letdown, but it didn’t happen. When we beat Rustin I was afraid of a letdown, but it didn’t happen. When we beat Interboro I was afraid of a letdown, but it didn’t happen.

“Each one of those games were big wins for us, and I was worried the kids would come out flat the next week. But that never happened. They came from behind in every playoff game except (Friday night’s) game. We just couldn’t seal the deal.”

And it wasn’t until Pennypacker was finished his postgame chat with the Falcons that he realized just how exhausted everyone was.

Adrenaline carries coaches and players alike through practices, through the routine of dressing up and firing up for Friday nights. But a loss, especially one that ends a very successful 15-week season, depletes entirely that energy.

“We were at it since August,” Pennypacker explained. “It really takes a toll on you and your coaches, so imagine how the kids feel.”

Pennypacker got a firsthand look at how the Falcons felt when the final seconds ticked off the clock last Friday night.

“I really felt bad for our seniors,” he said. “One of my coaches told me that we were 36-6 in the three years those (seniors) were with us. They just weren’t used to losing. And it was kind of strange after the game Friday night because (losing) isn’t something you prepare for. Most years you know your last game is on Thanksgiving morning, you know it’s over after that game. But this time … it was just a weird atmosphere.

“But I can’t say enough about our kids, every one of them. I can’t say enough about what they accomplished this year. Right now, like me, they’re hurting. But if you don’t hurt when you lose you’ll never win, and we’ve told them that.”

The Falcons were hurting late Friday night, throughout the weekend, too.

They’ll remember the pain for some time, especially when it comes time to gear up again next summer with most of this season’s cast intact for another PAC-10 and postseason show.

“Oh, this is going to motivate them for next season,” Pennypacker said. “They got a taste of what it’s like now. They saw how the school and the community supported them. They’re going to want to do this again next year. I can tell you now they can’t wait to get back out there next year.

“Every year is different, and we’re going to have to replace some very good football players. But as soon as their bodies heal up a little bit, they’re going to be back in the weight room and ready to get after it. They’re an incredible group of kids.”

*

Pennypacker didn’t want to talk about the issue of Archbishop Wood having a full week off prior to Friday night’s opening round of the state tournament. A number of other coaches haven’t been tight-lipped about it, though.

“Whoever heard of a bye week in the middle of the playoffs?” one coach asked. “That’s ridiculous. It’s something the PIAA should address, too.”

*

There has been a big difference in the playoffs since Philadelphia Catholic League schools joined the PIAA last year, teaming up with Philadelphia Public League rivals (members since 2004) in District 12.

Going into this weekend – with LaSalle (Class AAAA), Archbishop Wood (AAA) and West Catholic (AA) in their respective bracket’s state semifinals – the Catholic league is 8-3 overall against teams from opposing districts. Both Archbishop Wood and West Catholic were state runners-up a year ago.

The city’s public league schools, meanwhile, haven’t fared anywhere near as well against opponents from other districts. The PCL is 0-5 in AAAA; 0-4 in AAA; 1-0 in AA (lone win against Lower Moreland); and 2-1 in A (wins over Bristol and Jenkintown).

None of the aforementioned records include results of games between Philadelphia’s Catholic League and Public League schools because they’re all part of District 12.

*

Pottsgrove not only set an area record for wins in a season, but also for points scored in a season. The Falcons put up 497 points to erase the mark of 446 set eight years earlier by Pottsgrove. … Perkiomen Valley still owns the single-season record for average points per game (38.7), set two years ago. … Only 11 area teams have scored 400 or more points in a season.

This column originally ran in the Dec. 4, 2009 edition of The Mercury.

PHILADELPHIA — There was little if any excitement in the first 10 weeks of Pottsgrove’s football season. Shutting out three opponents and limiting five others to just one touchdown, not to mention never trailing once at the halfway mark of any of those games, doesn’t exactly coerce coaches to pace crazily up and down the sidelines or force the fans behind them to fidget in their seats.

The last three weeks…

Well, neither head coach Rick Pennypacker nor any of his assistants have stood still for long (if at all), and their fans have been kind of sitting on pins and needles.

Talk about making up for lost time.

The Falcons have had to come from behind in all three of their playoff games – first against Upper Moreland and then against unbeaten Bayard Rustin for a pair of 21-14 thrillers, and again last week against unbeaten Interboro in a 28-21 overtime gripper.

“That was tense, and I mean tense,” Pennypacker said last Saturday night, moments after the Falcons whipped up some momentum late in the third quarter, held it through the fourth quarter, then carried it into overtime to outlast Interboro for the program’s first District 1-AAA title.

Pennypacker and his entire staff have indeed had a bit of an anxious look and an uneasy bounce in their collective step since the postseason kicked off back on the second weekend of last month.

Don’t expect it to be any different tonight, either, when they make their debut in the PIAA playoffs against Archbishop Wood in a Class AAA quarterfinal showdown here at Northeast High School’s Charles Martin Memorial Stadium.

“It has gotten tougher and tougher each week, and we know it’s going to be even tougher (tonight),” Pennypacker said. “You may be able to make a mistake here and there (during the regular season) and have it not hurt you. But once you get into the playoffs, one mistake can cost you … cost you the game, end your season.”

During the regular season, the Falcons more than made up for any occasional blunder. They opened with two very convincing non-league wins over Pennridge and Wissahickon, then ran the table on their Pioneer Athletic Conference rivals. The spotless 10-0 record earned them a second straight PAC-10 championship and the top-billing for the District 1-AAA playoffs.

But that’s all their impressive play earned them.

Upper Moreland put them in a 14-7 hole at the break, but the Falcons took advantage of some of the Golden Bears’ mistakes to pull out the win. Rustin – the defending district champions who dizzied every one of their opponents before visiting Pottsgrove – had them trailing 14-13 at the break, but the Falcons stepped up when the Knights lost a fumble and then their poise to pull out the win.

Last week, Interboro capitalized on a couple of breakdowns, mistakes if you will, to take a 21-14 lead at the break. But if there was ever a defining defensive play and defining drive to characterize the Falcons’ fight this postseason, it came by way of linebacker Preston Hamlette and their persistent offense. Hamlette sacked Interboro’s quarterback on fourth down to end the Bucs’ one last attempt to regain the lead. The Falcons took possession with 10:31 left and, despite not finding their way into the end zone, they ate up all but the final three seconds of regulation.

Into overtime they went … with momentum, and a whole heck of a lot of confidence.

It took just two snaps for Maika Polamalu to skirt the right side for the go-ahead touchdown, and four stops on defense – the last being Angelo Berry’s knockdown of a pass just inside the end zone – to finally end it.

Ironically, tonight’s scrap with Archbishop Wood could likely unfold like the previous three games, even end in similar fashion.

“It should be a pretty exciting game,” Pennypacker said.

Yep … the postseason may get a little repetitive in December, but never boring.

* * *

If the Falcons are looking for any additional motivation – or bulletin board material, as they call it – all they have to do is read a couple of the comments about their win over Interboro on easternpafootball.com... which, forgive us, we’ve cleaned up a bit (spelling and punctuation).

Bob said: “(Archbishop) Wood is going to destroy this Pottsgrove team. Pottsgrove is not good at all, they got lucky. And Terrell Chestnut is overrated.”

And FootballFan responded: “It should be Rustin vs. (Archbishop) Wood. That would have been a great game Bob.”

Let’s see now – Pottsgrove isn’t “good at all” and Chestnut is “overrated.” Hmmm… Pottsgrove beats Rustin, then beats Interboro. Two straight wins over undefeated teams is lucky? Maybe, then again how often have you heard coaches – in all sports – say they’d rather be lucky than good? And, for the record, Chestnut is either being recruited or looked at by 30-40 Division I-A schools. Could JoePa and some of the best minds in college football all be wrong?