Ryan Clemens has Central Bucks West kicking into high gear

FAIRLESS HILLS — If you are upset that your teenager may be spending too much time on the Internet, perhaps they are using that time online for something worthwhile.

Case in point — Central Bucks West running back and placekicker Ryan Clemens.

Clemens was watching placekickers online and decided he would try it. He practiced and became proficient at it. Last season in 14 games, he put one field goal through the uprights and was 45-for-47 on extra points. This year, in just his fourth game, he already has three field goals.

His two field goals Thursday night in a Suburban One League National Conference game at Pennsbury’s newly refurbished stadium turned out to be huge. When the Bucks couldn’t convert in the red zone, Clemens was there to pick his teammates up. As a result, West was able to beat the Falcons, 20-3.

Bucks’ quarterback Cooper Taylor opened the scoring in the first quarter, capping West’s opening nine-play drive with a touchdown on a 5-yard keeper with 6 minutes, 26 seconds left. The Bucks (4-0, 1-0 SOL National) threatened again during its second series of plays in the second quarter, but Cooper was sacked by Chris Karamis, leading to a 27-yard field goal by Clemens with 7:11 to go in the second period.

“We trust him immensely,” West coach Rob Rowan said about his kicker. “I think anytime we have to resort to a field goal, we trust him immensely. We have all the faith in the world for him to go out there and execute. It’s something that we work consistently going back to April.”

Pennsbury kicker Angelo Pereira matched Clemens’ effort when he kicked a 37-yard field goal just before halftime, but it was all Clemens and the Bucks from there.

Clemens booted another 27-yard field goal with 8:05 remaining in the third quarter for a 13-3 West lead when the Bucks stalled at the Falcons’ 10-yard line. He nearly had a third field goal in the fourth quarter, but an errant snap prevented a shot at the kick. But West didn’t need it when Taylor scored again on a keeper from the 1-yard line to close out the scoring with 3:08 left in the game.

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“I watched people kicking online in eighth grade and I thought it looked fun,” Clemens said. "So I just started kicking it and became good at it. It’s something that I enjoy.”

Something else that he became good at is running the football. Against Pennsbury (2-2, 0-1 SOL National), he carried the ball 20 times for 92 yards. The 5-6, 165 pound junior runs with great energy and loves to mix it up inside.

“I love running the ball, just getting the ball and trying to score a touchdown on every play,” Clemens said. “It’s just a great feeling trying to hit somebody, run somebody over. We just pounded the ball like we do all the time.”

Game balls

Cooper Taylor, Central Bucks West quarterback. The senior signal caller got the job done with his feet. He carried the ball 16 times for 57 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also completed 7-of-11 passes for 71 yards.

Jack Williams, Central Bucks West tight end/defensive end. The 6-2, 230-pound senior caught three passes for 25 yards, but more importantly was a terror on defense, helping to hold Pennsbury to 124 yards rushing, including 40 yards in the second half.

Nathan Beighley, Pennsbury quarterback. The 6-0, 200-pound senior carried the ball 10 times for 75 yards. He had gains of 11 and 38 yards during a second-quarter drive leading to Pereira’s field goal.

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What it means

West remains undefeated at 4-0 going into a game against always-dangerous North Penn next Friday at War Memorial Field. The Knights are 2-2 after beating Neshaminy, 22-14. The Bucks came into the Pennsbury game ranked fourth in the District One Class 6A rankings and should stay in the top five. Pennsbury lost after two straight wins following an opening-night loss to Coatesville. The Falcons host undefeated Central Bucks South (4-0), a 13-6 winner over Central Bucks East. East happens to be Pennsbury’s opponent in two weeks.

Key play

Pennsbury had to have an inkling of what kind of night it was going to have against West’s ground game on the first play of the game. On a wildcat play, Bucks quarterback Cooper Taylor broke through the line and ran for 29 yards to the Falcons’ 49-yard line. Cooper scored from the 5-yard line eight plays later.

They said it

“He’s unbelievable,” West coach Rob Rowan said of Clemens. “He is the absolute ultimate Swiss Army knife. He is as tough as nails, as intelligent as they come and as humble as they come. And when you put three things together, you usually get a really special player and he’s really special.”

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Ryan Clemens helps kick start Central Bucks West football to victory