Morales kicks Manheim Township past Plymouth-Whitemarsh
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Jason Guarente — LNP/Lancasteronline
PLYMOUTH MEETING — Johnny Morales had a glamorous role when he still played soccer. He was the striker. The kid who put the ball into the net.
Manheim Township’s senior left that world behind in seventh grade. Many of his friends played football and they recruited Morales to be the kicker for the B Team. That has been his sports path ever since.
Township was pushed to the limit by Plymouth-Whitemarsh Friday night. The outcome of 48 hard-fought minutes was placed on Morales’ right foot.
“Coach told me, ‘You’ve got to take a deep breath,’” he said. “It’s just another kick like practice.’ I practice those from hash to hash. You’ve got to be ready for it.”
Morales was perfect from 35 yards with 26 seconds remaining. Township escaped with a 20-18 non-league road victory.
Township coach Mark Evans predicted this moment after Morales missed an attempt against Central York earlier this season. There was going to be a game, Evans said, when Morales was asked to win it.
Township faced fourth-and-3 from P-W’s 18 with enough time to possibly complete a touchdown drive. The Blue Streaks decided sending No. 7 onto the field was their best bet.
“Nerves of steel,” Evans said. “Ice water in his veins. … I have 100% confidence in him. He hit the one when it mattered the most.”
This was a struggle for Township (4-0), which hasn’t lost in the regular season since 2022. A lot went wrong for the Blue Streaks. They were sloppy out of the gate and trailed 12-0 in the first quarter.
Plymouth-Whitemarsh regained the lead when Caiden Leszczynski connected with Kevin Hegarty for a 25-yard touchdown with 6:13 left. It was 4th-and-16 play.
Township was down to its final possession. A grinding 12-play march that ate up almost all of the remaining clock.
Declan Clancy, who finished with 188 yards rushing, had nine of his 33 carries on that drive. He willed the ball down the field through short gains behind his experienced offensive line.
“He’s a machine,” senior Charlie Hill said. “It’s impossible to get him hurt.”
Hill made a difficult catch on fourth-and-5 to keep hope alive. It was the only positive play on Township’s final possession that wasn’t created by Clancy,
P-W couldn’t do anything with the 26 seconds it had left. Consecutive sacks by Marcos Fernandez and Don Rodriguez ended it.
Morales, called Johnny Boy by his mom, had some growing pains when he switched from soccer to football.
“It’s definitely not the same thing,” he said. “I was kicking the ball into the ground a lot. I was not used to it. I had to get the hang of it.”
Morales rose through the ranks and became the varsity kicker. His two field goals, the other from 26 yards, and two extra points were the difference.
“We trust Johnny,” Hill said. “He’s a hard worker in practice. It was loud. The place was rocking. I could see he had tunnel vision. It was awesome.”
Township’s bench charged onto the field to congratulate Morales. Most of the Blue Streaks’ wins over the past two seasons have been blowouts. This one was a test.
Morales said he wants to keep playing football beyond high school. So far, he hasn’t received much interest from colleges. He puts his best kicks on social media in hopes of getting some attention. This one might be the best of all.
When Township absolutely needed him, Johnny was good.
