Scott Huff's notebook highlights Abington, Hatboro-Horsham and Springfield as well as the top performances in each conference.
By Scott Huff
It’s all over.
The first week of the Suburban One Leagueis in the books as teams from the National, Continental, and American Conferences all began the 2013 season. All three conferences finished with 4-4 records with Neshaminy, Abington, Truman, and Council Rock North winning games in the National; Pennridge, Hatboro-Horsham, Quakertown, and Central Bucks South winning games in the Continental; and Upper Dublin, Upper Moreland, Springfield, and Wissahickon capturing victories in the American.
The second week of the Suburban One League is on deck this weekend.
Good Luck.
Suburban One League National Conference ‘Snapshot’
Abington Ghosts
Abington (1-0) opened its 2013 football season with a convincing 53-22 victory over Samuel Fels High School (0-1) from the Philadelphia Public League. The contest showcased the tremendous ability on both sides of the football by senior Craig Reynolds.
Reynolds – who is being recruited by a number of colleges as both a running back as well as a defensive back – showcased his gift as a defensive back early in the game by intercepting a pass and returning it 56-yards for a touchdown.
“As a defensive back, Craig has great instincts and the ability to read coverages,” said Abington head coach Tim Sorber. “And his ability as a sure tackler is very important to be able to keep teams from making big plays on us. He is a leader on our defense.”
Reynolds also found time during the course of the game to score four rushing touchdowns. Reynolds scored on runs of 5, 18, 10, and 15 yards and finished with a game-high 149 yards rushing.
“Last year Craig showed a great ability to run inside the tackles,” said Sorber. “He has worked hard to improve his speed, and now he has shown the ability to get to the edge. His flexibility in being able to run both inside and outside for us gives us a lot more options on offense.”
And those options includeD the talents of senior quarterback Anthony Lee who would make his varsity debut as a starter against Fels.
“Anthony was very proficient and made a lot of good decisions for an inexperienced player,” said Sorber. “Last year we moved him from wide receiver to back-up quarterback, and he worked very hard at improving. He is level headed and has done a good job with our up-tempo offense.
“Anthony is a member of the basketball team, and he knows how to perform against good competition in big games,” added Sorber. “Football isn’t basketball, but when you can be successful against Chester in basketball, you know that how to handle pressure.”
SOL National Conference ‘Honor Roll’ Performances
Craig Reynolds of Abington scored five touchdowns as the Ghosts routed Fels 53-22. Reynolds – who rushed for 149 yards – scored four rushing touchdowns. He also scored on a 56-yard interception return.
Dejuan Martin of Council Rock North scored three touchdowns in the Indians 36-7 win over Haverford. Martin scored on his only two runs of the game – one on a 75-yard run and the other on a 71-yard run. Martin also scored on a 77-yard pass reception.
D’Andre Pollard of Neshaminy scored a pair of touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 135 yards as the Redskins collected a 33-0 win over Northeast.
Jordan Livingston of Truman ran for a pair of touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 91 yards as the Tigers caged Lincoln 47-21.
Ronquay Smith and Raheem Thompson of Pennsbury played well in the Falcons 38-28 loss to Easton. Smith scored three touchdowns while Thompson rushed for 103 yards on just four carries.
Alex Perks of William Tennent was awarded the game ball as the Panthers were beaten by Wissahickon – 34-15. Perks led the Panthers in both rushing and receiving yards.
Alex Archangeli of Bensalem led the Owls in rushing and scored the lone touchdown in a 38-7 loss to Archbishop Wood.
Vincent Alimenti of Council Rock South led the Golden Hawks in rushing as Rock South suffered a 31-21 defeat against Central Bucks South.
Suburban One League Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
Hatboro-Horsham (1-0) matched its 2012 win total as the Hatters opened its 2013 season under new coach Michael Kapusta with a 21-14 win over Norristown (0-1).
“I won’t compare this team to last year, but these kids know how to get through adversity,” said Kapusta as Hatboro-Horsham finished the 2012 season with a single win. “All I know is that from day one these players have bought into what we want to do with them. It was nice to get a good result for all that work and effort in our first game.”
The Hatters showcased a prolific passing game in the opener, as senior quarterback Jack Morris and junior receiver John O’Malley were marvelous. Morris completed 15 of 29 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns, while O’Malley snared nine passes for 168 yards and a pair of scores.
“I really felt that Jack was more than capable of that performance,” said Kapusta. “He has a real sense of competitiveness and courage. He hung in there during the tough times and has shown athleticism to go along with his arm strength.
“Jack has also shown a great deal of leadership,” added Kapusta. “The kids really look up to him and have great respect for him.
“And John O’Malley is a very talented player that had his coming out party against Norristown,” continued Kapusta. “With him only being a junior, his upside is huge.”
The Hatters will attempt to win game number two this week with trip to Pottstown to play the Trojans.
“Pottstown has size and athleticism,” said Kapusta. “We will have to play a good game to be competitive with them.”
SOL Continental Conference ‘Honor Roll’ Performances
Josh Adams of Central Bucks South scored four touchdowns as the Titans collected a 31-21 win over Council Rock South. Adams rushed for a game-high 202 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns (80, 10, and 44 yards) and one receiving touchdown (55 yards).
Matt Stoneback of Quakertown scored four touchdowns as the Panthers clawed Upper Perkiomen 27-6. Stoneback also rushed for a game-high 105 yards.
Jack Morris and John O’Malley of Hatboro-Horsham proved to be a lethal combination as the Hatters topped Norristown 21-14. Morris completed 15 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns, while O’Malley caught nine passes for 168 yards and a pair of scores.
Micah Stutzman and Michael Class of Pennridge excelled in the Rams 33-27 overtime victory over Emmaus. Stutzman caught six passes for 118 yards and a pair of scores, while Class scored three touchdowns and had 212 yards of total offense.
John Fitz of Central Bucks West threw for 201 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Bucks were stopped by Upper Dublin 45-21.
Alex Gibson of Central Bucks East scored on a 65-yard touchdown drive as the Patriots were edged by Boyertown 45-39.
Austin Shearer of North Penn passed for 106 yards as the Knights were beaten by La Salle – 34-7.
Manny Nieves of Souderton ran the opening kickoff back 93 yards for a touchdown as the Indians were defeated by Pottsgrove 41-13.
Suburban One League American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Springfield Spartans
Springfield (1-0) is a Class AA team that lives in the SOL American Conference world of Triple-A and Quad-A teams. The Spartans proved to be the class of the District One Class AA field with a 48-13 victory over last season’s Class AA champion – Lower Moreland (0-1). Last season Lower Moreland was awarded the District One title despite losing to Springfield 28-0 at the end of the season.
“It is what it is,” said Springfield head coach Chris Shelly. “We consider our games with Lower Moreland as playoff games, and to be able to beat them so decisively should help us as the season goes along.
“There are only three AA teams in District One,” added Shelly as the Spartans and Lions join New-Hope Solebury as the trio of teams. “We would love to play in a true district championship game, but it always seem like we are chasing points against some great competition in Suburban One.”
Springfield dominated the opening game with Lower Moreland behind a superlative performance by senior quarterback Brendan Doyle. Doyle rushed for four touchdowns and passed for another pair of scores to spark the productive Spartan offense.
“Brendan is a gamer and can make big plays,” said Shelly. “We lost (junior starting quarterback) Chris Stone for the season with an injury, but Brendan has stepped in there and was impressive.
“We played a very physical game against Lower Moreland, and that was great to see,” added Shelly. “We are going to have to play that way once we get into our league schedule.”
SOL American Conference ‘Honor Roll’ Performances
John Derr of Upper Dublin rushed for 169 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns as the Flying Cardinals soared to a 45-21 win over Central Bucks West. Derr scored on long distance runs of 76 and 71 yards.
Tyler Whitmore of Upper Moreland scored four touchdowns as the Golden Bears collected a 33-30 win over Mastbaum. Whitmore scored two touchdowns on interception returns – added a third on a rushing touchdown – and a fourth score on a pass receiving score.
Brendan Doyle of Springfield scored four rushing touchdowns and threw for two more six-pointers as the Spartans marched to a 48-13 win over Lower Moreland.
Dave Stellato of Wissahickon rushed for a game-high 136 yards as the Trojans marched to a 34-15 victory over William Tennent.
Curtis Pardea of Norristown rushed for a team-high 116 yards and a touchdown as the Eagles dropped a 21-14 contest to Hatboro-Horsham.
Mark Heiman of Cheltenham completed eight passes and scored both touchdowns as the Panthers were caged by Downingtown West 56-14.
Suburban One League Non-League Games
Week Two
Friday Night Lights
Downingtown West Whippets (1-0) @ Neshaminy Redskins (1-0) – 7 pm
Last Week: Downingtown West defeated Cheltenham 56-14 & Neshaminy defeated Northeast 33-0
Last Year: Did Not Play
Pennridge Rams (1-0) @ Bensalem Owls (0-1) – 7 pm
Last Week: Pennridge defeated Emmaus 33-27 in overtime & Bensalem lost to Archbishop Wood 38-7
Last Year: Bensalem 24 – Pennridge 21 (overtime)
William Tennent Panthers (0-1) @ Central Bucks West Bucks (0-1) – 7 pm
Last Week: William Tennent lost to Wissahickon 34-15 & CB West lost to Upper Dublin 45-21
Last Year: CB West 28- William Tennent 20
Central Bucks South Titans (1-0) @ Coatesville Red Raiders (1-0) – 7 pm
Last Week: CB South defeated CR South 31-21 & Coatesville defeated William Penn (Dist 3) 42-7
Last Year: Did Not Play
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters (1-0) @ Pottstown Trojans (0-1) – 7 pm
Last Week: Hatboro-Horsham defeated Norristown 21-14 & Pottstown lost to Schuylkill Valley 34-19
Last Year: Did Not Play
Quakertown Panthers (1-0) @ Upper Moreland Golden Bears (1-0) – 7 pm
Last Week: Quakertown defeated Upper Perkiomen 27-6 & Upper Moreland defeated Mastbaum 33-30
Last Year: Upper Moreland 10 – Quakertown 0
Wissahickon Trojans (1-0) @ Archbishop Ryan (1-0) – 7 pm
Last Week: Wissahickon defeated William Tennent 34-15 & Archbishop Ryan defeated Cardinal O’Hara 37-20
Last Year: Archbishop Ryan 29 – Wissahickon 22
Upper Merion Vikings (0-1) @ Octorara (0-1) – 7 pm
Last Week: Upper Merion lost to Penncrest 20-0 & Octorara lost to Fleetwood 39-10
Last Year: Did Not Play
Archbishop Wood Vikings (1-0) @ North Penn Knights (0-1) – 7:30 pm
Last Week: Wood defeated Bensaelm 38-7 & North Penn lost to La Salle 34-7
Last Year: North Penn 24 – Archbishop Wood 10
Saturday Morning/Day/Night Fever
Truman Tigers (1-0) @ Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals (1-0) – 10 am
Last Week: Truman defeated Lincoln 47-21 & Upper Dublin defeated Central Bucks West 45-21
Last Year: Upper Dublin 28 – Truman 7
Souderton Indians (0-1) @ Unionville Indians (0-1) – 10 am
Last Week: Souderton lost to Pottsgrove 41-13 & Unionville lost to Garnet Valley 35-14
Last Year: Unionville 29 – Souderton 23
Central Bucks East Patriots (0-1) @ Norristown Eagles (0-1) – 1 pm
Last Week: CB East lost to Boyertown 46-39 & Norristown lost to Hatboro-Horsham 21-14
Last Year: CB East 20 – Norristown 15
Council Rock North Indians (1-0) @ Northeast (0-1) – 1 pm
Last Week: CR North defeated Haverford High 36-7 & Northeast lost to Neshaminy 33-0
Last Year: Did Not Play
Pennsbury Falcons (0-1) @ Frankford Pioneers (0-1) – 1 pm
Last Week: Pennsbury lost to Easton 28-28 & Frankford lost to Downingtown East 27-14
Last Year: Pennsbury 34 – Frankford 23
Council Rock South Golden Hawks (0-1) @ Father Judge Crusaders (0-1) – 1 pm
Last Week: CR South lost to Central Bucks South 31-21 & Father Judge lost to Episcopal Academy 30-22
Last Year: Father Judge 34 – CR South 14
Springfield Spartans (1-0) @ Neumann-Goretti (1-0) – 1 pm
Last Week: Springfield defeated Lower Moreland 48-13 & Neumann Goretti defeated Furness 35-14
Last Year: Springfield 25 – Neumann Goretti 0
Cheltenham Panthers (0-1) @ Bishop McDevitt Lancers (0-1) – 7 pm
Last Week: Cheltenham lost to Downingtown West 56-14 & Bishop McDevitt lost to Muhlenberg 50-0
Last Year: Cheltenham 35 – Bishop McDevitt 28
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (0-1) @ Abington Ghosts (1-0) – 7 pm
Last Week: PW lost to Perkiomen Valley 33-0 & Abington defeated Fels 53-22.
Last Year: Plymouth Whitemarsh 45 – Abington 17.
- Log in to post comments
