Seven SOL baseball teams will be in action in Monday’s opening round of the District One AAAA Tournament. Check back for a recap of all the games.
By Scott Huff
North Penn will begin the enormously difficult taskof defending its 2013 PIAA Quad-A state baseball title as the Knights will do battle in the first round of the District One playoffs today (5/19/14).
“It is great to be back in the playoffs,” said North Penn head coach Kevin Manero as his Knights concluded the season as Suburban One League Continental Conference champions. “All we want to do now is to continue winning and keep our season going.
“Last year we were the last team to get in the district playoffs, and this year being defending state champions is just the opposite,” added Manero. “Last year we proved that it doesn’t matter where you are seeded – it’s where you finish that counts.”
Ironically, the # 12 seed from the ‘North’ bracket of District One has had huge success in recent history. In 2012, Central Bucks South was the bottom seed in the field and zipped through the bracket and won the District One title. And last year the Knights were a # 12 that won the state trophy.
Who is the ‘lucky’ [N-12] seed this season? How about those Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials? The Colonials – who finished in third place in the SOL American Conference – are paradoxically coached by none other than Chris Manero, the brother of North Penn head coach Kevin Manero.
“My only advice to my brother is simple - win,” said Kevin Manero. “He knows what he is up against - but he has proof as to what can happen as a # 12 seed by what we did last year.”
“North Penn and CB South show you the history of what can happen with a # 12 seed,” said Chris Manero. “And now it is our turn to try and match that success.”
The trek to the PIAA Quad-A district championship will begin with nine Suburban One League teams.
The SOL Continental Conference will field four teams – [N-5] North Penn, [N-6] Pennridge, [N-10] Central Bucks East, and [N-11] Hatboro-Horsham.
The SOL National Conference will field three teams – [N-3] Council Rock South, [N-8] Pennsbury, and [N-9] Council Rock North.
The SOL American Conference will field two teams – [N-1] Cheltenham and [N-12] Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Let the games begin…
PIAA Quad-A District One First Round Playoff Preview
Monday – May 19, 2014
[N-9] Council Rock North Indians @ [S-8] Great Valley Patriots
Winner Gets– [N-1]Cheltenhamon Wednesday (5/21/14)
Season Resume – Council Rock North (9-5)finished the regular season tied for second place in the Suburban One League National Conference; Great Valley (13-6) finished the regular season as the champion of the Ches-Mont American Conference.
Council Rock North head coach Matt Schram says: “We know that Great Valley is a fundamentally sound baseball team and that we are going to have to play a clean game if we want to beat them. You try to get a scouting report, but last year we were told (in the first round of districts) that Penncrest couldn’t hit – and they hit the cover off the ball against us. Sometimes you need to just throw the scouting report out. I can tell you that the team that is the hottest is going to be the team that will be playing on June 13th for a state championship. Last year North Penn was the hottest team, we will have to see who that team is this year.”
[S-12] Unionville Indians @ [N-5] North Penn Knights
Winner Gets – [S-4] Conestoga Pioneers on Wednesday (5/21/14)
Season Resume – Unionville (10-9) finished the regular season as the second place finisher in the Ches-Mont American Conference; North Penn (10-4) finished the regular season as the champion of the Suburban One League Continental Conference.
North Penn head coach Kevin Manero says: “It is helpful to know a little bit about who you are playing, but sometimes the best way to prepare yourself is to just take care of yourself. The early part of districts is single elimination, and that means you have to play good baseball. The one thing our conference does is to prepare you for the playoffs. There are no easy games in our league – and the entire season can be a grind. The upperclassmen on this team have the experience of winning a state title last year, and we know what we have ahead of us.”
[N-11] Hatboro-Horsham Hatters @ [S-6] Downingtown West Whippets
Winner Gets – [N-3] Council Rock South Golden Hawks on Wednesday (5/21/14)
Season Resume – Hatboro-Horsham (8-6) finished the regular season tied for third place in the Suburban One League Continental Conference; Downingtown West (12-7) finished the regular season tied for second place in the Ches-Mont National Conference.
Hatboro-Horsham head coach Peter Moore says: “We did not play our best baseball at the end of the season, but we still were able to make the playoffs. And once you get to this point – anything can happen – and we have North Penn and CB South as examples of that the last two years. We look at the playoffs as a fresh start – and our seniors want to make the most of that. We have been involved in a lot of one-run games this year and have won most of them. Playing in our conference has us battle tested – and we’re ready to go.”
[S-9] Coatesville Red Raiders @ Pennsbury Falcons
Winner Gets – [S-1] Downingtown East Cougars on Wednesday (5/21/14)
Season Resume – Coatesville (12-7) finished the regular season tied for second place in the Ches-Mont League National Conference; Pennsbury (9-5) finished the regular season tied for second place in the Suburban One League National Conference.
Pennsbury head coach Joe Pesci says: “We have a very dubious seed – we have a home game which is great – but we also will face the best pitcher in the district in Brian Brown. We have been hitting the ball well lately, and we’re going to have to be at our best against him. We had a chance to win our league, but we didn’t get it done. Now we have that second chance in the districts and we want our season to continue.”
[N-12] Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials @ [S-5] Avon Grove Red Devils
Winner Gets – [N-4] Spring-Ford Rams on Wednesday (5/21/14)
Season Resume – Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-5) finished the regular season in third place in the Suburban One League American Conference; Avon Grove (12-7) finished the regular season tied for second place in the Ches-Mont National Conference.
Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Chris Manero says: “The season has been a great one for us turning around a 3-11 league record to 9-5 this year. The players were rewarded for all the hard work they did in fall ball and in the winter lifting. We know that we are a # 12 seed – but we also know what can happen to the # 12 seed. We will try and control the things we can control and play our best baseball.”
[N-10] Central Bucks East Patriots @ [S-7] Radnor Green Raiders
Winner Gets – [N-2] Boyertown Bears on Wednesday (5/21/14)
Season Resume – Central Bucks East (8-6) finished the regular season tied for third place in the Suburban One League Continental Conference; Radnor (11-5) finished the regular season as the fourth place finisher in the Central League.
Central Bucks East head coach Kyle Dennis says: “This game has a couple of very good high school baseball teams – and anyone has a shot to win in the playoffs. The team that can pitch, play defense and get timely hits will win the game. We really have been playing playoff baseball the last four games just to get into the playoffs, and the kids are excited for the game.”
[S-11] West Chester East Vikings @ [N-6] Pennridge Rams
Winner Gets – [S-3] Strath Haven on Wednesday (5/21/14)
Season Resume – West Chester East (10-9) finished the regular season as the sixth place finisher in the Ches-Mont National Conference; Pennridge finished the regular season as the second place finisher in the Suburban One League Continental Conference.
Pennridge head coach Tom Nuneviller says: “West Chester East has a really good pitcher that is going to Virginia Tech – and we are going to have to make some minor adjustments in our approach at the plate. The best thing about the league we play in is that every game we play during the regular season is like a playoff caliber game. We are going to have to do the right things, play the game the right way, and take some chances if we want to win. We have players that have experience the playoffs last year, and that is a plus.”
Suburban One Sports.com
Top Ten
1. Cheltenham Panthers
2. Council Rock South Golden Hawks
3. North Penn Knights
4. Pennridge Rams
5. Pennsbury Falcons
6. Council Rock North Indians
7. Upper Moreland Golden Bears
8. Central Bucks East Patriots
9. Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
10. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials
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