By Scott Huff
The Tim Michael era is over at Central Bucks East as the Patriot head coach turned in his resignation from his post last Friday.
“My understanding is that Tim needed more time to devote to his professional career,” said Central Bucks East athletic director John Reading in reference to Michael’s social studies teaching job at CB East. “This came completely out of the blue.
“I have never, ever, said to a coach that they had to win to keep their coaching position,” added Reading. “We haven’t gotten off to a good start this year, but that was not the reason why Tim is no longer coaching here.”East has lost its first three games of the 2009 season. The Patriots have lost to Abington (31-10), Council Rock South (31-7) and George Washington (35-14).
“(Former CB East coach) Larry Greene will be handling most of the administrative aspects of the head coaching job,” said Reading. “And the coaches on the field will coach their respective areas.
“(Offensive coordinator) Jason Hepler will coach the offense, (defensive coordinator) Mike Barainyak will coach the defense, and Joe Mazza will coach the special teams,” added Reading. “We have no plans to name a head coach at this time.”
The Patriots were 4-11 under the leadership of Michael.
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The ‘second season’ is about to begin for the teams of the Suburban One League.
It is a time for teams that have struggled in the non-league games to regroup and begin their journey through the conference schedule.
“The optimist in me says that we are 0-0 in league play,” said Souderton head coach Ed Gallagher after the Indians were defeated by Roman Catholic and dropped the Big Red to 0-3. “I really feel that we have some winnable games in our league schedule.”
It is also a time for the SOL unbeaten teams to focus on the prize at the end of the conference rainbow.
“We have been here before,” said Norristown coach EJ Smith after his Eagles moved to 3-0 with a 41-14 win over CB South in a non-league contest. “We have our biggest games coming up in the league, and we want to keep on winning.”
SOL American Conference
Upper Moreland (2-1) looked like it had paid the supreme price for its 6-0 non-league victory over Lansdale Catholic. Superlative senior Chris Smallwood hobbled off the field in a scoreless game, and it caught the watchful eye of head coach Adam Beach.
“At first, we thought it was just a cramp,” said Beach. “But then I saw him limping, and he told us that he must have caught his foot in the turf and turned his ankle.
“We have a lot of confidence in his backups,” continued Beach. “It has turned out that it is a slight sprain and he should be ready for the game this week with Upper Dublin.”
Beach applauded the play of both senior Pat McKay and junior Greg Adamson who are listed second and third on the Golden Bear depth chart at running back.
“The game with LC was a defensive struggle from the beginning,” said Beach. “We challenged our defense not to let them make big plays, and they did just that.”
The Upper Moreland front defensive wall of Dave Driscoll, Dino Pantal, Bill Conover, and Mike Romanoski played a huge role in the shutout.
The SOL American Conference opener for the Golden Bears is Upper Dublin.“We haven’t beaten them in five years,” said Beach as the Flying Cardinals handed UM one of its two losses in 2008. “And we haven’t won there in about 15 years.”
Maybe this year – with Smallwood in the backfield – the streaks will come to an end.
Upper Dublin (0-3) took a 6-0 lead early in the game in its 12-6 loss to Harry S Truman. The Flying Cardinals took the lead on a two-yard TD run by quarterback Andrew Derr. The UD defense played well and limited the Tigers to only six first downs.
Next: Upper Moreland (2-1) @ Upper Dublin (0-3)
Last Year: Upper Dublin 19 – Upper Moreland 14.
Prediction: Upper Moreland 20 – Upper Dublin 7
Norristown (3-0) flew through its non-league season in impressive fashion. The Eagles – behind a spectacular performance by Sheldon Mayer – ripped CB South (0-3), 41-14. Mayer raced for 264 yards and scored on five rushing touchdowns.
Cheltenham (1-2) took an early 6-0 lead against Quakertown, but fell to the ‘other’ Panthers (3-0), 35-6. The lone scored for CHS was a 64-yard touchdown pass from Chris Waters to Amin Elijah.
Next: Cheltenham (1-2) @ Norristown (3-0)
Last Year: Cheltenham 21 – Norristown 13.
Prediction: Norristown 35 – Cheltenham 13.
Wissahickon (2-1) bounced back from its 45-0 loss to Pottsgrove to handle Central Bucks West (1-2), 26-14. Anthony Delegall scored on a 78-yard kickoff return and a 58-yard pass from Brandon Gunn. Gunn and Myron Ross also scored rushing touchdowns for the Trojans.
Upper Merion (1-2) lost to William Tennent (1-2), 39-14. The win by Tennent was its first win after 16 straight losses. Naim Cheesboro rushed for 170 yards and scored both Viking touchdowns. The game was tied 14-14 at the half.
Next: Wissahickon (2-1) @ Upper Merion (1-2)
Last Year: Upper Merion 36 – Wissahickon 7
Prediction: Wissahickon 35 – Upper Merion 14.
Plymouth-Whitemarsh (0-3) lost a non-league contest to SOL Continental power Pennridge (2-1), 42-6. The Colonials have now lost 15 straight games dating back to November 2, 2007 when PW bested Cheltenham 28-7.
Next: Quakertown (3-0) @ Plymouth-Whitemarsh (0-3)
Last Year: Quakertown 29 – Plymouth-Whitemarsh 7.
Prediction: Quakertown 35 – Plymouth-Whitemarsh 7.
SOL National Conference
Harry S Truman (1-2) won its first game of the season – and the first game for John Iannucci as a Tiger head coach – as HST edged Upper Dublin, 12-6.
But don’t send him any congratulation cards.
“We played much harder, but it was a very sloppy game,” said Iannucci. “We had a lot of hustle and desire, but we lacked execution.
“We still have a long way to go,” added Iannucci. “We won’t be able to compete with the teams at the top of this league if we don’t practice better.”
Quarterback Derron Thompson sparked the Tigers offensively in the win over Upper Dublin. Thompson scored on a 26-yard run and threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Tom Bremme. Thompson accounted for 115 yards of total offense.
“Thompson, (Todd) Hayes, and (Anthony) Dale all stepped up and played well,” said Iannucci. “But we need others to step up as well.”
Truman will travel to Bensalem to meet the Owls in its SOL National Conference opener.
“Bensalem is a lot like us – up and down,” said Iannucci. “You would hope that going into the game off a win would help, but these are 16-18 year olds kids, and you never know.”
Bensalem (1-2) lost a tough 13-12 contest to Philadelphia Public League foe, Northeast (1-2). The Owls had 195 yards of total offense and received touchdown runs by both Lewis Vincent and Tim Farlow.Next: Harry S Truman (1-2) @ Bensalem (1-2)
Last Year: Bensalem 20 – Truman 6.
Prediction: Bensalem 21 – Truman 8
Neshaminy (3-0) completed its non-league schedule with a convincing 42-14 win over Germantown (0-3). Germantown scored first with a fumble recovery on the game’s first play, but the Skins scored the next 42 points. Bryan Dean rushed for 85 yards and a score, while QB Brian Titus threw a pair of TD passes.
Abington (2-0) did not play last week. The Ghosts defeated Plymouth-Whitemarsh, 38-0, in their last game. Quarterback Sam Kind, wide receiver Anthony Hensley, and running back Julien Ireland lead Abington.
Next: Neshaminy (3-0) @ Abington (2-0)
Last Year: Neshaminy 7 – Abington 0.
Prediction: Neshaminy 21 – Abington 14.
Pennsbury (3-0) buried Glen Mills (1-2), 42-0, to remain undefeated. The Falcon defense forced four Bull turnovers and scored three defensive touchdowns. Mike Ciotti and Chris Liccione each scored TD on the defensive end, while Dante Devine also scored on a 45-yard run.
Council Rock South (3-0) remained unbeaten with a hard-fought 6-3 victory over Conwell-Egan. The Golden Hawks trailed 3-0 late in the game, but quarterback Bill Fleming scored on a three-yard run with 1:09 left in the contest to seal the win.
Next: Council Rock South (3-0) @ Pennsbury (3-0)
Last Year: Pennsbury 27 – CR South 20.
Prediction: Pennsbury 20 – CR South 13
William Tennent (1-2) celebrated a victory after 16 successive losses with a strong 39-14 non-league win over Upper Merion. Tyler Hamlet rushed for an even 100 yards and scored three touchdowns for the Panthers. Kicker Sean Baker booted a 47-yard field goal.
Council Rock North (2-1) won its second straight game with a 17-13 win over Hatboro-Horsham. The Indians used a fake punt late in the game to set up the winning score – a Brandon Cottom 14-yard run. Tyler Hamilton threw a 5-yard TD pass to Ty Bostain.
Next: William Tennent (1-2) @ CR North (2-1)
Last Year: CR North 35 – William Tennent 12
Prediction: CR North 28 – William Tennent 20
SOL Continental Conference
Quakertown (3-0) will have to compete without its number one quarterback for at least the next few weeks – maybe more. Senior Ryan Tincknell dislocated the elbow in his non-throwing arm in the Panthers 35-6 win over Cheltenham (1-2). An upcoming MRI will determine the length of his absence.
“When Ryan went down, Kurtis Roberts did a great job of running the offense,” said Quakertown head coach John Donnelly. “He has a great arm, and we really didn’t have to cut back on anything that we ran on offense.
“We have a decent set of receivers to throw to,” continued Donnelly. “And Kurtis will get them the football.”
Quakertown features a terrific running game with senior Tony Latronica as the featured back. In the win over Cheltenham, Latronica rushed for 105 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns. He also threw a 45-yard TD pass to Luke Helm.
“We do a good job of running the football,” said Donnelly. “But really, our game plan won’t change much with Ryan out. We have confidence in the way that Kurtis can run the offense.”
The first test for the Panthers with Roberts as the starting QB will come on the road against Plymouth-Whitemarsh (0-3) in a non-league contest.
“The guys will be ready,” said Donnelly.
Next: Quakertown (3-0) @ Plymouth-Whitemarsh (0-3)
Last Year: Quakertown 29 – Plymouth-Whitemarsh 7
Prediction: Quakertown 35 – PW 7
North Penn (3-0) played an excellent game in defeating highly touted St. Joe Prep (2-1), 28-14. Senior quarterback Todd Smolinsky threw three touchdown passes – one each to TJ Gill, Dominic Taggart, and Ralph Reeves. The Knights are ranked number four in the state by EasternPaFootball.com Rankings.
Central Bucks South (0-3) was able to move the football between the goal lines as the Titans collected 18 first downs, but could muster just a pair of touchdowns in a 41-14 non-league loss to Norristown. Jon Eiseman led CB South in rushing with 81 yards.
Next: North Penn (3-0) @ CB South (0-3)
Last Year: North Penn 31 – CB South 14
Prediction: North Penn 42 – CB South 14
Hatboro-Horsham (1-2) led into the fourth quarter but dropped a heart breaking 17-13 contest to Council Rock North (2-1). The Hatters were led by running back Darryl Neville who rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown. Connor Poston caught a 10-yard TD pass from Matt Hollenbeck.Central Bucks East (0-3) had its hands full with defending Philadelphia Public League champion George Washington (2-1) in a 35-14 loss. The Patriot TD makers were Mike Veix and Josh Bernard.
Next: CB East (0-3) @ Hatboro-Horsham (1-2)
Last Year: CB East 28 – Hatboro-Horsham 15
Prediction: Hatboro-Horsham 17 – CB East 14
Central Bucks West (1-2) led 14-0 in its game last week with Wissahickon (2-1), but the Bucks gave up the last 26 points in a 26-14 setback. Joe DiStefano scored both West touchdowns.
Souderton (0-3) came up short in its non-league contest with Roman Catholic losing to the Cahillites by a 27-7 margin. The lone Big Red score came late in the game when Clint Passarella scored on a five-yard TD pass from Connor Brokenshire.
Next: Souderton (0-3) @ Central Bucks West (1-2)
Last Year: CB West 38 – Souderton 35.
Prediction: Souderton 14 – CB West 10
Pennridge (2-1) racked up 390 yards of total offense in its 42-6 victory over Plymouth-Whitemarsh. Ian Walbridge – who scored rushed for 220 yards – scored on runs of 54 and 60 yards. Kyle Peters threw a pair of TD passes to Drew Smith.
Next: Pennridge (2-1) @ Archbishop Wood (1-2)
Last Year: Pennridge 43 – Wood 42 {triple OT}
Prediction: Pennridge 20 – Wood 17
SOS.com Super Seven
1. North Penn Knights (3-0)
2. Pennsbury Falcons (3-0)
3. Neshaminy Redskins (3-0)
4. Abington Ghosts (2-0)
5. Quakertown Panthers (3-0)
6. Norristown Eagles (3-0)
7. Council Rock South Golden Hawks (3-0)
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