Intelligencer/Courier Times 'Let's Talk Football (10-16-15)

Back for its sixth season, the popular Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features Kevin Cooney and Drew Markol.  Cooney, the Phillies beat writer, will handle the Bucks County Courier Times coverage area and also is part of a panel each Friday night on the WNPV/Intelligencer Scoreboard Show. Markol is the football beat writer for the Intelligencer area. Both are regular contributors on the weekly Game On show, and to view this week’s show, click on the following link: http://www.theintell.com/videos/hsgameon/  To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the Intelligencer/Courier Times web site http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/high_school/

SuburbanOneSports.com:  Central Bucks South is facing an Abington team looking for its first win. Your thoughts about those two teams.

Kevin Cooney:  “This is a game, quite honestly, between two teams who won’t make the playoffs. This is a down year for Abington, and I think anybody who looks at it objectively – every good program has a year like this to different degrees. Neshaminy had a down year last year. Pennsbury’s had down years where they’ve gone 5-5. This is a year where things have bottomed out for Abington, and it bottomed out from game one. They had a late lead in that game against Northeast, and they couldn’t hold it. Things never seemed to go right since then.

“Part of the challenge for CB South and Abington is to maintain consistency. You look at this division – North Penn, Pennsbury and Neshaminy are, to a certain degree, consistent. Yes, they have the occasional hiccough, but they’re consistently in the conversation. Abington, until this point, has consistently been in the conversation. CB South has not. CB South has been if they have the dynamic player. If they have an Eric Reynolds, if they have a Josh Adams, if they have a Matt Johns, they’re in the conversation to a degree. They’re not a deep enough program right now where they can maintain that upper level year after year after year, and I think that’s one thing they have to work on.

“For Abington, it’s a matter of getting the pieces back together. Last year you had defensive coordinator Kevin Conlin leave, and I think they’re a little uneven still on that side. They’ve had some line issues. It’s just a matter of those breakdowns – the breakdowns they’ve had this year we haven’t seen from an Abington team since really the late 90s.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  Talk about the big picture in the SOL National Conference.

Kevin Cooney: “We talk about the lack of good games - all the drama in this division has almost been ripped down. I guess Pennridge would like to make a case that they’re in the conversation, and they could prove that this week against Pennsbury, but you have three games that will determine where everybody goes – Pennsbury/North Penn, Neshaminy/North Penn and Neshaminy/Pennsbury, and that’s the bulk of the schedule at this point.

“It all comes down to next week in the National Conference. The Pennsbury/North Penn game sets the tone for not just Suburban One but for District One because if North Penn beats Pennsbury with the amount of depth they have, I think you can finally start talking about them in the way you would Downingtown East, Downingtown West, Coatesville and Upper Dublin as potential district titlists. They have enough depth and they’re playing well enough with their passing game and their running game that you could see them making a run if they beat Pennsbury and end up winning this division and getting a top six seed.

“Meanwhile, for Pennsbury – they’re the defending district champs. We’ve made a lot out of them losing to North Penn in the past, but in actuality, it only impacts them if they play North Penn in the playoffs. That might sound strange, but it seems like there’s a different dynamic at play when they play North Penn and when they play everybody else. I don’t know what it is, but if they somehow should beat North Penn, that should take that one final little piece of doubt that anybody has against them out of the equation, and that’s huge for this program. If you remove that and Pennsbury’s only loss to this point is to La Salle – you really are looking at a potentially dangerous team going forward.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  Pennridge will host Pennsbury in a key National Conference game Friday. Your thoughts.

Drew Markol:  “When Pennridge lost to CB East in overtime, they kind off fell of the ledge a little bit. They lose big to North Penn and you think, ‘Pennridge is maybe heading to a .500 season,’ and then they beat Neshaminy, and all of a sudden, they’re right back in the mix.

“Against Pennsbury, they’re facing a similar team. There’s not a lot of blazing team speed from either side, but these are probably – if not the two biggest teams up front in the conference and maybe North Penn gets in there too, but both of these teams are really big up front. I see this one just slugging away at each other on the ground – that’s been Pennsbury’s thing forever. You have to favor Pennsbury because of how well they’ve been playing. They’re the defending district champs, and they really haven’t missed too much of a beat from a year ago. It’s a big game. It’s one of the bigger games of the weekend, for sure. If Pennridge can beat them, now they’re 5-2 and right there.”

Kevin Cooney:  “At a certain point for some teams, it becomes elimination time, but Pennridge could lose this game and still make the playoffs with three losses. This is a game – if you’re Pennridge – you still have to play close in this one to give people the idea and to give yourself the idea that if you get in the tournament you could cause some damage.

“Look, Pennirdge is lucky, in a sense. Pennridge was kind of throttled by North Penn and then they beat Neshaminy, After Friday night, they got the big three in the division out of the way, and with the rest of the schedule, they could run the table, so they could get in. This is the type of game you learn a lot about Pennridge.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  The big game this week was supposed to be the Upper Dublin/Plymouth Whitemarsh game, but Upper Moreland knocked PW from the ranks of the undefeated last week. Your thoughts about that game.

Kevin Cooney:  “That game didn’t help the American Conference. You have an Upper Moreland team – and Upper Moreland is pretty good, but Upper Moreland lost to Hatboro week one of the league season. Then Upper Moreland goes to PW and blows out PW, and they beat PW the week before PW was supposed to have this big showdown game that everybody thinks is going to prove what PW and Upper Dublin are about.

“This has to be a pride game for PW because I think people wondered if they were good enough to beat Upper Dublin anyway. You have to show you weren’t built up because of a soft non-league schedule. You have to have a little anger in you when you lose a game like that last week, and you’ve got to show that you’re better than what you played last week. If you don’t, it’s kind the same thing we were talking about with Pennridge – if you get blown out this week, you probably will make the playoffs, but it’s going to be one of those games where people are going to look at the bracket and go ‘they’re not that dangerous because they lost to both big teams in their own division.’ I think that’s the danger for PW.

“Look, teams can bounce back late in the year, teams can get on rolls. There’s enough time. It’s not like the playoffs are next week, and you’ve lost two in a row and are really slumping, but you’ve got to get something going. You’ve got to bounce back with a strong effort this week.”

Drew Markol:  “A ton of credit to Upper Moreland. A couple of weeks ago when they lose to Hatboro, and Hatboro was struggling mightily at the time, and people were wondering if Hatboro was going to win a game – they go and beat Upper Moreland after losing four in a row to them. You’re thinking - what happened to Upper Moreland? They fell off everyone’s radar, and they’re playing PW which is way up in the power rankings and everybody was talking about the big showdown coming up with Upper Dublin that could decide the American Conference.

“Upper Moreland goes and scores 49 points and has 500 yards of offense. It’s unbelievable. Could somebody make a tackle? It’s crazy. If anybody told you they picked Upper Moreland to win that game, they’re lying because that game was skewed towards PW, and obviously, PW looked past them. Now, if you’re PW, you don’t necessarily have to win the game, but would really, really help you if you did because you put yourself in a hole. You can’t do that. That game wasn’t just the shocker of the week – that’s the biggest shocker I’ve seen this season, without a doubt.

“Upper Dublin doesn’t mess around. They’re now the ranked number three in the state by PA Football News, and they’re being recognized for the fact that they’re really, really good. I’m sure they saw the film of what Upper Moreland was able to do to PW – I guess they watched it once or twice, it’s just a hunch. I don’t know if they’re going to do one of their 58-0 numbers on them, but now you have to think they’re a huge favorite in a game that before you’d say it’s going to be a touchdown or two game. Now I don’t know about that.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  When Steve Spurrier stepped down as the coach at South Carolina this week, the question was raised whether Brandon McIlwain would remain committed to the school. You wrote an article about the fact that he is standing by his decision – share your thoughts.

Kevin Cooney:  “Brandon McIlwain reaffirmed his commitment to South Carolina this week. I’m writing a column for Friday’s (Bucks County Courier Times) about the college football recruiting process, and this is a rant against the media. I think we make so much in that period leading up to February about where these kids are going to go. To me, the most boring thing in high school sports is the recruitment trail for college football.

“Do I think Brandon McIlwain is a person of his word and he’s going to go to the University of South Carolina with Steve Spurrier not there? Yes, provided he doesn’t get the big bonus from baseball, which I always think is the wild card with him. If Major League Baseball comes in and drafts him in the top five rounds, I think he’d be foolish not to go start his pro career making six figures. You get a signing bonus, you take care of college later.

“This period of the verbals is such a waste, and it’s a waste on both fronts. Brandon McIlwain and Archbishop Wood’s Anthony Russo - who is going to Rutgers - are both going to programs that right now are in chaos and flux - Rutgers with all their problems with their head coach suspended and with Spurrier leaving South Carolina. We have to remember these are high school kids, and high school kids change their minds 5,000 times a week on everything, and yet we put so much pressure on these kids, and two things happen. One, situations totally change, and we instantly think if a kid changes their mind something must be wrong with the kid, but no, sometimes there’s something wrong with the program. Maybe the kid just changed his mind.

“There are certain people in the media that are just outright using college recruiting to make a buck off of these kids. I’m not saying that recruiting services are bad, but these groups that just made this swap market – you almost wonder if these kids feel like they’re boxed in because they made this verbal commitment. Meanwhile, these schools – if they find somebody else – can recruit over you in a heartbeat.

“In a perfect world, we wouldn’t know where these kids are going until a week before National Signing Day because I think it kind of overshadows everything. Maybe I’m old, maybe I’m cranky, but I think sometimes these verbals are meaningless, and we cover them like they’re gold.

“If Brandon McIlwain had decided this week – ‘One of the greatest college football coaches in history is leaving the school I committed to. You know what – peace, I’m out of here’ and called Penn State, Temple, Notre Dame or whatever, I’d have no problem with that. Yet there would be some people who wonder what the hell happened or why the kid went back on his word, and that’s nonsense. I just wish the media itself would take a step back.

“Look, and I’m as guilty as the next person in a lot of ways, but we cover high school sports like it’s the NFL, and this is one of the dangers. We’re letting kids hang out there for unnecessary ridicule, and it’s a part of the game I really don’t like. I really don’t.

“I believe part of the reason South Carolina went to the top of McIlwain’s list was because they were going to let him play baseball.

“People can look at the names of schools these kids are interested in, and it’s almost like it gives them a grade – this kid must be really good because he’s getting looked at by the SEC or whatever. I think the verbals and the dog and pony shows these announcements have become because of ESPNU – and I sound like the old man who is yelling ‘get off my grass’ – it’s too much. It really is.

“All of this has hurt high school athletics, and I think, at a certain point, we as the media have to step back and realize, quite frankly, 60-70 percent of the kids are going to change their minds. It’s an epidemic, and this is separate from McIlwain. McIlwain’s a good kid, but we’ve – and I blame all of us – this isn’t just the kid, this isn’t just the media – I think we’ve created a system where people seek out attention instead of doing what’s right. That’s not McIlwain. That’s across the board. We play into it, and it’s almost a vicious cycle, and in the end, I think kids are hurt by it.

“You see what’s going on, and I don’t know if the kids feel trapped. To me, I would tell the kid – ‘Look, re-open your commitment to make sure you’re in the right spot.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  Norristown is coming off an overtime win over Council Rock North. Your thoughts about the Norristown/Central Bucks East game this week.

Drew Markol:  “If you’re Norristown, you lose in overtime to CB West – how much is that bugging you now because you’re on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs but you’re not that far outside. You get that win against West in overtime, now you go and beat Council Rock North and pile up all these yards against them – you’re so close to it, but now you’ve left no margin for error. On Saturday, you have to play CB East who is solidly in the playoffs now, but Norristown comes in on a little bit of a roll. They have a couple of their players back – that’s a good game.

“I think East wins, but you have a team in Norristown coming in with a lot of confidence. CB East cannot afford to slip up. They’re 4-2 now, and they still have to play Quakertown down the road. They need to keep winning. Norristown at 3-3 knows they have a shot, but they can’t afford another loss either. You beat a team like East that’s ahead of you in the power rankings, and it can’t hurt.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  Hatboro-Horsham is 3-0 after its big win over Springfield. Your comments about the Hatters.

Drew Markol:  “They started off 0-3, and there was a question of where do you want your season to go. As it turns out, the best thing that could have happened to them when they were 0-3 was the fact that they had to play Upper Moreland because if there’s any game they would get up for it would be that one. If it were somebody else in the conference game, maybe they’re not as into it, they’re not as excited, they’re not trying to get revenge in the neighborhood, but they played Upper Moreland, and all of a sudden they beat them. Upper Moreland was obviously pretty good – they beat them, and they got that jolt of confidence. I talked to a couple of their players last week at practice, and they said – after we beat Upper Moreland, you could just tell the big difference in practice. Everybody was more excited, more confident, more lively. Winning cures everything, and winning against your rival even cures more.
“Jordan Mason, who is a senior, is known more as a defensive player, but he has come on. Last week he had four carries for 162 yards and three touchdowns, and 158 yards on three of those carries were in the first half. He’s a big kid – he’s big and he’s athletic, and it looks like he has a little bit of a mean streak in him. It looks like they’ve found their stride. Everybody thought they got Upper Moreland at the wrong time, and it turns out they got them at the exact right time.”

SuburbanOneSports:  The Upper Dublin at Plymouth Whitemarsh game this Friday was supposed to decide the outright leader of the SOL American Conference.  Upper Dublin (6-0, 3-0) will go into the game unbeaten, but PW (5-1, 2-1) suffered a 49-35 loss to Upper Moreland last week and the Colonials hope with a victory to tie the Cardinals with a 3-1 conference mark.  Who wins?

Scott Huff:  “Upper Dublin. The fact that Plymouth Whitemarsh lost to Upper Moreland is truly not that shocking.  I feel that too many pundits have mistakenly conceded that Upper Dublin and PW were the class of the conference and discounted both Upper Moreland and Hatboro-Horsham as contenders.  In fact, if PW defeats Upper Dublin – and Hatboro-Horsham (3-3, 3-0) handles Wissahickon (1-5, 0-3) – the Hatters would be in sole possession of first place in the conference.

“That being said, I feel that Upper Dublin is the class of the conference and will prove it with a hard-fought victory over the Colonials.  The Cardinals not only feature the high-octane offense fueled by quarterback Ryan Stover and running backs Kalief Lee and Stacey Gardner – Upper Dublin also has a terrific defense spearheaded by linebacker Jack Rapine.

“Plymouth Whitemarsh does showcase the elite runner in the conference in Nafeese Nasir – and if the Cardinals are going to secure their first place standings it is going to have to limit the damage done by Nasir both as a running back and a receiver.   Colonial quarterback Joe Stoberi was wonderful in defeat last week completing 17 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns.

“Upper Dublin is going to score points against PW – I don’t think PW is going to score enough points to beat Upper Dublin.  Sometimes it really is that simple.   But you never know – that’s why they play the games.  The Colonials found that out last week against Upper Moreland.”

SuburbanOneSports:  Upper Moreland ‘upset’ Plymouth Whitemarsh last week.  Your thoughts?

Scott Huff:  “I read an interesting comment made by Upper Moreland head coach Adam Beach about the Bears preparation for Plymouth Whitemarsh last week.  He said that PW won most of its game by big margins – and that the Colonials did not have to play a full four quarters since Souderton in first week of the season.

“Upper Moreland made PW play the full four quarters and the Bears left the field with the victory.  Upper Moreland did not have its best defensive outing of the season as it yielded 35 points to the Colonials – and running back Nafeese Nasir and quarterback Joe Stoberi each had big statistical games for PW.

“But Upper Moreland was outstanding on the offensive side of the football.  Numbers don’t lie – and the performances of both quarterback Casey Decker and running back Rodney Morgan were marvelous.  Decker threw for a pair of touchdowns – and rushed for another pair of scores.  Morgan rushed for 253 yards and a touchdown.

“The lone conference loss this season – and really the only loss of the entire season – came two weeks ago in a 20-13 loss to Hatboro-Horsham.

And those Hatters have proven to be a contender for a conference championship.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  What about those Hatboro-Horsham Hatters?

Scott Huff:  “The Hatters continue to impress with a huge victory over Springfield – 63-21 – last week.  Offensively, Hatboro-Horsham has been good all season – even during its 0-3 non-conference start to the season.  And if the Hatters beat Wissahickon this week (see above) and PW beats Upper Dublin – those crazy Hatters are alone at the top of the SOL American Conference standings.”

SuburbanOneSports:  Cheltenham earned its first conference win of the season last week against Upper Merion – 22-14.  Can the Panthers win this week against Springfield for a second straight conference win?

Scott Huff:  “You bet.  The schedule maker was not kind to the inexperienced Panthers.  Losses to Central Bucks East (54-14), Quakertown (42-6), Upper Dublin (42-6), and Upper Moreland (28-6) came against teams that are now a combined 21-3.  The second half of the season is a lot kinder to Joe Gro’s team – and senior quarterback Branden Mack is one of the premier playmakers in the league.”

SuburbanOneSports:  Who wins this week?
Scott Huff:  “How about / Upper Dublin 35-Plymouth Whitemarsh 21/ Upper Moreland 42-Upper Merion 13/ Hatboro-Horsham 38-Wissahickon 6/ and /Cheltenham 28 – Springfield 14/.”

*The opinions expressed in ‘Let’s Talk Football’ are not necessarily those of SuburbanOneSports.com.”