Back for its fifth season, the popular Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features high school football beat writers Drew Markol and Dan Dunkin. Markol covers schools in the Intelligencer area while Dan Dunkin covers teams in the Courier Times area. Both share their perspective on the teams in their coverage area. Scott Huff, football writer for SuburbanOneSports.com, shares his thoughts about the American Conference squads. 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: Your thoughts about the suspension of Central Bucks West’s football program on Thursday.
Drew Markol: “We’ll find out as the days go by what really went on and what’s going to happen with the people who were involved. One of the first things you think of – it was homecoming, and you think about CB East which now loses its homecoming game also. You think about CB West all the non-football playing kids – there are a lot of them too who now have their homecoming ruined. CB East has to find a game. Do you find a game and slap together a homecoming next week? It’s hard to get a handle on this because it’s unprecedented around here.
“You had that case in Sayreville, New Jersey, which isn’t that far away from us, but it’s far enough away that we’re not familiar with it and we’re not around it. A cynic would say that maybe this happens at other places too, and it hasn’t been made public. One of the things that really surprises me in this day of social media is that nothing came out about it.
“This impacts so many people that weren’t involved in this at all, and that’s the tragedy of it. You wonder what’s going to happen. This is damaging in ways you can’t imagine right now. Lord know what’s going to happen in the long term with something like this. What will we find out tomorrow or next week?”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Your thoughts about North Penn’s upset of Pennsbury last Friday.
Drew Markol: “It’s hard to be totally shocked when a team like North Penn had beaten Pennsbury 13 straight times. It’s just remarkable that you have a program as good as Pennsbury has been forever that any team could beat them 13 times in a row and now 14 times in a row – it is eye opening. There’s got to be more to it than North Penn getting lucky 14 times.
“North Penn head coach Dick Beck knows what he’s doing, and his teams get better every year as the season goes along, and that’s a sign of good coaching. They just seem to have Pennsbury’s number. Pennsbury was 7-0, and they were dismantling teams along the way. North Penn kind of pushed them back and put them in some uncomfortable spots where they hadn’t been, basically trailing. Playing from behind is a whole lot harder obviously than when you’re up 35-6. Pennsbury just didn’t have an answer when they needed to throw the ball and move quickly.
“Pennsbury’s football web site is PHSgroundandpound.com. That’s what they do – they run the ball. That has worked very well, but you get to a point where you have to be able to do something else, and they couldn’t. When they tried to, North Penn just stopped them.
“What North Penn has done with junior quarterback Jake Bevan – he’s not the tallest quarterback in the world, but they roll him out, and they threw the ball effectively. He didn’t have big numbers, but the passing yards he got were huge. It keeps the clock moving, it keeps possession. Teams at the high level, like the Pennsburys and North Penns, you have to be able to do more than one thing. North Penn was able to, and Pennsbury was not. Ultimately, that turned out to be the difference. Bevan has been able to do just enough to keep North Penn going, and now the Knights are right in the middle of the district playoff tournament again.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn will travel to Neshaminy on Friday night for a rematch of last year’s district title game. Your thoughts about that game.
Drew Markol: “If you’re North Penn, the last time you played Neshaminy you got spanked in the district final 42-7, so you haven’t forgotten about that, and ever since you started 1-2, you’ve had to keep winning. You not only have to worry about Neshaminy, but you have Abington next week. Both Neshaminy and Abington are having down years for them, but they’re both good programs. I’m sure Dick Beck has North Penn well aware – it was great to beat Pennsbury, but you’re not done yet.
“If you’re Neshaminy at 4-4 and you can beat North Penn and if you can beat Pennsbury, you’re probably getting into the tournament. Once you get in – probably something you thought wasn’t going to happen – anything could happen because you’ll be going in with a tremendous amount of confidence. Beating North Penn and Pennsbury in back-to-back weeks. Last year, Pennsbury thumped Neshaminy in the last game of the regular season, but then Pennsbury lost to North Penn in districts, and Neshaminy ends up winning a district title. A lot of things can happen, but there is a lot on the line for both North Penn and Neshaminy as far as North Penn wanting to move up the district ladder and Neshaminy wanting to get in.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Central Bucks South will travel to Pennsbury. What are your comments on that game?
Drew Markol: “That’s a question of – can Pennsbury bounce back? When you’re 7-0, as much as coaches tell you one week at a time, you’re thinking, ‘Okay, we’re going to be 8-0, then we’ll be 9-0 and then we’ll be 10-0 down the line.’ It’s hard to think of a loss, but now you get that loss, and you have to bounce back because here comes CB South with one of the top running backs in the country in Josh Adams who doesn’t really care that you lost to North Penn the week before. Pennsbury has to be careful because South’s only loss came to Coatesville, and Coatesville hasn’t lost to anybody. With a win over Pennsbury and a win over Souderton on Halloween, South can win the Continental Conference outright, plus greatly enhance its standing in the district tournament. There’s a lot on the line here.
“Pennsbury doesn’t want a two-game losing streak heading into Neshaminy because then you’re starting to reel and you’re starting to question yourself. That’s a very good matchup.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Quakertown will travel to Council Rock North on Saturday for a conference showdown. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “Quakertown doesn’t hurt themselves. They make the plays, they don’t take stupid penalties, they rarely turn the ball over, and they can run the ball. Senior quarterback Alec Vera hasn’t been asked to throw it too much, but he’s a dual-threat quarterback because he can also run it. They have a good group of receivers, their special teams are good, and their defense just shuts teams down. Quakertown has done what good teams do, and that’s why they’re undefeated.
“Now you’re looking at Council Rock North, the preseason favorite in the Continental – they have the best player in the conference in junior quarterback Brandon McIlwain who come next year might be the best player in the state. When you look at the list of schools going after him, it’s really impressive.
“Needless to say, Quakertown hasn’t seen a player like McIlwain because there aren’t many players like McIlwain. You have to try and contain him because he can get you with his feet, and he can get you with his arm. He prolongs plays by being able to scramble, and they can score. It’s an interesting matchup.
“Quakertown is trying to get a league title for the first time in 11 years. They’re the number two seed in the district. There are only two undefeated teams in Quad A, and it’s Coatesville and them.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Pennridge will host Souderton in a rivalry game. Your thoughts about that game.
Drew Markol: “Pennridge is 14th in the power rankings in the district, and only 16 teams get in, so they can’t afford a loss. A lot of the kids on this current Pennridge team were very close to Bud Hollenbach, the father of coach Jeff Hollenback, who passed away last Friday after a car accident at the Central Bucks South game. A lot of their players are saying they’re playing the games for him now. They gave CB South a great game last Friday and almost knocked them off, and now they have to do their best to try and refocus on Souderton. If Pennridge wants to get into the tournament, it can’t afford another loss. It has to play Souderton and Bensalem and take care of business.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: William Tennent will face Truman. Your thoughts about that game.
Drew Markol: “Tennent has been in practically every game. Bob Rosenberger is a Tennent grad, and he’s trying to turn them around. It looks like he has them going in the right direction. Senior quarterback Nic Banks is a dynamic player who can keep them in any game with his arm and with his feet.
“If you’re Truman, you’re 5-3, you’re 20th right now in the district power rankings, leaving you four spots out, but when’s the last time we were talking about Truman and the district playoffs at the end of October. That has not happened. A lot of things have to go right, and Truman has to win its last two games, and have some other things happen, but at least we’re thinking about it which says an awful lot about Truman and the job coach Jon Craig and his predecessor Ed Cubbage have done with the Tigers.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn pulled off the upset of Pennsbury. Your thoughts about that game.
Dan Dunkin: “My overriding thought is that whenever you doubt Dick Beck and North Penn – it’s the high school equivalent of doubting Bill Belichek and the Patriots. They wax you.
“There is a deeply embedded resiliency and toughness in that program that will carry them through relative talent shortages, but they still have plenty of talent at North Penn. No, it is not one of their more dominant teams, but as far as beating Pennsbury and having Pennsbury’s number – there’s a deeply embedded toughness and resiliency in Pennsbury as well under Galen Snyder. It’s very similar.
“The difference is North Penn made some key big plays offensively – quick-strike plays. While I think Pennsbury’s defense is exceptional, they did show some vulnerability. You look at it, and Pennsbury did rush for 350 yards. You say they should win the game – yes, they should, but their passing game is not developed enough in big tight games to win those games. I think this is a great example of that.
“Looking ahead this year to the playoffs, I thought with Mike Alley, a terrific talent at quarterback, it was going to give Pennsbury an opportunity to branch out a little bit, which they have on occasion, but especially in a big game where they’re challenged, and it’s close and they need plays, that passing game has to be developed, and it’s not.
“Give North Penn a ton, a ton of credit. We too often look at the glass as half empty or we criticize the losing team. I’m not going to do that. Yes, there are reasons why Pennsbury can’t get over the hump against North Penn, but in the big picture, you have to look at what North Penn has done two years in a row when they got wrecked in the toughest preconference schedule in the state, then they rallied, ran the table and got all the way to the district final last year. They can do the same thing this year. They had more pressure on them this year because they had a loss already (in SOL play) to CB South.
“To come out and play with that kind of fire and trade punches with Pennsbury for four quarters and beat them in a really good game says volumes for their program. It really does.
“For Pennsbury, this could be a positive for them if they use it the right way, and we will find out right away against CB South. They can be better for this, and they can be better in the playoffs for this, both x-and o-wise and emotionally.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Pennsbury will host Central Bucks South on Friday night. Your comments about that game.
Dan Dunkin: “This is the key week for Pennsbury – it’s everything about how they respond to that devastating defeat to North Penn. I don’t know what kind of a work week they had or where their heads are at, but they have got to put that behind them. It could be a positive to them depending on how they use it. Hit the reset button, hit the refocus button, cover the details a little more.
“This is a great matchup. Josh Adams is unbelievable – we know that. His supporting cast is a little bit unheralded because he casts such a big shadow, but you don’t want to get in a shootout with this team. They’re not a great defensive team, but Pennsbury does not want to get in a shootout. They’re not built for shootouts, as we know. They’re built for long, sustained drives, and that’s their best defense against Josh Adams - controlling the ball and controlling the clock. I think they’re going to do that because I don’t think CB South’s defense can stand up to their physicality and their three running backs and offensive line for four quarters. Josh Adams will get his. Pennsbury will punish him some, but the guy gets behind everybody eventually. It’s just a matter of how many times is he going to do it. Pennsbury does not want to spot them a 14-0 lead. They need to get out and control the clock with their offense and keep Adams off the field as much as possible. I think they’ll do that. I think they’ll put their foot down the second half and win this game by a touchdown or so.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Quakertown will travel to Council Rock North for a Continental Conference showdown. Your thoughts about that game.
Dan Dunkin: “It’s a classic matchup of a very good defense – Quakertown – versus a very dynamic exciting offense – CR North. This will be the best defense CR North has played against except for Pennsbury. This will be the best offense Quakertown has played against this year. As Adam Collachi says, this is a very fundamentally sound all-around Quakertown team. Their quarterback, Alec Vera, has not thrown an interception, and he can throw it and run it. They have a very solid running game. They have a terrific front to back defense. Hunter Nice is the their best player on defense and is one of the best in the state at linebacker. He’s very, very good.
“It’s fascinating. Is Quakertown going to be able to hold the fort against CR North’s hurry-up, spread offense? I think at times they will. They’re going to hit CR North, but you can’t hit what you can’t catch, and they do have some dynamic weapons in Brandon McIlwain, Chris Welde and Devon Bibbens. It’s going to be interesting to see if CR North can get big plays or if they can chip away, which they often do also – six, eight, 12 yards at a time.
“Conversely, CR North’s defense has been up and down, and they’re going to have to play their best game. They’re going to have to keep Quakertown from controlling the clock and the ball. The bottom line is it’s a matchup between CR North’s offense and Quakertown’s defense. I think McIlwain is such a great playmaker, and this game means so much, it’s at home, and it’s Homecoming. It means so much to both teams. It’s going to be a tremendous atmosphere. I’m picking CR North in a thriller to win it late. I think it’s going to be that kind of game. I see McIlwain making it happen and their offense just having a little more capability over four quarters to make a few more plays.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: William Tennent will face Truman this week.
Dan Dunkin: “Truman finally has broken through with two exhausting, close, thrilling wins the last two weeks to save their season in terms of playoff possibilities, which would be a first in school history. They have to take care of business and win their last two games and see where they fall because right now they’re just on the outside looking in. It depends a little bit on what happens in front of them.
“Tennent can give them some trouble. Tennent has been competitive in every game. They’ve lost five games by a total of 36 points. Bob Rosenberger and his kids compete every week. This program is on the upswing, much like Truman’s is. Truman has finally gotten the results this year.
“Truman just has too much to lose. They now know how to win these close games They’re playing with a lot of confidence, especially offensively. They’ve got playmakers on defense. They’ve got speed guys, they’ve got depth they never had before – they have a lot more players.
“I look for Truman to finish what they’ve started and finish this season strong. Coming off two emotional victories, they’ve got to bring it again.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn will travel to Neshaminy on Friday night. Your thoughts?
Dan Dunkin: “Neshaminy will be fired up for this, and offensively, they might have some moments, but North Penn is not going to have a letdown this week. What they did last week was a breakthrough for them. It gave them new life. North Penn is more fundamentally sound than Neshaminy on both sides of the ball, and they’re going to bring it. Playing Pennsbury and Neshaminy back to back is a pretty tall order, but this is not the Neshaminy team that took apart North Penn in the district final last year, not by a long shot. I don’t see North Penn blowing the momentum they accelerated last week.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Abington, which snapped its four-game losing streak, will travel to Bensalem. Your comments.
Dan Dunkin: “Abington had a tough go of it. They’re a better team than that record, but they’re kind of an example of how tough this conference is. They competed. They were in a lot of those games early, and they got off to a rough start in the conference record-wise, but this is a game they’re going to win easily. Bensalem is really down, and Abington still has a shot at the playoffs, but regardless they want to finish with pride with a lot of good players and seniors who have made this a good program.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Upper Dublin appears to be the SOL American Conference champions. Where do the Cardinals stand as far as the PIAA Quad-A District One playoffs?
Scott Huff: “If the season were to end today – and we all know that it doesn’t – there would be good news and bad news for Upper Dublin. The good news is that the Cardinals would be a # 6 seed and would have a home game. The bad news is that Upper Dublin would play # 11 seed North Penn. Ouch.
“Upper Dublin has yet to clinch a conference title, but if the Cardinals win this week against Hatboro-Horsham – UD would earn at the very least a share of the conference title. Look for that to happen as junior quarterback Ryan Stover and junior running back Kaleif Lee have begun to share the load offensively. And the Cardinal defense was terrific last week in limiting explosive Upper Moreland running back Tyler Whitmore to just a single score and 125 yards rushing in a 28-7 Cardinal victory.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are the chances of getting a second Quad-A team from the SOL American Conference into the playoffs?
Scott Huff: “The winner of the Cheltenham at Plymouth Whitemarsh game this week has an outside chance at best. Currently, PW ranks 24th in the district with a 5-3 record for 720 points, while the Panthers rank 26th with a 5-3 record and 680 points. The top 16 teams from District One Quad-A qualify for the playoffs.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Who do you like to win that Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. Cheltenham showdown for second place on Friday?
Scott Huff: “Despite the fact that both the Colonials and the Panthers have exact records both in and out of the conference – I feel that PW will win the game going away. Colonial junior Nafeese Nasir is coming off a 300-plus yard game and will be extremely tough to contain for a Panther defense that has played well recently. Cheltenham running back Greg Morris has been overlooked at times this year, but PW has too much size and speed for the Panthers.”
Suburban One Sports: What is Upper Moreland’s status in the Class AAA District One playoffs?
Scott Huff: There are eight teams that qualify for the Class AAA playoffs – and right now the Bears are tied for the seventh seed with a 5-3 record and 740 points. Upper Moreland is tied with both Glen Mills (4-4) and Marple Newtown (4-4) with those 740 points. The Golden Bears close out of the SOL American Conference season with games against Class AA Springfield (4-4) and Class Quad-A Wissahickon (2-6). A loss against either team could jettison the Bears from the postseason.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: What is Springfield’s status in the Class AA District One playoffs?
Scott Huff: “There are four teams that qualify for the Class AA District One playoffs – and right now the Spartans (4-4) are the second seed with 720 points. Bristol (7-1 – 890 points) is the top send and should easily finish that way, while Springfield (4-4 – 720) is in a battle with Valley Forge Military Academy (4-3 – 570 points) for the second seed – and a home playoff game. The Spartans have a tough close to their regular season with games against Class AAA Upper Moreland (5-3) and Quad-A Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-3). VFMA will close its season against a pair of Class A schools – Delaware County Christian (4-4) and Jenkintown (4-4). The Spartans will be in the postseason – the only question at this point will be if they receive a first round home game.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Both Wissahickon and Upper Merion have struggled in recent weeks. Who wins this week?
Scott Huff: “This could go one of three ways – Wissahickon could win a close game – Upper Merion could win a close game – or Wissahickon could win going away. Injuries have been unfortunately too big a part of the season for both the Trojans and the Vikings. Let’s hope the game is close – and let the better team on Friday win.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Who wins this week in the SOL American Conference?
Scott Huff: “How about [Upper Dublin 49 – Hatboro-Horsham 28]; [Plymouth Whitemarsh 35 – Cheltenham 20]; [Upper Moreland 35 – Springfield 21]; and [Wissahickon 21 – Upper Merion 20]?”
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