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/
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SuburbanOneSports.com: Central Bucks East beat Quakertown last week, and the two teams will play again in this week’s opening round of districts with Quakertown traveling to CB East on Saturday. Your thoughts?
Drew Markol: “For Quakertown, they lost to East last year, and it was their only loss in the Continental 
Conference, and this was a revenge game. They all said if Pennridge was the biggest rivalry, playing East would be number two, and the East kids feel the same way. Their big rivalry is West for right now, and that’s all you can go with because the life span of a high school football player is two years in most cases. The East kids didn’t play West last year, and they mercy ruled West this year, so it is Quakertown.
“That game last week was a thrilling game. It was back and forth, but East was a little better. It will be interesting. East gets them at home. Can they bounce back and do it again a week later? It was very chippy in the game last week. There was some pushing and shoving after the game, which you never like to see. There was some taunting during the game by the players on the field. You hope that the district takes that into account and sends one of its top officiating crews to that game because you’re going to need it just to keep things under control. If you get an inexperienced crew, that could be a very bad idea.
“I’m flipping a coin on my pick, just like last week. This is going to be another war.”
Kevin Cooney: “Quakertown is a very good football team, but the way they have ended the season and the 
way they’ve played against CB East the last two years gives you no confidence about them going to East on Saturday afternoon that they can win that game. George Banas has a monumental task of trying to get his guys put everything to the side. They’re a good football team, and they have the talent to win. I wonder now if it’s going to be a crisis of confidence and whether they can actually pick themselves off the mat.
“I picked Quakertown and figured Quakertown was just beat by an extraordinary player (Brandon McIlwain) the week before, but I think that discounted what East can do. Look at East – they lost a tough game to CR South, they lost a tough game to CR North. They’re playing with a toughness we haven’t seen in recent years. They physically grind you down, and mentally, they are as strong as anybody in this tournament. If you discount them, you are doing it at your own peril because I think there’s a lot of good things with what they do and have done that could lead them to a win a game or two in this tournament.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Council Rock North defeated Council Rock South to win the Continental Conference and earn a spot in districts. Your comments.
Kevin Cooney: “It’s time to eat crow. Council Rock North’s defense has played a lot better in recent weeks, but it’s all because of the big boy. When the history of this is written down the road, Brandon McIlwain is going to go down as one of the most incredible, special – whatever word you want to use – players in history. Just the way he has approached this and taken a team that has flaws – I don’t think anybody can look at Council Rock North and say they don’t have flaws. Still defensively they’re a little suspect, and there’s not much other than McIlwain who has carried them by the gruff of the neck in elimination games the last two weeks. I think they have a favorable matchup. I don’t think Upper Darby is going to know what hit them, I really don’t. You can watch all the game film, and you can plan everything out, but when you see him live, it is completely different. I think they beat Upper Darby.”
Drew Markol: “It’s really something – they could have given up on the season, and they didn’t do that. They had to win two huge games to do it. They beat a really good Quakertown team, which was undefeated when they beat them. Then they have to beat their rival, who’s very good. That’s just a credit to Adam Collachi and his coaching staff for keeping those kids believing over a long season. Now it’s paying off. It is remarkable because when you look at the Continental race, the talk was always Quakertown, CR South and maybe CB East gets in there. CR North was always – you can’t forget about Council Rock North. Well, obviously, it turns out you can’t because they went and did it, which is remarkable.
“CR North may have the best player in the state in Brandon McIlwain, – I’d like to see a better player, and now with him really cooking, why can’t they go and win a playoff game or two. That wouldn’t be a surprise with the roll they’re on and the confidence they must have because of that roll. They’re really dangerous now.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Neshaminy defeated Pennsbury to earn a district playoff berth. Your thoughts about those two teams.
Kevin Cooney: “Neshaminy goes to Spring-Ford this week, and I’m not a big believer in the Pioneer Conference. I think they have one good game every year – Spring-Ford/Perk Valley. When you look at how Neshaminy had to go on the road the last two weeks - they almost beat North Penn, which was the hottest team on the planet at that point, at Crawford Stadium, and then you go to Pennsbury and you do win, I think that bodes well for them this week, I really do. I think Mason Jones can do things that will throw a team off. Obviously, Will Dogba, the running back, has been terrific. Defensively, I thought they did a really good job against Pennsbury the other night. It’s a matter of not turning the ball over. I actually like Neshaminy this week. I think this is a favorable matchup for them.
“For all the talk and I was a proponent of this – I thought it was the weakest Suburban One League year in history. Now they have eight teams in the field, and a decent number of them are going to win. I think the upset of the week is going to be – and I’m not even sure it’s going to be that big of an upset – Pennsbury over Downingtown West.
“They played in a shootout last year (a 63-55 Pennsbury win), and I guess the natural impression is – ‘Okay, Downingtown West is home, and Downingtown West lost a heartbreaker last week to Downingtown East.’ The difference in my mind, at least, is there’s a toughness Pennsbury showed last year. Okay, you lose to Neshaminy and you lose to North Penn, but they were able to shake off the North Penn loss last year pretty easily. I think they have a decent to good chance of finding a way to win this. I think Mike Alley and those type of guys give them a whole different dynamic than Downingtown West has seen in a while, so I’m taking Pennsbury. Maybe it’s just on blind luck or stupidity that I’m picking them, but I think Pennsbury – if they get by this game – is set up to make a decent run in this tournament.”
Drew Markol: “That was a very costly loss for Pennsbury. Now Pennsbury has to go play Downingtown West, a one-loss team whose only loss was to the top seed – Downingtown East. Not only do you lose your bragging rights against your rival, but now, after winning a district title last year, you have to go on the road every time to try and get back to the district final, and that’s hard to do.
“Pennsbury lost to Neshaminy, North Penn and La Salle – you look at their losses, and they’re all against really good teams. They may be a 15th seed, but I think they’re a dangerous 15th seed.
“I give Neshaminy credit. They had to beat either North Penn or Pennsbury in the last two weeks. They lost a tough one at North Penn, which they led late in the game. Then you have to bounce back from that and go to your rival, Pennsbury, which had a lot on the line, but Neshaminy was able to jump ahead and was up 16-7 at one point. Pennsbury does not have a quick offense. It’s three yards and a cloud of dust, and in high school football, that eats the clock up awfully quickly. If you can’t score quickly, you’re in trouble, and that’s what happened.
“You have to figure a couple of weeks ago Pennsbury had one loss. Then they lose to North Penn and then they lose to Neshaminy, and now you have to take the long bus ride to Downingtown West to play a 9-1 team that’s mad because they’re 9-1. They wanted to be 10-0 because they lost to their rival. They did make life a little tough on themselves.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn will travel to Unionville as the number nine seed. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “With Unionville, you have an 8-2 team that has won five in a row, but you do have to wonder – you look at who they’ve played as compared to North Penn. You have to think the Knights, if they play well, can do well in this game. Yes, it’s a long ride, but if you’re Unionville, you get that eighth seed and the last team to get a home game, and then you’ve got to play a good North Penn team. Boy, you better make sure you’re ready because North Penn is a constant in the district tournament. They lost in the first round last year, and they don’t want that to happen again. Eight-nine games are supposed to be close, but that’s a tough draw for Unionville.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: After rolling through the American Conference, Upper Dublin will host Garnet Valley in an opening round district game. Your thoughts?
Kevin Cooney: “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about them this week, but it will be interesting to see if they win and Council Rock North wins, you could have that (Ryan) Stover versus (Brandon) McIlwain matchup next week. My question with Upper Dublin is – they haven’t been punched in the teeth yet. They haven’t played a close game. Their closest game was 21 points. I know they made a deep run to district semis last year, but how are you going to do when you play Pennsbury, when you play Downingtown East or whoever you’re going to play in the semifinals. That’s my biggest criticism of them. I’m not sure they’re ready for what’s coming.
“PW goes 8-2, loses to the top two teams in the American Conference between Upper Moreland and Upper Dublin, and they were sweating it out and needed a forfeit win by Norristown over Tennent to get in.”
Drew Markol: “Garnet Valley’s program over the past few years has gotten markedly better. For Upper Dublin, coming off what they did last year – getting to the district final and battling a really good Pennsbury game all the way in that game, and then with a quarterback like Ryan Stover, that’s a team we’re going to be talking about – who are they going to be playing in the semifinals of this tournament. They’re a team that could win the tournament. It would not surprise me even a little bit if that would happen. I expect a lot of things from them. That kid (Ryan Stover) is good.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Pennridge is the first team out of the tournament. Your thoughts?
Drew Markol: “Yes, they beat Neshaminy at Neshaminy, but they had a loss to CB East in overtime, which really hurt them. They win that game, and they’re in the playoffs. I think they also got hurt a little bit by their preseason schedule. They played Hatboro-Horsham and Central Bucks West. Hatboro came on late, but CB West struggled and didn’t have many wins. They were only 3-7 and Hatboro was 5-5. You need to beef up that preseason schedule a little bit, even if you play a team and lose. If you play a good team that wins a bunch of games, it’s really not going to hurt you as much. They missed getting into the playoffs by the fifth tiebreaker, so that tells you how close it was. If they just played a little tougher preseason, they’re in.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: You expressed some strong feeling about the current district playoff system in Friday’s football column in the Bucks County Courier Times. Talk about that.
Kevin Cooney: “It is time to redo the way you do districts, and I’m not saying the points. I think the points to pick the 16 teams are fine, but you have a bracket that is not compelling later in the tournament. The fact that what should be your district final – Downingtown East/North Penn – is going to be week two is wrong. The fact that Pennsbury is listed as a 15 seed when realistically – if you reseeded it – Pennsbury is a 10, 11.
“I believe there has to be a little bit of the human element tied in with the points. You’re punishing teams who play tough schedules. I understand you want to make sure there’s no hanky panky with the 16 teams that are in, but in a way, there’s hanky panky because teams have scheduled soft. They get in over teams that are probably more deserving.
“Do it where it’s a hybrid – where it’s half points and the 16 teams are chosen by points. I get that, but then take that and say, ‘Here are the 16. Give us the best tournament.’ This is the last year of the current structure because you’re going to have 6A coming next year, but it’s still going to be a problem going forward. It will just be six classifications of messes as opposed to four.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Upper Dublin (10-0) hosts Garnet Valley (7-3) in a first round district playoff game. What are your thoughts?
Scott Huff: “Upper Dublin has been highly regarded not only in the SOL circles - but also by publications 
throughout the state. The Cardinals have ripped through the season without much competition – but that competition will begin this week in the playoffs.
“Upper Dublin head coach Bret Stover does not make up the conference schedule – and the SOL American Conference is the only SOL conference that doesn’t have eight Quad-A teams. Upper Moreland (AAA), Upper Merion (AAA), and Springfield (AA) all took their respective lumps against the Cardinals this season.
“Upper Dublin did stand up – big time – against the team that most felt would give the Cardinals a stiff test. Upper Dublin routed Plymouth Whitemarsh 42-0 and soared to an unbeaten season.
“That being said – Upper Dublin has more than earned its # 3 seed in the PIAA Quad-A District One playoffs.
“Garnet Valley has some offensive firepower – led by running back Derrick West – and the Jaguars three losses have all come against playoff teams. Garnet Valley lost to # 8 Unionville (37-13), # 7 Haverford (29-21), and # 6 Upper Darby (41-34).
Upper Dublin will win this game – but it will not be the walkover that Cardinal fans have been accustomed to all season. And the competition will prepare UD for the winner of the # 6 Upper Darby/#11 Council Rock North game next week.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-2) will travel to Chester County to meet top seeded Downingtown East (10-0) in a first round playoff game. What are your thoughts?
Scott Huff: “Plymouth Whitemarsh eked into the playoffs despite having eight wins. The Colonials are the # 16 seed. They were tied with Pennridge (7-3) in power points but edged the Rams in a tiebreaker.
“It was take a colossal upset for Plymouth Whitemarsh to advance to the second round. The Colonial resume does not match up well with the Cougar resume.
“Consider – the two PW losses came against SOL American Conference foes Upper Dublin and Upper Moreland. Although both are playoff teams (UD-Quad A & UM-Class AAA) – the Colonials were far from competitive in either loss. PW lost to Upper Dublin 42-0 and dropped a 49-35 shootout against Upper Moreland.
“Consider – unbeaten Downingtown East has a 28-24 win over # 9 seed North Penn (8-2); a 49-13 victory over # 8 seed Unionville (8-2); and a 21-14 win over # 2 seed Downingtown West (9-1).
“Colonial senior Nafeese Nasir is one of the premier running backs in the area – but he is far from enough for PW to win this one.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Upper Moreland (8-2) will host Pottstown (7-3) in a first round Class AAA district playoff game. What are your thoughts?
Scott Huff: “Upper Moreland showcases an extremely well balanced offense and a swarming defense that should allow the Golden Bears to advance in the playoffs. Upper Moreland is more than deserving of its # 2 seed.
“The offense is generated behind a terrific offensive line that allows running back Rodney Morgan to rack up some impressive numbers. Senior quarterback Casey Decker does a tremendous job of running the offense.
“Pottstown is a team that only lost to the elite of the Pioneer Athletic Conference. The Trojans lost to Perkiomen Valley (42-0), Spring-Ford (34-0), and Pottsgrove (21-9).
“Pottstown will add Upper Moreland to that impressive loss list – and the Golden Bears will advance to play the winner of the # 3 Pottsgrove vs. # 6 Marple Newtown game in the PIAA Class AAA District One semifinals next week.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Springfield (3-6) will host Bristol (5-5) in a first round Class AA district playoff game. What are your thoughts?
Scott Huff: “Last year the Spartans played the Warriors in the PIAA Class AA District One final – and Springfield edged Bristol 15-14 to move to states. The Spartans were eliminated the next week by Neumann-Goretti by a 32-7 score.
“Springfield and Bristol should once again play a close one. Both the # 2 seeded Spartans and the # 3 seeded Warriors come from different regular season backgrounds – but both should be prepared for this one.
“Springfield absorbed some brutal losses in the SOL American Conference against conference powers Upper Dublin (62-0), Upper Moreland (62-14), and Plymouth Whitemarsh. Bristol played in the more competitive Bicentennial League and managed a .500 overall record.
“The one team that both the Spartans and Warriors played in common was Lower Moreland. Springfield captured a 42-0 win over the Lions in the first game of the season, while Bristol routed the Lions 50-13 in the final game of the season.
You can flip a coin on this one.”
The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of SuburbanOneSports.com
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