Kevin Cooney, Dan Dunkin and Scott Huff talk SOL football.
Back for its fourth season, the popular Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features high school football beat writers Kevin Cooney and Dan Dunkin. Cooney, the Phillies beat writer, covers schools in the Intelligencer area while Dan Dunkin – who has been covering sports at the high school and professional level for 25 years - covers teams in the Courier Times area. Both share their perspective on the teams in their coverage area. To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the web site http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/high_school/
To view the latest edition of Calkins Media’s weekly Game On, please click on the following link: http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/videos/hsgameon/
SuburbanOneSports.com: Share your thoughts about Neshaminy after its big win over North Penn in the district title game and as the Redskins head into Saturday’s state semifinal game against St. Joe’s Prep.
Dan Dunkin: “It was a stunning performance against North Penn. I don’t think anyone thought it was going to be a blowout either way. Neshaminy had been beaten four straight times in the playoffs by North Penn, and being one of the marquee programs in the area along with North Penn, I think that bothered Neshaminy’s staff and their kids, and they wanted to make a statement. What was big to them was they beat the team that beat Pennsbury, which beat them so soundly as we all know in the regular season, so it had some extra gratification that way.
“Neshaminy hammered and manhandled North Penn. That was one of the more impressive Neshaminy performances I’ve seen in recent years – really just basic, physical, beat-them-to-the-punch football on both sides of the line. The defense was great. After giving up a 66-yard run to Nyfease West on the first play, they gave up 136 yards of total offense the rest of the game. D’Andre Pollard and their offensive line were spectacular. They just totally dominated.
“I was shocked. I really thought Neshaminy would need some passing to complement Pollard. They threw one pass, and it was intercepted. That shows how smart I am and how good they are. It’s a credit to those kids and that staff. To bounce back from that 31-3 Pennsbury loss – they’ve averaged a winning margin of 29.8 in their four district games. You can’t say enough for what they’ve done. To not only win but to win going away, to really get back to the Neshaminy we all thought we knew before the Pennsbury game, to not miss a beat – coach Mark Schmidt has told me numerous times that he’s impressed with how they bounced right back. They were right back in the weight room after the Pennsbury loss. They all, to a man, just got after it. The coaches didn’t have to get after the kids and say, ‘Hey, pay attention.’ The kids led the way, and that’s what you want, especially with your seniors.
“This thing is rolling now. It’s interesting because in the span of a month, Neshaminy went from a lot of people saying, ‘Well, they weren’t as good as we thought they were; they’re overrated because Pennsbury beat them badly.’ To the next extreme four weeks later saying, ‘Whoa, not so fast. Look what they did to North Penn. Wow, this team is as good as we thought they were. They just had a bad week.’
“Now we step it up another level because St. Joe's Prep is the real deal from the PCL. They can recruit kids from all over yonder as we all know. They’re loaded with skill players, and they have a tough, physical defense. They beat North Penn, they beat Archbishop Wood. Throughout the year, they’ve been regarded as one of the top five or six teams in the state in Class 4A. The Neshaminy coaches told me, and I agree with them, this is the most talented bunch they have faced since they played Coatesville in the 2012 district semis, which did not end well for Neshaminy. That Coatesville team went on to the state finals.
“But nothing fazes Neshaminy. They’re built for this. It’s going to be as good a test for their defense as they’ve had – a much bigger test than Pennsbury gave them because this team throws the ball very well. Chris Martin is a difference-making quarterback. He’s back from a knee injury, and they’re a different offense with him. The question will be how much he can run, but he’s a very good dual threat quarterback.
“It boils down to this for me: They’re going to try very hard to take D’Andre Pollard away, and I think they will succeed at times. I don’t think Pollard will be able to run wild the whole time like he’s basically been able to do most of the season. I would be shocked if Neshaminy doesn’t have to throw the ball in this game. They’re going to have to mix it up, and they know that. They have the weapons to do it. They’re going to have to have some timely pass completions. Defensively, I think they can stand in there with anybody. They have the speed in the secondary to handle the Prep’s speed on the outside. They have everything that you need on defense.
“It’s going to be tough. Neshaminy is going to have to get a couple of turnovers, I figure. It’s really going to boil down a lot to their passing offense and their passing defense. If those things come through, I think Neshaminy wins 28-21.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Were you surprised that last week’s Neshaminy-North Penn district title game was yet another one-sided contest in the long series between the two SOL powers?
Kevin Cooney: “For starters, it always seems like the better team wins. The team that normally wins this is the team going in you would think would win, and there is a snowball effect. When a team jumps up in this rivalry, they usually jump up by a couple of scores, and the other one starts pressing, and away we go.
“We mention all the numbers with this, and I’ve dug up a lot of them, so I guess I’m as guilty as anyone. The most revealing to me is they are 5-5 in the last 10 meetings. Some of them have been blowouts, but it’s evenly split. That’s pretty interesting to me, and I think it’s just the ebb and flow of things.
“I think when you play 11 straight elimination games like North Penn did you’re eventually going to run out of gas, and I think they kind of did at that point. Look, North Penn had a great year. For them to get to this point after really starting as slowly as they did, I’m amazed.
“Neshaminy is better. Neshaminy’s defense is better, Neshaminy has a better running back. Nyfease West is pretty good, but D’Andre Pollard is doing stuff right now that nobody could expect. If Neshaminy ever had a passing attack with it, they would be extremely dangerous. I don’t want to say they’re one-dimensional, but they’re going to run the football. Everybody knows that, but they’re still able to do it.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are your thoughts heading into Saturday’s state semifinal game between Neshaminy and St. Joe’s Prep?
Kevin Cooney: “The biggest concerns if I’m St. Joe’s Prep is 1) how physical Neshaminy can be on defense and 2) Chris Martin, Prep’s quarterback, returned last week after having a knee injury. Part of his game was being able to get out of the pocket, being able move around. He was more of an option quarterback. He’s limited with that right now. I think that’s a huge factor in this game. You make your quarterback a stationary target with that defense, and you’re in trouble.
“Neshaminy could be heading for a rematch of the ’04 family against Pittsburgh Central Catholic (in the state title game), which isn’t a fond memory for Neshaminy.”
Suburban One Sports: You covered the Neshaminy-North Penn game. What were your thoughts on both the Redskins and the Knights?
Scott Huff: “So much for comparing scores.
“Neshaminy came into the game with a single loss – a huge one against the Pennsbury Falcons who took the Redskins to the woodshed and administered a 31-3 spanking. The Falcons ‘Ground and Pound’ was too much on that night for the Skins’ defense, and the loss presented Pennsbury with not only a win over an archrival but the Suburban One League National Conference title.
“North Penn came into the game with a 10-game winning streak that included a convincing 31-21 victory over that same Pennsbury team – on the same Falcon Field. The Knights showcased a balanced offense with both senior quarterback Austin Shearer and sophomore running back Nyfease West having wonderful games.
“Using Pennsbury as the common opponent – North Penn would seem to be at the very least a slight favorite – right?
“Wrong!
“Neshaminy dominated this game from the outset – with one slight hiccup on the first North Penn series – and it was the Skins who took the Knights to the woodshed for a 42-7 spanking in the District One Final.
“The one thing that impressed me with the way that Neshaminy head coach Mark Schmidt coached the game was that he kept things simple. Plays that worked early in the game were repeated – often. And all of those plays were running plays as Neshaminy failed to complete a pass – in fact the only pass thrown by the Skins was intercepted. Schmidt really didn’t have to open his playbook to page two – and he didn’t.
“Junior running back D’Andre Pollard was magnificent with 230 yards and 4 touchdowns – and his offensive line which consisted of John Koch, Matt Wynne, Mike Palmer, Hunter Kelly, Dan Johnson, Bill Ritchey, and Luke Carrezola matched Pollard’s magnificence.
“And the Neshaminy defense was equally impressive keeping the explosive North Penn offense in check. Redskin seniors Denny Lord and Carrezola are ‘men among boys’ on the defensive side of the football.
“There was a lot of discussion about playing the game at Souderton – but the bottom line was that the game was hosted well. On a bone-chilling night, the Indian Field provided exactly what Neshaminy needed – a turf field and an extremely fast track for Pollard.
“And the Redskins ran their way into the Eastern Regional Final.”
Suburban One Sports: The Eastern Region Final is Saturday with Neshaminy playing St. Joe Prep. Who wins?
Scott Huff: “I like Neshaminy.
“There is no question that there is a stark contrast in style between the two teams. Neshaminy is a ‘run-first’ team while the Prep is a ‘pass first’ team – and both are very successful at what they do best.
“Neshaminy can control the football for long periods of time with the electric Pollard the featured back. However, Blake Sullivan and Lord provide excellent power running options for the Skins. The offensive line (see above) has been extremely effective in opening up huge holes for the Neshaminy running backs. Quarterback Tyler Wombough does not have impressive numbers, but the senior has been very good at not turning the ball over and directing the offense.
“St. Joe Prep is a fast strike team that showcases the talents of quarterback Chris Martin. The talented senior has thrown for 1770 yards and 22 touchdowns in the 11 games that he has played this season. Martin missed the two games prior to the Hawks 21-10 win over Parkland last week with a knee injury, but he looked great playing in a brace throwing for 235 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“The reason I think that Neshaminy will advance to the state title game is the performance of some players that most fans might not know – the players on a terrific Redskin defense. Those names include Carrezola (DE), Dorian Arthur (DT), Alex Nicholas (DT), Dan Johnson (DE), Lord (LB), Matt Bianchino (LB), Troken Buesmail (LB), Cole Creighton (LB), Denzel Hughes (DB), Devon Brown (DB), and Matt Magdelinskas (DB).
“Prediction? Neshaminy 28 – St. Joe Prep 17.”
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