Scott Huff previews all the district games featuring SOL teams.
By Scott Huff
North Penn and Neshaminy have been two of the elite football programs in the Suburban One League for the last decade. Since 2000, the Knights and the Redskins have met every year (twice in 2007 and 2004) – 13 times in all – and Neshaminy holds a razor slim 7-6 advantage.
North Penn – under the astute coaching of Dick Beck – won a PIAA Quad-A state title in 2003. Neshaminy – under the equally astute coaching of Mark Schmidt – won a PIAA Quad-A state title in 2001.
North Penn has won the last three meetings decisively by a combined score of 105-28 with victories in 2010 (42-6), 2009 (35-22), and 2008 (28-0). The last time Neshaminy knocked off the Knights was in 2007 with a pair of huge wins – 35-0 in a district playoff game – and 31-7 when NP competed in the SOL National Conference.
In fact, there are not many real classic battles between these two powers. The only close game in the entire series in the last decade came in 2004 when North Penn edged Neshaminy 31-30. More than a touchdown difference decided all the other Knight-Redskin games.
The ‘other’ North Penn wins in the Neshaminy series since 2000 came in 2006 (29-7) and 2003 (35-7). The ‘other’ Neshaminy wins in the North Penn series since 2000 came in 2005 (41-13), 2004 (51-34). 2002 (24-14), 2001 (23-14), and 2000 (35-12).
The 2011 meeting between the two historically superior teams didn’t appear to have a chance of being on the schedule.
North Penn – which lost two of its first three games this season – won out to finish 8-2 and locked up a spot in the district playoffs. The Knights were in the bottom half of the bracket as a #11 seed.
Neshaminy – which found itself losing three of four games in the middle of the season – fought back and defeated Pennsbury in its SOL National Conference finale to earn its way into the playoffs as a #14 seed.
Both teams went on the District One road to Chester County and proved why each is an elite program. North Penn destroyed #6 West Chester Rustin 48-21, while Neshaminy manhandled #3 Unionville – 28-0.
“I would say that during the season, we had to overcome something that was a lot bigger than a bump in the road,” said Neshaminy head coach Mark Schmidt. “But our seniors and our coaching staff just refused to give up. We’re playing our best football right now.”
“I was trying to make bets with every coach that I talked to that Neshaminy was going to win that last game (against Pennsbury),” said North Penn head coach Dick Beck. “I told him (Schmidt), look, there is no way there wouldn’t be a season without us playing them in the playoffs.”
And Beck was right – game time Friday @ 7:30 pm at Crawford Stadium.
[#14] Neshaminy Redskins @ [#11] North Penn Knights
Friday – 7:30 pm
*winner gets the winner of the Pennsbury-Coatesville game*
Neshaminy:
Last Week: Neshaminy (8-3) put together one of its best games of the year in a 28-0 victory over host Unionville (9-2). The hometown Indians were the #3 seed in the 16-team tournament. The Redskins jumped out to a 21-0 first half lead and cruised to the win. Sean Ulmer paced the Skins with 152 yards rushing on 21 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns. Bobby Marterella scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Justin Andrews, and Denny Lord scored on a 1-yard run.
Tale of the Tape: Neshaminy is ranked #40 in the state by MaxPreps.com. The Redskins have scored an average of 25.0 points per game and have allowed 12.8 points per game. That computes to a +12.2 points per game. Neshaminy losses this season have come against Abington (35-21), Council Rock North (17-14), and Council Rock South (41-17). The signature win for the Skins was a 24-7 win over Pennsbury in the regular season finale.
Who’s Who? Sean Ulmer is the focus of the Redskin running attack with 1231 yards on 212 carries and has scored 12 touchdowns. He has also snared 11 passes for an additional 187 yards and two scores. Quarterback Joe Bianchino has completed 75 passes for 1065 yards and 12 touchdowns. The leading receivers for Neshaminy are Bobby Marterella (23 catches/ 352 yards/ 5 touchdowns), Justin Andrews (26/ 314/ 2), and Ron Smith (11/ 223/ 2).
Neshaminy head coach Mark Schmidt said: “The only sure thing seems to be death, taxes, and us playing North Penn in the playoffs. North Penn is a team that executes so well, and they have guys that can step in for injured players and never miss a beat. They lost the two non-league games, but you have to be impressed with the teams that they played in those games. There is a lot of talent in this district, and North Penn could be the best.”
North Penn:
Last Week: North Penn (9-2) got on the bus and ventured into Ches-Mont country to face West Chester Rustin (9-2) – and came home with a convincing 48-21 victory over the ‘Golden’ Knights. Senior Dan Gevirtz is a game-breaking wide out for the Big Blue, but the diminutive Gevirtz was shifted into the NP backfield with injuries to Kyle Mayfield (during the game) and James Fielder (prior to the game). Gevirtz rambled for 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns – in the second half – to spark the win. Senior fullback/linebacker Ralphie Reeves scored three short yardage touchdowns for the Knights and dominated Rustin defensively. Senior quarterback Corey Ernst – who was a questionable game-day decision – answered the questions about his left shoulder by throwing for 124 yards and a touchdown.
Tale of the Tape: North Penn is ranked #9 in the state by MaxPreps.com. The Knights have scored an average of 35.1 points per game and have allowed 15.6 points per game. That computes to a +19.5 points per game. The losses for North Penn this season came in the season opener to La Salle (44-27) and in the third game of the season to St. Joe Prep (51-33). The signature win for the Knights was the 48-21 win over Rustin in the district opener.
Who’s Who: Kyle Mayfield is the leading rusher this season with 1126 yards on 153 carries and 10 touchdowns. James Fielder – before his injury – collected 583 yards and seven scores. Gevirtz – who may be the featured back this week – has 321 yards on 30 carries. Gevirtz – the pass receiver – has 41 catches for 680 yards and seven scores. Eddie Posavec (18 catches/ 245 yards/ 4 touchdowns) and Shayne Watson (13/ 168/ 4) could become favorite targets if Gevirtz is in the backfield. Corey Ernst has thrown for 1673 yards and 22 touchdowns with 115 pass completions.
North Penn head coach Dick Beck said: “The kids were emotional after what they thought was their last home game (against Hatboro-Horsham three weeks ago). They were eating the Crawford Stadium turf, and now we are back home playing against Neshaminy. We are going to have to play with the same emotion to beat Neshaminy – they are a very good football team right now.”
[#9] Downingtown East Cougars @ [#1] Council Rock South Golden Hawks
Friday – 7 pm
*winner gets the winner of the Central Bucks South-Garnet Valley game*
Council Rock South:
Last Week: Council Rock South (10-1) broke open a tight game in the first half to defeat visiting Upper Dublin (7-3) – 34-7. The Golden Hawks led by just 14-7 at the half but scored 20 unanswered points in the second half. Anthony Alimenti scored a pair of touchdowns on runs of 30 and 29 yards, while quarterback Brian Donnelly engineered the offense and scored on runs of 32 and 80 yards. Council Rock South rushed the ball for a staggering 496 yards.
Tale of the Tape: Council Rock South is ranked # 12 in the state by MaxPreps.com. The Golden Hawks have scored an average of 27.7 points per game and have allowed 12.2 points per game. That computes to a +15.5 points per game. The only loss of the season for the Hawks came in a 13-10 SOL National Conference game against Pennsbury. The signature win for Rock South was a 41-17 rout of Neshaminy during the conference season.
Who’s Who? Brian Donnelly is the quarterback and the leading rusher for the Hawks. He has rushed for 1170 yards and has scored 20 touchdowns this season. Anthony Alimenti has added 697 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, while Ryan Whiteley has carried 92 times for 511 yards. Christian Crane has rushed for 326 yards and four touchdowns. Donnelly has not thrown a TD pass this season for the ground-and-pound Hawks.
Council Rock South head coach Vince Bedesem said: “Downingtown East is a high level team. They have skilled people at the skill positions, and their down people are also skilled. We are going to have to be disciplined and have ball security if we want to beat them. Any time you get to this position in the playoffs, the kids want to win football games and move forward. A lot of players on this team have been where we are now in the playoffs, and our goals for this season are very high.”
Downingtown East:
Last Week: Downingtown East (9-2) avenged a loss to West Chester Henderson (8-3) with a 28-17 victory over the Warriors. DTE and WCH had played the week before and Henderson claimed a 42-20 victory. The Cougars were able to make the needed adjustments to defeat the Warriors. Kyle Lauletta and Ryley Augustine found the end zone for the winners.
Tale of the Tape: Downingtown East is ranked #22 by MaxPreps.com. The Cougars have scored an average of 33.1 points per game and has allowed 20.3 points per game. That computes to a +12.8 points per game average. The two losses on the season for Downingtown East came against West Chester Henderson (42-20) and Coatesville (20-14). The signature win was the revenge last week in the 28-17 win over Henderson.
Who’s Who? The Cougars feature sophomore running back Ryley Augustine who rushed for 547 yards and seven touchdowns. He took over for standout Drew Harris who was lost of the season in week five to a knee injury. Kyle Lauletta has completed 116 passes for 717 yards and 22 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 357 yards and four touchdowns. The number one receiver for the DTE is Jay Harris with 48 receptions for 700 yards and 11 touchdowns.
[#13] Central Bucks South Titans @ [#5] Garnet Valley Jaguars
Friday – 7 pm
*winner gets the winner of the Council Rock South-Downingtown East game*
Central Bucks South:
Last Week: Central Bucks South (8-3) was more than explosive in its 52-24 win over host Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-2) in the opening round of the district playoffs. Senior running back Dan Brown pounded his way for an even 100 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns for the Titans. Brown would add a fifth score on a punt return for a score. Matt Johns fired a pair of touchdown strikes and passed for 219 yards. Chris Veal caught seven passes for 87 yards and a TD.
Tale of the Tape: The Titans are ranked #23 by MaxPreps.com. CB South has scored an average of 39.7 points per game and has allowed an average of 23.2 points per game. That computes to a +16.5 points per game. The Titans have lost games to Council Rock South (42-20), North Penn (28-14), and Souderton (44-42). The signature win for CB South was last week’s 52-24 win over PW.
Who’s Who? Dan Brown has been ‘Mr Touchdown’ this season for CBS with a staggering 31 rushing touchdowns. He has rushed for 1586 yards on 182 attempts. Matt Johns – who has rushed for 205 yards and six touchdowns – has completed 118 passes for 1909 yards and 15 touchdowns. Chris Veal is the leading receiver for the Titans with 57 catches for 1038 yards and ten scores.
Central Bucks South head coach Dave Rackovan said: “(Garnet Valley) runs a spread – no huddle – offense, and we have to be prepared for that. The fact that we run that offense can help, but we still have to come in and be prepared. They have won ten straight football games, and you have to be a very good team in order to do that. We have had a good week of practice, and we want to be able to play the game with a lot of discipline.”
Garnet Valley:
Last Week: Garnet Valley (10-1) won its tenth straight game of the season with a 28-6 victory over perennial league power Ridley (8-3) in the opening round of the district playoffs. The Jaguars trailed the Green Raiders 7-6 at the half but dominated the second half to secure the win. The GV defense held the Raiders to just 190 yards of total offense. Garnet Valley had edged Ridley 21-19 in their Central League regular season meeting.
Tale of the Tape: The Jaguars are ranked #59 in the state by MaxPreps.com. Garnet Valley – the Central League champion – has scored an average of 36.5 points per game and has allowed 20.7 points per game. That computes to a +15.8 points per game. The Jaguars only loss of the season came in the first game of the season against Unionville – 35-28. The signature win for GV was last week’s 28-6 win over Ridley.
Who’s Who? Garnet Valley features running back Justin Pyle who has rushed the ball 228 times for 1443 yards and 16 touchdowns. Jordyn Bennett has added 529 yards rushing this season and has scored 12 touchdowns. Quarterback Ryan Corkery – who has rushed for 731 yards and six touchdowns – has completed 52 passes for 1047 yards and 11 touchdowns. Kyle Keyser is the leading receiver for the Jags with 19 catches for 387 yards and four scores.
[#15] Pennsbury Falcons @ [#10] Coatesville Red Raiders
Friday 7 pm
*winner gets the winner of the North Penn-Neshaminy game*
Pennsbury Falcons:
Last Week: Pennsbury (8-3) – which had been beaten at Abington by a 20-7 score earlier in the season – came back to the Graveyard and stunned the Ghosts 35-24. The Falcon running attack was once again featured as Dequan Mack – who rushed for a game-high 118 yards – scored on a 42-yard run. Adam Lewis scored a pair of touchdowns on a 12-yard run and a 28-yard TD catch from quarterback Bruce Campbell. The difference in the game, though, was an interception return for a TD by Zach Gaine and an 85-yard kick off return for a score by Shawn Pepper.
Tale of the Tape: The Falcons are ranked # 46 by MaxPreps.com. Pennsbury has scored an average of 23.3 points per game and has allowed 14.3 points per game. That computes to a +9.0 points per game. The Falcons have lost games to Easton (24-0), Abington (20-7), and Neshaminy (24-7). The signature win for Pennsbury was its 13-10 victory over Council Rock South – the only loss of the year for the #1 seeded Golden Hawks.
Who’s Who? Pennsbury is a run first – second – and third team that is lead by running by Dequan Mack. Mack leads the Falcons with 828 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Adam Lewis has rushed for 542 yards this season and seven scores, while Chuck Snorweah had added 417 yards and a score. Quarterback Bruce Campbell has completed just 13 passes this season – two for touchdowns.
Pennsbury head coach Galen Snyder said: “Coatesville is a team that is extremely skilled and very fast. They have Division One kids at quarterback (Manny Stocker), running back (Dae-Hon Cheung), and wide receiver (Kyle Kerrick) and can score a lot of points. We have to be able to be physical with them and be able to control the game by running the ball. If we can do that, we should be okay.”
Coatesville Red Raiders
Last Week: Coatesville (9-2) had its high-octane offense purring in a 60-28 rout of host Spring-Ford. Manny Stocker fired five touchdown passes for the Red Raiders and passed for a game-high 215 yards. Chris Jones caught six passes – four for touchdowns – and had 170 receiving yards. Dae-Hon Cheung rushed for an impressive 190 yards. The Red Raiders registered a staggering 572 yards of total offense – 309 passing yards and 263 rushing yards.
Tale of the Tape: The Red Raiders are ranked #37 in the state by MaxPreps.com. Coatesville has scored an average of 35.2 points per game and has allowed 16.7 points per game. That computes to a +18.5 points per game. The Red Raiders have lost games this season to Unionville (27-26) and West Chester Henderson (21-13). The signature win for Coatesville was its 60-28 victory over Spring-Ford in last week’ district playoff opener.
Who’s Who? Coatesville features a balanced attack that showcases the talents of quarterback Manny Stocker (committed to North Carolina State) who has fired 19 touchdowns. Stocker has passed for 1725 yards on 101 completions. He has also scored eight rushing touchdowns. Kyle Kerrick (committed to Michigan State) is a quality receiver with 43 catches for 734 yards and six scores. Dae-Hon Cheung - who leads Chester County in rushing with 1833 yards and 20 touchdowns - leads the running attack.
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