Scott Huff previews the four teams in Friday night's District One AAAA semifinal contests.
By Scott Huff
Central Bucks South was 16 seconds awayfrom making the PIAA District One Quad-A Final Four an all Suburban One League Final Four. The high-octane Titans failed to hold a 48-45 lead in the final moments as Garnet Valley – Central League champions – rallied for the breathtaking 52-48 victory.
“There was no question that Central Bucks South was a very good football team, and I expected them to make some noise in the playoffs,” said North Penn head coach Dick Beck who has guided his Knights to a District One semifinal game with Pennsbury. “I was disappointed that they didn’t win. It would have been great to have the final four all be teams from the Suburban One.
“Our league has been exceptional ever since I coached in the league going back to 1991,” added Beck. “You expect teams from the league to do well when we play teams outside the league. The best competition that we play usually comes teams in our own league.”
This year has been no exception as the SOL went a perfect 4-0 in games against the Ches-Mont League. North Penn did its part in the opening round of districts with a 48-21 win over West Chester Rustin, while Neshaminy whitewashed Unionville 28-0 in its first round game. And in second round games, Council Rock South advanced with a 31-19 win over Dowingtown East, while Pennsbury stoned Coatesville 42-21.
“I think I’ve told everyone that we play in the best league in the state,” said Council Rock South head coach Vince Bedesem who has guided his Golden Hawks to a District One semifinal game with Garnet Valley. “The talent that we see week in and week out is just so good. To win championships in this league is quite an accomplishment.”
The Suburban One League began the 16-team district playoffs with eight quality teams. Neshaminy, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Abington, and Upper Dublin were all jettisoned from the playoffs by other SOL teams. Neshaminy lost to North Penn 21-7, Plymouth Whitemarsh lost to Central Bucks South 52-24, and Upper Dublin was thumped by Council Rock South 34-7.
Only Central Bucks South lost to a non-SOL squad – and that came in the last 16 seconds against Garnet Valley.
“It gives us a nice feeling to see that teams within your league do well in the playoffs,” said Pennsbury head coach Galen Snyder who has guided his Falcons to a District One semifinal game with North Penn. “You always concentrate on who you are playing in the next game, but you can’t help but notice what the other teams from your league are doing in the other bracket.”
And those Suburban One League teams are doing quite well – thank you.
[#15] Pennsbury Falcons (9-3) @ [#11] North Penn Knights (10-2)
Friday – 7:30 pm – Crawford Stadium
*winner meets winner of Council Rock South-Garnet Valley game in District One Final*
Pennsbury:
Last Week: The Falcons used its ground and pound offense to batter host Coatesville – 42-21 – in a PIAA District One Quad-A quarter-final game. Pennsbury jumped out to a 21-0 lead and never looked back. The Falcons did not surprise in that they beat up Coatesville for 366 yards and four touchdowns, but Pennsbury did surprise the Raiders with a pair of touchdown passes. Dequan Mack rushed for a career-high 186 yards on 22 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns. Quarterback Bruce Campbell – who rushed for a couple of scores – completed three of three passes for 129 yards and two scores. Adam Lewis – who caught all three balls for the Falcons – scored on touchdown aerials of 28 and 73 yards.
Tale of the Tape: Pennsbury is ranked # 23 in the state by Max Preps.com. The Falcons have scored an average of 24.8 points per game and have allowed 14.8 points per game. That computes to a +10.0. Pennsbury has lost games this season to Easton (24-0), Abington (20-7), and Neshaminy (24-7). The signature win for the Falcons was handing Council Rock South its only loss of the season – 13-10.
Players To Watch: The Falcons are a run first-second-and third team. The leading rusher for Pennsbury is powerful Dequan Mack who has rushed for 1014 yards and 14 touchdowns. Adam Lewis is a speed back that has added 600 yards rushing and seven touchdowns, while Chuck Snorweah has rushed for 417 yards and a score. Lewis is the main target for the Falcons when they attempt to throw the football. Quarterback Bruce Campbell executes the offense and has thrown four touchdown passes on just 16 season completions.
Pennsbury head coach Galen Snyder said: “North Penn is a very physical team that also has a lot of team speed. We beat a good team last week in Coatesville, but we have to prepare for a much different style of play when we play North Penn. We have played well on the road this year, and we’re going to have to play the game there. We are going to have to get after them. You win or you go home.”
North Penn:
Last Week: The Knights broke open a 7-7 first quarter deadlock to defeat visiting Neshaminy – 21-7 – in a PIAA District One Quad-A quarterfinal game. North Penn led 14-7 at the half, and closed out the win with a game-sealing touchdown in the fourth period. Dan Gevirtz accounted for 200 yards of total offense – 130 rushing and 70 receiving – and scored a pair of touchdowns. Gevirtz scored on a 15-yard pass reception from quarterback Corey Ernst in the first period and jetted 74 yards for a touchdown in the second period. The final Knight score came on a six-yard TD pass from Ernst to Danny Wynne. Ernst finished the game with 13 completions for 142 passing yards. Kyle Mayfield – back from injury – rushed for 115 yards.
Tale of The Tape: North Penn is ranked # 12 in the state by Max Preps.com. The Knights have scored an average of 33.9 points per game and have allowed 14.9 points per game. That computes to a +19.0. North Penn has lost games this season to La Salle (44-27) and St. Joseph’s Prep (51-33). The signature wins for the Knights this season was its playoff wins over Neshaiminy (21-7) and West Chester Rustin (48-21).
Players To Watch: The Knights feature a balanced offense that is plainly visible in the season stats. Senior quarterback Corey Ernst has been outstanding and has fired 24 touchdown passes and thrown for 1813 yards this season. Kyle Mayfield is an explosive back that has rushed for 1209 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Dan Gevirtz is equally explosive with 452 yards rushing and four scores. Ralphie Reeves is a terrific short yardage back with nine rushing scores. Gevirtz is also the featured receiver with 48 catches for 751 yards and eight touchdowns. Eddie Posavec has 19 catches and two scores, while Shayne Watson has caught 15 balls for four touchdowns.
North Penn head coach Dick Beck said: “Pennsbury has a huge offensive line (led by JJ Denman), a big back (Dequan Mack), and fast back (Adam Lewis). They are a big and very physical team. What makes them hard to prepare for is that they mostly run the ball, but they have hurt teams at times with a pass. The team that we played this year that most reminds me of them is Souderton. It is going to be a tremendous challenge for us.”
[#5] Garnet Valley Jaguars (11-1) @ [#1] Council Rock South Golden Hawks (11-1)
Friday – 7 pm – Walt Snyder Stadium
*winner gets winner of North Penn-Pennsbury in district final*
Garnet Valley:
Last Week: The Jaguars – Central League Champions – scored with 16 seconds leftin the game to defeat Central Bucks South – 52-48 in a PIAA District One Quad-A quarterfinal game. Running back Jordyn Bennett played his best game of the season with 193 rushing yards and three touchdowns – on just 10 carries. Justin Pyle added 145 yards and three touchdowns for the Jags. The game winning play came on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Corkery to Andrew DePietro, Cockery finished with eight completions for 140 yards. The Jaguars piled up 501 total yards of offense and had 27 first downs.
Tale of the Tape: Garnet Valley is ranked # 36 in the state by Max Preps.com. The Jaguars have scored an average of 37.8 points per game and have allowed an average of 23.0 points per game. That computes to a +14.8. The only loss of the season for Garnet Valley came in the first game of the season against Unionville – 35-28. The signature win for the Jaguars this season would have to be last week’s 52-48 shootout with Central Bucks South.
Players To Watch: The Jaguars run a spread offense and has accounted for some pretty impressive offensive numbers. Justin Pyle is the leading rusher for the team with 1588 yards and 19 touchdowns. Jordyn Bennett has added 722 yards and has found the end zone 15 times this season. Ryan Corkery – who has 809 rushing yards and six rushing scores – has completed 60 passes for 1187 yards and 12 touchdowns. His favorite target is Kyle Keyser who has caught 21 passes for 421 yards and four touchdowns.
Council Rock South:
Last Week: The Golden Hawks led by just 14-13 at half, but controlled the second halfas Rock South rolled to a 31-19 victory over Downingtown East. The Hawks used its punishing ground game to rack up 333 rushing yards. Senior quarterback Brian Donnelly raced for a game-high 181 yards on 18 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns. Anthony Alimenti joined the touchdown parade with a score and added 82 yards on 15 carries. Ryan Whiteley rushed the ball 18 times for 57 additional yards and also scored for the Golden Hawks.
Tale of the Tape: Council Rock South is ranked # 10 in the state by Max Preps.com. The Golden Hawks have scored an average of 27.9 points per game and have allowed an average of 12.8 points per game. That computes to a +15.1. The only loss of the season for Council Rock South came against SOL National Conference foe Pennsbury – 13-10. The signature win for the Hawks this season was last week’s victory over Downingtown East.
Players To Watch: The Golden Hawks pound the ball on the ground offensively – and have done it with a huge degree of success. Quarterback Brian Donnelly has rushed 175 times for 1351 yards and 22 touchdowns. Anthony Alimenti has rushed the ball 78 times for 779 yards and 10 touchdowns. Ryan Whiteley has rushed the ball 110 times for 568 yards and two scores. Christian Crane has rushed the ball 40 times for 329 yards and four touchdowns.
Council Rock South head coach Vince Bedesem said: “We won the first two games in the playoffs last year, so we know what it is like to be in this type of game. The seniors on this team also remember that they want to go further than where we are right now. I hope we have gained some momentum with the last two games and get to that district final.”
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