Scott Huff previews Friday’s two District One AAAA semifinal teams which featured three SOL teams.
By Scott Huff
Ding, ding, ding…
The clash for the PIAA Quad-A District One championship is now in the semifinal round with four district teams left standing.
[#11] North Penn (9-3) won its ninth consecutive game with a 31-21 knockout of host [#3] Pennsbury (10-2) and will host [#15] Perkiomen Valley (10-2) who delivered a crushing 60-20 KO of [#7] Central Bucks West (9-3).
[#8] Abington (10-2) rallied from a 21-7 deficit to knock out [#1] Garnet Valley (11-1) 26-21 and will travel to Heartbreak Ridge to meet [#4] Neshaminy (11-1) who KO’d [#12] Spring-Ford (9-3) by a 56-27 score.
The four remaining teams all feature a punishing running attack with both North Penn and Perkiomen Valley showcasing a devastating 1-2 punch, while both Abington and Neshaminy feature a single knockout back.
North Penn showcases 5-foot, 9-inch – 175 pound sophomore tailback Nyfease West and 5-9 – 215-pound senior fullback Luke Berry. West has rushed for 1243 yards on 175 carries (7.1 yards per carry) and 9 touchdowns, while Berry has bulled his way for 750 yards on 119 carries (6.3) and 11 touchdowns. Combined the Knight duo has rushed for 1193 yards on 294 carries (6.8) and 20 touchdowns.
Perkiomen Valley features 6-1 – 180 pound senior quarterback Rasaan Stewart and 5-7 – 170 pound fullback Mark Bonomo. Stewart has rushed for 1024 yards on 142 carries (7.2) and 14 touchdowns, while Bonomo has rushed for 1023 yards on 148 carries (6.9) and 11 touchdowns. Combined the Viking duo has rushed for 2047 yards on 290 carries (7.1) and 25 touchdowns.
Abington showcases just the single back – and what a talent. The Ghosts feature tailback is Craig Reynolds a 5-10 – 190 pound senior who has rushed for 1771 yards on 247 carries (7.2) and 26 touchdowns.
Neshaminy also showcases just a single back – and he is equally talented. The Redskins feature tailback D’Andre Pollard a 5-7 – 167 pound junior who has rushed for 2366 yards on 243 carries (9.7) and 32 touchdowns.
Wow!
And the beat goes on…
PIAA QUAD-A DISTRICT SEMI-FINAL GAMES
FRIDAY – NOVEMBER 22, 2013
7 PM
[# 8] Abington Ghosts (10-2) @ [#4] Neshaminy Redskins (11-1)
Heartbreak Ridge
Winner Gets the Winner of [#15] Perkiomen Valley @ [#11] North Penn
Abington Head Coach Tim Sorber says: “To be able to play Neshaminy again is going to be a real challenge because we have to play the game at Heartbreak Ridge. The game should generate a lot of excitement in front of their home fans, and that will be a nice change from the Garnet Valley game. Warming up there was an eerie feeling – there was no emotion shown by either team before the game and it was so quiet. That won’t happen at Neshaminy. (Neshaminy defensive coordinator) Neil French and I have become good friends, and he knows what I want to do before I do. I can’t let that happen.”
Neshaminy Head Coach Mark Schmidt says: “Abington is a very good football team, and them beating Garnet Valley gives us another home game. To have three home games in a row in the playoffs is a real plus – we play well at home. We have had to defend (Craig) Reynolds the last three years, and he is a special running back. Having played them earlier in the year, they know what to expect from us, and we know what to expect from them. It should be a great game.”
Stat Tracker
Regular Season Highlights:
Abington: (3rd place - SOL National Conference) * defeated [#10] Plymouth Whitemarsh 34-12 and [#16] Council Rock North 41-6 * lost to [#3] Pennsbury 37-0 and [#4] Neshaminy 31-14.
Neshaminy: (2nd place SOL National Conference) * defeated [#5] Downingtown West 39-0, [#16] Council Rock North 42-20, and [#8] Abington 31-14 * lost to [#3] Pennsbury 31-3.
PIAA Quad-A District One Playoff Highlights:
Abington: defeated [#9] Upper Dublin 55-25 and [#1] Garnet Valley 26-21.
Neshaminy: defeated [#13] Unionville 41-7 and [# 12] Spring-Ford 56-27.
Last Week:
Abington: The Ghosts rallied back in their final drive of the game to overcome a 21-19 Garnet Valley lead and upset the top-seed Jaguars 26-21. The winning pass came on an 11-yard scoring strike from sophomore quarterback David Kretschman to Khari Jefferson in the waning moments. Senior running back Craig Reynolds rushed for a game-high 176 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns for the Ghosts.
Neshaminy: The Redskins rallied back from an early 14-6 deficit and outscored Spring-Ford 50-13 for the remainder of the game to cruise to the 56-27 victory. D’Andre Pollard rushed for 185 yards and scored 4 touchdowns to highlight the offense. The defense was highlighted by a pair of interceptions returns for touchdowns – one by Devon Brown and the second by Matt Magdelinskas.
Last Meeting (10/25/13):
Neshaminy and Abington met during the regular SOL National Conference season, and the visiting Redskins captured a 31-14 victory over the host Ghosts. The score was competitive in the first half with Neshaminy holding a 10-7 lead, but the Skins outscored Abington 21-7 in the second half to coast to the win. Junior running back D’Andre Pollard was outstanding for Neshaminy rushing for 269 yards on 40 carries and scoring 4 touchdowns. Senior running back Craig Reynolds was held in check by the Redskin defense, rushing for 74 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown.
Offensive Scoring Average:
Abington: 31.3
Neshaminy: 36.1
Defensive Points Allowed:
Abington: 17.3
Neshaminy: 10.0
Margin of Victory:
Abington: +14.0
Neshaminy: +26.1
Rushing:
Abington: Craig Reynolds 247 carries, 1771 yards, 26 touchdowns.
Neshaminy: D’Andre Pollard 243 carries, 2366 yards. 32 touchdowns; Denny Lord 40/ 267/ 9.
Passing:
Abington: David Kretschman 43 completions, 704 yards, 8 touchdowns.
Neshaminy: Tyler Wombough 51 completions, 740 yards, 8 touchdowns.
Receiving:
Abington: Jordan Neely 31 receptions, 464 yards, 1 touchdown.
Neshaminy: Hamiid Pack 30 receptions, 492 yards, 4 touchdowns.
[#15] Perkiomen Valley Vikings (10-2) @ [#11] North Penn Knights
Crawford Stadium
Winner Gets the Winner of [#8] Abington @ [#4] Neshaminy
North Penn Head Coach Dick Beck says: “We go from one extreme to the other in playing Pennsbury last week then Perkiomen Valley this week. Perk Valley runs a no huddle offense and their quarterback (Rasaan) Stewart does everything for them – and he does everything well. He throws very well, and he makes great decisions. Perk Valley’s defense is very aggressive and they attack the football. Even though the game is at home for us, Perk Valley is close by and they will also have a nice crowd. It should be a great atmosphere to play a football game.”
Stat Tracker
Regular Season Highlights:
Perkiomen Valley: defeated [#10] Plymouth Whitemarsh 33-0 and [NR] Methacton 44-7 * lost to [#12] Spring-Ford 14-7 and [#1 – AAA] Pottsgrove 23-12.
North Penn: defeated [#7] Central Bucks West 50-14 and [NR] Pennridge 31-20 * lost to La Salle 34-7; Archbishop Wood 49-3; and St. Joe Prep 35-6.
PIAA Quad-A District One Playoff Highlights:
Perkiomen Valley: defeated [#2] West Chester Rustin 26-6 and [#7] Central Bucks West 60-20.
North Penn: defeated [#6] Coatesville 31-0 and [#3] Pennsbury 31-21.
Last Week:
Perkiomen Valley: The Vikings sailed to a ‘mercy-rule’ 60-20 win over Central Bucks West. Rasaan Stewart was absolutely dominating with a 1-2-3 touchdown effort that included one kickoff return for a touchdown (84 yards); 2 rushing touchdowns (6 & 73 yards); and 3 passing touchdowns to Dakota Clanagan (32, 47 & 64 yards).
North Penn: The Knights had a magnificent 3-touchdown pass performance turned in by senior Austin Shearer as North Penn ‘upset’ host Pennsbury 31-21. Shearer fired a pair of scoring passes to wide receiver Nick Wright and a third score to tight end Connor Gill. Sophomore speedster Nyfease West rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown to pace the rushing attack.
Offensive Scoring Average:
Perkiomen Valley: 37.5
North Penn: 27.9
Defensive Points Allowed:
Perkiomen Valley: 7.5
North Penn: 20.3
Margin of Victory:
Perkiomen Valley: +30.6
North Penn: +7.6
Rushing:
Perkiomen Valley: Rasaan Stewart 142 carries, 1024 yards, 14 touchdowns; Mark Bonomo 148/ 1023/ 11.
North Penn: Nyfease West 175 carries, 1243 yards, 9 touchdowns; Luke Berry 119/ 750/ 11.
Passing:
Perkiomen Valley: Rasaan Stewart 130 completions, 1933 yards, 26 touchdowns.
North Penn: Austin Shearer 86 completions, 1169 yards, 11 touchdowns.
Receiving:
Perkiomen Valley: Clay Domine 42 receptions, 697 yards, 11 touchdowns; Dakota Clanagan 38/ 611/ 9.
North Penn: Justin Hudimac 22 receptions, 342 yards, 3 touchdowns; Nick Wright 14/ 255/ 4.
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