By Scott Huff
The Suburban One League regular season is in the rear view mirror, and the PIAA District One Quad-A playoffs are straight ahead.
“I might be biased, but I think that District One has the strongest football in the state,” said Council Rock South head coach Vince Bedesem. “We are a number one seed – and we play Upper Dublin that is the number 16 seed. Both of us are very good football teams that have earned the right to play for a district championship.
“It’s the football version of March Madness,” added Bedesem. “Anything can happen, and that is because we only have excellent football teams playing in the playoffs.”
Let the November Madness begin.
[#16] Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals @ [#1] Council Rock South Golden Hawks
Friday – 7 pm
Upper Dublin
The Season: The Flying Cardinals finished the regular season as the runner-up in the Suburban One League American Conference with an overall record of 7-2. The two losses for UD came against Central Bucks West (10-7) in the season opener and to conference champion Plymouth Whitemarsh (23-7). The most impressive win of the season for the Cardinals was a 17-10 win over Wissahickon in the season finale. Upper Dublin is ranked # 110 in the state by Max Preps. The Flying Cardinals have scored an average of 26.3 points per game and have allowed 12.7 points per game.
Who’s Who? Upper Dublin boasts one of the best quarterbacks in the area in senior Andrew Derr. Derr has completed 94 of 161 passes for 1237 yards and 14 touchdowns and has thrown just two interceptions. Derr has three favorite targets in Luke Felix (24 catches for 313 yards and a TD), Chris Naughton (16/303/6), and Sean McAneney (14/171/1). Jino Park (74 rushes for 408 yard and four scores) and Tybree Stallings (54/339/3) lead a meager Flying Cardinal rushing attack.
Upper Dublin head coach Bret Stover says: “We have a veteran group of players that were in the playoffs last year, and that has given us more of a business type approach. But we’re still pumped for the game. Council Rock South has shown great speed and execution with that offense, and our best defense is going to be our ability to control the game and run off some clock. Our best defense is going to be how well we play on offense.”
Council Rock South
The Season: The Golden Hawks finished the regular season as co-champions in the Suburban One National Conference with an overall record of 9-1. The lone loss of the season came against conference foe Pennsbury (13-10). The most impressive win of the season for Rock South was a 30-22 win over then unbeaten Abington. Council Rock South is ranked #16 in the state by Max Preps. The Golden Hawks have scored an average of 27.1 points per game and have allowed 12.7 points per game.
Who’s Who? Council Rock South features a punishing running attack. Quarterback Brian Donnelly has engineered the Rock South triple-option offense and has run the football 137 times for 996 yards and 18 touchdowns to pace the Hawks. Anthony Alimenti (49 rushes/559 yards/7 touchdowns) is a big play back, while Ryan Whiteley (79/383/1) pounds the ball inside. PJ Gallo leads CR South with just seven catches for 90 yards.
Council Rock South head coach Vince Bedesem says: “Andrew Derr is one tremendous football player on both sides of the ball. He has a live arm that can make all the throws as a quarterback, and I was equally impressed with how he plays on defense. He is always around the football. We are as healthy as you can be after a 10-game grind, but we’re as excited getting ready for this game. Friday night is going to be like Christmas morning.”
[#15] Pennsbury Falcons @ [#2] Abington Galloping Ghosts
Friday – 7 pm
Pennsbury
The Season: The Falcons finished the regular season in third place in the Suburban One National Conference with an overall record of 7-3. The losses for Pennsbury came against Easton (24-0), conference co-champion Abington (20-7), and Neshaminy (24-7). The most impressive win of the season was a 13-10 victory over conference co-champion Council Rock South. Pennsbury is ranked #83 in the state by Max Preps. The Falcons have scored an average of 22.1 points per game and have allowed 13.3 points per game.
Who’s Who? The Pennsbury offense showcases the running game. DaQuan Mack leads the Falcons with 135 rushing attempts for 622 yards and 10 touchdowns. Adam Lewis (61 rushes/526 yards/ 5 touchdowns), quarterback Bruce Campbell (35/203/4), and Chuck Snorweah (58/359/1) provide backfield depth for the Black and Orange. Lee Hamacher leads the Falcons in receiving with just six catches for 107 yards.
Pennsbury head coach Galen Snyder says: “The key to winning this game will be for us to avoid penalties and turnovers. We must contain their quarterback (Ken Cropper) and their running back (Ray Schreiner). We are both familiar with one another, and both teams will try to make adjustments from the previous game.”
Abington
The Season: The Ghosts finished the regular season as co-champions of the Suburban One National Conference with an overall record of 9-1. The only loss of the season for Abington came against conference co-champion Council Rock South – 30-22. The most impressive win of the season for Abington came against Plymouth Whitemarsh – 18-7. Abington is ranked #21 in the state by Max Preps. The Ghosts have scored an average of 31.7 points per game and have allowed 12.7 points per game.
Who’s Who? Abington features a balanced offensive attack that centers around the talents of senior quarterback Ken Cropper. Cropper has rushed the ball 115 times for 511 yards and nine touchdowns and has also completed 59 passes for 1138 yards and 12 scores. Ray Schreiner leads the Ghosts in rushing with 1,111 yards on 136 carries and has scored 16 rushing scores. Josh Lee is the top receiver for Abington with 24 catches for 661 yards and eight touchdowns.
Abington head coach Tim Sorber says: “We have had a great rivalry with Pennsbury the last few years, and to add the playoffs to the mix is great. There is both good and bad in playing a team that you played during the season, but to be honest, the teams in the (SOL) National Conference would like to play someone else in the playoffs. We know what to expect – and so do they. It should be a good game.”
[#13] Central Bucks South Titans @ [# 4] Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials
Friday – 7 pm
Central Bucks South
The Season: The Titans finished the regular season as the runner-up in the Suburban One League Continental Conference with an overall record of 7-3. The losses for CB South came against Council Rock South (42-20), North Penn (28-14), and Souderton (44-42). The most impressive win of the season for CB South came against Pennridge – 28-14. Central Bucks South is ranked #43 in the state by Max Preps. The Titans have scored 38.8 points per game and have allowed 23.1 points per game.
Who’s Who? Central Bucks South has the most explosive offensive numbers in the entire playoffs. Senior running back Dan Brown has punished opponents for 1484 yards on 164 carries and has scored 27 touchdowns. Titan senior quarterback Matt Johns – headed for Virginia next year – has completed 102 passes for 1691 yards and 14 touchdowns. The top receiver in the playoffs might just be Chris Veal who has snatched 50 passes for 951 yards and nine touchdowns.
Central Bucks South head coach Dave Rackovan says: “Plymouth Whitemarsh has tremendous team speed on both sides of the ball and that causes problems when they can get into space. And if you add into that the fact that they are a very physical team, it makes them very difficult to beat. They have great athletes and our kids are very excited to play in the game.
Plymouth Whitemarsh
The Season: The Colonials finished the regular season as the champion of the Suburban One League American Conference with an overall record of 9-1. The only loss of the season for PW was an 18-7 loss to Abington. The most impressive win of the season for the Colonials was a 20-0 victory over West Chester Henderson. Plymouth Whitemarsh is ranked #25 in the state by Max Preps. The Colonials have scored an average of 29.3 points per game and have allowed an average of 7.2 points per game.
Who’s Who? Plymouth Whitemarsh also features a balanced offensive attack. Quarterback Russhon Phillips is an accomplished runner with 724 yards and six rushing touchdowns and has also completed 58 passes – eight of which went for touchdowns. The Colonial running attack features the talents of senior running back Xavier Ellington. Ellington has rushed the ball 111 times for 949 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Dan Chang says: “Matt Johns throws a great ball for them, and he might stand above all of the rest of the quarterbacks we have played. Dan Brown is a great north/south runner. The key is to be able to fly to the ball and limit the amount of points that they score. The best way to do that should be for us to control the ball on offense and keep their offense off the field.”
[#11] North Penn Knights @ [#6] West Chester Rustin Golden Knights
Saturday – 1 pm
North Penn
The Season: The Knights finished the regular season as the champion of the Suburban One League Continental Conference with an overall record of 8-2. The losses for North Penn came in the non-league schedule against La Salle (44-27) and St. Joe Prep (51-33). The most impressive win of the season was a 28-14 victory over Central Bucks South. The Knights are ranked #22 in the state by Max Preps. North Penn has scored an average of 33.8 points per game and has allowed an average of 15.1 points per game.
Who’s Who? North Penn is going to have a difficult time accounting for the production of injured quarterback Corey Ernst who has completed 108 passes for 1555 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Knights have three strong running backs in Kyle Mayfield (141 rushes/994 yards/9 touchdowns), James Fielder (88/583/7), and Dan Gevirtz (40/636/7). Austin Shearer has completed just six passes for 124 yards and will be the starting QB for the Knights.
North Penn head coach Dick Beck says: “We are going to have to find a way to stop them defensively. They are very big up front and have great range. We are going to continue to do what we do every game that we play on offense – feed the hot hand. We are going to miss Corey (Ernst), but the next man has to step up and make plays.”
Bayard Rustin
The Season: The Golden Knights were the champions of the Ches-Mont American Conference with an overall record of 9-1. The only loss of the season came in a 42-13 non-league loss to Downingtown East. The most impressive win of the season for the Golden Knights was a 21-14 victory over Unionville. Rustin is ranked #56 in the state by Max Preps. West Chester Rustin has scored an average of 30.2 points per game and has allowed an average of 13.7 points per game.
Who’s Who? West Chester Rustin has the ability to score on both the run and the pass. Running back Cordairo Taylor leads the Golden Knights with 1151 yards on 129 carries and has scored 9 touchdowns, while Conor Burke has rushed for 922 yards on 132 carries and has scored 12 times. Quarterback Mike DeLancey has completed 45 passes for 681 yards and 8 touchdowns.
[# 14] Neshaminy Redskins] @ [#3] Unionville Indians
Friday – 7 pm
Neshaminy
The Season: The Redskins finished the regular season in third place in the Suburban One League National Conference with an overall record of 7-3. The losses for Neshaminy came against Abington (35-21), Council Rock North (17-14), and Council Rock South (41-17). The most impressive win of the season for the Skins came against Pennsbury – 24-7. Neshaminy is ranked #65 in the state by Max Preps. The Redskins have scored an average of 24.7 points per game and have allowed an average is 14.1 points per game.
Who’s Who? Neshaminy showcases the running talents of senior Sean Ulmer who has rushed 191 times for 1079 yards and 10 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Joe Bianchino has completed 68 of 111 passes for 983 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Bobby Marterella (20 catches/311 yards/ 4 touchdowns) and Justin Andrews (24/299/2) are his favorite receivers.
Neshaminy head coach Mark Schmidt says: “Unionville is a very good football team with good players and good coaches. They have a lot of seniors playing in the right spots. They control the ball and are a tough team to get them to punt. We’re excited about playing in the game – both our younger players and our seniors. We have been getting better every week, and we feel that we should be able to give them a good game.”
Unionville
The Season: The Indians finished the regular season as the runner-up in the Ches-Mont American Conference with an overall record of 9-1. The only loss of the season for Unionville came in a 21-14 loss to West Chester Rustin. The most impressive win of the season was a 35-28 victory over Garnet Valley. The Indians are ranked #63 in the state by Max Preps. Unionville has scored an average of 27.9 points per game and has allowed an average of 18.8 points per game.
Who’s Who? Unionville features a pair of tough running backs in Richie Sampson and Tom Pancoast. Sampson is one of the leading rushers in the area and has rushed for 1457 yards and has scored 22 touchdowns this season. Pancoast – the Indian quarterback – has rushed for 863 yards and five scores. He has also thrown 10 touchdown passes.
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