Scott Huff previews Saturday’s District One Quad-A title game pitting Upper Dublin against North Penn and also recaps the SOL’s Thanksgiving Day games.
By Scott Huff
Upper Dublin (13-0) is making its first ever appearance in the PIAA Quad-A District One title game this Saturday against North Penn (11-2), and in doing so, the Cardinals has cleared some almost insurmountable barriers to get there.
The ‘talk’ this time of the scholastic football year almost always surrounds two topics – the private vs. public school debate – and the competition between Quad-A teams with vastly different male enrollments. Upper Dublin will not have to contend with the private vs. public school issue just yet, but the Cardinals have thus far been able to handle the enrollment issue.
The facts are the facts, and in 2015, Upper Dublin has the 35th highest enrollment of the 44 Quad-A teams in District One with only 569 male students. In the last playoff games, the Cardinals have beaten the school with the second largest enrollment (Pennsbury – 1384 male students) in District One and followed with a victory over the school with the third largest male enrollment (Upper Darby – 1354).
And next up for Upper Dublin is the No. 1 highest school in District One male enrollment – North Penn (1861). North Penn advanced to the title game with a victory over the fourth highest school in D-1 in enrollment – Neshaminy (1225).
This is not to diminish what North Penn has done this year – or any year for that matter. Upper Darby has always been among the largest schools in District One and has had very few postseason football dates in its history. The Knights are well deserving of the statewide recognition they get each and every season. The 11 players on the field dictate wins and losses – although everyone admits the talent pool is usually deeper in the larger schools.
In fact, North Penn has had to deal with the other ‘issue’ each and every year once it gets out of districts. The Knights usually have to contend with the private school powers from District 12 – St. Joe Prep and La Salle. Those schools have no geographical boundaries and often ‘recruit’ the best public school players into their programs.
Fair is fair – except in the PIAA.
PIAA Quad-A District One Championship
State Quarterfinal
# 9 North Penn Knights (11-2) vs # 3 Upper Dublin Cardinals (13-0)
Saturday – November 27, 2015
@ Souderton Area High School, 12 pm
Winner gets the winner of Parkland Trojans (12-1) vs. La Salle Explorers (9-3)
Playoff Resume:
Upper Dublin advanced to the district title game with a 24-14 victory over # 15 Pennsbury. Ryan Stover scored on a 24-yard run and fired an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jack Rapine. Kaleif Lee scored a touchdown and Todd Spirt booted a 34-yard field goal. The Cardinals advanced to the semifinals with a convincing 45-14 victory over # 6 Upper Darby. Stover threw three touchdown passes for the Cardinals, while Stacey Gardner rushed for a pair of touchdowns for the winners. Upper Dublin opened the playoffs with a 35-3 win over Garnet Valley as Stover rushed for four touchdowns and passed for a fifth score.
North Penn advanced to the district championship game with a 28-7 victory over # 13 Neshaminy. Nyfease West fueled the offense with 226 yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdowns. Reece Udinski completed seven passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns. The Knights were impressive in knocking out # 1 seed Downingtown East with a 27-14 PIAA Quad-A District One quarterfinal playoff game. West carried 33 times for a game-high 243 yards and a touchdown. Udinski completed 11 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns. Ricky Johns caught seven passes for 167 yards for the Knights. North Penn opened the playoffs with a 48-7 rout of # 8 Unionville.
Season Resume:
- Upper Dublin finished the season as the champion of the Suburban One League American Conference.
- North Penn finished the regular season as the champion of the Suburban One League National Conference.
Signature Regular Season Wins:
Upper Dublin
- Defeated Plymouth Whitemarsh 42-0
- Defeated Upper Moreland 35-7
- Defeated Hatboro-Horsham 31-10
Signature Regular Season Wins
North Penn
- Defeated Neshaminy 22-17
- Defeated Pennsbury 27-20
- Defeated Pennridge 31-7
Losses
North Penn
- Lost to La Salle 24-12
- Lost to Downingtown East 28-24
Stat Track:
Upper Dublin – 43.4 points per game * 8.5 points allowed per game * + 34.9 margin of victory.
North Penn – 36.3 points per game * 17.4 points allowed per game * + 18.9 margin of victory
Players To Watch:
Upper Dublin – Quarterback Ryan Stover [122 completions – 2050 yards – 25 touchdowns & 73 carries – 916 yards – 11 touchdowns]; Running backs Kaleif Lee [120 carries – 989 yards – 19 touchdowns]; Stacey Gardner [34 carries – 451 yards – 11 touchdowns]; Receivers Jack Rapine [25 receptions – 391 yards – 4 touchdowns]; Danny Boggs [20 receptions – 365 yards – 3 touchdowns]; Cole Swiger [17 receptions – 270 yards – 5 touchdowns].
North Penn – Quarterback Reece Udinski [143 completions – 2288 yards – 17 touchdowns]; Running backs Nyfease West [168 carries – 1243 yards – 15 touchdowns]; Nick Isabella [92 carries – 677 yards – 15 touchdowns] and Justin Ostopowicz [86 carries – 631 yards – 7 touchdowns]; Receivers Ricky Johns [44 receptions – 909 yards – 8 touchdowns]; Justin Ostopowicz [26 receptions – 304 yards – 1 touchdown] and Jake Hubler [20 catches – 360 yards – 1 touchdown].
Upper Dublin Head Coach Bret Stover says: “Offensively and defensively, they really got off the ball. Their skill players – (Nyfease) West, (Reece) Udinski, and (Ricky) Johns are without question the best that we have seen this year. They have a very balanced attack and make you defend the whole field. This is the biggest game in the history of Upper Dublin football – and we’re excited to be playing for a district championship.”
North Penn Head Coach Dick Beck says: “(Quarterback) Ryan Stover is the total package – big, fast, strong, good arm strength, and can beat you with his feet. He gets them in the right play by checking the play at the line. I love his poise and confidence. Defensively, I’m impressed with their team speed and tenacity. Everyone can run to the football. They play hard and are efficient tacklers. They have athletes at every position.”
PIAA Quad-A State Quarterfinal Game
Parkland Trojans (12-1) vs. La Salle Explorers (9-3)
Saturday – November 27, 2015
@ Northeast High School
1 pm
Winner gets the winner of Upper Dublin (13-0) vs. North Penn (11-2)
Playoff Resume:
Parkland advanced to the state quarterfinal game with a 63-21 victory over Wyoming Valley West in the District 11 title game. The Trojans led 49-14 at the half and won the game with a mercy rule. Devante Cross rushed for a game-high 135 yards and scored three touchdowns and also fired a pair of touchdown passes. Erik DiGirolamo rushed for 107 yards and scored a touchdown for the winners. Parkland opened the district playoffs with a 28-10 victory over Delaware Valley and captured a second round win with a 37-0 victory over Easton.
La Salle (Philadelphia Catholic League champion) advanced to the state quarterfinal game with a 42-15 District 12 championship victory over Simon Gratz (Philadelphia Public League). Running back Syaire Madden rushed for a game-high 174 yards and scored two touchdowns, while quarterback Chris Ferguson threw a pair of touchdown passes for a the Explorers. La Salle opened the district playoffs with a 27-6 victory over Father Judge and then stunned powerful St. Joe Prep 29-28 in the PCL final.
Season Resume:
Parkland finished the regular season tied for first place in the Eastern Pennsylvania Southern Division with a 7-1 record. The only loss of the year for the Trojans came against Southern Division co-champion Liberty by a 41-34 score.
La Salle finished the regular season in second place in the Philadelphia Catholic League Quad-A Division with a 2-1 record. The Explorers lost regular season games to PCL champion St. Joe Prep (49-24), Archbishop Wood (27-24), and Dematha (Maryland) High School (32-12).
Stat Track:
Parkland– 41.8 points per game * 13.5 points allowed per game * + 28.3 margin of victory.
La Salle – 27.9 points per game * 19.2 points allowed per game * + 8.7 margin of victory
Players To Watch:
Parkland – Quarterback Devante Cross [2297 passing yards – 23 touchdowns & 1238 rushing yards – 17 touchdowns]; Running Back Erik DiGirolamo [1032 rushing yards – 20 touchdowns] and Receiver Kenny Yeboah [13 touchdown receptions].
La Salle – Quarterback Chris Ferguson [1317 passing yards – 15 touchdowns]; Running Back Syaire Madden [1047 yards – 14 touchdowns] and Nick Rinella [8 touchdown receptions].
Turkey Day Leftovers
Quakertown (10-3) finished its season with a thrilling come-from behind 28-21 victory over Pennridge (8-4). The Panthers trailed 21-0 after the first half but scored 28 unanswered points in the second half. Rob Burns – who rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns – set the Quakertown all-time rushing mark. Burns finished his Panther career with 3778 yards, which eclipsed the 3766 mark recorded by Tony Latronica. Juden Desrosiers scored on three short touchdown runs for the Rams in the first half. Pennridge still leads the Turkey Day series 53-28-5.
Cheltenham (5-7) also captured a come-from-behind 41-36 victory over Abington (1-10) on Thanksgiving morning. The series – which the Ghosts lead 57-31-6 – began in 1915. It was not the 100th meeting, though, because there were four years the two teams failed to play over the last century. Brendan Mack concluded his glorious Cheltenham career passing for 221 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 92 yards. Jarrett Jenkins scored four touchdowns for the Black Cats, while Yasin Abdul-Haqq carried 15 times for a game-high 155 yards. David Kretscham of Abington finished his career with 13 completions for 251 yards and a touchdown. Darryl Davis-McNeil scored four touchdowns for the Ghosts – three rushing scores – and a TD pass reception.
Upper Merion (5-7) and Norristown (4-8) each played its final Suburban One League game on Turkey Day as the Vikings sailed to a 33-21 victory over the Eagles. Both Upper Merion and Norristown will compete in the Pioneer Athletic Conference next season. Isaiah Graham-Mobley stole the spotlight in the win scoring three touchdowns – one on a TD run; one on a TD pass reception; and one on a fumble recovery for a TD. Liam Stutzman threw two touchdown passes for the winners. DiVante Lloyd fueled the Eagle offense with two touchdown passes. Upper Merion now leads the series – which was suspended in 1987 – by a 16-15-5 margin.
Harry S Truman (6-6) concluded its season with a four-game winning streak as the Tigers captured an 18-17 Turkey Day victory over rival Conwell-Egan (5-6). The scoring machine for Truman on this morning was place kicker Tim Kenny-Schwartz who booted three field goals – including a 34-yard field goal with nine seconds left to earn the victory. Maurice Jackson scored the lone HST touchdown on a 41-yard run. Truman now leads the Thanksgiving Day series 6-5.
Suburban One Sports.com
Top Ten
1. Upper Dublin Cardinals (13-0)
2. North Penn Knights (11-2)
3. Neshaminy Redskins (9-4)
4. Pennsbury Falcons (9-4)
5. Quakertown Panthers (10-3)
6. Central Bucks East Patriots (8-3)
7. Pennridge Rams (8-4)
8. Council Rock North Indians (7-4)
9. Upper Moreland Bears (10-3)
10. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (8-3)
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