Jarrad Saffren previews the 2016 season, highlighting three teams, three players and three games in each SOL Conference.
A very timely high school football preview
Three teams, players and games to watch in each SOL Conference
By Jarrad Saffren
Most high school football previews come out before the season.
But what do we really learn from week one anyway? Before this year, North Penn always lost its opener before morphing into North Penn.
So we here at suburbanonesports.comhave started a new trend that no media outlets will ever follow: The Week Two High School Football Preview (Working title). As in, a preview that comes out after week one but before week two.
Anyway, football is back. Has been back, actually.
The powers that nobody ever sees gave the Suburban One League an extreme makeover this offseason. You already know every detail, because every local reporter has covered it.
But I have to explain the changes because this is, after all, a football preview. So here we go, with bullet points…
• The SOL is down to 22 teams. Norristown and Upper Merion emigrated to the Pioneer Athletic Conference.
• Quakertown moved to the SOL American
• The SOL American still has eight schools. There’s the original six —Upper Dublin, Cheltenham, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Wissahickon, Upper Moreland and Springfield—plus the Continental immigrants (Hatboro-Horsham joined the league in 2014).
• Update/Correction: The SOL American is down to seven schools. Springfield shut down its varsity football program, for at least the 2016 season, this week. Springfield had just 20 players and fell to Octorara 47-20 Friday. The junior varsity program will play its season.
• The SOL Continental and National became geography-based again after two seasons of an enrollment-based setup. Council Rock North, Council Rock South and Harry S. Truman switched back to the National to battle Lower Bucks rivals Pennsbury, Neshaminy, Abington and Bensalem for league titles.
• North Penn, Pennridge, Souderton and Central Bucks South switched back to the Continental to battle Central Bucks rivals CB East and CB West. They will also battle William Tennent. (Quick aside: Do William Tennent history teachers teach William Tennent students who William Tennent was?)
There is one other not so minor change…
There are six PIAA classifications now, meaning fewer teams in each class, meaning almost every team below 6A makes the playoffs. And just about every 6A team is in the hunt until the last quarter of the season.
Major League Baseball created this scenario to inflate local television deals. I am not sure why the PIAA did it.
The purported reason is this: To create a scenario where schools of similar sizes play each other for championships. But the differences between the biggest and smallest schools in 6A is about the same as it was in 4A.
So who knows?
Anyway, before I grace you with my SOL football analysis, let me clarify one thing…
This article names three players, teams and games to watch in all three SOL football conferences. The key phrase is “To watch.” I am not naming the three best players, teams and games in each league, although some selections fit that category.
I am simply naming three players, teams and games to watch in all three conferences. “To watch” means they are interesting, intriguing, worth paying attention to. They also may be good.
Let’s get started.
SOL National
Teams:
Neshaminy: Neshaminy returns most of its offensive starters—including quarterback Mason Jones, running back Will Dogba, top receiver Zach Tredway and three offensive linemen—from a team that reached the District One Class AAAA semifinals. Neshaminy enters 2016 as the SOL National favorite, and it’s not close. Pennsbury: The Falcons lost 18 starters and 14-year coach Galen Snyder. New coach Dan McShane is installing new lineups and a new, un-Pennsbury-like spread offense. The Falcons always seem to make the district playoffs. But this is as much turnover—players, coaches, system—as a high school football team can undergo.
Council Rock North: No Brandon McIlwain? No shot, right? That's what everybody is thinking. But the Indians actually return a lot of key contributors, including five offensive linemen with varsity experience. New coach Matt McHugh leaned on his running game as Upper Moreland’s offensive coordinator. He will have to do the same in his first season at North.
Players:
Pat Bartlett, Council Rock North offensive lineman: The Division I prospect will anchor North's offensive line. He is the most essential post-McIlwain cog.
Will Dogba, Neshaminy running back: Dogba rushed for 1,477 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2015. The First Team All-SOL National selection closed a district playoff win over Quakertown with two late touchdowns. He will be for Neshaminy what Jerome Bettis was for the Bill Cowher Steelers: The bruiser who kills clock once his team builds a lead.
Tyrone Hodges, Pennsbury safety/running back: McShane—Pennsbury’s defensive coordinator the last four years—called Hodges the "best safety I've ever coached."
Games:
Council Rock North at Neshaminy, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.:This will be a good early test to see where the Indians are post-McIlwain. It could also show how good Neshaminy is.
Council Rock South at Council Rock North, Oct. 28, 7 p.m.: This annual season finale decided the SOL Continental last season. It almost always decides at least a district playoff spot.
Pennsbury at Neshaminy, Oct. 28, 7 p.m.: Neshaminy may be playing for a league title or home playoff game. Pennsbury may be playing for a district playoff spot.
SOL Continental
Teams:
North Penn:North Penn is more of a favorite to win the district title than Smarty Jones in the 2004 Belmont Stakes, New England in Super Bowl XLII and Michael Phelps every time he gets in a pool, combined. The Knights can always pound the rock. But the 2016 Knights are even better through the air. Aerial teams throw off high school defenses used to seeing run-based attacks. Quarterback Reece Udinski threw touchdowns to four different receivers in North Penn’s 33-24 win over La Salle Friday. North Penn had lost six straight season openers to La Salle.
Pennridge: The Rams return most key contributors from last year’s 8-4 team. Quarterback Devon Balmer graduated. But they are replacing him with Jagger Hartshorn, who started for his Georgia high school last season. Pennridge is probably North Penn's only potential challenger in the Continental.
Central Bucks East: The Patriots do not get as much attention as other playoff-caliber programs in the area. But they are solid in every phase. Their 42-7 season-opening win over Cheltenham was a defensive clinic. Cheltenham gained 30 total yards and picked up two first downs. Pennridge might not be North Penn's only challenger. CB East could be as well.
Players:
Reece Udinski/Ricky Johns, North Penn quarterback and wide receiver: Udinski is the best public school quarterback in the area. Johns is going to West Virginia on a football scholarship. Unless one gets hurt, they could make high school fantasy owners very rich.
Jagger Hartshorn, Pennridge quarterback: Anyone named Jagger Hartshorn should be the lead character in a high school football movie. Hartshorn grew up in Perkasie and in Pennridge schools. But his family moved to Georgia two years ago. Now he has returned home to make good on his childhood promise to lead Pennridge to a state title. Okay, he never made that promise. But he would in the movie. And maybe Pennridge's season will end like a movie, especially with a kid named Jagger at quarterback.
Those were my thoughts before Saturday. Then Jagger rushed for a school record five touchdowns. Jagger is for real.
Jake Reichwein, Central Bucks West linebacker/fullback: Reichwein is a bruiser on both sides of the ball. CB West coach Chas Cathers thinks the junior has Division I talent.
Games:
Pennridge at North Penn, Sept. 23, 7 p.m.: A statement game for both sides. How good is North Penn? Where does Pennridge stand? Both questions will be answered in this game.
Central Bucks East at Central Bucks West, Oct. 21, 7 p.m.: West is improving under second-year coach Cathers. East under John Donnelly is a great program to emulate. This is a measuring stick for the Bucks against their biggest rival.
Pennridge at Central Bucks East, Oct. 29, 7 p.m.: This will most likely be the battle for second place behind North Penn. It could also determine which team hosts a playoff game.
SOL American
Teams:
Upper Dublin:The defending District One Class AAAA champions opened their season with a 41-0 thrashing of Methacton. The Flying Cardinals lost a lot of starters from that historic team. But they are the team to beat until someone does.
Wissahickon: Randy Cuthbert has been the head coach at CB West, Pennridge and Emmaus. Cuthbert led Emmaus to an Eastern Conference title last season. So why leave for a team that went 1-9 in 2015? He is working toward his doctorate in sports administration and education and wanted to be an athletic director. Wissahickon gave him that chance. “Wissahickon is one of the best schools in the state,” Cuthbert said. “But the athletics aren’t as good. We are going to change that.” He is already building the football program. Wissahickon had 40 players in 2015 and no freshman team. The Trojans have 60 players and a freshman team in 2016. Cuthbert also added a weight room and offseason workout program. The new-look Trojans are off to a good start. They beat Martin Luther King 42-27 to open their season.
Quakertown: Quakertown showed it could compete with the Continental behemoths, winning the conference last year. Panthers coach George Banas has built a strong program. The Panthers went 21-5 the last two seasons, including two playoffs wins. They did lose most of their playoff core, which presents a new challenge for Banas. Let’s see how the Panthers do in their new, smaller league.
Players:
Noah Wood, Quakertown linebacker: Wood is one of two All-SOL Continental First Team selections back this season. He was suspended for Quakertown’s season opener. The Panthers desperately need him back.
Casey Decker, Upper Moreland quarterback: The Golden Bears rode workhorse running back Rodney Morgan to the 2015 District One Class AAA title game. Decker was basically a change of pace on run-pass option plays to the outside. Now he is the focal point of the offense. He will have to lead Upper Moreland without Morgan and offensive coordinator Matt McHugh, who took over at CR North. He threw a game-winning 46-yard touchdown pass with 1:46 left in UM’s 7-0 win over William Tennent Friday.
Justin Horn, Upper Dublin quarterback: Ryan Stover’s replacement may have had a better game than Jagger. Horn threw for two touchdowns, ran for three more. Horn could turn Flying Cardinals coach Bret Stover into a noted quarterback-whisperer, the SOL’s Andy Reid.
Games:
Upper Dublin at Quakertown, Sept. 23, 7 p.m.:In the last two seasons, these programs are a combined 46-8 with three league titles. Quakertown can show it is the new class of the American. Or the king can defend his hill. Both teams are breaking in new starters on both sides of the ball.
Upper Moreland at Quakertown, Oct. 14, 7 p.m.: Let’s say Quakertown is not Upper Dublin-good. This game will show if it is at least in the next tier. The Golden Bears were one of three American teams that went 5-2 in league play last season.
Hatboro-Horsham at Plymouth Whitemarsh, Oct. 14, 7 p.m.: These were the other two 5-2 squads. This game could be a standings tiebreaker at the end of the regular season.
Returning players who earned all-league honors last season:
ABINGTON – George Reid, Tom Penecale, Barry Johnson
BENSALEM – Blake Morgan, Saleem Martin
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST – Barney Amor, Wes Verbit, PJ Szymanski, Nate Ventresca, Mike Gresko, Myles King
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH – Ethan Knapp, Tyler Watson, Nate Norris
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST – Jake Reichwein, Kenny Doak, Kevin O’Hanlon, Chase Lorino
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH – Ryan McGrann, Andrew Short, Shawn Mackin, Alex Benner
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH – Pat Bartlett, Shane Oros, Mark Anastasi, Mason Luff
CHELTENHAM – Trevon Jackson, Yasin Abdul-Hagg, Ryan McTear
HARRY S TRUMAN – No returning all-league players
HATBORO-HORSHAM – Ryan Bruno, Calvin Broaddus, Robert Fitzgerald
NESHAMINY – Will Dogba, Zach Tredway, Eddie Parry, Dylan McDonald, Mason Jones, Chris Wilson, Kyle Osterhoudt
NORTH PENN – Reece Udinski, Ricky Johns, Dan Jasinski, Jake Hubler, Nick Vasgar
PENNRIDGE – Matt Mauer, Alex Schmidt, Nick Tarburton, Ryan Cuthbert
PENNSBURY – Maurice Stukes, Tyrone Hodges, Nasan Robbins
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH – John McGinley, Christian Jones, Blaise Gravinese, Vince Martina
QUAKERTOWN – Noah Wood, James Pulush, CJ Bach
SOUDERTON – Jack Morgan, Andrew Stein, Camerin Carroll, Koby Khan, Zach Bradshaw
UPPER DUBLIN – Zhaire Lee,
UPPER MORELAND – Randy Meehl, Dan Pagano, Ryan Caral
WILLIAM TENNENT – Ryan Stecklein, Taylor Hession
WISSAHICKON – Mason Menhardt, Mike Schoenleber
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