Check out all the SOL football results from Friday night. To view photos of the Upper Merion/Plymouth Whitemarsh game, please visit the Photo Gallery. (Game stats are provided courtesy of Calkins Media. For complete high school football coverage, please visit the web site www.PhillyBurbs.com.)
American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 32, UPPER MERION 23
Left side, strong side
By Dave Conard for SuburbanOneSports.com
UPPER MERION—It had been a long time since PW head coach Dan Chang’s and his squad had to muck their way through a quagmire like the one they found at Upper Merion High School Friday night.
Despite the sloppy track, Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-0, 5-2 overall) quickly showed that they do not need the quick surface of Colonial Stadium to power ball down the field, as they rallied from a 17-16 deficit midway through the third quarter to claim a 32-23 Suburban One League American division win over the Vikings (1-3, 3-4).
It was fitting that on senior recognition night for Upper Merion, it was senior signal caller Cameron Fortino that rallied the Vikings, who found themselves trailing by a 16-3 count with 2:58 left in the opening half on two 
touchdown runs by senior Jose Vega (4 and 32 yards).
Fortino and company executed the “two-minute drill” to perfection as they marched the length of the field in the closing moments of the first half with Fortino connecting on a 10-yard screen pass to Isaiah Aleciea hurdling into the end zone as time expired in the first half.
“Their offensive coordinator did a great job running plays that they knew we would face match up challenges,” said Chang, whose team led 16-10 at the intermission. “We will celebrate any win, but we have to play much better in the upcoming weeks. I thought our guys did a good job up front tonight especially in the second half.’
On the opening possession of the second half, Fortino was at it again as he engineered a 68-yard, eight-play scoring drive in which he connected with Aleciea on a slant for 27 yards and junior wide out Tyler Thorton for 20 yards, setting up a 5-yard touchdown burst when he called his own number.
It was following the Vikings snagging the 17-16 lead that the contest started to take on the appearance of a scene directly from “Remember the Titans” as the “left side” was truly the ‘strong side,’ bulldozing their way through the mud and clearing the way for Vega and Brian Afflick.
Led by 270-pound junior Steve Kovacic and 265-pound Ryan Bischoff blowing people off the line, the Colonials posted more than 150 yards rushing on two second-half scoring drives that consumed 10 minutes of playing time and propelled PW to a 32-23 lead with Afflick blasting in from a yard out and Vega scoring on 3-yard run.
“We knew we had to take control of the line of scrimmage,” said senior Ryan Bischoff. “That is our game - we run the ball, and tonight we had to dig down and find a way to get it done. We knew we had to win this game and had trust in each other that we could do it.”
Colonials sophomore Nafeese Nasir - in the span of five minutes - came up with two of the biggest plays of the season as he picked off a Fortino pass at the PW 5-yard line, and then he broke through the line to block an extra point attempt with 8:44 left in regulation that would have tied the game.
“Championship teams find ways to win these games,” said PW senior quarterback Connor Hanlon, who ran in the crucial two-point conversion to give the Colonials the lead for good. “We didn’t play our best tonight, but we found a way. That’s what good teams do. Now we have to get ready for next week against a very tough team.”
The Colonials will host Norristown next Friday while the Vikings will host Cheltenham.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 8 8 8 8 -32
Upper Merion 3 7 7 6 -23
PW- Vega 4 run (Vega run)
UM- Rose 21 FG
PW- Vega 32 run (Hanlon run)
UM- Fortino to Aleciea 10 pass (Rose kick)
UM- Fortino 5 run (Rose kick)
PW- Afflick 1 run (Vega run)
PW- Vega 3 run (Hanlon run)
WISSAHICKON 41, CHELTENHAM 33
Dominant First Half Gives the Trojans the Victory
By Jesse Bernstein for SuburbanOneSports.com
Two touchdowns apiece from junior Josh Smith and senior Jared Reed, along with an outstanding half of defense, combined to give Wissahickon a 44-31 win.
Wissahickon’s defense held the Panthers to just seven first half points,while the offense, led by quarterback Mike Marino, put up 27. Touchdowns for Wissahickon came courtesy of a fumble recovery for a touchdown by Khalil Bird, a 1-yard run from Marino, and a 43-yard scamper from running back Josh Trunk.
Cheltenham was only able to muster an 11-yard rushing touchdown from senior quarterback Marcus Heimann.
Asked what prompted his team’s offensive fireworks, Wissahickon coach Jeff Cappa responded, “We executed really well tonight. Our defense did a tremendous-I mean, we gave up 33 points-however, our defense, in the first half, just shut them down, got us the ball back, and when you’re able to get the ball back and get into a rhythm, it certainly helps.”
The Panthers spent most of the second half without the services of junior running back Greg Morris, who had been largely stifled until his injury
Cappa, on stopping Morris, said, “Our D coordinator put in a really good game plan, and our players executed”.
The second half was a different story. The Panthers were able to cut the score to 27-25, charging to three straight unanswered touchdowns behind Heimann, who would finish the game with five total touchdowns. However, Josh Smith, largely unused in the first half, made himself known on a halfback option touchdown to Jared Reed and also scored on a 42-yard footrace to the end zone that put the Trojans up 41-25. Heimann would add one more touchdown, but it was too little too late, and the Trojans hung on for the win.
Defensively, the Trojans were led by Kyle Stein, who had 8.5 tackles and one forced fumble. The Trojans’ defense forced four takeaways.
Wissahickon moves to 3-4, (2-2 SOL), while the Panthers lose their third straight to drop to 2-5, (1-3 SOL).
Cheltenham 0-6-12-15
Wissahickon 7-20-0-14
Statistics:
Marcus Heimann:
7/16, 104 yards, INT; 19 rushes for 190 yards, 5 touchdowns
Mike Marino:
10/16, 188 yards, 1 touchdown; 1 touchdown rushing
Josh Smith:
5 rushes for 87 yards, 1 touchdown; 1/2 for 17 yards, 1 touchdown
Jared Reed:
6 catches for 100 yards, 2 touchdowns
UPPER DUBLIN 46, UPPER MORELAND 10
The Golden Bears took an early 3-0 lead, thanks to a Kyle Dolan 20-yard field goal. It turned out to be their last hurrah. Upper Dublin’s John Lee scored on an 11-yard touchdown run. It was his first of three straight TD runs. Ryan Stover’s 51-yard touchdown return after an interception was followed by a 14-yard TD pass from John Derr to Matt Thompson, sending the Flying Cardinals into halftime with a commanding 33-3 lead on their way to the convincing win.
Upper Moreland junior Tyler Whitmore ran for 103 yards on a night that saw the Golden Bears accumulate 234 yards of total offense. The Flying Cardinals, meanwhile, had 426 yards of total offense, led by Derr, who had over 150 yards passing.
The Flying Cardinals (7-0, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Springfield next Friday while the Golden Bears (3-4, 2-2) will travel to Cheltenham.
Upper Moreland 3-0-7-0 10
Upper Dublin 14-19-7-6 46
National Conference
PENNSBURY 40, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
The Falcons’ defense continued its dominance of National Conference opponents, posting its third shutout in as many games. This time, the Falcons limited the Panthers to just 93 yards of total offense.
The Falcons also got the job done on the offensive side of the football, putting up 13 points in each of the first two quarters to go into halftime with a 26-0 lead. They added a touchdown in both the third and fourth quarters en route to the big win.
Junior Charles Snorweah had another big night, rushing for 134 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries. Ronquay Smith had 68 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries on a night that saw the Falcons pile up 362 yards of total offense.
The Falcons (6-1, 4-0 SOL) will host Council Rock North next Friday while the Panthers (2-5, 1-3) will host Harry S Truman.
William Tennent 0-0-0-0 0
Pennsbury 13-13-6-6 40
NESHAMINY 35, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
The Redskins were once again at their dominating best on defense, collecting their fourth shutout in seven games and allowing the Golden Hawks to accumulate just 140 yards of total offense.
Neshaminy also had its way on the offensive side of the ball where junior D’Andre Pollard had another magnificent performance, this time rushing for 264 yards and four touchdowns. All told, the ‘Skins had 417 yards of total offense. Cole Creighton returned a punt 38 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter as the Redskins sprinted to a 28-0 halftime lead and then added a second half TD for the 35-0 final.
Rock South lost quarterback Greg Paprocki to an injury in the second quarter.
The Redskins (7-0, 4-0 SOL) will host Bensalem next Friday while the Golden Hawks (1-6, 1-3) will host Abington.
Neshaminy 14-14-7-0 35
Council Rock South 0-0-0-0 0
ABINGTON 31, HARRY S TRUMAN 7
Craig Reynolds was back to doing what he does best – carrying the ball and scoring touchdowns. Abington’s standout senior running back was limited to 100 yards in the Ghosts’ shutout loss to Pennsbury last week. In Friday’s win, Reynolds carried the ball 28 times for 228 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Ghosts to the big win. Juawine Sowell added 72 yards on six carries for the Ghosts.
Abington got on the scoreboard when quarterback Brett Guaglianona found teammate Paul Gerlich with an 11-yard touchdown pass. After a field goal put the Ghosts on top 10-0, Reynolds took it in from 63 yards out for a 17-0 Abington lead. The Tigers lone score came on a two-yard Jake Zolna touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the opening half, trimming the Ghosts lead to 17-7 at the half. The Ghosts added a pair of second half touchdowns, including a 22-yard run by Reynolds.
Abington (6-1, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South next Friday while Truman (2-5, 0-4) will travel to William Tennent.
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 30, QUAKERTOWN 10
(For a complete game story by Scott Huff, please click on the following link)
http://www.suburbanonesports.com/article/content/bucks-get-defensive-win-over-panthers-0038552
A pair of interception returns for touchdowns and Corey Schott’s 86-yard opening kickoff return proved to be the difference in Friday’s win. After Schott spotted the Bucks a quick 7-0 lead, Quakertown’s Alec Vera found teammate Kyle Baskin with a 69-yard scoring strike to knot the score. Joe Ramos turned John Fitz’s screen pass into a 34-yard TD run, but after a Quakertown field goal, it was 14-0 game. That’s when Buddy Zanolini came up with a 41-yard interception return for a TD, sending the Bucks into halftime with a 20-10 lead. Connor O’Hanlon’s 55-yard interception return for a touchdown all but sealed the Panthers’ fate.
The Bucks (6-1, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham next Friday while the Panthers (3-4, 0-3) will travel to Souderton.
Quakertown 7-3-0-0 10
Central Bucks West 14-6-7-3 30
NORTH PENN 42, HATBORO-HORSHAM 21
The Knights have put themselves firmly in the driver’s seat in the Continental Conference, reeling off four straight wins in league play after dropping all three of their non-league games.
Continuity on the offensive line, according to coach Dick Beck, was a focus heading into Friday’s game against the Hatters.
“In the last couple of games, we’re really starting to move the ball on the ground with a lot of consistency, and we’re pretty happy about that,” the Knights’ coach said. “I thought tonight we really came off the ball, no doubt.”
Did they ever.
The Knights, who have scored 77 points in their last two games combined, accumulated 299 yards on the ground, and they were in command from start to finish.
“I’m happy with the way we’re running the ball,” Beck said. “(Alex) Eppinger, at tight end, and the rest of the ‘O’ line are really starting to come off the ball. The coaching staff has a good feel about what we’re getting good at – what’s our identity.
“Maybe early, we weren’t sure what our identity (was), but I think we’re kind of a line up, get three yards in a cloud of dust, and hopefully when we need to hit them with play action, we hit them.”
Austin Shearer got the ball rolling when he found Nick Wright with a screen pass that the senior fullback turned into a 32-yard touchdown.
“I thought Austin did a nice job of throwing to Nick across the middle,” Beck said. “He was open, and it was nice to see him make the play.”
Then it was Nyfease West taking it in from nine yards out, and a Lewis Dickinson two-yard TD run put the Knights on top 21-0, all in the first quarter. The two teams exchanged second quarter scores, and the Knights took a 35-14 lead into halftime.
Hatboro-Horsham’s John O’Malley was quarterback Casey Walsh’s favorite target, hauling in nine passes for 172 yards, which included an 85-yard TD completion in the second quarter.
“I think we have to tighten things up a little bit on the coverage stuff,” Beck said.
The Knights (4-3, 4-0) will host Pennridge next Friday night while the Hatters (3-4, 1-3) will host Central Bucks West.
North Penn 21-14-7-0 42
Hatboro-Horsham 0-14-0-7 21
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