Check out the results for SOL football teams in action on Friday night. To view photos of the Abington/CR South, CB West/Hatboro-Horsham, and Wissahickon/Upper Merion games, please check the photo gallery. Stats used in the wraps are provided courtesy of Calkins Media. For complete high school football coverage, visit the web site www.PhillyBurbs.com.
Around the SOL…
American Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 34, SPRINGFIELD 7
DEFENSE SHINES AS UPPER DUBLIN SPOILS SPRINGFIELD HOMECOMING
Springfield’s Potent Running Attack Stifled
By Jesse Bernstein for SuburbanOneSports.com
Sophomore running back Kaleif Lee and senior quarterback John Derr combined for five total touchdowns in a 34-7 victory over Springfield.
The Cardinals’ often overwhelming offensive attack was largely held in the check for the first quarter, as the Spartans were able to limit the scoring to a 5-yard strike from Derr to junior running back John Lee.
Upper Dublin’s stout defensive line repeatedly harassed Springfield senior quarterback (and homecoming king nominee) Brendan Doyle into numerous near-interceptions and hurried throws, including an almost sure pick-six to Upper Dublin sophomore safety Ryan Stover that just barely slipped through his outstretched fingers.
On his team’s line play, coach Bret Stover said, “That’s where we’ve been so successful We’re winning up front on both sides of the ball…Our backs are running well, but our backs are running well because of our line”
Upper Dublin came out strong in the second quarter, netting a quick five-yard touchdown run from Kaleif Lee.
However, on the first play after the kickoff, Doyle found a wide-open Malik Ball, and the senior tight end rumbled all the way to the end zone for a 65-yard touchdown. The Cardinals would add another touchdown on a 1-yard run from John Derr before halftime to go on top 21-7.
In the second half, Springfield never even got a sniff of the end zone. Star junior running back Martin Worgan couldn’t find the tiny holes that he is usually wont to slip through, and two more touchdowns from Kaleif Lee helped secure a 34-7 win.
Now, for the first time in Upper Dublin history, the Cardinals are 8-0.
“I found that out last night,” said Coach Bret Stover. “7-0-1 was the best record, and that was in 1961…and that’s kind of exciting”
Next week, the Cardinals will play defending conference champion Plymouth Whitemarsh in what could prove to be the biggest game of the year for either team.
Upper Dublin improves to 8-0, (5-0 SOL), and Springfield drops to 4-3, (2-3 SOL).
Upper Dublin 7-14-6-7
Springfield 0-7-0-0
CHELTENHAM 42, UPPER MORELAND 21
The Golden Bears took a 28-21 lead into halftime, but the second half was all Cheltenham as the Panthers scored 21 unanswered points after the intermission to notch the big win.
In the opening half, Upper Moreland QB Charlie Hooker ran for one touchdown and threw for another. Junior Tyler Whitmore, who finished with 126 yards on 18 carries, opened the scoring with a 56-yard TD run. Torin Grumm also ran an interception back for a touchdown. The Golden Bears, who had 140 yards of offense in the first half, managed just one first down in the second half.
Tight end Christopher Myarick had the hot hand for the Panthers, hauling in six passes for two touchdowns and finishing with 143 yards. Quarterback Mark Heimann had another big day, throwing for over 200 yards while also accumulating over 100 yards on the ground.
The Panthers (3-5, 2-3) will travel to Upper Merion next Friday while the Golden Bears (3-5, 2-3) will host Springfield.
Upper Moreland 7-21-0-0 28
Cheltenham 7-14-7-14 42
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 42, NORRISTOWN 21
The Colonials took care of business on Friday night, turning a 21-14 halftime lead into a 35-14 advantage on their way to the big win. Connor Hanlon had another big day for the Colonials with 187 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries and 106 and two touchdowns passing while completing 6-of-8 attempts. For the game, Hanlon had 293 yards of total offense and four touchdowns. Brian Afflick added 90 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 11 carries while Jose Vega had 78 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries. Jimmy Rodgers led all receivers with 101 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions while Vega had one catch for five yards.
With the win, the Colonials improved to 5-0 in league play (6-2 overall), and they will host an Upper Dublin squad that also boasts a 5-0 league mark next Friday night in a contest that will undoubtedly determine the American Conference champion. The Eagles (0-8, 0-5 SOL) will host Wissahickon in a 1 p.m. game next Saturday.
Norristown 7-7-0-7 21
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-7-14-7 42
WISSAHICKON 36, UPPER MERION 20
Wissahickon’s Josh Smith had nine carries for 137 yards and a touchdown while teammate Josh Trunk had 12 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown. The Trojans’ defense had five takeaways.
Trunk put the Trojans on the scoreboard with a 71-yard touchdown run, and the Trojans led 14-0 after Smith took it in from 53 yards out. In the second quarter, Trunk hauled in a 24-yard pass from Jared Reed. The Trojans took a 22-8 lead into halftime. In the second half, Khalil Byrd had a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown.
The Trojans (4-4, 3-2 SOL) will travel to Norristown next Saturday for a 1 p.m. game. The Vikings (3-5, 1-4) will host Cheltenham next Friday.
Upper Merion0-8-6-6 20
Wissahickon 14-8-7-7 35
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 47, HATBORO-HORSHAM 21
Marvin Todd accumulated 160 yards on the ground while John Fitz had three touchdown passes in just over a half of action in a contest that saw the Bucks open up a 41-21 halftime lead on their way to the big win.
Todd opened the scoring with a 50-yard touchdown run, and after Hatboro-Horsham’s John O’Malley answered with an 8-yard TD run of his own, Todd came back to score another touchdown, this one from 37 yards out to give the Bucks a lead they would not lose. They led 21-7 at the end of one quarter and stretched that to 41-7 before O’Malley hauled in a Casey Walsh 40-yard touchdown pass to make it a 41-14 game at the intermission.
The score was 41-21 after O’Malley scored on a 58-yard TD run to open the second half. That’s as close as the Hatters would get. O’Malley had another huge night for the Hatters, finishing with 190 yards receiving and 85 on the ground.
With the win, the Bucks improved to 7-1 overall (5-0 SOL), and the stage has been set for next Friday night’s showdown at War Memorial Field against a North Penn squad that also boasts a 5-0 mark in league play. The Hatters (3-5, 1-4 SOL) will travel to Souderton.
Central Bucks West 21-20-0-6 47
Hatboro-Horsham 7-7-7-0 21
NORTH PENN 31, PENNRIDGE 20
(To read Scott Huff’s complete game story, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/article/content/knights-rally-big-win-over-rams-0038823)
With his team on top 24-20 in the fourth quarter, North Penn coach Dick Beck elected to go for it on fourth-and-one on his own 14-yard-line. Lewis Dickinson made the risky move look like a stroke of genius, breaking through the line and taking it 60 yards. Nyfease West finished off the drive with a touchdown run, and the Knights prevailed, setting the stage for next week’s showdown against Central Bucks West. Both teams have identical 5-0 records in league play and share the top spot in the SOL Continental Conference standings.
The Rams led 14-3 after quarterback Matt DiPasquale took it in from 56 yards out in the second quarter. They took a 14-10 lead into the intermission, but the Knights owned the second half.
West finished with 119 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Austin Shearer threw for 130 yards, and fullback Luke Berry had 93 yards. Matt Ammendola added a 32-yard field goal. For Pennridge, Mike Class rushed for 93 yards and a TD while DiPasquale threw for 100 yards.
A key to the win was the defense of North Penn’s Kris Akins on standout wide receiver Micah Stutzman, who was held to just 44 yards on three catches.
The Knights (5-3, 5-0 SOL) will travel to War Memorial Field next Friday for their showdown with West. Pennridge (5-3, 1-3) will host Central Bucks East.
Pennridge 0-14-6-0 20
North Penn 3-7-14-7 31
QUAKERTOWN 24, SOUDERTON 21 (OT)
The Indians appeared to be in command when Nate Landes scored a touchdown with 1:06 remaining to put Souderton on top 14-7, but a kickoff return to Souderton’s 28-yard line by Tyler Kisbaugh set the stage for a heroic Quakertown comeback. Quarterback Alec Vera set up his own two-yard TD plunge with a 31-yard completion to the two. The Panthers won it on a Nick Soriano field goal, breaking a four-game losing streak.
Sophomore Rob Burns led the Panthers with 112 yards rushing and one touchdown. A bright spot in the Souderton loss was the performance of freshman quarterback Joe Curotto, who was filling in for injured QB AJ Curotto. The freshman signal caller completed 11-of-14 passes for 145 yards. Manny Nieves was his favorite target, hauling in seven passes for 111 yards.
Quakertown (4-4, 1-3 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South next Friday while the Indians (1-7, 1-4) will host Hatboro-Horsham next Friday.
Quakertown 0-0-0-14-10 24
Souderton 0-0-7-7-7 21
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 28, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 21
Alex Gibson and Brian Passman had big nights on the ground for the Patriots, who accumulated 333 yards rushing in the win. Gibson had 184 yards and four touchdowns on 41 carries while Passman, a senior fullback, had 146 yards on 15 carries.
Gibson also caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Zach Nelson to spot the Patriots a 7-0 lead. The Titans got that score back when Matt Radwanski found Kevin Moran with a 36-yard TD pass. Gibson touchdown runs of two and one yard put the Patriots on top 21-7, but South’s Kevin Witchey hit Brian Kish with a 53-yard TD pass to make it a 21-14 game at halftime. The two teams exchanged second half scores.
In the absence of Josh Adams, the Titans relied on their passing game. Witchey finished with 207 yards and two touchdowns, and Radwanski had 81 yards and one TD. Moran caught a TD pass from each and finished with three catches for 95 yards.
The Patriots (4-4, 3-2 SOL) will travel to Pennridge next Friday while the Titans (4-4, 2-3) will host Quakertown.
Central Bucks South 7-7-0-7 21
Central Bucks East 14-7-7-0 28
National Conference
HARRY S TRUMAN 29, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
The Tigers did something they hadn’t done in a long time – they defeated a National Conference opponent. Truman’s last win in conference play came on Oct. 16, 2010, when the Tigers defeated Council Rock North 27-8.
The Tigers took a 14-0 lead when quarterback Jake Zolna connected with Bobby Hill for a 25-yard touchdown strike. Hill also had a 50-yard touchdown run. The Tigers took that two-touchdown lead into halftime. Jordan Livingston scored on a six-yard TD run, and Dwayne Ellis turned a fumble recovery into a touchdown to account for Truman’s remaining two scores.
The Tigers (3-5, 1-4 SOL) will host Council Rock North next Friday while the Panthers (2-6, 1-4) will host Council Rock South.
ABINGTON 41, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 14
The Golden Hawks hung tough in the opening half, trailing by just a 14-0 score at halftime. It was still a 21-7 game heading into the fourth quarter when the Ghosts outscored the Hawks 20-7.
The lone scores of the opening half came when Khari Jefferson hauled in a 24-yard touchdown pass from David Kretschman, who had three TD passes on the night Craig Reynolds took it in from four yards out to account for the Ghosts’ second score. The Golden Hawks managed just two first downs in the opening half.
A 32-yard TD run by Reynolds to open the second half made it a 21-0 game, but the Golden Hawks got on the board when Anthony Alimenti took scored from two yards out.
Reynolds finished the night with 192 yards and two touchdowns, 140 of those yards came in the first half.
The Ghosts (7-1, 4-1 SOL) will host Neshaminy next Friday in a key National Conference battle. The Golden Hawks (1-7, 1-4) will travel to William Tennent.
Abington 7-7-7-20 41
Council Rock South 0-0-7-7 14
NESHAMINY 49, BENSALEM 7
D’Andre Pollard turned in another brilliant performance for the Redskins, finishing the night with 280 yards and three touchdowns on just 14 carries. The gifted junior running back gave a glimpse of things to come when – on his first two carries of the night – he ran for 55 and 80 yards.
Pollard put the Skins on the board with a 50-yard touchdown run, but the Owls came back to knot the score 7-7. It would be their last hurrah. When Pollard took it in from 80 yards out on his next carry, the Redskins had a lead they would not lose.
By the end of the first quarter, the ‘Skins led 28-7, and they extended that to 42-7 by halftime. Tyler Wombough found Hamiid Pack for a 15-yard TD strike. Denny Lord took it in from 19 yards out, and then Denzel Hughes scored on a 28-yard burst. Pollard’s 46-yard TD run gave the Skins their 42-7 halftime advantage. The Owls managed just 93 yards of total offense in the first half.
A 49-yard touchdown run by Trokon Buesmaill in the third quarter closed out the scoring.
The Redskins (8-0, 5-0 SOL) will travel to Abington next Friday while the Owls (1-7, 1-4) will host Pennsbury.
Bensalem 7-0-0-0 7
Neshaminy 28-14-7-0 48
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