Five of seven SOL teams in action in district play on Friday night were winners. Photos of the Neshaminy/Spring-Ford game provided courtesy of Jesse Garber. To view game action photos of the Neshaminy game, please click on the following link: http://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p803369721
Stats used in the wraps are provided courtesy of Calkins Media. For complete high school football coverage, visit the web sites: http://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school/and http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/.
DISTRICT ONE AAAA
#1-13 NESHAMINY 31, #1-4 SPRING-FORD 16
Spring-Ford brought an impressive resume into Friday night’s game against the Redskins. The Rams boasted a perfect 10-0 record, winning those games by an average margin of almost 35 points and putting up 43.5 points a game while allowing just 8.6. Included in those wins was an 82-0 drubbing of Methacton.
The Redskins made those numbers look pretty meaningless on Friday night, controlling the game from the outset and opening up a 24-0 lead before the Rams even managed to get on the scoreboard.
“The key for us tonight was starting off strong,” quarterback Mason Jones said. “All week we prepared to come out offensively and defensively strong.
“We came out and executed from the start and were able to maintain that effort throughout the game to get the ‘W.’”
Jones certainly had something to do with that. The junior quarterback – ignoring the strong wind - threw for 203 yards and a TD and ran for another.
“(Zach) Tredway made some great catches, so did Denzel (Hughes),” said Jones. “When you’re out here, the conditions never play a factor.
“You don’t think about that. It was just a good job all around throwing the ball tonight.”
Tredway led all receivers with six catches for 89 yards while Hughes had four for 83 yards. Jack Spingler had a 31-yard reception.
“Mason lives right down the street from me, so we’re always throwing the ball in the summer,” Tredway said. “We have great chemistry going there.”
Tredway also was a force on the defensive side of the football, intercepting a pass in the first half to set up a touchdown.
“Defensively, we wanted to stop their running game,” he said. “We wanted to force them to pass.
“The ‘D’ line and all the linebackers stepped up for us. We tried to stop their run and make them one dimensional.”
The Rams couldn’t get either their running or passing game untracked in the first half, and after a scoreless first quarter, the Redskins got on the board in the second when Will Dogba took it in from two yards out. The touchdown was set up by a key Mason to Tredway completion.
“Mason had a hot hand tonight, and he was making all the right reads,” coach Steve Wilmot said. “He was putting the ball where it needed to be, and the receivers were catching it, which was important too.”
On Spring-Ford’s ensuing possession, Tredway intercepted a deflected pass and took it to the Rams’ three. Dogba once again punched it in, and after Dylan McDonald’s extra point, the Redskins led 14-0.
A 30-yard field goal by McDonald sent the Redskins into halftime with a 17-0 lead, and that lead grew to 24-0 after Jones took it in from 15 yards out. With 4:37 remaining in the third quarter, the Rams got on the scoreboard, and their successful two-point conversion made it a 24-8 game.
It took the Redskins all of 66 seconds to get that TD back when Jones found Hughes with a 55-yard touchdown pass that gave Neshaminy a commanding 31-8 lead at the end of three quarters. The Rams scored a meaningless touchdown in the fourth quarter.
One of the game’s unsung heroes was Joe Pirrone. The senior running back got plenty of touches with Dogba – still battling an ankle injury he sustained last week – seeing limited action, and he delivered in a big way, rushing for over 100 yards.
“You’re not going to replace a great player like Will, but Joe Pirrone stepped up huge tonight, had a great game himself,” Jones said. “He ran the ball really well for us, and that just led into our pass game. We were very balanced tonight. It was a good win for us.”
The Redskins have won five of six games since falling to Pennridge in week five, a remarkable late-season surge that included a win over archrival Pennsbury last week on the Falcons’ home turf.
“We always believed we could be in the playoffs, and that was our goal as a team to get there,” Jones said. “When the going got tough for us, we just came together and kept pushing and pushing.
“We had a great win last week against Pennsbury to get in, and we made a good statement win here too.”
Wilmot once again tipped his hat to co-defensive coordinators Jay Weidenbaugh (a Spring-Ford graduate) and Neil French.
“(Spring-Ford) runs a no-huddle, spread offense, and their quarterback executes it very well, so it was just a matter of practicing all week what they do,” the Redskins’ coach said. “We put a lot of emphasis on our scout team. We try to get out there and simulate what they can do, but basically it comes down to our defensive coaches putting in a plan and our guys just executing it.
“Tonight coach French really put it on the defensive line to stop the run, and pretty much from my angle, I was seeing the defensive linemen doing a nice job getting the lockout they needed to stop the run. I was most happy that we stopped the run. We knew they would hit some passes on us because they do so much.”
Making the Redskins’ performance even more impressive was that it came on the heels of an emotional win over Pennsbury.
“They were ready for more football,” Wilmot said. “They’re a hungry bunch. I don’t think they were satisfied with being 7-3. We look forward to next week.”
Neshaminy (8-3, 5-2 SOL) will face the winner of Saturday’s Quakertown-Central Bucks East game in next weekend’s quarterfinal round.
Neshaminy 0-17-14-0 31
Spring-Ford 0-0-8-8 16
#1-3 UPPER DUBLIN 35, #1-14 GARNET VALLEY 3
(For a complete game story and stats, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/article/content/upper-dublin-rolls-opening-round-win-0057517.)
#1-9 NORTH PENN 48, #1-8 UNIONVILLE 7
The Knights looked like anything but the tournament’s ninth seed, rolling to a mercy rule win over the host Indians.
A blocked punt set up the Knights’ first touchdown – an eight-yard run by Justin Ostopowicz midway through the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, a big Nyfease West run set the stage for Nick Isabella’s nine-yard TD that put the Knights on top 14-0. Isabella’s second of three touchdowns gave the Knights a 20-0 lead before the Indians scored with 26 seconds remaining in the half to make it a 20-7 game.
The Knights weren’t finished yet, and a big kickoff return by Justis Henley set up a Reece Udinski to Ricky Johns 24-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion sent the Knights into halftime with a 28-7 lead.
Another Isabella touchdown run – this one for 23 yards – made it a 35-7 game after three quarters. Dontae Stewart’s one-yard touchdown put the Knights on top 41-7, and a touchdown run by Tyler Gillett closed out the scoring.
West and Isabella both ran for over 100 yards. Udinski had over 100 yards in the air as the Knights accumulated 456 yards of total offense.
North Penn (9-2, 7-0 SOL) will travel to Downingtown East for a quarterfinal round game next Friday. On Sept. 18, the Knights fell to the Cougars 28-24 in a contest that included a controversial penalty that erased North Penn’s go-ahead touchdown. The Knights have won eight straight since that loss.
North Penn 7-21-7-13 48
Unionville 0-7-0-0 7
#1-1 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 35, #1-16 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 28
For those who thought the Colonials couldn’t give the district’s top-seeded team a game, guess again. The contest ended with PW threatening, but the Cougars held on for the win.
PW senior Nyfeese Nasir was unstoppable in the first quarter, putting the Colonials on the board with a 41-yard TD run. A Cougar fumble on the ensuing kickoff set the stage for another Nasir touchdown to put the Colonials on top 14-0.
The Cougars trimmed that lead in half with a second quarter touchdown, but when Joe Strobel scored on a quarterback sneak, PW led 21-7 and took that lead into halftime.
Downingtown East scored back-to-back touchdowns to knot the score 21-21, but the resilient Colonials refused to go away, going on top 28-21. Again, the Cougars answered with back-to-back TDs, holding on for the hard fought win.
Nasir finished with 200 yards on the ground to lead the Colonials.
Plymouth Whitemarsh closed out a successful year with an 8-3 record (5-2 SOL). Downingtown East (11-0) will face North Penn in a rematch of an early season game that saw the Cougars eke out a 28-24 win.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-7-7-0 28
Downingtown East 0-7-14-14 35
#1-6 UPPER DARBY 59, #1-11 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 34
Brandon McIlwain had another big game for the Indians with 202 yards rushing and four touchdowns and two more in the air, but the night belonged to Isaiah Bruce. Upper Darby’s senior running back had 343 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns in a record-shattering performance to lead the Royals to their first ever district playoff win. Upper Darby amassed 576 yards of total offense.
A 65-yard touchdown run up the middle by McIlwain and the extra point by Tyler Nowmos gave the Indians a 7-0 lead. After the Royals knotted the score, McIlwain once again worked his magic, outracing the defense for a 56-yard touchdown that gave the Indians a 14-7 lead.
The Royals closed out the half with 10 unanswered points, including a field goal in the closing moments to go into halftime with a 17-14 lead. Momentum appeared to swing in the Indians’ favor after they recovered a fumble that led to another McIlwain touchdown and a 20-17 lead.
Upper Darby opened up a 38-20 lead only to watch McIlwain run the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a TD that made it a 38-26 game. The Indians would get no closer as the Royals closed it out with a 21-8 fourth quarter tear.
Upper Darby (10-1) will travel to Upper Dublin for a quarterfinal game next Friday while Council Rock North closed out its season 7-4 overall (6-1 SOL).
Council Rock North 7-7-12-8 34-
Upper Darby 7-10-21-21 59
DISTRICT ONE AAA
#1-2 UPPER MORELAND 33, #1-7 POTTSTOWN 6
The Golden Bears took a 14-6 lead into halftime and then blew the game wide open in the second half. Rodney Morgan led the Bears, finishing with a game-high 313 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead an overpowering UM ground attack.
All told, the Bears accumulated 361 yards on the ground. Quarterback Casey Decker had three touchdowns in a game that saw the Bears put up 429 yards of total offense.
Equally impressive was the performance of the Bears’ defense, which allowed just 124 yards of total offense.
It was Morgan’s 40-yard touchdown run that put the Bears on the scoreboard, and when Decker took it in from one yard, the Bears led 14-0 after one quarter. Pottstown scored the only TD of the second quarter. The second half belonged to the Bears. In the third quarter, Decker scored on an eight-yard run, and Morgan raced in from 69 yards out. Decker added a fourth quarter TD for the 33-6 final.
Upper Moreland (9-2, 5-2 SOL) will face sixth-seeded Marple Newtown in a semifinal game next Friday. Marple-Newtown upset third-seeded Pottsgrove 20-7.
Pottstown 0-6-0-0 6
Upper Moreland 14-0-12-7 33
DISTRICT ONE AA
#1-2 SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 26, #1-3 BRISTOL 12
In a District One AA semifinal game, the Spartans opened up an early lead and never trailed on their way to a win over the visiting Warriors.
Quarterback Justin Hill punched it in from one yard out to spot the Spartans a 6-0 lead after one quarter. When Hill found teammate Nigel Fox for a 20-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, the Spartans opened up a 13-0 lead heading into halftime.
Bristol got on the scoreboard with a touchdown late in the third quarter and then made things real interesting with a second TD early in the fourth. The two-point conversion attempt for the lead failed, and the Spartans entered the fourth quarter clinging to a 13-12 lead.
Hill connected with Sheir-Ron Whittaker for a 69-yard touchdown to put the Spartans on top 20-12 with 5:36 remaining. Whittaker put the finishing touches on the big win with a TD run for the 26-12 final.
Springfield (4-6, 2-5 SOL) will face top-seeded New Hope-Solebury in the district title game at Central Bucks West next Friday (7 p.m.). New Hope-Solebury crushed Lower Moreland 27-0 in another semifinal game.
Bristol 0-0-6-6 12
Springfield 6-7-0-13 26
Non-League
UPPER MERION 26, METHACTON 10
The Vikings – who led 20-10 at halftime - controlled the game from start to finish. Kyle Smith and Isaiah Graham-Mobley each had a pair of touchdowns to lead the Vikings. Graham-Mobley’s 96-yard interception return for a TD highlighted the first half for the Vikings.
Upper Merion (4-7, 1-6 SOL) will host Norristown in a Thanksgiving Day game at 10 a.m.
HARRY S TRUMAN 29, CHELTENHAM 28 (OT)
The Tigers won their third straight game on Friday, but they needed overtime to do it. On Truman’s first possession of OT, quarterback Jordan Freeman scored on a six-yard run, and Tim Kenny-Schwartz’s extra point gave the Tigers a 28-22 lead. Cheltenham answered with a TD of its own, but the two-point conversion attempt failed, and the Tigers escaped with a win.
Earlier, Lucas Gray put the Tigers on the scoreboard with a 50-yard touchdown run. The Tigers led 12-0 after Maurice Jackson hauled in a TD pass. It was a 15-6 game at halftime.
Cheltenham scored on the opening drive of the second half on Brendan Mack’s second touchdown run of the game – this one from 16 yards out, and after a successful two-point conversion, the Panthers trimmed the Tigers’ lead to one (15-14). The two teams exchanged scores and found themselves deadlocked 22-22 after regulation.
Yasin Abdul-Haqq led Cheltenham with 138 yards rushing and one touchdown.
Harry S Truman (5-6, 2-5 SOL) will face Conwell Egan in a Thanksgiving Day game. Cheltenham (4-7, 3-4) will take on Abington on Thanksgiving.
Cheltenham 0-6-8-8-6 28
Truman 6-9-7-0-7 29
PENNRIDGE 17, RIDLEY 14
The Rams opened up a 17-7 halftime lead and held on for a win over the Green Raiders.
Judens Desrosiers scored from four yards out to put the Rams on top 7-0, but Ridley came back to knot the score. Dan Hockman delivered the big play of the night, an 88-yard touchdown run that gave the Rams a 14-7 lead. A 40-yard field goal by Matt Mauer sent the Rams into halftime with a 17-7 lead. It turned out to be enough for the win.
Pennridge (8-3, 5-2 SOL) is scheduled to play Quakertown in a Thanksgiving Day game.
Pennridge 7-10-0-0 17
Ridley 7-0-7-0 14
OWEN J ROBERTS 38, HATBORO-HORSHAM 31 (OT)
Casey Walsh threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns in a game that featured over 800 yards of total offense, but it was a defensive play by the Wildcats that proved to be the difference. After Adam Pinelli scored for the Wildcats on a three-yard run on the opening overtime possession, their defense came up with an interception to seal the win.
Calvin Broaddus Jr. had 117 receiving yards and a TD for the Hatters.
Hatboro-Horsham (5-6, 5-2 SOL) is scheduled to host Upper Moreland in a Thanksgiving Day game.
Hatboro-Horsham 7-0-13-11-0 31
Owen J Roberts 0-19-6-6-7 38
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