Check out all the results for SOL football teams in action on Friday night. To view photos of the CB West/PW and Upper Dublin/Abington games, please visit the Photo Gallery. (Statistics used in the wraps below are provided courtesy of Calkins media. For complete high school football coverage, please visit the web site www.PhillyBurbs.com.)
1-11 NORTH PENN 31, 1-6 COATESVILLE 0
Sometimes, when it’s least expected, magic happens.
That was the case in North Penn’s district opener at Coatesville.
Clinging to 3-0 lead late in a first half that featured more defense than offense, the Knights opted to go for it on fourth-and-one at the Red Raiders’ 28-yard line. Nothing unusual about that.
Until, that is, the play of the game unfolded.
Senior running back Kris Akins took the perfectly placed direct snap from center while quarterback Austin Shearer dove into the pack of charging Coatesville defenders. Akins waited patiently until tight end Connor Gill broke free and then lofted a pass that resulted in a touchdown and – after Matt Ammendola’s extra point – a 10-0 North Penn lead.
“We just fake a quarterback sneak and let Akins throw it up,” offensive tackle Andrew Thomas said. “We make it look like a fumbled snap so they (the defense) all come up.
“We practiced it all week. It gave us a lot of momentum.”
The rest of the game belonged to the Knights, whose defensive effort bordered on perfection against a shorthanded Red Raider squad.
“We talk about it the whole game – shut them out, shut them out,” senior linebacker Nick Wright said. “Good practice means everything. I’m telling you – practice. We were just going after it.
“Everybody on the defense did their job tonight.”
The Raiders, who were without Penn State recruit Daquan Worley (torn ACL), managed just 185 yards of total offense.
“This was probably our best (defensive) game,” coach Dick Beck said. “The secondary was in great shape. I thought we got a little bit of pressure. I still think we have to tackle a little bit better, but we’re happy with them right now.”
The Knights struck early when – after a Coatesville fumble – Ammendola nailed a 44-yard field goal.
“It was a huge momentum shift,” Wright said of the fumble and ensuing field goal. “That’s what we talk about on defense.”
That 3-0 lead held until the Knights’ trickery that resulted in the Akins to Gill touchdown and a 10-0 halftime lead.
The clinching score came with 3:04 remaining in the third quarter when Shearer found junior Colby Beck with a nine-yard touchdown pass.
A four-yard Akins TD run made it a 24-0 game at the end of three quarters. A key play on the drive was a 44-yard completion from Shearer to Justin Hudimac that took the Knights to Coatesville’s 15-yard line.
The Knights tacked on another score in the fourth quarter. Isaiah Swint recovered a fumble, and later in the drive, Luke Berry took it in from three yards out for the 31-0 final.
Nyfese West led the Knights’ ground game with 146 yards on 20 carries. All told, the Knights had 218 rushing yards.
“We were running the ball a lot because the ‘O’ line was coming off the ball,” Beck said. “The way the backs were running north and south, getting us three-four yards, getting eight yards. We’re not getting any losses trying to bounce it, trying to get cute or trying to cut it back when we shouldn’t.
“That’s positive for our offense because we want to be in third and short, we want to be in second and medium. We don’t want to be in third-and-18. I don’t think that’s our forte.
“I said going into the game – if we could recover from visually seeing how big they are, I thought we would be okay. They have so many big guys, and I thought we recovered from that early. I think the whole thing comes down to – we practiced so well this week, and I think that was so important for our game.”
The Knights have won eight straight since opening the season with three straight losses.
“It’s a great feeling,” Wright said. “We were just keeping our heads up, trying to stay positive. When we won our first game, we just kept moving from there, and every game we got better.”
The key to the Knights’ turnaround?
“Senior leadership,” Thomas said. “They could have quit, but they didn’t.”
North Penn (8-3) will travel to Pennsbury for an all-SOL showdown next Friday.
North Penn 3-7-14-7 31
Coatesville 0-0-0-0 0
1-8 ABINGTON 55, 1-9 UPPER DUBLIN 25
(To read Scott Huff’s complete game story, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/article/content/reynolds-leads-ghosts-win-over-ud-0039348)
The Galloping Ghost
By Jesse Bernstein for SuburbanOneSports.com
On a frigid night in Abington, Abington senior running back Craig Reynolds cut and spun his way to the Galloping Ghosts’ single season rushing record in a 55-25 win over the Upper Dublin Cardinals. Reynolds broke a record set in the 1980’s by John Stone.
Reynolds only needed one half of play to break the record; Abington trotted over to the locker room up 48-18 with a raucous crowd behind them, and head coach Tim Sorber elected to sit his star running back for the second half. Reynolds finished his night with 18 rushes for 134 yards and three touchdowns.
On what it meant to him to break the record, Reynolds paid homage to Abington’s storied past, saying, “There’s a lot of history here at Abington. My dad played here, he was a good running back here, both of our running back coaches were running backs here, and, y’know, the record was a part of what we’re trying to do here.” Reynolds said that it was “good to get a win against the guys down the street.”
And as for next week’s game against Garnet Valley? “
I’m gonna go home and go right to film, start talking to the guys about what we’re trying to do,” he said. “And just take it one day at a time.”
The rest of the Galloping Ghosts team looked equally unstoppable on this Friday night. Junior wide receiver Jordan Neely took back two straight kickoffs for touchdowns to open the game – the first 85 yards and the second 89.
Sophomore quarterback David Kretschman found both Paul Goerlich and Mark Bond for touchdowns, and Goerlich would add another touchdown on a Reynolds fumble into the end zone.
Upper Dublin quarterback John Derr closed out an outstanding career by throwing for 220 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 54 yards and one TD.
Abington moves to 9-2, (5-2 SOL), and Upper Dublin finishes the year at 9-2, (6-1 SOL).
Abington 34-14-7-0
Upper Dublin 3-15-0-7
1-3 PENNSBURY 55, 1-14 UPPER DARBY 20
Ground and Pound.
This year’s Falcon squad has given new meaning to the phrase with a punishing running game that quite literally pounds opponents into submission.
The Falcons were back at it again on Friday night. This time it was an unsuspecting Upper Darby squad that was the victim as the Falcons ran around and through the Royals’ defense for 530 yards on the ground.
Junior Charles Snorweah led the way with another dazzling performance, accumulating 247 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. Senior Ronquay Smith, who is close to joining Snorweah in the 1,000-yard club, added 129 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.
Quarterback Breon Clark set the tone for another big night when he ran it in for a touchdown from 65 yards out on the first play from scrimmage. He finished the night with 79 yards.
For one quarter, the Royals were able to keep pace with the Falcons, matching them touchdown for touchdown and battling Pennsbury to a 14-14 tie. The Falcons scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 35-14 lead.
The night belonged to the Falcons, who received 52 yards and a touchdown from Raheem Thompson. They did not punt the entire game.
Pennsbury (10-1) has earned a date in next week’s second round with SOL Continental Conference champion North Penn.
Upper Darby 14-0-6-0 20
Pennsbury 14-21-13-7 55
1-1 GARNET VALLEY 35, 1-16 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 21
It looked as though the Indians would be in for a long night after falling behind 21-0 early in the third quarter, but Rock North did not go quietly, pulling to within seven before falling 35-14.
The Indians, who trailed 14-0 at halftime, made it a 21-7 game when sophomore quarterback Brandon McIlwain capped an impressive 97-yard drive by punching it in from two yards out. A 75-yard McIlwain touchdown run made it a 21-14 game at the end of three quarters, but the Jaguars scored a pair of touchdowns to open the fourth quarter to go on top 35-14 before Rock North’s Jimmy Gemmell returned a fumble recovery 55 yards for a touchdown.
The Indians closed out a successful campaign 7-4 while Garnet Valley advances and will host Abington in a second round game.
Council Rock North 0-0-14-7 21
Garnet Valley 7-7-7-14 35
1-4 NESHAMINY 41, 1-13 UNIONVILLE 7
The Redskins got off to a slow start and found themselves locked in a 7-7 tie at the intermission. That slow start was little more than a distant memory after a third quarter that saw the ‘Skins explode for three touchdowns in a six-minute span.
The fun began with Pollard, who accounted for Neshaminy’s lone first half score, taking it in from 11 yards out to give the Redskins a lead they would not lose. He followed that with a 31-yard TD run, and then Denny Lord took it in from five yards out. Another Pollard TD run – this one from 38 yards out – was followed by a Troken Buesmaill five-yard touchdown run to close out the scoring.
Pollard, who surpassed the 2,000-yard rushing mark for the season, turned in another brilliant performance, finishing the night with 245 yards and four touchdowns.
The Redskins (10-1) will host 12th-seeded Spring-Ford next Friday. The Rams upset fifth-seeded Downingtown West 43-21.
Unionville 0-7-0-0 7
Neshaminy 0-7-21-13 41
1-7 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 50, 1-10 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 26
(To read Ben Reese’s complete game story, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/article/content/bucks-roll-district-win-over-colonials-0039347)
Marvin Todd had yet another huge night for the Bucks, rushing for 231 yards and six touchdowns to lead West to the convincing win.
The Colonials led 20-7 after James Rodgers hauled in a 34-yard TD pass from Connor Hanlon. Earlier Hanlon put PW on the scoreboard with a four-yard run, and Jose Mora-Vega also had a four-yard TD run for the Colonials.
A 48-yard touchdown run by Todd made it a 20-14 game, and when quarterback John Fitz took it in from 10 yards outs, the Bucks had a 21-20 lead that they took into halftime.
On West’s first play from scrimmage in the second half, Todd raced in from 62 yards out, and after the Colonials were forced to punt, Todd took it in from 20 yards out for a 35-20 West lead. A 95-yard interception return for a touchdown by PW’s Nafeese Nasir made it a 35-26 game, but Todd put the finishing touches on a stellar performance with two more TD runs.
All told, the Bucks accumulated 520 yards of total offense – 394 of those came on the ground with Fitz adding 101 yards rushing.
The Bucks (9-2) will host 15th-seeded Perkiomen Valley in a second round game next Friday. The Vikings stunned second-seeded West Chester Rustin 26-6.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-6-6-0 26
Central Bucks West 7-14-14-15 50
HARRY S TRUMAN 58, HARRITON 18
The Tigers’ offense exploded for nine touchdowns in their convincing non-league win. Trysten Hunt led the way with 164 yards on 14 carries. He had three touchdowns in the first half on runs of 35, 52 and three yards. Bobby Hill had a first half TD run of 12 yards, and quarterback Jake Zolna found Ty Walker for a 51-yard screen pass and a touchdown as the Tigers opened up a commanding 32-6 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, the Tigers added three more touchdowns. Gianni Adamo had an 11-yard TD run, Manny Fisher took it in from 23 yards out, and Eddie Ottoway had a 74-yard kick-off return. Backup QB Brett Brown closed out the scoring with a 62-yard touchdown run.
The Tigers upped their record to 5-6. They are off until Thanksgiving when they will face Conwell Egan.
UPPER MORELAND 25, OWEN J ROBERTS 14
The Golden Bears used a strong second half to earn a win that snapped a four-game losing streak. Charlie Hooker put the Bears on the scoreboard when he found Tom Robinson for his first of two touchdowns – this one for 27 yards. The Wildcats came back to make it a 7-6 game heading into halftime.
Tyler Whitmore returned the opening kick-off 53 yards to OJR’s 35-yard line and, one play later, took it in from 30 yards out to make it a 13-6 game. The Wildcats went on top 14-13 after a TD and two-point conversion, but the Golden Bears came roaring back. Another Hooker to Robinson TD pass, this one for 32 yards, made it a 19-13 game, and Whitmore put an exclamation point on a big night with a 43-yard TD run.
Whitmore finished the night with 178 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries while Hooker added 72 yards on nine carries. He also threw for 81 yards and a pair of scores.
The Golden Bears (4-7) are off until Thanksgiving when they will face Hatboro-Horsham.
Owen J Roberts 0-6-8-0 14
Upper Moreland 0-7-12-6 25
HATBORO-HORSHAM 32, CHELTENHAM 20
The Hatters and Panthers battled to a 0-0 tie after one quarter, but Jeff Panera put the Hatters on the scoreboard when he punched it in from one yard out. The Hatters closed out the first half with two more scores – a two-yard TD run by Kinsgley Nworu, who had 91 yards and two touchdowns, and a 28-yard strike from Casey Walsh to John O’Malley.
The Hatters’ defense limited the Panthers to just 85 yards of total offense in the first half.
In the second half, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s fumble record set up Nworu’s second touchdown of the game, this one from three yards out.
The Hatters (4-7) and Panthers (5-5) are both off until Thanksgiving when Hatboro-Horsham will face Upper Moreland and Cheltenham will take on Abington, unless the Ghosts are still in the playoffs.
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