Upper Dublin’s big win over Wissahickon’s highlights this week’s game wrap. Check out all of Friday’s SOL football results. To view photos of the Abington/CR North, Cheltenham/Springfield and Pennsbury/Truman games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By Ben Reese
AMBLER – Upper Dublin took its show on the road Friday night, traveling to play Wissahickon in the Suburban One League conference opener for both teams.
And the Cardinals rode all over the Trojans, rushing for 338 yards on the ground en route to a 45-28 win. It is the fourth straight win for Upper Dublin (4-0) while the Trojans dropped to 1-3 overall.
The Upper Dublin offensive line dominated the Wissahickon defensive front, allowing the Cardinals to put two runners over the 100-yard rushing mark. Running back John Lee gained 125 yards and scored a touchdown, and quarterback John Derr picked up 114.
Cards' head coach Bret Stover was pleased with the effort of his offensive line.
“They absolutely did (dominate),” Stover said after the game. “I told them that. I'm proud of them.”
The running attack wasn't a surprise, however. Upper Dublin had that as its game plan all along.
“We saw it against Archbishop Ryan, who did that (running the ball at will) to them,” Stover said. “(Central Bucks) West did a little of the spread stuff, running the quarterback, so we kind of had them inside and out.
“When they were sending personnel (to one side of the play), we were going opposite.”
Derr knew the game plan and executed it to perfection.
“Our game plan was to come in and execute,” the senior quarterback said. “We knew that we could come in and blow them up.
“All we had to do was come in and execute and we had the game.”
As for running the ball from his QB slot, Derr acknowledged that he enjoys it.
“We run a lot of QB plays because I like it,” he said. “I don't mind running the ball because I'm good at it – and it works.
“I feel more comfortable running but I can pass. I just love my position.”
Wissahickon head coach Jeff Cappa knew his team would have its hands full coming into the game.
“They're a strong team and that was obvious in the game,” the Trojans’ coach said. “They just kind of out-muscled us on some plays, and we made a few mistakes that we have to correct. They executed and we didn't.”
Actually, the Trojans got off to a very quick start. Josh Smith took the opening kickoff on his own 15-yard line and bolted up the right sideline, finally outrunning all his pursuers to complete an 85-yard TD run with only 12 seconds gone in the first period.
When Derr fumbled on the Wissahickon side of the 50-yard line, the Trojans got another chance and took advantage of it. Six plays after Josh Smith recovered the fumble, Keith Oliphant raced 33 yards to the end zone, and Wissahickon held a 14-0 lead with 7:14 left in the first quarter.
“They came out 14-0 and most teams would just fall back on their heels and just give up,” Derr said of the quick deficit the Cardinals faced. “But us - we don't fall back.
“We get up and come right back. We got up 21-14 at half and we came out and just hit them again.We played our game, executed and shoved it down their throats.”
And the Cardinals did that.
Slightly more than three minutes later, Kaleif Lee scored from three yards out to make it a one-touchdown game. The Cards took over at the start of the second quarter and marched from their own two-yard line to the end zone in eight plays, including a 51-yard run by John Lee. Kaleif Lee scored from the nine and the game was tied.
On its next possession, Upper Dublin again put together a march. The Cardinals took 12 plays to score this time as Kaleif Lee notched his third TD of the game, this one from the four, and it was 21-14 with Upper Dublin holding a lead it would not lose.
Gary Fields opened the second half for Upper Dublin with a 78-yard kickoff return that put the ball on the Wissahickon 15. Four plays later, Mike D'Ambrosio booted a 29-yard field goal for a 24-14 lead.
Wissahickon ran three plays and punted on the ensuing possession, giving the Cards the ball on their own 22. Kaleif Lee gained 14, John Lee gained 44, Trae Jackson got one and John Lee ran for the final two yards and a 31-14 lead.
The Trojans came right back, however, showing that they weren't dead. Starting at their own 38 and with Dave Stellato running at quarterback for sophomore Mike Marino, Stellato gained all 62 yards himself, covering the final 34 in one play to bring Wissahickon to within 31-21.
Upper Dublin took the ensuing kickoff and started at its own 39. The Cardinals ran off 12 straight running plays with Kaleif Lee netting his fourth TD of the game from two yards out, upping the score to 38-21.
Another long Cardinal march ended in a touchdown for Stacey Gardner from the six to make it 45-21. And the Trojans fired right back with Marino hitting Jared Reed for 12 yards and Reed then lateraling to Stellato who ran the final 32 for the score to bring it to the final margin at 45-28. Stellato finished the game with 132 yards on the ground for the Trojans.
“This is the start of the season,” Stover said. “In the conference, it gets you to 1-0.
“It's one win. We're happy right now, obviously. We'll be back to work on Monday.”
Upper Dublin 7 14 10 14 – 45
Wissahickon 14 0 7 7 – 28
Scoring
W – J. Smith 85 kickoff return (Brunner kick)
W – Oliphant 33 run (Brunner kick)
UD – K. Lee 3 run (D’Ambrosio kick)
UD – K. Lee 9 run (D’Ambrosio kick)
UD – K. Lee 4 run (D’Ambrosio kick)
UD – D’Ambrosio 29 FG
UD – J. Lee 2 run (D’Ambrosio kick)
W – Stellato 34 run (Brunner kick)
UD – K. Lee 2 run (D’Ambrosio kick)
UD – Gardner 6 run (D’Ambrosio kick)
W – Stellato 32 run (Brunner kick)
Team statistics
Upper Dublin Wissahickon
First downs 20 10
Rushing yards 338 202
Passing yards 93 45
Total yards 431 247
Passing 7-12-0 4-12-0
Fumbles-lost 2-1 0-0
Penalties-yards 6-35 7-56
Punts-avg. 1-33 4-37.0
Individual statistics
Rushing
Upper Dublin: John Lee 13-125, TD; John Derr 16-114; Kaleif Lee 14-67, 4 TD; Trae Jackson 5-16; Stacey Gardner 4-16, TD; Matt Thompson 1-5; Bailey 1-5.
Wissahickon: Dave Stellato 13-132, 2 TD; Keith Oliphant 4-53, TD; Jonathan Laracuente 5-10; Mike Marino 3-7.
Passing
Upper Dublin: Derr 7-12-0, 93.
Wissahickon: Marino 3-9-0, 44; Stellato 1-3-0, 1.
Receiving
Upper Dublin: Thompson 1-13; Ryan Siwinski 2-32; J. Lee 1-15; K. Lee 1-13; Marc Conran 1-15.
Wissahickon: Jared Reed 3-44; Laracuente 1-1.
Around the SOL:
(Stats in the wraps below have been provided courtesy of Calkins Media.)
American Conference
CHELTENHAM 28, SPRINGFIELD 26
Cheltenham Starts Its SOL Slate with Nailbiter Over Springfield
By Jesse Bernstein for SuburbanOneSports.com
In a game that featured 21 penalties, multiple 40+ yard runs, and several critical fourth down conversions in the final minutes, Cheltenham was able to escape with a win over Springfield.
The Spartans started the game by steamrolling the Panthers’ defense, strolling into the end zone in three plays on their first drive, which was capped by 1-yard touchdown run courtesy of junior running back Martin Wrogan. The Panthers quickly answered with a short TD of their own, a 1-yard struggle from Anthony Erskine. Both teams added another touchdown before the first quarter was over, Springfield on another 1-yard run and Cheltenham on a 9-yard pass to senior tight end/defensive end Christopher Myarick.
In the second quarter, neither team was able to get much offense going. A combination of both defensive lines holding the opposing running back in check and numerous penalty flags kept the game locked at 14-14 heading into the half. It was during this time that Springfield revealed that senior running back Jholani Johnson, a huge factor in Springfield’s early offensive success, would miss the rest of the game due to a forearm injury suffered on a failed pass in the back corner of the end zone.
The beginning of the second half belonged to Cheltenham junior running back Greg Morris. He rushed for over 100 yards in the quarter, with touchdown runs of 38 and 22 yards. Meanwhile, the Panthers’ defense, led by Myarick, shut down the hobbled Spartans.
On Myarick’s stellar play from both sides of the ball, Cheltenham coach Joe Gro said, “Chris is a really special football player, and, you know we know that and so does everybody else.“
Heading into the fourth quarter, it seemed that the Spartans were in over their heads. But they weren’t done yet.
Wrogan, shut down for most of the third quarter, pounded the Panthers’ interior defensive lineman and consistently eluded linebackers to turn short gains into long ones. He set up the first Springfield touchdown of the fourth quarter, a nine-yard strike from quarterback Brendan Doyle to senior tight end Malik Ball.
A quick Cheltenham possession resulted in a punt, and after a long drive that was heavy on the run, the Spartans found themselves in a fourth and one on the Cheltenham 3-yard line with 2:34 to go. Senior quarterback Brandon Doyle put his head down and pushed forward, giving the Spartans a first down on the Panthers 2-yard line. Springfield rode their workhorse Wrogan into the end zone again.
Coach Gro, on the final drive, admitted, “They bullied us. They bullied us. There’s not much I can say beyond that. They did a great job.”
With a two-point conversion, the Spartans could tie the game with 2:15 to play. Springfield handed the ball to Wrogan again, but the Panthers came up with the stop, setting off a celebration in the Cheltenham stands.
That celebration turned out to be premature.
Cheltenham wasn’t able to move the ball past midfield, and the Spartans found themselves on their own 45-yard line with one timeout and 1:13 seconds to go. It seemed that the Spartans were going to make one last run.
The Panthers’ defensive line, however, blew up the last four Springfield plays, and a after a fourth down pass was batted down, all Panthers senior quarterback Marcus Heimann had to do was take a knee and savor a 28-26 Cheltenham win.
The Panthers are 2-2 overall (1-0 SOL) while the Spartans fell to 2-1 (0-1 SOL).
Springfield 14-0-0-12 26
Cheltenham 14-0-14-0 28
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 48, UPPER MORELAND 28
PW running backs Brian Afflick and Jose Vega combined for 370 rushing yards and five touchdowns while quarterback Connor Hanlon added 106 yards on the ground. All told, the Colonials accumulated 482 yards on the ground.
The Golden Bears trailed 29-14 at halftime but made things interesting when quarterback Charlie Hooker scored from two yards out to open the third quarter, making it a 29-21 game. They were still within seven (35-28), but the Colonials scored the final 13 points. For the Golden Bears, Tyler Whitmore had 92 yards rushing and 64 yards receiving. Hooker threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
UPPER MERION 31, NORRISTOWN 27
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 34, SOUDERTON 21
Corey Schott returned the opening kickoff 71 yards for a touchdown to spot the Bucks a quick 7-0 lead. Souderton answered with a pair of touchdowns – one on a 67-yard TD pass from Austin Curotto to Manny Nieves - to go on top 14-7, but the Bucks responded with a John Fitz TD pass to Mark Ciaudelli to go into halftime trailing by just one, 14-13.
The Indians led 21-13, but three straight scores by the Bucks sealed their fate. Marvin Todd had another big night for the Bucks, finishing with a game high 183 yards and two TDs. Matt Kilkenny returned an interception 30 yards for a TD to close out the scoring for the Bucks (3-1, 1-0 SOL). The Indians fell to 0-4 overall (0-1 SOL).
Souderton 7-7-7-0 21
Central Bucks West 7-6-14-7
NORTH PENN 27, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0
The two teams battled to a 0-0 halftime tie, but the Knights seized control of the game in the third quarter, exploding for 21 points. The scoring began with quarterback Austin Shearer finding Nick Wright with a 28-yard TD pass, and then back-to-back Patriot turnovers resulted in two more touchdowns for the opportunistic Knights.
Sophomore Nyfease West led the Knights offense with 166 yards on the ground. East was led by the 102-yard rushing effort of Jake Warren.
The Knights improve to 1-3 on the season (1-0 SOL) while the Patriots are also 1-3 (0-1 SOL).
Central Bucks East 0-0-0-0 0
North Penn 0-0-21-6 27
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 30, HATBORO-HORSHAM 16
The Hatters took a 16-10 lead into halftime, but the Titans scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to earn the win. Dion Clifton rushed for 129 of his 161 yards in the first half while Josh Adams, who injured his ankle last week, was sidelined. Adams returned to action in the second half and had 64 yards on the ground. Casey Walsh had a pair of touchdown passes for the Hatters, who fell to 2-2 overall (0-1 SOL). The Titans upped their record to 3-1 (1-0 SOL).
Central Bucks South 7-3-14-6 30
Hatboro-Horsham 6-10-0-0 16
POCONO MOUNTAIN EAST 49, QUAKERTOWN 28
The Panthers saw their three-game win streak snapped on Friday night. The visiting Cardinals scored on their opening drive and then went on top 14-0 after a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown. They extended that lead to 21-0 before the Panthers got on the scoreboard on a touchdown run by quarterback Alec Vera, who threw for 117 yards. That’s as close as they would get the rest of the night as they saw their record drop to 3-1 on the season.
PENNRIDGE 28, ACADEMY PARK 13
The Rams got off to a slow start, trailing 6-0 at the intermission, but they seized control of the game with a 21-point third quarter on their way to a win that upped their record to 4-0.
Mike Class had a pair of touchdown runs and finished the night with 231 yards on the ground. Ryan Sterling also had a pair of touchdowns – one after an interception.
Pennridge 0-0-21-7 28
Academy Park 0-6-0-7 13
National Conference
NESHAMINY 41, WILLIAM TENNENT 7
The Redskins sprinted to a 41-0 lead before the Panthers scored a fourth quarter touchdown to prevent Neshaminy from posting its fourth straight shutout of the season. Tennent’s Nik Bank, who rushed for 81 yards, scored his team’s lone TD.
D’Andre Pollard had another huge game for the Redskins, finishing the night with 183 yards and two touchdowns. Denny Lord also had a pair of TD runs. Quarterback Tyler Wombough rushed for 75 yards and two TDs for the Redskins, who improved to 4-0 (1-0 SOL). The Panthers are 1-3 (0-1 SOL).
William Tennent 0-0-0-7 7
Neshaminy 21-14-6-0 41
ABINGTON 41, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 6
(Check out Scott Huff’s complete game story on SuburbanOneSports.com.)
Craig Reynolds turned in a dazzling 288-yard rushing performance and scored four touchdowns to lead the Ghosts to their fourth win in as many games. Rock North quarterback Brandon McIlwain completed 21 passes for 242 yards as the Indians (3-1, 0-1 SOL) suffered their first loss of the season.
Abington 14-14-6-7 41
Council Rock North 6-0-0-0 6
PENNSBURY 42, HARRY S TRUMAN 7
The Falcons exploded for 35 unanswered second half points, turning a 7-7 halftime tie into a lopsided win. Ronquay Smith led the Falcons’ potent ground game with 149 yards and four touchdowns. Chuck Snorweah added 100 yards and one TD while Raheem Thompson had 73 yards on the ground.
Jordan Livingston led the Tigers with 57 yards. Pennsbury upped its record to 3-1 (1-0 SOL) while the Tigers fell to 2-2 (0-1 SOL).
Pennsbury 7-0-21-14 42
Harry S Truman7-0-0-0 7
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