Check out the results for SOL football teams in action on Friday night. To view photos of the North Penn/La Salle, CB South/CB West and Quakertown/Upper Perk, please check the Photo Gallery later this weekend.
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/.
By Scott Huff
Perkasie – Pennridge head coach Jeff Hollenbach took a page out of the ‘Ground & Pound’ Pennsbury playbook as the Rams bludgeoned Hatboro-Horsham with a punishing rushing attack in a 55-29 non-conference victory. Pennridge rushed for a staggering 339 yards and five touchdowns to capture its season opening win.
“It looks like we are going to a power football team this year,” said Hollenbach. “We were very successful running a lot of North and South plays – we didn’t need to do too much East and West.”
What Hollenbach knows for sure is that his massive offensive line that consists of Luke Basquill (5-11, 205), Mark Funk (6-1, 255), Tom Koch (5-8, 225), Dan Branch (6-2, 235), and Dylan Krans (6-4, 275) is going to open up gaping holes this season. What the coach doesn’t know is who is going to be getting the ball behind that talented line.
“We have a bunch of talented backs,” said Hollenbach as the Rams showcased 13 different ball carriers with five different ball carriers scoring touchdowns. “They all looked good tonight – and I’m still not sure who gets the ball and when. It’s a nice problem to have.”
“Our offensive line are real beasts,” said Pennridge senior Nick Hirsh, who led the team with nine carries – rushed for 86 yards – and scored a touchdown. “We want to be able to drive the ball and open up our passing game.”
The Ram passing game was very efficient as senior quarterback Devon Balmer completed just three passes – with two of those completions going for scores.
“We started off the game great,” said Hollenbach in reference to the 84-yard return of the opening kickoff by Iziah Lewis for a touchdown. “I think this is the first time in years that I taken the ball when we won the (coin) toss. We really played with a lot of emotion early.”
The first offensive Ram possession – which came after an interception by Mark Weichel – was a short two-play drive. The scoring play was a terrific 54-yard touchdown run by junior Joseph Piacine. Piacine would finish with a team-high 88 yards on just four carries.
The second Pennridge possession resulted in a six-play drive that covered 61 yards. Balmer culminated the drive with a gorgeous 26-yard scoring pass to junior wide receiver Ryan Cuthbert. Junior Matt Mauer added the point after touchdown.
The third Ram possession was a one-play touchdown ‘drive’. This time it was Hirsch earning scoring honors on a 24-yard run – and with Mauer’s placement the Rams led 28-0.
Hatboro-Horsham would score a touchdown on the final play of the first quarter. Senior quarterback Casey Walsh scored on a three-yard run to cap a seven-play march. Josh Kim added the PAT to cut the lead to 28-7.
The lead was cut to 28-13 as the Hatters scored on their next offensive possession as Walsh fired a 25-yard scoring pass to sophomore Calvin Broaddus.
“Pennridge is a big, strong, fast, and tough team,” said Hatboro-Horsham head coach Mike Kapusta. “You can’t spot a team like that 28 points – but we expect the our team to keep playing hard – and we did that.”
Walsh – who dissected the Ram defense for 209 passing yards – was brilliant in defeat.
“I was very impressed with the way Walsh threw the ball,” said Hollenbach. “That is a team that is going to win some football games.
“I also told the kids that we won – but we still have a lot of work to do,” added Hollenbach. “There are things that have to be fixed.”
Pennridge senior Ryan Gordon joined the scoring parade on a 40-yard touchdown burst in the second period, while teammate Connor Hansen jetted 39 yards and a touchdown on his only carry of the game.
Walsh would score a second period touchdown as the first half closed with the Rams leading 48-20.
The final Ram score would come in the third period on a one-yard sneak by Balmer, while the Hatters scored nine points in the fourth period on a safety and a 13-yard run by Jordan Mason.
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters 7 13 0 9 - 29
Pennridge Rams 28 20 7 0 - 55
Scoring:
P: Iziah Lewis 84 kickoff return (Matt Mauer kick)
P: Joseph Piacine 54 run (Mauer kick)
P: Ryan Cuthbert 26 pass from Devon Balmer (Mauer kick)
P: Nick Hirsch 24 run (Mauer kick)
HH: Casey Walsh 3 run (Jin Kim kick)
HH: Calvin Broaddus 25 pass from Walsh (kick failed)
P: Ryan Gordon 40 run (Mauer kick)
P: Piacine 56 pass from Balmer (Mauer kick)
HH: Walsh 8 run (Kim kick)
P: Connor Hansen 39 run (kick failed)
P: Balmer 1 run (Mauer kick)
HH: Safety
HH: Jordan Mason 13 run (Kim kick)
Hatboro-Horsham Pennridge
16 First Downs 16
113 Yards Rushing 339
254 Yards Passing 86
367 Total Offense 425
6-55 Penalties/Yards 10-102
2-34 Punts/Average 2-31
Hatboro-Horsham
Rushing: Jordan Mason 7-41 & TD; Adam Suder 4-44; Casey Walsh 13-18 2 TD; Chris Edwards 1-16; Kingsley Nworu 3 (-3). Totals 37-113 & 3 TD.
Passing: Walsh 11-26-2 for 209 yards and TD; Edwards 1-6-1 for 46 yards. Totals 12-32-3 for 255 yards & TD.
Receiving: Joe Lee 6-145; Broaddus 3-81 & TD; Brandon Cruz 2-26; and Kingsley Knoru 1-3.
Pennridge
Rushing: Joseph Piacine 4-88 & TD; Nick Hirsch 9-86 & TD; Ryan Gordon 4-62 & TD; Connor Hansen 1-39 & TD; Josh Pinkney 2-20; Juden Desrosiers 3-14; Nick Tarburton 1-7; Jordan Guillory 1-7; Jackson Henry 2-9; Dan Hockman 2-5; Austin Herrlinger 1-4; Evan EAxner 1-4; Devon Balmer 5 (-6) & TD. Totals 36-339 & 5 TD.
Passing: Balmer 3-5-0 for 86 yards and 2 TD.
Receiving: Piacine 1-56 & TD; Ryan Cuthbert 1-16 & TD; Hockman 1-4. Totals 3-86 & 2 TD.
Interceptions: Mark Weichel 2 & JacksonHenry.
Around the SOL…
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 20, SOUDERTON 14 (2 OT)
It took a pair of overtimes to determine a winner in Friday night’s battle between the SOL foes, and in the end, it was the Colonials capitalizing on a Souderton fumble to score the game winner on a three-yard Nafeese Nasir touchdown run. It capped a dazzling night for the PW running back, who finished with 199 yards on the ground.
The Indians might have known it wasn’t going to be their night when Nasir turned a high snap into an 87-yard touchdown run on his team’s first offensive play of the night. The big play came after a Souderton offensive drive stalled at the Colonials’ 13-yard line.
A 14-yard touchdown run by Blake Gular knotted the score 7-7 in the second quarter, but another Nasir TD run sent the Colonials into halftime with a 14-7 lead. The Indians knotted the score early in the third quarter when Jamar White took it in from two yards out after the Colonials fumbled on their own 35. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
In the first overtime, the Indians’ defense held, and then their offense saw a touchdown called back for a penalty. A field goal for the win fell short. A Souderton fumble at the 8-yard line set the stage for PW’s game winner.
PW (1-0) will travel to Abington next Friday while Souderton (0-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks West.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7-7-0-0-0-6 20
Souderton 0-7-7-0-0-0 14
PENNSBURY 13, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 6
The Falcons defense – reminiscent of its magnificent goal line stand in Pennsbury’s district title win over Coatesville – delivered a pair of goals line stands, the final coming after South quarterback Shaun Stackhouse drove the Golden Hawks inside the Pennsbury 10 with time winding down.
On four straight plays, the Falcons’ defense stood tall, allowing Pennsbury to escape with the win.
The Falcons took a 7-0 lead after a Zeek Kershaw touchdown run, but the Golden Hawks had an answer, pulling to within 7-6 after Brendan Patterson punched it in from five yards out. Pennsbury took that one-point lead into the second quarter when the Falcons capitalized on a Rock South fumble to score what turned out to be the game winner as Rob Daly ran it in from seven yards out.
It looked as though the Golden Hawks would get on the scoreboard again before halftime, but the drive stalled with the ball on the one-yard line as the Falcons’ defense delivered its first of two goal line stands as time expired.
Pennsbury (1-0) will face La Salle in a key showdown next Friday at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School while Council Rock South (0-1) will travel to Bensalem.
Council Rock South 6-0-0-0 6
Pennsbury 6-7-0-0 13
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 40, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 14
The Titans opened the post-Josh Adams era in impressive fashion, rolling to the big win over their neighboring rival.
South’s Joe Bechta took the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, and the Titans were off and running. By the end of the first quarter, they led 21-0. Junior quarterback Sam Thompson, who threw for 187 yards, scored on a 23-yard run, and junior Nate Norris raced 60 yards for the score.
The Titans took a 33-0 lead into the halftime before the Bucks put 14 points on the board in the third quarter. Senior quarterback Eddie Shields took it in from one yard out, and he found Kevin O’Hanlon with a 20-yard TD throw.
CB South accumulated 432 yards of offense while limiting the Bucks – in their first game action since last year’s season was cancelled with two games remaining - to 136 total yards (-7 on the ground). Thompson accounted for 226 of those with 187 yards in the air and 39 more on the ground. Joe Vitelli hauled in five passes for 39 yards while Stephen Iannuzzi led all receivers with 50 yards on one reception. Nate Norris had just three carries but was South's leading ground gainer with 60 yards.
Defensively, the Titans were led by Luke Kohler, who had a team-high eight tackles (four solo, one sack). Matt Hemsley and Norris both had a hand in seven tackles while Justin Schreiber and Tommy McLaughlin each were part of four tackles.
Central Bucks South (1-0) will host Council Rock North next Friday while Central Bucks West (0-1) will host Souderton.
Central Bucks West 0-0-14-0 14
Central Bucks South 21-12-0-7 40
HARRY S TRUMAN 28, BAYARD RUSTIN 14
As beginnings go, it was a good one for the Tigers, who opened up 28-0 lead over their visitors at the end of three quarters before Rustin scored 14 points in the final quarter to make the final score more respectable.
Quarterback Mark Lopez-Shefcyk had a good night, rushing for a pair of touchdowns and passing for another, but the big story might well have been the Tigers’ defense that stymied Rustin at every turn, limiting their visitors to 47 total yards in the first half.
By halftime, Lopez-Schefcyk had a pair of touchdown runs, and Justin Fant had a rushing TD as the Tigers generated over 200 yards of total offense en route to a 21-0 halftime lead.
A 57-yard scoring strike from Lopez-Schefcyk to Fant in the third quarter upped that lead to 28-0 before Rustin scored a pair of meaningless touchdowns in the final minutes of the game.
Truman (1-0) will travel to Upper Dublin next Friday night for a showdown with a Flying Cardinal squad that advanced to the district semifinals last season.
Bayard Rustin 0-0-0-14 14
Harry S Truman 14-7-7-0 28
LA SALLE 24, NORTH PENN 12
The Knights had their chances to earn a big win over the highly regarded Explorers, but an ill-timed turnover and a 90-yard kickoff return allowed La Salle to escape with the win.
La Salle took a 7-0 lead after a four-yard run by Syaire Madden, but the Knights made it a 7-6 game after Nyfease West took it in from three yards out. The two-point conversion failed, and the Knights trailed by one after a quarter of play.
In the second quarter, the Explorers scored 10 unanswered points to go into the intermission with a 17-6 lead. The backbreaker was a 51-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the half after a North Penn fumble.
Still, the Knights battled back, and another three-yard touchdown run by West, who finished with 71 yards, trimmed the Explorers’ lead to 17-12, but not for long. Winston Eubanks took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and a 24-12 lead that stood until the final horn sounded.
North Penn quarterback Reece Udinski threw for 128 yards, and Ricky Johns was his favorite target, finishing with four catches.
The win was the sixth straight for the La Salle over North Penn. The Knights (0-1) will face West Philadelphia Catholic next Friday.
La Salle 7-10-0-7 24
North Penn 6-0-6-0 12
UPPER DUBLIN 42, DELAWARE 7
Ryan Stover accounted for over 200 yards of total offense, throwing for 149 yards and rushing for 72 more in a game the Flying Cardinals owned from beginning to end.
A six-yard run by Stacey Gardner (Todd Spirt kick) gave the Cardinals a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter, and they blew the game wide open with a 28-point second quarter. Stover got things started with a 48 yard run, and then Kalief Lee followed his lead, taking it in from 49 yards out to give the Cardinals a 21-0 advantage after the third of six PAT’s by Spirt.
A 60-yard touchdown pass from Stover to Stacey Gardner was followed by Cole Swiger’s 75-yard interception return for a touchdown that sent the Cardinals into halftime with a 35-0 lead.
With the mercy rule already in effect, the Cardinals tacked on a final touchdown in the third quarter when Phil Butler took it in from 11 yards out. Delaware Valley broke up the Cards’ shutout bid with a late score.
Upper Dublin (1-0) will host Harry S Truman next Friday.
Delaware Valley 0-0-0-7 7
Upper Dublin 7-28-7-0 42
UPPER MORELAND 28, PENNCREST 15
Rodney Morgan might not have been a household word for fans of Upper Moreland football, but after Friday's debut, he will be. The senior running back rushed for 251 yards and three touchdowns to lead an unstoppable Golden Bears' running attack.
It was Morgan scoring a pair of touchdowns - the second on a 78-yard run - to send Upper Moreland into halftime with a 14-0 lead. Quarterback Casey Decker took it in from four yards out in the third quarter to make it a 21-0 game. Morgan tacked on a TD in the final quarter to cap a big night.
The Golden Bears' defense limited Penncrest to just over 100 yards of total offense while the Bears had over 300 - 278 of those on the ground.
Upper Moreland (1-0) will travel to Archbishop John Carroll next Friday.
Upper Moreland 7-7-7-7 28
Penncrest 0-0-0-15 15
NORRISTOWN 43, METHACTON 13
The Eagles scored 28 points in the opening quarter, which was more than enough to bury the Warriors in Friday’s non-league opener. A touchdown run by Cory Davenport opened the scoring for the Eagles, and after the Warriors fumbled on their ensuing possession, the Eagles were in business again with quarterback Diavante Lloyd finding Derik Cross for the score. By late in the first half, the Eagles led 43-0, and the second half was little more than a formality.
Norristown (1-0) will host Wissahickon next Saturday afternoon.
QUAKERTOWN 41, UPPER PERK 0
The Panthers – on the heels of last year’s 38-0 win over the Tribe – once again had their way with the Indians, opening up a 20-0 halftime lead on their way to the rout.
Although the final score would suggest otherwise, the Panthers actually got off to a bit of a slow start as they led by just a 7-0 score after one quarter, thanks to a three-yard TD run by Nick Bonomo. The touchdown was set up by a 60-yard run by Rob Burns, who finished with a game high 179 yards.
In the second quarter, the Panthers tacked on a pair of touchdowns – the first on a Tom Garlick pass to Kyle Baskin and the second on a short run by Burns. Garlick, who played wide receiver last year after transferring from Archbishop Wood, finished with a pair of touchdowns in his debut at quarterback for the Panthers.
Senior Jon Potynski scored on a 36-yard touchdown run to ignite a 21-point third quarter. He finished with 109 yards – all in the second half.
Quakertown (1-0) will host Hatboro-Horsham next Friday.
Quakertown 7-13-21-0 41
Upper Perk 0-0-0-0 0
NORTHEAST 21, ABINGTON 14
The Ghosts found themselves clinging to a 14-13 late in Friday’s non-league opener only to watch Northeast connect on a 57-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute to play for the game winner.
The game started on a promising note for the Ghosts when quarterback David Kretschman found teammate George Reid with a 60-yard scoring strike. Northeast answered with the equalizer.
The Ghosts went on top 14-7 when Mike Brooks took it in from 12 yards out, but again Northeast answered, trimming that lead to 14-13 at halftime and setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
Northeast amassed over 300 yards on the ground while the Ghosts managed just 50 rushing yards. Kretschman kept his team in it with 165 yards in the air.
Abington (0-1) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh next Friday.
Abington 7-7-0-0 14
Northeast 7-6-0-8 21
PERKIOMEN VALLEY 56, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 36
Brandon McIlwain accounted for four touchdowns by halftime – two on the ground and two in the air, and the Indians appeared to be in good shape, going into the intermission with a 30-21 lead.
The second half belonged to the Vikings, who reeled off 35 points to win going away. All told, the Vikings accumulated more than 500 yards of total offense, throwing for more than 300 yards and rushing for 200 more.
McIlwain finished the night with 225 passing yards and three touchdowns, but his counterpart, PV’s Stephen Sturm, threw for four touchdowns. Tyler Nowmos was McIlwain’s number one target, finishing with 144 yards and two touchdowns.
Council Rock North (0-1) will travel to Central Bucks South next Friday.
Perkiomen Valley 7-14-21-14 56
Council Rock North 16-14-0-6 36
PENN WOOD 20, BENSALEM 0
Something had to give when the Owls travelled to Penn Wood Friday.
Both teams brought losing streaks dating back to the 2013 season into the contest with Penn Wood’s last win on Sept. 20 (23-7 over Archbishop Carroll) while Bensalem’s last win was on Sept. 21 (42-35 over CR South).
The Owls battled Penn Wood to a scoreless tie at the intermission, but a 65-yard kickoff return by Tyreem Welton to open the second half gave the Patriots momentum they would not lose. Tayvon Ruley added a pair of touchdown runs to give the Patriots their final margin of victory.
Bensalem (0-1) will host Council Rock South next Friday.
Bensalem 0-0-0-0 0
Penn Wood 0-0-14-6 20
WISSAHICKON 7, CENTRAL 6
The Trojans broke a scoreless tie late in the third quarter when Michael Schoenleber punched it in after a drive that included a key completion from quarterback Mike Marino to Tre Holcomb. Central trimmed that led to one in the fourth quarter, but the two-point conversion failed. The Trojans held on for the win.
Wissahickon (1-0) will travel to Norristown next Saturday afternoon.
Central 0-0-0-6 6
Wissahickon 0-0-7-0 7
WILLIAM TENNENT 31, MASTERY CHARTER 19
The Panthers rallied from an early 6-0 deficit to open up a 21-6 halftime lead on their way to the non-league win. Dan Costello paced the offense with a pair of touchdown runs, and it was quarterback Tyler Lynch connecting for a touchdown pass to give the Panthers an early lead they would not lose.
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 42, LOWER MORELAND 0
RADNOR 21, UPPER MERION 7
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