The South defeated the North in Thursday night’s Bucks County Lions Football Classic. To view photos of all the action, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By Scott Huff
Warminster – On a scale of 1 to 10, the South’s 13-6 victory over the North in the 37th annual Bucks County Lions Football Classic at William Tennent High School Thursday night was about a 2 in terms of excitement. But then the game isn’t really all about the final outcome; it is about players coming together as teammates.
The South team consisted of players from Bensalem, Conwell Egan, Pennsbury, Neshaminy, Council Rock North, Council Rock South, Bristol, Morrisville, and Truman. The North team consisted of players from William Tennent, Central Bucks East, Central Bucks West, Central Bucks South, Pennridge, Quakertown, and Archbishop Wood.
The football futures from this galaxy of all-stars ranged from Division I players, to Div
ision II players, to players that might be playing their very last organized football game.
One of those in the ‘might be playing their last game’ category was the MVP from the North squad – Quakertown’s Justin Wieder. Wieder collected a game-high 85 yards rushing and scored the only North touchdown – and the 5-foot, 10-inch - 195 pound senior delivered some punishing blows from the defensive secondary.
“I hope to walk on at Kutztown as a safety,” said Wieder clutching his MVP award. “I plan to work hard and give them my best effort.
“This was a great two weeks getting to know some of the players from teams we have played against,” added Wieder. “Even the kids from Pennridge – who I really didn’t like on Thanksgiving Day – were pretty good guys after all.”
One of those Division II players was South MVP Sean Ulmer. Ulmer – who will graduate from Neshaminy - led the South in rushing and scored what proved to be the winning touchdown in the first half. Ulmer played much larger than his 5-foot, 9-inch - 165-pound frame.
“I am excited about playing wide receiver next season at Kutztown,” said Ulmer. “I got a scholarship to play there, and they have a great quarterback in (former Abington quarterback – Kevin) Morton.
“To be honest, it was a little awkward playing with players from teams like Pennsbury, Council Rock South, and Council Rock North,” added Ulmer. “But once we started practicing, we decided that we really wanted to win this game.”
The Division I talent on the field was a little more obvious to see with the impressive stature of the South’s JJ Denman (Pennsbury) and the North’s Jake O’Donnell (Central Bucks East). Denman – who will attend Rutgers next year – stands 6-foot, 6-inches and tips the scales at 315 pounds. O’Donnell – who will attend Maryland next year – stands 6-foot, 6-inches and weighs 250 pounds.
Neither Denman nor O’Donnell flinched about playing in this game with the always-present chance of getting hurt in the game.
“There is always a chance of getting injured, but you can get hurt without playing football,” said Denman. “I wanted another chance to play a high school football game, and I had a great time meeting and playing with the players I met the last couple of weeks.”
“My reason for playing this game was to have some fun and have a great experience,” said O’Donnell.
The game itself was far from an offensive classic as there were a total of 15 punts – and two missed field goals – in the defensive-dominated game.
The South scored the only touchdown of the first half in the second period. Pennsbury quarterback Bruce Campbell completed a pair of passes in the scoring drive – one an 11-yard completion to Pennsbury running back Adam Lewis – and the other for 35 yards to Bensalem wide out Dovanta Newkirk. Ulmer capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown dive, and Council Rock South senior Ben Solis added the extra point.
The North scored its only points with a touchdown drive in the third period. Featured in the drive was a 33-yard halfback pass from Archbishop Wood’s Brandon Peoples to CB East’s Brandon Sparks; an 11-yard pass reception by Wieder from William Tennent’s Kevin Kilkenny; and a seven-yard touchdown bolt by Wieder. The point after failed, and the South held a 7-6 lead with 5:14 left in the third period.
The South put the game out of reach in the fourth period on a smartly engineered drive by Neshaminy quarterback Joe Bianchino. Bianchino – who threw a gorgeous 40-yard completion to Pennsbury wide receiver Lee Hamacher – fired a nine-yard scoring dart to Nick Cocco of Council Rock South.
The South point after touchdown failed, and the 13-6 advantage would stand up as final.
“I think that all the players took pride in representing their teams,” said South head coach Kevin Kelly who now owns a 2-1 record as head coach in this classic. “It was a good experience, of good players, for a good cause.”
And those ‘goods’ easily outweigh a good game.
South All-Stars 0 7 0 6 - 13
North All-Stars 0 0 6 0 - 6
South: Sean Ulmer 1 run (Ben Solis kick)
North: Justin Wieder 7 run (kick failed)
South: Nick Cocco 9 pass from Joe Bianchino (kick failed)
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