Upper Dublin defeated North Penn 46-21 to capture the program’s first ever District One Quad-A championship on Saturday. To view photos of all the action, please visit the Photo Gallery...CLICK HERE.
Stats 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/.
Upper Dublin crushes North Penn, makes history, and celebrates in style
By Jarrad Saffren
Act like you’ve been there. It’s what grumpy old men tell young men when they accomplish something they’ve never accomplished before.
But, as the Upper Dublin football team showed Saturday, acting like you’ve been there is no fun at all. Fun is celebrating something that a school and program waited decades, generations to accomplish.
Upper Dublin beat North Penn 46-21 Saturday in the District One Class AAAA championship at Souderton Area High School, earning the first district title and state playoff appearance in school history.
“I played here and I talk to other alums all the time,” said Upper Dublin freshman coach Steve Roberts to the varsity players after the game. “You have no idea what this means to them. I wish I could put it into words.”
Every coach in the program took turns talking to the gassed players, who were kneeling in a huddle, about what the win meant.
“Winning this game and this trophy means everything. It really does,” said defensive coordinator Dan Pring. “But I’m just as excited to spend another week with you guys.”
The grinning players clapped and cheered. After their coaches were done, the players rose to a standing ovation from the Cardinals’ faithful behind the fence. They also took pictures with the trophy and admired their medals.
Junior lineman Zhaire Lee put his medal in his mouth.
“This tastes so good,” he said to passing parents as they smiled.
None of the players were sure if the celebration would continue after they boarded the bus and rode back to Fort Washington.
“I don’t know what everyone else is gonna do,” said fullback Stacey Gardner, who scored four touchdowns and ran for 76 yards. “I don’t know, maybe I’ll rest.”
Gardner laughed as he walked off the field.
The Cardinals earned some rest, and they will need it. They play a PIAA Class AAAA state semifinal game next Saturday against Parkland. Many will expect Upper Dublin to lose that game, just as many expected the Cards to lose to North Penn based on history.
North Penn coach Dick Beck took over a goldmine in 2002. Current Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine had just revitalized the program, winning 45 games and finishing in the top 10 in the state twice between 1997 and 2001.
In 2003, Upper Dublin coach Bret Stover took over a relative wasteland. The Cardinals had never won the Suburban One League American Conference or a district playoff game. Fort Washington did not even have a youth feeder program for UD.
Both coaches took their programs to new heights, but with very different standards. In his first 10 seasons, Beck led North Penn to six district titles and a state championship in 2003. In his first 10 seasons, Stover led Upper Dublin to three co-league championships, but the Cardinals still never won a playoff game.
That changed last season, when UD won a school-record 11 games, including two playoff games. The Cardinals topped both accomplishments this season, culminating with Saturday’s win over Beck’s perennial powerhouse, which proved that history had no bearing on the current teams.
In the past, North Penn might well have beaten Upper Dublin. But most of those Cardinals’ teams did not have quarterback Ryan Stover, Bret's son.
Stover has led the Cardinals all season. He came into Saturday with 36 total touchdowns and 2966 total yards, including 916 on the ground. The 6’4 senior stunned everyone in the packed bleachers Saturday, leading UD to two quick touchdowns on its first two possessions.
On Upper Dublin’s first possession, Stover took the snap, dropped back two steps, and ran into the open field. He galloped 41 yards to the house on the QB draw, capping a 75-yard drive and putting UD up 7-0. On the next series, Gardner rumbled eight yards into the end zone after Upper Dublin took over at the North Penn 47.
The Knights stormed back to take a 21-14 lead in the second quarter. North Penn used its size advantage on the line to punish Upper Dublin, rushing for 150 yards and three touchdowns in the first half.
Nyfease West, who had 114 yards rushing in the half (127 in the game), was the workhorse on the Knights’ first scoring drive. He had five carries for 52 yards on a drive that covered 65 yards and was capped when Dante Stewart punched it in from four yards out.
After a three-and-out for the Cardinals, the Knights were on the move again, and this time it was West taking it in from six yards out. The Knights appeared to be seizing complete control when West capped a 46-yard drive with a two-yard TD run that – after the successful two-point conversion – put North Penn on top 21-14 with 1:26 remaining in the half.
The Cardinals weren’t content to run out the clock and - sparked by a 26-yard completion from Stover to Cole Swiger - tacked on a Todd Spirt 28-yard field goal to make it a 21-17 game at the intermission.
Early in the third, the Cardinals delivered the knockout blow. On the first drive, Stover hit Jack Rapine on a crossing route that gained 29 yards into NP territory. Gardner again finished the drive, racing home from 13 yards out to put UD back up, 24-21. On UD’s next drive, Stover floated a 31-yard touchdown to Rapine over the middle to go on top 31-21.
UD put the game away after recovering a fumble at the NP 27. Stover fired the ball to John Barrett inside the five. Then Gardner dove in from the three. The fullback added one more touchdown in the fourth, when he carried two defenders over the goal line from the nine. A safety late in the game put the finishing touches on the historic win.
“We stuck to the game plan pretty much,” Stover said. “We made a couple adjustments. We liked a couple matchups out there. One of our quick slot guys (Rapine) against one of their slower linebackers.”
Stover racked up 304 all-purpose yards and won the admiration of Beck.
“Rarely does the first guy that hits him bring him down,” the Knights’ coach said. “So when he’s in the pocket you can pressure him and hit him and he falls back and makes a great play.”
“The game plan was to try to keep him in the pocket. We let him get out of the pocket and lost our guys,” said Beck.
Beck was not the first high school coach that Stover flummoxed, and he may not be the last.
Upper Dublin will face Parkland – a 16-13 winner over PCL power La Salle – in next Saturday’s state semifinal at Souderton (1 p.m.).
Upper Dublin 14-3-20-9 46
North Penn 6-15-0-0 21
UD – Ryan Stover 41 run (Todd Spirt kick)
UD – Stacey Gardner 8 run (Todd Spirt kick)
NP – Dante Stewart 4 run (kick failed)
NP – Nyfease West 6 run (Reece Udinski pass from Justis Henley)
NP – Nyfease West 2 run (Brett Bealer kick)
UD – FG Todd Spirt 28
UD – Stacey Gardner 13 run (Todd Spirt kick)
UD – Jack Rapine 31 pass from Ryan Stover (Todd Spirt kick)
UD – Stacey Gardner 3 run (kick failed)
UD – Stacey Gardner 9 run (Todd Spirt kick)
UD – Safety; NP punter tackled in end one
Upper Dublin North Penn
18 First Downs 14
171 Yards Rushing 182
245 Yards Passing 71
416 Total Offense 253
7-60 Penalties 7-60
2-42 Punts/Average 2-42
Upper Dublin
Rushing: Stacey Gardner 12-76, 4 TDs; Kaleif Lee 14-36; Ryan Stover 5-59, 1 TD.
Passing: Ryan Stover 14-23-0, 245 yards, 1 TD.
Receiving: Jack Rapine 5-110; James Lampmann 3-50; Danny Boggs 3-33; Cole Swiger 1-26; John Barrett 1-20; Stacey Gardner 1-4.
North Penn
Rushing: Nyfease West 24-127, 2 TDs; Justin Ostopowicz 5-31, Dante Stewart 3-10, 1 TD; Reece Udinski 1-9; Justis Henley 1-5.
Passing: Reece Udinski 7-15-0, 71 yards.
Receiving: Owen Thomas 2-28; Ricky Johns 2-15; Nyfease West 1-12; Justin Ostopowicz 1-10; Jason Hoffman 1-6.
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