Scott Huff previews Upper Dublin’s PIAA Quad-A semifinal game against Parkland.
By Scott Huff
“As we were walking up to the stadium yesterday, we were talking about still making the climb (steps) to practice. Yeah we should be listening to ‘Stairway to Heaven’, because for a group of players and coaches, this truly is.” – Upper Dublin head coach Bret Stover.
Somewhere the legendary rock group Led Zeppelin was smiling.
It is doubtful that the lyrics had anything to do with high school football - but the historic journey Upper Dublin is one has been iconic in its own right. The Cardinals have been counted out almost each and every week since the playoffs began. However, Stover’s experienced Upper Dublin team has been money during its postseason run.
The outset of the journey began as the Cardinals won the Suburban One League American Conference title. That championship was expected, though, and that was against probably one of the least respected conferences in the area. The Cardinals would surely be shot down early in the PIAA Quad-A District One playoffs.
Upper Dublin routed Garnet Valley 35-3 in the first round – but that was also not unexpected – maybe the final score was surprising. The second round game against explosive Upper Darby would be the test to see if the Cardinals were for real.
They passed that test with a 45-14 rout over the Royals – somewhat surprising – but not in the stunning column. Upper Dublin still hadn’t had to win a close game all season. That would have to come the next week when Upper Dublin would play perennial Suburban One League National Conference bully – and defending District One champion – Pennsbury.
Okay – now people were beginning to give Upper Dublin some love after the Cardinals outslugged the Falcons 24-14. Taking a punch and winning a close game were now on Upper Dublin’s playoff resume. But next was North Penn – big, bad – North Penn. Surely now the Cardinal playoff train would be derailed.
Upper Dublin led the Knights 14-0 – trailed 21-14 – and was behind 21-17 at the half. NOW it was over for those over-achieving Cardinals – WRONG as Upper Dublin scored 29 unanswered points in the second half and spanked North Penn 46-21.
“We’re always getting underestimated because of our size,” UD middle linebacker Stacey Gardner said. “We know we’re athletic, we’re fast.
“A lot of teams don’t have that speed, and we use what we have to our advantage. We just use what we have to the best of our ability and try to beat out the other team and what they’ve got going for them.”
“I think it’s our team speed,” echoed outside linebacker Cole Swiger. “We know when to fill gaps whenever there’s a good running back, and our ‘D’ backs are very special. They can keep up with pretty much any receiving corps you’ll find, and our coaches do a great job preparing us.”
District 11 champion Parkland is next for Upper Dublin in the PIAA Quad-A semifinals on Saturday at Souderton Area High School – 1 pm.
“This journey has been the best case of groundhog day you could ever ask for,” said Upper Dublin head coach Bret Stover. “I kid you not, every week, other than the opponent changing - it looks exactly the same. We have kept our same routines since we played PW, and if you came to our practice you would not know these guys are in the 4A semifinal. You'd think we were getting ready to play PW, Upper Moreland or Hatboro-Horsham.
“That is what I love about this group,” added Stover. “They are always focused only on what is directly in front of them. We are just going to continue to play Cardinal football.”
Hopefully Upper Dublin will have one more week to climb those stadium stairs for practice to earn a shot at either Pittsburgh Central Catholic or Cumberland Valley for a PIAA Quad-A state championship next week in ‘Heavenly Hershey’ Pennsylvania.
*****
With temperatures pushing 60 degrees and music playing over the public address system, the Flying Cardinals are practicing on the turf while the track team is going through its paces on the perimeter of Cardinal Stadium. It looks every bit like a mid-October day, but it isn’t.
It’s Dec. 10, and in less than 48 hours, the Flying Cardinals will be playing the biggest game of their young careers when they take on Parkland in the state semifinals.
“It’s crazy,” senior Stacey Gardner said. “Coming into summer workouts in June, you never know you’ll be playing into mid-December. It’s kind of crazy.”
“It’s great,” senior Cole Swiger said. “The weather has definitely helped, and all the coaches make it easier on us. They’re all relaxed, but we know there’s a fine line between having fun and getting down to business.
“It’s just really exciting to have this run. We’re taking it one game at a time. We know each game is getting bigger and bigger as it goes on.”
For Swiger, this year’s district title in football came on the heels of last year’s district title as a member of the golf team.
“There’s a lot of mental preparation before each one,” he said. “You can’t let a bad play or – in golf – a bad shot affect you. You just have to move on and forget about the past and keep living in the moment.”
So far, that’s been a recipe for success for Upper Dublin, and on Saturday, the Flying Cardinals will face Parkland with a trip to the state title game at stake. The players say they won’t approach this game any differently than they have the 14 before it.
“We’re going into this week focused, trying to work the game plan, make as few mistakes as possible,” Gardner said. “We just try to come in and treat every opponent the same way. We never underestimate anybody. We know how good teams are, and we just come in focused every practice.”
“We all had the goal to go out and win the district,” Swiger said. “Now when the state championship is looming – we know we can’t let that get into our heads, so we’re just really taking it easy, relaxing, but we know when to get down to business.”
"This feels groundbreaking," added senior Evan Scott. "We're obviousy in uncharted territory, and we're just trying to make a name for ourselves. It's definitely a great feeling and something we can pass on to generations that follow us.
"We knew from the beginning of the season it was going to be a special season, and after last year's ending, I thought we could build off that. We weren't going for a district championship right away. We wanted to go for a conference championship first and build off of that.
"On Saturday, we're going to stick to the game plan. It's just another game like coach has been telling us all year, and basically, we need to give it our all on every play."
PIAA Quad-A State Semifinal Game
Eastern Championship
Parkland Trojans (13-1) vs Upper Dublin Cardinals (14-0)
Saturday – December 12, 2015, 1 pm
@ Souderton Area High School
Winner gets the winner of Pittsburgh Central Catholic vs. Cumberland Valley for state title.
Playoff Resume:
Parkland moved on to the state semifinals with a thrilling 16-13 overtime victory over District 12 champion La Salle. DeVante Cross scored on a four-yard run to seal the victory. Cross rushed 28 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns for the Trojans. He also completed 14 passes for 142 yards. Parkland advanced to the state quarterfinal game with a 63-21 victory over Wyoming Valley West in the District 11 title game. The Trojans led 49-14 at the half and won the game with a mercy rule. Cross rushed for a game-high 135 yards and scored three touchdowns and also fired a pair of touchdown passes. Erik DiGirolamo rushed for 107 yards and scored a touchdown for the winners. Parkland opened the district playoffs with a 28-10 victory over Delaware Valley and captured a second round win with a 37-0 victory over Easton.
Upper Dublin moved on to the state semifinal game with a stunning 46-21 rout over North Penn. Ryan Stover scored on a 41-yard touchdown run and completed 14 passes for 245 yards and a score to Jack Rapine. Rapine caught five passes for 110 yards. Stacey Gardner rushed for a team-high 76 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns. The Cardinals advanced to the district title game with a 24-14 victory over # 15 Pennsbury. Ryan Stover scored on a 24-yard run and fired an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jack Rapine. Kalief Lee scored a touchdown and Todd Spirt booted a 34-yard field goal. The Cardinals advanced to the semifinals with a convincing 45-14 victory over # 6 Upper Darby. Stover threw three touchdown passes for the Cardinals, while Stacey Gardner rushed for a pair of touchdowns for the winners. Upper Dublin opened the playoffs with a 35-3 win over Garnet Valley as Stover rushed for four touchdowns and passed for a fifth score.
Season Resume:
Upper Dublin finished the season as the champion of the Suburban One League American Conference.
Parkland finished the regular season tied for first place in the Eastern Pennsylvania Southern Division with a 7-1 record. The only loss of the year for the Trojans came against Southern Division co-champion Liberty by a 41-34 score.
Stat Track:
Upper Dublin – 43.6 points per game * 9.4 points allowed per game * + 34.2 margin of victory.
Parkland – 40.0 points per game * 13.5 points allowed per game * + 26.5 margin of victory
Players To Watch:
Upper Dublin – Quarterback Ryan Stover [136 completions – 2291 yards – 26 touchdowns & 79 carries – 977 yards – 12 touchdowns]; Running backs Kalief Lee [135 carries – 1024 yards – 19 touchdowns]; Stacey Gardner [45 carries – 528 yards – 15 touchdowns]; Receivers Jack Rapine [30 receptions – 501 yards – 5 touchdowns]; Danny Boggs [23 receptions – 393 yards – 3 touchdowns]; Michael Sowers [17 receptions – 270 yards – 5 touchdowns].
Players To Watch:
Parkland – Quarterback Devante Cross [2439 passing yards – 23 touchdowns & 1348 rushing yards – 19 touchdowns]; Running Back Erik DiGirolamo [1076 rushing yards – 20 touchdowns] and Receiver Kenny Yeboah [13 touchdown receptions].
Upper Dublin Head Coach Bret Stover says: “Parkland is what you would envision seeing from a final four team in Quad-A. They are very athletic, LARGER than us (who isn't), play a physical brand of football and try to intimidate you. They like to swarm to the ball on defense and you'll see many hats on the ball carrier. Big play capable on every play offensively, well coached and disciplined. (Devante) Cross reminds us of Brandon McIlwain from Council Rock North - you have to account for him on every play, even after that he will make plays with his legs and extend plays. (Erik) DiGirolamo runs hard and falls forward. The wideout (Kenny Yeboth) uses all of his 6-6 frame and scores touchdowns.
“Parkland has a history. They have a state championship, they’ve been to a final. They’re well coached. It’s not a fluke that they’re here. They beat a very good La Salle squad last week. Their league is very, very good, and they ran the gauntlet – they only had one loss.”
Suburban One Sports.com
Top Ten
1. Upper Dublin Cardinals (14-0)
2. North Penn Knights (11-2)
3. Neshaminy Redskins (9-4)
4. Pennsbury Falcons (9-4)
5. Quakertown Panthers (10-3)
6. Central Bucks East Patriots (8-3)
7. Pennridge Rams (8-4)
8. Council Rock North Indians (7-4)
9. Upper Moreland Bears (10-3)
10. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (8-3)
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