On Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, the Upper Dublin football team made history when it captured the program’s first ever District One Quad-A title.
By Mary Jane Souder
FRANCONIA TWP – It’s a moment they’ll remember for a lifetime.
With the scoreboard clock frozen at 2:20, Upper Dublin’s starting offensive unit left the field for a final time to a rousing ovation from the crowd that packed the home stands at Souderton Area High School.
During one glorious and unforgettable December afternoon, the Flying Cardinals had silenced their critics for once and for all, stunning heavily favored North Penn 46-21 to capture the program’s first ever District One Quad-A title.
“Giant slayers,” senior Shane O’Connor said.
“No one besides the people in our locker room believed in us, but we believed in us,” senior Marco Leone said. “That’s all it took for us to win today.”
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the players exchanged hugs in an emotional sideline scene. Upper Dublin had just done the improbable against a North Penn squad making its program’s 10th trip to the district title game.
This is the stuff dreams are made of.
“I started tearing up,” senior quarterback Ryan Stover said. “I didn’t really know how to react.
“I knew we had done it. We knew we did what everyone said we couldn’t. It’s a great feeling. It’s awesome to do what everybody said we couldn’t, but we still have more football to play, and that’s the bottom line. We’ll celebrate for a little, but we’re not done yet.”
No, the Flying Cardinals aren’t done yet. Upper Dublin will face District 11 champion Parkland in a PIAA Quad-A semifinal game on Saturday at Souderton (1 p.m.), but there’s no mistaking just how special it feels to be one of just four Quad A teams in the entire state still standing.
“It’s incredible,” O’Connor said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing for us.
“Not many people can say they’ve won a District One championship and they’re one of the top teams in the state. We filled up this stadium, and we gave them a show. It’s just an incredible feeling. I can’t even wrap my head around it.”
Playing in front of a crowd of 3,000-plus, the Flying Cardinals did put on quite a show. Not even 21 straight points by North Penn to erase an early 14-0 Upper Dublin lead fazed a Flying Cardinal squad that trailed 21-17 at the intermission. The Cardinals responded to North Penn’s surge by outscoring the Knights 29-0 in the second half.
“We kept our heads up,” senior safety David Bryant said. “We’re a bend, don’t break defense, and we just went out in the second half and stopped what was going on in the first half.”
“We made adjustments at halftime,” senior cornerback Evan Scott said. “Our coaches are the best.
“They really knew exactly what North Penn wanted to do, and that’s basically what we aim to stop, and it worked obviously.”
A North Penn squad that can beat teams in the air or on the ground managed just three first downs in the second half, and two of those came after the outcome had been decided. The Flying Cardinals limited the Knights’ vaunted passing attack to just 81 yards.
“Our schemes differ depending on who is out there,” said Scott. “Usually we’ll have help over the top if it’s a nice receiver like (Ricky) Johns.
“Other than that, just stay with the game plan and do your job.”
“Our coaches put us in the right position to make plays,” said Bryant. “That’s all that matters.”
*****
Perfect chemistry - Danny Boggs and Ryan Stover were neighbors before they became teammates, and the boyhood friends might well have been preparing for Saturday’s big moment long before they knew it.
“We grew up playing football in the backyard,” Boggs said. “Always when we were little we were just working.
“We were watching film when we were seven years old. We were watching film in the high school with the team.”
So when Stover lines up behind center, it doesn’t feel all that different to Boggs than it did when they were playing together as youngsters.
“That’s almost what it feels like – that we’re in the backyard,” the senior wide receiver said. “We know that when we run a route, we can trust him that the ball will be in the right spot.
“Whether it’s me or any of my teammates, we know it’s going to be at the right spot every time because we have a great leader.”
According to Stover, the chemistry has been there from the outset with this year’s squad.
“We played together ever since we were young,” the senior quarterback said. “It’s awesome to see everyone come together for a common goal.”
A common goal they’ve been working towards for a long time.
“We were working for this - we didn’t know what it was, but they kept telling us – it will pay off, it will pay off, and it is,” Boggs said. “It’s amazing.”
While this year’s Flying Cardinal squad has put in the work, they also have managed to keep things in perspective.
“They work, but they know when to have fun,” coach Bret Stover said. “They know the balance.
“If you came to practice last week, there’s no way you would have known we were playing for a District One title. It was like every other week for us, and that’s what I like about this team most – they don’t get tight, they just play ball.”
Even after it was over and they were wearing gold medals around their necks, the players insisted it felt like just another game.
“Leading up to the game, that’s exactly what it felt like – just another game,” senior Evan Scott said. “We prepared the same way we normally do. We just knew we had to put everything on the line.”
*****
Making history - Upper Dublin made history for more reasons than one. In addition to earning the program’s first district title, UD – with an enrollment of 569 male students – is the smallest school to capture the District One Quad-A title since the district went to its present format.
“No team with an enrollment of 700 or less has ever won the district title,” coach Bret Stover said. “It’s an anomaly. It just happens every once in a while, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
While Upper Dublin brought a 13-0 record into Saturday’s title game, North Penn – with 1861 male students – had a 10-game winning streak of its own. With history and numbers on their side, the Knights were considered heavy favorites.
“That’s a motivator for us,” Kane O’Connor said.
“We know we’re a good team,” David Bryant said. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else says. Our team is just so tight. We don’t really listen to anything outside.”
Added Evan Scott, “Personally, that’s the best feeling in the world to me because I like being the underdog. We all like being the underdog.
“Everybody said that because North Penn is three times bigger than our school we had no shot. What does that tell you about our heart?”
The Flying Cardinals – blessed with an abundance of heart and more than a little talent - ensured themselves a spot in history, and the magic carpet ride that is the 2015 season isn’t over yet.
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