Intelligencer/Courier Times "Let's Talk Football" (Week 7)

Back for a third season is the popular Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football,’ featuring high school football beat writers Kevin Cooney and Dan Dunkin.  Cooney, the Phillies beat writer, covers schools in the Intelligencer area while Dan Dunkin – who has been covering sports at the high school and professional level for 25 years - will cover teams in the Courier Times area. Both share their perspective on the teams in their coverage area. To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the web site http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/high_school/

SuburbanOneSports.com:  After covering last Friday’s North Penn – Central Bucks South game, what are your thoughts about that contest?

Kevin Cooney:  “North Penn hasn’t lost a home league game since October of ’02 to Neshaminy. If you look at it, Friday’s game started 23-7, and you’re thinking, ‘North Penn – there they go. This is what they do,’ but the game just changed. It changed on the first possession of the second half when CB South’s defense made a stand, and they went down and scored. They kind of fed off of all of the momentum. I think it says more about what CB South has become than anything with North Penn.

“Let’s look at this from the South perspective. They’re 6-0, and they’re two thirds of the way through the ‘gauntlet’ with Souderton, North Penn and Pennridge. South goes to Poppy Yoder Field this week obviously in good shape. Even if they should slip on Friday night, they’re in good shape to maybe get a home playoff game, maybe get a top four or top three seed. Ridley will be tough for them to beat seeding-wise, but South has some quality wins on its schedule. You’re look at a team that has shown it can run the football, that can pass the football, and when they need to, they can make defensive stops. It was not a clean effort on Friday night, but when they needed to on Friday night, they made the big stop. You have to give them a lot of credit on both sides.

“For North Penn, one of the things we all worried about was when they go through this tough non-league schedule – which we all agree probably gets them ready for whatever they do in November – was what do you do if you slip in your league. Well, we have reached that point. At 3-3 with a non-league win over a AAA school in Archbishop Wood, it’s hard to believe, but they have reached the point where they have to run the table. Even if they run the table, they’re looking at a bottom four seed. They’re looking 13-16, and that’s not even guaranteed. It depends how other things go. North Penn still has Pennridge and Souderton. Those are their two really tough games left.

“It’s not beyond belief to sit here and think that North Penn is not going to reach the playoffs. In a way, it’s a shame because I think they’re going to be punished for basically going out and playing a tough non-league schedule when other teams don’t. I don’t think that’s fair, and next year we’ll have the schedule points coming in that would help them, in this case, where they would get something for playing La Salle, get something for playing the Prep. At this point, I think you’re looking at a team that secondary-wise was not good enough and kind of put themselves in a very, very bad spot.”

“Kyle Mayfield got dinged up in Friday’s game, and that was a big thing on that drive when they got the ball back in a tie game, and Mayfield went out. The offense stalled after that. Mayfield and Steve Gozur have been their two main offensive weapons, and if you remove one of them, it seems like right now they can’t get much of an offensive attack going.

“It was a really good game. You love seeing those types of games. For the first time in a long time, coming into that game, it didn’t feel like a process – that this was another step on the road for North Penn. What made it better, if you’re a South fan, is the way they came back. If South had come in and just blown the doors off them, that would have been nice, but to come back and win a game like that just took it up a level.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  North Penn did appear to be in command at halftime. What changed in the second half?

Kevin Cooney:  “Just fundamentals. When you looked at North Penn’s defense, they only allowed two first downs in the first half. South was able to get more of a passing attack going in the second half. Remember, South didn’t do this with Adams having a big game like we all expected. This was North Penn not being able to stop the pass.

“(South quarterback John) Pileggi is making a name for himself right now. Again, this is a guy that because of his size might not translate to the next level, but he hits passes – Dave Rackovan called a couple of them ‘miracle shots.’ They connected, and that’s what adds to a special type of feeling for a team when they get those types of plays. Look, South has the running back (Adams), they have a quarterback that believes in himself. It is a good combo to have if you’re a team that has aspirations of doing something big, and they are kind of in that mode right now.

“We’re talking about a team that, quite honestly, most people did not pick to be one of the top three. Suddenly, now it’s there. It’s ready to go. It seems to be clicking on all cylinders.

“South – if it wins out – could be a two or a three seed in districts. Ridley probably will be one, but it’s interesting.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  Pennridge defeated Souderton in a key Continental Conference game. Your thoughts about both of those teams.
Kevin Cooney: “Again, you’re talking about another team that has put itself in a real dilemma. Souderton is a 3-3 team and playing like a 3-3 team right now – very inconsistent, very up and down. We all thought after the Neshaminy win, ‘Here they go,’ but it hasn’t quite developed that way.

“Pennridge each week seems to gain confidence. It’s funny – if you look at it, they lost the overtime game to Bensalem, but otherwise, we’re looking at 6-0 against 6-0 this week when Pennridge plays CB South. The difference between CB South and Pennridge right now is that CB South has established the passing game, and Pennridge hasn’t to a level that they need to if they’re going to be at the next level. That’s my opinion.

“Pennridge still has a great running back in Michael Class. They could do it this week. If you’re South, you feel like you’ve run the gauntlet. If you’re Pennridge, you’re just midway through it. It’s interesting to see how the schedule has played out here since Pennridge will get North Penn next week.

“I think it will be a good game on Friday night, but I think right now South has too much firepower. It will be interesting to see how Poppy Yoder is – what kind of atmosphere will be there, if the crowd goes nuts and all of that. Most of the focus will be on the two running backs, but it’s going to be the other players that will decide this game. I think both teams will do a decent job of focusing on the other back. I can’t see one going off and the other not. It’s going to be one of those type of games.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  Three weeks into the SOL season, what are your observations?

Kevin Cooney:  “We have gone now from talking about possibly four playoff teams out of the Suburban One Continental Conference, and now realistically, we could be looking at two. You look at the American Conference, and you’re talking about one or two. I think you put Plymouth Whitemarsh in that group and maybe Wissahickon. In the National Conference, Pennsbury is a given. I think Neshaminy probably will finish strong, so they will probably get in. The Neshaminy/Abington game will probably decide the second entry from that conference.

“Quite honestly this year it’s top heavy Chester County and Delaware County. The southern end may have more bids this year than the Suburban One League. If that happens - it’s just one of those years. We kind of knew it was a different year from the start, and it’s turned into a really different year. I think the North Penn loss kind of takes it up to a different level.

“If North Penn is not in the field, it’s going to create a wide open district because there was always this sense - if North Penn gets in districts, no matter where they’re seeded, look out. This year, that’s not going to happen. I don’t think anybody will pick them as – hey, this is the team that’s going to be in the district final no matter where they seeded. There is a sense that North Penn is extremely vulnerable, and I think that’s what has changed this year.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  North Penn and Central Bucks South are not in your coverage area, but what are your thoughts about that game?

Dan Dunkin:  “CB South is the team of the year, and they’ve got the coach of the year, and they’ve got the two offensive players of the year in the entire Suburban One League. It’s remarkable what Dave Rackovan has done there. He runs just a really fun, creative offense, and he’s got the tools to do it. For them to beat North Penn gets everyone’s attention. I thought North Penn would be too strong for them. Ultimately, I was wrong.  I was stunned. Finally, North Penn’s (conference) winning streak comes to an end. Finally. That’s how good CB South is.

“North Penn neutralized Josh Adams in that game, and they lost to the passing game. That speaks to the great diversity and balance Dave has in his offense. Hats off to him. In an era when there are a lot of conservative coaches, this guy is cutting edge, and it’s good to see.

“The Continental Conference desperately needed it, the Suburban One League desperately needed it. It was dominance to the point of boredom. You wondered who would have the balance to do it, who could stay with them for four quarters, and it was CB South.

“North Penn is still a very good team. I could see them going deep in the playoffs. When they do lose, they correct their mistakes quickly, they learn from their losses, but it’s really good for the Continental Conference and the Suburban One League in general. I commend CB South.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  Share your thoughts on Neshaminy’s win over Council Rock North since you covered that game.

Dan Dunkin: “This game showed me that the new kid from Pennsbury – quarterback Joe Falkowski – is a good passer. He, along with Justin Andrews, sparked Neshaminy the first half. The kid has a good arm. Mark Schmidt’s broken him in slowly, given him a feel for the offense.

“It was a game where Neshaminy could work on some things, experiment some more, get Falkowski broken in some more and work on some things. I think they’re starting to get more dialed in offensively. That was Neshaminy’s game. They could name their score. North hung with them in the first quarter and a half, played some stingy defense, but the two big plays – Falkowski to Andrews – gave Neshaminy the cushion, and they just kept building from there on.

“The thing with North is there’s just too much of a burden on the freshman quarterback, Bradon McIlwain. He is terrific, he handles it well, and if he continues to improve, he will be a great high school player. He had 43 touches in that game – 22 passes and 21 runs, and that’s a lot for one kid. To their credit, they kept battling and made it respectable, but a lot of Neshaminy’s second string defensive guys were in by that time too, so it’s relative. Brandon Knotts is coming on as a receiver, and AJ Nielsen is an unheralded running back who does a lot of good things. They have supplied some offensive help for McIlwain. It’s going to be interesting to see if North can get better these last three or four weeks and show they were better than last year. They have a chance to do that.

SuburbanOneSports.com:  Pennsbury had a convincing win over Abington. Your thoughts about those two teams.

Dan Dunkin:  “Pennsbury’s offense has new dimensions now with Shawn Pepper really just playing great and giving them a lot from a lot of different spots in the wing-t. He’s been the most prolific offensive player in the National Conference this year. Their fullback Daquan Mack is back healthy, and their offensive line has really come along very well. Their quarterback, Breon Clark, gives them a great dimension. Teams can’t stack up so reflexively against the run all the time, so their offense is a little scary for teams to deal with. They’re also very physical, and it’s a good combination. They’ve got talent, they’ve got athleticism, they’ve got attitude, and they’ve got physicality. We’ll see where it goes. They’re excited about this season. They have some good senior leadership, and this could be a really interesting, good year for Pennsbury.

“Right now, they’re the best team in the conference. They’re 3-0 in the conference, and in reality to me, they’re the best I’ve seen.

“Tim Sorber and his staff have done a good job just of keeping Abington competitive and in some games. They clearly weren’t in Pennsbury’s class. Their lack of size hurts, and they just don’t have the skill position grouping that they had last year.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  William Tennent lost starting quarterback Joe Lutz in the first quarter to a torn ACL but still came back to defeat Bensalem on Friday. Your comments about those two teams.

Dan Dunkin:  “Losing their quarterback Joe Lutz early, it says a lot for Tennent that they could hang in there and win that game against a pretty evenly matched team. They had to respond against adversity, and they did it, led by Jeff Ledford, who’s a terrific all-around player and stepped in at quarterback. Biz Keeny and his guys will get the most out of what they have. It’s a shame for Joe Lutz and for them that he went down with a knee injury. They were doing some good things. They had that special victory over Neshaminy. They had their eye on a dark horse playoff spot.

“Lutz is really a good engineer of that offense. He was having a good senior year. It’s just one of those unfortunate things about football, but they’ll pull together. Winning that game showed them what they could do – every man stepping up and winning it for Joe so they can keep rolling. I was impressed by that. With Ledford back there handling the ball, they still have other weapons, and they’re dangerous. They had two kids – Ledford and Alex Perks – over 100 yards rushing. They’ll be all right. They’ll put pressure on teams offensively. I’m sure Biz is interested to see how they’ll respond these last four weeks.

“Bensalem has had defensive troubles this season. They’re giving up the most points in the National Conference. At the same time, they’ve got the most prolific passing tandem in the conference in quarterback Kevin Hopkins and wide receiver Donnie Reed. They have the go-between-the-tackles running game. They’ve got the offense to do damage, but their defense has hurt them, and second halves have hurt them. That’s the next step for that program. They’re trying to build some depth on that side of the football and be consistent for four quarters, but they’re certainly competitive."

SuburbanOneSports.com:  Looking at this week’s National Conference schedule, are there any games that catch your eye?

Dan Dunkin:  “I think the Council Rock North – Bensalem game will be a pretty even game. That’s probably the best game in the league this week. North’s defense is better, but they’re going to be stretched to deal with that passing game of Bensalem. Bensalem, on the other hand, will have to deal with that athletic freshman quarterback from North. When he gets out to the edge or he throws it on the run, he gives teams a lot of trouble. He makes everybody on his offense better. I see this being a closer game, but North’s trouble is still depth. They’re finally going two-platoon football where hardly anybody is playing two ways, but I wonder how well that’s going to work.”

“Council Rock South will play at Neshaminy, and that could be a tough game for CR South when you couple the fact that they routed Neshaminy last year and now Neshaminy has everything to play for. Neshaminy is a far better team on both sides of the ball.”

SuburbanOneSports.com:  Three weeks into the league season, what are your thoughts about the National Conference?

Dan Dunkin:  “I really think the way this conference is shaking out it’s Pennsbury and who’s going to be second. Neshaminy is going to be interesting. They lost a tough one to Tennent, and they know they’re better than that, and now they’re out to prove that. How much better can they get in the next three-four weeks? That’s what we want to see. I see Pennsbury improving every week. That brutal preconference schedule really did help them. Suddenly, they’re playing in the National, and it looks like they’re better than everyone in the league.”