Quakertown clinched sole possession of the SOL Continental crown as a result of Saturday’s win over Council Rock North.
Stats used in the wraps are provided courtesy of Calkins Media. For complete high school football coverage, visit the web site www.PhillyBurbs.com<http://www.PhillyBurbs.com>.
By Scott Huff
The game was played at a frenetic pace all afternoon – but the bottom line after Quakertown’s 48-32 victory over host Council Rock North (6-3, 4-2) was that the unbeaten Panthers (9-0, 6-0) were outright Suburban One League Continental Conference champions.
“The kids put in the hard work all offseason, and the effort paid off with a championship,” said Quakertown head coach George Banas. “And we’re still undefeated – and there aren’t a whole lot of teams that can say that at this time of the year.
“This was an absolutely crazy game,” added Banas. “Everything seemed to be going wrong – the bus was late, and we were in a real funk defensively at the beginning of the game.”
An explosive Rock North offense – which featured perhaps the most explosive player in the entire SOL in junior quarterback Brandon McIlwain – grabbed the Panthers by the proverbial throat and led Q-town 26-7 midway through the second period.
“We got the 26-7 lead – and then everything seemed to stall for us offensively,” said Council Rock North head coach Adam Collachi. “And then they really put it to us defensively.”
Panther junior running back – Rob Burns – burned the Indians badly. Burns would put up some ridiculous numbers with 321 rushing yards and six – count em’ – six touchdowns.
“We saw a lot of good things about him on film getting ready for the game,” said Collachi. “He is a tough running back who can make some big plays for you.”
“Sometimes I feel that Rob doesn’t get the attention that some of the other backs in the area get,” said Banas. “We try to run a well-rounded offense – and sometimes he just doesn’t get the large number of touches some of the other backs get.”
Burns got his touches on this day, however, and his 35 carries included touchdowns runs of 62, 55, 12, 9, 5, and 3 yards.
The Quakertown offense had its finest output of the season. In addition to a season-high 48 points – the Panthers rushed for 407 yards – quarterback Alec Vera completed eight passes for 223 yards and a score – and Q-town accounted for a staggering 630 yards of total offense.
“There is no question that our offense kept us in this game,” said Banas. “Our offensive coordinator – Chris Hunter – did a fantastic job of calling the game. We were absolutely clicking all day on offense.”
Council Rock North registered some gaudy offensive numbers of its own in the loss.
McIlwain was brilliant as he completed 24 passes for 381 yards that included an 80-yard touchdown pass to Chris Welde. McIlwain rushed for 125 yards and scored four rushing touchdowns. And despite a Rock North offensive outing that generated 540 total yards – it was far from enough to defeat the high-powered Quakertown offense.
Both Quakertown and Council Rock North should make the PIAA Quad-A District One 16-team field. The champion Panthers close out the conference season at Central Bucks East (4-5, 3-3) on Halloween night while Rock North will square off with district rival Rock South (5-4, 4-2) on Saturday afternoon.
“Even though we are in the playoffs, I have a mindset that we want to win every game we play,” said Banas. “To go undefeated would be quite an accomplishment.”
“All we are going to worry about this week is beating South,” said Collachi. “We’re not even thinking about playoffs.”
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