CR North captured sole possession of the SOL Continental Conference and also earned a district berth. Check back to view photos of Saturday’s contest. Truman defeated Norristown to close out conference play.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 35, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 14
By Scott Huff
Newtown –Moments after Council Rock North’s 35-14 SOL Continental Conference victory over Council Rock South – North senior quarterback Brandon McIlwain weaved among the fans, players, and coaches on the turf at Walt Snyder Stadium holding high with one hand above his head the prestigious Rock Unity Cup presented to the winner of the North-South game.
Nobody could stop him – and why should anyone have been able to prevent the talented South Carolina University recruit from his postgame celebration?
Nobody wearing a Council Rock South uniform was able to stop the gifted Rock North captain the entire night. McIlwain tormented the Golden Hawk defense as he scored four rushing touchdowns – and also fired a gorgeous touchdown pass to senior Tyler Nowmos. McIlwain carried the ball 30 times for 140 yards and completed 18-of-24 passes for 191 yards – a spectacular 331 yards of total offense.
McIlwain had plenty to celebrate after the win – (1) after all, it was the CR North-CR South game; (2) the victory earned the Indians an outright SOL Continental Conference championship; and (3) the win thrust Rock North into the PIAA District One Quad-A playoffs.
“To be able to accomplish all three goals in one game is amazing,” said McIlwain. “Beating South is – well – the biggest game of the year. And to be able to win a championship and get into the playoffs is something we fought hard for ever since we lost to Norristown.”
“All I ever really wanted to do was to be able to call these seniors champions,” said an emotional Adam Collachi – head coach of CR North. “These are a special core of seniors and this is a great day for them.”
Rock North seniors all made significant contributions to the huge victory over Rock South. But the biggest spotlight still fell on the brilliant McIlwain.
“Great players make great plays in big games,” said Council Rock South head coach Vince Bedesem. “McIlwain was the difference maker in the second half – everyone got to see why he is such a special player.”
The first half was somewhat of a surprise in that with all the offensive firepower of both North and South, the score was only 7-6 in favor of the Indians at intermission.
The lone scoring drive for Rock North was a well-engineered 10-play, 91-yard march. McIlwain – who competed five passes in the drive – culminated the scoring drive with a two-yard touchdown burst. Tyler Nowmos would add the first of his five extra points to present Rock North with a 7-0 lead.
The lone scoring drive for Rock South came after Kyle Hickey intercepted a McIlwain pass and gave the Hawks the ball on the Indian 30-yard line. Senior quarterback Shaun Stackhouse punched it in from the one-yard line for the touchdown – but the PAT failed and the score remained 7-6 at the half.
Council Rock South took its only lead on its first possession of the second half. The Golden Hawks scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 32-yard touchdown burst by senior running back Brendan Patterson. Patterson – who finished the night with a game-high 168 yards – also scored on the 2-point conversion to give CR South a 14-7 lead.
The rest of the game belonged to the Indians as Rock North would score 28 unanswered points.
In the third period, McIlwain capped an 11-play scoring drive with a three-yard TD run, McIlwain capped a six-play scoring drive with a 22-yard TD scamper, and McIlwain scored on a two-yard burst before the close of the period.
The final score of the game came in the fourth period and was a highlight reel pass from McIlwain – on a full sprint – to Nowmos for a 26-yard score.
Lost in the glare of the McIlwain performance were some other stellar performances by Indian seniors.
Seth Luez – who played a terrific outside linebacker – blocked a punt in the third period to set up the third McIlwain score of the quarter.
“I almost blocked a couple of punts before that – and I knew that I could make a big play,” said Leuz. “And I thought we did a great job of stopping the running game by attacking the ball.”
Rock North senior wide receiver Devon Bibbens – who also played a solid game in the Indian defensive backfield – was a marvelous partner to McIlwain in the passing game with eight catches for 102 yards.
“Brandon and I are like brothers and we work well together,” said Bibbens. “And I thought we swarmed to the ball defensively tonight. We were once considered a laughing stock on defense, but not tonight.”
“We have come a long way on defense,” said Collachi. “We gave up 56 points to Perkiomen Valley in the first game – and we have improved ever since.
“To be able to limit a team like South to just 14 points shows that the players have bought into what we are trying to do defensively,” added Collachi. “We were able to make plays on defense.”
Add that big-play defense to the plays that McIlwain makes on offense – and you have an outright SOL Continental Conference champion that will make a trip to the playoffs next week.
Council Rock South Hawks 0 6 8 0 – 14
Council Rock North Indians 0 7 21 7 – 35
CRN: Brandon McIlwain 2 run (Tyler Nowmos kick)
CRS: Shaun Stackhouse 1 run (kick failed)
CRS: Brendan Patterson 32 run (Patterson run)
CRN: McIlwain 3 run (Nowmos kick)
CRN: McIlwain 22 run (Nowmos kick)
CRN: McIlwain 2 run (Nowmos kick)
CRN: Nowmos 26 pass from McIlwain (Nowmos kick)
Council Rock South Council Rock North
15 First Downs 21
248 Rushing Yards 238
30 Passing Yards 191
278 Total Offense 429
5-37 Punts / Average 2-37
5-70 Penalties / Yards 2-20
Council Rock South:
Rushing: Brendan Patterson 22-168-TD; Shaun Stackhouse 9-33-TD; Michael Stock 6-25; Kyle Hickey 5-18; Brandon Broe 2-4. Totals 44-248 & 2 TD.
Passing: Shaun Stackhouse 6-17-1, 30 yards.
Receiving: Kyle Hickey 2-23; Shawn Mackin 2-7; Sean Murray 1-5; and Brendan Patterson 1- (-5). Totals 6-30.
Interception: Kyle Hickey.
Council Rock North:
Rushing: Brandon McIlwain 30-140-4 TD; Brian Choi 13-72; Devon Bibbens 4-23; and Tyler Nowmos 1-3. Totals 48-238-4 TD.
Passing: Brandon McIlwain 18-24-1, 191 yards & TD.
Receiving: Devon Bibbens 8-102; Tyler Nowmos 6-63 & TD; Brian Choi 2-7; Kevin Gibson 1-12; and Andrew Kelly 1-7. Totals 18-191 & TD.
Interception: Jackson Parker.
Stats used in the wrap below 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/.
HARRY S TRUMAN 28, NORRISTOWN 25
The Tigers put on an impressive defensive performance against the Eagles, limiting their high-powered offense to less than 200 yards of total offense. Quarterback Desmond Gorski accounted for most of those yards with 163 in the air and three touchdowns. Still, it was a far cry from his seven-touchdown, 400-plus yard effort the preceding week against Council Rock South.
The Tigers marched down the field on their opening possession with Maurice Jackson taking it in from the one. A bad snap on a punt gave the Eagles possession on the Tigers’ one-yard line, and Gorski found Khalif Sinclair for a TD that knotted the score 7-7 early in the second quarter. Sinclair’s 69-yard punt return for a touchdown put the Eagles on top 13-7, but Truman’s Enzo Poulson scored on a 22-yard TD run to send the Tigers into halftime with a 14-13 lead.
Norristown scored on its opening drive of the second half with Gorski once again connecting with Sinclair for a score that put the Eagles on top 19-14. A 48-yard punt return by Darius Deleon set up a Jorden Freeman to Justin Fant TD pass that gave the Tigers a 22-19 lead. A 15-yard touchdown run by Quinten Mulbah was set up by Jackson’s 63-yard run, giving the Tigers a 28-19 advantage. A third Gorski to Sinclair touchdown pass – this one for 31 yards – came after the Eagles recovered a Truman fumble and made it a 28-25 game. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
Truman (4-6, 2-5 SOL) will host Cheltenham next Friday in a non-league contest. Norristown (3-7, 1-6) will host Archbishop Carroll next Saturday.
Truman 7-7-8-6 28
Norristown 0-13-6-6 25
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