Check out the results for SOL football teams in action Friday night. Stats used in the wraps are provided courtesy of Calkins Media. For complete high school football coverage, visit the web sites: http://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school/fall/football/ and http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/fall/football/
National Conference
PENNSBURY 21, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 19
The Falcons won their third straight game, setting up next week’s showdown with Abington for second place and potentially the second and final district playoff berth from the conference.
Friday’s win was anything but easy.
“It is a grind,” Pennsbury coach Dan McShane said. “We have a lot of young football players that are learning how to play the game for the first time.
“We showed some resiliency, mental toughness. There’s stuff to build on. The Rock kids battled their butts off. Any team coached by Vinnie (Bedesem) – you know they’re going to battle.”
The Golden Hawks got on the scoreboard first when Sammy Vaniver punched it in from one yard out at the 9:32 mark of the second period. The Falcons appeared destined to settle for a field goal on their ensuing drive, but a roughing the kicker penalty against the Hawks gave them a first down on the Hawks’ five-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Zach DeMarchis – on second effort – crossed the goal line from a yard out, knotting the score 7-7 heading into halftime.
With 3:01 remaining in the third quarter, Jake Diaz took it in from one yard out, but the failed extra point forced the Hawks to settle for a 13-7 lead.
“Diaz has been nursing a broken leg for the better part of the season,” South coach Vince Bedesem said. “He did a great job for us, and he’s going to see more time later on.”
It didn’t take long for the Falcons to get that touchdown back, thanks to David Burke’s kickoff return to the Hawks’ 19-yard line. DeMarchis capped the short TD drive with a three-yard run, and Christopher Knop’s extra point gave the Falcons a lead they would not lose, 14-13.
A South fumble gave Pennsbury another short field, and the Falcons capitalized with DeMarchis going one yard for his third touchdown, capping a 19-yard drive and putting the Falcons on top 21-13.
A 39-yard completion from quarterback Christian Jabbar to sophomore Nick Gallo highlighted a long scoring drive that culminated with Diaz taking it in from one yard out. The two-point attempt for the tie failed, thanks in no small part to the pass rush of Tyrone Hodges.
“We had a pretty good pass rush tonight,” McShane said. “We did a pretty good job with our run defense, but we gave up a lot of third-and-longs, and that’s probably the most disappointing thing from a defensive standpoint. It’s been all year long. We let them off the hook.
“I think our offense is kind of getting things going, but it’s one less possession because they’re holding the ball longer, if not two possessions.”
Senior Joe Meglen finished with a game-high 107 yards on the ground to lead the Falcons.
“He’s a classic example – he was kind of on the bubble at the beginning of the season and wasn’t going to be a starter,” McShane said. “He just battled. He’s a real physical kid, he’s an emotional kid who cares a lot, and he’s becoming more of a leader by his actions.
“He is a physical runner. You know he’s going to go north and take care of the ball. Those are the two things we ask of our running backs – take care of the ball and run it north.”
For the Hawks, Jabbar threw for 91 yards and rushed for 59 more. Gallo caught four passes for 65 yards.
“There’s a lot of young talent that we have, and we’re putting some of it together, which is good to see,” Bedesem said.
Pennsbury (5-3, 3-1) will host Abington in a key conference battle Friday, and Council Rock South (1-7, 1-3) will be on the road at Neshaminy Friday.
Pennsbury 0-7-7-7 21
Council Rock South 0-7-6-6 19
ABINGTON 49, HARRY S TRUMAN 35
In a contest that saw the two teams combine for 84 points and more than 800 yards of total offense, it was the Ghosts – with 515 yards – holding the edge in both yards and points.
A wild night began with both teams scoring on their first play from the line of scrimmage. First, it was Truman’s Habeeb Baba taking a Dylan Snelling pass 58 yards for the score, and then it was Keenan Lambright turning a reverse into a 61-yard touchdown run. It marked the beginning of a 28-0 Abington run that included an 89-yard Lambright TD run as well as a one-yard touchdown by Darryl Davis-McNeil. George Reid returned a fumble 79 yards for a touchdown, and the Ghosts led 28-7, but neither team was finished. Snelling sandwiched a pair of touchdown passes – the first to Sayyid Saunders and the second to Javeer Peterson – around a 64-yard touchdown run by Davis McNeil, and the Ghosts took a 35-21 lead into halftime.
The scoring slowed down in the second half with the two teams exchanging a pair of touchdowns.
Davis-McNeil – on the heels of a 336-yard, five-touchdown performance a week earlier against Rock North – once again put up big numbers, finishing with 272 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. Lambright added 185 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries.
For the Tigers, Snelling – filling in for Jorden Freeman (injury) – threw for 163 yards and four touchdowns. David Akinwande led the Tigers on the ground with 76 yards.
Abington (5-3, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury for a key conference showdown next Friday, and Harry S Truman (2-6, 1-4) will travel to Souderton for a non-league contest.
Harry S Truman 7-14-7-7 35
Abington 14-21-7-7 49
NESHAMINY 35, BENSALEM 22
The Owls stunned the visiting Redskins when they opened up a 19-7 lead late in the second quarter, but the ‘Skins had an emphatic answer, closing out the game with a 28-3 tear.
After the Redskins went on top 7-6, the Owls reeled off three consecutive touchdowns. Two came on Keith Parrish TD runs – the first from 42 yards out and the second from four yards. In between, Drasaun Moore found Malcolm Carey with an 18-yard touchdown pass.
Neshaminy wasted little time getting one of those back when Mason Jones found Mike Garlick with a 19-yard touchdown pass to make it a 19-14 game at the intermission.
While the Owls had the better of play in the first half, the Redskins owned the second half, allowing just three points while they scored 21 of their own on Dogba TD runs of eight, nine and three yards.
Dogba finished with a game-high 148 yards and four touchdowns to lead the ‘Skins. Jones added 140 yards in the air.
For the Owls, Parrish led the way with 112 yards and two touchdowns while Carey had 97 and Moore, 85 yards.
Neshaminy (8-0, 4-0 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Friday, and Bensalem (4-4, 1-3) will host Council Rock North next Friday.
Neshaminy 7-7-15-6 35
Bensalem 6-13-3-0 22
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 14, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 7
The Titans rebounded from back-to-back losses to North Penn and Neshaminy to defeat the Bucks at War Memorial Field. The Titans once again displayed the stingy defense that had been their calling card until they ran into the two district powers, limiting the Bucks to just 145 total yards.
It looked like a one-yard touchdown by Nate Norris in the second quarter might stand for the duration, but West’s Jake Reichwein’s six-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter knotted the score.
South responded with a drive of its own that was capped when junior quarterback Jack Johns hit Casey Sloms with a 32-yard touchdown pass.
South senior Tyler Watson had a game-high 107 rushing yards.
Central Bucks South (6-2, 3-1 SOL) will host Pennridge on Friday, and Central Bucks West (4-4, 1-3) will host Central Bucks East on Friday.
Central Bucks South 0-7-0-7 14
Central Bucks West 0-0-0-7 7
PENNRIDGE 45, WILLIAM TENNENT 3
The Rams exploded out of the gate with four first-quarter touchdowns to bury the Panthers early en route to the big win.
In the opening quarter, Jagger Hartshorn ran for a pair of touchdowns – the first one from nine yards out and the second from 15. Josh Pinckney also got into the act, scoring on runs of 54 and five yards.
Tennent interrupted the Rams’ tear with an Antonio Garcia field goal, but the Rams, who led 28-3 after one quarter, took a 38-3 lead into halftime.
Hartshorn ran for 57 yards and three touchdowns and threw for 72 yards. Pinckney finished with 62 yards and two TDs.
Sean Bragen was a bright spot in the loss for the Panthers, rushing for a game-high 107 yards.
Pennridge (5-3, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Friday, and William Tennent (0-8, 0-4) will host North Penn Friday.
William Tennent 3-0-0-0 3
Pennridge 28-10-7-0 45
NORTH PENN 48, SOUDERTON 13
The Knights were operating on all cylinders when the Indians came calling on Friday night. If their explosive offense wasn’t enough for the Indians to contend with, the Knights also threw some defense at the Indians, turning a pair of turnovers into touchdowns.
The first quarter belonged to North Penn’s offense. Reece Udinski hit Justis Henley for a 35-yard touchdown, and after Nick Dillon scored from one yard out, Owen Thomas hauled in a Udinski TD pass.
In the second quarter, Thomas intercepted a pass and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown, and Jon Haynes returned a fumble recovery 96 yards for a TD. Another Dillon touchdown run sent the Knights into halftime with a 41-0 lead.
Camerin Carroll’s 87-yard kick-off return in the third quarter put the Indians on the board, but the Knights dominated play from the outset.
Udinski threw for 150 yards and Dillon ran for 79 to lead a balanced North Penn attack.
Souderton quarterback Joe Curotto threw for 97 yards while Koby Khan was held to 87 yards.
North Penn (8-0, 5-0 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Friday, and Souderton (4-4, 1-4) will host Harry S Truman in a non-league game Friday.
Souderton 0-0-13-0 13
North Penn 20-21-7-0 48
American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 35, HATBORO-HORSHAM 13
For those who thought the Colonials might be in for a letdown after last week’s huge win over Upper Dublin, guess again. PW stormed out of the gate to a 21-0 lead on its way to a win that put the Colonials alone atop the conference standings.
“This was an opportunity for us to let down,” coach Dan Chang said. “I was happy with how our kids answered right away.
“We came out firing. I thought our offensive line was physical, was staying on their blocks, and our backs were running hard. It was just really good to see we were able to continue that momentum from last week and kind of build on that.”
Dontae Wilson jumpstarted the offense with a pair of touchdown runs in the first quarter – the first from two yards out and the second on a 10-yard run. The Colonials led 21-0 after Khan Jamal got into the act with a three-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
To say the Colonials were running the football effectively would be an understatement.
“We started the game with something like 22 straight runs – we were gaining chunks at a time, and it’s tough to go away from that when you’re gaining big chunks of yardage,” Chang said. “That set the tone for us for the night.
“We were controlling the clock, we were holding onto the football. We didn’t turn the ball over at all, which is something that’s been hurting us all year.”
The Hatters got on the board when Anthony Kwiatanowski scored from one yard out to close out the half. In the third quarter, Blaise Gravinese scored from 12 yards out, and Jamal put an exclamation point on the win, returning an interception for the score and a 35-6 lead.
“We had three takeaways on ‘D,’” Chang said. “When you win the turnover battle like that and you can control the ball, it’s pretty good.
“Jair Ross had the first interception of the night, and he made some huge plays on defense – just monster hits that were jarring the ball loose. Khan Jamal iced it with a pick six from the 20-yard line. He jumped a hitch route and took it all the way.
“Leonard Galante, our D end, forced a fumble, and those were big turnovers for us.”
All told, it was an impressive outing for a PW squad that has won seven straight since dropping its opener to Souderton.
“I told them I was very proud of what they were able to do and how we did it,” Chang said. “It’s tough to get yourself back up for another big game two weeks in a row.
“Being able to get out to fast start was beneficial for us.”
Gravinese led a balanced PW running game with 96 yards while Jamal had 69 and Wilson added 60. Quarterback Joe Stoberl had 56 yards on the ground.
A key to PW’s offensive dominance was the play of its line comprised of Will Mailey, Tristan Johnson, Nick Sudell (center), David Garcia and Matt Mitchell. Filling in at tight end was Leland Krukowski.
Adam Suder led the Hatters with 68 yards on the ground while Edwards threw for 149 yards and ran for a TD.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (7-1, 5-0 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (4-4, 4-1) will host Upper Dublin on Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-6-0-7 13
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-7-7-7 35
CHELTENHAM 27, WISSAHICKON 14
There’s nothing quite like the return of a key player to ignite a team.
The Panthers snapped a five-gave losing streak with their win over the Trojans, and playing no small role was the psychological lift the team received with the return of quarterback Dylan Jones, who – not coincidentally – was sidelined for almost five full games after breaking his non-throwing arm in the first quarter of the Panthers’ loss to Abington.
“We didn’t have anybody to fill that role, so it created a lot of issues for us,” coach Joe Gro said. “Dylan was very rusty, but just having his organizational skills was a big help.
“He helped us out a great deal. Just him being out there – his savvy made a major difference, and we were able to move the ball with the running backs.”
Jarrett Jenkins and Yasin Abdul-Haqq both finished with close to 100 yards rushing, and it was a 17-yard touchdown run by Abdul-Haqq that put the Panthers on the board. They took a 13-7 lead into halftime.
Jones found Abdul-Haqq with a 31-yard touchdown pass to put the Panthers on top 19-7.
“That was a nice throw,” Gro said. “We missed some, and he would tell you, but we did the things that were necessary.”
The Trojans pulled to within five (19-14), but Abdul-Haqq’s second touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave the Panthers their final margin of victory.
“It wasn’t just (Dylan Jones) – we had numerous people out,” Gro said. “Tonight we had a full defensive backfield, and we looked like we could play a little bit.
“Even though we got killed by Quakertown last week (43-6), the defensive line did not do a bad job. They played a little better tonight, and as a group defensively, we played a little better. We gave up a kickoff return, but defensively, I thought they did a pretty legitimate job.”
Gro credited several of his defensive players for stepping up in the win.”
“Sam McTear has been consistent all year,” the Panthers’ coach said. “Jarrett Jenkins – we put him at outside linebacker, and we haven’t had outside linebacker play like that in years. It was a really, really solid job with him there.
“We had two pretty decent sized ‘D’ tackles that did a pretty good job – Trevon Jackson and Bobby Warfield. They helped us out and stiffened it up a little bit.
“The win was nice. We really needed it. I’m happy for the kids.”
Cheltenham (3-6, 2-3 SOL) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh Friday, and Wissahickon (1-7, 0-5) will travel to Upper Moreland.
QUAKERTOWN 21, UPPER MORELAND 7
The Panthers threw some serious defense at their visitors, limiting the Golden Bears to 168 total yards.
Quakertown went on top 6-0 after Nick Lefkoski took it in from 20 yards out, but a failed two-point conversion opened the door for the Golden Bears to go on top 7-6 after Sterlen Barr took it in from four yards out and Randy Meehl’s extra point split the uprights.
Christian Patrick’s nine-yard touchdown run and the successful two-point conversion by Lefkoski sent the Panthers into halftime with a 14-7 lead. Another Patrick TD in the third quarter – this one from two yards out – gave the Panthers their final margin of victory.
Patrick led the Panthers with 106 yards on the ground while Lefkoski added 61. Quarterback Austin Clarke threw for 73 yards on a 6-for-7 effort.
Barr led the Golden Bears with 80 yards while Casey Decker threw for 93 yards.
Quakertown (3-5, 3-2 SOL) – scheduled to play Springfield – will have a bye next week and then will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Oct. 28. Upper Moreland (4-4, 2-3) will host Wissahickon on Friday.
Upper Moreland 0-7-0-0 7
Quakertown 0-14-7-0 21
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