Check out the recaps of Friday’s SOL football games. Pennsbury/Abington photo provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&R Photography. CB South/Pennridge photos provided courtesy of Lisa Henderson. Photos of Upper Moreland/Wissahickon provided by Keith Clemens. Check back for a gallery of all three games..CLICK HERE. Neshaminy/CR South photo provided courtesy of Jesse Garber (http://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p922871264).
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
BENSALEM 21, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 20
It took a heroic comeback, but the Owls earned a scintillating come-from-behind win over the Indians, scoring the go-ahead TD with 42 seconds remaining, and suddenly, the team that couldn’t figure out a way to win in 29 games is discovering ways to win games it has an excuse to lose.
“It’s been something,” coach Ed Cubbage said. “They’re a group of kids that literally is tired of losing. That’s what it is.
“They keep fighting through it. To me, they’re fed up with losing, so they’re going to battle to the end. Not only was our starting quarterback (Drasaun Moore) out), but one of our linebackers, Rob Harris, was out too. This is a program win for us because of all the built-in excuses, and we still found a way to overcome them.”
The Owls – who trailed 20-7 in the third quarter – scored the game-winning touchdown when quarterback Rob Fund connected with Isaiah Murray for an eight-yard touchdown that knotted the score. Matt Corbett’s extra point gave the Owls their final margin of victory.
“We went down the field, and there was no big chunk play,” Cubbage said. “It was little by little, and it was one kid after another making a play here and there. We picked up yardage little by little.”
While Cubbage called the win a total team effort, there was no mistaking the significance of Fund’s performance behind center filling in for the injured Moore.
“You talk about a kid that was just poised all night – at one point, he hurt a finger on this throwing hand, but he bounced through it,” the Owls’ coach said. “Instead of getting all flustered, it was on to the next play for him. He did a great job.”
Cubbage was planning to limit Fund to just taking snaps behind center, but it didn’t work out that way.
“He’s stepping in as a senior in that kind of situation and just played remarkably well,” the Tigers’ coach said. “He’s normally our starting cornerback, and we planned on resting him on defense, but we wound up using him (on defense) most of the game after the first quarter, so he pretty much played the whole game not coming off the field. He did a phenomenal job.”
Early on, it was the Indians who had the better of play, and after Keith Parrish’s 15-yard touchdown run gave the Owls a 7-0 lead after one quarter, the Indians reeled off 20 unanswered points. A pair of TDs – the first on an Evan Devine touchdown pass to Phil Huddy and the second on an Andrew Kelly two-yard run – sent the Indians into halftime with a 13-7 lead.
The Indians turned an Owl fumble into a touchdown and a 20-7 lead, but Malcolm Carey’s 43-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter gave the Owls life, making it a 20-14 game heading into the final quarter and setting the stage for the fantastic finish.
Carey finished with 114 yards and one touchdown to lead the Owls. For the Indians, Michael Welde ran for 83 yards.
“I would think Council Rock North probably played their best game of the season,” Cubbage said. “They had no major mistakes. What has killed them all year was they go through a five-minute stretch where they fumble, they turn it over, and they had none of that tonight. They were very poised, very relaxed. They played very, very well.”
The win keeps the Owls alive in the hunt for a district playoff berth.
“I thought coming into the season we could possibly give ourselves a chance, I really did,” Cubbage said. “I thought we might need a break here and there.
“Tonight we caught a break. We didn’t play our best. We hung around and hung around, but coming into the season, I thought we’d possibly be in a position for a shot if things broke well for us, and they did.”
Bensalem (5-4, 2-3 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman next Friday, and Council Rock North (1-7, 1-5) will face Council Rock South in its annual Rock Cup game Friday.
Council Rock North 0-13-7-0 20
Bensalem 7-0-7-7 21
ABINGTON 20, PENNSBURY 13
The Ghosts gutted out a win over the Falcons to gain the upper hand in the battle for second place in the conference standings and also kept their district playoff hopes alive. There was, however, a steep price tag attached to the win for the Ghosts, who lost senior center Tom Penecale in the fourth quarter to an injury.
“We had a tremendous amount of injuries, but we got through it,” coach Kevin Conlin said. “It really showed the character of our kids.”
Darryl Davis-McNeil, despite suffering an injury of his own in the first half, had another big night for the Falcons with 207 yards and two touchdowns, and it was his 29-yard touchdown run down the right sideline in the third quarter that broke a 13-13 tie and gave the Ghosts a lead they would not lose.
Early on, the Ghosts appeared to be in command when – after opening up a 13-0 lead on a Billy Griffenburg to Jackson Taylor 11-yard touchdown pass – Taji Redd came up with an interception.
Momentum swung in the Falcons’ favor when they came up with a fumble and marched down the field for a touchdown with quarterback Zach DeMarchis taking it in from four yards out to make it a 13-7 game at halftime. They knotted the score when DeMarchis found David Burke with a 30-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive of the second half.
Davis-McNeil answered with a TD that stood the rest of the way. The game ended with the Falcons inside Abington’s five-yard line as the Ghosts made a final defensive stand.
“Jackson Taylor had a huge stop,” said Conlin, crediting his defense. “And Taji Redd had the big interception (in the first half).
“I couldn’t be more proud of Shakur Williams and Isaiah Cruz and how well they played and provided great leadership in our character win.”
Abington (6-3, 5-1 SOL) will host North Penn in a non-league contest Friday, and Pennsbury (5-4, 3-2) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Friday.
Abington 6-7-7-0 20
Pennsbury 0-7-6-0 13
NESHAMINY 42, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 7
The Redskins exploded for 35 first-half points, an impressive tear that was capped when Jacob Gordon returned an interception for a touchdown. Quarterback Mason Jones twice found Zach Tredway with touchdown passes, and Will Dogba had a pair of TD runs in the half.
Rock South’s only score came in the third quarter when Chase Patterson – after recovering a Redskin fumble several plays earlier – took it in from seven yards out.
Jones threw for 96 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 74 more. Dogba added 72 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Patterson led the Golden Hawks with 53 yards.
Neshaminy (9-0, 5-0 SOL) will host Pennsbury in its regular season finale Friday, and Council Rock South (1-8, 1-4) will tangle with Council Rock North in Friday’s season finale.
Council Rock South 0-0-7-0 7
Neshaminy 14-21-0-7 42
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 21, PENNRIDGE 14
On a night that saw the Titans’ vaunted defense deliver a brilliant goal line stand, it was Sam Thompson stealing the spotlight as he filled in for starting quarterback Jack John, who was sidelined with an injury.
Thompson had proven he was more than capable of handling the position, completing 22-of-46 passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns prior to Friday night’s game, but his performance against the Rams was a game saver as he threw for three touchdowns and accounted for 251 yards total offense.
“I’m so proud of him,” coach Tom Hetrick said. “We knew there were some things we could do with him.
“They’re an unbelievably aggressive defense. They attack, attack, attack, and we needed to spread them out, show some motion and try to go downhill at them. It’s not easy, but when we needed to do it, we were able to do it.”
The Rams took a 7-0 lead, thanks to a Jagger Hartshorn to Ryan Cuthbert TD pass, but Thompson’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Watson evened the score 7-7 after one quarter.
“It was jittery at first, but I was fine in the end,” Thompson said. “I’ve played the position before and know what I’m doing.
“I’m confident in me as well as my team. Everyone knows what they’re doing. It’s just whether we all come together.”
A 16-yard touchdown run by Hartshorn – who had 89 yards on the ground – put the Rams back on top, and if the Titans needed a boost, they got it when Thompson delivered a 23-yard touchdown pass to Casey Sloms on the final play of the half.
“That was a huge play because if we don’t come in with that score, then we don’t come in with what I thought was some momentum,” said Hetrick, whose team trailed by one at halftime after a missed extra point (14-13). “When you come in at halftime, there’s always a vibe in one direction or the other, and that certainly turned the vibe into a pretty good one.
“These kids were pretty excited about the possibility of getting out there and doing it in the second half, and I think that touchdown played a huge part of that.”
Thompson found Cole Braccio with an eight-yard TD pass, and his pass to Watson for the successful two-point conversion put the Titans on top 21-14 early in the third quarter.
With the Rams driving and threatening to knot the score in the fourth quarter, the Titans’ defense stonewalled them twice inside the two-yard line.
“There’s only been one goal line stand at this place in a while and that was the one against North Penn a few years ago,” Hetrick said. “In the moment, you’re thinking – I guess maybe this is the game if we can put a stop to it.
“We trust our box. They’ve been the strength of our defense the whole season. That 40 (Nick Tarburton) is a load, he drives his legs, and they’ve got big strong kids there, and the fact that we were able to respond and hold the wall on that play – that’s one of the most special things that’s happened here in a long time.”
The Rams never threatened the rest of the way, and the win was in the books for the Titans.
“This was a great win,” Hetrick said. “We’ve had a couple of games in the middle of the season against North Penn and Neshaminy – some elite teams, and we wanted to be able to show that we belong up in that conversation, and we didn’t get that done.
“We came out tonight – this is an elite team. That’s a great football team. For the fact that we were able to come in and get this win, it’s probably the best win of our season to this point.”
Central Bucks South (7-2, 4-1 SOL) will close out its regular season on the road at William Tennent on Friday, and Pennridge (5-4, 3-2) will host Central Bucks East on Friday.
Pennridge 7-7-0-0 14
Central Bucks South 7-6-8-0 21
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 23, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 6
The Patriots – despite a school record 50-yard field goal from Barney Amor – found themselves on the short end of a 6-5 score at halftime in a battle of the neighboring rivals. They closed out the game with 18 unanswered second-half points to win going away.
East’s second half blitz began with another Amor field goal – this one from 20 yards out, and when Matt Szczypiorski found his favorite target, Wes Verbit, with a 70-yard touchdown pass, the Patriots led 15-6. Jake Ventresca’s two-yard touchdown run closed out the scoring.
Szczypiorski led a balanced East attack with 97 yards in the air while Chad Guzzi had 85 yards on the ground.
West was led by quarterback Joshua Crecca’s 73 yards. Jake Reichwein’s one-yard touchdown accounted for the Bucks’ only score.
Central Bucks East (7-2, 4-2 SOL) will close its regular season at Pennridge on Friday, and Central Bucks West (4-5, 1-4) will be on the road at Souderton Friday.
Central Bucks East 0-5-10-8 23
Central Bucks West 0-6-0-0 6
SOUDERTON 35, HARRY S TRUMAN 7
Koby Khan certainly did his part to keep the Indians’ postseason hopes alive, turning in another huge performance with 202 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns.
While Khan was gashing the Tigers’ defense for big gains, the Indians’ defense was putting the clamps on Truman’s offense, limiting the Tigers to just 110 yards total offense.
Quarterback Joey Curotto put the Indians on the board with a two-yard touchdown in the opening quarter, and in the second quarter, the Indians exploded for 21 unanswered points to go into halftime with a 28-0 lead. Included in that tear was a pair of Khan TD runs – the second for 46 yards – as well as an 11-yard touchdown run by Brandon Taranga. In the second half, Oscar Hughes hauled in a 20-yard Curotto touchdown pass.
Dylan Snelling – filling in for injured QB Jorden Freeman – had 91 yards in the air to account for the bulk of the Tigers’ offense.
Souderton (5-4, 1-4 SOL) will close out its season at home in a must-win game against Central Bucks West on Friday, and Harry S Truman (2-7, 1-4) will host Bensalem on Friday.
Harry S Truman 0-0-7-0 7
Souderton 7-21-7-0 35
NORTH PENN 52, WILLIAM TENNENT 6
The Panthers battled gamely for the better part of one half, trailing by just a field goal after one quarter. It was still only a 10-6 game after Tennent quarterback Mitchell Vierling found Tyler Lynch with a 14-yard touchdown pass, but the Knights closed out the half with a pair of touchdowns – the first on a Reece Udinski to Justin Henley eight-yard touchdown pass and the second on an 11-yard TD run by Nick Dillon for his second touchdown of the game to send the Knights into halftime with a 24-6 lead.
The Knights, who scored 28 unanswered points in the second half, limited the Panthers to less than 100 total yards for the game.
Udinski threw for 178 yards and a touchdown while Dillon finished a productive night with 108 yards and four touchdowns.
North Penn (9-0, 6-0 SOL) will travel to Abington for a non-league game in its regular season finale Friday, and William Tennent (0-9, 0-5) will host Central Bucks South.
North Penn 3-21-21-7 52
William Tennent 0-6-0-0 6
American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 26, CHELTENHAM 20 (OT)
For those who thought Friday’s game against the visiting Panthers would be cakewalk for a Colonial squad coming off wins over Upper Dublin and Hatboro-Horsham, guess again. The Panthers extended the Colonials to the limit before they eked out a win in overtime.
“It was definitely interesting,” PW coach Dan Chang, whose team clinched at least a share of the conference crown with the win. “We were trailing basically all game.
“Our kids are usually pretty good with fighting to the end. A lot of these kids had the experience of last year’s playoff game against Downingtown East and were part of a lot of close games. Even this year, we’ve had a lot of close games. They’re learning to finish to the very end.”
The Colonials – who trailed 7-0 at halftime – knotted the score 7-7 only to watch the Panthers go on top 13-7 after recovering a PW fumble in the end zone. Joe Stoberl’s three-yard touchdown run evened the score, but Cheltenham’s Yasin Abdul-Haqq returned the kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown and a 20-13 lead.
PW went to its ground game, relying on Dontae Wilson and Blaise Gravinese to get the job done. It was Wilson taking it in for the tying score, and after a defensive stop, the Colonials had a chance to win it in regulation but their field goal attempt – although long enough – just missed left.
“For us, it started with Blaise Gravinese again,” Chang said. “He had another huge week for us.
“I don’t really know how many times he carried the ball for us, but in the second half, it was Blaise five or 10 times in a row. He was just carrying us. Our offensive line really stepped up in the second half and started to play much better. It was a monsoon in the second half, so we totally stuck with the ground game.”
After the Panthers – who had possession first in OT – missed on a field goal attempt, Wilson took it in from 10 yards out on PW’s first play from scrimmage for the win.
“It was as big as it could be to get that win,” Chang said. “I told my guys – as ugly as it was, a win is a win, and we’re going to celebrate this win and I’m proud of how they fought to the end.
“It was really gut check time, and they showed their toughness at the end.”
Chang tipped his hat to the Panthers, including Cheltenham quarterback Dylan Jones, who returned to the lineup last week after being sidelined with an injury since the third game of the season.
“He’s good, and their running back (Abdul-Haqq) is very good,” the PW coach said. “Not to mention, I think they’re a very physical team. They were pretty tough.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-1, 6-0) will travel to Quakertown on Friday to close out its regular season, and Cheltenham (3-7, 2-4) will host Hatboro-Horsham.
UPPER DUBLIN 42, HATBORO-HORSHAM 21
The Flying Cardinals – capitalizing on a Max Winebrake fumble recovery – got on the scoreboard in the first quarter when Mike Cottom raced 50 yards for the score, but they couldn’t put a whole lot of distance between themselves and the pesky Hatters.
They opened up a 14-0 lead, but Anthony Kwiatanowski’s four-yard touchdown run made it a 14-7 game, and it was still a seven-point game at halftime with the Cards on top 21-14. Naiim Huff’s 42-yard touchdown run gave the Cardinals a 28-14 lead, but Chris Edwards found Calvin Broaddus with a 28-yard touchdown pass to pull the Hatters to within a touchdown. The Cardinals – coming off their second bye week of the season – closed it out with a pair of touchdowns.
Cottom led the Cardinals with 144 yards and a touchdown. Malik Bootman ran for 78 yards and three touchdowns, which included a 42-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Huff added 56 yards and two TDs.
Edwards led the Hatters with 161 yards in the air and one touchdown and 53 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Upper Dublin (7-1, 5-1 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (4-5, 4-2) will travel to Cheltenham.
Upper Dublin 6-15-7-14 42
Hatboro-Horsham 0-14-0-7 21
UPPER MORELAND 26, WISSAHICKON 13
The Bears led from wire to wire, opening up a 13-0 halftime lead and never looking back. Quarterback Casey Decker had a hand in both of his team’s first-half touchdowns – punching it in from one yard out and then finding teammate Billy McKenna with a 10-yard pass.
Sterlen Barr’s 16-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter gave the Bears a 19-0 lead before the Trojans got on the scoreboard when quarterback Mike Schoenleber hooked up with Marlyn Johnson for a 74-yard touchdown completion.
Barr finished with 138 yards on the ground to lead the Bears while Decker had 90 yards in the air.
Schoenleber threw for 161 yards and ran for 61 more to lead the Trojans.
Upper Moreland (5-4, 3-3 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Friday. Wissahickon – scheduled to play Springfield next week – closed out its season with a 1-8 record (0-6 SOL).
Wissahickon 0-0-0-13 13
Upper Moreland 7-6-0-13 26
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