Upper Dublin saw its season end with a loss to Manheim Central in a PIAA 5A semifinal contest on Friday at Wissahickon. Photos provided courtesy of Geanine Jamison. Check back for a gallery of photos.
#3-1 MANHEIM CENTRAL 34, #1-1 UPPER DUBLIN 12
Lucas Roselli was overcome with emotion as he tried to put into words how difficult it was to see the Flying Cardinals’ season end in Friday night’s PIAA 5A semifinal game.
“It’s tough,” he said.
And that pretty much summed it up.
There was the obvious disappointment that the Flying Cardinals’ dream of a trip to the state title game in Hershey had died, but it was much more than that. The season-ending loss marked the end of an era, a special era for Roselli and a group of seniors who have played together since they were youngsters.
“The seniors continued the legacy of the program, which is really what you ask for from them,” UD coach Bret Stover said. “We kind of challenged them because they had a chance to make history because we had never taken this step, and we just didn’t get to write it tonight the way we wanted to, unfortunately.”
The script might not have gone the way the Flying Cardinals had hoped, but the support of the fans who filled the stands and lined the fence at neighboring Wissahickon High School never wavered. It had been an incredible journey.
“It was really good,” Roselli said. “I wish we could still be playing.”
“In the preseason, we weren’t even in the conversation,” Stover said. “To be here playing on Nov. 30 is a huge accomplishment.”
The tone for Friday’s game was set early as the Barons benefitted from a pair of big special teams plays to score two early touchdowns. The first was a partially blocked punt that gave the Barons the ball on the Cardinals’ 45. A 34-yard run by standout quarterback Evan Simon highlighted the four-play drive that was capped when Tyler Flick took it in from four yards out. The Barons led 7-0 after one quarter.
A blocked punt by Tyler Hartl gave the Barons possession on the Cardinals’ seven. Simon’s five-yard touchdown run gave Manheim Central a 14-0 lead with 8:46 remaining in the second quarter.
“It would have been a different game if some of that (stuff) didn’t happen,” Roselli said.
In a frightening moment for both sides, UD long snapper Jackson Rock – after going down and lying motionless on the field – was taken off the field on a stretcher. He fired up the crowd as he raised his fist in the air, evoking chants of ‘Upper Dublin, Upper Dublin.’ He was with his team after the game.
On their next possession, the Cardinals converted a fourth-and-goal from the Barons’ 15 when Jason Scott hauled in a deflected Mike Slivka pass, making it a 14-6 game with 2:10 remaining in the half.
“You just have to try and make something happen,” Slivka said. “I threw it up to him, and lucky enough, it bounced up, he catches it.”
A long kickoff return to the 45 set up a scoring drive that sent the Barons into halftime with a 21-6 lead.
“The kick return was big before halftime because if we can go in 14-6, it’s a whole different mindset, and it’s a whole different game,” Stover said. “To their credit, they were able to get it to midfield, and they were able to put it in the end zone.
“It’s unfortunate, but that’s football. We made some adjustments at halftime, and every time there was a big play there was a flag on the field.”
Underscoring that point was the fact that Roselli took the opening kickoff of the second half to the Barons’ 20, but a holding call brought it back to the Cardinals’ 23. It was that kind of night for the Cardinals.
“There were a lot of flags, but really, you can’t blame the refs for anything,” Slivka said.
“That’s frustrating, but you never blame the officials,” Stover said. “That’s a good football team. They beat us, but we’ll be back swinging.”
The Barons all but put the game out of reach when Will Rivers – somehow escaping several would-be tacklers – turned a short pass by Simon into a 78-yard touchdown and a 28-6 lead.
“What quarterback doesn’t love that, what coach doesn’t love that?” Stover said. “That’s a great individual effort by that kid. Two of my best tacklers who probably missed one or two tackles all year – they didn’t come up with the tackle, and he made the play. That hurts. That’s what we wanted to avoid because we saw it on film – big play after big play and they just put you away. We tried to stay out of that for the most part except for that one play.”
For good measure, the Barons added a pair of field goals before the Cardinals mounted one last drive. A pair of Slivka to Roselli passes highlighted the drive – the first for 34 yards to the Barons’ five and the second, a four-yard touchdown pass with 4:16 remaining.
The Barons ran out the clock, and an extraordinary season had come to an end.
“It just really sucks,” Slivka said. “I love my brothers. We had a great season, and I just didn’t want it to ever end. It had to come to an end at some point. I guess tonight was the night.”
In an emotional postgame meeting, Stover put the loss in perspective.
“You’re one of four (teams) tonight that played in 5A,” the Cardinals’ coach said. “Great season, great season.”
“You’re a special team, you’re a special group,” defensive coordinator Dave Sowers said. “You’re Upper Dublin Cardinals, you fight to the end.”
For Stover, the night had a familiar feel to it.
“It’s the second time in four years I’ve stood here, unfortunately,” said the Cardinals’ coach, whose 2015 District One 4A title team also fell in the state semifinals. “We bring some good pieces back, so that’s exciting too.”
Upper Dublin closed out its memorable season with a 12-2 record (6-0 SOL). The Cardinals are the SOL American Conference and District One 5A champions.
Upper Dublin 0-6-0-6. 12
Manheim Central 7-14-10-3. 34
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