Check out the recaps for the SOL football teams in action Friday. Springfield/CR South photos provided courtesy of Geanine Jamison Photography. Pennridge/CB South photos courtesy of Kim Supko Photography, and Souderton/Hatboro-Horsham photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Check back for galleries of all three games. Neshaminy/CB West photo courtesy of Marge Bullock. (http://www.margebullock.com)
Stats provided courtesy of the Intelligencer/Courier. For additional football stats and coverage, visit the Intelligencer (https://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school) and Courier Times (https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/)
SOL National Conference
PENNRIDGE 32, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
The formula was a familiar one for the Rams – score early and then stonewall their opponent. The end result – the Rams’ third shutout in as many games.
“I’m really proud of our kids there and what they’re doing,” coach Cody Muller said. “Our kids up front – we really preach just being physical and that the game of football starts up front. No matter what level, they lead the way.
“Our guys really take it to heart and do a great job on both sides. Our front five-six guys on offense and the front seven defensively just moving and trying to be as physical as possible.”
The Rams scored on their opening possession when – on fourth down – quarterback Bobby Croyle raced 27 yards for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead.
“Bobby’s a very underrated athlete in the sense that he’s a multi-sport kid,” Muller said. “He’s a great baseball player, and we knew he could run. It’s been something we’ve been waiting for him to step up and do. I think tonight was the perfect night for him to truly do it. He read the blocks great, took off. He’s got some deceptive speed.”
The Titans came out on the attack, electing to go with a no-huddle offense. It was effective until they reached the Rams’ 25-yard line where the drive stalled, thanks to yet another stand by the Rams’ defense.
“Coach (Tom) Hetrick did an awesome job of preparing his offense and getting them ready,” Muller said. “They did a good job of moving the ball down the field doing the no-huddle. Our kids faced a little bit of adversity there, but luckily, guys stepped up 
and made the plays they needed to and buckled down.
“I don’t like the whole ‘bend but don’t break,’ but at the end of the day, they did what they had to do to be successful on the field defensively for us.”
The Rams, who led by that 7-0 score after one quarter, added 12 points in the second on a Brandon Shire field goal, a safety and Croyle’s second TD run – this one from 14 yards out that sent Pennridge into halftime with a 19-0 lead.
Second-half touchdown runs by Brayden Landherr (55 yards) and Dillon Powles (55 yards) gave the Rams their final margin of victory.
The Rams’ defense boasts a string of 12 consecutive quarters without allowing a point.
“Our DBs do a great job when they’re called upon, but that front seven leads the way,” Muller said. “Phil Picciotti had a heck of a game tonight. He’s really coming into his own as a sophomore, and obviously, you’ve got Shane (Hartzell), and Jack Ferguson did a good job out there and Logan McGowan. Our front three – we rotated a number of guys: Travis Washington and Jake Tarburton, and then Ryan Gallagher and Zach Jacobson got in there and did a good job for us. Overall, I think defensively our front seven week in and week out – they get the job done.”
The Rams had a pair of runners reach the 100-yard mark – Powles and Elias Dantzler.
For the Titans, Jason Christensen was the leading ground gainer with 83 yards. Carter Hallgren threw for 142 yards.
Pennridge (4-0 SOL) will host Abington next Friday, and Central Bucks South (2-2) will travel to North Penn on Friday.
Central Bucks South 0-0-0-0 0
Pennridge 7-12-13-0 32
ABINGTON 35, PENNSBURY 7
If the Ghosts were looking for a bounce-back win after falling to Neshaminy four days early, they got just that, seizing control early and never letting go en route to the decisive Senior Night win.
The Falcons mishandled the opening kickoff, and the Ghosts capitalized with Devin Barnes pouncing on the ball for the Ghosts.
“He got down there really quickly and picked it up,” Abington coach Kevin Conlin said. “It was great because Devin’s a senior, and it was Senior Night. I was really glad to see him get involved.”
On the very next play, Rob Bell raced 30 yards for a touchdown and an early 7-0 Ghost lead.
“That was big for our team, considering we got our butts whooped a little bit on Monday night,” Conlin said of Monday’s 49-28 loss to Neshaminy. “It was good to come out and be led by that big play by a senior, Devin Barnes.
“Another senior, Rob Bell, stepped up and made a great run – he has excellent vision. It’s only his first year playing, but he’s the starting point guard on the basketball team. I’ve begged him for three years to come out and play football because I think he’d be really good at it. He decided to come out this year. He’s an awesome kid to have on the team, and he really has been building up to this moment.
“Oreck Frazier was our main running back the first week. He and Rob split the second week, and Rob showed some really good runs in a tough situation versus Neshaminy, so this week we were hoping Rob could have a big game, and I think he really did.”
Bell gave the Ghosts a 14-0 lead when he scored from 19 yards out with six minutes remaining in the half. The Falcons made it a 14-7 game by halftime.
“It was a short week, and you can say whatever you want, but Pennsbury played a great game – I give them credit,” Conlin said. “Dan (McShane) always has those kids ready to go. He knows what he’s doing. Those kids were ready to play.
“They were playing us great defensively. We had a couple of three-and-outs. They put our defense in a bind, but our defense responded really well, especially after last week.”
Johnny Dzielawa’s 30-yard touchdown run gave the Ghosts a 21-7 advantage.
“He was throwing the ball well, he was running the ball well,” Conlin said of his junior quarterback. “He’s really playing within our game. He’s not Patrick Mahomes, but he’s a very, very, very good football player, and he’s just doing a great job right now, playing within himself, throwing touchdown passes and really making a lot of great reads. He and our quarterback coach have a really good relationship. He’s developed into a really fantastic quarterback.”
The Ghosts added a pair of touchdowns in the second half, including a Dzielawa to Caleb Baker connection.
“I think we responded well in the second half – we came out with a little more fire,” Conlin said.
The Ghosts’ coach credited the play of senior Khaliq Henry.
“Khaliq had a score against Neshaminy late in the game, and I think he carried it over tonight with a few catches,” Conlin said. “Khaliq Henry has done a really nice job this year. It’s no secret that Caleb Baker is our best receiver. It was tough sledding getting him the ball because these teams watch film, and they’re really good coaches.
“Sometimes somebody else has to step up, and Khaliq Henry really stepped up, especially in the second half. He took a couple of short passes for long runs, and that’s really important to us because we’re not a big deep ball threat team, but he really showed off well.”
The offensive line – comprised of Billy Everitt, Jaden Fields, Shane La, D’Andre Townes-Blue and Shane Judge – also drew high praise from Conlin.
“They’re all seniors, and it was a great night for them,” said Conlin, going on to laud the play of Dan Jefferys. “Dan Jefferys has been a tight end for us. We’ve been trying to get him a touchdown for two weeks now. He’s a kid who’s a first-year player for us, and he’s really played well offensively and defensively. He’s all heart and plays with a lot of passion. He’s going to be a really good college football player for somebody.”
Abington (3-1 SOL) will be on the road at Pennridge on Friday, and Pennsbury (0-4) will travel to Neshaminy Friday.
Pennsbury 0-7-0-0 7
Abington 7-7-14-7 35
NESHAMINY 21, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0
It was a short week for the Redskins, but they showed no ill effects, turning in a glittering defensive effort in a shutout win that saw the Bucks manage less than a hundred yards of total offense.
“Our defense did a really good job,” Neshaminy coach Steve Wilmot said. “They run that Delaware Wing T – it was the second time we saw that this year. Pennridge ran a little bit different style but a lot of the same blocking schemes.
“I think our guys were dialed in. They knew they had to play assignment football, and I think they did a nice job of playing together as a team.”
Chris James once again set the tone, giving the Redskins a 7-0 lead on the third play of the game – a 20-yard touchdown run. The Skins had a short field on their opening drive, thanks to a Gavin O’Connor return.
“He had a big return – he got it to about the Central Bucks West 40-yard line,” Wilmot said.
James also had a five-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that sent the Redskins into halftime with a 14-0 lead. The senior running back had close to a hundred yards on the ground in the first half.
“Chris James got us off to a really quick start – he scored two touchdowns,” Wilmot said. “He ran a fake punt and really flipped the field for us.”
It was one of two successful fake punts for the Redskins. Punter Nina Mason – a standout rugby player – also ran for a first down.
“By the skin of her teeth, but she did it,” Wilmot said. “It was at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and that really fired us up on our sideline. Everybody really rallied around her. She took a big hit, but she got up.”
The Redskins took a 14-0 lead into the final quarter when quarterback Nunzio Zydzik found Andrew Kindness with a five-yard TD pass and the 21-0 final.
“Central Bucks West is a young team – they impressed me with their toughness,” Wilmot said. “Their defense impressed me. I think they made some nice adjustments to our running game. They’re definitely a scrappy bunch.
“We were just able to generate enough offense to get our 21 points, and we let our defense do the rest.”
James finished the night with 179 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.
Neshaminy (3-1 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Friday, and Central Bucks West (0-4) will host Central Bucks East on Friday.
Neshaminy 7-7-0-7 21
Central Bucks West 0-0-0-0 0
SOL Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 36, HATBORO-HORSHAM 13
The visiting Indians rolled to a 36-0 halftime lead on their way to their fourth win in as many games, this one clinching at least a share of the division title.
“It’s a good win,” coach Ed Gallagher said. “Hopefully, next week we can take care of business and win the title outright. That’s the most important thing.
“We got out of there healthy, we got the win. We did what we needed to do.”
If there was a big play in the game it came when junior cornerback Elijah Goods recovered a fumble on the Hatters’ opening possession and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown.
“We had gone three-and-out and punted to them,” Gallagher said. “They started moving the ball, we caused a turnover – the ball popped out, Elijah picked it up and made a couple people miss. He had a really nice return for a touchdown, and that kind of gave us a spark.”
A 19-yard touchdown run by Braydon Porter on the Indians’ next possession was followed by three straight TD runs by Jalen White.
“Jalen might have had six or seven carries – he had a couple of really nice runs,” Gallagher said. “He got bottled up on his first two runs, and all of a sudden once he got loose, he
was pretty special.”
The senior running back had touchdown runs of 48, 34 and 31 yards and surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark.
“Obviously, you want to win and do what you’re supposed to do when you’re favored in a game like that,” Gallagher said. “It’s hard convincing 17-year-olds that they need to work hard and continue to take steps.
“This is the next game on our schedule, but we’re preparing for the playoffs. We can’t take a step backwards. We need to take a couple steps forward and get ourselves ready if we qualify, and it looks like we’re going to. We need to make sure we continue to improve every week, and that’s the hard thing. They’re reading their clippings in the paper, and they’re feeling good about themselves.
“That’s fine if they feel good about themselves and if they feel confident, but Hatboro has some capable players. They had some big kids up front, their quarterback is a heck of a runner. We were able to take advantage of some early opportunities and put it out of reach.”
Souderton (4-0 SOL) will travel to Bensalem next Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-4, 0-3) will be on the road at Upper Dublin Friday.
Souderton 15-21-0-0 36
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-0-13 13
QUAKERTOWN 52, BENSALEM 7
A season-opening loss to Souderton in a game they led at halftime was a disappointing start for the Panthers. Since then, they have routed three straight conference opponents, outscoring those three teams 142-14. Bensalem was their latest victim.
The Panthers once again scored early and often, racing out of the gate to a 19-0 lead after one quarter and upping that to 39-7 by halftime.
Tyler Woodman – who had three touchdowns by halftime – had another big game for the Panthers, scoring on runs of seven and 37 yards and taking a 69-yard Will Steich pass in for a touchdown. Steich had three TD passes in the first half – also finding Zach Fondl with a 19-yard pass for the game’s first score and hitting Micah Kunkle with a 21-yard TD pass. Brady Williams added a 41-yard TD run in the half.
In the second half, Tyler Merwarth scored on a 19-yard run, and Nate Laudenberger took it in from five yards for the score.
Quakertown (3-1 SOL) will host Upper Moreland in a non-league game Friday, and Bensalem (0-4) will host Souderton on Friday.
Bensalem 0-7-0-0 7
Quakertown 19-20-13-0 52
SOL American Conference
WISSAHICKON 20, WILLIAM TENNENT 13 (OT)
(Statistic provided courtesy of Andrew Robinson/PAPrepLive: https://papreplive.com/2020/10/24/intrieris-pick-seals-deal-as-wissahickon-tops-william-tennent-in-ot/)
The Trojans seem to have a penchant for overtime, going to OT for the second time in as many weeks, and for the second time, they emerged the winner. Although this one wasn’t quite as dramatic as last week’s miracle finish, it had plenty of drama, including a late-game Wissahickon comeback to knot the score and set the stage for overtime.
“We like to make things difficult for ourselves – that’s all I can really say,” Wissahickon coach Bruce Fleming said.
The Trojans lost the coin toss and had the ball first in overtime. They made it count, scoring a touchdown on a five-yard run on an option play by sophomore Kyle Lehman. Nate DeVincent’s extra point put the Trojans on top 20-13.
It was time for the defense to deliver, and it was Jackson Intrieri coming up with an interception to seal the win for the Trojans, who notched their third win in four games.
“It’s a really big deal for us,” Fleming said. “We talked about it yesterday after our practice that winning three games in a season for our program has been very difficult over the past few years.
“We think it’s been eight years since a Wissahickon football team won at least three games.”
Tennent took an early 7-0 lead when Fernando Delgado raced 91 yards for the score. The Trojans answered when quarterback Aidan DeFeo hit Jackson Intrieri for a 40-yard touchdown. A missed extra point kept the Panthers on top 7-6. Ryan Emmerich gave Tennent a 13-6 advantage when he returned the ensuing kickoff 68 yards for a touchdown.
It was still a 13-6 game heading into the fourth quarter when the Trojans once again rallied, knotting the score with just over five minutes remaining when DeFeo found Jayden Quick with a 14-yard TD pass that set the stage for overtime.
“Our defense really locked in and really limited them in what they could do after they scored 13 points on us,” Fleming said. “Kareem Roberts applied a lot of pressure on the defensive line. Michael Fath made stops on the inside on the defensive line. Shayne Lynch and Shamir Wilson applied pressure. We had two big interceptions by our free safety Jackson Intrieri.”
On the offensive side of the football, DeFeo threw for 187 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers’ stingy defense held the Trojans to 16 yards on the ground.
“Offensively, we struggled a little bit to find our rhythm tonight,” Fleming said. “But Aidan DeFeo made some great plays at the quarterback spot. Even though he had two interceptions, he kept plays alive with his feet and his pocket awareness. He was able to get the ball in our playmakers’ hands.
“Marice Johnson had a great sideline catch. Jackson Intrieri, EJ Schreiner and Brandon Gilliard all had a great catch on offense. Even Kyle (Lehman) was able to get a few catches. He didn’t have a real big rushing night just based on how William Tennent was playing us, but he did a great job on pass protection and picking up their blitzers to allow Aidan the time to look down the field, and then also because we were able to swing him the ball, he made some plays for us.”
Tennent was led offensively by the glittering 186-yard rushing performance of Delgado.
Wissahickon (3-1, 2-0 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh Friday, and William Tennent (1-3) will host New Hope-Solebury Friday.
Wissahickon 6-0-0-7-7 20
William Tennent 13-0-0-0-0 13
UPPER MORELAND 63, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 35
CJ Szydlik – when asked about his team’s prolific offensive production Friday – might have delivered the understatement of the night when he said, “We can definitely score.”
The Golden Bears scored and scored and then scored some more, putting 63 points on the board while amassing almost 500 yards of total offense.
“They did a really good job of loading the box and trying to take away a lot of our runs,” Szydlik said. “So we opened it up and started throwing the ball.
Quarterback Byron Hopkins as 6-for-7 for 160 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a pair of TDs. Jon Knight completed a pass for 40 yards.
But it was Jason Lobban setting the tone for the high-scoring affair when he took the opening kickoff 95 yards to the house, spotting the Golden Bears an early 7-0 lead.
“He was a starting wide receiver for us,” Szydlik said. “He started both offense and defense for us and basically now plays just defense because that’s where we need him the most. We have kids that are unselfish and do everything they are asked to do.”
The Colonials answered with a score when Tommy Hannon punched it in from a yard out, but then the Bears went to work, reeling off four straight touchdowns to go on top 35-7 at the intermission. In that explosive stretch, the Golden Bears showcased their arsenal of weapons. Cameryn Jackson scored on a 13-yard run, and then Hopkins hooked up with Jahaire Johnson for a 76-yard TD.
“Once that opened up, everything started to get in sync again,” Szydlik said. “Our quarterback played phenomenal. We have a pretty good team. We have a lot of kids that are unselfish and just want to make a play for the next person.
“They don’t care if you call their number. They just want to support, and that’s a good trait to have.”
Anthony Broderick scored on a 25-yard pass from Hopkins, who also took it in from a yard out to give UM its four-touchdown lead at the intermission.
PW put four touchdowns on the board in the second half but never came close to closing the gap.
“They ran their option offense very well and scored a couple of times,” Szydlik said of PW. “I told them, ‘As long as we stay within ourselves and we play the game the right way and don’t become a ‘me’ guy and don’t worry about your stats, just worry about scoring points, this is the result you’re going to get.”
The Golden Bears’ coach lauded the play of his offensive line comprised of 6-6, 285-pound tackle Ryan Schernecke, guards Chase Ragan and Lucas Villanueva, center Dan Goldstein and left tackle Joe Marczak.
“Dan Goldstein was injured last year on the first day of camp, broke his fibula, battled all the way back and is in the starting lineup for us,” Szydlik said. “We were able to throw the football because our offensive line blocked. Obviously, when you score 63 points, you have good blocking.”
Broderick led a balanced UM attack with 104 yards on just four carries. Jackson added 86 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. He also returned a kickoff 82 yards for a TD. Johnson was UM’s top receiver with 116 yards and a touchdown.
Aiden O’Brien led PW’s ground game with 82 yards and one touchdown. Also scoring rushing touchdowns were Nate Kim, Chris McLaughlin and Tommy Hannon.
Upper Moreland (4-0 SOL) will travel to Quakertown Friday for a non-league game. Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-3, 0-2) will be on the road at Wissahickon Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7-7-14-7 35
Upper Moreland 14-21-21-7 63
Non-league
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 21, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 13
The Spartans – clinging to an eight-point lead – came up with a defensive stand in their red zone late in the game, preserving the impressive non-league win that snapped a two-game skid.
“We’re just so excited,” Springfield coach Chris Shelly said. “Our kids needed to win. We played hard against Upper Moreland, and we played hard against New Hope.
“We almost let this one get away a little bit. We got up on this team, and we had to buck up at the end of the game. Our defense made a big stand at the end. It’s a win, and I’m happy about the win, but we think our ‘A’ game is still out there.”
The Golden Hawks’ final drive was set up when they recovered an on-sides kick after scoring 13 unanswered points late.
“Give credit to their kids – they didn’t give up,” Shelly said. “Their coaches found some stuff, they moved the ball, and our tank was low at the end of the game, but we found a way to stop them on that fourth down play, which was a throw in the end zone that we knocked down. It was great to see our kids do it.
“We can compete with anybody – that’s our feeling, so we’re not surprised by the victory.”
Earlier, the Spartans had things going their way. Junior Will Conlin caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Gabe Franczyk.
“I told him before the game, ‘When Will Conlin scores for us, we win,’” Shelly said. “We got Will again loose for a touchdown early in the game. Will Conlin is a just a tremendous kid.”
It was a 14-0 game heading into halftime after Nate Dennis scored on a three-yard run.
The Spartans lead grew to 21-0 when Dylan McKenzie hauled in a 39-yard touchdown reception from Franczyk. Jack Hyland’s third straight extra point made it a 21-0 game.
“Dylan McKenzie is a sophomore, and they kind of knew our best threat is Cam Dennis, our receiver who was second team all-state, so they were doubling him and rolling their coverage to him,” Shelly said. “Dylan McKenzie is a phenomenal athlete, and he gives us that other weapon, so we got him loose on a long touchdown pass.”
The Golden Hawks came roaring back. Vincent DePaola’s 29-yard rushing TD made it a 21-6 game heading into the final quarter.
Things got interesting when Alex Checchia caught an 11-yard TD pass from Ben Mangle, pulling the Golden Hawks within eight. They never got any closer.
Shelly had high praise for the play of junior Ben Cooney.
“He’s actually our backup quarterback, but he’s been running our defense,” Shelly said. “He’s kind of the captain of our defense. He’s getting us in the right calls at the right time and getting sacks. He’s a quarterback playing defense, and he’s playing outside linebacker for us. He was tremendous for us.
“Owen Hussie plays at nose, and he’s a wrestler-type kid. He’s undersized, but he has a great motor, and he’s got a great heart. The kid makes plays all over the field.”
Springfield Township (2-2, 1-2 SOL) has a bye next week.
“We wished we played next week, but we’ll use the time to heal up and make some fixes,” Shelly said. “It was nice to get that win. We needed it – I think I needed it more than the kids, to be honest, because the kids are working so hard, and you need the win after two straight losses to keep them on a high.”
Council Rock South (2-2, 2-1) will face Council Rock North in the annual rivalry game next Friday.
Council Rock South 0-0-6-7 13
Springfield Township 7-7-7-0 21
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