Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. Pennridge/CB East photos courtesy of Kim Supko Photography. Check back a gallery.
Stats provided courtesy of 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
NORTH PENN 28, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 14
In a battle for the top spot in the conference standings, North Penn and Central Bucks West squared off at War Memorial Field. Both entered the game with perfect 4-0 conference records, but only one team – North Penn – left with its perfect record still intact.
“This is the game we needed – it was a big win for us,” NP coach Dick Beck said.
The Knights opened up a 21-0 lead before the Bucks got on the scoreboard. Ryan Zeltt connected with senior Levi Carroll for a 45-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead after one quarter.
In the second quarter, a 43-yard Zeltt to Carroll touchdown connection was followed by a 35-yard touchdown run by Khalani Eaton, giving the Knights a three-touchdown advantage. The Bucks got on the scoreboard late in the second quarter when Donte Mancini scored from four yards out. The two-point conversion made it a 21-8 game.
The Knights – or more specifically Eaton – had time for one more score, this one an electrifying 94-yard touchdown run to send the Knights into halftime with a 28-8 advantage. That score held until the fourth quarter when the Bucks added a late touchdown on a four-yard Eli Boehm run.
It was the only score of the second half for either team, but the Knights – according to Beck had their opportunities.
“At the start of the second half when we were on offense, we felt like we had some plays,” the Knights’ coach said. “The first play action we ran – the guy is uncovered running down the field, and we hit him in the hands, and he drops it, so that hurt.
“Then on a third-and-five, we throw a little flat route, the guy is wide open for a first down, and he hits him right in the hands, and he drops it. Those kinds of plays are just horrible for a team. If we drive down there and score, it’s 35-8, and we’re where we want to be, so that’s a little frustrating. We’ve got to stop shooting ourselves in the foot.”
The Knights’ coach lauded the effort of his defensive line.
“I thought up front we really played well,” Beck said. “We had two pretty big injuries to our defense that hurt us in the second half, so we had to adjust, and I thought the kids up front played really hard. Amir Rose played his best game, without a doubt. I thought Darren Miller played great, also Aziyah Garland and Kevin Pownall.”
Eaton turned in another impressive outing, rushing for 241 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
“I thought the O-line really blocked well,” Beck said of Rymir Gray, Darren Miller, Kevin Pownall, Namir Rose and Mikai Green.
Vinny Cherubini’s 80 yards on the ground led the Bucks.
North Penn (8-0, 5-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Friday, and Central Bucks West (6-2, 4-1) will travel to Neshaminy on Friday.
North Penn 7-21-0-0 28
Central Bucks West 0-8-0-6 14
PENNRIDGE 24, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 7
The Rams celebrated the team’s 11 seniors with a decisive win over a Patriots’ squad that had reeled off six straight wins after a loss to Ridley in their season opener.
“It was a big win,” Pennridge coach Cody Muller. “We weathered the storm – we had a little bit of adversity early on with a pick on the first drive, and – after they scored – an on-sides kid that we didn’t recover, but you know what – our kids kept pushing forward. They didn’t bat an eye, they just kept going, which I was proud of.
“Our seniors on Senior Night – those kids for three and some of them four years – they’ve just been doing everything we’ve asked them to do, faced every single bit of adversity they could face, and they’re still doing exactly what we need them to. I’m really proud of how all of them led tonight.”
Matt Labouliere came up with the early interception for the Patriots, but they did not capitalize. Instead, it was the Rams scoring on a 59-yard touchdown run by Brayden Landherr. Early in the second quarter, the Patriots knotted the score when Pat Keller hit Jack Donnelly in stride for 29-yard touchdown.
It looked like the Patriots might be gaining some momentum when they recovered their on-sides kick on the ensuing kickoff, but the Rams came up with the defensive stop on fourth down. A Sean Curry 31-yard field goal gave the Rams a 10-7 halftime lead.
Late in the third quarter, Brennan Fisher raced 25 yards for a touchdown and a 17-7 Pennridge lead. Senior Adam Mossbrook put the finishing touches on the important win with a 29-yard touchdown win.
The night, according to Muller, belonged to the seniors.
“It’s a smaller group,” the Rams’ coach said. “Last year we had 23 and next year we’ll have 27. Those 11 – Brayden Landherr played phenomenal on both sides of the ball. Logan McGowan, Tyler Fuchs, Joey Rindone, Danny Fish, Adam Mossbrook, Stephen Reutlinger, Shane Kim, Sean Curry, Alex Mcaloon and Jack Price.
“We have so many guys that contributed and just played tough. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Landherr led the Rams with nine carries for 136 yards and one touchdown.
The Rams are 13th in the latest District One 6A power rankings while Central Bucks East is eighth.
“This was much-needed,” Muller said of the win. “Our (28-24) loss to CB West – it stung, but by the same token, it really woke us up a little bit. I was just telling the guys – it’s survive and advance kind of mentality. It’s not just Friday nights, but it’s that Monday, that Tuesday, that Wednesday leading up to it. We have to go 1-0 on those days in order to keep moving forward. We had a great week of practice this week, and it really translated to the field nicely on both sides of the ball.”
Pennridge (5-3, 3-2 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Friday, and Central Bucks East (6-2, 4-1) will be on the road at North Penn on Friday.
Central Bucks East 0-7-0-0 7
Pennridge 7-3-7-7 24
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 28, PENNSBURY 14
The Titans found themselves on the short end of an early 14-0 deficit but rallied to earn the hard-fought win.
“It was a battle,” South coach Tom Hetrick said. “Pennsbury played really tough.”
The Falcons stunned the Titans by opening up a two-touchdown lead after one quarter. The first touchdown came on a 15-yard Shane McGurrin pass to Nathan Beighley. A 60-yard touchdown run by Galamama Mulbah put the Falcons on top 14-0 after John Burgfechtel’s successful point-after.
It turned out to be the Falcons’ last hurrah offensively.
In the second quarter, Cole Maholtz put South on the board with a 10-yard touchdown run, and later in the frame, Maholtz punched it in from a yard out to trim the Falcons’ lead to 14-13.
South took a lead it would not lose in the third quarter when Brett Szarko connected with Tyler Robinson for a nine-yard touchdown to put the visiting Titans on top 21-14 after a successful two-point conversation (Szarko to Jordan Becker).
In the fourth quarter, Maholtz put an exclamation point on a productive night when he scored on an 18-yard touchdown run.
Maholtz finished the night with 24 carries for 179 yards and three touchdowns.
“Our running back, Cole Maholtz, played a very good game – got a lot of tough yards,” Hetrick said.
While Mahotz was racking up the yards on the ground, Szarko was doing the same in the air, carving up the Falcons’ defense for 206 yards and a touchdown. The junior quarterback completed 18 of 26 passes.
All told the Titans accumulated 403 yards of total offense while the Falcons had 278 yards, which included 206 on the ground.
Mulbah led the Falcons with 16 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Leading the Titans’ defense was Liam Goss, who had a hand in 11 tackles which included 2.5 sacks and three tackles for a loss. He also had one forced fumble. Matt Nissen had three solo tackles and assisted on six. Mark Hetrick contributed four solo tackles with one assist. He also had 2.5 tackles for a loss and a forced fumble.
Central Bucks South (6-2, 3-2 SOL) – 13th in the latest District One 6A rankings – will host Pennridge in a key conference battle Friday. Pennsbury (0-8, 0-5) will host Abington on Friday.
Central Bucks South 0-13-8-7 28
Pennsbury 14-0-0-0 14
ABINGTON 31, NESHAMINY 21
(Check back for additional information)
In a tightly contested battle, the Ghosts earned the come-from-behind win to break a six-game losing streak.
Abington trailed 14-13 at the intermission but rallied to take a 21-14 lead with four minutes remaining in the third quarter when Zahmir Lee capped a scoring drive with a five-yard TD run. The drive featured a whole lot of Lee, who had a 50-yard run to take the ball to the Redskins’ five. The successful two-point conversion put the Ghosts on top 21-14.
The Ghosts led 24-14 with seven minutes remaining after converting a 25-yard field goal. It took just two plays – a long kickoff return to the Ghosts 47 and a 47-yard touchdown run by Dayvon Tinsley to pull the Redskins to within three, 24-21, with 6:29 remaining.
Abington had an answer, coming up with a defensive stop and taking over at the Redskins’ 43-yard line. Lee’s 22-yard touchdown run with 2:32 remaining sealed the Redskins’ fate.
Abington (2-6, 1-4 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury on Friday, and Neshaminy (1-7, 0-5) will host Central Bucks West.
Neshaminy 7-7-0-7 21
Abington 6-7-8-10 31
SOL Continental Conference
BENSALEM 33, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 13
The Owls needed a bounce-back win after last week’s 45-0 drubbing at the hands of Pennridge, and after trailing 3-0 early and going into halftime with a 7-3 lead, the Owls blew the game wide open with 26 second half points.
“Last week was a tough one for us,” Bensalem coach Alex Houston said. “You can say a lot of things – were they 45 points better than us? No, but that’s what the score was. I really believe you are what your record says you are.
“We lost, and it was hard for our guys. But we had a real strong week of practice, so that was great for us, and I was proud of our guys. We had a different quarterback tonight, and the guys just rallied. They really played hard, and I’m proud of them.”
The Golden Hawks led 3-0 after one quarter, thanks to a 30-yard Gavin Hagen field goal, but the Owls took a lead they would never lose when Allen Meyers – in his debut behind center – connected with Zyan Greene for an 80-yard touchdown.
“There was a lot of stuff that happened that we had to deal with – our defensive coordinator is finishing his quarantine for COVID, we’ve got a new quarterback, we lost by 45 points last week, so you have a lot of things moving,” Houston said. “I think we had to really just start playing and start believing in each other.
“Give (Council Rock South) credit – they stopped us when they had to stop us, but I think once we got in a groove defensively especially. I think that really fueled our offense.”
If the Owls needed a boost, senior Alexander Rivera gave it to them early in the third quarter, blocking a punt and returning it 20 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
“He’s just an amazing player,” Houston said. “The guy is just everywhere making plays at all levels. He has great energy, he has a great attitude, and he’s a player. He’s a leader for us.
“I think both of those plays – the blocked punt and the run back, and even our first touchdown to Zyan Greene. We were having a hard time, and we uncorked this bomb (from Meyers). Zyan is super fast, and all of a sudden, it’s 7-3. That kind of got us rolling, and then Alex comes up with a big play. Alex is a great kid, and we’re excited. He’s one of our seniors. I wish I had him for a couple more years.”
Hagen added a second field goal – this one from 29 yards, but Josiah Leonard’s 65-yard touchdown run gave the Owls a 20-6 lead. Leonard followed that with a three-yard touchdown run to put the Owls on top 27-6 before Rock South scored its first touchdown on Jake Zarnowsky’s three-yard run that made it 27-13 after three quarters.
In the final quarter, Meyers connected with Ben Hall for a 15-yard touchdown and the 33-13 final.
“What we saw at the half, they came out with a new defense – a variation of what we had seen on film,” Houston said. “Since we saw that, the response is – you have to be able to run the football, so we made some adjustments, and we were able to see some success.”
Leonard finished the game with 110 yards and two touchdowns. Houston credited the Owls’ offensive line for paving the way.
“We’re young, so those guys – a lot of stuff they’re seeing for the first time too,” the Owls’ coach said. “I thought Ashton Barnes ran the ball really hard tonight, I thought Josiah (Leonard) ran the ball really hard. I think guys just wanted to win.
“That’s what we’re talking about. Sometimes it’s not about all the x’s and o’s, it’s just the desire. That’s the best part about football. Sometimes you’ve just got to want it and be willing to have the courage to leave it out there. That’s what we talk to our guys about. That’s how we engage our guys. Sometimes it’s not about who’s the smartest guy. It’s who’s willing to sacrifice the most.”
Houston had plenty of praise to go around.
“Allen Meyers playing his first game of the season at quarterback – I thought he did outstanding,” the Owls’ coach said of his senior QB who threw for 130 yards and two touchdowns. “I thought Zach Roberts was huge for us, and he’s our punter. We weren’t able to click on all cylinders, but one bad punt, one bad mistake, and the game could be different, but he was bombing the ball, and I thought that was huge.
“Nick Murillo, a junior defensive end, saw his most extensive action of the year tonight, and I thought he played a great game. Guys were just out there working hard, playing for each other, and we’re grateful to come out on top.”
Bensalem (5-3, 4-1 SOL) – 16th in the latest District One 6A power rankings – will host Quakertown on Friday, and Council Rock South (1-7, 1-4) will host Harry S Truman on Friday.
Bensalem 0-7-20-6 33
Council Rock South 3-0-10-0 13
SOL American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 28, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 21
The stakes were high when the two District One 4A squads did battle on Friday night, and they did not disappoint, keeping fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.
“It was two really good football teams who knew what was at stake and really left everything out there,” UM coach CJ Szydlik said. “We’re just fortunate that we came out on the right end.
“The place was mobbed – it was absolutely mobbed. It was basically standing room only. It was everything a Friday night football game is supposed to be.”
If there was a defining moment in the contest, it came in third quarter when – with the score deadlocked 7-7 – the Golden Bears made a goal line stand.
“They had first-and-goal from the one-yard line, and we got a goal line stand,” Szydlik said. “We stopped them on four straight plays and then went 99 yards for the score.”
Quarterback Byron Hopkins capped the drive with a 52-yard touchdown run on a keeper to put the Golden Bears on top 14-7. UM took that tenuous seven-point lead into the fourth quarter when they capitalized on a Springfield turnover. Hopkins scored a touchdown on a five-yard run, and – after the successful extra point by Jaryd Meehl – led 21-7 with 5:31 remaining.
The Spartans had an immediate answer when quarterback Ben Cooney hooked up with John Adams for a 52-yard touchdown to pull to within 21-14 with 5:14 remaining.
The Golden Bears recovered an on-sides kick attempt by the Spartans, and Cam Jackson raced 49 yards for a touchdown that made it a 28-14 game with 4:59 remaining, and after combining to score just 14 points in the opening half, the two teams combined for three touchdowns in a wild one-minute span.
The Spartans didn’t go down quietly, pulling to within a touchdown with 3:47 to go in the contest when Cooney and Adams connected again, this time from 33 yards out for a TD that pulled Springfield to within one score, 28-21. That’s as close as they would get as the Golden Bears held on for the win.
The dangerous UM duo of Jackson – 18 carries for 142 yards and two touchdowns – and Hopkins – 12 carries for 129 yards and two touchdowns – combined for 271 rushing yards.
“Our duo of Byron and Cam were fantastic, but realistically, it came down to our offensive line who probably don’t get enough credit for opening the things that they do,” Szydlik said. “Our whole offensive line, including our tight end, did a fantastic job.”
Comprising the UM offensive line are Jason Easley, Lucas Villanueva, Tony Apice, John Baker, Chase Regan and tight end Matt Tiernan.
“We brought in a fullback, which we normally don’t do,” Szydlik said. “It was Owen Dunleavy, who was an all-league middle linebacker, and he was running around blocking everyone everywhere. It was pretty awesome.”
For the Spartans, Cooney led the offense, completing 9-of-15 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 55 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Upper Moreland (7-1, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh for a key conference showdown on Friday. Springfield Township (5-2, 3-2) will host the George School in a non-league game Friday. The Golden Bears are ranked first in the latest District One 4A power rankings while the Spartans are sixth.
Springfield Township 0-0-7-14 21
Upper Moreland 0-0-14-14 28
CHELTENHAM 35, WISSAHICKON 20
(Game info provided by @ZakWolf22)
Sparked by a pair of huge plays by senior Tyzeem Kinney, a short-handed Panthers squad erupted for 21 fourth-quarter points, breaking a 14-14 tie and going on to earn the hard-fought win.
“It was pretty exciting,” Cheltenham coach Troy Gore said. “I was pleased that we didn’t panic when we were down 7-0. I was down my two top running backs – one was out on quarantine, and one broke his clavicle, so we had to play some younger kids, and we didn’t panic. That’s what I was most impressed and happy about.
“We couldn’t practice like we wanted to last week because of the COVID protocols, but our kids just kept fighting and fighting. They played hard, and they never gave up.”
Kinney gave the Panthers a lift on both sides of the football in the fourth quarter. His 25-yard touchdown run broke a 14-14 tie with 8:33 remaining in the game, and just over a minute later, Kinney came up with a pick six that upped the Panthers’ lead to 28-14.
“Tyzeem came through big time,” Gore said. “He played linebacker because I had a starting linebacker out because he’s on quarantine also. Tyzeem had to step in at linebacker and scored a touchdown, and he had to step in and fill in for running back, and he scored a touchdown. He had a huge game.”
Early on, it was the Trojans taking a 7-0 lead, thanks to a 57-yard Kyle Lehman touchdown run to end the first quarter. Cheltenham quarterback RJ Taylor scored on a quarterback sneak to make it a 7-7 game at the half.
The Panthers opened up a 14-7 lead early in the third quarter only to watch Jeremiah Clark even the score with a four-yard TD reception from Aidan DeFeo. That score stood until Kinney delivered his game-changing plays that propelled the Panthers to the decisive win. He wasn’t the only player to give the Panthers a lift.
“Kam Wyatt again – whenever we’re down, we’ve got to lean on number one, and he always brings us through,” Gore said of his senior wide receiver and safety. “Matt Hoffman on the defensive line – just constant pressure.”
The Panthers’ coach also had high praise for his young offensive line – senior Princeton Matadi, sophomore Forey Chery, junior Brian Cherry, sophomore Nasir Holmes and sophomore Kurt Scheuerman.
“Those five guys didn’t give up a sack today, and we were able to run the ball,” Gore said. “It’s the first game they didn’t give up a sack.
Cheltenham (4-4, 3-1 SOL) will host New Hope-Solebury on Friday, and Wissahickon (2-6, 1-3) will host William Tennent on Friday.
Cheltenham 0-7-7-21 35
Wissahickon 7-0-7-6 20
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 35, WILLIAM TENNENT 14
(Stats provided by Kev Hunter/PA Prep Live: https://papreplive.com/2021/10/16/through-the-air-and-on-the-ground-pw-offense-comes-to-life-in-win-over-tennent/
The visiting Colonials opened up a 28-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter when the Panthers scored a pair of late touchdowns, but this game belonged to PW.
“I thought we played well,” PW coach Dan Chang said. “I told the guys that Tennant was going to be a very physical team like they always are, and they were tonight. They were big and physical and did some nice things, kind of challenged us to throw the ball a little bit.”
Aiden O’Brien had a pair of touchdown passes, and it was his 23-yard TD pass to Phil Taormina that put the Colonials on the board in the opening quarter. Junior Devon Orensky – filling in for Chris McLaughlin (injury) – scored his first varsity touchdown on a 37-yard run, and the successful two-point conversion gave the Colonials a 14-0 lead after one quarter.
O’Brien’s second TD pass to Taormina – this one from 14 yards – and another successful two-point conversion sent PW into halftime with a 22-0 lead.
Zion East’s five-yard touchdown run gave the Colonials a four-touchdown lead heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Panthers sandwiched a pair of touchdown throws by quarterback Tim Lawson – the first for 13 yards to Dan Patrick and the second an 80-yard connection to Liam Gibson – around an O’Brien eight-yard TD run. By then the outcome had long since been decided.
“I was proud of how our defense played,” Chang said. “They’re our backbone week in and week out. Our defensive coordinator, Paul Borusiewicz, does a great job of getting these guys ready. They were flying around tonight again. I thought we did a good job of stopping their run game and just putting them in position that they can’t do the things that they want to do.
“Every week I mention Tommy Hannon – he’s got to be one of the best linebackers in the league if not more. Nate Kern also is a captain for us, and at first thought, this looked like his best game defensively. We have a host of guys that rotate in on our defensive line that I thought were good. Keith Gallagher, Tom Montemayer, Joey Troilo, Louis Malfara – those four guys did a nice job keeping each other fresh.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-1, 4-0 SOL) will host Upper Moreland in a key conference showdown on Friday, and William Tennent (0-7, 0-4) will travel to Wissahickon.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-8-6-7 35
William Tennent 0-0-0-14 14
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