Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. Quakertown/Upper Dublin photos courtesy of Shannon O’Sullivan, Pennsbury/Neshaminy photos courtesy of Darryl Rule/J&D Photography, PW/UM photos courtesy of Kim Supko, New Hope-Solebury/Lower Moreland photos courtesy of Michael Rice, and CR South/CR North photos courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography. Check back for galleries of all four games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f1050704496
SOL National Conference
PENNSBURY 28, NESHAMINY 24
It’s been one of those years for Pennsbury.
They appeared to be in command in their showdown with North Penn only to watch it slip away. In Friday night’s must-win against Neshaminy, the Falcons – trailing by 10
late in the third quarter – didn’t seem to have much of a pulse, but somehow they staged an improbable comeback to notch the heart-stopping win in a wild battle between the archrivals.
“Nothing’s come easy for us this year, for sure,” Falcons’ coach Galen Snyder said.
So why should Friday night’s regular season finale be any different?
With the Falcons clinging to a 28-24 lead, the Redskins had the ball first-and-goal on the Pennsbury five-yard line. A three-yard pickup by Carter Clee on first down set up a second-and-goal from the two. A touchdown seemed like all but a foregone conclusion after watching Redskins’ quarterback Colin Baker take his team the length of the field from its own 11 to the five within a two-minute span.
The Falcons’ defense had other ideas.
Baker was thrown for a two-yard loss on second down, and on third down – with Ben Primich in full pursuit, the Redskins’ quarterback was forced to throw the ball away. His fourth down pass was incomplete, allowing the Falcons to escape with the win that vaulted them into the District 1 6A playoffs.
“I know a lot of guys on D stepped up there when they had first-and-goal from the five,” Snyder said. “They had four cracks at it, and we were able to stop them.
“To Neshaminy’s credit, they played a great game, and so did we. One team had to win, and one team had to lose.”
The game was a roller coaster of emotions for both sides.
“I’m kind of used to it now because it’s happened all year,” Snyder said. “We just try and take it week to week and keep working and getting better.”
At halftime of Friday’s showdown, the two teams were locked in a 14-14 tie. Beighley capped a 73-yard scoring drive early in the second quarter with a one-yard keeper. Jordan Brensinger’s 37-yard run highlighted the drive. Neshaminy – benefitting from back-to-back 15-yard penalties on the kickoff – took over at midfield, and Travis Lavaleah scored on a 42-yard run to knot the score.
Pennsbury went back on top when Brensinger scored on a 12-yard TD run, but Baker – who had 108 yards in the first half and finished with 206 passing yards – took his team 75 yards in short order to even the score, connecting with Connor Frederick on a four-yard touchdown pass.
With 7:52 remaining in the third quarter, Neshaminy took a 21-14 lead when Lavelah scored on a one-yard run, and after a big defensive stop, the Redskins went on top 24-14 after Kaden Nicastro split the uprights with a 42-yard field goal.
Then came a play that was the game-changer when Beighley delivered an electrifying 99-yard kickoff return on the ensuing kickoff that made it a 24-21 game with 2:54 remaining in the third quarter.
“That was a momentum switcher obviously,” Snyder said. “They had the momentum there, they were up 24-14, and his kick return not only does it put us within three points, it ignited the team.”
The Falcons took a lead they would not lose (28-24) when Jordan Czerniak scored on a two-yard run. The game was far from over, and the final minutes included a Neshaminy stop on fourth-and-short, setting the stage for their final drive that came up just short.
There was plenty of credit to go around after this important win.
“I thought Jordan Brensinger played really well at the halfback position for us and made a lot of key runs,” Snyder said of his sophomore running back, who surpassed the 100-yard mark. “Czerniak was solid as he always is.
“On defense, Walter Murray and Primich – our two linebackers – always do a good job. One guy that deserves mention is Chris Karamis, who plays defensive end for us. Two weeks ago, he started playing
both ways at offensive tackle as well. He helps us on both sides of the ball, along with Walker Murray, who is a great blocker for us. Karamis and Walker Murray are fulltime two-way starters for us, and Nate (Beighley) plays one-and-a-half ways, and the rest of the kids are pretty much one way.”
With Lower Merion – ranked 17th – having one more game to play on Saturday, Pennsbury (5-5, 3-4 SOL) is 13th in the District 1 6A power rankings and would face third-seeded Souderton on Friday if nothing changes.
“The nice part is – if you look at it now, we won nine games last year and five games so far this year, and a team that had not won in two years is averaging seven wins a season for the two years,” Snyder said. “I try to look at the positives as opposed to focusing on some of the heartbreaks we’ve definitely endured this season.”
Neshaminy closed out its season with a 4-6 record overall, 3-4 in the SOL.
Neshaminy 0-14-10-0 24
Pennsbury 0-14-7-7 28
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 24, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 7
It’s been 23 years since Central Bucks West went through the regular season without a loss, and the Patriots did their best to make sure that streak would be extended to 24 years, battling the Bucks to a 7-7 halftime.
The Bucks responded like the champions they are, outscoring their archrivals 17-0 in the second half to close out a perfect regular season.
“What I was most proud about – we were in a situation we haven’t been in all year, which is tied at halftime,” West coach Rob Rowan said. “Our guys came out in the second half and really responded well, played incredible in all three phases in the second half – defensively, offensively and special teams.
“I knew it was in them. That was the challenge at halftime – ‘I know what you’re made of, I know what you’re capable of, but you’ve got to believe it, you’ve got to go display it,’ and they did.”
On the Patriots’ opening drive of the game, they marched 80 yards, a drive that was capped with Danny Voglesong scoring on a one-yard quarterback keeper. West evened the score when Ryan Clemens scored on a six-yard run late in the first quarter.
West drove to the Patriots’ 24, but that drive ended when Logan Simkiss stripped the ball and recovered the fumble, but the Patriots could not capitalize. West missed a field goal in the closing seconds of the second quarter, and the two teams went into halftime still deadlocked at seven.
“We knew that it was going to be an extremely competitive game and environment,” Rowan said. “We knew we were going to get East’s best shot. They were playing to keep their season alive. They came out and played with tremendous effort in the first half.
“We made a lot of mistakes, a lot of penalties in the first half. We turned the ball over inside our red zone, we missed a field goal at the end of the half, so we felt at halftime that we were really hurting ourselves and stopping ourselves offensively.”
An East three-and-out to open the third quarter was followed by Conor McFadden racing 44 yards for a touchdown that was erased for a holding call. On the very next play, the Patriots recovered a West fumble, but turned it back to the Bucks, who came up with an interception that set up a 61-yard McFadden touchdown run.
The Bucks turned an East fumble into a 33-yard field goal and a 17-7 lead late in the third quarter. An eight-yard touchdown run by Clemens early in the fourth quarter put the Bucks on top 24-7, a score that held until the final whistle.
“The message was really simple at half. It was – ‘Hey listen, we’ve got to stop with the self-inflicted wounds. We’ve got to be cleaner and more disciplined, and we’ve got to execute.’” Rowan said. “Our guys came out in the second half – (when McFadden scored), that got them back into that rhythm – ‘Okay, here we go.’”
The Bucks’ coach liked what he saw from his defense in the win.
“I thought we played really well defensively,” Rowan said. “We gave up the score on the first drive, and even then, we made them really fight for it down on the goal line.
“Aeden Donnelly played really, really well defensively. He had an interception, and he had a couple of TFLs. He was all over the field. Cooper Taylor probably again had a dozen tackles. He’s a superstar. Our front played well again, Jack Williams played well again, but it’s a collective effort.”
Central Bucks West (10-0, 7-0 SOL) remains the number one seed in the District 1 6A rankings, and if the seedings hold, the Bucks will host 16th-ranked Cheltenham on Friday. Lower Merion – ranked 17th – will play its final game on Saturday, and that could change things.
“We put ourselves in a tremendous position with the number one seed, which means we’ll be home throughout, and teams have to come to our place,” Rowan said. “We’ve earned that. Our guys are going to enjoy this moment because they deserve it, but make no doubt about it, we’ll be ready to go come Sunday. We’ll turn the page, and we will start preparing for our playoff week one opponent.”
Central Bucks East 7-0-0-0 7
Central Bucks West 7-0-10-7 24
NORTH PENN 35, ABINGTON 18
Amir Major had a Senior Night to remember, scoring four touchdowns to lead the Knights to the convincing win in their regular season finale. The win was the fourth in a row for the Knights.
“I’m really happy for the seniors,” North Penn coach Dick Beck said. “After our CB South game (a 50-28 loss), we were 2-4. We lose our starting inside linebacker for the year with a broken ankle, we lose our starting wide receiver and corner for the year with a broken ankle. We lost another inside linebacker with a shoulder injury.
“We’re 2-4 and getting ready to play CB East. The kids gutted it out, stopped them at the end of the game to win 14-7. We go and play Pennsbury, and we get down 21-7 at halftime. The kids battled back, and we win 24-21. Last week, against Pennridge, we get up 17-7, we let them come back. They missed the extra point, the game ends on the 20-yard line, and they just need a field goal to win.
“Tonight was a little more comfortable, we got some young guys in, but to win four in a row from where we came from, I give the senior leadership a lot of credit. A lot of the seniors have given us some great leadership and kept these guys going. We were down and out.”
The injury bug that has followed the Knights this season struck early in this one.
“(Marc) Cobbs hurts his ankle, he played one snap,” Beck said. “We put a sophomore in – Morgan Brown. He went in there and battled and played great. He played against their best receiver, and he did a nice job.”
A touchdown by Major gave the Knights an early 7-0 lead, but the Ghosts answered with a touchdown of their own to make it a one-point game. But not for long.
The Knights, who missed a pair of field goals, came back with a touchdown when Matt Bucksar connected with Aidan Eves on a four-yard touchdown pass.
Owen Harris came up with an interception to set up a two-yard touchdown by Major. Another Major touchdown sent the Knights into halftime with a 28-6 lead.
Major added a touchdown run in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring for the Knights, who led 35-6. The Ghosts scored a pair of TDs in the game’s final minutes for the 35-18 final.
“We left some meat on the bone offensively, and we played a bend-but-don’t-break defense,” Beck said. “We had a couple of turnovers, which was nice. In the second quarter, Owen Harris had an interception and returned it to the two-yard line.
“(Quarterback) Matt Bucksar did a great job scrambling. He probably had over a hundred yards rushing.”
North Penn (6-4, 5-2 SOL) is 13th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings, and pending no changes, the Knights would travel to fourth-seeded Central Bucks South on Friday. Abington closed out its season with a 1-8 record (0-7 SOL).
Abington 6-0-0-12 18
North Penn 7-21-7-0 35
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 42, PENNRIDGE 14
(Game info courtesy of Tom Moore @TomMoorePhilly X. To read Moore’s story on Phillyburbs.com, click here: https://www.phillyburbs.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2023/10/27/central-bucks-south-pennridge-high-school-football-bucks-county/71295580007/ )
Showing no ill effects from their loss to Central Bucks West a week earlier, the Titans – after falling behind 7-0 early – reeled off 42 unanswered points on their way to a no-doubt-about-it Senior Night win over the visiting Rams.
“At this point, we have them programmed enough that you’ve got to keep a baseline of your emotions,” Hetrick said. “You can’t get too high with the highs and certainly not too low with the lows because it’s a collection of one-week seasons, so you just have to obsess over the next season.
“Certainly, Monday was a little bit of a downer when we came in, but you have to flip the switch and move on, and they certainly did that. I was proud of them.”
Laying the foundation for this win was an offensive line comprised of Kieran Padgett (left tackle), Nick Micewski (left guard), Nick Conte (center), Rolan Hess (right guard) and Collin Goetter (right tackle). It’s a line that boasts both talent and experience.
“I don’t know the stats, but our O-line just keeps doing really good things – they’re very good football players, and they’re easy to coach,” Hetrick said. “Goetter, Hess and Conte have pretty much started every game since they were sophomores. Micewski is a junior, and he’s started every game since last year when he was a sophomore. Kieran Padgett is the senior that came on this year. He’s just joined right in, and he’s been doing really good things for us. It’s just a solid group. It’s the best O-line I’ve had since I’ve been here. We’ve had some good O-lines, and these guys are at a different level.
“I’m their position coach, and it’s easy when you coach a lot of guys that know how to play and play with aggression. We were able to establish the run game tonight. We have a couple of guys, including our quarterback – between (Anthony) Leonardi, Corey Moore and Owen Pinkerton, they’re all somewhat dangerous in different ways with a football, so it was definitely a good offensive performance.”
The two teams exchanged first-quarter touchdowns. The Rams scored first when quarterback Noah Keating punched it in from a yard out. Anthony Leonardi evened the score with a 13-yard touchdown run. It marked the beginning of a 42-0 Titan tear.
“We got the ball to start the game, and it didn’t end the way we wanted it to,” Hetrick said. “They went in – we had a penalty defensively that extended the drive, they hit a kid (Chase Marshall) in the flat that busted for 30, so they scored.
“We weren’t panicked or freaked out, but it was like ‘Let’s get this training rolling.’ We definitely turned it around.”
The Titans took a 14-7 lead when Pinkerton found Leonardi with a 26-yard touchdown pass. Leonardi’s third TD on a nine-yard run was followed by another Pinkerton touchdown pass, this one to Jack Mauz for seven yards to send the Titans into halftime with a 28-7 halftime lead.
“I’ve said the last couple of weeks that Owen Pinkerton has had his best games,” Hetrick said. “We didn’t run him as much tonight, but he made some nice passes. A couple of third-and-longs, he bailed us out of, he extended a play on one. He’s playing with some confidence, and that’s what experience does for you. He’s had 10 games worth of experience, and he’s playing with a lot of confidence, and that’s definitely good for us.”
In the third quarter, Moore scored on a one-yard run, and in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Moore scored from nine yards out to put the Titans on top 42-7 before Pennridge’s Sam Kuhns scored on a seven-yard TD pass from Keating.
“Our defense again played real well for us,” Hetrick said. “Our defensive box was outstanding tonight. Eddie Bowen, our one D-end, had a really, really good game. Our linebackers – Sean Moskowitz and Adam Oscar – were doing very good things.
“Our defensive backfield – Danny Gies had a pick. Pennridge’s quarterback (Keating), the young kid is going to be real good. He has a nice arm. We were on bodies, and we did some good things. They got us a couple of times, but I was overall happy with our team’s defensive effort.”
Both Leonardi (142 yards) and Moore (107 yards) rushed for over a hundred yards.
Central Bucks South (9-1, 5-1 SOL) – if the rankings hold – is fourth in the 16-team field and will host 13th-seeded North Penn in an opening round game on Friday. Pennridge (3-7, 2-5) is off until its Thanksgiving Day game against Quakertown.
Pennridge 7-0-0-7 14
Central Bucks South 7-21-7-7 42
SOL Continental Conference
QUAKERTOWN 21, UPPER DUBLIN 17
The Panthers won a thriller in Friday’s regular season finale.
With five minutes remaining, Vince Micucci connected with junior Aidan Burgy for a 44-yard touchdown, turning a three-point deficit into a 21-17 lead that held until the
final whistle, and it was his team’s resilience that pleased coach George Banas the most.
“We really could have buried our heads, especially when they went up (17-14) with a field goal because we got stopped on a fourth down,” Banas said. “We had a really good (kickoff) return, but we had to punt the ball away after that return.
“We got a good fourth down stop, and we set up our play that went for the touchdown. We made the play at the end, got two stops at the end to put the game to rest. It was back and forth. It was just a classic Upper Dublin battle.”
The Flying Cardinals got on the scoreboard in the first quarter, and the Panthers answered early in the second quarter when Ed Bittner scored on a four-yard touchdown run to even the score. An interception by Anthony Ferrugio set the stage for a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Vince Micucci that put the Panthers on top 14-7.
“Anthony Ferrugio had another phenomenal night – had a pick and almost had a second one,” Banas said.
Upper Dublin scored with just over a minute remaining in the half, and the two teams went into halftime deadlocked 14-14. It was still a 14-14 game heading into the final quarter, but the Cardinals went on top 17-14 with 7:16 remaining after splitting the uprights with a field goal.
That set the stage for the Panthers’ late touchdown to Burgy with 5:35 remaining in regulation.
“The defensive unit as a whole really played well in the second half,” Banas said. “Devin Eure and Breydon Kunze just really stepped up well for us, Adam Streahle at safety again.
“Vince Micucci played really tough down the stretch for us. He had to run the ball a bunch of times for us just because they were taking away Bittner and some other guys. Gavin Carroll had a couple of really important runs to keep the chains moving. It was just a good gut check team win across the board.”
Banas tipped his hat to the Cardinals.
“Bret (Stover) does a great job over there and Paul Winters as far as their coaching staff and getting their kids prepared,” Banas said. “They had a heck of a game plan coming in. They did some things we never saw on film, and we have five films of them.
“We were scrambling at halftime trying to make adjustments. We threw a bunch of stuff at kids at halftime to change up some things. It worked out in our favor that we held them to only three points, and we came away with a huge win going into district playoffs.”
Quakertown (6-4, 4-2 SOL) is seeded 10th and – if the seedings hold – will travel to seventh-seeded Perkiomen Valley for an opening round District 1 6A contest.
“When you play on Thanksgiving, it’s always important to get an extra game, so it’s not such a long break,” Banas said. “But your goal is always to make district playoffs. Once you’re in playoffs, it’s one week at a time, it’s one-week seasons, and anything can happen in high school football.”
Upper Dublin (6-4, 4-2) will host 10th-seeded Penncrest in an opening round District 1 5A game.
Upper Dublin 7-7-0-7 14
Quakertown 0-14-0-7 21
SOUDERTON 49, BENSALEM 14
The Indians made history, capping the program’s first ever perfect regular season with a decisive win over the visiting Owls. It was their 10th win, which matched the program’s highest win total. Souderton was 5-0 in the COVID-shortened season in 2020, but that was not a complete season.
“Two of the past four years (undefeated) – that’s not bad,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “I had to look it up because when we were 6-0, 7-0, people started asking me (if Souderton ever had an undefeated regular season).
“In 1963, they started the season 9-0 and lost to Upper Perk on Thanksgiving in their last regular season game. In four seasons prior to that one, Souderton won 10 games, but they were 10-1 in all four seasons. They’ve never started 10-0 before, so this is the first 10-0.”
The Indians coach admits he didn’t have 10-0 in his sights prior to the start of the season.
“I thought we were going to be pretty good,” Gallagher said. “I thought we needed to win the league games we were supposed to win, we needed to win both non-league games – Haverford and Warwick – and if we split our crossover games against Pennridge and (CB) East, and if we split our Quakertown and Upper Dublin games, we are at worst 8-2.
“Once we beat both Pennridge and East, it was going to come down to those other two games. We played really well against Quakertown and Upper Dublin. The boys stepped up and really played. It’s been a special year. 10-0 is nothing to shake your hat at, no matter what schedule is put in front of us.
“Is this the best Souderton team? No, I think I’ve had better teams, but just the way things lined up, it worked out that way this year. It’s been a great run. I told the kids in the huddle after the game – ‘I don’t want it to end. Let’s get back to work Monday and get ready to win number 11.’ I don’t want it to end – I’m having too much fun.”
The Indians had a whole lot of fun celebrating Senior Night with contributions from seniors all over the field.
The scoring started early in this one with senior Danny Dyches scoring from 30 yards on a speed sweep, and then it was Joey Nase scoring on a short TD run.
“(Michael) McCormick tweaked his knee a little bit in practice, so we rested him tonight,” Gallagher said. “We moved Joey Nase to fullback, so this was his first start at fullback, and he had two touchdowns and 50 yards rushing. He ran well. He has good feet, he’s a good athlete.”
Bensalem interrupted Souderton’s quick start with a touchdown run by sophomore Thomas Bailey to make it a 14-7 game.
The Indians ran the ensuing kickoff back to the 28, and on the first play, Ryan Sadowski raced 72 yards for a touchdown and a 21-7 lead after one quarter.
Sophomore quarterback Ben Walsh found Dyches with a 25-yard touchdown pass. Then it was senior Hayden Swartley returning a pick-6 20 yards for a touchdown and a 35-7 advantage.
“We have seniors that don’t play all that much, and we put (Swartley) in the game in the second quarter at outside linebacker,” Gallagher said. “He dropped out to the flat, the quarterback threw it, and he made a great break on it, picked it off and ran it back for a touchdown. I was thrilled for the kid. How exciting is that on his Senior Night? It was an awesome thing for him.”
Nase’s second TD of the game from 15 yards out put the Indians on top 42-7, and then it was Grayson Largent scored on a seven-yard TD run to make it a 49-7 game at halftime.
In the third quarter, Bailey scored his second touchdown of the game for the 49-14 final.
“This is the beauty of it – we scored seven touchdowns in the first half, and they were all by seniors,” Gallagher said. “It was awesome. I was so happy. We got all the seniors in the game in the first half.
“I said to the kids at halftime – ‘I couldn’t have scripted this if you asked me to.’ To get a running clock in the second half, to get all our JV kids in. It was awesome.”
Souderton (10-0, 6-0 SOL) is the third seed in the District 1 6A rankings, and – if the latest rankings are finalized as they stand, the Indians will host 14th-seeded Pennsbury in an opening round game Friday. Bensalem closed out its season with a 2-8 record overall. The Owls were 1-5 in league play.
Bensalem 7-0-7-0 14
Souderton 21-28-0-0 49
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 55, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 14
(Game info from @joefite6 X)
The Golden Hawks had a not-so-little score to settle.
Three straight years of frustrating losses to Council Rock North in the annual Rock Cup contest, including last year’s 21-20 loss, came to an emphatic end with Friday night’s rout.
“I guess we unleashed that a little bit,” Rock South coach CJ Szydlik said. “We told the kids from the beginning – yes, we had playoff aspirations and all that stuff, but winning this game was just as important.
“You would like to get to a point where – ‘Oh, all we worry about is the playoffs,’ but the reality is that’s not where we are. We’re at a spot where we have to win the games that are in front of us. Especially in rivalry games, you have to be ready to play.”
The Golden Hawks were certainly ready, scoring early and often. Chase Myers began a productive night with a four-yard touchdown run, and then it was quarterback Chase Ennis scoring on a one-yard keeper to give the Hawks a 14-0 lead after one quarter.
Jack Hemple scored on a pick-6 from 41 yards out, and then it was Shane Myers scoring on a 23-yard TD run to put the Hawks on top 28-0. Nate Szydlik’s two-yard TD run was followed by another Chase Myers touchdown – this one from 34 yards. Shane Myers closed out the Golden Hawks’ 49-0 tear with a seven-yard touchdown run.
Gio Cozza connected with Bobby Snyder for an eight-yard touchdown to make it a 49-7 game at halftime.
“I think the thing I was most pleased with was we played in the moment,” Szydlik said. “You get into those rivalry games, and you get kids that get stuck looking into the stands and worrying about things, and we didn’t do any of that stuff.
“We focused right away, and we played probably one of our best games all season.”
In the fourth quarter, Will Scibona hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Cozza before Reed Curtier scored on a two-yard keeper for the 55-14 final.
“Chase Myers ran the ball really well again,” Szydlik said. “We really blocked well up front. The whole offensive line did a really good job. Our offensive line honestly is one of our stronger points. If we can run the football, we’re a tough football team, we’re a tough out.
“With the big quarterback and the big arm and being able to run with Chase (Myers) and his younger brother Shane, it’s a nice little one-two punch.”
Comprising the Golden Hawks’ offensive line are PJ Labadie, Garrett Hagen, Vinnie Szydlik, Anthony Cimino and Kyle Grasso.
The Golden Hawks’ defense also came up big.
“Defensively, we got a couple of big turnovers by some of our seniors who made some really nice plays. Jake Hemple got an interception and ran it back for a touchdown. A couple plays later Bryan Rabatin got another interception. We planned well, and the kids executed what they were asked to do.”
For the seniors, this was their first win in the Rock Cup game.
“It was a great win,” senior Nick Haurin said. “We are happy to have the cup back in the house where it belongs.”
Council Rock South (7-3, 4-2 SOL) – the 11th seed in the latest District 1 6A rankings – appears destined to travel to sixth-seeded Downington West in Friday’s opening round.
“It’s one of the things the kids put in front of them and worked hard for, took advantage of it, played their hearts out tonight and deserved this opportunity,” Szydlik said. “What’s most exciting is for the kids to play football in the colder weather and start to see what that’s like and not be done on Halloween and be able to play in November.”
Council Rock South 14-35-0-6 55
Council Rock North 0-7-0-7 14
SOL American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 35, UPPER MORELAND 7
It was quite a night for the Colonials.
Not only did they celebrate Senior Night with a convincing win, they also clinched sole possession of the SOL American Conference title.
“This was our third consecutive outright title, so I’m pretty proud of those guys,” PW coach Dan Chang said. “All of our seniors played a ton tonight.”
This win belonged to the defense that allowed less than a hundred yards total offense with the only UM points coming on a kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“Our defense played lights out,” PW coach Dan Chang said. “Our (defensive) coordinator, Paul Borusiewicz, called a great game tonight. Our initial stats say they had 19 rushes for 20 yards and had 70 yards in the air. Ninety total yards of offense is a pretty good performance by our D.”
While his team’s shutdown defense was a collective effort, Chang credited the play of several on his defensive unit.
“Andrew Iannozzi played really well tonight,” Chang said. “Kevin Hegarty always plays well – he’s the guy that leads (the defense). Anthony Iannozzi had a big interception.
“On our D-line, Eddie Moyett and Taeshaun Johnson played really well. Danny Lillick is a senior who played a lot on the D-line tonight and did a really nice job.”
The Colonials, who led 14-0 after one quarter, took a 21-0 lead into halftime and extended that to 35-0 at the end of three quarters before the Golden Bears scored on a kickoff return in the fourth quarter.
Nazye Boggs led a balanced Colonials’ ground game with six carries for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Luke Winterbottom had 10 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown. Everett Baker had two receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown and four carries for 32 yards and a touchdown. He also had 71 kick return yards on two kick returns. Quarterback Caiden Leszcynski was 4-for-10 for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-1, 5-0 SOL) is seeded fourth in the latest District 1 5A power rankings – and barring any changes – host face 13th-seeded Hatboro-Horsham in an opening round game. Upper Moreland finished 16th in the latest District 1 5A power rankings, compiling a 4-6 record overall and a 2-3 mark in the SOL.
Upper Moreland 0-0-0-7 7
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-7-14-0 35
CHELTENHAM 39, WISSAHICKON 12
(Game info courtesy of @NStomsky X account)
It was a must-win for the Panthers.
At least if they entertained any thoughts of competing in the District 1 6A Tournament, which is still up in the air since Lower Merion – seeded 17th – has a game on Saturday that could well determine the Panthers fate. They are firmly on the bubble, occupying the 16th and final spot pending the outcome of the Lower Merion contest.
The Panthers certainly did their part to secure a spot, seizing early control of Friday’s road contest and never letting go. They took a 32-0 lead into halftime and coasted to the finish line.
“They came prepared, they were ready,” Cheltenham coach Troy Gore said. “The key was shutting down their offense. We knew that we could score because several teams they played against were able to score.
“Our whole objective was to keep their offense off the field and try to run the clock a little bit and just try to wear them down on offense, and it worked.”
Adam Rodgers set the tone early, giving the Panthers a 6-0 lead less than a minute into the game when he came up with a 23-yard pick-6.
“He’s a great kid, and he had a tremendous game,” Gore said. “He got a couple sacks, a couple tackles in the backfield. He had a great game.
“Adam came to us as a quarterback, but we moved him to outside linebacker. We play our linebackers kind of tight on the line of scrimmage. We moved him to outside linebacker, and it changed his whole career. He’s playing lights out.”
Five minutes into the opening quarter, Tre McLeod had a 35-yard touchdown run to give the Panthers a 13-0 lead after one quarter. Quarterback Jonathan Ingram took it 48 yards to the house for a 20-0 advantage. Another McLeod touchdown run – this one for 67 yards made it a 26-0 game, and Ingram punched it in from two yards out for his second touchdown that sent the Panthers into halftime with a 32-0 lead.
“Those are the guys we depend on – Tre and Jon,” Gore said. “When we need a play, those are the guys we expect to give us a play. They came up big, they really came up big.”
Wissahickon got on the board with a one-yard touchdown run by Quasir Sampson to make it a 32-6 game entering the final quarter.
Jared Higgnbotham’s one-yard touchdown put Cheltenham on top 39-6 before Wissahickon’s Cole Rodgers scored for the 39-12 final.
Gore credited the strong efforts of several players.
“James Smith is playing good on special teams,” Gore said. “Sharlandiin Strange had a huge game, Isaiah Brooks on the D-line, Jared Higginbotham catching the ball out of the backfield and running the ball.
“Mekel Smallwood is the captain of our defense – he called the whole defense, and he played a phenomenal game. Pharoah Brooks running the ball, and the whole offensive line – Kurt Scheurman, Shareef Roberts, Chase Harrison, Justin Cowans, who is only a freshman, and Forey Chery.”
The Panthers’ coach is hopeful that Friday’s win over a playoff-bound Wissahickon squad will vault his team into the 16-team District 1 6A field.
“We believe it’s enough to get us in because of the strength of schedule that we play, but we need help,” Gore said. “We’re waiting for the scores. We’ll know by tomorrow.
“To be 0-5 and then come back and win four in a row was huge.
Cheltenham closed out its regular season with a 4-5 record, 4-1 in the SOL Wissahickon (6-4, 2-3) is 15th also pending Saturday’s outcome.
Cheltenham 13-19-0-7 39
Wissahickon 0-0-6-6 12
WILLIAM TENNENT 28, SPRINGFIELD TWP 14
(Information will be added when it is received)
Non-league
TWIN VALLEY 48, HATBORO-HORSHAM 7
STRATH HAVEN 42, HARRY S TRUMAN 6
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 39, LOWER MORELAND 7
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