Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action. PW/Upper Moreland photos provided courtesy of Michael Rice Photography, North Penn/CB West photos courtesy of Kim Supko, Upper Dublin/Bensalem photos courtesy of Shannon O’Sullivan, Pennsbury/Abington photos courtesy of Greg Lindsay & Pennridge/CB East photos courtesy of Laura Rowe. Check back for galleries of all five games. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ FOOTBALL GALLERIES.
SOL National Conference
NORTH PENN 31, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 13
In one of Friday’s marquee SOL matchups, the Knights looked every bit the part of the dominant team opponents feared they would be this season, opening up a 17-6 halftime lead on their way to the decisive win over the visiting Bucks.
“This was a big win for us,” NP coach Dick Beck said. “We’re really, really excited. It was our best game by far.
“Our O-line really played well, our backs were running hard. Rylei Gray ran for 140 yards and (Matt) Pownall ran for 120 or 125 yards.”
Comprising the Knights’ offensive line were Charles Ashley (right tackle), Mason Charles (right guard), RJ Smith (center), Jacob Cheeseman (left guard), Dominic Tranzilli (left tackle) and Wyatt Martin (tight end).
The Knights, who led 17-6 at halftime, took complete control of the game in the second half.
“We got the ball to start the second half, drove and scored,” Beck said of a long drive capped with a one-yard Aiden Ashley TD. “And after they drove and scored (on a run by Nick Miletto), we just took the ball and went on like a 15-play drive that took nine minutes off the clock.
“By the time we scored, there was like six minutes to go in the game, and they were down three scores.”
Miletto’s TD run made it a 24-13 game after three quarters. The Knights’ long fourth-quarter drive was capped with a Bucksar eight-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Garrett.
The tone for Friday’s big win might well have been set in the first quarter when the Knights capitalized on a turnover to take a lead they would not lose.
“Nate Schepian, who has been playing great for us all year, had a big interception in the first quarter, returning it to the 15-yard line, and we scored to go up 7-0,” Beck said.
Matt Bucksar connected with Pownall on an 11-yard TD pass to give the Knights the early lead. West – after a blocked punt – capped a short drive with a Josh George quarterback sneak. The missed extra point, allowing the Knights to stay on top 7-6.
The Knights’ used a halfback pass from Gray to Bucksar for a five-yard touchdown and a 14-6 lead. A 28-yard field goal as time expired sent the Knights into the locker room with a 17-6 lead, setting the stage for the Knights’ dominant second-half performance.
Up next: North Penn (7-2, 4-2 SOL) will host Abington Friday, and Central Bucks West (6-3, 4-2) will be on the road at Central Bucks East.
Central Bucks West 6-0-7-0. 13
North Penn 7-10-7-7 31
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 24, NESHAMINY 21
(Neshaminy stats courtesy Neshaminy FB)
It was not the smoothest of starts for either team, but the Titans were able to right the ship after falling behind 7-0 in the game’s early moments.
“It was a little rough,” South coach Tom Hetrick said of a start that saw the Redskins take over possession at the Titans’ 11 after a bad snap on a punt attempt. “We’ve deferred most weeks when we’ve had the chance.
“I had this gut instinct that maybe we should just take the ball against these guys. Their offense is high-powered. We probably had a pretty good offensive game plan, ‘Let’s just take the ball and see what we can do.’ We didn’t do much in that first drive, and we were three-and-out, and unfortunately, the punter’s knee hit the ground.”
Neshaminy capitalized with quarterback Michael Eckart connecting with Mike Sassano for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. Things went downhill in a hurry after that as the Redskins uncharacteristically struggled to maintain possession of the football and ultimately were doomed by their three first-half turnovers. The Redskins’ woes began with an interception by Sean Bulicki.
A 35-yard Cade Crim to Jack Bartolillo pass to the Redskins’ 13 set the stage for an 11-yard Crim touchdown run that knotted the score.
“He’s been tough,” Hetrick said of Crim. “The touchdown he scored was a really good run. It was supposed to actually be a box run, but he saw something outside and bounced it.
“There have been different times this year where he showed a lot of flash and this surprising speed. He’s a gamer. There were a couple of plays that he extended. He’s been very solid and consistent throughout the whole season, and again, he was that tonight.”
As it turned out, the Redskins’ woes were just beginning. A fumble on a pitch on Neshaminy’s next possession set the stage for a 28-yard field goal by Addis Formelio that put the Titans on top 10-7. On the Redskins’ ensuing possession, Bartolillo returned a fumble 29 yards for a touchdown and a 17-7 South lead.
The Redskins made it a 17-14 game when Ekart capped a 45-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown run with 1:43 remaining in the first half
A long kickoff return by Braylen Cape to the Neshaminy 25 set up a 22-yard touchdown pass from Crim to Gavin Graham, sending the Titans into halftime with a 24-14 lead.
“Their quarterback, in my book, is probably the best one in the league,” Hetrick said of Eckart. “They have a lot of weapons.
“The way the game started was not ideal, but then we took advantage of a couple of their mistakes. Those kinds of things happen in games, and you’ve got to capitalize on them, and we did.
“Braylen Cape had a burst kickoff return. We’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of the kickoff return over the last few weeks, so that was a great return on his part. A few plays later we scored, and it was an absolutely great way to go in at halftime because it’s a confidence builder. Especially when you have a lot of younger guys that are getting some good experience.”
It was still a 24-14 game heading into the final quarter when – with 4:29 remaining – Eckart raced 36 yards for a touchdown, capping a 91-yard TD drive and trimming South’s lead to 24-21..
The Titans – thanks to some clutch runs by Evan Lopergolo – were able to run out the clock and escape with the win.
“He’s been our outside linebacker for most of the year, and he has done a lot of good things for us defensively,” Hetrick said of Lopergolo. “But man, when we needed some good yards and some tough ones tonight, all of a sudden there’s Lopper.
“He has good feet, he has good vision, and he was slippery, and he had some really important runs in that last quarter especially. He came off the field all bloodied up. He was a warrior tonight.”
There was no overstating the significance of the win.
“I’ve been wanting these kids to believe that they have it in them to be a very good football team,” Hetrick said. “It’s been a gradual process of trying to get them there. So, I give my guys a lot of credit for the fact that – the way the game opened, they didn’t get in the tank and think, ‘Okay, this is how it’s going to go.’ They just pushed reset and said, ‘Let’s go.’ They showed a lot of resiliency. I was very proud of that.
“It was a big win for us. I told the seniors, ‘You’ve been part of a district championship, a league championship, but that, to me, was one of the best wins we’ve had in the years I’ve been here.’ I don’t know how many people were expecting it, but we felt we had a good chance. They came out and performed, and they got the job done.”
Up next: Central Bucks South (5-4, 4-2 SOL) will travel to Pennridge Friday, and Neshaminy (6-3, 4-2) will be on the road at Pennsbury.
Neshaminy 7-7-0-7 21
Central Bucks South 17-7-0-0 24
PENNRIDGE 15, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 8
(Game stats provided courtesy of Pennridge football)
The Rams bounced back from their first loss of the season to CB West to defeat a pesky Patriot squad on Friday.
“We watched them on film – they play hard,” Pennridge coach Kyle Beller said of CB East. “They had some tough losses – they just lost 41-35 last week against Neshaminy.
“It’s a scary team, and they did some really good things tonight. They played their tails off, a couple big runs yards-wise, and it was a battle.”
The Rams sealed the Patriots fate when – after recovering a fumble near midfield in the fourth quarter – they did not relinquish possession, killing off the final 6:23 of regulation and holding on for the win. Sean Leuthe forced the fumble and Blake Landherr recovered it.
“That fumble really changed things for us, and we were able to run the clock out,” Beller said.
Early on, the Patriots saw their attempt at a 23-yard field goal blocked in a first quarter that saw neither team put points on the board.
An 18-yard touchdown pass from Noah Keating to Landherr as well as a successful two-point conversion (Ryan Rowe run) gave the Rams an 8-0 lead. Liam Hoey answered for the Patriots with a 78-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion from Hunter Pulford to Sam Piszel knotted the score 8-8 with 11 minutes remaining in the second quarter.
With four minutes remaining, Keating scored on a 10-yard run to send the Rams into halftime with a 15-8 lead that stood the rest of the way.
Keating completed 11 of 16 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. Trevor Picciotti led the Rams’ ground game with 14 carries for 72 yards. Rowe had 54 yards on 16 carries.
“It’s week nine – everyone’s beat up, we’re beat up,” Beller said. “I thought Noah did a great job running the offense.
“Trevor Picciotti and Ryan Rowe did a great job running the ball, and the offensive line did a good job opening up holes for them.
“Defensive-wise, we had to put some new kids in, and they just did a nice job flying around. Overall, it’s what we’ve been doing every week. We just keep overcoming adversity, grinding out wins and playing as a team across the board all three phases. I’m really proud of them and how they battle.”
For the Patriots, Hoey had a big night running the ball, finishing with 163 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Pulford had 11 carries for 78 yards.
With the win – and losses by Neshaminy and CB West, Pennridge is alone atop the SOL National Conference standings, and with one game remaining ensures itself at least a share of the conference crown.
Up next: Pennridge (8-1, 5-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks South Friday, and Central Bucks East (5-4, 2-4) will host Central Bucks West.
Central Bucks East 0-8-0-0 8
Pennridge 0-15-0-0 15
PENNSBURY 42, ABINGTON 16
Luke Beigley has been a key piece of Pennsbury’s standout defense at outside linebacker. On Friday night, he found himself lined up in the Falcons’ backfield, and he seized the moment.
By halftime, Beighley had 138 yards and four touchdowns. He finished with five TD runs and close to 150 yards.
“It felt good to get back to basics,” Pennsbury coach Galen Snyder said. “We went back under center and ran our traditional wing-T.”
By halftime, the Falcons led 35-0 and had accumulated over 200 yards of offense. It was an impressive outing for a Pennsbury team that – take away the 14 points scored in the team’s season opener – had put just 23 points on the board in their next seven games combined.
“I thought it was a really good team effort – offense, defense, the whole thing,” Snyder said. “Our kids have worked really hard, and they’ve practiced hard all year.
“If you look at our games, we’re in every game, we’re battling every game. We’re not coming out on top, but we’re battling. We’ll continue to do that.”
The Falcons have hung tough in games, thanks in no small part to their shutdown defense that frustrated even the SOL National’s best squads.
The tone for Friday’s win was set early when – after quarterback Jack Arndt raced 21 yards to the Ghosts’ four – Beighley began a productive night with a four-yard touchdown run, spotting the Falcons a 7-0 lead.
A diving interception by Pennsbury’s Shawn Beatty led to a short field and another Pennsbury touchdown, this one on an eight-yard run by Kaiden Brown. Early in the second quarter, the Falcons’ lead grew to 21-0, thanks to a four-yard run by Beighley, who already had 74 rushing yards.
The Falcons capitalized on another short field after a rushed Abington punt when – on the first play of the drive – Beighley scored his third touchdown from 34 yards out, and with 40 seconds remaining in the first half, Beighley took it in from five yards, giving the Falcons their 35-0 halftime advantage.
In the second half, Beighley collected his fifth TD, and the Ghosts managed to put a pair of touchdowns on the scoreboard – both on passes from Miles Yockus to Ty Taylor.
Up next: Pennsbury (1-8, 1-5 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Friday, and Abington (1-8, 0-6) will travel to North Penn for Friday’s regular season finale.
Pennsbury 21-14-7-0 42
Abington 0-0-8-8 16
SOL Continental Conference
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 28, QUAKERTOWN 27
The Golden Hawks ensured themselves a share of the SOL Continental Conference title with a win that was anything but easy, rallying from a 21-14 third quarter deficit to eke out the win.
“That was definitely a tough one like you kind of expect whenever you go to Quakertown,” CR South coach CJ Szydlik said. “We have some young kids out there who obviously haven’t been in that situation before, and we definitely let our emotions get the best of us in the first half. We got a lot of penalties against us, and we finally had to settle ourselves down and just play football.”
With 1:19 remaining in regulation, the Golden Hawks came up with a huge defensive stop of the Panthers’ two-point conversion attempt. The big stop came after Jackson Connelly scored on a one-yard touchdown run, and the Panthers elected to go for the win instead of the tie.
“Connor McCaffrey and their kid fought for the ball, and the ball popped out, and it was an incomplete pass,” Szydlik said.
The Golden Hawks – who trailed 21-14 after Quakertown quarterback Brady Martin raced 62 for the score – knotted the scored on a long touchdown run by Nate Szydlik.
“Nate played really, really well offensively and defensively for us,” Szydlik said of his all-state linebacker. “In games like this, kids like him step up.
“Our defense came up with a big stop, and we drove the football a little bit and Gavin Lacey scored from about 20 yards out to take a 28-21 lead.”
Earlier, the two teams battled to a 14-14 halftime tie. For the Panthers, Martin accounted for both TDs – scoring on a one-yard run and then connecting with Dominic Ferrugio for a 33-yard touchdown.
For the Golden Hawks, Lacy had a TD run, and quarterback Marley Emerson hooked up with Joe Madara on a long touchdown pass.
“Marley Emerson, who had some ups and downs during the game, at the biggest points in the game found people open and made some of the nicest throws I’ve seen in a long time,” Skydlik said. “Marley played really, really well for us again.”
The Golden Hawks’ coach credited the play of his defensive line comprised of Anthony Cimino, Gavin Sailer, Michael Smith and Chris Guinter.
“Logan Smith, who’s a sophomore, came in for us to play safety, and he had a great pass breakup on one of their big series,” Szydlik said.
A win over Council Rock North next week will give the Hawks sole possession of the conference crown. They clinched a share with Friday’s win.
“It 100 percent was (a goal),” Szydlik said. “Maybe we riled them up a little too much to focus on that, so once we just played normal football, we played much better. Even to clinch a tie for us at this point is obviously a huge deal for our program.”
Up next: Council Rock South (8-1, 6-0 SOL) will travel to neighboring Council Rock North for Friday’s annual rivalry game. Quakertown is scheduled to host Cheltenham.
Council Rock South 7-7-7-7 28
Quakertown 0-14-7-6 27
SOUDERTON 70, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
A short-handed Council Rock North squad dressed just 26 healthy players, and it was hardly a surprise that they were no match for the host Indians, who scored early and often on their way to the mercy rule win.
“They were so banged up,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said of the visiting Indians. “(Coach Brandon Garrett) is trying to do things the right way, and he told me they have 30-some freshmen on their freshmen team. They’ve had so many injuries, and that’s rough, but they showed up, and they tried to compete.”
The Indians were eager to get back on the gridiron after suffering a 14-7 loss to Council Rock South eight days earlier, and they took control early, thanks to back-to-back touchdown runs by JoJo Sudi – the first from one yard and the second from near midfield.
Ben Walsh connected with on a 30-yard touchdown pass to Timmy Meehan, and the Indians led 21-0 after one quarter.
Senior Noah Porter scored on a six-yard touchdown run, then it was Caleb Moyer taking it in on a 14-yard run, and that was followed by senior Nate Rusike taking it to the house from 28 yards out. A 15-yard touchdown run by Colin Harris sent the Indians into halftime with a 42-0 advantage.
“We executed pretty well,” Gallagher said. “We played a team that was definitely undermanned, but we have to keep working to get better for the playoffs.”
The second half included a one-yard touchdown run by Victor Santangelo, a rushing touchdown by Ethan Raab and was capped by a second TD run by Harris.
“He’s always been an undersized guy, but he comes in and works and give us a good look on scout team every day,” Gallagher said of Harris. “It was a great opportunity for him to go in the game and show us what he’s got. I was happy for the kid. He had two touchdowns and a sack tonight.
“Ethan Raab probably had his first carry of the season and took it for a touchdown. He’s a senior, he plays a lot of special teams, and he’s fast. He’s a tough player, and he makes a lot of tackles on special teams, and he’s a pretty good linebacker as well. We were trying to play all of our backs, and he got an opportunity, and the one chance he had to run the ball he got into the open and scored because he was pretty fast.
“It was their chance to go out and play football just like the starters get to do every week, so I’m happy they were able to shine in their opportunities in their moment.”
Up next: Souderton (7-2, 5-1 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Friday, and Council Rock North (0-9, 0-6) will host Council Rock South for the annual Rock Cup rivalry game.
Council Rock North 0-0-0-0 0
Souderton 28-21-7-14 70
UPPER DUBLIN 20, BENSALEM 7
(Check back for a game wrap.)
SOL American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 28, UPPER MORELAND 18
(PW stats courtesy of PW football)
The Colonials – with one game remaining on their schedule – clinched at least a share of their fifth straight SOL American title, but it wasn’t easy
“Upper Moreland is definitely a good football team,” PW coach Dan Chang said. “They’re big and physical, and they’re very well coached, so we knew we were in for a battle tonight.
“I thought the standout of tonight was our defense. We played some great defense against them. We put our D in some bad situations, and they held. They were able to get some points on a couple of mistakes we made, but I thought, for the most part, our defense was really good. Our defensive line played excellent.”
Comprising PW’s D-line were Amir Butler, Hunter Discala, Kyaire Lindsay, Chase Tadeo and Cole Ashbridge. Lindsay was a catalyst on the line with two sacks and a forced fumble.
“Amir Butler and Hunter Discala at our D-ends were good, and I thought our defensive tackles were really, really good,” Chang said of Lindsay, Tadeo and Ashbridge. “I thought they all played really well inside.”
The Colonials got on the scoreboard early when Ray Conzalez took it 68 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Upper Moreland answered with back-to-back touchdowns – the first on a one-yard Justin Valentin run and the second a David Adamski nine-yard touchdown pass to Larry Hughes to go on top 12-7.
PW answered with an 18-yard TD run by quarterback Cole Reilly and took a 14-12 lead into halftime.
“When there are times in games where they could roll over and play dead, they never do,” Chang said. “They continue to fight, and they continue to work.”
In the second half, PW’s Mike Giangiulio scored on a two-yard TD run on fourth down, upping UM’s lead to 21-12. A one-yard TD run by UM’s Justin Valentin run made it a 21-18 game.
Giangiulio’s second touchdown – this one from five yards – put the Colonials on top 28-18.
Giangiulio’s 21 carries for 85 yards and two touchdowns led the Colonials. Mike Bongard had seven carries for 79 yards, and Gonzalez had three carries for 79 yards and a TD. Cole Reilly had eight carries for 53 yards and a TD.
“For us, the implications of this game were huge, starting off with the league,” Chang said. “Hopefully, we’ll take care of business next week. We don’t like to sharing this thing.
“We were so young coming into this year. I told these guys at the end of the game that their growth from the beginning of the year has been just tremendous. We are a totally different team than we were early on.
“I think if people looked at us through our first four games – we’re 1-3. I think a lot of people kind of counted us out and didn’t think we’d be able to repeat as league champs. I’m just really proud of our guys for their development, their hard work every day.”
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-3, 4-0 SOL) will host William Tennent on Friday, and Upper Moreland (5-4, 2-2) will host Hatboro-Horsham Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7-7-7-7 28
Upper Moreland 0-12-0-6 18
WISSAHICKON 42, HATBORO-HORSHAM 7
(Check back for game statistics)
The Trojans took care of business in a hurry, opening up a 42-7 halftime lead and going on to win by that score.
Dom Harvey-Sheppard accounted for a pair of touchdowns – returning a punt for a TD, and he also had a pick six for a touchdown in the opening half.
Quarterback Evan Tolmie had a one-yard touchdown run and also threw for a pair of TDs – one to Gabe Godoy for 20 yards and another to Xavier Johnson for 70 yards.
Up next: Wissahickon (8-1, 3-1 SOL) will host Springfield Twp Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham will be on the road at Upper Moreland Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 7-0 7
Wissahickon 42-0 42
SPRINGFIELD TWP 20, WILLIAM TENNENT 14
(Check back for a game wrap.)
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