Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. Pennsbury/Neshaminy photos courtesy of Greg Lindsay and Darryl Rule of J&D Photography, Wissahickon/Hatboro-Horsham photos courtesy of Kim Supko, PW/Tennent photos courtesy of Kristen Battista, and Pennridge/CB South photos courtesy of Laura Rowe. Check back for galleries of all five games. (CR South photos courtesy of David Oakill). CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ FOOTBALL GALLERIES.
SOL National Conference
PENNRIDGE 28, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 7
(Game info courtesy of Mike Cabrey X @mpcabrey)
They’d listened to all the talk about the scenario when – if the Rams lost to CB South in Friday’s regular season finale – there was a very real possibility that five teams would share the SOL National title.
The Rams silenced that chatter with a decisive win over the Titans to capture sole possession of the conference crown.
“We talked about it on Monday, and no one wanted a five-way title,” Pennridge coach Kyle Beller said. “Let’s be realistic – there’s no chance.
“I think it shows how good the league is because it really is a freaking dogfight every week, but the boys pulled it out.”
The Rams opened up a 14-0 halftime lead. Noah Keating connected with Blake Landherr on a 14-yard touchdown pass for the game’s first score, and in the second quarter, Will Dougherty scored on a four-yard run.
In the third quarter, the Titans made it a one-score game, capitalizing on a Pennridge fumble to score a TD when Cade Crim connected with Andrew Rizzo on a one-yard touchdown pass.
The Rams – or more specifically Ryan Rowe – answered when he broke through for a 54-yard touchdown run with 8:24 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“South had some momentum there, but I just thought our offense was doing really good things all night, and they just kept at it,” Beller said. “The dam broke on a long touchdown run for Ryan. The hole just opened up, and that was big.”
In the fourth quarter, Keating connected with Dougherty on a six-yard touchdown pass, breaking the program’s touchdown record held by his grandfather, Jeff Hollenbach, who also is the Rams’ offensive coordinator.
“It’s been a special year for Noah, so he tied the record tonight and then broke it,” Beller said of his senior quarterback, who earlier this season broke his grandfather’s record for career passing yards. “It’s just awesome for myself and the players to be part of it and for Coach Hollenbach to be a part of it.
“Noah’s been playing fantastic all year, and he deserves it. He’s had his peaks and valleys, but he’s such a level-headed kid, and he just goes out and plays football.”
The Rams’ conference crown is their first since the 2020 season.
“They’re just starting to understand and enjoy the process,” Beller said. “I think that’s huge, and it’s been a focal point week in and week out, during the highs and lows of last year and the highs of this year.
“Monday they know what to expect, and they understand the process. We’re building to get Pennridge back to where it’s been. We’re taking steps in the right direction to do it, and tonight was a huge step to get there.”
For the Rams, Rowe led the ground game with 15 carries for 139 years and a touchdown. Dougherty had 14 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown. Keating threw for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
Beller tipped his hat to his offensive line.
“Tight ends to the halfbacks and the offensive line – they just did a great job,” the Rams’ coach said.
For the Titans, Crim completed 11 of 15 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.
“You’ve got to give them credit,” Beller said. “That’s a good football program. We talked about if you want to be the champs you have to beat them. They’re the defending conference champs, and they had a great win over Neshaminy last week.
“We expected them to come in and fight, and we just kept grinding.”
Next up: Pennridge is (9-1, 6-1 SOL) at the top of the District 1 6A power rankings with the final rankings to be confirmed at the district seeding committee Sunday. Central Bucks South closed out its regular season with a 5-5 record (4-3 SOL). The Titans are the 17th seed in the latest district rankings.
Central Bucks South 0-0-7-0 7
Pennridge 7-7-0-14 28
NESHAMINY 35, PENNSBURY 14
Emotions run high when the neighboring rivals meet in any sport, and for one half, it looked as though it might be another epic battle between the two schools.
That didn’t happen.
Mike Sassano saw to that with a third quarter that included two touchdown pass receptions and a pick 6, turning 14-7 lead after one half into a commanding 35-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“We were a little bit disappointed,” Neshaminy coach Nick Felus said of the first half. “We turned the ball over a couple times in the first half. That’s something we really have to pay attention to and get that straightened out because that’s unlike us, 
but the last few weeks, it’s happened, so we have to make sure we fix it.”
The two teams exchanged touchdowns on their opening drives of the game. Carter Clee capped a 68-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Pennsbury answered with a 60-yard drive that culminated when junior Luke Beighley scored on an eight-yard touchdown run.
A 22-yard screen pass for a touchdown from Michael Eckart to Clee sent the Redskins into halftime with a one-touchdown lead.
“At halftime, it was a simple message – we have to execute better offensively,” Felus said.
The Redskins heeded their coach’s advice in a third quarter that showcased the talents of Sassano and Eckart, who combined to put the game completely out of reach. The Redskins scored on their opening drive of the third quarter when Eckart found a wide open Sassano with an eight-yard TD pass.
“We had the looks we wanted, and our quarterback, Michael, really was focused and determined to make sure that third quarter was what it was,” Felus said. “Our receiving corps – they’re so unselfish.
“All those guys can make big plays at any time, and tonight, it was the Sassanos and Mike being on the same page.”
An interception by Sassano was followed by another scoring drive that began with Eckart racing 40 yards and was capped with Eckart connecting with Sassano from 27 yards out to put the Redskins on top 28-7 with just under two minutes remaining in the quarter.
“He’s a true dual-threat player,” Felus said of Eckart. “That’s why I was so excited about being able to have the opportunity to coach him because watching a lot of their film from last year – he did some things with his legs, and I knew the way the offense we were going to have, the way it’s structured, the quarterback needs to be able to do that, so it was kind of like a match made in heaven. It’s the perfect match for his skill set and what type of offense we were going to run.
“Credit to him – he picked it up. He picked it up from the terminology to everything that we do. It may look like it’s easy at times to run, but as the quarterback, he has a lot of options. He’s responsible for a lot of different calls. His work ethic – he’s a gym rat when it comes to watching film and doing things, and he just grinds. He’s prepared every week, and you saw that tonight.”
The Redskins weren’t finished yet, and Sassano delivered a pick six that sent the ‘Skins into the fourth quarter with a 35-7 lead. An eight-yard Beighley touchdown run in the fourth quarter closed out the scoring for both sides.
“In a rivalry game on the road, we knew they were going to come out fired up,” Felus said. “They’re still a good football team, and we knew what we were going to get. They play hard all four quarters. They didn’t make it easy for us, that’s for sure.”
The Redskins’ coach had high praise for the efforts of Clee.
“Just his versatility – you’re seeing not only can he run between the tackles, outside the tackles, but he does such a great job in our screen game,” Felus said. “He’s so patient, he has great ball skills, and we really work on the screen game, and it 
was a big part of our game plan– to get Carter the ball out in space.
“Sometimes they can do some different things with the stunts and blitzes and take away some of Carter’s running ability and Michael’s running ability, but when we get those guys out in space, the offensive line has done a great job of executing that. Whether we hand the ball off to him or we get him the ball on the screen, Carter runs so hard. He’s a physical back, and he’s very good in the screen game.”
Ask Felus the key to this year’s successful season, and he has a ready explanation.
“Their work ethic,” the Neshaminy coach said. “We have a group of kids that’s not afraid to roll up their sleeves and go to work. And we have a lot of good senior leadership on our team right now, so when you combine a strong work ethic and strong leadership, then you see the results we’re seeing.
“This group – they’re so resilient. It’s a long season, it’s a tough season, especially playing in a league that we play in. So there’s going to some adversity that we face, but we’re so good at having a setback and responding to that, which says a lot about their character.
“There’s a lot of kids that play a lot of football, and they love Neshaminy football, and it shows in their work ethic, their leadership. It’s a gritty group, a tough group. We have some kids who are very talented as well, so it’s a combination of things, but all the credit to them.”
Eckart completed 19 of 24 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 97 rushing yards on nine carries. Mike Sassano was his top target, finishing with five catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Clee had four receptions for 58 yards and one touchdown.
Up next: Neshaminy (7-3, 5-2 SOL) is 11th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings while Pennsbury closed out its season with a 1-9 record overall (1-6 SOL).
Neshaminy 7-7-21-0 35
Pennsbury 0-7-0-7 14
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 28, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 21
In a rivalry game that kept fans on the edge of their seats, it was the Bucks – with the Patriots driving – coming up with an interception in the closing minute to seal the Patriots’ fate in Friday’s thriller.
The stakes were high for both sides with East needing a win to punch its ticket into the District 1 6A Tournament.
The Patriots – after forcing a three-and-out on West’s opening possession of the game – took advantage of a short field to get on the scoreboard first when Hunter Pulford punched it in from the one-yard line, and after Cole Wojnicki’s extra point, East led 7-0. Pulford and Liam Hoey accounted for most of the yards on their team’s 35-yard TD drive.
West answered with a quick touchdown drive that culminated with Josh George connecting with Mason Darrows on a 35-yard touchdown pass that knotted the score 7-7.
The Bucks recovered the ensuing kickoff, falling on the squib kick and scoring on an 11-yard run by Louie Cipollo to go on top 14-7 after one quarter.
The Patriots – after converting a huge fourth-down – saw Pulford connect with Reuben Bell at the West five-yard line, and Pulford took it in from there, knotting the score 14-14.
A 54-yard run by Cipollo set up a six-yard TD run by Nick Miletto that sent West into halftime with a 21-14 lead.
After the two teams exchanged fumbles to open the second half, East capped a long touchdown drive with Pulford finding Bell for a 15-yard TD pass to even the score 21-21 with 27 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
A long touchdown run by Cipollo put the Bucks on top 28-21 with 4:03 remaining. East took over at their own 18. They kept the drive alive with a big fourth-and-five conversion with 1:55 left and the ball on their own 42. A pass interference call against the Bucks gave the Patriots possession at the 40 with 1:16 let.
An interception by Cipollo – who was a difference maker on both sides of the football – iced the win for the Bucks.
Up next: Central Bucks West (7-3, 5-2 SOL) is sixth in the latest District 1 6A power rankings while Central Bucks East (5-5, 2-5) was 18th. Final seedings will be announced Sunday.
Central Bucks West 14-7-0-7 28
Central Bucks East 7-7-7-0 21
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 45, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
It’s official
The Golden Hawks are alone atop the SOL Continental standings, capturing the program’s first title since 2011. They capped their season with a big win in their annual Unity Cup game.
“Honestly, it means everything,” Rock South coach CJ Szydlik said. “These games are played at the end for a reason, so to get yourself motivated and ready to go wasn’t hard. The kids came ready to work, and our hard work all week long paid off right away for us.”
Leading the charge to this year’s conference crown was a strong senior class.
“Obviously, growing up, I knew that this was a really good group,” Szydlik said. “There’s a couple groups in a row with some really good kids. You can’t just be one group – it’s got to be two and three, and that’s why we’ve been successful so far.
“They all bought in, and they all just care about each other and care about the program.”
Up next: Council Rock South (9-1, 6-0 SOL) was fifth in the latest District 1 6A rankings Friday night.
SOUDERTON 35, UPPER DUBLIN 7
It looked like the Indians and Cardinals – deadlocked at 7-7 at halftime – were in for a dogfight. The Indians, however, had other ideas, erupting for 28 unanswered second-half points on their way to the big win.
“Our offense was stuck in a rut for most of the first half, and we put a nice little drive together to score at the end of the first half, and unfortunately, we gave them an opportunity to do the same,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “We came out and tried a couple of different things.
“They were packing the box, so we tried to come out in more spread sets and throw the ball on first down. I tried to catch them in their run defense. It worked a couple of time, and we just got a little more comfortable. We did some up-tempo stuff, and things went well.”
The Indians’ defense also made life difficult for the Cardinals’ offense.
“We definitely got pressure on their quarterback,” Gallagher said. “We had to have six or seven sacks. Djecy Ngoyi had a great night – he had at least three sacks.”
In the first half, Chris Ormeno put the Indians on the scoreboard with a touchdown run.
“He’s a backup fullback,” Gallagher said of Ormeno. “(Michael) McCormick broke his shoulder pads and was on the sideline. When we went to the big personnel, I need a fullback – ‘Chris, go out there.’ He got the carry.
“The beauty of tonight was we had a lot of different kids step up and make big plays. It was really a good spread of the wealth. Even the linemen – our center was hurt, and Tyler Raffaele came in and did a real good job at center all night for us. Those are the unsung things people don’t see. Pretty happy overall with how we played offensively in the second half.”
A Ben Walsh to Hunter Smeltz long touchdown pass early in the third quarter gave the Indians a lead they would not lose. Then it was Walsh connecting with Timmy Meehan on a 30-yard TD pass. The successful two-point conversion put the Indians on top 21-7 after three quarters.
A one-yard keeper by Walsh and a rushing touchdown by Landen Zuk closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter.
The defense played pretty well,” Gallagher said. “But even our two outside linebackers, Noah Porter and Jimmy Eakins, got pressure on the quarterback a ton tonight and just created a lot of quick throws or forced fumbles. They were just all over the field, so it was good to see.”
Up next: Souderton (8-2, 6-1 SOL), seventh in the latest district power rankings, is looking to host a home game in next week’s opening round of the District 1 6A Tournament. Upper Dublin (4-6, 4-3) was sitting at 16thin Class 5A on Friday night and awaits its fate at Sunday’s seeding meeting.
Upper Dublin 0-7-0-0 7
Souderton 0-7-14-14 35
BENSALEM 31, HARRY S TRUMAN 13
Aidan Mayfield scored an early touchdown, and the Owls were off and running in Friday’s rivalry game against the visiting Tigers. When Joey Dougherty forced a fumble that Myles Annan turned into a 60-yard scoop and score, the Owls led 24-0 heading into halftime on their way to the win in the season finale for both teams.
“I was pleased with the seniors being able to go out with a win,” Bensalem coach Alex Houston said. “It was Senior Night for us, and because of scheduling, it ended up being our homecoming as well.
“It’s really a good bunch of kids. We learned some great lessons during the season. It was good to be able to go 5-5. Obviously, we were really hopeful to be able to log a winning season. We lost a couple of close games, but in those games, you really have to execute at a high level, maximize mistakes. I think we learned some lessons that hopefully the program can use moving forward.”
In between the Mayfield score and Annan scoop and score, Brennan Farnsworth forced a fumble, and Hollis Sanders connected with Shane Varallo on a 30-yard touchdown pass for a 12-0 Bensalem lead.
Another Mayfield touchdown run – this one from five yards out – put the Owls on top 18-0, setting the stage for Annan’s TD.
In the third quarter, Bensalem led 31-0 after Farnsworth scored on a five-yard rushing TD before the Tigers put a pair of scores on the board in the fourth quarter.
Houston acknowledged it hasn’t always been a smooth journey for the senior class.
“I inherited a really big, good group my first year,” the Owls’ coach said. “That first year we went 5-5 after they had the zero-win season. We graduated 22 starters from that team, and the following year we were starting all over again.
“One of the things in our building – the best player has to play, whether that’s a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior. So a couple of those kids – the Aidan Mayfields, the Lucas Hassons – they’ve been getting minutes for us since they were freshmen. The last two years I thought we were competitive to the point where we could have had winning seasons.
“Some of the stuff was self-inflicted if I can put it that way. The next step for the program is to play cleaner football. I think we made some strides in player development. Mayfield (a Lehigh University commit) will be our fourth D1 commit over these five years.
It’s a wrap: Bensalem closed out its season with a 5-5 record (3-4 SOL). Harry S Truman was 1-8 overall, 1-5 in the SOL.
Harry S Truman 0-0-0-13 13
Bensalem 6-18-7-0 31
NORTH PENN 56, ABINGTON 13
The Knights have the look of a team the rest of the District 1 6A Tournament field might want to avoid.
On Friday night, they put an exclamation point on a strong finish to the seaso , opening up a 42-0 halftime lead on their way a no-doubt-about-it mercy rule win over the visiting Ghosts.
It took the Knights less than two minutes to get on the scoreboard when quarterback Matt Bucksar scored on a 30-yard TD run. Then it was Matt Pownall scoring from five yards out for a 14-0 lead.
A five-yard touchdown run by Jack Silvers was followed by an 11-yard touchdown run by Cam Mainor. North Penn led 28-0 with four different players scoring one TD each. Rylei Gray returned a pick six 50 yards, and Matt Pownall’s 45-yard touchdown reception from Bucksar sent the Knights into halftime with a 42-0 lead.
The second half featured touchdown runs by Jake Weidenmiller (15 yards), and Ziyon Smith (75 yards) as the Knights rolled to the win.
Up next: North Penn is the second seed in the latest District 1 6A power rankings. Abington closed out its season with a 1-9 record (0-7 SOL).
SOL American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 42, WILLIAM TENNENT 15
(Game info/stats courtesy of Plymouth Whitemarsh football)
The Colonials closed out their regular season with a decisive win over the visiting Panthers to cap off a perfect conference 
season.
Once again, the Colonials excelled on both sides of the football. Mike Gianguilio led the offense with 108 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. He also had three receptions for 77 yards. Mike Bongard needed just three carries for 59 yards and two touchdowns. He also had three receptions for 27 yards. Rasheed Douglas had three carries for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Quarterback Cole Reilly had six carries for 50 yards and a touchdown. He completed 8 of 15 attempts for 139 yards.
As a team, the Colonials had 31 carries for 332 yards and threw for 139 yards for a total of 471 yards.
Devin Spruill led PW’s defense with 2 interceptions. As a team, the Colonials had eight tackles for loss. Amir Butler led the Colonials with six total tackles, 3 TFL and five hurries.
The Panthers, meanwhile, had 25 carries for 125 yards and eight pass completions for 108 yards.
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh (7-3, 5-0 SOL) finds itself as the 16th seed in what will be a 16-team field with the final seedings to be announced Sunday. William Tennent closed out its season with a 1-9 record.
UPPER MORELAND 41, HATBORO-HORSHAM 13
The Golden Bears ended their regular season with a convincing win over their neighboring rival.
The Hatters took an early 6-0 lead when Ty Teasley scored on a four-yard run. The rest of the first half belonged to the Bears, who took a 7-6 lead when – after Larry Hughes caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from David Adamski – Luke Sword connected on the PAT.
Justin Valentin’s four-yard touchdown run and Sword PAT put the Golden Bears on top 14-6, a score that stood until halftime.
Adamski’s 23-yard touchdown run to open the second half gave UM a 21-6 lead. Hughes hauled in his second Adamski touchdown pass of the game – this one from 28 yards, and the Bears led 27-6 after a missed PAT. An Elijah Davis five-yard run and Sword extra point gave the Bears a 34-6 lead. Teasley’s seven-yard touchdown run made it a 34-13 game heading into the final quarter. Valentin’s nine-yard touchdown run gave UM its final margin of victory.
On the defensive side of the football, Kyle Moore delivered an interception. Hughes had a pair of sacks and seven tackles, and Jimmy Murray had a team-high nine tackles and one sack.
Up next: Upper Moreland (6-4, 3-2 SOL) is 13th in the latest District 1 5A power ranking while Hatboro-Horsham closed out its season with a 2-8 record (2-3 SOL).
Hatboro-Horsham 6-0-7-0 13
Upper Moreland 14-0-20-7 41
WISSAHICKON 56, SPRINGFIELD TWP 14
The Trojans rolled to a no-doubt-about it win over the Panthers in their regular season finale, thanks to an offense that was – in a word – unstoppable.
All told, the Trojans accumulated 524 yards
Dom Sheppard Harvey ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
Quarterback Evan Tolmie had another big night, completing 8 of 9 passes for 189 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 59 yards and one TD.
Xavier Johnson had 74 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns while Jason Murray had three receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown. Q West had 36 receiving yards and one TD.
Ryan Kim had a five-yard touchdown run.
On the defensive side of the football, Dylan Shanter had an interception.
Up next: Wissahickon is sixth in the latest District 1 5A rankings and looking to host a home game. Williams Tennent closed it season with a 1-9.
Non-league
CHESTER 32, QUAKERTOWN 19
The Panthers knew they would have their hands full against a Chester squad that brought a perfect 9-0 record into Friday’s game and was atop the District 1 5A power rankings. Chester became a last-minute opponent for the Panthers’ homecoming game when Cheltenham’s season was cancelled for hazing allegations.
The two teams exchanged scores in the opening quarter with the Panthers knotting the score 7-7 when Brady Martin connected with Jackson Connelly on an 18-yard touchdown pass. Kyler Roesener’s three-yard touchdown run pulled the Panthers to within a touchdown at halftime – they trailed 20-13.
Chester added a pair of scores in the third quarter to go on top 32-13 before Ryan Berlanda hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Martin.
Up next: Quakertown (4-6, 3-3 SOL), 19th in the Friday’s District 1 6A rankings, will travel to Pennridge for the annual Thanksgiving Day game.
Chester 13-7-12-0 32
Quakertown 13-0-0-6 19
LOWER MORELAND 50, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 6
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