SOL Football District Wrap (10-31-25)

Pennridge, North Penn, Council Rock South, Souderton & Neshaminy were winners in Friday’s opening round of the District 1 6A Tournament. Pennridge/PW photos provided courtesy of Laura Rowe, Neshaminy/CB West photos provided courtesy of Greg Lindsay, CR South/Haverford photos courtesy of Jennifer McDonald, Wissahickon/Unionville photos courtesy of Kim Supko, and Upper Dublin/Springfield-Delco photos courtesy of Shannon O’Sullivan. Check back for galleries of all five games. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ FOOTBALL GALLERIES.

#1 PENNRIDGE 22, #16 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 21

(Game stats provided courtesy of Pennridge football)

Pennridge’s postseason was hanging in the balance.

With less than a minute remaining in regulation and the Rams on the short end of 21-14 score, Ryan Rowe capped a touchdown drive after the Rams recovered a PW fumble, taking it in untouched from two yards out to pull Pennridge to within one.

The key play on the drive came when Noah Keating found Blake Landherr at the PW five. Four plays later Rowe scored, forcing coach Kyle Beller to choose between kicking the PAT for the tie or going for two and the win.

“Honestly, we went through the process – talked to the special teams coach and said, ‘Do you have a two-point play you like?’ We talked about a couple different plays,” Beller said. “You play to win the game, you coach to win the game. At that point, I felt we had momentum, so let’s go for it.

“You go to overtime, you both get the ball again, and they’re really hard to stop. I trust the kids. I think they would have been upset if I didn’t go for it. It was really just having faith in them. They didn’t say much, they didn’t question it. They just said, ‘Let’s go.’ They’re warriors, they like to grind things out.”

Once again, the ball was in Rowe’s hands, and this time the Princeton-bound senior dove into the end zone for two points and a 22-21 lead.

“Ryan ran like who he is – he’s a heck of a football player, and he ran like one,” Beller said.

The Rams won despite trailing for a better part of the contest. The Colonials took an early 6-0 lead when James Cain raced 57 yards for a TD.

Early in the second quarter, Pennridge answered when Keating connected with Connor McMillan on a six-yard scoring play on a huge fourth down. After the extra point, the Rams had their first lead, but not for long. PW answered with a TD to go into halftime with a 14-7 lead. Michael Bongard scored on a 15-yard run, and Cole Reilly took it in for the two-point conversion.

In the third quarter, Bongard scored on a 21-yard pass from Reilly. Late in the third quarter, Keating scored from a yard out to make it a 21-14 game, setting the stage for the fantastic finish.

“We settled in, we got a turnover, our offense did a great job of going down and getting a score,” Beller said. “Honestly, that’s how our kids play. They just keep grinding and believing. They just keep playing as a team.

“Every week someone different does something big. We got bodies going down, bodies getting thrown in, but everyone this time of year has that. Man, I’m just so proud of these young men and how they play and the heart they have.”

The win, according to the Rams’ coach, was a team effort.

“Ryan Rowe did a great job on both sides of the ball,” Beller said. “Defensive-wise, he always plays great there, and offensive-wise, he really ran the ball hard on the touchdown and two-point conversion. Those were huge plays.

“Up front, the line pulled together and did a great job. PW was giving us fits up front. That’s a really good football team. When it mattered, our guys came together and did their job.”

Returning to the lineup after suffering an injury was Brody Blomgren.

“We played Brody, and he did a great job in the second half,” Beller said. “I put him in on defense. He’s a little nicked up, He’s been feeling good, but I was a little hesitant. He came in and made some great plays, and so did Ian Gallagher, so did Nolan Worman. The whole defense really stepped up at the end after they had that good drive to start the second half. We just went back to the basics and played football.”

The Rams’ coach tipped his hat to the Colonials.

“You’re looking at a 1 versus 16 seed, and the 16 seed is 7-3,” Beller said. “It’s a great conference, it’s great football we play down here.

“That’s not a number 16 seed. That is a very good football program. Unfortunately, they’re down that low because of some of the teams they’ve played, but they play a great out-of-conference schedule. They are battle tested, and we knew that was going to be a game.”

Rowe led the Rams’ ground game with 69 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Keating completed 11 of 16 passes for 110 yards.

For the Colonials, Cain led the way with 110 yards and a touchdown.

Up next: Pennridge will host Downingtown East in Friday’s quarterfinal round. Plymouth Whitemarsh closed out its season with a 7-4 record, 5-0 in the SOL American.

Plymouth Whitemarsh 6-8-7-0 21

Pennridge 0-7-7-8 22

#2 NORTH PENN 42, #15 BOYERTOWN 14

(Scoring info provided courtesy of Mike Cabrey’s X @mpcabrey)

If the Knights were looking to set the tone for Friday’s district opener early, they did just that when – on their first drive of the game – Matt Pownall raced 68 yards for a touchdown.

“The game plan – it was a pretty windy night out, so we figured we’d have to be on the ground a lot,” North Penn coach Dick Beck said. “Our O-line has been coming along and playing well, so we thought we’d give them a chance to take control of the game early. The backs were running great, the O-line was really coming off the ball.

“I thought we really, really played good defensively, especially in the first half. We were penetrating, the linebackers were flowing and we were really in good shape defensively for the entire first half.”

By the end of the first quarter, the Knights led 21-0. Quarterback Matt Bucksar connected with Will Rittenhouse on a 26-yard touchdown pass, one play after Pownall took a screen pass 45 yards. Just over a minute later, the Knights – after recovering a fumble inside the Bears’ 10, Aiden Ashley punched it in from one yard out.

Back-to-back touchdown runs by Rylei Gray – the first from 20 yards and the second on a 41-yard run – sent the Knights into halftime with a 35-0 lead.

The Bears broke up North Penn’s shutout bid in the second half, but the night belonged to the Knights.

“The guys defensively that played really well were Jacob Garrett and Nate Schepien,” Beck said of his inside linebackers. “They handled things in the middle really well. Nate’s been playing great all year. The last three or four weeks, Garrett’s been put in as the middle linebacker, and he’s just been awesome.

“The O-line blocked well, but the two running backs are so explosive. They make it easy – give them a hole and they’re going to take it a long way.”

The Knights bear no resemblance to the squad that dropped a pair of regular season games.

“Three or four weeks ago, something happened to the team, and the intensity level just turned up,” Beck said. “It was after the Pennsbury game. Even though we played good on defense, we were a little bit flat. I just feel like the enthusiasm and the practice intensity – it’s been at the level you want it at, and I think it’s shown for the last couple of weeks that we are really hitting our peak.

“Look, every week – if we don’t’ prepare hard, we’re not going to play well, and the kids know that, and you can see it. They’re a little more fired up. It’s good to see.”

Up next: North Penn (9-2, 5-2 SOL) will host fifth-seeded Souderton in a rivalry game on Friday.

Boyertown 0-0-7-7 14

North Penn 21-14-0-7 42

#5 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 27, #12 HAVERFORD 7

For the better part of three quarters, the Golden Hawks found themselves locked in a 7-7 tie with the visiting Fords.

Then came a play that ignited the Hawks when – late in the third quarter – senior Nate Szydlik took it 80 yards to the house to make it a 13-7 game. It marked the beginning of a 20-0 Rock South run to close out the game.

“We kind of jostled with each other, went back and forth,” Rock South coach CJ Szydlik said. “Obviously, neither of us were moving the football very well. Nate took a handoff and went about 80 yards for a touchdown.”

Szydlik continued to work his magic when – early in the fourth quarter – he turned an interception into a touchdown, taking it to the end zone 30 yards for a 20-7 lead. Gavin Lacey – the catalyst on the Golden Hawks’ first-half touchdown – put the finishing touches on the win when he took it in from near midfield for the 27-7 final

“Honestly, our depth is what became a factor in the second half,” Szydlik said. “We kind of knew as a staff – if it’s a close game into the second half that we probably could wear them down a little bit and be able to roll some guys, and that’s kind of how it happened.

“You catch a break here or there, Nate makes that play, and it starts to steamroll.”

Take away a first-quarter scoring drive by the Fords that was kept alive by a roughing the passer penalty, the Hawks’ defense pitched a shutout.

“Anthony Ciminno and Chris Guinter, our defensive ends, were fantastic today, and Mike Milewski, our safety in run support, was really good,” coach Szydlik said. “That’s kind of how you have to play that offense. It was tough.

“It’s the triple option, and your defensive tackles are sacrificing themselves. They’re not going to have any stats, but they’re just diving in there and trying to stop it. You have to win as a team. That’s the way you stop it.”

Szydlik acknowledged the significance of the Golden Hawks’ success.

“In the sense of program, community, school and everything, it’s a pretty big deal,” the Hawks’ coach said. “I think we revived something that’s been sleeping for a little bit, and that’s something to be proud about.”

Up next: Council Rock South (10-1, 7-0 SOL) will travel to fourth-seeded Coatesville for a quarterfinal game next Friday. Coatesville defeated #13 Perkiomen Valley 27-10 in Friday’s opener.

Haverford 7-0-0-0 7

Council Rock South 7-0-6-14 27

#7 SOUDERTON 23, #10 RIDLEY 6

Sparked by a stellar defensive effort and some timely offensive plays, the Indians rolled to a win over Ridley in an opening round game.

“It was a really good performance,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “Our kids played well on both sides of the ball, and we got a big play on special teams.”

Neither team scored in the opening quarter, and the Indians got on the scoreboard with 7:21 remaining in the opening half on Mujana ‘JoJo’ Sudi’s 10-yard touchdown run.

With just over two minutes remaining in the first half, quarterback Ben Walsh hooked up with Hunter Smeltz on a 79-yard touchdown pass. Sudi took it in for the two-point conversion, and the Indians led 14-0.

Noah Porter’s block of a Ridley punt resulted in a safety, and the Indians took a 16-0 lead into halftime.

Early in the fourth quarter, Caleb Moyer punched it in from a yard out for a 23-0 Souderton lead before Ridley scored a late touchdown.

“The defense played fantastic,” Gallagher said. “We played really well at all three levels defensively, but our outside backers – Noah Porter and Jimmy Eakins – made a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage. Timmy Meehan probably had another 10 tackles. It was just a good overall defensive game.

“It was a lot of field position with the wind tonight. It was a good effort on both sides of the ball and special teams.”

The Indians’ coach liked a whole lot of what he saw in Friday’s decisive win.

“We ran the ball pretty efficiently, and we threw when we needed to,” Gallagher said. “Ben was efficient. We really didn’t run a ton of patterns, but we threw some things pretty well.

“Our backs all ran well. We moved Caleb Moyer to fullback. Chase Hart didn’t play – he was hurt in last week’s game. We moved Michael McCormick up to tight end and Caleb Moyer over to fullback and started Caleb at fullback with JoJo and Jared (Higginbotham) at the halfbacks. All three of those guys ran the ball well.”

Up next: Souderton will travel to second-seeded North Penn for a District 1 6A quarterfinal game Friday.

“It’s exciting,” Gallagher said. “A lot of our kids are friends with the kids from North Penn. We haven’t played them in a while. We do 7-on-7s with them. It’s a very healthy respect we have for each other.

“It should be a really good matchup, a great crowd hopefully next Friday night. I can’t wait.”

Ridley 0-0-0-6 6

Souderton 0-16-7-0 23

#11 NESHAMINY 28, #6 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 21

(Statistics provided courtesy of Neshaminy football)

Behind yet another dazzling performance by quarterback Michael Eckart – who accounted for 335 total yards of offense, the Redskins rallied from a 14-0 first quarter to take a 21-14 lead into halftime on their way to the upset win.

The Bucks put a pair of touchdowns on the scoreboard on a pair of Nick Miletto runs – the first from one yard out and the second on a 19-yard run.

That two-touchdown lead disappeared in the second quarter. Eckart began yet another glittering effort behind center when – on fourth down – he took it in from 15 yards out to make it a 14-7 game.

After a stop by the Redskins’ defense, Eckart scored on a 35-yard run to even the score after a Stephen Buczek PAT.

A shanked punt gave the Redskins the ball at their own 45. Neshaminy’s third TD drive of the quarter included a pair of completions from Eckart to Mike Sassano, and the drive was capped with an Eckart to Sassano 10-yard touchdown strike, sending the Redskins into halftime with a 21-14 lead.

In the closing seconds of the third quarter, Eckart hooked up with Nick Sassano on a 29-yard touchdown pass to put the Redskins on top 28-14.

West made it a one-score game after Louie Cipollo scored from a yard out with 5:53 remaining in the fourth quarter. That would be the extent of the scoring for both squads as the ‘Skins held on for the huge win.

For the game, Eckart completed 19 of 26 passes for 232 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also had 19 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Carter Clee didn’t find the end zone, but he had another big night running the football, finishing with 15 carries for 101 yards. Brock Williams and Mike Sassano both had five receptions with Williams accounting for 85 yards and Sassano 46 and one TD.

West, meanwhile, had 281 total yards of offense – 211 on the ground.

Up next: Neshaminy (8-3, 5-2 SOL) will host #14 Owen J Roberts in Friday’s quarterfinal round. OJR upset third-seeded Downingtown West 10-7. Central Bucks West closed out its season with a 7-4 record (5-2 SOL).

Neshaminy 0-21-7-0 28

Central Bucks West 14-0-0-7 21

District 1 5A

#12 UNIONVILLE 27, #5 WISSAHICKON 14

(Scoring info and stats provided courtesy of Ed Morlock X @emor09)

Friday’s district opener started on a promising note for the Trojans, who led 14-0 late in the first quarter only to watch Unionville reel off 27 unanswered points to earn the upset win.

Evan Tolmie hooked up with Quentin West on a 34-yard touchdown pass for an early 7-0 lead, and when – after a Dom Harvey-Sheppard pass breakup – Andrew Rowan raced 48 yards for a pick six, the Trojans led 14-0.

The rest of the night belonged to the visiting Longhorns, who trimmed the Trojans’ lead to 14-13 by halftime and then put the game out of reach with a pair of third quarter touchdowns.

Harvey-Sheppard led the Trojans with 143 rushing yards and also had six receptions for 57 yards. Tolmie threw for 150 yards and one TD.

Wissahickon closed out its season with a 9-2 record, 4-1 in the SOL American Conference.

Unionville 0-13-14-0 27

Wissahickon 14-0-0-0 14

#4 STRATH HAVEN 35, #13 UPPER MORELAND 21

(Game info courtesy of Haven football X @Havenfootball)

The Golden Bears put on a strong showing in Friday’s district opener.

They took an early lead and still found themselves deadlocked 21-21 after three quarters, but Strath Haven closed it out with a pair of touchdowns to earn the come-from-behind win.

UM led 7-0 after one quarter and broke a 7-7 tie when David Adamski connected with Larry Hughes on a 58-yard touchdown pass that sent the Golden Bears into halftime with a 14-7 lead.

The Golden Bears defense allowed just 110 yards of total offense in the first half, and Strath Haven was just 1 for 6 on third down conversions.

Another Adamski to Hughes touchdown pass – this one for 10 yards – gave the Golden Bears a 21-7 lead with 7:30 remaining in the third quarter.

Strath Haven closed out the quarter with 14 unanswered points and then added a pair of TDs in the fourth quarter for the 35-21 final.

Upper Moreland closed out its season with a 6-5 record, 3-2 SOL American.

Upper Moreland 7-7-7-0 21

Strath Haven 0-7-14-14 35