Back for its 17th season, the popular Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features football beat writer Drew Markol. To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the Intelligencer (http://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school/) and Courier Times (http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/) web sites
SuburbanOneSports.com: Central Bucks South defeated previously undefeated Pennridge, which meant big changes in both the SOL National and district seedings. Your thoughts.
Drew Markol: “The biggest upset from the last week of the regular season had Central Bucks South beating Pennridge. Both teams had plenty to gain. South came in – if they won, they would share the SOL National with Pennridge and CB West. Plus, they would insure themselves a top eight seed and a home district playoff game this week.
“Pennridge is 9-0, had a chance for a second straight outright SOL National title, and they would have secured the top seed in the district playoffs for the second straight season. Both teams had plenty to gain. With that top seed, you play every game at home, which is a nice benefit.
“But that didn’t happen. South played well right out of the gate and had the lead most of the game. Pennridge finally took a 14-13 lead with three minutes to go, and you thought, ‘Here we go, here’s a Pennridge defense that hasn’t allowed more than one touchdown in a game all season.’ If you’re Pennridge, you’re thinking, ‘We’ve played a bunch of close games. We scored in the last seconds to beat CB West, and that’s West’s only loss. We don’t allow touchdowns. We don’t allow points. That’s not what we do’.
“Austin Keller, the really good kicker for Pennridge, boomed the kick into the end zone, giving South the ball on its 20 with three minutes to go. And then South – which had all its timeouts – puts together an 80-yard drive in two-and-a-half minutes and does what no one had done to Pennridge all season.
“Trent Haviland, the sophomore quarterback for South who’s getting better and better, threw a pass to senior Gavin Graham. Graham did most of the damage on the drive running the ball, and he walked into the end zone. Game over. South celebrated its share of the SOL National title, and Pennridge looked devastated, understandably so, because it had plenty on the line.
“South had shut out North Penn 17-0 the week before. Now it gets a home playoff game against a perennial district power in Coatesville. You’d much rather play Coatesville at home than have to drive down there on a Friday night. It was a really good win for South.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: As a result of its loss, Pennridge fell down to third in the District 1 6A rankings and will host North Penn.
Drew Markol: “Now Pennridge has to bounce back against North Penn. Ironically, last year, Pennridge beat North Penn during the regular season, then lost to North Penn in the district final. Pennridge beat North Penn a couple of weeks ago, and now they play in the first round of districts. It’s not the same North Penn team as last year. North Penn goes in with a 5-5 record, and they’ve been without their best player, Rylei Gray, for weeks. I’d be surprised if he played this week.
“The question is whether Pennridge can bounce back. If you’re going to lose a game, I think you’re better off losing when you’re 4-0 instead of 9-0, which Pennridge was before its loss to South. You might think you’re invincible, and then all of a sudden, you lose. Now you’ve got to come back and play again the next week, and if you lose, you’re out of the tournament. Did South expose anything that other teams saw? Who knows? Maybe. Pennridge was hanging its head. Can they bounce back? I think they surprised themselves with what they did this season. I don’t think they were that much better than everyone, but their defense was really good, though.
“South is going to be an issue for teams. Can they beat Coatesville? I wouldn’t be surprised. They started the season 0-3 and won six of their last seven. Their only loss in that stretch was to West, and they lost pretty handily, but they’re one of those teams you wouldn’t want to play. That Pennridge-North Penn game on Friday should be a pretty good one.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Central Bucks East is going back to Ridley, a team. the Patriots lost to in the first game of the season. Your thoughts.
Drew Markol: “I think East could win. They didn’t feel like they played well the first time they met, losing 28-7, and it could be an advantage to play them again. Has East gotten better? They had a win against North Penn, and they’re definitely improved from that point. But Ridley is 8-2, and East has to go down there again. You wonder about the psychological advantage.
“These coaches will tell you they’d rather play an unfamiliar opponent in the first round if they can. For East, it’s just the luck of the draw that they end up playing a team they’ve already played. That was in late August, a long time ago — an eternity in a high school football season. Can they turn it around? There’s going to be a lot of Mike Price running for East. It’s hard to turn around a 28-7 score, but things do change, and that’ll be a battle. Psychology plays a part in sports. When somebody has already beaten you like that, it’s tough to come back. But North Penn did it last year to Pennridge, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Council Rock South will travel to Downingtown West for a first-round matchup. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “That’s another game that could be interesting is No. 11 Council Rock South going to No. 6 Downingtown West. That game is Saturday at 7. The other first-round games are Friday at 7, but Downingtown East and West share a field. East plays Friday, and West plays Saturday.
“When Council Rock South lost to Quakertown and Souderton, it looked like its playoff hopes were cooked. But South turned around and beat Plymouth Whitemarsh, which is the No. 5 seed in the tournament. That was PW’s only loss of the season, and it probably kept them from getting a No. 3 seed. If PW had beaten South, they’d probably be third behind Downingtown East and CB West.
“Can Council Rock South go down to Downingtown and beat them? The Downingtowns have a reputation, and they should because they’re always good. It might be easier to go down there on Saturday because you’re not dealing with all the Friday traffic. But that’s a tough chore for Council Rock South.”
SuburbanOneSports: Quakertown started the season 0-4 and still made the playoffs. Your thoughts about the Panthers’ matchup with Spring-Ford.
Drew Markol: “Quakertown needed a win Saturday. They went down to play William Penn in New Castle, Delaware, and beat them. A loss probably wouldn’t have kept them out of the tournament, but they might have been a No. 16 seed. Instead, they’re No. 13 and go to Spring-Ford. Spring-Ford is 9-1 and really good. Its only loss was to undefeated top seed Downingtown East, 35-7. Spring-Ford has been rolling.
For Quakertown, this is what coaches talk about when they say, ‘Just get in.’ They were so far on the outside at 0-4 that it didn’t look like they had a chance. But they came back and rolled off six straight wins, including the one Saturday, to get into the tournament. Now they’re still playing, and a lot of teams aren’t. When you’re 0-4, a lot of doubts creep in. But they regrouped, ran through the SOL Continental and got themselves into a playoff game. Are they underdogs against Spring-Ford? They are. But at least they’re in, and the only way you can have an upset is if you get in.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Harry S Truman is in the tournament at 16. Your thoughts.
Drew Markol: “I think Truman is a feel-good story. They took advantage of their situation. Harry S Truman hasn’t had a great football tradition over the years, but they got into the tournament as the No. 16 seed. Jasir Mitchell, their senior running back, has been good all season, and they’ll be counting on him a lot. They have to play undefeated top seed Downingtown East on Friday. That’s a big mountain to climb.
“Truman was in the Continental Conference for years and struggled. This year they moved to the American Conference, while Plymouth Whitemarsh moved from the American to the Continental. Truman went 3-2 in the conference, finished with five wins and got into the playoffs. That’s good for the program.
“They have a difficult task, but look at Plymouth Whitemarsh. Last year, PW was playing in the American Conference and wasn’t playing all 6A schools. They’re a 6A school, and they got the No. 16 seed and lost to Pennridge in overtime in the first round.
This year, PW moved to the Continental, played the 6A teams, had a great season and earned the No. 5 seed. Their only loss was to Council Rock South. If you’re an optimist, you can say it worked out for both Truman and Plymouth Whitemarsh. If Truman getting in builds some excitement and gets more kids interested in coming out to play, that’s good for the program.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Plymouth Whitemarsh will face Owen J Roberts in the 5-12 game. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “You look at Plymouth Whitemarsh – they’re 8-1 and the five seed, and they play Owen J Roberts. All four teams Owen J lost to – Downingtown West, Coatesville, Perkiomen Valley and Spring-Ford – are in the district tournament, so you know they played a pretty good schedule. This will be a good first round test for PW after playing Pennridge, the one seed as the 16th seed last year. Now they’re a five seed, and they’re projected to win, but 5-12 games can be interesting. I think PW is better. I think that loss to Council Rock South woke them up, and I could see them make a nice little run here.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: In Class 5A, Upper Moreland will host West Chester Henderson. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “Upper Moreland had a great regular season, but it drew the only team that beat it. Upper Moreland is the fifth seed after a 9-1 season, and in a bit of bad luck, the No. 12 seed they’re playing is West Chester Henderson, the only team that beat them all season. Henderson beat them 33-6. The odds of that happening – in a 16-team field, having to play the only team you lost to, and lost to pretty badly – that’s just bad luck for Upper Moreland.
“Can they turn it around? The game is at Upper Moreland this week. Quarterback David Adamski had a nice game in the win over rival Hatboro-Horsham last week, and Kyle Moore and Santino Rodriguez have had great seasons for the Bears. It’s just a tough spot for Upper Moreland, having to face a team that beat them 33-6.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Wissahickon will face Unionville in a Class 5A first round game. Your thoughts.
Drew Markol: “Wissahickon finished behind Upper Moreland in the SOL American. They’re 8-2 and host No. 11 Unionville on Friday in the first round. They’ve won four in a row and allowed only 35 points in those four games while scoring about 30 a game. Unionville comes in at 7-3, and it’s a long ride for them. If Wissahickon wins, it would likely play unbeaten Great Valley in next week’s quarterfinals. But we can worry about that then.
“Wissahickon is the higher seed, and they’re deserving of what they got. As it’s been all season, they’ll need running back Quasir Sampson to come up big. He had 200 yards last week in their shutout win over Springfield. Quarterback Evan Dixon will need to throw it enough to open things up for Sampson. The guys you count on during the season become even more important in the playoffs because a lot of teams condense their playbooks a little bit and make sure their best kids have the ball.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: You’ve never been a fan of the 16-team brackets. Do you still feel that way?
Drew Markol: We have 16-team brackets in 6A and 5A, and I’ve always said that’s too many teams. You’ve got teams going in with four wins and five wins. I think you should at least have to have a winning record to qualify. But next week, when we get to the final eight and the quarterfinals, you’re going to see better matchups. The teams that should be there are usually there.
“Not that I don’t like the first round, but it goes by chalk a lot of the time. Next week is when it really starts to kick in.”
Drew Markol’s picks
(Winners in bold)
North Penn at Pennridge
Central Bucks East at Ridley
Quakertown at Spring-Ford
Council Rock South at Downingtown West
Harry S Truman at Downingtown East
Coatesville at Central Bucks South
Owen J Roberts at Plymouth Whitemarsh
Unionville at Wissahickon
Upper Moreland at WC Henderson
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