Football Forecast – 12+
By Scott Huff
The good news (even if this isn’t a newspaper) for the Suburban One League is that 5 of the Elite 8 teams remaining in the PIAA 6A District One playoffs are members of the SOL.
No. 2 Central Bucks West, No. 5 Plymouth Whitemarsh, No. 10 Central Bucks East, No. 11 Council Rock South & No. 14 North Penn all advanced to the D-1 quarterfinals.
The bad news for the Suburban One League is that a total of 6 teams were jettisoned from the tournament in both the 6A & 5A playoffs.
No. 3 Pennridge, No. 8 Central Bucks South, No. 13 Quakertown, & No. 15 Harry S Truman were shown the exit door in the 6A playoffs, while No. 5 Upper Moreland & No. 6 Wissahickon were ousted from the 5A tournament.
The relatively good news (well, not really good news) for both Pennridge & Quakertown is that the Rams & Panthers will meet on Thanksgiving morning (10:15) @ Q-town’s iconic Alumni Field.
However, for the Titans, Tigers, Golden Bears & Trojans and their fans, the news is all lousy as their successful 2026 season is painfully over.
“Very interesting”….Arte Johnson (google him)
Success during the regular season determines seeding for the District-1 playoffs with the higher seeds earning coveted home field advantages.
However, in the opening round of the playoffs in 6A District-1 playoffs half of the teams that hosted games were uncharacteristically KO’d from the tournament.
No. 1 Downingtown East * No. 2 CB West * No. 4 Spring-Ford & No. 5 Plymouth Whitemarsh were home field winners.
No. 3 Pennridge * No. 6 Downingtown West * No. 7 Ridley * & No. 8 Central Bucks South were home field losers.
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No. 9 Coatesville * No. 10 CB East * No. 11 Council Rock South & No. 14 North Penn were visiting team winners.
No. 12 Owen J Roberts * No. 13 Quakertown * No. 15 Perkiomen Valley & No. 16 Harry S Truman were visiting team losers.
Also very interesting….(part 2)
The Class 6A District-1 home teams that lost games were not really competitive in those defeats.
Pennridge chased North Penn all night in a 17-point loss (38-21) * Central Bucks South failed to threaten Coatesville in an 11-point loss (35-26) * Ridley was dominated from beginning to end in a 21-point loss (28-7) to Central Bucks East & Downingtown West was also never in the game in a 21-point loss (28-7) to Council Rock South.
No Place Like Home?…….
*P.S. * The only teams in the 5A District-1 playoffs that did NOT defend its home field were the 2 teams from the Suburban One League American Conference * No. 4 Upper Moreland & No. 5 Wissahickon.
Upper Moreland lost its home contest @ Upper Moreland Golden Bear Stadium in a 34-14 loss to No. 12 West Chester Henderson & Wissahickon lost its home contest @ Wissahickon Trojan Stadium to No. 11 Unionville, 21-14.
PIAA District One * 6A Playoff Snapshot*
No. 5 * Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (9-1) @ No. 4 * Spring-Ford Rams (10-1)
Last Week:
No. 5 Plymouth Whitemarsh took ‘no mercy’ on No. 12 Owen J Roberts in a 59-31 rout of the Wildcats. The Colonials led 42-10 at halftime and the teams played with a running clock in the second half. Plymouth Whitemarsh utilized a relentless running attack on OJR rushing 41 times for 432 yards & 7 touchdowns. Mike Giangiulo rushed for 194 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 50, 5 & 1 yards. Aiden Orensky rushed for 167 yards and scored on TD runs of 42, 33 & 17 yards. Orensky also returned a kickoff 92 yards for a score. James Cain scored on a 12-yard run, while Max Peterson added a 37-yard field goal.
No. 4 Spring-Ford managed to stay one step ahead of No. 13 Quakertown which earned the host Rams a 42-28 victory. Spring-Ford built a seemingly safe 28-7 halftime lead, however, the Panthers made it a one score game (35-28) with 6 minutes left in the game. The Rams were a high-powered machine offensively with over 400 yards of total offense. Sophomore running back Phoenix Martin rushed for 247 yards and scored a touchdown. Rowan Harmon added 2 rushing scores for the winners, while Trent Yoder added a rushing touchdown. Kaiden Pickersgill fired a 74-yard scoring pass to Jackson Wickersham. Jack Strzeminski intercepted a pass late in the game to seal the deal for the Rams.
Season Resume:
Plymouth Whitemarsh has defeated Coatesville (21-20), Kennett (55-28), CB South (33-0), Quakertown (44-8), Souderton (17-14), Council Rock North (63-0), Upper Dublin (42-0), Bensalem (56-14) & Owen J Roberts (59-31). The lone loss of the season came in a 26-21 setback against Council Rock South.
Spring-Ford has defeated Souderton (31-14), Exeter (21-7), Avon Grove (43-6), Boyertown (42-17), Methacton (48-0), Perkiomen Valley (28-7), Pope John Paul (28-10), Owen J Roberts (49-26), Upper Perkiomen (42-21) & Quakertown (42-28). The lone loss of the season for the Rams was a 35-7 loss to Downingtown East.
Scoring Summary:
Plymouth Whitemarsh has scored an average of 41.1 points per game and has allowed an average of 14.1 points per game for a winning margin of 27.0 points per game.
Spring-Ford has scored an average of 33.5 points per game and has allowed an average of 13.6 points per game a winning margin of 19.9 points per game.
Winner Gets:
The winner of the game between Plymouth Whitemarsh & Spring-Ford will play the winner of the game between No. 1 Downingtown East & No. 9 Coatesville.
Prediction:
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 38 * Spring-Ford Rams 28
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No. 10 Central Bucks East Patriots (7-4) @ Central Bucks West Bucks (10-1)
Last Week:
No. 10 Central Bucks East avenged an early season 28-7 non-league loss to No. 7 Ridley in the season opener to pay back the Green Raiders by an identical 28-7 score. The offense was carried once again by Mike Price who scored 3 touchdowns for the winners. Price scored 2 rushing touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass from Hunter Pulford. The Patriot defense was led by Liam Hoey and lost its shutout bid when Ridley scored with less than a minute remaining in the game. This was the first time CB East has won a District-1 playoff game in 21 years.
No. 2 Central Bucks West had its best scoring game of the season with a 56-42 opening round PIAA District-1 6A playoff victory over No. 15 Perkiomen Valley. The Bucks led 35-14 at halftime but needed to continue its offensive production in the second half to secure the win. Nick Miletto scored on runs of 80, 41 & 1 yards, while Braylen Cape scored on runs of 51 & 2 yards. Ethan Stoneback added a 3-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Josh George fired 2 touchdown passes * one to Cape of 36 yards & the other to Louie Cipollo of 33 yards.
Last Meeting:
Central Bucks West & Central Bucks East met just 2 short weeks ago as the Bucks gouged the Patriots, 41-14. CB West dominated the game from the beginning to end and led 27-7 at the close of the first half.
The Bucks’ offense was highlighted by Brayden Cape who rushed for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns, while quarterback Josh George fired 2 touchdown passes. Mike Price rushed for 101 yards for the Patriots.
Season Resume:
Central Bucks East has defeated Liberty (35-26), Bensalem (63-19), Neshaminy (35-21), Pennsbury (28-27 OT), North Penn (34-12), Abington (35-0) & Ridley (28-7). The Patriots have lost games to Ridley (28-7), Pennridge (26-7), CB South (35-6), & CB West (47-14).
Central Bucks West has defeated Easton (36-7), Wilson West-Lawn (35-23), Souderton (35-14), North Penn (28-26), Abington (44-0), CB South (45-13), Neshaminy (40-7), Pennsbury (35-7), CB East (41-14) & Perkiomen Valley (56-42). The lone loss of the season for the Bucks came in a 14-7 setback to Pennridge.
Scoring Summary:
Central Bucks East has scored an average of 27.2 points per game and has allowed an average of 22.0 points per game for a winning 5.2 points per game.
Central Bucks West has scored an average of 36.5 points per game and has allowed 15.9 points per game for a winning margin of 20.6 points per game.
Winner Gets:
The winner of the game between CB West & CB East will play the winner of the game between No. 11 Council Rock South & No. 14 North Penn.
Prediction:
Central Bucks West Bucks 35 * Central Bucks East Patriots 20
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No. 14 North Penn Knights (6-5) @ No. 11 Council Rock South Golden Hawks (7-3)
Last Week:
No. 14 North Penn is the defending PIAA District-1 6A champion and the Knights opened their defense with an ‘upset’ over No. 3 Pennridge, 38-21. The ‘upset’ word could only be used concerning the seedings as North Penn dominated the Rams the entire game. Quarterback London Evans was spectacular completing 9 of 13 passes for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wil Rittenhouse caught 2 touchdown passes from Evans of 42 & 7 yards and caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Sal Colella. Colella iced the win with a 52-yard touchdown burst in the 4th quarter. Duke Horgan caught a 62-yard touchdown pass from Evans, while placekicker Matthew Kasitz opened the scoring for the Knights with a 33-yard field goal. North Penn rolled up 437 yards against a surprisingly overmatched Ram defense.
No. 11 Council Rock South advanced to the PIAA District-1 quarterfinals with a surprisingly easy 28-7 opening round victory over No. 6 Downingtown West. The Golden Hawk defense dominated a Whippet offense that came into the game with a 30.1-point scoring average. Rock South held West to just 104 yards of total offense and a single touchdown. Jerry Rogers once again sparked the offense with 33 carries for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cannon Benzio added a rushing touchdown. And you know things are going well when CR South lined up for a field goal – fumbled the snap – and Joey Saranio tossed a touchdown pass to Nate Keyak.
Season Resume:
North Penn has defeated Lower Dauphin (41-7), Upper Dublin (35-0), Pennsbury (35-7), Neshaminy (28-0), Abington (62-14) & Pennridge (38-21). The Knights have lost games to Central York (42-33), CB West (28-26), Pennridge (20-8), CB East (34-12) & CB South (17-0).
Council Rock South has defeated Hatboro Horsham (42-0), Perkiomen Valley (13-10), Upper Dublin (42-7), Bensalem (42-7), Plymouth Whitemarsh (26-21), Council Rock North (49-14) & Downingtown West (28-7). The Golden Hawks lost to Pennridge (27-10), Souderton (14-13) & Quakertown (24-21).
Scoring Summary:
North Penn has scored an average of 28.9 points per game and has allowed an average of 17.3 points per game for a winning margin of 11.6 points per game.
Council Rock South has scored an average of 28.6 points per game and has allowed an average of 15.5 points per game for a winning margin of 13.1 points per game.
The Winner Gets:
The winner of the Council Rock South & North Penn game will play the winner of the game between No. 2 CB West & No. 10 CB East.
Prediction:
North Penn Knights 24 * Council Rock South Golden Hawks 17
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And the beat goes on…
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Closing the Books on the 2026 season
Class 6A
No.8 Central Bucks South (6-5) was eliminated from the PIAA District One 6A playoffs with a 35-26 loss to No. 9 Coatesville (7-4). Trent Haviland threw 2 touchdown passes * one to JuJu Hardy of 32 yards * and the other to Santino Wade of 42 yards. Dylon Varanavage scampered 62 yards for a score, while Hardy scored on a 4-yard run. The Titans may have lost their final game * but Central Bucks South celebrated the close of the SOL National Conference season with a tri-championship along with Pennridge & Central Bucks West.
No. 15 Harry S Truman (5-6) had its unexpected postseason appearance last a single game as the Tigers were caged by No. 1 Downingtown East, 42-14. The game was played under the ‘mercy-rule’ early in the third period. The final 2026 roller coaster ride for HST * loss (Haverford) * win CR North * loss West Philadelphia * win South Philadelphia * loss Chichester * win Springfield-Montco * loss Upper Moreland * win Hatboro Horsham * loss Wissahickon * win William Tennent & loss Downingtown East. The roller coaster ride is finally closed until the 2027 season.
Class 5A
No. 5 Upper Moreland (9-2) will have to “settle” for a Suburban One League American Conference championship as the Golden Bears were ousted from the PIAA 5A District-1 playoffs by No. 12 West Chester Henderson (7-4), 34-14. Upper Moreland just couldn’t figure out the riddle of the Warriors this season as WCH handed the Golden Bears their only 2 losses of the season. Henderson defeated Upper Moreland 33-6 during the regular season. However, winning 9 games and having an unbeaten SOL American Conference season is still something that should make the program extremely proud.
No. 6 Wissahickon (8-3) had its season ended abruptly with a 21-14 loss to No. 11 Unionville (7-4). The Trojans led twice during the game * 7-0 on a 10-yard scoring run by Ryan Kim & 14-7 on a 7-yard touchdown run by quarterback Evan Dixon. The Longhorns scored with 1:11 left in the game, however, which brought the 2026 season to a successful, yet disappointing, end for the Trojans.
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Turkey Day Special
Pennridge (9-2) & Quakertown (6-5) will continue the 2026 season as the Rams & Panthers will meet for the 97th time on Thanksgiving @ iconic (love that word) Alumni Field in Q-town.
Pennridge broke a 4-game Panther win streak in the Turkey Day classic with a 24-14 victory last year. The Rams lead the series over Quakertown with a 59-32-5 record.
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No. 3 Pennridge was eliminated from the District One 6A playoffs as the Rams were defeated by No. 14 North Penn (6-5), 38-21. Pennridge had beaten the Knights during the SOL National Conference season, 20-8. The scoring plays for the Rams came on a terrific 93-yard kickoff return by Michael Ferguson * a 19-yard run by Trevor Picciotti & 15-yard touchdown pass from Aiden Tetkowski to Bradley Dornon. Tetkowski passed for 101 yards, while Picciotti rushed for a team-high 97 yards.
No. 13 Quakertown was eliminated from the District One 6A playoffs by No. 4 Spring-Ford, 42-28. The Panthers trailed 28-7 at halftime but closed to 35-28 midway through the final period. Carter Tucholski spearheaded the comeback firing a 37-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Ferrugio and scoring on an 11-yard run. Tucholski completed 15 passes for 164 yards. Daimon Lowande-Richardson scored on an 18-yard run and finished with a team-high 127 yards on 14 carries. Gavin Handschmucher opened the scoring for the Panthers with a 4-yard touchdown run.
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Pennridge & Quakertown thankfully still have that Turkey Day Special on the menu Thanksgiving morning for both friends & family.
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