By Scott Huff
The brutal heat of August has morphed into the brutal cold of December – and there is still Suburban One League football to be played.
North Penn (14-0) has earned the right to play for the Eastern Final of the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs by virtue of its impressive 28-0 victory over SOL rival Neshaminy (12-2) last week.
The Knights will face Lehigh Valley Conference power Bethlehem Liberty on Saturday at Coatesville High School – 1 p.m. kick off. NP defeated Liberty (13-1), 23-15, in the heat of August in the season opener for both teams. The Hurricanes – who defeated George Washington 30-13 last week - have not lost since.
The North Penn saga is not over, but the for the remaining SOL teams, the season is now in the league history books.
Chapter One – SOL Continental Conference
Quakertown – The Panthers (9-3, 5-2) were a dismal 1-11 last season and shocked the SOL with a terrific season that saw them earn a number six seed in the PIAA Quad-A District One Playoffs. Q-town lost in that first round game to Ridley, 21-0.
The biggest wins of the season came when the Panthers beat neighborhood rivals Pennridge (34-29) and Souderton (27-25). Both Pennridge and Souderton qualified for the district playoffs.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Quakertown Player of the Year – Tony Latronica.
Pennridge – The Rams (6-6, 3-4) were undersized along both the offensive and defensive lines but competed with some of the best teams in the district. Pennridge earned a number 15 seed in the PIAA Quad-A District One Playoffs and lost in the first round to Garnet Valley, 21-7.
The biggest victory of the season came when the Rams defeated Archbishop Wood in triple overtime, 43-42, in the season opener. Wood will play Selinsgrove in the PIAA Triple-A Eastern Final.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Pennridge Player of the Year – Brad Herrmann.
Souderton – The Indians (5-6, 3-4) were decimated by injuries for most of the season, and the promise of August was gone by the reality of September. Souderton, however, continued to play inspired football and earned a number 16 seed in the PIAA Quad-A District One Playoffs. The Indians were shown the exit door by North Penn, 35-7.
The biggest wins of the season for the Indians came early when Souderton bested a pair of District One playoff teams in Neshaminy (14-13) and Downingtown East (46-14). The Indians also captured a win over rival Pennridge (20-19) – still another playoff team.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Souderton Player of the Year – Cody Muller.
Hatboro-Horsham – The Hatters (5-7, 3-4) were coached by first year coach Tom Butts. Hatboro-Horsham proved to be more than competitive within the conference schedule.
The biggest wins for the Hatters came when H-H edged Quakertown 23-22 – a PIAA Quad-A District One playoff team. The Hatters also defeated Central Bucks South – 56-21 – in a shootout.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Hatboro-Horsham Player of the Year – Mike Bobrin.
Central Bucks East – The Patriots (4-6, 3-4) were also coached by a first year coach – Tim Michaels. East tied for third place in the conference standings despite a losing record within the conference.
The biggest wins for the Patriots came when East bested George Washington 24-13 – GW advanced to the quarterfinal bracket of the PIAA state tournament. CBE also came up with a 45-35 victory over playoff bound Pennridge.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Central Bucks East Player of the Year – Devon Passman.
Central Bucks South – The Titans (4-6, 2-5) came into the season as the defending SOL National champions but could not defend their title due to the conference realignment.
The biggest wins of the season for South were the wins over the ‘other’ Central Bucks schools. The Titans bested CB East by a 14-6 score, while CBS whipped CB West by a 27-6 margin.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Central Bucks South Player of the Year – Mike Doty.
Central Bucks West – The Bucks (3-7, 2-5) played a tough non-league schedule and were competitive in a tough SOL Continental Conference. Head coach Chris Felton will not return next season.
The biggest wins of the season for West came against conference opponents. The Bucks upset a playoff team - Souderton 38-35 - and edged Hatboro-Horsham 33-31.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Central Bucks West Player of the Year – Ted Conrad.
Chapter Two – SOL National Conference
Neshaminy - The Redskins (12-2, 7-0) captured the conference title with an unbeaten run. Neshaminy advanced to the PIAA Quad-A District One Finals ending its season with a loss to North Penn, 28-0.
The biggest wins of the season for the Redskins came in the playoffs with victories over both Ridley (31-3) and Garnet Valley (21-14). A huge win came over Pennsbury (16-13) in a showdown for the conference title.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Neshaminy Player of the Year – Paul Carrezola.
Pennsbury – The Falcons (9-3, 6-1) finished a strong second to Neshaminy and finished the season as the number seven seed in the PIAA Quad-A District One Playoffs. The Falcons were beaten by Garnet Valley in the playoffs – 14-12.
The biggest wins of the season for the Falcons were a 24-14 victory over Abington during conference play and a 45-14 victory over Penncrest in the first round of the playoffs.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Pennsbury Player of the Year – Richie Applegate.
Abington – The Ghosts (10-3, 5-2) earned the number nine seed in the PIAA Quad-A District One Playoffs. Abington lost to eventual District One champion North Penn, 42-14.
The biggest wins of the season for the Ghosts were a 48-35 victory over Glen Mills in the first round of the playoffs as well as a 42-21 win over conference rival Council Rock South.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Abington Player of the Year – Sam Kind.
Council Rock South – The Golden Hawks (6-4, 3-4) opened the season strong and were unbeaten in non-league action. However, CR South was ousted from a possible PIAA Quad-A District One playoff spot with a loss to Rock North in the last game of the season.
The biggest wins for the Golden Hawks came during their non-league schedule. Rock South bested both CB South (34-27) and CB East (35-14).
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Council Rock South Player of the Year – Rus Chichkin.
Bensalem – The Owls (4-7, 3-4) lost a few close games early in the season and competed well with the conference foes this season.
The biggest wins of the season for the Owls were a 35-0 shutout of West Philadelphia in a non-league contest and a 30-24 win over Council Rock North in conference play.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Bensalem Player of the Year – Camryn LaSalle.
Council Rock North – The Indians (3-7, 3-4) featured a high-powered passing attack and could score points against all caliber teams.
The biggest win of the season for Rock North was a 20-18 conference victory over rival CR South in the final game of the season. The loss kept Rock South out of the playoffs.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Council Rock North Player of the Year – Tyler Hamilton.
Harry S Truman – The Tigers (2-10, 1-6) were tamed for most of the season, but played their best football at the end of the season. Coach Van Smith retired at the end of the season.
The biggest wins of the season for the Tigers were their only wins – a 12-7 win over William Tennent in conference play – and a 15-14 win over Stroudsburg in a non-league game.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Truman Player of the Year – Jeff Tiberi.
William Tennent – The Panthers (0-7, 0-10) suffered through a winless season. Tennent did celebrate, though, the construction of its new turf stadium.
The facility – still named Claude Lodge Field – hosted the PIAA Quad-A District One Final.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Tennent Player of the Year – Pat Traczykiewicz.
Chapter Three – SOL American Conference
Upper Moreland – The Golden Bears (11-2, 5-1) finished a sensational season with an appearance in the PIAA Triple-A District One Finals – a 21-14 loss to Bayard Rustin. Upper Moreland finished the season as the SOL American Conference co-champions.
The biggest wins of the season for the Golden Bears were a pair of playoff wins over Phoenixville (26-20) and Owen J Roberts (33-14). UM ended its season with a 27-13 Thanksgiving morning win over rival Hatboro-Horsham.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Upper Moreland Player of the Year – Chris Smallwood.
Upper Dublin – The Flying Cardinals (8-2, 5-1) qualified for the PIAA Quad-A District One Playoffs. The Cardinals were beaten by Conestoga, 26-15, in the first round of the playoffs. UD was co-champion of the SOL American Conference with Upper Moreland.
The biggest wins of the season for the Flying Cardinals was their head-to-head victory over Upper Moreland (19-14) and a 42-35 conference win over Upper Merion.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Upper Dublin Player of the Year – Josh Mastromatto.
Upper Merion – The Vikings (6-4, 4-2) were one game shy of qualifying for the PIAA Triple-A District One Playoffs.
The biggest wins of the season for the Vikings were a 14-7 win over archrival Norristown and a 36-7 conference victory over Wissahickon.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Upper Merion Player of the Year – Alex Phanthavong
Cheltenham – The Panthers (5-8, 3-3) played a rigorous non-league schedule that included St. Joseph’s Prep and rival Abington.
The biggest wins of the season for the Panthers were a 33-0 non-league win over Harry S Truman and a 21-13 hard-fought win over Norristown.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Cheltenham Player of the Year – Makhail Reed.
Norristown – The Eagles (5-5, 2-4) came out of the gate quickly against its non-league schedule but struggled with the conference schedule.
The biggest wins of the season for the Eagles were a 20-12 win over Upper Dublin and a 34-31 overtime win over Bensalem in the final game of the season.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Norristown Player of the Year – Sheldon Mayer.
Wissahickon – The Trojans (5-5, 2-4) were explosive at times during the season, but were too inconsistent during the conference games.
The biggest wins of the season for the Trojans were a 27-8 conference win over Norristown, and a 40-14 victory over William Tennent.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Wissahickon Player of the Year – Brandon Gunn.
Plymouth-Whitemarsh – The Colonials (0-11, 0-6) finished the season winless, but PW did celebrate its new turf field.
Plymouth-Whitemarsh was able to host PIAA Triple-A District One playoff games.
The SuburbanOneSports.Com Plymouth-Whitemarsh Player of the Year – Kyle Crowder.
SuburbanOneSports.Com’s Final Top Ten
1. North Penn Knights {14-0}
2. Neshaminy Redskins {12-2}
3. Upper Moreland Golden Bears {11-2}
4. Pennsbury Falcons {9-3}
5. Abington Ghosts {10-3}
6. Quakertown Panthers {9-3}
7. Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals {8-2}
8. Souderton Indians {5-6}
9. Pennridge Rams {6-6}
10. Council Rock Golden Hawks [6-4}
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