By Scott Huff
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks.
Duh.
The scholastic football fans of the Suburban One League have a few things to be thankful for this last week in November.
Thanks for the unbeaten North Penn Knights (12-0) and their quest for another PIAA state football title. North Penn will host Avon Grove this Friday night at Crawford Stadium in the District One semifinal game, and if the Knights can finish at 16-0, the state title is the prize.
Quakertown head coach John Donnelly has been the only coach in District One that has had the ‘pleasure’ of meeting both North Penn and Avon Grove. His Panthers lost to North Penn (43-13) during the SOL Continental Conference regular season and lost to Avon Grove (41-14) in the first round of the District One playoffs.
“Avon Grove is very effective running that Wing-T offense,” said Donnelly. “They have four very good running backs – and I would say that their run-to-pass ratio is 85 percent run to 15 percent pass.
“They can burn you with speed, or they can pound the ball,” added Donnelly. “You have to hold your breath every time they run the football.”
Donnelly senses that the key to beating Avon Grove might be exploiting their defensive secondary.
“We felt watching film that their secondary was their weakness,” said Donnelly. “On defense, they run a pretty vanilla base defense, and they don’t really pressure the quarterback.
“Avon Grove looks like a team that might have trouble catching up if you score on them early,” added Donnelly. “North Penn will be very tough to beat – especially if they get up early.”
The Panther coach continues to be impressed with the Knights.
“North Penn has gotten exponentially better each week,” said Donnelly. “They have a better balanced offense, and (Todd) Smolinsky is a terrific high school quarterback. His ratio of touchdown passes to interceptions is excellent
“North Penn is perhaps the most confident team I have seen,” added Donnelly. “They will be playing at home – before a raucous crowd – and they have shown in the past that they can pass the big test. I love their chances.”
In addition to the North Penn – Avon Grove match-up, fans of Quakertown, Pennridge, Hatboro-Horsham, Upper Moreland, Abington, Cheltenham, and Harry S Truman all have those extra special Thanksgiving morning rivalries to be thankful for.
Quakertown (8-3) @ Pennridge (5-6)
Thanksgiving Morning – 10:15 am
Quakertown enters the game after absorbing the 41-14 spanking by Avon Grove in the District One playoffs. The Panthers want to be able to send their senior class out on a positive note – and a win.
“The Pennridge game is a game that is rich in tradition, and the atmosphere is something the kids will never forget,” said Quakertown coach John Donnelly. “This game gives them bragging rights for a lifetime.”
Quakertown stats:
Rushing: Tony Latroncia 173 rush -1279 yards (7.4) avg – 16 TD; Tyler Burke 53 rush -455 yard (8.6) – 5 TD; Joe Able 50 rush -313 yards (6.3) – 3 TD.
Passing: Ryan Tincknell 49 comp -86 att (57%) – 752 yards – 8 TD – 1 int.
Receiving: Tony Latronica 15 rec. – 249 yards (16.6) – 2 TD; Kurtis Roberts 16 rec. – 219 yards (13.7) – 0 TD; Rob Basile 6 rec. 171 yards (28.5) – 3 TD.
Pennridge enters the game on the heels of its most impressive win of the season – a 39-14 non-league victory over Cheltenham. A victory would give the Rams a .500 record for the season.
Pennridge stats:
Rushing: Jesse Knepp 156 rush – 840 yards (5.4) – 4 TD; Ian Walbridge 97 rush – 617 yards (6.4) – 6 TD; Kyle Peters 111 rush – 443 yards (4.0) – 2 TD.
Passing: Kyle Peters 63 comp – 131 att. (48.1%) – 13 TD – 9 int.
Receiving: Drew Smith 17 rec – 268 yards (15.8) – 6 TD; Ryan Metzler 10 rec.- 156 yards (15.6) – Jesse Knepp 7 rec. 112 yards (16.0) – 1 TD.
Upper Moreland (5-5) @ Hatboro-Horsham (5-6)
Thanksgiving Morning 10 am
Upper Moreland enters its Turkey Day contest following a thrilling 21-14 loss to Pottsgrove in the first round of the PIAA District One Class AAA playoffs. A victory over the Hatters would present the Bear seniors with a winning season.
“The old-timers in the community really don’t care if we win a district game,” said Upper Moreland coach Adam Beach. “All they really want us to do is beat Hatboro on Thanksgiving.”
Upper Moreland stats:
Rushing: Chris Smallwood 195 rush – 1155 yards (5.9) – 13 TD; Greg Adamson 47 rush – 241 yards (5.1) – 3 TD; Pat McKay 43 rush – 159 yards (3.7) – 3 TD.
Passing: Matt Sawick 45 comp. – 93 att. (48.4%) – 759 yards – 3 TD – 6 int.
Receiving: Royne Dennis 38 rec. 644 yards (17.5) – 3 TD; Kyle Lockhard 9 rec. – 210 yards (23.3) – 2 TD.
Hatboro-Horsham prepped for its Turkey Day contest with a 30-8 non-league rout of Bensalem. The Hatters will finish the season with a .500 record with a victory – and bragging rights for a year in the Horsham area.
Hatboro-Horsham stats:
Rushing: Darryl Neville 145 rush – 921 yards (6.4) – 10 TD; Nick Dovidio 70 rush – 526 yards (7.5) – 2 TD; Matt Coyle 84 rush – 335 yards (4.0) – 1 TD.
Passing: Matt Hollenbeck 59 comp. – 134 att. (44.0%) – 8 TD; 5 int.
Receiving: Zach Shaner 18 rec. – 268 yards (14.9) – 2 TD; Connor Poston 17 rec. 159 yards (9.4) – 3 TD; Nick Dovidio 7 rec. 150 yards (21.4) – 2 TD; Darryl Neville 12 rec. 134 yards (11.2) – 0 TD.
Abington (7-3) @ Cheltenham (3-8)
Thanksgiving Morning 10 am
Abington enters its contest with the Panthers after dropping a tough 24-17 loss to Neshaminy in the first round of the PIAA District One Quad-A playoffs.
“A lot of these kids have been playing against each other since the seventh grade,” said Abington head coach Tim Sorber – an Abington graduate who knows the tradition of the game. “It is a very big deal for the seniors to win the final game of their career.”
Abington:
Rushing: The Ghosts have featured almost exclusively the talents of junior running back Julien Ireland. Ireland totes the ball over 20 times per game and has rushed for over 1000 yards this season.
Passing: Abington senior quarterback Sam Kind is one of the premier quarterbacks in the area. Kind has the ability to throw from both the pocket and on the run.
Receiving: The Ghosts showcase the talents of senior wide out Anthony Hensley. The gifted pass catcher has tremendous chemistry with Kind and has combined for a number of big plays this season.
Cheltenham has struggled recently, and the Panthers are hopeful of bouncing back from a 39-14 loss to Pennridge in their last game. The Panthers have lost their last three games. A win over the Ghosts would make the season for Cheltenham.
Cheltenham:
Rushing: The Panthers have one of the premier backs in the area in Damin Finley. Finley rushed for 326 yards and four touchdowns against Upper Dublin and had a 290 yards-3 TD effort against Wissahickon.
Passing: Cheltenham does not throw the ball all the often, but quarterback Kenneth Cropper has done a fine job all season behind center.
Conwell-Egan (6-4) @ Truman (2-8)
Thanksgiving Morning 10 am
Truman prepped for its Turkey Day Classic with a 21-7 non-league victory over Stroudsburg. Egan lost to North Catholic, 20-17, in its last game.
Truman Stats:
Rushing: James Schmidt 99 rush – 458 yards (4.6) – 1TD; Drew Peterson 84 rush – 357 yards (4.2) – 3 TD; Lionel Chapman 74 rush – 333 yards (4.5) – 6 TD.
Passing: Drew Peterson 14 comp. – 36 att. (38.9%) – 3 TD; 3 int.
Receiving: Travis Thomas 7 rec. 147 yards (21.0) – 2 TD; Lionel Chapman 3 rec. 51 yards (17.0) – 1 TD.
Predictions:
North Penn 38 – Avon Grove 20
Quakertown 31 – Pennridge 28
Upper Moreland 21 – Hatboro-Horsham 20
Abington 42 – Cheltenham 13
Egan 20 – Truman 14
SuburbanOneSports.Com Super Seven
1. North Penn Knights (12-0)
2. Neshaminy Redskins (9-3)
3. Pennsbury Falcons (9-2)
4. Abington Galloping Ghosts (7-3)
5. Council Rock South Golden Hawks (8-3)
6. Norristown Eagles (9-2)
7. Quakertown Panthers (8-3)
- Log in to post comments
0
