Council Rock South used a 28-0 scoring burst to close out the first half to seize control of Friday’s SOL showdown. To view action photos of the game, visit the Photo Gallery by clicking on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/ The box score is courtesy of PhillyBurbs.com
NEWTOWN – The stage was set for another classic battle between Neshaminy and Council Rock South.
Or at least so it seemed.
With six minutes remaining in the opening half of Friday night’s National Conference showdown, the Golden Hawks were clinging to a 6-3 lead, and the Redskins had just taken over on downs at their own 28-yard line.
But on the very next play, the Golden Hawks recovered a fumble, and two plays later, Anthony Alimenti was sprinting in from 29 yards out for a touchdown that – after Ryan Hickey powered in for a two-point conversion – put the Golden Hawks on top 14-3.
It marked the beginning of the end for the Redskins as the Golden Hawks reeled off 29 unanswered points on their way to a no-doubt-about-it 41-17 win over the Redskins.
“Going into this game, I had no idea it was going to turn out like this,” Rock South senior Ryan Whiteley said. “I thought it was going to be a good battle like last year – 28-21 coming down to the last second, but we came out fired up and put points on the board.”
Did they ever.
The Golden Hawks shredded Neshaminy’s defense for 355 yards on the ground. Alimenti led the way with 139 yards on just nine carries while Whiteley had 94 yards on 11 carries.
Rock South’s defense, meanwhile, allowed just three first-half points, and the Golden Hawks led 35-3 before the Redskins scored a pair of meaningless touchdowns.
“Most of the things we preached about throughout the entire week came to fruition,” Rock South coach Vince Bedesem said. “It’s very, very uplifting that when you talk about these things, and they follow through and get results – it makes our job the following week a (heck) of a lot easier.
“I don’t care what you want to say – that’s still a (heck) of a Neshaminy team, but our kids stepped up and played. Neshaminy still did a great job. They’re a scary team.”
On their first possession of the night, the Golden Hawks - after taking over on Neshaminy’s 47-yard line - needed just four plays to punch it in.
Whiteley had runs of nine and 29 yards, setting the stage for a nine-yard TD burst by Christian Crane that put the Golden Hawks on top 6-0.
“Our offense is great when we make those reads and the right calls,” Whiteley said. “We can’t be stopped when we make the right calls.”
The Redskins answered Rock South’s early touchdown with an 11-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with a 29-yard field goal by Nicholas Tucci. Highlights of the drive were a pair of huge completions by quarterback Joe Bianchini – the first to Justin Andrews for 16 yards and the second a 32-yard strike on third-and-long to Bobby Marterella.
The respective defenses forced consecutive three-and-outs, but then came the pivotal sequence that forever changed the course of the game.
After Alimenti’s score made it a 14-3 game, Neshaminy took over on their own 34. Two plays later, the Redskins coughed up the football yet again, and the opportunistic Hawks recovered the ball on their own 45.
Alimenti broke free for a 35-yard run on the first play of the drive, and then Crane took it nine yards. Whitely capped the drive with a six-yard TD run. A Solis extra point made it a 21-3 game with 3:53 remaining.
“They turned the ball over, and our offense is really lethal when we have the ball,” said senior Andrew Cohen, a catalyst on both lines for the Hawks. “We were fortunate enough to put points on the board after those turnovers, and it really changed the momentum of the game.”
The Golden Hawks’ defense forced another three-and-out, and with 1:37 remaining, the offense mounted yet another TD drive. This one covered 57 yards on six plays and culminated with Crane finding teammate Cameron Crosley with a 21-yard strike on a halfback option pass. A Solis extra point sent the Golden Hawks into halftime with a commanding 28-3 lead.
“We preach, preach, preach about capitalizing and putting points on the board after turnovers,” Bedesem said. “We did switch our formations around, which enabled us to get a clearer look at what they were giving us because they were really, really coming hard off the edge and sticking Brian.
“We were able to switch a formation or two up and give Brian a little bit more time so he could read the offense.”
While the Golden Hawks were firing on all cylinders on offense, their defense was equally impressive.
“Our coach keeps on preaching fire off the ball and stay low,” said Cohen.
If there was any doubt about the outcome, those doubts were put to rest on Rock South’s opening drive of the second half. After Whiteley picked up six yards on first down, Alimenti delivered the backbreaker, taking Donnelly’s toss on the option and bolting down the sideline 56 yards for a TD that – after a Solis extra point – put the Hawks on top 35-3.
“Our coaches were making the right calls, and our offensive line was downfield making the blocks they needed to,” Alimenti said. “I just followed my blocks and got in the end zone.”
The Redskins answered with a touchdown, using a little trickery of their own. First it was Marterella finding Sean Ulmer for a 20-yard completion, and then it was Justin Andrews hitting Ron Smith for a 34-yard touchdown pass. The Tucci extra point made it a 35-10 game.
Donnelly capped a 70-yard Golden Hawk scoring drive by taking it in from three yards out to give his team a 41-10 lead. The Redskins scored with 3:15 remaining when Denny Lord took it in from two yards outs. By then the outcome had long since been decided.
“Our defense did a great job,” Alimenti said. “They were getting the ball back for our offense, and we were able to put points on the board.
“This (win) is awesome, it’s great – there’s nothing like it.”
NOTES: In an impressive play to open the fourth quarter, Cohen, who weighs in at 265, not only blocked a punt but also recovered the ball. It also was Cohen who leveled Bianchini on his first pass attempt of the game, forcing the Redskin QB to get rid of the ball too soon. “Fortunately, we put pressure on the quarterback early, and it set the tone for the whole team and gave us momentum later in the game,” Cohen said.
Neshaminy 3 0 7 7-17
Council Rock South 6 22 13 0-41
Scoring Summary
CRS - Crane 9 run (kick failed)
N - FG Tucci 31
CRS - A. Alimenti 29 run (Hickey run)
CRS - Whiteley 6 run (Solis kick)
CRS - Crosley 21 pass from Crane (Solis kick)
CRS - Alimenti 55 run (Solis kick)
N - Smith 34 pass from Andrews (Tucci kick)
CRS - Donnelly 3 run (kick failed)
N - Lord 2 run (Tucci kick)
Team Statistics
N CRS
First Downs 16 16
Yards Rushing 92 355
Yards Passing 192 21
Total Offense 284 376
Comp. Passes, Int 12-20-1 1-3-0
Fumbles-lost 3-2 3-0
Penalties-yards 4-35 8-60
Punts-Avg. 3-28.7 2.38.5
Sacked-Yds. Lost 3-17 0-0
Individual Statistics
Neshaminy
Rushing: Ulmer 15-44; Buesmaill 2-18; Andrews 3-16; Sullivan 2-15; Lord 3-7, TD; Brown 2-3; Bianchino 1-0; Koch 1-(-11).
Passing: Biaanchino 7-12-0, 96 yards; Andrews 4-7-1, 76 yards, 1 TD; Marterella 1-1-0, 20 yards.
Receiving: Smith 3-68, TD; Andrews 4-49; Marterella 2-40; Ulmer 1-20; Lord 1-15.
Interceptions: None
Council Rock South
Rushing: A. Alimenti 9-139, 2 TDs; Whiteley 11-94, TD; Donnelly 11-46, TD; Crane 4-37, TD; Hickey 1-12; V. Alimenti 1-11; Paprocki 4-8; Spadaccino 1-5; Wiater 1-4; Moyer 1-(-1).
Passing: Crane 1-1-0, 21 yards, TD; Donnelly 0-2-0.
Receiving: Crosley 1-21, TD.
Interceptions: Scannapieco
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