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NEWTOWN – They’d read the predictions that their team wouldn’t survive Friday night’s District One Class AAAA opener against 15th seeded Souderton. They’d heard the not-so-subtle whispers that their defense – so impenetrable early in the season – might suddenly be suspect.They listened and they didn’t say a word.
On Friday night, Council Rock South – the tournament’s second seed - let its performance do the talking, and the Golden Hawks’ hard-fought 24-17 win sent a message that reports of their demise were decidedly premature.
The Hawks are alive and well and have a date with Central Bucks West – a 42-28 winner over Coatesville – in next week’s second round game, thanks to their gutsy, grind-it-out win over a tough Indian squad on Friday night at Walt Snyder Stadium.
“We proved them wrong,” senior lineman Jared Carp said of the doubters. “They were very physical. They played their hearts out, and we played our hearts out.
“We have been working for 12 weeks, and it’s all that hard work. This is our first time win in the playoffs. It’s a feeling we have never felt before.”
And it was a decidedly good feeling.
“First playoff win in Council Rock South history – it feels great to be a part of it,” junior lineman Justin Flor said. “I’m glad I’m playing football.”
On the other side of the field, the Indians were left to deal with the reality that a special season had come to an end. “This is extremely tough,” senior captain Nick Spause said. “We have been family for three years – four years for all the seniors. It’s really tough to see it end.
“We won’t have an opportunity like this ever again.”
Making the loss even tougher for the Indians to swallow was the fact that they believed a win was within their grasp. They were victimized by three fumbles that were recovered by the Golden Hawks, but no one was pointing fingers.
“It’s a full team effort,” Spause said. “It’s not one fumble. One block could be the difference between a two-yard loss and a touchdown.
“It’s a full team loss, a full team effort. It doesn’t come down to two fumbles. It comes down to every single play.”
And there were plenty of pivotal plays in this game.
Few were more significant than a Souderton fumble that was recovered by Ryan Hickey on the Golden Hawks’ 24-yard line to kill an impressive Indian drive to open the second half.
Talk about a reversal of fortunes. This was it.
Instead of driving in for a touchdown that could have put the Indians on top 17-7, the Indians watched the Golden Hawks march 57 yards for a Ben Solis 36-yard field goal that knotted the score 10-10.
“We get the ball to start the second half, and we go right down the field and get inside the 20 and turn the ball over,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “I’m not going to blame the kids, but turnovers play a big part in a game, especially a game where it’s more magnified. “If we score there and go up 17-7, it’s a completely different football game. It was still within reach. We still had our chances to win. You have to credit Council Rock for the effort they gave. Their kids fought and won the game.”
Any momentum Souderton had in a first half that saw the Indians collect 11 first downs to just five for the Golden Hawks went out the window after that sequence.
It was three-and-out on Souderton’s next offensive series, and after a 24-yard Indian punt, the Golden Hawks took over at midfield.
A huge pass interference call against the Indians on third-and-long kept the drive alive, and it culminated with a dazzling 25-yard touchdown run by Billy Fleming. The senior quarterback – who had three TD runs - received a huge assist from teammate PJ Gallo, who delivered a huge block to spring Fleming free on the corner.
“What can you say about Billy?” Carp said. “His competitiveness is unbelievable. He’s all over the place. He’s jumping on the sidelines getting everyone going. It’s fun to play with him.”
The extra point by Solis put the Golden Hawks on top 17-10, but not for long. Anthony Williams made sure of that, answering with a nifty 72-yard kickoff return that gave the Indians the ball on the Hawks’ 17-yard line.Tyler Scholl sprinted 12 yards on first down, and after back-to-back losses that included a sack by Andrew Cohen, Souderton quarterback Tanner Allem found teammate Clint Passarella wide open in the end zone on a huge fourth-and-goal from the eight. Wolf’s extra point made it a 17-17 game with 11:09 remaining in regulation.
“My coaches were yelling at me – ‘Kick the field goal, kick the field goal,’” Gallagher said. “We were on the eight-yard line on the hash, and we don’t have a very good angle to kick the field goal.
“Did we need to go for the touchdown? No, but I thought it was the time to make the call.”
If any drive defined Friday’s game, it was the Golden Hawks’ 12-play touchdown drive on their very next possession. It not only covered 54 yards and put the Hawks on top 24-17 after the Solis extra point, it also ate close to seven minutes off the clock.
“It was just making our blocks, staying on our blocks,” Flor said. “Their linebackers were blitzing – we had to pick them up. “It’s the seven-second rule. We have to hold our blocks for seven seconds.”
“Every week it’s ball security,” Carp added. “On the line, we have to hold our blocks for seven seconds, and hit someone. Even if it’s not the right person, hit someone anyway.”
The longest play of the drive was an 11-yard run by Mark Damirgian that took the ball to the one. Fleming finished off the drive with a one-yard plunge.
On the Indians’ ensuing possession, the Golden Hawks responded with the kind of defense that had been their trademark this season. Ryan Whitely delivered a hit for a two-yard loss on first down. On second down, Damirgian collected a sack, and on third down, Hickey was there to knock away Allem’s pass.
The Indians punted the ball, and it looked as though the Golden Hawks would be able to run out the clock, but they fumbled the ball, and the Indians recovered with 90 seconds remaining. On second down, they returned the favor with Tony Checchia recovering the fumble for the Hawks and sealing the Indians’ fate.
“Playoff football is about ball security and field position, and that showed tonight,” Rock South coach Vince Bedesem said. “The kids just did a super job.”
Earlier in the game, a big kick-off return by Anthony Alimenti gave the Hawks the ball on the Indians’ 47 on the opening drive of the game. Damirgian turned a Fleming screen pass into a 32-yard gain and then Fleming ran it for 13 yards. He took it in from one yard out, and less than a minute into the game, the Hawks led 7-0.
The Indians answered with a 73-yard drive of their own that resulted in a 25-yard Wolf field goal. They went on top 10-7 late in the first quarter after Javon White – who was sidelined most of the second half with an injury – bolted 68 yards for a touchdown. Wolf’s extra point gave the Indians a 10-7 lead that held up until halftime.While the Indians had the better of play in the first half, the Golden Hawks controlled play in the second half. That proved to be the difference in the game.
“Coming into the game, we didn’t talk about seeds, we didn’t talk about anything – we talked about ‘Here comes a good football team,’” Bedesem said. “This is playoff football in district one, and you better come to play, and that was evident.
“It was a great game. (Souderton) is a 7-3 ball club – the three (teams) they lost to were all in the playoffs and were top seeds, so our kids responded. They did a great job.”
While the Golden Hawks advanced to the second round, the Indians closed out their season with a 7-4 record (6-1 SOL).
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a two seed, a one seed or a 15 or 16 seed - this was two great teams playing each other,” Spause said. “It comes down to whoever has the most points, whoever plays the best.
“It’s incredibly hard to walk away from this field and not see these guys in pads ever again, especially since I’m a senior.”
Not far away, Mike Statuti was waiting to make the trek to the bus with his teammate.
“It hurts, it’s tough,” the Indians’ senior linebacker said. “There are no words to describe it. You put everything out on the field, your whole entire heart. You can only do so much.”
“We have a good football team,” Gallagher said. “I really enjoyed coaching this team.”
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 24, SOUDERTON 17
Souderton 10 0 0 7-17
Council Rock South 7 0 10 7-24
CRS-Billy Fleming 1 run (Ben Solis kick)
S-Jeff Wolf 25 field goal
S-Javon White 68 run (Jeff Wolf kick)
CRS-Ben Solis 36 field goal
CRS-Billy Fleming 25 run (Ben Solis kick)
S-Clint Passarella 8 pass from Tanner Allem (Jeff Wolf kick)
CRS-Billy Fleming 1 run (Ben Solis kick)
S CRS
First Downs 15 16
Rushing Yards 205 230
Passing Yards 123 34
Total Yards 328 264
Passing (A-C-I) 12-17-0 2-6-0
Fumbles-Lost 3-3 2-2
Penalties-Yds. 5-40 3-20
Punts-Avg. 3-25.0 2-23.5
RUSHING:
Souderton – Javon White, 6-88, 1 TD; Tyler Scholl, 14-68; Joe McNamara, 11-45; Tanner Allem, 3-4; Anthony Williams, 1-0.
Council Rock South – Billy Fleming, 17-76, 3 TDs; Brian Donnelly, 9-53; Tony Checchia, 10-48; Mark Damirgian, 11-37; Ryan Whitely, 4-16.
PASSING:
Souderton – Tanner Allem, 12-17-123, 1 TD.
Council Rock South – Billy Fleming, 2-6-34.
RECEIVING:
Souderton – Ry Yozalinas, 3-39; Tyler Scholl, 2-31; Alex Sowhangar, 4-27; Clint Passarella, 3-26, 1 TD.
Council Rock South – Mark Damirgian, 2-34.
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