Back for its 17th season, the popular Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features football beat writer Drew Markol. To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the Intelligencer (http://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school/) and Courier Times (http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/) web sites.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Central Bucks East defeated North Penn in one of the SOL’s key matchups. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “The big surprise last week was CB East beating up on North Penn, 34-12. What an enormous win for East. They had lost to CB South and Pennridge, and it looked like their playoff hopes were dwindling because they still had to play North Penn and then CB West in Week 10 in the rivalry game. Then they go out and win that one, pushing them up to No. 8 in the district power rankings.
“Mike Price, the senior running back, went over 200 yards rushing. He had four rushing touchdowns and threw for a fifth. They turned to him, and he delivered. He’s one of the top backs in the area, not just in Suburban One. They probably locked up a district playoff spot, even if they happen to lose their last two games. That’s how big that win was,
“North Penn is 4-4, and now they have to play CB South, which beat up on CB East a couple of weeks ago. North Penn is still without Rylei Gray, who’s a real difference-maker on any team. He’s one of those kids who can score from anywhere, and he’s also a really good defensive back.
“You don’t get surprised much by the results of these games, but that one absolutely surprised me.
SuburbanOneSports.com: As a result of its win over Hatboro-Horsham, Harry S Truman finds itself in the top 16 in the District 1 6A power rankings. Your thoughts.
Drew Markol: “One of the surprises of the season is Harry S. Truman. They’re in the American Conference this year, and they picked up a win over Hatboro-Horsham last week. They jumped out 13-0 lead, and then Hatboro closed the gap and tied it. Truman went on a 22-6 run to put the game away, 35-14.
“Right now, they’re 15th in the district power rankings, which means they’re in. If the season ended today, they’d be in the top 16. Frank McArdle is in his second season there, and he’s starting to turn things around. You do that by winning, and they’re starting to win.
“Senior Jasir Mitchell has been good all season. He had 265 yards rushing against Hatboro and a couple of touchdowns.
“They’ve got a sophomore quarterback, Sataj Edwards, who made his first varsity start last week. That’s not an easy spot in all that rain and wind, and he helped lead them to a win. I like what they’re doing. It’s hard not to.
“They have to play Wissahickon this week, which is tough, and then William Tennent to finish the season. Could they get in at 5-5? They may. If they lose to Wissahickon and beat William Tennent, they have a chance. If they’re able to beat both of them and finish 6-4, they’re absolutely in.
“It’s been a couple of years since they’ve been truly competitive. McArdle is doing a good job, and now they have a chance. That’s all you can ask for, especially for a team that has struggled for the last five years. By comparison, last year Truman was 2-9. Now they’re 4-4 and fighting for a playoff spot.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Central Bucks West just keeps rolling. The Bucks had a 40-0 lead at halftime and went on to earn a 40-8 win over Neshaminy last week. Your thoughts.
Drew Markol: “Look at CB West – they beat up on Neshaminy last week. They play Pennsbury this week and then CB East next week in the rivalry game. They’re 7-1. Their only loss was to undefeated Pennridge on a last-second touchdown, 14-7.
“Right now, West is fourth in the district power rankings. Pennridge is first, I believe, followed by Downingtown East, Plymouth Whitemarsh and West. West is a team nobody wants to play in the playoffs because they’re really, really good.
“If the form holds in the district, which it never does because somebody always seems to lose a game you don’t expect, we could be looking at a rematch of Pennridge and CB West in the District 1 final. That would be pretty good stuff, seeing those two play again. West is averaging nearly 40 points a game. Pennridge is the only team that held them to a low point total, limiting them to seven. They can score and play defense, and that’s kind of how West has always been.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn is at Central Bucks South in a key SOL battle. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “North Penn at CB South is probably the biggest game this week with implications in the National Conference. Both teams are 4-4. South currently sits at No. 10 in the district rankings, and North Penn is No. 12. North Penn finishes next week with Abington, and you’d think they would win that game, while CB South has to play Pennridge.
“Pennridge isn’t going to get a chance to rest anybody because they want to hold on to that No. 1 ranking in the district. That puts the onus on South to win the game against North Penn. Let’s say they beat North Penn and lose to Pennridge. At 5-5, they give themselves a chance of getting in, but you never know for sure. Six is the magic number for wins to basically assure your spot, but 5-5 teams do get in.
“If you get in at 5-5, you’re probably a 14th, 15th or 16th seed, and you’re playing a powerhouse in the first round. That’s tough.
“North Penn is in the same boat as South. If they lose to South, they go to 4-5. Let’s say they beat Abington next week. They’re 5-5 and in a similar situation. Are they going to get a 14th or 15th seed?
“Rylei Gray is still out for North Penn, and I don’t know when or if he’ll be back. He’s missed a number of games now. He’s such a threat that teams have to game-plan for him. If he can’t play, it obviously makes North Penn a lot easier to stop.
“Teams have been running on North Penn, too. Their run defense has been struggling all year. CB South will pound the ball. They’ll try to get it to Gavin Graham, who’s also a pretty good defensive lineman. I’m sure a big part of their game plan is going to be to pound the ball and make North Penn stop Graham.
“It’s probably the best game of the weekend in the SOL because of the implications surrounding it.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Plymouth Whitemarsh is at Council Rock South this week. Could Council Rock South give undefeated Plymouth Whitemarsh a challenge?
Drew Markol: “Council Rock South is 4-3. They’re only going to play nine games because of the Cheltenham situation. They finish next week against Council Rock North, which is winless. If they can pull the upset of Plymouth Whitemarsh, they assure themselves a spot in the district playoffs, but that’s easier said than done against a PW team that’s 7-0 and just rolling.
“It’s a tough spot for Council Rock South. If they lose to PW, they drop to 4-4. If they beat Council Rock North, they’re 5-4. The way the district power points work, they usually divide by 10 because of the number of games played. For teams that are only playing nine games, including Plymouth Whitemarsh and Council Rock South, they’re dividing by nine.
“That’s not going to hurt them. But we’re looking at a potential five-win team in Council Rock South. When you get in at that spot, you’re down near the bottom and you’re playing Pennridge, PW, Downingtown East or CB West — one of the real heavyweights this season.
“PW has been so good all season. I expect them to make a lot of noise in districts, too.”
Drew’s Picks
(Winners in bold)
Academy of The New Church at New Hope-Solebury
Bensalem at Souderton
Central Bucks East at Abington
Central Bucks West at Pennsbury
Council Rock North at Morrisville
Harry S Truman at Wissahickon
Hatboro-Horsham at Springfield Twp
Lower Moreland at Bristol
Neshaminy at Pennridge
North Penn at Central Bucks South
Plymouth Whitemarsh at Council Rock South
Quakertown at Upper Dublin
William Tennent at Upper Moreland
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