Back for its 15th 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: With the start the high school football season Friday night, what are your thoughts about the SOL National Conference this year?
Drew Markol: “We have to start with the defending District 1 6A champion in Central Bucks South, trying to defend their title. They lost running back Anthony Leonardi, who surpassed the 2,000-yard milestone, as well as standout offensive lineman Collin Goetter, who is playing at Monmouth University, but they have a lot of players back. Owen Pinkerton, their quarterback, returns. Senior Eddie Bowen – a 6-2, 238 first team all-league selection – had 57 tackles and seven sacks and will anchor the defensive line. Also, Jim Wade, the linebacker, and Danny Gies, the defensive back, were all big parts of last year’s team. I think you have to start with South. Until somebody beats them, they’re the ones to beat in the SOL National. As far as the whole district, we’re talking opening week of the season, so it’s hard to say in the middle of August what’s going to happen. I think South will be legit again and will be the team to beat in the SOL National.
“Right behind them will be Central Bucks West. West won the conference title last year and went undefeated in the conference. CB South was 6-1 in the conference with its only loss to 
West, and then South turned the tables on them in the district playoffs. West had such a great senior class last year. They lost their quarterback Ganz Cooper before the season, and Cooper Taylor stepped in and had a tremendous year. They filled a lot of holes that way, but they lost a lot of players. They do have Ryan Clemens the running back, who’s a very good player. He’s not the biggest kid but never seems to get knocked backwards. Finn McGowen up front on the offensive line coming back- he’s a very good lineman. Both Clemens and McGowan were first team all-league. They have AJ Gerace, who was first team all-league, leading the defensive line. Devin McGowan stepped in for Connor McFadden when McFadden got hurt. I see CB West battling right there with CB South for the top spot. Two very good coaches in Tom Hetrick at CB South and Rob Rowan at CB West who both really know what they’re doing.
“Staying with the SOL National – North Penn had an off year last year, but they made the district playoffs. I think they’ll be back in pretty good shape this year. Matt Bucksar, the quarterback, is back. Linebacker Christian Johns-Wallace was first team all-league and is a very good player. I think North Penn will rebound from what for them was not a typical North Penn season. I think they’ll be back in pretty good shape.
“Pennsbury lost Nate Beighley, who’s playing at Shippenburg, but running back Jordan Brensinger is back. They have a big offensive line like Pennsbury of old. First team all-league linebacker Walker Murray will anchor the defense. I could see Pennsbury in the mix.
“Neshaminy was just 4-6 last year, and they haven’t had a winning season in a couple of years, which is unlike them. Maybe they turn things around. Carter Clee, the junior running back, is a pretty good player. Kyler Nelson- who was first team - will be a three-year starter on the offensive line, and Connor Frederick is the senior tight end – there are pieces there. We’ll see. They’re a wild card. You expect Neshaminy to figure it out and turn it around, and maybe they will.
“At Pennridge, Kyle Beller is in his second season. They only won three games last year. They have junior Noah Keating back at quarterback. He’s been starting since midway through his freshman year. He threw for nearly 1,400 yards last year, and he’s gotten bigger. One of the strengths for Pennridge is they have some experience back on their offensive line with Ryan Rowe and Ian Gallagher. Their best receiver is senior Chase Marshall. They have Trevor Fuhs, the linebacker, on defense. You think that they could improve upon last year. Beller’s had a full year to get things squared away into his own system with the weightlifting program and all of that. I would expect Pennridge to improve upon last year.
“CB East lost Mike Carroll and his younger brother, Liam, who were going to be a big part of East on offense and defense. Losing those to IMG Academy in Florida hurt. That happened right before the start of practice. When you lose one of the best offensive linemen in the country who is also a good defensive lineman and his little brother, who was only going to get better and who might have been a running back/wide receiver/defensive back type, that took a bit out of East, for sure. They have to try and recover. They had a 4-6 season last year. Logan Simkiss is going to be the quarterback this year, and he’s a linebacker too. It’s an odd mix, but they’ll be asking him to take over. A player to keep an eye on is sophomore running back Mike Price – he has good size. He’s 6-1, 220. I think he’s going to surprise some people. Can East improve and get back in the district playoffs? We’ll see. For every team that wins, there’s one that loses. It’s a simple math.
“Over at Abington, they didn’t hire Bruce Fleming as head coach until mid-July. I can’t imagine trying to get everything together that quickly. They’re coming off an 0-7 season in the SOL National. That’s a tough road. Junior receiver Antonio Ford is a really good wide receiver, but they’re moving him to quarterback this year. Brayden Davis is another good receiver. They have a nice lineman in senior Drew Preno. But I just think the fact that they had such a late start, and their second head coach in two years – it’s hard. You feel for guys like senior John Wright, who’s a very good player and a very good wrestler. He’s a defensive end. Guys like that – you hope they can pull everyone together and get a respectable season going. A district playoff season is not going to happen, but if you get things going in the right direction, that’s a positive.”
SuburbanOneSports: Your thoughts abou the SOL Continental heading in the season.
Drew Markol: “When you look at the Suburban One League Continental, the past couple of years it’s basically been a three-team race, and it’s the same thing this year with Souderton, which won the title last year, Quakertown and Upper Dublin playing ping pong with the top spot. Last season, Souderton had a school record 11 wins. They went 11-1, and they’ve got some nice talent back with junior quarterback Ben Walsh, who had some injuries last year but was still really good. Having him back – you talk with Ed Gallagher, the coach at Souderton, and he’s really high on Walsh and said he’s going to be running the ball more because he’s healthier. He has a good arm and threw for over 1,600 yards last year. They do have to replace Ryan Sadowski, the running back, and Danny Dyches, the wide receiver, who were two really big parts of the offense, but I think there are pieces in place for them. The running backs who will be asked to replace Sadowski are Houston Marshall, who’s a senior, Michael McCormick, who’s a junior. They both saw a lot of time last year. They didn’t get a lot of carries because Sadowski got the bulk of them, but they both have experience, and they’re both pretty good. They have Julian Adorno leading the defense – he was a first team Continental Conference pick a year ago. He led the team in tackles with 85. I think there are pieces there to keep Souderton right in the mix, for sure.
“The same goes for Quakertown. They were 7-5 last year. They have to replace their quarterback, Vince Micucci, and defensive end Anthony Ferrugio. Both of them are playing in the PSAC now, and that’s never easy. They have senior Gavin Carroll, who’s undersized, but he’s a really good linebacker and a running back for them. He had a good game against Pennridge on Thanksgiving and is a very nice player. Then there’s Aidan Burgy, the senior tight end – he’s 6-4, 195 pounds. He caught 26 passes last year. He has really good speed, and he might be a 1AA recruit. He’s that good. They’re going to turn to him. Junior Brady Martin, who had played defensive back, is going to take over at quarterback. They have some experience on the line – Dylan Fenstermacher and Ayden Formica are returning starters. They’re both seniors. Again, Quakertown has pieces. Depth is a question, but depth is a question for a lot of teams. If you lose one or two key guys to injury, do you have the people to replace them? That’s hard. The days of teams having 100-plus kids coming out for football – those days are gone. You get numbers in the 50s, 60s and maybe 70 for the larger enrollment schools. The fewer the players, the less depth you have.
“Over at Upper Dublin, they were 7-5 last year. Two years ago, they won the District 5A title, and they still got to the quarterfinals last year. They have several key pieces back. Senior Phil Roll, a first team all-league selection, will anchor the offensive line, and senior linebacker Ryan O’Sullivan, who was first team all-league, will be a mainstay on defense. Bret Stover – inducted into the PA Scholastic Football Coaching Association Hall of Fame last spring – really knows what he’s doing, and Upper Dublin can never be counted out. The Cardinals play a lot of 6A teams in the Continental, and that’s helps them when they get to the playoffs. Again, I think it’s those three teams – Souderton, Quakertown and Upper Dubin. One of those is probably going to win the thing, the other two might be second and third. That’s just the way things are now.
“You look at Council Rock South, which beat Quakertown last year. They were 7-4, and two years ago, they were 4-6. It’s a nice turnaround, and they could be the team that could edge their way back into the mix with the other three. CJ Szydlik is the coach – we’re blessed with a lot of really good coaches, and he’s one of them. He’s building a program. They lost a lot, but they have a lot of good players back. Nate Szydlik, the all-league linebacker, is the head coach’s nephew. He had four sacks and 67 tackles last year. He goes sideline to sideline. He’ll also play some tight end. Ryan Smalls, the senior linebacker – he and Szydlik are probably the best linebacker combination in the conference. If there’s going to be a team that breaks up the pack at the top, it will probably be Council Rock South. I like what they’re doing.
“Bensalem was 2-8 last year. There are some players there like Aidan Mayfield, the junior, who is a good receiver and a really good defensive back. Hollis Sanders will play quarterback. He played last year as a sophomore. Thomas Bailey is a junior wide receiver who can be really good. Jake Quinlan was a first team All-Continental player last year on the offensive line, and he is also a superb defensive lineman. He’s going to anchor both sides. There’s some young talent. Can they put it all together? That’s a question that’s been plaguing Bensalem for a long, long time. We’ll see. There are players there, but it’s just – can they produce week to week? That’s hard to do. Bensalem is a program that’s struggled with consistency. We’ll see if they can.
“Brandon Garrett, who was the coach at New Hope-Solebury the last two years, takes over Council Rock North. Again, Council Rock North has just been struggling. They were 2-8 last year, and they haven’t had a winning season since 2015. It’s hard to turn that culture around quickly, but Garrett has over 60 players turn out, which is good. Junior quarterback Gia Cozza took over last year when then senior Jackson Farley got hurt. Cozza has a nice arm. He can run a bit. He’s going to be asked to do a lot. He’s also going to punt and kick too. On their offensive line and defensive line, they have two guys with experience – Owen Rosenburg is a senior and Charlie Shepardson is a junior. They’re both big kids who are back. It always helps to have some depth on your line. Again, there are some pieces here, but how quickly can you turn that around? Let’s face it, the SOL Continental is a tough conference. There are very few freebies. The other guy is trying to win too. It’s hard. Garrett is enthusiastic – he knows what he’s doing. He played at Pennsbury not that long ago. We’ll see what can happen, but that’s going to take time.
“Truman was 1-9 last year. They’re going to be led by senior running back Mohammed Toure and senior tight end Zach DeNucci. Both are big kids that have experience. Senior wide receiver Cameron Crowley is a nice player. They have some players up front like senior Landan Vingless – a big kid at 6-3, 270. They’re also looking for two sophomores – tackle Ben Sakyaima who is 6-3, 220 and tight end Zamir Morrow, who’s 6-4, 240. There’s size there, big kids, but again, like Council Rock North, putting it all together – they’ve been struggling for years, and it’s hard to turn that around in one season. You just hope to make positive strides.
“There’s a new face in the Continental in Cheltenham under coach Troy Gore. Last year, they were 4-1 in the SOL American with their only loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh. They were 5-6 overall – you look at that record and think – ‘Okay, they were under .500,’ but you look at the schedule they played against a CB West team that went to the district semis. They played Roman Catholic, which is in the Philadelphia Catholic League Red Division, which has had a resurgence lately, and they’re really good. Perk Valley is a perennial 6A playoff team, and Wilson West Lawn from District 3 is always a really good team. There’s 5-6 when you play a so-so schedule, and there’s 5-6 when you play a meat grinder, and they played a meat grinder. Cheltenham is a team that could step up and bite you. You add them to mix in the Continental. With Cheltenham and Council Rock South, maybe we could see something in the SOL Continental. Again, let’s see them do it first, but the addition of Cheltenham just adds that much more to the Continental. It could be very interesting once we get into conference play in a couple of weeks.
SuburbanOneSports: Talk about the SOL American Conference heading into the season.
Drew Markol: “Hatboro-Horsham is now in the SOL American, but Plymouth Whitemarsh is the team to beat. They were 5-0 last year in conference play, and they go 9-2 overall. Senior linebacker Kevin Hegerty – all-area and all-league - is a three-year starter and is a catalyst on defense. All-league defensive lineman Jadon Joseph returns, and on the offensive line, first team selections Jared Thomas and Eddie Moyett are are back this season. Dan Chang, the North Penn grad, has been there a long time – I think it’s 15 years now, and he just has that program cooking.
“I think Upper Moreland can be right in there in that mix with Plymouth Whitemarsh. They made the playoffs last year. They got junior Larry Hughes, a big tight end who’s a good player. He had 21 catches last year. They have senior Aidan Duffy, who averaged over 20 yards a catch last season, and their quarterback, senior Alex Foley, is back. He threw for nearly 1,900 yards last season. Running back – junior Elijah Davis – is a nice player. Upper Moreland should be pretty good. They have some experience on both lines, which is huge for a high school team. Upper Moreland is not a huge school, but to have experience back on both sides is a big help. Also, their kicking game with Luke Sword – he’s got a booming leg. He had a couple of field goals last year, and he’s going to punt and kick for them again. They have a lot of spots covered, so I think Upper Moreland is not quite there with Plymouth Whitemarsh, but they’re pretty close.
“Hatboro-Horsham was 5-6 last season, and they’ve moved to the SOL American. Remember, two years ago, they only won one game. Senior running backs – Luke Foley and Kayden Collazo – have a lot of experience. They’re going to help senior quarterback Chris Roughton, who played a lot last year. It’s nice to have him back. Again, there are some players and some size on both lines. Seniors Ryan McCarthy, Dan Rash and Owen King have experience. Colin Schwartz will be at guard. Hatboro has come back – it wasn’t too long ago that there was talk they might drop their program, and now they’re at a point where they’re starting to turn it around. You go from one win to five – that doesn’t happen by accident. They have things going again. Will Hatboro compete for the conference title? No, but they’ll be in the mix, which is really good news with where they were.
“At William Tennent, Colin Leach comes into his second season. They were 3-7 last year and started to show some signs. They have some experience back on offense. Senior quarterback Derrek Guenther is back, senior lineman Sean Hazlett has a couple years of experience. Nick Taylor, a senior, is a big kid – 6-2, 275. Dan Ellis, 5-11, 230 – there’s some size up front. Tight end AJ Alwan is another big kid 6-3, 225. He was a second team all-league pick in the American Conference. You can see they’re starting to get some kids out, and there’s improvement. Senior linebacker Justin Frederick had 63 tackles – that’s a lot of tackles. Alwan had 38 tackles and three sacks playing linebacker, and he also plays tight end. Tennent has been down for a long time. They went through a bunch of coaches, but Leach – it’s only his second season, but if you had one of those arrow things that people like – the arrow would be pointing up. That’s good, that’s what you like to see.
“Wissahickon was 6-5 last year, which was tremendous. In 2022, they won one game, and they were winning one or two games a year for years. When you win that many games after being bad, you get kids in the school interested in football, and kids who wouldn’t normally come for football out saying, ‘Hey, I think I’ll give this a chance,’ and that’s how you build your depth. Winning helps in a lot of ways, and I’m sure the numbers are up, and you want to keep that going. That’s how you build. Head coach Rory Grover has done a nice job with that program. They return their quarterback, senior Nolan Pounds, who was a first team All-SOL American Conference selection, and it never hurts to have your quarterback return. He’ll be throwing a lot to Aidan Wescott, a nice receiver. Defensive back Amari Nash and linebacker Kareem Lee were first team all-league picks last year. It was a program that was down for a long time, and now they’ve turned it around. That is a hard thing to do. The Trojans will get a test on opening night when they face neighboring rival Upper Dublin.
“You look at Springfield Township – the smallest football school in the SOL. Chris Shelly has done a good job of building the program back up after it cancelled its season in 2016 and then played an independent schedule for several years. Springfield is now competing in that conference, and they have several key pieces back this year. Senior defensive lineman Aaron Kauffman was a first team All-SOL American selection, and senior running back CJ Johnson was a second team selection. It should be an interesting year.”
DREW’S PICKS
(Winners in bold)
Abington @ Conrad Weiser
Lower Merion @ Bensalem
Central Bucks East @ Ridley
Archbishop Wood @ Central Bucks South
Easton Area @ Central Bucks West
Wilson HS @ Cheltenham
Upper Moreland @ Council Rock North
Frankford @ Council Rock South
Kensington HS @ Harry S Truman
Marple Newtown @ Hatboro-Horsham
Vaux @ Lower Moreland
Emmaus @ Neshaminy
New Hope-Solebury @ Morrisville
Downingtown East @ North Penn
Liberty HS @ Pennridge
Pennsbury @ Northampton
Upper Merion @ Plymouth Whitemarsh
Southern Lehigh @ Quakertown
Spring-Ford @ Souderton
Pope John Paul II @ Springfield Twp
Upper Dublin @ Wissahickon
William Tennent @ Archbishop John Carroll 7pm
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