Back for its fifth season, the popular Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features high school football beat writers Drew Markol and Dan Dunkin. Markol covers schools in the Intelligencer area while Dan Dunkin covers teams in the Courier Times area. Both share their perspective on the teams in their coverage area. Scott Huff, football writer for SuburbanOneSports.com, shares his thoughts about the American Conference squads. To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the Intelligencer/Courier Times web site http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/high_school/
Drew Markol will return next week.
SuburbanOneSports.com: There’s a big game at Heartbreak Ridge on Thursday night with Central Bucks South taking on Neshaminy. Talk about that game.
Dan Dunkin: "Neshaminy just can't seem to get consistency on both sides of the ball. That was a hard-fought, competitive game against Pennridge. I thought it was a very similar matchup going in, a close one to call. One key to that game was D'Andre Pollard got really shut down in the second half. He had a good first half, but their line just hasn't been able to build a consistent surge through the season like they had last year with a much more experienced offensive line, so his yards are coming a lot tougher this season. While their passing game continues to progress, they really need the balance in their offense to compete at a high level in a tougher conference.
"Defensively, they have been dented by the run at various stages, and that doesn't bode well going into this game and going against the best running back in the state in Josh Adams, who blew my mind and that of many by what he did to North Penn with 327 yards. That's just staggering to do that against any North Penn team. He's the real deal. He's going to Notre Dame for a reason. And CB South is more than Josh Adams. They have a good quarterback - Kevin Witchey - and a flock of good receivers, and they're a high-scoring offense, averaging over 37 points a game.
"It's at Neshaminy, and they have everything to play for. CB South looks like Pennsbury's main competition in that conference. I just think the way the momentum is going for CB South, and the way it's been up and down for Neshaminy, I like CB South in this game. I think it can be competitive at different stages, but I see South winning by a double-digit margin.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Pennsbury, which has Bensalem Thursday, continues to play well as expected. What do think about the Falcons at this point?
Dan Dunkin: Pennsbury has just been steamrolling since the season started, for the most part. They had a kind of lethargic second half in their opening game against Council Rock South and still won 28-0. Since then, they have just been rolling, rolling, rolling. They got off to a sluggish start at Abington, and a lot of credit goes to Abington and Tim Sorber and his ability to design offensive schemes and plays. Abington led, and Pennsbury didn't lead until the last minute of the first half, but they had their mojo in the second half and did what they do - which is dominate the line of scrimmage, get all their backs going and play really solid defense and won going away. You tell yourself as you walk away - wow, they didn't play a great Pennsbury game. They played a really good second half, and they still won handily, so when you can turn a so-so day into a runaway, it shows you what a good team they really are. I think it was a nice wake-up call for them in the first half.
"Against Bensalem, they're just going to try to fine-tune things and not mess around. What they're looking at is the big picture. In the second half of the season, they have big games coming up against North Penn, CB South and Neshaminy, so they need to keep improving like they have through the first half of the season because they have big goals, and they can reach them."
SuburbanOneSports.com: How about William Tennent vs. CB East?
Dan Dunkin:"That Continental conference is so interesting. I think it's just proves to everybody that the realignment was a good thing, and a necessary thing because you look at how competitively balanced, for the most part, the Continental is and how it's going to be a four-team race to the wire for playoff spots. Tennent suffered a big loss losing a good player and a good leader in quarterback NIk Banks. CB East has had a lot of injuries that really showed up lately, and their defense just couldn't deal with Council Rock South - a lot of credit to Council Rock South the way they've gotten their wishbone game going. Tennent is a toughened team under Bob Rosenberger. They've lost a couple of tough games to Quakertown and last week to CR North. They're very competitive. They're in every game. I think this is a game Tennent is going to win. They're right there every week. With how hard their kids are playing and CB East is down a little bit, I like Tennent in this game.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Council Rock South looks like it's heading in the right direction. Your thoughts on the Hawks:
Dan Dunkin: "I'm really impressed with how Council Rock South is turning this thing around after two tough years since they lost in the district final in 2011. They've really regrouped. They put up 46 points against CB East and came from behind the week before to beat a really good Truman team. Vince Bedesem has got his wishbone offense rolling. They have a good, young and tough offensive line that's really developing. Vincent Alimenti has become one of the best running backs in the area. He's having a terrific senior year, and he's led the way on and off the field. Their defense is better than the scoreboard showed in that game against CB East because Vince did take out some starters fairly early, and it bit him a little bit and suddenly East is in the game. They outlasted CB East 46-40, but they've played good defense in stretches. They're a more physical team now. Vince is a strong believer in platooning and it's paying off because its keeping guys fresher and really unifying different units on the team like his offensive line. I give Vince credit - he stuck to his system. You go through some tough times and cycles like a lot of programs do, but now they're rebounding. The commitment is all starting to pay off again. They've got a chance - and I do like them in this game vs. CB West - to compete for a playoff spot. They're 3-2 after winning two games in each of the last two years. They're in a good position.
"CB West is really struggling. They've found different ways to lose. They're 1-4 with a lot of turnovers. Truman was just more physical than they were and really controlled that game from the outset last week. It was a disheartening loss for CB West being home and wanting to rebound off that come-from-ahead loss to Norristown. They're in a tough spot right now. I picked them to win the Continental. They're not going to do that now, and it's going to be next to impossible for them to get into the playoffs unless they run the table, and even with four losses, it's going to be very tough to do. I like CR South to keep rolling in this game."
SuburbanOneSports.com: The other Council Rock team is doing pretty well, too. Talk about the Indians:
Dan Dunkin: "Council Rock North has kind of flown under the radar a little bit. Look at them - they're 4-1. That spread offense is so difficult to deal with, with maybe the best quarterback in the state in Brandon McIlwain and his receivers and his line and running back/receiver Chris Welde - they're all playing very well. Devon Bibbens is having a heck of a season with 23 catches, four touchdowns. Welde is probably one of the most underrated players in the area. He has three TDs receiving and three rushing. They're playing a lot more consistently on both sides of the ball, and their record shows that. They can win this conference, they really can. I initially didn't think they had the size or the numbers on their roster to do that, but they can. I like them to take care of business against Norristown and to keep going.
McIlwain right now has over 900 yards passing and over 600 rushing. That's amazing at the halfway point of the season. He's on his way to a 3,000-yards from scrimmage season. He has nine touchdowns throwing and nine touchdowns rushing, but they're much more than him. He makes them better, and the supporting cast makes him better. Defensively, they're playing better. It's a good turnaround there by coach Adam Collachi and his staff. They're right in it."
SuburbanOneSports.com: Quakertown-Truman is a big Continental showdown. Talk about that game:
Dan Dunkin: "Quakertown is the only overall unbeaten team in the Continental at 5-0. That's their best start since they went 7-0 in 2003. George Banas has a nice thing going with their running game. Their defensive kids make plays. They're consistent. The Tennent game was a good test for them, and they passed it with flying colors.
"Truman, to me, is still the dark horse team. I've liked them from the outset. The CB West game showed me a lot because CB West was home and really needed to win that. Truman needed to win it to be a serious contender in the league, and they dominated that game physically and with their speed, with their toughness, with their deep running game. I'm impressed with them defensively. They cut off the perimeter. For the most part, they limited big plays from CB West's two good running backs. That was a game that showed me that Truman is really learning how to battle through some mental mistakes they've made in the past to win a game they had to win. They lost to Upper Dublin, which was a tough loss for the second year in a row. They lost to CR South after they had a 14-point halftime lead, and that was disheartening, so you're thinking - are they almost but not quite? I think last week should help them get over the hump, and this one certainly would. This is one they really have to get if they're going to be serious and really put themselves on the map. I think they've got the most team speed in the Continental. Jon Craig and his staff are doing a great job using all their kids and getting them to buy in. It's been a long process the last three or four years, but now Truman is right there where they really strive to be. If they play fairly mistake-free in this game and do what they did against CB West and come out from the get-go, establishing their style and their physicality, they're going to win this game. I like Truman."
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn had a tough loss to CB South last week and Souderton won big over Bensalem. What are your thoughts on the Knights-Indians match up?
Scott Huff: “North Penn is in a must-win mode for the rest of the season. The Knights still have Pennsbury on their schedule and cannot afford a loss – to anyone. Souderton rocked Bensalem, but the Owls really have not been competitive with anyone in the conference. Both North Penn and Souderton are SOL Continental transplants to the SOL National, and the neighboring school district contests are always intense. I can’t see North Penn losing this one.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Cheltenham shocked some so-called experts with its 28-21 win over Upper Moreland. Were you surprised?
Scott Huff: “Not too surprised. Upper Moreland was unbeaten and will face still a Plymouth Whitemarsh squad that is unbeaten in the conference. The Cheltenham game was that ‘sandwich’ game between the Upper Moreland unbeaten season and PW. Upper Moreland has a wonderful running back in Tyler Whitmore, but Cheltenham showcased a pretty wonderful running back of its own in Greg Morris. Cheltenham led by two scores early – gave up three scores to fall behind – but rallied in the fourth quarter to win the game.
“Cheltenham head coach Joe Gro has been around for a long time and knows that ‘the only thing you know is that you don’t know.’ The Panthers may not win enough games to win a conference title, but Cheltenham could be a huge factor as to who will win the title. Last week was proof that you can’t overlook the Panthers.”
Suburban One Sports: Will Upper Moreland be able to rebound from the Cheltenham loss?
Scott Huff: “Why not? The Bears have the elite back in the conference in Whitmore and UM knows that its championship aspirations are now on the line against PW. However, Upper Moreland will have to be at its best in order to capture a win against Plymouth Whitemarsh. A win over the Colonials would put the Bears back in the conference title hunt.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Will Plymouth Whitemarsh continue its 24-game SOL American Conference winning streak against Upper Moreland?
Scott Huff: “I think so. Plymouth Whitemarsh is very strong on both the offensive and defensive lines and seems to have come up with a ‘go-to’ running back in Nyfeese Nasir. I thought all along that the stumbling blocks for PW to defend its championship - and continue the winning streak - would be both Upper Moreland and Upper Dublin. I still believe so, even though Upper Moreland looked more vulnerable with its loss to Cheltenham last week.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Upper Dublin had very little difficulty in beating Springfield last week. Will Wissahickon present a bigger challenge to the Cardinals this week?
Scott Huff: “Yes. Wissahickon has proven to be one of the better offensive teams in the conference – even in a 47-27 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh last week. Josh Smith and Josh Trunk are offensive weapons, and the Cardinal defense will have their hands full. However, Ryan Stover continues to be the best the conference has to offer at quarterback – and he should have a huge game against a Trojan defense that is still searching for answers.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: What about Springfield?
Scott Huff: “Springfield has been dealt a very difficult hand being the lone AA school in a conference that features five Quad-A schools and two AAA schools. The Spartans are going to have a tough time with the upper level teams in the conference – Upper Dublin, Plymouth Whitemarsh, and Upper Moreland. Wins are always going to be problematical for the Spartans, but you can always count on them competing at their best.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Hatboro-Horsham collected its first win of the season against Upper Merion 34-18. When will the Hatters earn that second win?
Scott Huff: “I think the Hatters win this week against Springfield. Casey Walshcan put up impressive numbers, and Hatboro-Horsham had productive games last week from both Kworu Kingsley and Joe Albano – who each scored two touchdowns. Springfield is the smallest enrolled school in the conference – Hatboro-Horsham is the largest.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Cheltenham won its first conference game against Upper Moreland in an upset. Do the Panthers get upset by winless Upper Merion this week?
Scott Huff: “The simple answer is – no.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Who wins this week in the SOL American?
Scott Huff: “How about – [Plymouth Whitemarsh 28 – Upper Moreland 24]; [Upper Dublin 38 – Wissahickon 20]; [Cheltenham 35 – Upper Merion 14]; and [Hatboro-Horsham 28 – Springfield 21]”
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