In the fourth weekly edition
of the Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football,’ high school football beat writers Kevin Cooney and Dom Cosentino share their insights about some of last week’s SOL games as well as some of this week’s key games. Just for fun, they also have their say on the Michael Vick situation this week.
Cooney and Cosentino – who boast a combined 23 years covering high school football – are two of the area’s most respected and knowledgeable football writers. To stay on top of all the latest high school football news in the area, visit the web site http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/sports_now.html
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn earned an impressive win over St. Joe’s Prep on Saturday. After watching that game, what are your impressions of North Penn?
Kevin Cooney: What you saw was that North Penn really came out with a nice edge. You could tell they were hungry. They scored on their first five possessions. They came out with a purpose. I think the best thing Dick Beck has done so far is moved Craig Needhammer back to safety, which is more of his natural spot, and Dan Gevirtz is now playing cornerback. I think that clears up some of the issues they have in the secondary. Offensively, I think you saw Corey Ernst really look more comfortable throwing the ball than he did two weeks ago against La Salle. They look like they’re back to where we all thought they would be.
The flip side is – St. Joe’s Prep has a lot of issues right now, so the one cautionary tale out of that game is that Prep doesn’t look like the team we expected. Skyler Mornhinweg has a good arm, and their running back – Mark Casale - had a good game, but otherwise, they don’t look like the Prep of old. They don’t have that swagger to them, and that’s pretty obvious right now. They’re going through a hell of a transition period.
North Penn has gotten through the tough part of its schedule 2-1. They should be in good shape going into the Continental Conference. They’re starting to get their engine in gear and ultimately – what we’ve said all year – they’re going to be judged by November and December.
Dom Cosentino: I don’t think anyone has any doubts – despite what happened in week one – that North Penn is going to be a team that will be playing in late November, if not December. In a sense, I’m not surprised by what they did the other night. As I’ve said in recent weeks, losing that first game could give them more of an edge. It was an early wake-up call for them, and they’re going to be right there.
They have not lost a Continental Conference game since the league was realigned three years ago. Just the way things look – I know CB West has improved, Souderton has shown flashes of being pretty good, Pennridge prior to Monday looked like it was off to a pretty good start, but North Penn is still the king of the Continental Conference until somebody else knocks them off, and honestly, I don’t see that happening this year.
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn is playing Central Bucks South. What will that game tell us about South? Also, what about the other teams in the Continental Conference?Kevin Cooney: You’re not going to judge South by this week. You’ll get a better feel for the teams in the Continental Conference beyond North Penn when they start to play each other. Everybody thought Pennridge was pretty good. The way they lost to Council Rock South is not reassuring. You figured Souderton was a team that a lot of people had aspirations that they could make some noise in the conference, maybe finish second, maybe get a top eight seed and everything. Now you’re 1-2, and suddenly you have CB West coming in who’s pretty hot, and you still have North Penn on your schedule, you still have Pennridge on your schedule. You have to get the situation a little more stabilized as you head into the latter part of the season. If you’re Souderton, you don’t want to go into the last couple of weeks of the season having to win out to get in the playoffs. Central Bucks West is 3-0 and has played very well and put up some huge numbers.
The one thing with Souderton is they have a little bit of a passing game with Tanner Allem. He looked really good down the stretch the other night. On that last drive, he was 5-of-6, and every pass was right there. If you could get the running game going with how he’s throwing the ball – that’s the best thing that came out of Thursday night. Right now Souderton doesn’t have much room for error. You’re not going to get many points out of the Perkiomen Valley win. Even if they beat the teams they’re supposed to beat in the Continental Conference, I don’t think there’s going to be getting a lot of power points out of it. One more loss – if you assume they don’t beat North Penn and if they trip up somewhere else in the schedule – now you’re 6-4. That doesn’t guarantee you anything and now you’re in the danger zone – if the numbers don’t just go right and there’s a backlog of 6-4 teams, now you’re in trouble.
The CB East situation is interesting because nobody quite knows what’s going on with Justyn White and whether he’ll be back or not. You take him away from that team, and they’re not a playoff team. They are not the same team we all thought they would be.
The Continental has become a very interesting conference. I’m not sure it’s deep in teams that can make a postseason run, but it’s deeper in teams that could make the playoffs.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Quakertown is 1-2 heading into the SOL season. What are your thoughts on the Panthers?
Kevin Cooney: If you’re George Banas, you just want to see improvement every week. With everything that’s gone on with the change there and the way the conference is, it was going to be difficult for them to make a postseason run. I think he probably wants to see them play cleaner football.
When you enter a season, you always want to believe you can win every game, but there’s also a point you have to focus on how you’re playing, how you’re going about your business. Are you playing clean football? Are you not committing penalties? I think that’s something George is stressing right now. If you’re building your program, that’s what you want to stress.
George was there under John Donnelly. You want to make sure you keep that flow going, so that everybody knows the direction the program is going. If you play clean football and play the best you can, that’s all he is probably worried about right now.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What does Council Rock South’s big win over Pennridge on Monday night say about both teams?Dom Cosentino: I think it certainly says Council Rock South’s defense appears to be for real. You can’t argue with the fact that they’ve played three games, and they have two shutouts, and the only touchdown they have given up is after they had a 28-0 lead over Central Bucks South, and South’s offense has really come to life since then – CB South even hung 55 points on Norristown, so CR South may be better than a lot of people thought. It’s the second straight year they’re 3-0, and that says something.
Pennridge was really disappointing on Monday just given the way they played, especially offensively, the first two weeks – scoring a lot of points and putting up a ton of yards. Now granted, they played the Haverford School and Bensalem, who are never going to be confused with La Salle and Ridley, but they were still two very decisive victories for Pennridge to start the season, and they completely went in the other direction on Monday night.
They had a lot of self-induced mistakes, situations where guys were missing blocks. They fumbled a punt on their own 15 which led to a touchdown, just a lot of breakdowns. When they came back from the break and resumed the game on Monday night, the very first play was a fourth down play for Council Rock South. Randy Cuthbert said afterwards that he and his coaching staff kind of knew what was coming – a slant pass to P.J. Gallo, and that’s the play Rock South ran, and it worked. They got a first down and ended up scoring to make it 13-0. Cuthbert even said – anything that could have gone wrong pretty much did for Pennridge.
It was a combination with Rock South being a very good team and a Pennridge team that just didn’t bring it.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Who were some of the players who really stood out for Council Rock South?
Dom Cosentino: Certainly their middle linebacker, Hunter Shull, established himself in the early going, as did linebacker Tony Checchia and defensive ends PJ Gallo and Matt Emilius. Their front seven in general has done a good job swarming to the ball. They didn’t really give Kyle Peters, the Pennridge quarterback, time to throw. They sacked him three times, and the week before they had nine sacks against CB East. The front seven has really done a tremendous job for them.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are your thoughts about Abington’s win over Souderton?
Dom Cosentino: I think it certainly deals something of a blow to Souderton’s playoff hopes. They have the entirety of their league schedule, and it starts with CB West this week. They still have play North Penn, and they still have to play Pennridge. Two losses isn’t the end of the world, but they can’t afford too many more slipups the rest of the way.
Ed Gallagher took a risk at the end of the game going for two points. When it failed, it was easy to say, ‘Why did he do that?’ If it worked, everyone would be calling him a genius today. I think he likes to show he has confidence in his kids. That’s probably why he took a risk like that.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Souderton has struggled with its extra points this season. It also was the reason the Indians were forced to go for two in their game against Neshaminy. How big are those little things?
Dom Cosentino: The margin of error can be that slim when you get down to it. For Souderton, it might be the kicking game. They seem to have everything else. They have very good line play, especially what they showed in that third quarter against Neshaminy. They took it to Perkiomen Valley. Tanner Allem has shown that he’s a capable quarterback. They kind of have everything, but coaches will fret over details at times, and this is why.
You don’t realize how significant special teams can be at the high school level. It’s probably more glaring at the college or pro level where guys are kicking long field goals, and field position means so much. You can almost overlook it at the high school level, but sometimes you can’t, and at least in this case, Souderton hasn’t quite been able to.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Souderton faces Central Bucks West this week. Talk about the importance of that game.Dom Cosentino: That is a huge game for Souderton. If they lose, they’re 1-3 with North Penn still on the schedule, which is not a good situation for them. West has already tripled last year’s win total, and they have been very good while doing it – they have a good quarterback, a good tight end, a good running back. They have to be feeling pretty good about themselves. Now they’re getting into the league part of the schedule where I think they’re really going to be tested.
This is one of those games where you’re not going to know what’s going to happen until they take the field. Souderton has certainly played a more difficult schedule. West has been down in recent years and had to schedule games against opponents that were closer to their level, and they won those games fairly easily. Now they’re getting into the league. It’s going to be a grind pretty much every week. I’m taking the easy way out, but I would not be surprised if this game went either way.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Abington travels to Heartbreak Ridge to face Neshaminy. Can Abington play with Neshaminy?
Dom Cosentino: This has become something of a rivalry in recent years. They played twice last year – Abington won in the regular season, and Neshaminy got even in the playoff game. Both games were terrific games.
Abington, on paper, would have seemed to have taken a step back this year after losing the personnel they lost. Neshaminy – with what they have on both sides of the ball – certainly seems to be the top team in the National Conference although Council Rock South is starting to make their case.
After what Abington did last week against Souderton, this game looks a lot better than it did several weeks ago.
Kevin Cooney: This is a big game because it always seems like a close game. Neshaminy is the class of the National Conference. Right now, with the way the National Conference is breaking down, Neshaminy is on target for the #2 seed in districts and an undefeated season. I think that will probably make (coach) Mark Schmidt cringe though because this is almost like a trap game. If Neshaminy comes in a full of themselves after a 3-0 start and if they come in thinking they will be able to score easily against this team, they will be in deep trouble.
The one thing Abington can do is cut off your best weapons. They did a great job against Souderton’s running game, but they didn’t do a great job against the passing game. I thought they played a little too soft on the corners. Abington’s going to make this a game. The question is – do they have the offensive firepower to play against Neshaminy’s defense. They have (quarterback) Julien Ireland, but they haven’t really established anybody else – in my mind -to go with him. If they don’t find that, I think it will be difficult for them to win at the Ridge.
If Neshaminy wins by two touchdowns – well, you’re supposed to do that. If you win 16-15 or 17-14, hey, what happened there?”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Abington’s trademark in the past has been its explosive offense, but this year’s team is playing outstanding defense. How do you think that will play out in Friday’s game?
Dom Cosentino: That’s where Neshaminy’s offense – being as varied as it is with two halfbacks and a fullback who is a Division 1-AA linebacker recruit in Corey Majors and a pretty good quarterback in Charlie Marterella will present a host of challenges for Abington’s defense. Abington has not given up a lot of points in any of the games it has played, including its loss to CB East in the opener.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Truman – with its small roster – opens its league schedule with a game against Council Rock South. The Tigers are coming off a lopsided loss to Upper Dublin and appeared to wear down as the game progressed. What happens now?
Dom Cosentino: This is where athletic director George Collins had said to me before the season – he really is going to be evaluating whether or not they’re going to be able to compete for the sake of the safety of their players. You’re talking about a roster of 23, maybe 24 players going up against teams in a conference that includes some of the biggest enrollment schools in District One. Some of these rosters are going to be huge, and you’re now talking about players being out there for just about every play and special teams. A lot of these bigger schools, especially in recent years, have fewer and fewer guys that play both ways, and the reason is obvious because it keeps players fresher.
If Truman had those kinds of problems against Upper Dublin, I think it stands to reason to assume that it’s only going to be more magnified as they take the field the next several weeks. It will be interesting to see how George Collins and the administration at Truman react to that.
Truman has some gifted athletes. They just don’t have enough players, and that’s a significant situation to be in in any conference of the Suburban One League, especially in the National or Continental Conferences. They beat Franklin, but Franklin only dressed 29 players. There are no New Hopes or Bristols on their schedule.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Since its season-opening loss to Council Rock South, Central Bucks South has been putting tons of points on the board. Are the Titans for real?Dom Cosentino: Absolutely! Matt Johns is really showing himself to be a terrific quarterback. I think they had some injuries in that Rock South game, and Rock South has proven it has a very good defense. That was the first game under a new coach at CB South, and they just needed the opportunity to get used to things, and they have corrected things pretty quickly because they have scored a ton of points the last two weeks, and that’s impressive.
They’re another team that is kind of flying under the radar right now because they really haven’t had a good year since that magical run they had in ’07, and they started out in their first game this season being blown out by three touchdowns by Council Rock South. I do think they’re a team that may continue to open some eyes over the next couple of weeks.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are your thoughts on Pennsbury heading into the league schedule?
Dom Cosentino: They had to grind out a win over Frankford that - and I wrote about this in Monday’s Courier Times – might have raised a few eyebrows. Frankford is a team that has played them tough the last three seasons. They were a big, physical team, and it was raining, but Pennsbury made the plays when they had to. Brandon Pepper is showing himself to be the running back they had hoped he would be, putting up big numbers.
Pennsbury is going to be right there too. I definitely think Pennsbury, Neshaminy, Council Rock South and perhaps Abington could all be battling it out in the top of the National Conference.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Council Rock North lost a tough game in OT to Hatboro. Is its season at a point where the Indians would have a difficult time salvaging it in terms of a trip to the postseason?
Dom Cosentino: I think so. Obviously, the injuries to Brandon Cottom, John Raymon and Joe Coates have had an impact, but to be 0-3 regardless of the situation is difficult to bounce back from in terms of making the playoffs. I don’t think it’s a hopeless situation. I certainly don’t see this team going 0-10, but the idea that they’re going to win out, especially when they face those four teams in the league I’d already mentioned, it’s going to be tough.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Upper Moreland is taking a 3-0 record into its non-league game at Interboro. What are your thoughts about this year’s Golden Bear squad?
Kevin Cooney: You win against Strath Haven, you go to Pottstown and win, and Furness is not exactly going to set the world of fire, but Furness is a decent team out of the Public League. They have weapons. You look at what (coach) Adam Beach has done there the last few years – it’s been pretty remarkable. The fact that they play in the American Conference helps them and allows them to play teams at a closer level because there’s not that dominant team out there that they have to go up against.
They play Interboro this weekend, and we’ll get a real test on how good they’re going to be. Jordan Spector is a big threat. He has five touchdowns in three games and has rushed for almost 300 yards. You have Kyle Lockard who has about eight catches for 120 yards. They’re running the ball right now at 5.2 a clip with Greg Adamson and Spector running the football, and that’s the way they’re going to win games. They’re playing extremely, extremely well right now. They not forcing a ton of turnovers, but they’re forcing enough to get the job done. They can make a run in Class 3A except Pottsgrove is the unspoken best team around. We’ll see what happens.
SuburbanOneSports.com: This doesn’t have anything to do with SOL football, but it’s the talk of the town, so tell us your take on the Michael Vick situation?
Dom Cosentino: Ha ha. I guess everyone has an opinion on this, don’t they? Well, first off, I don’t care if Andy Reid said one thing one day, and another thing the next. He gets paid to win football games, and he thinks Michael Vick gives the Eagles the better chance to win this season, so that’s that. And maybe Vick does, but it’s odd that Reid would base that off of one and a half games, with the full game coming against a Detroit team whose defense will never be confused with the Pittsburgh Steelers’. Vick is talented, but he has never shown he’s the kind of guy who will win you a Super Bowl — still the goal in this town, last I checked — and this is still not a team that’s going to win a Super Bowl this year.
That said, the Eagles have spent three years grooming Kolb for this moment. He was supposed to be their quarterback of the future. They have either realized they made a big mistake, or they’re really looking to protect him, given that he’s had a concussion and their offensive line is banged up and just bad. I would have let Kolb take his knocks this year and grow into the position like Aaron Rodgers did in Green Bay. Andy Reid felt differently. We’ll know in a few weeks who was right. But if Reid is wrong…
Kevin Cooney: It almost reads as if Andy Reid looked at the rest of the NFC and said, ‘Okay, the Giants aren’t that good, the Redskins aren’t that good, and Dallas is 0-2. I could make a run at this thing and win it right now. When you’ve already traded what they will tell you is the best quarterback in the history of the franchise and you’ve traded him to a division opponent, you’ve admitted that this year wasn’t really about competing. Spoken or unspoken, this was a rebuilding year. For them to pull the plug on Kevin Kolb this quickly, in that sense, really is baffling, and I don’t know if you can rebuild.
Michael Vick’s contract is done at the end of the year. Then what do you do? You can’t go back to Kevin Kolb. Andy Reid talked about the developmental process – Kolb is in his fourth year. At some point, you have to take the training wheels off. Right now, Vick is really playing well, but it was also against the Detroit Lions.
There was an easy way out of this. All Reid had to say was that Kolb wasn’t ready, and if Vick goes 2-1, then next week he says, ‘Hey look, Michael is just so hot. We have to go with the hot hand.’ If that had happened, I don’t think anyone would have complained.
But the way it happened with Andy Reid kind of lying on Monday and saying Kolb was going to be the quarterback. To have gone over the process so much, it is a baffling thing, the latest in what has become a baffling year for them.
I can’t see Kolb back here next year. In that case, what was this all for? Unless you’re signing Vick to a long term deal. Quite frankly, Michael Vick has been great to this point in six quarters, but am I going to hand him the keys given the fact that he’s a 30-year-old. He did miss a few years, but he was never considered a prototype quarterback as far as a pocket quarterback, accuracy and all that. He’s in a good stretch now. Is this going to last for three or four years? I don’t know.
*The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of SuburbanOneSports.com. Check back every week for more football talk from Dom Cosentino and Kevin Cooney.
- Log in to post comments
0
