Back for its fourth season, the popular Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features high school football beat writers Kevin Cooney and Dan Dunkin. Cooney, the Phillies beat writer, covers schools in the Intelligencer area while Dan Dunkin – who has been covering sports at the high school and professional level for 25 years - covers teams in the Courier Times area. Both share their perspective on the teams in their coverage area. To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the web site http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/high_school/
SuburbanOneSports.com: Council Rock North had a big win over Bensalem on Friday. Your thoughts about those two teams.
Dan Dunkin: “I was surprised by the outcome. I picked Bensalem, thinking their running game would win the day ultimately against North. One factor was that Alex Archangeli missed the game with a knee injury, which is a significant loss for Bensalem. Still, you have to give North a lot of credit. They hadn’t really had a balanced running game most of the season, and they really got it in that game to help Brandon McIlwain and the passing game out. Their offense turned out to be better overall than Bensalem’s, and they actually pulled away in the fourth quarter and won going away. That was a good win for North to get their running game going and to head into Pennsbury with some momentum and a 5-2 record and still in the thick of the playoff race.
“I said before the game that I thought Bensalem was better than their record. They’re just having a hard time closing games out and doing enough of the little things and making too many mistakes. They are a competitive team, but they’re just having a hard time finding ways to win. I think one area for Bensalem is their passing game has been inconsistent, and their defense has been inconsistent. When you have that physical running game, it bodes well for you to control time on the clock, but you have to stop the other people too, and that’s been their Achilles Heel really.
Bensalem doesn’t have the depth in that program yet to be solid and consistent on both sides of the ball. I think with a couple more years and a few more numbers on their roster they’re going to be able to address that better. They have had some talent at the skill positions. They just need more infrastructure with their line play and their defensive play.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Council Rock North will travel to Pennsbury on Saturday night. Talk about that game.
Dan Dunkin: “Pennsbury is firing on all cylinders now, and they’re on a nice arc heading into this stretch run with their running game, their defense and it’s Homecoming. This is a game Pennsbury should win. North has the capability of making it interesting, but the only way it can happen is their offense is going to have to play near perfectly and get Pennsbury back on their heels with their passing game. Their defense has had problems with the running game all year, and they’re not going to be able to trade blow for blow with them all night. If they can get Pennsbury in third-and-long situations somehow and do a good job on the run – give up one or two yards on first and second downs, force some punts, and suddenly, it’s not a runaway game, they have a chance to make it interesting. McIlwain and their big-play guys are going to have to play great, and their defense is going to have to be as solid as its been all year because that’s just a relentless, punishing running game with an excellent offensive line that comes at you. It’s a tall order for North. The way Pennsbury is playing you wouldn’t think it’s going to be a close game.
“I’ll be interested to see how Pennsbury plays against the pass. They have a really quick secondary.
SuburbanOneSports: Neshaminy had its fourth shutout of the season. Your thoughts about the Redskins heading into week eight of the season.
Dan Dunkin: “I did some digging into the very well-kept football web site, and this defense is stacking up as one of the best in school history, which is saying something. They’ve only allowed 34 points in seven games and some of that by their second-team defense after games were well decided. They’re on pace to be one of the top three, four or five defenses in school history, and I’ve based that on Neshaminy teams that have played 10 games or more going back to the 1950’s. There were some very good teams back then, but this is a terrific defense. One of the best things about them and their staff is they know they have to keep getting better, and they know they’re going to play a series of better teams pretty soon. The coaches I’ve spoken with who really know football can’t say enough about their defense. They have a superb front four, really good linebackers and a really good secondary. You have the defensive ends Luke Carrezolo, Dorian Arthur, and you have Blake Sullivan who rotates in at defensive end. You have Alex Nicolas and Mike Palmer at tackles. Denny Lord and Matt Bianchino at inside linebackers. Cole Creighton and Trokon Bruesmaill at outside linebacker. Matt Magdelinskas and Denzel Hughes, Devon Brown, Hamid Pack in the secondary.
SuburbanOneSports.com: William Tennent is playing Truman this week. Your thoughts on that game.
Dan Dunkin: That’s big for both teams. They’re both trying to rebuild, and the wins have been scarce this year. Both of those teams are going into more enrollment-friendly conferences next year – in fact, they might be in the same conference. The interesting thing about both of those teams is they do have good skill people. Tennent has a pretty good-sized offensive line, and they have shown the ability to run the ball.
“I’m still troubled by Truman. I said I thought they’d get three conference wins this year, and it’s not going to happen. Defensively, they just don’t hold up over a full game, and that’s a step they have to take the next couple of years to keep themselves in games because they do have skill people that can do damage. I like Tennent in this game. They’ve won a close game, they’ve got a lot of confidence in their depth in the backfield, and they’ve got kids that are starting to play with some consistency, so I like them in a fairly close game.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Your comments about the National Conference heading into week eight.
Dan Dunkin: “There are four National Conference teams still in the thick of the playoff race. Neshaminy is a three seed in the power rankings. Pennsbury is tied with Abington for sixth, and North is up to a tie for 10th. That speaks well of the conference in the context of the whole District One. I think Pennsbury and Neshaminy are just playing lights out. They do really get better every week, and that’s hard to do, especially when you’re playing teams you know you’re going to blow out. They’re getting something out of these games, and they’re getting better, so that’s good to see.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Pennridge defeated Central Bucks South in a key Continental Conference game. Your thoughts about that game.
Kevin Cooney: “I think what we’ve seen is how razor thin the edge is when you have a dominant player like South has in Josh Adams. If you remove him from the equation, there’s a trickledown effect on everything else. Two weeks ago going into the North Penn game, South was playing pretty good football, and then Adams gets hurt. You lose to North Penn, and you have to go face Pennridge without him, and you basically have to restructure your entire offense. Dion Clifton is pretty good, but he’s not Adams, and defenses don’t have to respect him as much as they do Adams. Instead of trying to take Adams away and opening your passing game up, now they don’t have to overplay everything. Plus, in the high school level, when you lose your big player, I think it takes such an emotional toll on you because you’re dealing with kids. Adams made them feel invincible, and when you take him out of it – if you fall behind, it’s kind of a ‘here we go again’ mentality.
“As for Pennridge - Pennridge was up against a wall. Pennridge was really at a spot where they had to win that game, knowing North Penn is up ahead. If they don’t win that, pretty much all their playoff hopes are up in smoke even with only three losses because you then have North Penn, and quite frankly, just the momentum they were carrying was not good. Now you have a feeling that maybe you bottomed out, and even if you lost to North Penn this week, you’re probably still alive going forward.
“If you’re Pennridge, you have to watch yourself a little bit, but I think they may have found a little bit of footing in that win that no matter what happens this week, the final two weeks they can bounce back and make a little bit of a push.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: How big is Friday night’s game against Pennridge for North Penn?
Kevin Cooney: “North Penn is at a point where – when you already have three losses, getting that fourth really complicates things. I think North Penn right now is playing as anyone in their division. When you take out those three non-league losses, they’ve been good. You look at the fact that they lost to the top Class 4A school in the state in St. Joe’s Prep, maybe a top five 4A team in La Salle, and arguably if not one, then the 1A team in Class AAA in Archbishop Wood.
“This is part of the problem with early season football. We tend to hyperventilate and overreact to Game A, Game B and Game C. If North Penn had lost those games to three Joe Schmoes, you would have to look at it differently. The fact that they lost those three and everybody put that cloud over them is kind of silly looking back at it.
“Part two of this is that with this new system it doesn’t hurt them. North Penn is going to benefit more than anybody else from the fact that they played three though non-league games and were able to get that experience of playing three of the best teams in the state and find a way to turn it into a positive where they’re playing much better football now. They got some experience. I’m not saying they’re going to make a run in the districts, but they’re not going to be super penalized by that either.
“That being said, if they lose this game to Pennridge, now they’re going to be back on that bubble. Realistically, North Penn still has CB West next week, and it’s the kind of game they can’t skip, and I think they know it.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn seems to have found a lineup that works since those three losses. Your thoughts about that.
Kevin Cooney: “Part of it is - we have all these seven on sevens and all the things that go on year round with this sport. Until you get your team on the field in a legitimate game and until they’re able to play against good quality competition, you don’t know what you have. This is even true for teams that are bringing players back.
“Pennridge had some decent parts back, but we didn’t really know about Pennridge until the last couple of weeks – what they’re made of, how they handle adversity, where the proper guys may go in different sets, and that’s how the sport operates anymore.
“We all sit there when we do our previews and say, ‘This team has eight starters back. They have nine starters back.’ That doesn’t mean they’re good. That just means they have the same bodies back.
“You had all these camps and you had all this stuff, but until you get to see these kids react to different things and who’s improved and all that, things start to slide together, and by week four or week five, you have puzzle pieces put together.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Central Bucks South will play Central Bucks East on Friday. Talk about the significance of that game.
Kevin Cooney: If you’re South, you still have hopes of the playoffs. They have to run the table. South has gotten to the point where it can’t have any more losses. Really, there losses haven’t been bad. One is Coatesville, one is North Penn, which is a playoff team, and there’s Pennridge, but if you lose to East – no offense to John Donnelly and company, point-wise, it’s not really going to help you, and with CB West looming, they can’t afford a slip here.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Upper Dublin had a big win over Upper Moreland. What are your thoughts about that game?
Kevin Cooney: “I think it’s a statement about Upper Dublin. All of us keep waiting for Upper Dublin to have this moment that they fall back, but it’s not happening right now. They’re going to get a high seed in this tournament. Obviously, the PW game is going to be the one that determines the conference title. I think when you look at it – Upper Dublin is showing they can play a fairly effective brand of football, and they’re workmanlike in the way they go about it, but Bret Stover has his team really playing well and controlled. I don’t know if you can read too much into that game, but Upper Dublin is proving they’re a pretty good team, and Upper Moreland is a Class AAA team struggling against 4A teams.
“The one stigma with the American Conference is how they’ve done in districts. PW has not looked good when they’ve gone, so in the end, PW and Upper Dublin probably are on the same page - how they play in districts will determine how people view them.”
Suburban One Sports: It has been a very difficult year for Norristown on and off the field. What are your comments on the Eagles this season?
Scott Huff: “The winless football season for Norristown pales in comparison to the loss the Eagle athletic program suffered with the death of Athletic Director Chuck Knowles. Knowles lost his battle with cancer recently with funeral services held last Saturday. Knowles – who took over as Norristown AD in 2004 – was the head football coach at Egan, Morrisville, and Conwell-Egan prior to taking over the Eagle athletic program. He was 64 and will be greatly missed. Knowles was very well liked and respected in the Suburban One League.
“On the field, Norristown just doesn’t seem to be able to get out of its own way. The Eagles have lost a few close games – 21-20 to Upper Moreland and 31-27 to Upper Merion – but will not be favored in any of the remaining games this year. Norristown will play Plymouth Whitemarsh, Wissahickon, Cheltenham, and Methacton. It is hard to believe that there is a good chance that the Eagles will be 1-13 the last two seasons in the conference – wow!
“And if male school enrollment figures remain close to being the same, Norristown will move ‘up’ to the SOL Continental Conference next year. That would mean the Eagles would compete in football with Central Bucks East, Central Bucks West, Council Rock North, Council Rock South, and two of the following three – William Tennent, Hatboro-Horsham, or Quakertown.”
SuburbanOneSports: Who is Marcus Heimann?
Scott Huff: “Marcus Heimnan is the quarterback of Cheltenham. Heimann had a fabulous day in a losing effort last week as the Panthers were caged by Wissahickon in a shootout - 41-33.
“Wissahickon throttled the Cheltenham defense early in the game to take a seemingly insurmountable 27-0 lead, but Heimann led a terrific Panther rally to close to within 27-25. Heimann scored on a 10-yard run; an 18-yard run; a 36-yard run; and threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to pull CHS to within the 2-points. However, the Trojans regained their offensive firepower – and despite a fourth rushing score by Heimann in the fourth quarter on a three-yard run – Cheltenham could not complete the huge comeback.
“The numbers for Heimann on the day were an astounding 180 yards rushing on 20 carries and the four scores. He also completed 7 passes for an even 100 yards and a touchdown. Those impressive numbers, however, did not produce a Cheltenham victory.”
SuburbanOneSports: Where do the two top teams in the conference – Upper Dublin and Plymouth Whitemarsh – stand in the District One?
Scott Huff: “If the regular season ended today – and we all know that the regular season doesn’t end today – Upper Dublin (7-0, 4-0) is ranked fifth in District One in the power rankings, while Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-2, 4-0) is ranked 12th. That would present a home game for #5 Upper Dublin against #12 Plymouth Whitemarsh – wow.
“But the only certain thing is that the above will change – mostly due to next week’s SOL championship showdown between Upper Dublin and Plymouth Whitemarsh next week (10/25/13) – at Plymouth Whitemarsh. Provided, of course, that Upper Dublin defeats Springfield (4-2, 2-2) this week and PW defeats Norristown (0-7, 0-4).”
SuburbanOneSports: What are your thoughts on the games this week in the conference?
Scott Huff: “The most interesting game in the conference could be the Springfield (4-2, 2-0) game with Upper Dublin (7-0, 4-0). The Class AA Spartans are the ‘small kid’ on the playground who has to fight the five Quad-A bullies in the conference. Springfield almost defeated Quad-A Cheltenham (28-26) earlier this season and routed Quad-A Norristown (35-14) last week. Martin Worgan has developed into one of the elite backs in the conference, and Brandon Doyle has run an efficient Spartan offense. That being said – the trio of quarterback John Derr and running backs Kyleif Lee and John Lee has been wonderful all season for the Flying Cardinals. This Quad-A bully has its way this week – Upper Dublin 42-Springfield 20.
“Upper Moreland (3-4, 2-2) takes its show on the road as the Golden Bears will face Cheltenham (2-5, 1-3). Both teams are coming off losses – Upper Moreland to Upper Dublin and Cheltenham to Wissahickon – and both teams feel they can win this week. Upper Moreland has offensive firepower in Tyler Whitmore and Charlie Hooker – and Marcus Heimann is coming off a spectacular five-touchdown performance in the loss to the Trojans. Look for a blinking scoreboard this week with the final score being Cheltenham 42 – Upper Moreland 38.
“Norristown (0-7, 0-4) will search for its first win of the season as the Eagles fly down Germantown Pike to face first place Plymouth Whitemamrsh (5-2, 4-0). Good luck with that. Norristown has struggled on both sides of the ball all season, while PW bounced back from an 0-2 start at the beginning of the season to win its last five games. This is a rivalry game for both teams – and the Colonials will not look past the Eagles in anticipation to next week’s conference showdown game with Upper Dublin. Final score – Plymouth Whitemarsh 49 – Norristown 14.
“Upper Merion (3-4, 1-3) will be in search of its second conference win of the season against host Wissahickon (3-4, 2-2). Much like the Upper Moreland-Cheltenham game – both teams have been able to put some big points on the scoreboard. Carmen Fortino and DeQuan Mitchell have been terrific for the Vikings this year – and Josh Smith and Dave Stellato have been equally impressive for the Trojans. Look for the Trojans to win this shootout – Wissahickon 49 – Upper Merion 42.”
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