Neshaminy, North Penn & PW are featured in this week’s notebook, which also recaps last week’s SOL action.
By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on…
SOL Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
North Penn Knights
North Penn head coach Kevin Manero and his Knights began the 2016 season as the defending state champion.
“You can win the state championship every year, but the year in front of you is the season you work hard on,” said Manero. “These players work hard every game – and they want to make a run at this thing in the second half of the season.”
North Penn finished the first half of the season with a 4-3 record in the highly competitive SOL Continental Conference and opens the second half of the season against first place Central Bucks South.
“We lost a lot of close games the first half of the season, and we feel that we can turn those games around with wins in the second half – and South was one of those games,” said Manero of his Knights who graduated 15 seniors from the state title team. “We knew coming into the season that we were inexperienced and that we would have a few kinks to work out.
“Most of those kinks had to do with our hitting approach – mostly during games,” added Manero. “I have been extremely happy with our pitching – especially considering we had no varsity innings coming back this year.”
A pair of junior hurlers – Jared Gorman and Matt Stevenson – have been outstanding and have kept the Knights in low scoring games the entire season.
“We have a lot of young kids – but we also have seniors that want to make this year special,” said Manero in reference to a core of seniors that includes Mason Nadeau, Alex Peterson, and Kadar Namey. “We learned a lot in the first half of the season, and we’ll see what happens in the second half.”
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL Continental Conference
Aaron Gulibon of Souderton had an impressive outing as the Indians defeated defending state champion North Penn 3-1. Gulibon threw a complete game three hitter and struck out 13 Knights. Dan Knechel hurled the Big Red to an 8-1 victory over Central Bucks East, throwing six innings and not allowing an earned run. Brett Moyer and Thylar Summerall sparked the Indian offense as each hit a two-run homerun.
Nate Coyle and Dan Long of Pennridge shut down Hatboro-Horsham as the Rams captured a key 6-1 win. Mitch McLeod and Jason Souder each collected a pair of RBI in the win over the Hatters. Joe Robinson finished with two hits and three RBI as Pennridge defeated Quakertown 4-3 in eight innings. Long earned the win for the Rams with three shutout innings of relief.
Jake Manca of Central Bucks West was masterful in his six and one-third innings of shutout baseball as the Bucks edged district rival Central Bucks East 1-0. Thomas Philipps, Drew Sypanka, and Nick Evans fueled the CBW offense as the Bucks edged district rival Central Bucks South 10-9. Philipps had three hits and two RBI, while Sypanka and Evans each collected three RBI for the winners.
Dan Klepchick of Central Bucks South was outstanding as the Titans defeated Quakertown 3-0. Klephick hurled a complete game five-hit shutout and collected nine strikeouts. Andrew Dietz and Tommy Dugan provided the spark in the Titans 10-9 loss to Central Bucks West. Dietz had four RBI for CB South, while Dugan blasted a homerun and had three RBI.
Jared Gorman of North Penn kept the Knights in the conference race with a fine pitching performance in a 4-3 win over Hatboro-Horsham. Gorman fired a complete game victory – allowed just a single earned run – and permitted just two hits.
Matt Bukavich of Quakertown had three hits and two RBI as the Panthers were defeated by Pennridge 4-3 in eight innings.
A.J. Curran of Central Bucks East was a tough luck loser as the Patriots fell to district rival Central Bucks West 1-0. Curran allowed just one earned run and had six strikeouts in his six-inning stint against the Bucks.
SOL Continental Conference Standings
1. Central Bucks South Titans 5 2
Pennridge Rams 5 2
Souderton Indians 5 2
4. Central Bucks West Bucks 4 3
North Penn Knights 4 3
6. Hatboro-Horsham Hatters 3 4
7. Quakertown Panthers 2 5
8. Central Bucks East Patriots 0 7
‘On Deck’ in the SOL Continental Conference
Tuesday – April 26, 2016
North Penn Knights @ Central Bucks South Titans
Pennridge Rams @ Central Bucks East Patriots
Quakertown Panthers @ Central Bucks West Bucks
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters @ Souderton Indians
Thursday – April 28, 2016
Central Bucks East Patriots @ North Penn Knights
Central Bucks West Bucks @ Pennridge Rams
Central Bucks South Titans @ Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
Souderton Indians @ Quakertown Panthers
SOL National Conference ‘Snapshot’
Neshaminy Redskins
Neshaminy head coach Chris Tenaglia and his coaching staff felt going into the 2016 season that the strength of the team would be pitching.
“Injuries have hurt us a bit in the first half of the season,” said Tenaglia as quality pitchers that included senior Andrew Alvino, senior TJ Arno, and junior Zach Boop have missed all or most of the season thus far. “It looks like we might get most or all of them back healthy in the second half of the season.”
Neshaminy has surely not disappeared as far as district playoff hopes are concerned. Without their full stable of pitchers – the Redskins finished the first half of the conference season at 4-3 and are tied for second place along with Bensalem and Pennsbury.
“We really haven’t talked too much about playoffs, usually 9-5 gets you in tournament, but 8-6 might be pressing your luck,” said Tenaglia. “Everything right now is clearly under our control, but every game in this league is going to be competitive.
“Really, the teams in the top half of the standings aren’t all that different that the teams in the bottom half of the standings,” added Tenaglia. “You just play the games as they come – put out the best pitcher you have available – and hope for the best.”
Neshaminy has received excellent pitching from a pair of seniors – Billy Meyer and Matt Grudza.
“Bill transferred back here from Egan and is our ace – and a real bulldog,” said Tenaglia. “And Matt has been very effective because he throws strikes and pitches to contact.
“We play two good teams this week in Bensalem and Abington,” continued Tenaglia. “High school baseball is a funny game – but we should be okay.”
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL National Conference
Matt Hand of Council Rock Northstruck out nine Abington hitters in just five innings as the Indians 
captured a key 12-2 victory over the Ghosts. Tyler Nowmos had three RBI in the Abington win. Gavin Ferradino and CJ Kilgarriff of CRN combined a solid pitching effort as the Indians defeated Bensalem 3-2. Ferradino – a sophomore – had nine strikeouts in his 4.1 innings of work, while Kilgarriff tossed 2.3 innings of shutout relief.
Zach Conley of Pennsbury was impressive with a 10-strikeout performance as the Falcons soared to a 4-2 victory over Council Rock South. David Murphy had two RBI in the PHS win. Billy Bethel was impressive with an eight-strikeout performance as Pennsbury defeated William Tennent 7-2. Tyrone Hodges, Josh Tesarck, and Bryen Kimbrough each had two hits for the Falcons.
Billy Meyer of Neshaminy hurled the Redskins to an 8-1 victory over Harry S Truman. Meyer had six strikeouts and allowed just a single hit over his six innings of work. Billy Ritchey paced the Skins’ offense with three RBI. Brian Nicolas had two RBI for Neshaminy in a 10-8 loss to Council Rock South.
Greg Troyer of Abington was the winning pitcher and Brian Close earned the save as the Ghosts captured a 6-3 victory over Truman. Justin Yerkes was a perfect 3-3 at the plate that included a double and a triple.
Josh Kim and Keith Rieser of Council Rock South each had terrific offensive games as the Golden Hawks collected their first conference win with a 10-8 victory over Neshaminy. Kim had three hits and three RBI for CRS, while Rieser had three RBI for the winners. Zach Mayer was a tough luck loser for the Hawks in a 4-2 loss to Pennsbury. Mayer allowed just two earned runs in his seven innings of work in the loss to the Falcons.
Ryan Lucas of William Tennent pitched a marvelous game as the Panthers captured a 5-0 victory over Bensalem. Lucas threw 5.1 innings of shutout baseball and had seven strikeouts.
Matt Olsen and Casey Van Horn of Truman each had RBI in the Tigers 6-3 loss to Abington.
Joey Benedetti of Bensalem drove home two runs in the Owls 3-2 loss to Council Rock North.
SOL National Conference Standings
1. Council Rock North Indians 6 0
2. Bensalem Owls 4 3
Neshaminy Redskins 4 3
Pennsbury Falcons 4 3
5. Abington Ghosts 3 3
6. William Tennent Panthers 3 4
7. Council Rock South Hawks 1 4
8. Truman Tigers 1 6
‘On Deck’ in the SOL National Conference
Tuesday – April 26, 2016
Neshaminy Redskins @ Bensalem Owls
William Tennent Panthers @ Council Rock North Indians
Council Rock South Hawks @ Truman Tigers
Pennsbury Falcons @ Abington Ghosts
Thursday – April 28, 2016
Truman Tigers @ William Tennent Panthers
Bensalem Owls @ Council Rock South Hawks
Abington Ghosts @ Neshaminy Redskins
Council Rock North Indians @ Pennsbury Falcons
SOL American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Plymouth Whitemarsh head coach Chris Manero knew before the season began that the 2016 season was going to be a challenge for his young and inexperienced Colonials.
“We have started two freshmen all season and sometimes a third freshman,” said Manero in reference to full time starters (shortstop) Anthony Tomassetti and (outfielder) Drew Kliesh and part timer (infielder) Jacob Nunez. “We felt that both Anthony and Drew were going to play right away, and we also knew that we were going to have to figure some things out as we went along.
“(Junior) Dillon Famous has been our best pitcher and has thrown the bulk of the innings,” continued Manero. “He has given us five or six strong innings every game and keeps us in games by throwing strikes.
“We have had great senior leadership shown by both (catcher) Dutch Reardon and (outfielder) Adam McKinlay,” added Manero. “I feel that we begin the second half of the (conference) season with everyone finally understanding their roles.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh finished the first half of the conference season with a 3-4 record. And the Colonials open the second half of the SOL American season against Upper Moreland (Tuesday) and Upper Merion (Thursday).
“We lost to both of them the first time that we played them,” said Manero. “I feel that we can gauge how much we improved by playing those teams a second time and maybe picking up wins we didn’t get in the first half.
“I have been coaching at PW for the last 11 years, and this is the best the conference has ever been from top to bottom,” added Manero. “Every game is valuable – and although I haven’t used the word ‘playoffs’ – it is always a goal at the beginning of the season.
“I really feel good about where we are right now as a team,” continued Manero. “Starting over again in the second half of the year is always exciting.”
In the Rear View Mirror in the SOL American Conference
Brandon Kohn of Upper Moreland struck out six hitters in his 6-1 complete game victory over Norristown. Connor Casey had two RBI to pace the Bear offense. Joey Bates threw a complete game gem in Upper Moreland’s 6-0 victory over Upper Merion. Bates had 10 strikeouts and allowed just two hits against the Vikings.
Dillion Famous and John Pecharo of Plymouth Whitemarsh combined to pitch the Colonials to a 3-2 victory over Cheltenham. Famous threw five strong innings and allowed just two runs, while Pecharo earned the win with two innings of shutout relief. Adam McKinlay had three hits and two RBI as the Colonials marched to a 5-4 victory over Norristown.
Cole Swiger of Upper Dublin threw 5.2 innings and allowed no earned runs in the Cardinals 11-4 victory over Springfield. JT Breslin reached base five times for UD with three hits and two walks.
Logan Willans of Wissahickon permitted just one hit over six innings as the Trojans marched to a 10-0 victory Cheltenham. Willans also had two hits and three RBI at the plate, while Alex Tappen blasted a homerun for Wissahickon.
Nick Pave of Springfield was impressive with a 10-strikeout performance as the Spartans won their first conference game of the season in a 5-4 win over Upper Merion. Jack Cornely had two hits and an RBI in the win. Tim Dahme had three hits and a run scored as the Spartans fell to Upper Dublin 11-4.
Kieran Versaw-Banks of Cheltenham was impressive as the Panthers won their first conference game of the year with a 10-0 victory over Norristown. Versaw-Banks – who also had two hits and two runs scored – had seven strikeouts and allowed just two hits over five innings. Wes Giles connected for a three-run homerun for the Panthers, while Joel White had two hits and two RBI for the winners.
Tom Detwiler of Norristown was a perfect 4-4 with two RBI as the Eagles were edged 5-4 against Plymouth Whitemarsh.
SOL American Conference Standings
1. Upper Dublin Cardinals 7 0
2. Upper Moreland Bears 5 1
3. Wissahickon Trojans 5 2
4. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 3 4
Upper Merion Vikings 3 4
6. Norristown Eagles 2 6
7. Springfield Spartans 1 5
Cheltenham Panthers 1 5
‘On Deck’ in the SOL American Conference
Tuesday – April 26, 2016
Upper Merion Vikings @ Cheltenham Panthers
Upper Dublin Cardinals @ Norristown Eagles
Upper Moreland Bears @ Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials
Springfield Spartans @ Wissahickon TrojansThursday – April 28, 2016
Cheltenham Panthers @ Upper Dublin Cardinals
Norristown Eagles @ Springfield Spartans
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials @ Upper Merion Vikings
Wissahickon Trojans @ Upper Moreland Bears
Suburban One Sports.com
Top Ten
1. Council Rock North Indians
2. Central Bucks South Titans
3. Pennridge Rams
4. Souderton Indians
5. Upper Dublin Cardinals
6. North Penn Knights
7. Bensalem Owls
8. Upper Moreland Bears
9. Central Bucks West Bucks
10. Pennsbury Falcons
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