Scott Huff previews all the District One games featuring SOL teams. Check back for recaps of all the SOL playoff action.
By Scott Huff
And now there are 16.
The PIAA District One Quad-A playoffs eliminated eight teams from the championship puzzle. And the ‘North’ end of the bracket had a good first round winning six of the eight contests over the ‘South’. At the end of the tournament, there will be five teams to advance to the PIAA state playoffs.
It was a good first round as five of the six Suburban One League teams moved on to the second round. Bensalem and Central Bucks West were higher seeded teams that earned wins, while Central Bucks South, Wissahickon, and North Penn all claimed ‘upset’ wins as lower seeded teams.
Suburban One League National Conference champion Council Rock South, SOL Continental Conference champion Hatboro-Horsham, and SOL American Conference champion Upper Dublin all received first round byes.
Only Council Rock North was eliminated from the district field from the Suburban One League.
The ‘Sweet 16’ will be the ‘Great Eight’ by the end of the day on Wednesday.
[N-9] North Penn Knights @ [N-1] Council Rock South Golden Hawks – Wednesday - 4 pm
How they got there – North Penn finished in third place in the Suburban One League Continental Conference, while Council Rock South was the champion of the Suburban One League National Conference
Last Game – North Penn trailed Marple-Newtown [S-8] 4-0 after five innings but pounded out seven runs in the sixth inning to defeat the visiting Tigers 7-4. Council Rock South had a first round bye and comes into the tournament with a seven game conference winning streak. The only loss of the season for the Hawks came in a 5-1 loss to Bensalem.
Name Game – North Penn had big outings from Alec Lashkevich and Bobby Reddick in the win over Marple Newtown. Casey Clauss and Matt Davey delivered clutch hits for the Knights. Council Rock South features an awesome pitching staff with a pair of aces in Brian Donnelly and Bret DeStefano. Jeff Miller and Dan Callahan play key roles for the Hawks.
North Penn head coach Kevin Manero says – “In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. We have the number one seed in the second round, and Council Rock South has earned that seeding. You hope to be good enough to play the top seed sometime – we have our chance now.”
Council Rock South head coach Greg Young says - “We got into playoff games with the approach of doing the things we have done well all season. We want to play our style – and that means execute defensively and throw strikes. We are going to have our hands full with North Penn, and the kids are excited and ready to go.”
Winner Gets – The winner of the North Penn-Council Rock South game will get the winner of the Penncrest [S-4] – Coatesville [S-12] game on Friday – 4 pm.
[N-11] Wissahickon Trojans @ [N-3] Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals – Wednesday – 4 pm
How they got there – Wissahickon finished in third place in the Suburban One League American Conference, while Upper Dublin was the SOL American Conference champion. Upper Dublin won all three meetings against Wissahickon during the regular 18-game conference season.
Last Game – Wissahickon collected a 9-2 win over Garnet Valley [S-6] and led 9-0 going into the last inning. The Trojans hammered out 12 hits and committed just one error. Upper Dublin had a first round bye. The Flying Cardinals have won four straight conference games and finished the SOL American regular season with a 14-4 record.
Name Game – Wissahickon has a fine collection of talent that feature JT Crits, Billy McFarland, Peter Bogdon, Greg McDonough and Dan Chou. Upper Dublin matches that talent with a team that showcases Anthony Yekel, Andrew Carber, Jared Zarwin, Jesse Kohler, and Brent D’Andrea.
Wissahickon head coach Shannon Gunby says - “We have not beaten Upper Dublin in any of the games we played, but we were competitive in all of them. The atmosphere for a Wissahickon and Upper Dublin game is always great, and it will be even better with a playoff game on the line.”
Upper Dublin head coach Ed Wall says – “We had a nice core of seniors coming back, and they felt that they had something to prove. Our goal was to win the league, and we did that. The kids did a great job this season.”
Winner Gets – The winner of the Wissahickon-Upper Dublin game will play the winner of the [N-7] Methacton @ [S-2] Downingtown East game on Friday – 4 pm.
[N-8] Central Bucks West Bucks @ [S-1] Interboro Bucs – Wednesday – 4 pm
How they got here – Central Bucks West finished second in the Suburban One League Continental Conference, while Interboro was the champion of the Delaware Valley League.
Last Game – Central Bucks West advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a well-played 3-2 victory over [S-9] West Chester Henderson. Marty Martens fired a complete game in the victory and also sparked the offense with a pair of hits. Interboro won its last seven league games and earned a bye as the top seed in the ‘South’ bracket.
Name Game – The Central Bucks West lineup showcases the ability of Marty Martens, Sam Lis, Nick Heller, Eugene Alpin, and Jake Poeske. Interboro features Dan Ouimette, Josh Breen, Rob Barnett, Jake Delliproscoli and John Delliproscoli.
Central Bucks West head coach Jim Ertel says – “We used our best pitcher in Marty Martens to get here, and they have their best pitcher to throw with them having the bye. We hope to go and play and do the best we can with what we have. If we can win, and I think we can, we will be able to throw Marty again on Friday.”
Winner Gets – The winner of the Central Bucks West – Interboro game will play the winner of the [N-4] Spring-Ford – [N-12] Central Bucks South game on Friday – 4 pm.
[N-12] Central Bucks South Titans @ [N-4] Spring-Ford Rams – Wednesday – 4 pm
How they got here – Central Bucks South finished fourth in the Suburban One League Continental Conference, while Spring-Ford was the second place finisher in the Pioneer Athletic Conference.
Last Game – Central Bucks South was impressive in a 6-2 opening round district playoff win over defending state champion Conestoga [S-5].Bobby Witteman threw a complete game in the win for the Titans. Spring Ford advanced to the tournament final in the PAC and lost 6-5 to Boyertown and received a first round district playoff bye.
Name Game - Central Bucks South features Dylan Glassmire, Chris Coia, Brian Happ, Will Foy, and Ricky Dennis. Spring-Ford showcases Tyler Eckman, Kristian DeLuzio, Richie Michaud, Cody Clarke, and Tom Grablewski.
Central Bucks South head coach Mike Schafer says – “We played a great game on a great field at Conestoga, and now we get a chance to play on another great field when we play Spring-Ford. I think it is a great experience for the players to get a chance to go around the district and see what it looks like out of the Suburban One League.”
Winner gets – The winner of the Central Bucks South – Spring-Ford game will play the winner of the [N-8] Central Bucks West – [S-1] Interboro game on Friday – 4 pm.
[S-7] West Chester Rustin Golden Knights @ [N-2] Hatboro-Horsham Hatters – Wednesday – 4 pm
How they got here – West Chester Rustin finished in second place in the Ches-Mont League, while Hatboro-Horsham was the champion of the Suburban One League Continental Conference.
Last Game – West Chester Rustin hammered out 13 hits and routed visiting [N-10] Council Rock North – 12-3. Hatboro-Horsham was awarded a bye in the first round and entered the playoffs on a nine game conference winning streak.
Name Game – West Chester Rustin showcases Kevin Jewitt, Matt Gosik, Danny Myers, Dylan Jenkins, and Alec O’Dell. Hatboro-Horsham features Casey Saverio, Chris Hens, Connor Crookham, Casey O’Donnell, and Tyler ZIngle.
Hatboro-Horsham head coach Peter Moore says – “It was an awesome feeling to be able to win a championship in our conference. It is one of the best conferences in the state, and that should get us ready for the playoffs. The season is over and we have to set new goals for the playoffs, and that goal is the next game. The players are focused on playing the next game, and so are the coaches.”
Winner gets – The winner of the West Chester Rustin – Hatboro-Horsham game will play the winner of the [S-3] Downingtown West – [N-6] Bensalem game on Friday – 4 pm.
[N-6] Bensalem Owls @ [S-3] Downingtown West Whippets – Wednesday – 4 pm
How they got here – Bensalem concluded the regular season in second place in the Suburban One League National Conference, while Downingtown West was the winner of the Ches-Mont League.
Last Game – Bensalem opened the district playoffs with an impressive 13-0 victory over visiting [S-11] Glen Mills. The Owls scored six runs in the fourth inning to claim the mercy-rule victory. Downingtown West earned a bye in the first round and entered the playoffs winning seven of its last conference games.
Name Game – Bensalem showcases the talents of Zach Hizer, Jesse Dannin, Jack Schwartz, Joe Nieves, and Rich Romano. The Whippets of Downingtown West feature Brett Hash, Pat Krail, Tony Calamaro, Alex Doyle, and Kenny Fuhrman.
Bensalem head coach Rick Lee says – “We played a really good game against Glen Mills, but that doesn’t mean anything in the next game. Downingtown West is an excellent baseball team and we should be in for a real dogfight.”
Winner gets – The winner of the Bensalem – Downingtown West game will play the winner of the West Chester Rustin – Hatboro-Horsham game on Friday – 4 pm.
PIAA Class AAA District One Playoffs
[# 8] Sun Valley @ [#1] Upper Moreland Golden Bears
How they got here - Sun Valley was the eighth place finisher in the Ches-Mont League, while Upper Moreland was the champion of the Suburban One League American Conference.
Who’s Hot? - Sun Valley enters the first round of the district playoffs winning five of its last seven conference games, while Upper Moreland has won six of its last seven conference games.
Name Game – Sun Valley showcases the talents of Bill Vandergrift, Drew Giampietro, Nick Lewis, Anthony Okoorian, and Mario Farnell.
Upper Moreland head coach Ernie Rehr says – “We just got our seniors back from Disney World Monday night, but I know that we will be fine. At this point of the season you can’t get carried away with scouting. It all still comes down to the throwing, catching, and hitting the baseball.”
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