Check out Scott Huff's comprehensive previews of all four District One games featuring SOL squads.
By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on..
The quarterfinal round of the PIAA District One playoffs has two extremely interesting rematches of Suburban One League early season meetings.
North Penn and Neshaminy met in what evolved as an opening day classic as the Knights held off the Redskins by a 34-33 score in double overtime. In a game that showcased explosive offenses, it was a defensive play in the second overtime that accounted for the victory.
North Penn took a 34-27 lead in the second overtime on a third touchdown run by Julian White and a PAT by Ayoub Cherradi. Neshaminy answered with a 10-yard touchdown run by Brody McAndrew, but the Skins attempt to win the game with a two-point conversion failed, and the Knight defense presented them with their first victory of the season.
In the win, NP quarterback Solomon Robinson threw for 100 yards – while Shamar Edwards rushed for 96 yards.
In the loss, Neshaminy quarterback McAndrew passed for 103 yards – while Oleh Manzyk rushed for a game-high 145 yards and three touchdowns.
This 6-A quarterfinal sequel will be hard pressed to be better than the regular season original.
Upper Dublin and Cheltenham met in late September in what proved to be ‘Championship Week’ in the Suburban One American Conference for both the Flying Cardinals and the Panthers.
Upper Dublin will host the rematch on its turf in the district 5A quarterfinal, but the first meeting between the two conference powers was played on a wet, muddy field at Cheltenham. And Upper Dublin claimed a huge 20-7 victory in the slop at Wyncote.
The Flying Cardinal defense held the explosive Panther offense in check with less than 100 yards of rushing offense – with some help from the poor playing conditions. But no excuses for that victory – both teams played in the same conditions.
Upper Dublin led 13-0 at the half on a TD pass from Mike Slivka to Jason Scott and a TD run by Lucas Roselli.
Cheltenham scored a special teams’ touchdown in the third quarter to close to 13-7, but UD scored a final touchdown in the fourth period to seal the win in the muck.
If rain is in the forecast again – which it is – at least this Cardinal-Panther rematch will be played on a turf field and will better showcase the talents of these two fine teams.
Quakertown and Truman will both be road warriors and must win far from home if the Panthers and Tigers wish to advance in the 6-A district playoffs.
Quakertown and Downingtown East were the only 6-A lower seeded teams that won first round district playoff games. The Panthers took their show on the road and came up with a 26-14 victory over Perkiomen Valley, while DE defeated another Pioneer Athletic Conference team, Spring-Ford, 39-12.
The upset challenge will be much more difficult this week as Q-town makes the arduous bus trip to Garnet Valley to play the powerful Central League champions. The Jaguars throttled Pennsbury 49-14 last week.
Truman was able to host its first ever district playoff game last week and the community went home ecstatic with a 27-12 victory over SOL National Conference rival Council Rock South. CR South was the only team to defeat the Tigers this season.
Truman is a No. 5 seed and will face No. 4 seed Downingtown West this week. The two teams are close in seed – but the two high schools are far from each other on a road map. DW has also lost only once this season – to Ches-Mont power Coatesville.
Expect this one to be a great high school football game.
Let the (playoff) games continue.
PIAA District One 6-A Quarterfinal Playoff Games
All games are on Friday – November 10, 2018 @ 7 pm
No. 8 Neshaminy Redskins (8-3) vs. No. 1 North Penn Knights (11-0) @ Wissahickon High School
Playoff Resume:
Neshaminy opened the district playoffs with an impressive 35-7 victory over No. 9 Haverford. The Redskins opened up a 35-0 lead in the second half that created an unexpected mercy-rule contest. Running back Chris James was the featured back of the Skins and rolled up 160 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Brody McAndrew gave the Neshaminy offense balance as he threw for a pair of touchdowns.
North Penn opened the district playoffs with a 26-16 victory over No. 16 Ridley. RJ Macnamara scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Knights, while Shamar Edwards rushed for a game-high 105 yards on 17 carries. Solomon Robinson threw for a pair of scores – one of those scores was a 62-scoring pass to Edwards.
Season Resume:
Neshaminy finished the regular season as co-champions of the SOL National Conference.
North Penn finished the regular season as the champion of the SOL Continental Conference.
Signature Regular Season Wins:
Neshaminy registered signature wins over CR South (9-0), Pennridge (27-14), and Pennsbury (35-7).
North Penn registered signature wins over Neshaminy (34-33-OT), Pennsbury (33-7), and Pennridge (42-20).
Losses:
Neshaminy lost games during the regular season to North Penn (34-33-OT), Downingtown West (35-14), and Truman (27-26).
North Penn finished the regular season undefeated.
Players To Watch:
Neshaminy
QB – Brody McAndrew 106 c – 185 att; 1402 yds; 16 TD; 11 Int.
RB – Chris James 192 carries; 1213 yds; 6.3 avg; 8 TD.
Rec – Corey Joyce 34 rec; 547 yds; 16.1 avg; 6 TD.
Ryan O’Conner 31 rec; 308 yds; 9.9 avg; 3 TD.
North Penn
QB – Solomon Robinson 51 c – 115 att; 974 yds; 7 TD; 8 Int; 110 carries; 442 yrds; 4.0 avg; 5 TD.
RB – Shamar Edwards 153 carries; 1147 yds; 7.5 avg; 10 TD
Julian White 96 carries; 626 yds; 6.5 avg; 14 TD.
Rec – Evan Spann 12 rec; 267 yds; 22.3 avg; 2 TD.
Jon Haynes 11 rec; 259 yds; 25.6 avg; 3 TD.
Neshaminy Head Coach Steve Wilmot says:
“The thing that impresses me about North Penn is that their motors are always running and you never see anyone that is away from the action taking it easy. They block to the whistle and run to the ball on defense.”
North Penn Head Coach Dick Beck says:
“Neshaminy is really clicking on both offense and defense. Their offensive linemen have really improved since the beginning of the season. This is NOT the same team that we played the first week of the season. I expect a real war.”
Winner Gets:
The winner of the Neshaminy/North Penn game will play the winner of the Downingtown West/Truman game on Friday – November 17, 2018 – at the site of the higher seed.
No. 5 Truman Tigers (10-1) @ No. 4 Downingtown West (10-1)
Playoff Resume:
Truman opened the district playoffs with a 27-12 victory over No. 12 Council Rock South. The Tigers broke open a tight 14-12 contest by scoring the final two touchdowns in the second half. HST running back Enzo Poulson had a spectacular night rushing for 223 yards on 32 carries. Poulson and Gabe Gipli each scored a pair of touchdowns for the winners.
Downingtown West opened the district playoffs with a 42-20 victory over No. 13 Upper Darby. The Whippets saw their elite running back Tyriq Lewis go over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season in the win. Lewis has now scored 27 touchdowns this season.
Season Resume:
Truman finished the regular season as the co-champion of the SOL National Conference.
Downingtown West finished the regular season as the second place team in the Ches-Mont National.
Signature Regular Season Wins:
Downingtown West registered signature wins over Perkiomen Valley (44-33), Neshaminy (35-14), and Downingtown East (28-7).
Truman registered signature wins over Neshaminy (27-26), Pennsbury (29-24), and Pennridge (42-20).
Losses:
Downingtown West lost its only game to Coatesville (42-14)
Truman lost its only game to CR South (20-6).
Players to Watch:
Truman
QB – Dylan Snelling 18 c – 57 att; 406 yds; 6 TD; 6 INT
RB- Terrence Rodgers 121 carries – 1032 yds; 8.5 avg; 13 TD.
Enzo Poulson – 114 carries – 670 yds; 5.9 avg; 10 TD.
Deondre Winton – 54 carries – -510 yds; 9.4 avg; 6 TD.
Rec – Javeer Peterson 7 rec – 143 yds; 20.4 avg; 1 TD.
Downingtown West (based on 10 games)
QB – Ryan Wetzel 23 c – 38 att; 395 yds; 2 TD; 1 INT
RB – Tyriq Lewis 1365 carries – 1014 yds; 6.5 avg; 21 TD
Tyler Alston 93 carries – 398 yds; 4.3 avg; 4 TD
Rec – Dan Byrnes 35 rec – 664 yds; 19.0 avg; 8 TD
Truman Head Coach Michael LaPalombara says:
“The pep rally we had (prior to the CR South game) was something I’ve never seen. The whole school was in on it, the whole community got in on it. I’m hoping that they all get excited again and try to do it one more time. It’s hard to keep turning that energy back up, but we will stay focused.”
Winner Gets:
The winner of the Truman/Downingtown West game plays the winner of the Neshaminy/North Penn game on Friday – November 17, 2018 – at the site of the higher seed.
No. 11 Quakertown Panthers (9-2) @ No. 3 Garnet Valley Jaguars (11-0)
Playoff Resume:
Quakertown rallied back from a 14-7 halftime deficit to upset No. 6 Perkiomen Valley 26-14. The Panthers scored four rushing touchdowns in the victory and were led by Christian Patrick who rushed for a game-high 203 yards on 30 carries. Patrick scored twice for the winners, while Tyler Merwarth and Brad Bryan each scored solo touchdowns.
Garnet Valley opened the district playoffs with a 49-14 rout of No. 14 Pennsbury. The punishing Jaguar rushing attack rolled up 466 yards of offense. Ryan Gallagher, the backup quarterback, led GV with 142 yards and score. The Jaguars led 35-0 and sent the game into an unexpected mercy-rule contest.
Season Resume:
Quakertown finished the regular season tied for second place in the SOL American Conference.
Garnet Valley finished the regular season as champion of the Central League.
Signature Regular Season Wins:
Quakertown registered signature wins over CB East (20-13), Souderton (28-14), and Hatboro-Horsham (29-16).
Garnet Valley registered signature wins over Ridley (55-21), Haverford (14-7), and Springfield-Delco (6-0).
Losses:
Quakertown lost games to Cheltenham (17-14) and Upper Dublin (14-13).
Garnet Valley is undefeated.
Players To Watch:
Quakertown
QB – Brad Bryan 93 c – 149 att; 1180 yds; 8 TD; 6 Int.
RB – Christian Patrick 152 carries; 862 yds; 5.7 avg; 10 TD
*Inj. Michael Terra – 86 carries; 451 yds; 5.2 avg; 10 TD.
Rec. – Tyler Merwarth 26 rec; 388 yds; 14.9 avg; 3 TD.
Tim Garlick 28 rec; 353 yds; 12.6 avg; 0 TD.
Garnet Valley (based on 10 games)
QB – Cole Palis 50c – 402yds; 8.0 avg; 3 TD.
RB- Colin Robinson 116 carries; 774 yds; 6.8 avg; 15 TD.
Danny Bradley 62 carries; 459 yds; 7.4 avg; 5 TD.
Quakertown Head Coach George Banas says:
“I believe Garnet Valley is a very well coached, disciplined team that executes extremely well. Their offensive line comes off the ball faster and harder than any team we have seen this year. The scheme is very tough as one of three backs may have the ball. They have a ton of athletes all over the field and they are deep with talent. Once again, I think time of possession and turnovers will affect the outcome. We have to make them have ten or more play drives and not give up the home-run play. And our offense will hopefully have the same success as it did last week. It will be a big challenge that I know our players and staff are ready for.”
Winner Gets:
The winner of the Quakertown/ Garnet Valley game will play the winner of the Downingtown East/Coatesville game on Friday – November 17, 2018 – at the site of the higher seed.
PIAA District One 5-A Quarterfinal Playoff Games
All Games are Friday – November 9, 2018 @ 7 pm
No. 7 Cheltenham Panthers (8-3) @ Upper Dublin Cardinals (9-1)
Playoff Resume:
Cheltenham opened the playoffs with a 28-21 victory over No. 10 West Chester East. The Panthers scored on offense, defense, and special teams to secure the win. Jamir Barnes – who led all rushers with 97 yards – scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 13-yard run. Adonis Hunter threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to TJ Harris, while Nate Edwards returned the opening kickoff 83 yards to give the Panthers an early lead.
Upper Dublin scored 41 straight points at the outset of the game and flew to a 41-12 victory over No. 15 Phoenixville in the first round of the playoffs. Cardinal running back Lucas Roselli scored four touchdowns for the winners, while UD quarterback Mike Slivka threw a pair of TD passes.
Season Resume:
Cheltenham finished the regular season tied for second place in the SOL American Conference.
Upper Dublin was the champion of the SOL American Conference.
Signature Regular Season Wins:
Cheltenham registered signature wins over CR South (14-0), Quakertown (17-14), and Plymouth Whitemarsh (28-14).
Upper Dublin registered signature wins over Hatboro-Horsham (34-7), Cheltenham (20-7), and Quakertown (14-13).
Losses:
Cheltenham lost games to Abington (27-0), Upper Dublin (20-7), and Hatboro-Horsham (7-6).
Upper Dublin lost its only game of the year to Penn Charter (42-17).
Players To Watch:
Cheltenham
QB – Adonis Hunter 84 c – 178 att; 1414 yds; 12 TD; 7 Int.
RB – Jamir Barnes 173 carries; 1159 yds; 6.7 avg; 6 TD.
Rec – Jamir Barnes 26 rec; 429 yds; 16.5 avg; 4 TD.
Nate Edwards 19 rec; 349 yds; 18.4 avg; 3 TD.
Upper Dublin
QB – Mike Slivka 84c – 135 att; 1259 yds; 16 TD; 4 INT
RB – Lucas Roselli 80 carries; 498 yds; 6.2 avg; 10 TD
Mason Novak 99 carries; 425 yds; 4.3 avg; 7 TD
Mike Slivka 50 carries; 219 yds; 4.4 avg; 4 TD
Rec – Lucas Roselli 21 rec; 153 yds; 16.8 avg; 3 TD.
Selvin Haynes 20 rec; 294 yds; 14.7 avg; 5 TD
Cheltenham Head Coach Ryan Nase says
“Our biggest concerns on the defensive side are how well balanced they are. They can do it all, and it starts with the ability of Mike Slivka. He throws the ball well but more importantly can hurt you with his feet especially in the pocket with his ability to avoid a rush and move around. They have an exceptional wide receiver in Selvin Hanes and a thunder and lightning duo in the backfield with Lucas Roselli, who has a ton of speed, and Mason Novak, who is a big back that is really hard to tackle.
“Offensively, our biggest concern is that obviously we like to run the ball, but the way they play their 3-4 defense we always see at least seven or eight in the box where they are big and physical up front. They’re able to do that because their corners can play man coverage and do it well, and they literally have a QB patrolling centerfield. They also blitz and play zone just enough to keep you honest which can be difficult for our guys to identify.
“The biggest treat no one will notice is that this game has two of the best kicker/punters in all the area so expect a lot of touchbacks and fair catches.”
Upper Dublin Head Coach Bret Stover says
“It is absolutely more difficult to play a team for the second time in a season, especially a conference opponent. We know each other so well which should make for a really good high school football game.
“What impresses me is their physicality. They hit you from the opening kickoff to the end of the game. Their kids work hard and are always in the right place. They are also extremely athletic with athletes that can take the ball to the house at any time. We will have our hands full trying to contain them.
“I think it says a lot about the SOL American Conference with three teams still alive in the 5A and 6A quarterfinals, which speaks volumes to the level of football played in our conference.
“I think it’s always good to be home this time of year. Cheltenham is so close and travels very well, so I am sure they will bring a good crowd to support them and I am certain our Bird Gang will be out in force.”
Winner Gets:
The winner of the Cheltenham/Upper Dublin game will play the winner of the Unionville/Radnor game on Friday – November 17, 2018 – at the site of the higher seed.
Suburban One Sports.com
Top Ten
Rank Team Record Ranking Last Week
1. North Penn Knights 11-0 1.
2. Truman Tigers 10-1 2.
3. Neshaminy Redskins 8-3 3.
4. Upper Dublin Cardinals 9-1 4.
5. Quakertown Panthers 9-2 7.
6. Cheltenham Panthers 8-3 9.
7. CR South Hawks 6-5 6.
8. CB East Patriots 6-5 8.
9. Pennsbury Falcons 5-6 5.
10. Hatboro-Horsham Hatters 5-4 10.
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