Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. CB West/Pennsbury photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko & Darryl Rule of J&D Photography, and Upper Dublin/Unionville photos courtesy of Shannon O’Sullivan. CLICK HERE to view Suburban One Sports’ FOOTBALL GALLERIES. Check back for galleries of both games.
District 1 6A
#1 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 49, #16 SPRING-FORD 7
Braylen Cape scored on South’s first play from scrimmage, but the Titans already had a 7-0 lead, thanks to a pick 6 by Matt Harmon. It marked the beginning of a big night for Cope and the Titans on their way to a rout of the 16th-seeded Rams in Friday’s district opener.
“Braylen Cape took it 55 yards,” South coach Tom Hetrick said of his sophomore running back who led the Titans with 156 yards on just 14 carries. “I was happy with our O-line. Braylen Cape, our young running back, is definitely coming into his own.
“Jimmy Wade got a few touches tonight, and he’s pretty dynamic. Owen Pinkertown just continues to be really good at what we’re asking him to do.”
The Titans’ coach had plenty to feel good about in Friday’s game, not the least of which was another standout defensive effort.
“It was definitely a bend-don’t-break kind of thing from our defense early,” Hetrick said. “They got the ball to start. I think we stuffed them on first and second down, and they came out with a couple of really creative formations.
“They caught us out of coverage and got it in the red zone inside the 10, but they didn’t score. Our red zone defense was really good tonight, and it’s been good all year. It’s a bend don’t break kind of a thing. I always give the kids credit because they don’t freak out when a team gets (close) to the end zone – instead, the more firm they become.”
Hetrick went on to credit the standout effort of senior defensive back Matt Harmon.
“He had a great game for us tonight,” Hetrick said. “He had a long pick six. It was a really, really good play. It was his fourth pick of the year.
“What he did after the pick was really cool – he took it (85) yards. They had another play where they got behind our coverage. A kid was taking off to the end zone, and Harmon made just a ridiculous effort – came up behind the kid at about the five-yard line and punched the ball out. It went out of the back of the end zone, and Jimmy Wade recovers. I don’t think he got enough credit during the season. Danny Gies does great things for us offensively. Harmon is so consistent defensively, and tonight, he definitely shined.”
Harmon also caught a 16-yard touchdown pass on the offensive side of the football in the final seconds of the first half to send the Titans into halftime with a 35-0 lead. The first half also featured a pair of touchdowns by Pinkerton, who scored on QB keepers of one and two yards. In the second half, South’s Gavin Graham scored on a seven-yard run, and in the fourth, Austin White turned an interception into a 43-yard touchdown return and a 49-0 lead before the Rams put a touchdown on the board with time winding down.
Jack Bartolillo’s seven tackles, including one tackle for loss, led the Titans’ defense while Brandon Zubyk had six tackles.
“It was a good defensive effort all night,” Hetrick said. “Their running back, #20 – the Lewis kid (Jamal Lewis) – is a pretty good player. We bottled him up for the most part.”
Lewis had 17 carries for 55 yards.
Central Bucks South (11-0, 7-0 SOL) will host the winner of Saturday’s game pitting #9 Souderton at #8 Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Spring-Ford 0-7
Central Bucks South 35-14 49
#3 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 17, #14 PENNSBURY 0
Defense – the disruptive, we’re-not-going-to-let-you-get-into-a-rhythm kind of defense – was the story of Friday’s district opener.
Points were hard to come by for both sides, and so dominant was West’s defense that – despite just a 7-0 halftime lead -the Bucks still seemed to be in complete command.
“We knew coming into the game – they’re a really good defensive football team,” West coach Rob Rowan said. “They got some really good players on that side – 44 (Walker Murray) is an elite linebacker.
“They have a nice supporting cast around him, and they’re well coached, so we knew that it was going to be tough sledding offensively. We knew they were going to make us earn it, so we challenged our defense as we always do. We had a great week of preparation. I’m just really proud of the way they came out and executed start to finish.”
After exchanging punts, the Bucks appeared to be changing that trend when quarterback Noah Miller picked up 23 yards on the first play of West’s second possession, but it looked as though the drive had stalled when the Bucks – after a holding call – found themselves facing a third-and-23.
But Vance Morelli kept the drive alive with one of the game’s biggest offensive plays, racing 31 yards to the Falcons’ 29 for a first down.
“It was a huge play,” Rowan said. “He’s a guy that – the last time we played them he wasn’t available. To have him back and to have him as a weapon, it creates a lot of conflict defensively because multiple guys on the field are all capable of really dangerous things with the football.
“Vance is a really, really talented football player, and I thought that play changed the momentum of the game.”
On the very next play, Ryan Clemens broke off a 25-yard run to the Falcons’ four-yard line, and two plays later, the senior running back took it in from two yards out for a touchdown, and after his successful PAT, the Bucks led 7-0.
The Falcons had their best chance to get on the board when – on a West punt – it was ruled that the ball hit the foot of a West player, a call that raised eyebrows on West’s sideline, and Pennsbury recovered on West’s 36-yard line.
A costly Falcons’ penalty set the stage for a third-and-long and an incomplete pass, forcing the Falcons to punt.
“Our guys responded really well at the end of the half,” Rowan said. “I was really proud of the way they were able to just play the next play and make sure we got into the half with a lead.”
After the Falcons were forced to punt on their opening possession of the second half, a big run by Devon McGowan on West’s first play set up a drive that included an 11-yard run by Miller, a reverse by McGowan to the Falcons’ seven and culminated with a 22-yard field goal by Clemens sent the Bucks into the final quarter with a 10-0 lead.
A short field on the Bucks’ next possession was capped with a one-yard touchdown by Morelli for the 17-0 final.
“Defensively, I don’t think we ever really gave them hope,” Rowan said. “I felt like we kept our foot on the gas defensively all night, and really, that was the difference in the
game.
“For us to be able to get the field goal when we did and to be able to punch that last score in – with the way our defense was playing, those were some really important drives in the third quarter and early in the fourth that we put together.”
The Bucks’ coach credited the efforts of several players on the defensive side of the ball.
“When you play defensively that well, it’s an 11-man effort,” Rowan said. “I think the front four played tremendous Jeff Cappa (who recovered a fumble) is a dominant player down there.
“Nick Miletto just continues to play really, really high level defensive football at linebacker. I thought Noah Miller and Louie Cipollo played really, really well in the secondary, both in coverage and the run fit.”
Central Bucks West (9-2, 6-1 SOL) will host #11 Downingtown East in a second round game. East upset #8 Perkiomen Valley 17-10. Pennsbury closed out its season with a 5-6 record overall.
Pennsbury 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks West 7-0-3-7 17
#7 OWEN J ROBERTS 38, NESHAMINY 24
Friday’s district opener started out on a shaky note for the Redskins as the Wildcats turned interceptions on Neshaminy’s first two possessions into touchdowns and a 14-0 lead.
The Redskins answered with a touchdown drive that featured a 36-yard run by Carter Clee, who took it in from eight yards out to make it a 14-7 game.
A safety on the ensuing kickoff pulled the Redskins to within five, 14-9, but the Wildcats reeled off 21 unanswered points to close out the half, including a pick six in the final seconds of the half.
After forcing an Owen J punt on its opening possession of the second half, Nick Sassano came up with a big return to the Wildcats’ five-yard line, and Michael Eckart took it in for the TD, making it a 35-16 game.
With 11:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, Clee scored on a five-yard run, and the two-point conversion was successful, pulling the Redskins to within two scores 35-24, but they would get no closer.
Neshaminy closed out its season with a 6-5 record overall.
Neshaminy 9-0-7-8 24
Owen J Roberts 14-21-0-3 38
#5 HAVERFORD 56, #12 QUAKERTOWN 0
District 1 Class 5A
#6 UPPER DUBLIN 31, #11 UNIONVILLE 21
(Game info courtesy of @Artistic Mayhem1 X/PA Football News)
It didn’t look like an especially good open when the visiting Longhorns scored a touchdown on their opening drive. But the Flying Cardinals answered with a TD of their own and then outscored their visitors 24-14 the rest of the way.
“It was a good game,” UD coach Bret Stover said. “I was glad we were not on the bus, and we got to play at home. I think that takes a little bit out of you, making the long drive up from Chester County.
“I thought we came out ready to play. Even though we gave up the first drive touchdown, we came right back and responded, and then we really had it under control.”
After the Longhorns took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter, the Cardinals evened the score in the closing seconds of the quarter when quarterback Kevin Etkin hooked up with Eric Berman for an 18-yard touchdown.
Early in the second quarter, Jordan Fields gave the Cardinals a 14-7 lead with an electrifying 47-yard touchdown run, somehow spinning out of the grasp of a pair of would-be defenders and racing into the end zone.
“That first touchdown run was highlight reel material,” Stover said. “They had him down three different times, they grabbed his facemask, got a flag, and he still ended up in the end zone.
“He got our season started way back against Wissahickon. It was a real hot night, Ron (Shepherd) had three carries in a row, and Jordan came in and did one of those spinners and left everybody laying on the ground, and he’s running down the middle of the field. You’re like, ‘Wow, what just happened?’ He’s got those plays in him.”
The Longhorns wasted no time before evening the score on an 81-yard touchdown pass.
“We gave up a big pass, which we should never have done,” Stover said. “Little things like that – we’re still not doing great. We haven’t played our best game yet. It’s got to be soon.”
Fields gave the Cardinals a 21-14 lead, this time escaping tacklers on a six-yard touchdown run. Fields had 92 yards in the first half.
“He’s kind of been in Ron’s shadow and Shyne’s shadow,” Stover said of Ron Shepherd (who was unavailable) and Shyne Roberts (who graduated). “He came out of nowhere for us the last couple of weeks. Tonight, he had 25 carries for 175 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
“But what I’m impressed with is – he ran really, really hard between the tackles, which is what he hadn’t done. It’s what we asked him and challenged him to do, and he did a nice job with the two- and three-yard runs.”
Matt Miller’s 26-yard field goal – the only points in the third quarter – stretched UD’s lead to 24-14.
With less than three minutes remaining in the game, the Longhorns tacked on a score to make it a 24-21 game. Fields once again had an answer, taking it 38 yards for a touchdown and a 31-21 lead with 2:25 remaining. An interception by Eric Berman sealed the Longhorns’ fate.
“He got that (interception), and we could run the clock out essentially,” Stover said. “Berman had a big touchdown for our first score. That was a nice throw by Kevin also.”
The Cardinals’ coach once again pointed to his offensive line as the team’s strength.
“They’re just super consistent,” Stover said, going on to give Tim Sorber a shoutout. “He’s coaching our offensive line. He and Steve Roberts are doing a great job with those guys up front.”
The UD coach acknowledged that it’s not easy to game plan for an unfamiliar opponent.
“It’s so hard without common opponents to get a feel for somebody on film,” Stover said. “You look at them on film, and they’re like us.
“They’re not super flashy, they just find ways. They were hanging around enough tonight to try and find a way. We were able to make a couple of big stops.”
Upper Dublin (8-3, 6-1 SOL) will travel to #3 Phoenixville for a second round game Friday.
Unionville 7-7-0-7 21
Upper Dublin 7-14-3-7 31
District 1 Class 4A
#2 SPRINGFIELD TWP 42, #3 BISHOP SHANAHAN 21
It’s been nine long years, but for the first time since 2015, the Spartans will be playing for the District 1 4A title, thanks to Friday’s win over Bishop Shanahan.
CJ Johnson turned in another monster performance to lead the Spartans, finishing with 214 rushing yards and four touchdowns to go along with five receptions for 73 yards.
The senior running back had plenty of help. Quarterback Jack McGuckin completed 11 of 15 passes for 133 yards and also had 17 carries for 88 yards and two TDs.
Receiving the game ball for his performance was senior Bobby Hartman.
“He had a huge game for us,” Shelly said. “He had had three catches for 43 yards. We didn’t throw it that much, but when we had to, he was the go-to guy.
“Bobby played just phenomenally all over the field. He’s a kicker and punter for us. We felt disrespected. We feel like we have some all-state caliber players, and they played like all-state caliber players. Bobby Hartman was on a mission. He had six total tackles and two interceptions.”
Hartman also was a perfect 6-for-6 on PATs and recovered his own on-sides kick to open the game.
McGuckin also contributed on the defensive side of the ball where he had an interception. Theo Ferragame had five total tackles
“He dominated at defensive end,” Shelly said. “We kind of split up our tackles.
“We knew this team had some weapons. They had beaten Coatesville (21-14), they had beaten Downingtown (West, 28-22). They have a big time back and a big time receiver.”
For the game, Springfield had 46 carries for 324 yards and six touchdowns.
“We challenged our guys – especially after Wissahickon (a 50-49 win last Friday). Like we’ve been doing all year – just constantly playing in attack mode. We won the toss and deferred, and we went on-side kick to open the game, and we got it.
“We just had a lousy first drive. I think our kids were too pumped – didn’t line up right and things like that. We actually had to punt it to them.”
Bishop Shanahan got on the scoreboard first four minutes into the opening quarter on an 89-yard pass completion from Anthony Aquila to Aidan Civitella.
“They scored on a bomb to their best receiver,” Shelly said. “We put Jack (McGuckin), our best kid, on him, but the kid’s fast.
“Jack did a phenomenal job on him the rest of the game. They slipped one by us. That kid never flinches. He’s the perfect guy in all spots. He keeps on firing, either as a quarterback or as a captain of our team or defensively – he doesn’t flinch, so we didn’t flinch as a team. When we got the ball back, we had a monster drive to tie it up.”
The drive was capped by a two-yard TD run from Johnson. The Spartans took the lead when Johnson scored on a seven-yard run early in the second quarter, and Johnson’s third TD run – this one for 23 yards – put the Spartans on top 21-7.
“Our MO is – we’re going to run the ball, and we’re going to run it down their throats to keep them off the field,” Shelly said.
Shanahan scored a touchdown, but McGuckin blocked the extra point, and the Spartans took a 21-13 lead into halftime.
A four-yard McGuckin touchdown run with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter upped the Spartans’ lead to 28-13. Hartman’s second interception set the stage for a 32-yard touchdown run by Johnson that gave the Spartans a 35-13 lead.
Shanahan scored late in the third to make it a 35-21 game heading into the final quarter that included a two-yard McGuckin TD run for the 42-21 final.
Springfield Twp (9-2, 4-1 SOL) will travel to top-seeded Pope John Paul II on Friday.
Bishop Shanahan 7-6-8-0 21
Springfield Twp 7-14-14-7 42
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