Five SOL football teams were winners in Friday’s opening round of the District 1 Tournament. Truman/CR South photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography, Upper Dublin/Phoenixville photos courtesy of Kathy Leister Photography, and Neshaminy/Haverford courtesy of Mike Sperando. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Stats used in the wraps are provided courtesy of the Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier Times. For complete high school football coverage, visit the web sites: http://www.theintell.com/sports and http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports.
CLASS 6A
#1-1 NORTH PENN 26, #1-16 RIDLEY 16
It took the Knights almost two quarters to get on the scoreboard against a pesky Green Raider squad that brought a six-game winning streak into the game. With just over five minutes remaining in the opening half, senior quarterback Solomon Robinson hooked up with running back Shamar Edwards for a 62-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 North Penn lead.
It turned out to be short-lived as Elijah Yakpasuo returned the Knights’ kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown and a 7-7 score. In the final minute of the half, Solomon connected with Evan Spann for a 22-yard touchdown and a 13-7 halftime lead.
A pair of RJ Macnamara touchdown runs – the first from 12 yards out in the third quarter and the second a 47-yard TD run in the fourth quarter – gave the Knights a 26-7 lead before the Raiders scored nine points late.
"RJ Macnamara kind of sealed the win – he broke a 47-yard touchdown run to make it 26-7," coach Dick Beck said."
Robinson threw for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
"He had three big passes," Beck said. "He had the touchdown pass at the end of the half – he let Evan (Spann) make a play on it. The touchdown pass to Shamar (Edwards) down the middle of the field was just a thing of beauty.
"Maybe his best pass – he hit Erik Laughlin on a little seam route that got us inside their 10-yard line to put us up 19-7."
Edwards led the Knights’ ground game with 105 yards.
"Shamar had a big game," Beck said. "He ran really well, and defensively, he had an interception and just played great on defense."
The Knights’ suffocating defense allowed the Raiders – who had three turnovers – just 182 yards of total offense.
North Penn (11-0, 6-0 SOL) will host #8 Neshaminy in a District 1 6A quarterfinal contest. The two teams met in the season opener for both squads on August 24. The Knights eked out a 34-33 win in double overtime, stuffing the Redskins two-point attempt for the win.
Ridley 0-7-0-9 16
North Penn 0-13-6-7 26
#1-5 HARRY S TRUMAN 27, #1-12 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 12
Enzo Poulson – all 5-7, 190 pounds of him – had just spent the night shedding would-be tacklers and, on more than a few occasions, dragging them with him as he battled for extra yards.
When it was over, the senior running back had put up some pretty remarkable numbers, accumulating 223 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries. He showed what he was made of when – after losing a fumble early in the third quarter – he was the workhorse on a 73-yard scoring drive that he capped with a 20-yard touchdown run that gave the Tigers their first two-score lead, 21-12.
“When I came off the field, the players told me – it’s okay, and we got the ball back,” Poulson said. “I wasn’t worried about it. I just stayed with the game plan and ran the ball hard.
“I’m just thankful for the O-line. If it wasn’t for them, I couldn’t even get out of the backfield.”
The offensive line comprised of Tremere Smith, Eli Narmah, Alex Fisher, Manny Johnson, Kashun Holden and Javier Salinas did the grunt work on a rainy night that saw the Tigers’ punishing running attack amass 343 rushing yards, propelling their team to the program’s first ever district playoff win.
“It feels good,” Poulson said. “When the (new) coaches came (last year), we knew that things were going to be different.
“We made it to the playoffs last year, but this year we’re doing much better. A lot of juniors came back that are seniors now, and I’m just so excited.”
The football team has captured the imagination of the school and the community, and the packed stands on a dreary November night – and the 600-plus tickets sold prior to Friday’s game – confirmed as much.
That school spirit was underscored by the 232 notes of encouragement sent by teachers and staff to the players prior to the school’s first ever home playoff game.
“It’s been great,” senior captain Javeer Peterson said. “The intensity in school – everybody’s been up, everyone is happy for us. It’s the first time in school history – it never happened in this school district before.”
District playoffs are nothing new to coach Mike LaPalombara, a former assistant at Pennsbury where competing in districts was pretty much an annual event.
“But the way it was here was something I’ve never seen,” the Tigers’ second-year coach said. “The pep rally they had today was the best one I’ve ever seen. The whole school was in on it, the teachers got in on it, the community got in on it. Heck, I saw our superintendent (Dr. Melanie Gehrens) show up for it. That’s a big day.
“To cap it off with a victory – if we didn’t get the victory, it kind of dampens the spirit of what went on here this whole week. I’m hoping they get all excited again and try to do it one more time. It’s hard to keep turning that energy back up even as a football team going to the next game. That’s another thing we have to do with these guys – try and keep them together. We’ll try and do the best we can, and hopefully, they respond.”
The Tigers had two impressive drives to start Friday’s game but came up empty on both. The first stalled on the Golden Hawks’ 21-yard line. The second was even more frustrating as the Tigers had first-and-goal from the one but could not punch it in as the Golden Hawks delivered a goal line stand that included back-to-back tackles for losses, the final by Shemar Mills that gave the Hawks possession on their own five.
“We just stayed together as a team,” Peterson said. “We had to play as a team, work hard and just keep going. We had to fight, we couldn’t give up.
“It was getting frustrating, but as a captain, you have to keep your team together.”
The Tigers stayed together, and their defense returned the favor, forcing the Hawks into a short punt after a three-and-out. They took over on Rock South’s 35-yard line, and four plays later, Gabe Gipli’s 15-yard TD run put Truman on the scoreboard.
Junior Dawson Fresses returned the ensuing kickoff to the Hawks’ 47, and eight plays later, quarterback Andrew Vera took it home from 19 yards out. The Tigers blocked the point to stay on top 7-6.
A penalty on the kickoff gave the Tigers excellent field position. Three Poulson runs later, the senior running back took it in from 10 yards out to give the Tigers a 14-6 lead with 50 seconds remaining.
“I had to keep fighting – no stopping, keep going until you reach a goal,” Poulson said.
A big kickoff return by Vera gave the Hawks possession at the Tigers’ 36, but in a battle of two of the area’s best at their positions, it was Peterson somehow coming up with an interception on a ball intended for Nick Gallo in the end zone.
“My coach told me – it’s D-1 versus D-1, see who’s better,” Peterson said. “He’s my friend, but I had to get it.
“We both had it, and when we fell, we both were wrestling for it, and I just rolled over and took it.”
“Thank god he got it,” LaPalomobara said. “I’m looking at the clock and I’m thinking, ‘They’re going to score another touchdown.’
“I’m glad they threw it to 21 (Peterson). That’s the best football game I’ve ever seen him play.”
The Tigers’ coach pointed in the direction of Jahni Coleman.
“When Javeer went out (with an injured shoulder), I went over to him,” LaPalombara said of Coleman. “He’s like an unsung hero type of guy. He can play football. He came in and did a great job. They threw some balls to (Nick) Gallo, and Jahni made plays.”
The Golden Hawks made things real interesting when they blocked a punt and took over at the Tigers’ five. Vera punched it in from the one, but the Tigers stuffed the two-point conversion attempt and maintained a 14-12 lead.
Poulson fumbled on the first play of the Tigers’ next drive, but one play later, David Blay stripped the Rock South ball carrier.
“He’s another kid that’s a really good football player,” LaPalombara said of Blay. “He doesn’t talk, he takes coaching.”
On the very next play, Rock South’s Matt Checchia came up with an interception, but it was another three-and-out for the Hawks. The Tigers responded with the drive to go on top 20-12.
“We blocked that punt, and then it’s 14-12 – and you’re thinking, ‘Okay,’” Rock South assistant head coach Tony Checchia said. “They had a couple of turnovers. Those are the moments within a game where we could have taken it over, taken control. That was our chance. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get that extra spark beyond it. “
The Tigers put the finishing touches on the win when Gipli delivered a 12-yard touchdown run for the 27-12 final.
“We played a good football team, there’s no doubt about that,” LaPalombara said. “They’re a very good football team, and they’re very well coached.”
Gipli (55 yards) and Terrence Rodgers combined for 107 rushing yards.
For the Golden Hawks, Chase Patterson led the way with 83 yards.
“They fought their hearts out," Checchia said. "A credit to Truman – they’re a heck of a team. They’re physical, they’re hitting their stride. It will be interesting to see what they can do the rest of the year. Unfortunately, we’re on the outside looking in right now.”
Council Rock South closed out its season with a 6-5 record (4-2 SOL).
“It was just tough,” Checchia said. “Football injuries caught up to us, a couple of bad breaks here and there, and over the course of the season, those things catch up to you. When you put everything in perspective and look at what we were expected to do from the outside and what we were able to accomplish – you have to look at it as a success.
“Certainly, we feel like we left some stuff out there, dropping a couple of games that were real close. Ultimately, we’re just really proud of these seniors. They did such a great job. They really showed the young guys how to go about the game, how to approach it. You hope their legacy continues. We couldn’t be prouder of these guys. All year long they just came to work, came to play and just really set the bar high for those that are coming up after them.”
Harry S Truman (10-1, 5-1 SOL) will travel to fourth-seeded Downingtown West for a quarterfinal district game next Friday. The Whippets defeated 13th-seeded Upper Darby 42-20.
Council Rock South 0-6-6-0 12
Harry S Truman 0-14-7-6 27
1-8 NESHAMINY 35, #1-9 HAVERFORD 7
It was business as usual for the Redskins. Or at least so it seemed. The game certainly followed a familiar pattern and was the identical score to last week’s win over archrival Pennsbury.
That wasn’t the only similarity. For the sixth straight game – all wins, the Redskins shut out their opponent for three quarters. Two of those six wins were shutouts, the other four saw the Redskins’ opponents score a meaningless fourth-quarter touchdown when the outcome had already been decided. The ‘Skins have not given up more than seven points in their six-game winning streak.
In Friday’s district opener, they silenced Haverford senior quarterback Jake Ruane, who has rewritten the school’s record books and holds the program record for career yardage.
“The defense had different schemes based on films they had watched,” coach Steve Wilmot said. “Schemes to take away (Ruane’s) runs. He has those option-read type of plays. We had a couple of different looks we were throwing at him, and I think at times he was confused. I think a lot of it has to do with the defensive schemes coach (Neil) French, coach (Jay) Weidenbaugh, coach (David) Ferrara and coach (Jon) Craig put together.
“The defense is just playing very well as a unit. Oleh (Manzyk) as far as the run stopping and Cory Joyce as far as calling the coverages in the back – those are the two leaders in the defense, but I think they’re just playing together as a really cohesive unit right now.”
The Redskins took control from the outset with Oleh Manzyk taking it in from 26 yards out for a touchdown at the 9:50 mark and a 6-0 lead.
A Manzyk interception set up a second scoring driving with Cory Joyce turning a Brody McAndrew pass into a 56-yard touchdown
“That was just kind of a broken play – Brody scrambled, and Cody broke free and was able to catch the ball and finish the run after he caught it,” Wilmot said. “It was a broken play where he made something out of nothing.”
After the successful two-point conversion from McAndrew to Bobby Buchys, the Redskins had a 14-0 lead before the game was eight minutes old.
“It was a good start,” Wilmot said. “I had a lot of respect for Haverford’s defense, and being able to take the first drive down there was kind of big for us.
“Then Oleh was able to get the ball back for us, and we were able to score again. It was nice to have some breathing room at the beginning part of the game. You just felt like things were going to keep rolling.”
And they did.
Sophomore running back Chris James – who finished with 158 rushing yards – added a 30-yard touchdown run to send the Redskins into halftime with a 21-0 lead.
For good measure, the Redskins added a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter. Brody found Joyce with a 21-yard touchdown pass, and when Ryan O’Connor took it in from seven yards out, the Redskins led 35-0 before the Fords scored a late touchdown.
“It’s fun playing teams that you’re not familiar with,” Wilmot said. “It was a fun week for our team. It was fun watching film on Haverford and then going out and getting a chance to play a program we never played before.
“It was just a really good team victory. Our defense probably played a little bit better than our offense, but we’re all the Neshaminy Redskins, so it doesn’t matter.”
Neshaminy (8-3, 5-1 SOL) will travel to top-seeded North Penn for a district quarterfinal that is a rematch of the season opener for both squads – a 34-33 North Penn win in double overtime.
Haverford 0-0-0-7 7
Neshaminy 14-7-14-0 35
#1-11 QUAKERTOWN 26, #1-6 PERK VALLEY 14
It’s one thing to have a game plan, it’s quite another to execute it.
If coach George Banas were handing out grades, it’s a safe bet the Panthers would get high marks for execution in Friday’s upset of the sixth-seeded Vikings.
“Going into the game, we really preached ball control, time of possession and then taking care of the football and getting takeaways,” Banas said. “The kids’ mentality tonight – I give them a lot of credit. It was probably the best they have been all year – dialed in and just followed the game plan to a T from offense, defense to special teams.
“We controlled the ball in the first half – we had it for 18 minutes. One drive was 21 plays.”
The Panthers scored on their first possession of the night when Tyler Merwarth took it in from four yards, giving the visitors an early 7-0 lead. The Vikings answered with a TD to knot the score after one quarter, but the Panthers came right back.
A long time-consuming drive was capped with a Christian Patrick four-yard touchdown run. The Panthers took that 14-7 lead into halftime. The Vikings knotted the score in the third quarter, but the Panthers closed it out with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns – the first from eight yards out by Christian and the second a three-yard run by Brad Bryan.
“We did a little adjusting at halftime just because of weather-wise and what they were able to do,” Banas said. “The kids played exceptionally well in the second half.
“We had one miscue that sort of gave them momentum, but we were able to take it right back, which was good. Christian Patrick and Brad Bryan taking care of the football tonight – with how many times they carried the ball – was tremendous.”
A turning point, according to Banas, came immediately after Christian scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“After we got a (defensive) stop and got the ball back, we drove down and scored, and on the ensuing kickoff, we pinned them down at the two-yard line, and we were able to hold them,” Banas said. “The punter is punting from the back of the end zone, he’s trying to get it off quick, he doesn’t get a great punt off, and we got the ball at the 20. I think that really changed the game. We got a score on that drive and that put us up two scores.”
Patrick finished the night with 203 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries in a stellar outing, but there was plenty of credit to go around on a night that saw the Panthers’ defense limit the Vikings to just 76 yards on the ground and 121 total yards.
“I thought our offensive and defensive lines did a really good job tonight of controlling the line of scrimmage,” Banas said. “I think our defense did an exceptional job. Our linebacking corps – Nick Levinski and Ben Schlegel, Dennis Pierce made some great plays and Delbert Ross.
“Across the board, I thought we played a clean game. Realistically, we held PV to seven points. We muffed a punt and gave them the ball on the five-yard line so they scored on that drive. For our defense to hold them to seven points all night, they did a phenomenal job.
“The second half we said, ‘We’re going to hand the ball to Christian, we’re going to let our offensive line get after it,’ and they did an exceptional job in the second half of mucking it up in the mud and just getting movement. I’m very proud of the coaching staff and all the players.”
Quakertown (9-2, 4-2 SOL) will face the winner of Saturday’s opening round game pitting third-seeded Garnet Valley against 14th-seeded Pennsbury.
Quakertown 7-0-7-12 26
Perk Valley 7-7-0-0 14
#1-1 COATESVILLE 48, #1-15 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 10
The Patriots won four straight to close out the regular season, including a dramatic come-from-behind win over Pennridge in their regular season finale, but they ran into a buzz saw in the opening round of district play on Friday. The Red Raiders looked every bit the part of the number one seed, opening up a 42-3 halftime lead and never looking back.
The Patriots’ only score of the opening half came on a 32-yard Michael Smigley field goal to make it a 14-3 game after a quarter. They tacked on a touchdown in the third quarter when Bryan Kelly raced 61 yards for the score. Kelly’s 87 yards led all ground gainers.
Coatesville quarterback Ricky Ortega threw for 117 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 74 more and one TD.
Central Bucks closed out it season with a 6-5 record (4-2 SOL).
Central Bucks East 3-0-7-0 10
Coatesville 21-21-0-6 48
CLASS 5A
#1-2 UPPER DUBLIN 41, #1-15 PHOENIXVILLE 12
Selvin Haynes came up with an interception on the third play of Friday’s game and ran the ball back to the Phantoms’ 15-yard line. One play later, he caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Mike Slivka.
The Flying Cardinals recovered a fumble, and on the first play of their second drive, Lucas Roselli scored on a 20-yard jet sweep for a 14-0 UD lead.
The Flying Cardinals were just getting started.
“Our first two offensive plays were touchdowns, so it was 14-0 before anyone was in the building,” coach Bret Stover said.
By halftime, Roselli had four touchdowns – three on the ground and one in the air. Sophomore John Kohlbrenner scored an unorthodox touchdown, stealing the ball when the Phantoms were punting.
“I’ve never seen this happen – he took the ball off the punter’s foot,” Stover said. “It was almost like the punter handed it off to him. He took it right off his foot and never broke stride. The punter never fell over. He looked back, and there goes John, running down the sideline. He took it 50 yards for a touchdown.”
By halftime, the Cardinals led 41-6, and a win was all but in the books.
“Our defense really dictated the night again, which has kind of been the case the last five or six weeks,” Stover said.
Upper Dublin will host conference rival Cheltenham in Friday’s district quarterfinal. The Flying Cardinals defeated the Panthers 20-7 in the regular season meeting on Sept. 28.
“We’re going to have our hands full with Cheltenham,” Stover said. “We know each other, and that’s going to be a good old Suburban One American brawl. I’m very happy for Mr. Banas in Quakertown to keep three teams from the Suburban One American alive.”
Phoenixville 0-6-0-6 12
Upper Dublin 21-20-0-0 41
#1-7 CHELTENHAM 28, #1-10 WEST CHESTER EAST 21
The Panthers scored a late touchdown to earn a come-from-behind victory that is the program’s first district win since 2001. Cheltenham has not been in the district tournament since 2010.
Coach Ryan Nase – a Father Judge graduate who was an assistant at Judge and, more recently, Penn Charter – is taking a crash course in the history of Cheltenham’s football program.
“I’m not as schooled on the history as I should be, and it’s been one of my priorities – to bring back,” the Panthers’ second-year coach said. “Before the game today, we had video messages from some really influential alumni.
“We have three kids playing at Temple who sent us a good luck message from their hotel room in Orlando before they played UCF. Chad Levitt, who is a 1993 grad and an NFL alum who won a Super Bowl with the Rams in 1999, sent us one. We actually were able to get Reggie Jackson to send us a message. It’s definitely something I’m trying to tap into. One of my messages to them today was – ‘Wearing that C on your chest means something again.’”
Two minutes into the game, an inspired Panther squad led 14-0. Nate Edwards wasted little time establishing the early tone, returning the opening kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead 13 seconds into the game.
“We’ve been begging people to kick the ball to Nate Edwards all season, and nobody has done it,” Nase said. “They are now the second team to kick to him, and he has scored both times.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone will do it again. Kicking the ball to Nate Edwards is not a good decision. He’s special.”
The Panthers turned a fumble into a touchdown when Zach Gaffin scooped up the loose ball and raced 30 yards for a TD and a 14-0 lead.
“Honestly, one of my fears was we were up 14-0 too quickly,” Nase said. “We’ve never been in a position like this before, hosting a playoff game.
“Our kids were so excited for the start of the game, and the next thing you know, you’re up 14-0. We may have let our emotions get too high. They got back into the game, and we finally settled down and figured things out and were able to get back in the game.”
The Panthers led 14-7 after one quarter, but East knotted the score 14-14 with just under six minutes remaining in the half. Cheltenham quarterback Adonis Hunter found TJ Harris with a 21-yard touchdown pass, and the Panthers led 20-14 at the intermission.
With 8:31 remaining in the third quarter, East scored a touchdown to go on top 21-20 and held that lead until the Panthers – thanks to a whole lot of Jamir Barnes’ runs – went ahead 21-20 on a Barnes 13-yard TD run. Barnes accounted for 44 of the 54 yards on the drive.
“Jamir Barnes plays big for us every week,” Nase said. “I’ll be the first one to admit that I sometimes get too cute when I’m calling the plays.
“The weather just got so bad, the field just got so bad – I made the decision if we get the ball back I’m giving Jamir the ball and let’s go.
The Panthers’ coach credited the Panthers’ O-line and lauded the play of tight end Will Felix.
“Will Felix doesn’t get near the attention he deserves because he doesn’t catch a ton of passes,” Nase said. “The 21st century tight end – that’s what they do, and he’s not that. Jamir is special, but our run game wouldn’t be what it is without him.
“I think (offensive lineman) Marcus Winfield is a scholarship player through and through, and we just said, ‘We’re going to go left tackle-left tight end and Jamir Barnes,’ and that’s what we did on the last drive and it worked out well for us.”
The two-point conversation gave the Panthers a 28-21 lead they held until the final whistle.
“I don’t know that we’re there yet, and maybe this is the head coach in me, but if we really want to change the program, we have to do it for more than one year,” Nase said. “We have a shot, but to really change the program it has to be a little more sustained.
“I think we’re certainly setting the tone, and we have the ability to do that.”
Cheltenham (8-3, 4-2 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin for next Friday’s All-SOL quarterfinal.
“I have to pretend to not to like Bret (Stover) for the next week, but I really like him,” Nase said. “He’s been extremely helpful to me since I got the job, but we are excited to get a second chance at Upper Dublin again.
“And not just because we want to beat them and they’re our conference champion. We think this also could be very good for the league and the conference. We know this conference hasn’t always had the best reputation, and between them and us and Quakertown, we’re trying to do everything we can to change that.”
West Chester East 7-7-7-0 21
Cheltenham 14-6-0-8 28
CLASS 4A
#1-2 POTTSTOWN 28, #1-3 SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 13
Max Parry threw a pair of touchdown passes – one each to Carter Stepney and Wilson Krewson, but it wasn’t enough to defeat a Trojan squad that took a 14-7 lead into halftime and never trailed the rest of the way.
Springfield Township closed out its season with a 6-4 record.
Springfield Township7-0-0-6 13
Pottstown 7-7-7-7 28
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