Upper Dublin crushed defending District One 5A champion Unionville 40-7 in Saturday’s district semifinal. North Penn was a winner on Friday night in Class 6A action. Photos provided courtesy of Geanine Jamison. CLICK HERE to go to the SOS photo galleries.
#1-2 UPPER DUBLIN 40, #1-11 UNIONVILLE 7
Upper Dublin is making its run through the first three games of the District One 5A Tournament look remarkably easy. The defending District One 5A champion Indians were their latest victim.
“I did not see it coming. I thought we were in for a dogfight. The last three games Unionville played they were playing really well,” said UD coach Bret Stover. “You worry – did they have kids that were hurt early in the year that they got back and now they’re hitting their stride?
“You don’t know because we didn’t have common opponents. You’re trying to fill in the gaps in the information you’re reading when you’re scouting them.”
As a result of the win, the Cardinals – who captured the District One 4A crown in 2015 – will take on fifth-seeded West Chester Rustin in Friday’s district title game at Cardinal Field. Rustin knocked off top-seeded Penn Wood 10-8 in the other district semifinal.
“We’re very excited,” Stover said. “We were down scouting the (Rustin) game. We kind of go back and forth because each team we could have played provides different challenges for us.
“At the end of the day, you want the home game. To play four playoff games without having to get on a bus is awesome.”
The tone for Saturday’s win was once again set early with a three-and-out for the visiting Indians on their opening possession.
“They punted it, and we should have caught the punt,” Stover said. “It rolled down to our 10.
“The second play (Lucas) Roselli goes 88 yards to the house. Everybody settled in from that point on, and our defense has been playing lights out.”
After another three-and-out for the Indians, the Flying Cardinals were on the move yet again.
“(Mike) Slivka makes an incredible throw, and (Dylan) Zlotnikoff makes a diving catch at the 10,” Stover said.
Mason Novak scored a touchdown that put the Cardinals on top 14-0, and they were just getting started. Slivka scored from a yard out, and then it was Jason Scott returning a blocked punt for a touchdown.
“We got the ball with a minute or a minute 10 left in the first half, and we just went right down the field on a two-minute drill,” Stover said. “Roselli catches a pass and outruns a kid to the flag for a 60-yard touchdown. That was the backbreaker because we went up 33-0.”
The Cardinals opened the second half with a sustained six-and-a-half minute drive that was capped with an eight-yard Rosellli TD run.
“At that point, you pretty much know there’s no way they’re going to catch up,” Stover said. “Even if they get hot, they’re not going to catch up.
“I reminded my kids at halftime what happened to North Penn last year. They were up on Garnet Valley (35-7), and Garnet Valley came back (to win 36-35). I said, ‘It happens in high school football. They are the defending champs, you have to give them the respect. Now let’s go out and bury them,’ and that’s what we did.”
The Cardinals – who have outscored their opponents 108-19 in three district games – received another stellar effort from their defense.
“It was a who’s who was making hits and making plays,” Stover said. “CJ Stehli had a big hit, Mason Novak had a big hit.
“Every time you turned around, someone different was doing something big hit-wise. Number five (Anauri Hankey) gets knocked out of the game, and you saw their guys not wanting to run the way they ran on film. That was just kind of the way we flew around to the ball today.”
Offensively, Roselli led the way with 145 yards rushing. Slivka, according to Stover, was 6-for-6 for 150 yards and a touchdown. He also had a rushing touchdown.
“I think it’s all falling into place,” Stover said. “Hopefully, we didn’t peak today and we’re building. We still made some mistakes.
“We threw the ball six times today and still scored 40 points. If you’re going to take three scout films on us for the last three weeks, you’re going to get three entirely different packages. It’s going to be hard to prepare for us. Defensively, Dave Sowers does a great job of getting our kids ready. We preach – we want to win the game Monday through Thursday, and that’s what we try to do.”
Saturday’s game, postponed on Friday because the field was covered with snow, wouldn’t have happened without a serious show of support from the community.
“My parents came out and shoveled the field for us yesterday,” Stover said. “It was one of those community things.
“I sent out a text, and every time you looked up, somebody was walking up with a shovel over their shoulder. Somebody brought four shovels. One of my assistant coaches was out there with one of his friends, and I was out there. All of a sudden, four parents showed up. One of my parents sent three of his employees up.
“It was like a commercial – every time you looked, there was someone walking up with a shovel over their shoulder – ‘Hey, where do you need me?’ The only reason we played on it today was because they shoveled it. It had to be cleared or we would have been going to Unionville tonight.”
Unionville 0-0-0-7 7
Upper Dublin 14-19-7-0 40
Friday, Nov. 16
#1-1 NORTH PENN 35, #1-4 DOWNINGTON WEST 21
It was a game for the ages, one of those games they’ll be talking about for a long, long time.
And when they recall that cold November night in Downingtown, the first play they will mention is one that forever turned the game in the Knights’ favor when Shamar Edwards and Kaleem Corbin teamed up for an improbable interception in the end zone. It’s a play that will occupy a spot at or near the top of North Penn’s all-time highlight reels plays.
It came in the third quarter with the Whippets on top 21-14 and just six yards separating them from a two-touchdown lead. Coach Dick Beck describes the game-changing sequence.
“They ran a pick route, we switched it, which was perfect, but then Shamar fell down, and the kid threw a jump ball to their tall receiver (Jackson Luneburg). Shamar got up off the ground, and as he caught it, punched the ball out and Kaleem Corbin caught the deflection and tippy-toed in the end zone,” Beck said. “It was an unbelievable play.
“If (Luneburg) catches it, they go up 28-14 late in the third quarter. Also, what that does – when you’re only down one score, you can still be patient, run the ball. That’s what we were having the most success with, and that’s what worked out for us.”
After Corbin’s you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it interception, the Knights marched 80 yards for the tying score with Edwards – appropriately – scoring on a dazzling 58-yard touchdown run
“Shamar with the ball in his hands was just phenomenal. He was just unstoppable. He runs with such vision, and he is so strong,” Beck said of Edwards, who finished with 318 rushing yards and also had a big night at strong safety. “Defensively, he played great also. He had an interception that topped the game, and he had numerous tackles. They were running the ball, and we brought him a little closer to the ball, and he was just awesome.”
After the Knights’ defense came up with a stop, Edwards scored the go-ahead touchdown on a four-yard run and then capped a spectacular performance with a 39-yard TD run with 1:26 remaining. For good measure, Edwards came up with an interception with time winding down, putting an exclamation point on a brilliant performance in an unforgettable night.
“It was unbelievable,” Beck said. “That one play (the Corbin interception) changed the entire game. After that one play, we were unstoppable and played great defense.
“Look what this team has gone through – two double overtime games, we were down to Souderton 17-0, we get to the playoffs, we have home field advantage, and our field’s a mess. We have to go to Wissahickon the first two games and then today we changed a home game all the way out to Downingtown in order to play the game.
“These guys just say – ‘Wherever, whenever, let’s play. We don’t care.’”
The Knights’ defense did not allow a point in the second half.
“I thought RJ Macnamara had another great game for us,” Beck said. “I thought that Nate Brown really played tough. He’s basically playing on one leg. He and Julian (White) are just limping around out there, but they’re just sucking it up.”
The Whippets’ only touchdown of the second half came when Luneburg took the opening kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown that gave Downingtown West a 21-14 lead.
Earlier, the Knights marched 80 yards on their opening drive of the game with Macnamara punching it in from one yard out. The Whippents responded with back-to-back scoring drives to go on top 14-7 with 6:14 remaining in the first half. The Knights answered with a drive of their own that included a 30-yard run by quarterback Solomon Robinson. Macnamara raced in from 20 yards out for his second touchdown of the game and fifth of the season, knotting the score 14-14.
All told, the Knights gained close to 400 yards on the ground, and playing a major role in their dominance was an offensive line comprised of Jake Walton, Eddie Harkins, Noah Boast, Shadman Alam and Don Stites as well as tight ends Noah Fox and Cory Keim.
“I thought the O-line was really getting their footing in the second half and really did a great job coming off the ball and locking up with them,” Beck said. “Julian White played fullback and did a great job..”
“Nate Brown sucked it up with an ankle injury. This team is just amazing when it comes to resilience and guts, never say quit. Unbelievable.”
North Penn (13-0, 6-0 SOL) will host second-seeded Coatesville in an eagerly awaited District One 6A title game next Friday. Coatesville rolled to a 42-7 win over third-seeded and previously undefeated Garnet Valley.
Downingtown West 0-14-7-0 21
North Penn 7-7-7-14 35
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