Photo provided courtesy of Kim Supko: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f1050704496
Football Forecast – 12
By Scott Huff
Let’s Hope the Sequels Are better!
The PIAA District One 6A playoffs will feature a pair of conference rematches in the semifinal round.
No. 1 Central Bucks West (12-0) will host No. 5 Central Bucks South (11-1) in the top half of the bracket. The Bucks captured a 40-29 victory over the Titans in what proved to be the Suburban One League National Conference championship game during the regular season.
CB West opened with an early 27-7 lead * CB South closed to within 27-21 * CB West stretched the lead to 40-21 * and South scored late to make the score final at 40-29.
It was surely not the instant classic everyone was expecting to see on that October 20th night under the Friday Night Lights at iconic War Memorial Field.
No. 2 Downingtown East (11-0) will host No. 6 Downingtown West (10-2) in the bottom half of the bracket. The Cougars captured a 35-7 victory over the Whippets in what proved to be the Ches-Mont National Conference championship game during the regular season.
Downingtown East dominated the game from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. The Cougars led 28-0 at the close of the first half and scored on all four offensive possessions.
It certainly was not the instant classic everyone was expecting to see on that October 27th night under the Friday Night Lights at Walter E Kottmeyer Stadium.
And so now the District One semifinals will feature CB West-CB South II & Downingtown East-Downingtown West II – let’s hope that these sequels can rival Toy Story II and Godfather II – and give District One high school football fans an awesome show.
Stay tuned.
Does Size Really Matter??
The 2023 football season is over for the five teams in District One with male enrollments of over 1,000 students.
And the results are interesting.
- Upper Darby has the highest male enrollment with 1589 male students. The Royals finished the season @ 1-9.
- North Penn is second in the district with 1577 male students. The Knights finished the season @ 6-5.
- Neshaminy is third in the district with 1143 male students. The Redskins finished the season @ 4-6.
- Pennsbury is fourth in the district with 1122 male students. The Falcons finished the season @ 5-6.
- Norristown is fifth in the district with 1053 male students. The Eagles finished the season @ 1-9.
And the four remaining 6A playoff teams?
- Downingtown West has a male enrollment of 891 students. The Whippets are currently @ 10-2.
- Downingtown East has a male enrollment of 822 students. The Cougars are currently @ 11-0.
- Central Bucks West has a male enrollment of 758 students. The Bucks are currently @ 12-0.
- Central Bucks South has a male enrollment of 746 students. The Titans are currently @ 11-1.
Does size really matter???
I guess not.
What If????
What if there was no CB East, CB West & CB South – or Downingtown East & Downingtown West – or Council Rock North & Council Rock South – or West Chester Henderson, West Chester East & West Chester Rustin?
What if there was just a single high school in the Central Bucks, Downingtown, Council Rock, and West Chester school districts?
What would the top ten male enrollment school districts be in all of District One?
And the answer is…..
- Central Bucks 2269
- Downingtown 1713
- Upper Darby 1589
- North Penn 1577
- West Chester 1454
- Council Rock 1311
- Neshaminy 1143
- Pennsbury 1122
- Norristown 1053
- Abington 921
And the beat goes on…
PIAA District One 6A Semifinals
No. 5 Central Bucks South Titans (11-1) @ No. 1 Central Bucks West Bucks (12-0)
Playoff Resume:
Central Bucks South advanced to the semifinal showdown with CB West with a 35-19 quarterfinal victory over No. 4 Spring-Ford. Corey Moore scored 3 touchdowns for the Titans – all on 1-yard runs. Anthony Leonardi rushed for a game-high 146 yards while Moore had 124 yards. Quarterback Owen Pinkerton rushed for 83 yards and scored a touchdown. Jack Mauz scored a defensive touchdown on a ‘scoop-and-score’ from 4 yards out. CB South only attempted one pass the entire game and rushed for 350 yards as a team. The Titans won a 21-20 thriller over No. 12 Coatesville in the first round of the playoffs.
Regular Season Resume:
Central Bucks South captured victories over Father Judge (13-10), Truman (42-7), CR North (47-0), CB East (13-6), Pennsbury (24-13), North Penn (50-28), Abington (42-0), Neshaminy (42-0) & Pennridge. The Titans lost to CB West, 40-29.
Scoring Summary:
Central Bucks South has scored an average of 33.3 points per game and has allowed an average of 13.1 points per game. A winning margin of 20.2 points per game.
Playoff Resume:
Central Bucks West advanced to the semifinal showdown with Central Bucks South with a dramatic 28-27 overtime quarterfinal victory over No. 8 Garnet Valley. Ryan Clemens & Cooper Taylor shared the spotlight in the win. Clemens kicked the game winning extra point in overtime – and rushed for 140 yards on 22 carries. Taylor blocked a Jaguar extra point in overtime to provide the margin of victory – intercepted a pass – and rushed for a game-high 182 yards and scored all 4 touchdowns. The Bucks captured a 27-12 victory over No. 16 Cheltenham in the first round of the playoffs.
Regular Season Resume:
Central Bucks West has captured regular season victories over Garnet Valley (17-13), Upper Dublin (37-7), Quakertown (40-20), Pennsbury (20-3), North Penn (28-0), Abington (49-14), Neshaminy (31-7), Pennridge (28-0), CB South (40-29) & CB East (24-7).
Scoring Summary:
Central Bucks West has scored an average of 30.8 points per game and has allowed an average of 11.6 points per game. A winning margin of 19.2 points per game.
The Winner Gets:
The winner of the CB South-CB West game will play the winner of the game between No. 2 Downingtown East and No. 6 Downingtown West for the District One 6A championship.
*****Prediction****
Central Bucks South Titans 28 * Central Bucks West Bucks 24
No. 6 Downingtown West Whippets (10-2) @ No. 2 Downingtown East Cougars (11-0)
Playoff Resume:
Downingtown West advanced to the district semifinal with a 34-17 victory over previously unbeaten No. 3 Souderton. The host Indians had no answer for Whippet quarterback Quinn Henicle. Henicle threw 2 touchdown passes to Dean Hangey and rushed for 2 touchdowns. DWHS rolled up 390 yards of total offense. Jake Kucera sparked the special teams, returning a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. Downingtown West opened the district playoffs with a 17-0 victory over No. 11 Council Rock South.
Regular Season Resume:
Downingtown West has captured wins over Lincoln (32-27), Perkiomen Valley (35-14), Neshaminy (42-17), Avon Grove (44-6), West Chester Henderson (42-7), West Chester East (28-0), Coatesville (21-14) & Bishop Shanahan (43-7). The Whippets have lost games to Chester (28-19) & Downingtown East (35-7).
Scoring Summary:
Downingtown West has scored an average of 30.3 points per game and has allowed an average of 14.3 points per game. A winning margin of 16.0 points per game.
Playoff Resume:
Downingtown East advanced to the district semifinals with a 35-0 victory over No. 7 Perkiomen Valley. The Cougars accumulated 340 yards of total offense in the win. Ayden Harris carried the ball a staggering 41 times for a total of 250 yards. The DEHS defense recorded its 8th shutout of the season. The Cougars shellacked No. 15 Wissahickon in the opening round of the playoffs, 56-0.
Regular Season Resume:
Downingtown East has captured victories over Pennridge (43-0), State College (28-26), Delaware Valley (37-6), Bishop Shanahan (37-0), Kennett (42-0), Oxford (42-0), Avon Grove (49-0), Coatesville (21-0) & Downingtown West (35-7).
Scoring Summary:
Downingtown East has scored an average of 38.6 points per game and has allowed an average of just 3.5 points per game. A winning average of 35.1 points per game.
The Winner Gets:
The winner of the Downingtown East-Downingtown West game will play the winner of the game between No. 1 Central Bucks West & No. 5 Central Bucks South for the District One 6A championship.
****Prediction****
Downingtown East Cougars 38 * Downingtown West Whippets 17
Exit Door
No. 3 Souderton (11-1) was shown the 6A District One playoff door as the Indians unbeaten season ended abruptly with a 34-17 loss to No. 6 Downingtown West (10-2). The loss not only ended the Suburban One League Continental Conference champion’s unbeaten season but also ended its 19-game home winning streak. The Indians trailed 14-3 at the half and never seriously challenged the Whippets. Sophomore quarterback Ben Walsh threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Danny Dyches. Walsh also scored on a 1-yard run, while Rylan Zuk booted a 34-yard field goal. Ryan Sadowski rushed for a team-high 95 yards, while Dyches had 75 receiving yards. Souderton had defeated No. 14 Pennsbury 21-14 to open the playoffs.
No. 4 Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-2) was shown the 5A District One playoff door as the Colonials were jettisoned from the playoffs in a competitive 22-14 loss to No. 5 West Chester Rustin (10-1). The Suburban One League American Conference champion never led in the game and trailed 9-6 at the close of the first half. The Plymouth Whitemarsh scores came on a Caiden Leszczynski 1-yard run and a touchdown pass from Leszczynski to Marcus Laffredo that covered 38 yards. Plymouth Whitemarsh had defeated No. 13 Hatboro-Horsham 42-7 to open the playoffs.
No. 7 Upper Dublin (7-5) was shown the 5A District One playoff door as the Flying Cardinals were jettisoned from the playoffs with a 26-21 loss to No. 2 Strath Haven (11-1). The defending District One 5A champion was competitive the entire game with the Panthers but failed to come up with enough big plays to earn the victory. Kevin Etkin fired 3 touchdown passes for the Cardinals – one to Benji Ravitz – one to Chris Kohlbrenner – and one to Ryan O’Sullivan. Upper Dublin had opened the playoffs with a 40-20 victory over No. 10 Methacton.
We Are The Champions
The Class 1A * Class 2A * & Class 4 District One champions have been crowned and the No. 1 seeds all captured championships.
In Class 1A – Morrisville defeated No. 2 Jenkintown, 20-0. In Class 2A – Bristol defeated New-Hope Solebury, 7-6. And in Class 4A - Pope John Paul II defeated No. 2 Bishop Shanahan, 42-14.
****Bonus Picks****
****District One 5A Semifinal Playoffs****
No. 1 Chester Clippers 31 * No. 5 West Chester Rustin Knights 24
No. 3 Springfield-Delco Cougars 24 * No. 2 Strath Haven Panthers 17
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