Football Forecast – 14
By Scott Huff
It’s a One-derful Life
All the No. 1 seeds in the PIAA District One playoff brackets claimed district championships.
- No. 1 Garnet Valley was crowned 6-A district champion by defeating No. 11 CB West, 35-7.
- No. 1 Upper Dublin was crowned 5-A district champion with a 21-7 victory over No. 3 West Chester Rustin.
- No. 1 Interboro was crowned 4-A district champion by defeating No. 2 John Paul II, 38-14.
- There was no 3-A district champion.
- No. 1 Bristol was crowned 2-A district champion with a 44-22 victory over No. 2 New Hope-Solebury.
- No. 1 Jenkintown was crowned 1-A district champion by defeating No. 2 Morrisville, 48-14.
It was the most one-derful time of the year for the Jaguars, Flying Cardinals, Bucs, Warriors & Drakes.
How About Those Flying Cardinals?
Upper Dublin (14-0) captured a PIAA District One 5-A championship with a 21-7 victory over West Chester Rustin (11-2).
The Flying Cardinals will advance to the PIAA 5-A state semifinals and will meet charter school power Imhotep (9-2). The Panthers – who competed in the Philadelphia Public Independence Conference - advanced to the state semifinals with a 55-7 rout of Whitehall.
In the victory over Rustin, Upper Dublin scored single touchdowns in the first, second, and third periods. Starling Reaves caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Colin O’Sullivan – Jacob Cornbluth scored on a 4-yard run – and Nyfise McIntyre scored on a 1-yard run.
The Flying Cardinal defense allowed a fourth period touchdown. It was the first score for a UD opponent in the entire district playoff run as the Cardinals soared to a 35-0 win over Academy Park – a 35-0 victory over Great Valley – and a 30-0 win over Plymouth Whitemarsh.
In the win over Whitehall, Imhotep received huge games from quarterback Mikal Davis and running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman. Davis fired 5 touchdown passes for the Panthers, while Wallace-Coleman rushed for 3 touchdowns.
Both Upper Dublin (ranked No. 3 in the 5-A state rankings according to MaxPreps) and Imhotep (ranked No. 1 in 5-A) have been destined to meet in the playoffs ever since the PIAA state playoff brackets were drawn up about a month ago – and this epic battle of the 5-A elites will take place under the Friday Night Lights @ Wissahickon High School.
Stay tuned – and check out the preview below.
PIAA Championship Trivia: When was the last time a Suburban One League team won a PIAA state football title?
Exit door
No. 11 Central Bucks West was shown the exit door in a 35-7 loss to No. 1 Garnet Valley in the PIAA District One 6-A championship game.
The game was much closer than the final score would suggest as the Bucks trailed the Jaguars by just 14-7 early in the third period. Eli Boehm scored on a 33-yard pass from Ganz Cooper to make it a one score game. Boehm rushed for a team-high 72 yards, while Cooper passed for 90 yards.
Central Bucks West has written some pretty darn impressive PIAA state championship history.
The Bucks won state titles in 1991 (28-12 win over Cathedral Prep), 1997 (44-20 win over St. Clair), 1998 (56-7 win over New Castle) & 1999 (14-13 win over Cathedral Prep).
West lost in the state championship game in 1993 (15-14 loss to North Hills) and 2000 (41-35 loss to Cathedral Prep).
Those were the days my friend – we thought they would never end…but they did.
Answer to PIAA championship Trivia: The last Suburban One League team to win a state football championship was North Penn in 2003. The Knights defeated Central Catholic, 37-10 @ Hersheypark Stadium.
Really? If it’s broke…let’s fix it!
Garnet Valley is a public school from Chester County confined by school district boundaries. The District One Champion Jags will now play St. Joe Prep - a private school power from the Philadelphia Catholic League in the PIAA 6-A State Semifinal.
You know, St. Joe Prep that is ranked 1st in the state and 25th in the nation. You know, St. Joe Prep that can recruit players in and out of the state of Pennsylvania. You know, St. Joe Prep where tuition is $25,600 a year.
You know St. Joe Prep, that defeated a public school - Parkland - 52-21 last week in a non-competitive mercy-rule PIAA quarterfinal game where the Hawks led 49-6 at halftime.
You know, St. Joe Prep which joined the PIAA in 2008 and is 23-2 in state tournament play and looking for its seventh state title since 2013. The Hawks also lost in the state finals twice in the same time frame – including last year.
In what to me is one of life’s baffling mysteries, I still don’t understand why the PIAA allows private schools to compete with public schools for state championships.
Don’t get me wrong.
St. Joe Prep surely isn’t breaking any rules – it is the PIAA rules that are ridiculous.
Good luck Garnet Valley this week against the Prep – you will need it – plus a lot more.
Speaking of Ridiculous
Phil Piciotti – an outstanding 6-3 225-pound linebacker - transferred from Pennridge to attend IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for his senior year. IMG is a boarding school that specializes in training for student-athletes with Division One aspirations.
Piciotti – who will attend Oklahoma University next fall – was on the roster of an IMG team that is ranked 6th in the nation with an 8-1 record. The lone loss of the season for the Ascenders came against Central Academy (Miami) that is ranked 3rd nationally by score of 20-14.
P.S. – in one of the last games of the season the Ascenders defeated West Toronto Prep (Iowa) by a final scored of 96-0. The average margin of victory for IMG during the season was 49 points.
Ridiculous
And the beat goes on…
PIAA 5-A State Semifinal
Friday/December 2, 2022
@ Wissahickon High School – 7 pm
Imhotep Panthers (9-2) vs. Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals (14-0)
Season Resume:
Imhotep defeated Bishop McDevitt (19-14), Frankford (57-0), Northeast (28-0), Olney (35-0), & Dobbins (69-0). The Panthers lost games to Archbishop Spalding-Maryland (20-13) & Malvern Prep (17-13)
Playoff Resume:
Imhotep has defeated Martin Luther King (51-3), Master Charter (52-7), Roman Catholic (14-6), & Whitehall (55-7).
Season Resume:
Upper Dublin has defeated Kennett (37-13), Central Bucks West (35-7), North Penn (32-28), Bensalem (33-7), Wissahickon (47-0), CR North (41-13). CR South (16-0), Harry S Truman (44-14), Souderton (34-3) & Quakertown (38-8).
Playoff Resume:
Upper Dublin has defeated Academy Park (35-0), Great Valley (35-0), Plymouth Whitemarsh (30-0) & West Chester Rustin (21-7).
Offensive/Defensive Scoring:
Imhotep has scored an average of 36.9 points per game and has allowed an average of 6.7 points per game. A winning margin of 30.2 points per game.
Upper Dublin has scored an average of 33.8 points per game and has allowed an average of 7.1 points per game. A winning margin of 26.7 points per game.
Players To Watch:
Imhotep * QB Mikal Davis – 105 completions for 1630 yards & 18 touchdowns * RB – Jabree Wallace-Coleman – 164 carries for 979 yards & 11 touchdowns *WR – Corey Wright Downing – 26 catches for 526 yards & 5 touchdowns * WR – Johann Hennigan 18 catches for 302 yards & 3 touchdowns.
Upper Dublin * QB – Colin O’Sullivan 169 completions for 2591 yards & 33 touchdowns * RB – Nyfise McIntyre 224 carries for 1369 yards & 15 touchdowns * WR – Griffin Pensabene 45 catches for 654 yards and 7 touchdowns * WR – DJ Ceresier 35 catches for 534 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Winner Gets:
The winner of the game between Imhotep and Upper Dublin will play the winner of the game between Cocallco and Pine-Richland in the PIAA 5-A State Final.
Prediction:
***Upset Special***
Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals 20 – Imhotep Panthers 14
Suburban One Sports.com
2022 Top Ten
1. Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals (14-0)
2. Central Bucks West Bucks (9-5)
3. Pennsbury Falcons (9-2)
4. Central Bucks East Patriots (8-3)
5. Souderton Indians (9-3)
6. North Penn Knights (6-6)
7. Central Bucks South Titans (7-4)
8. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (10-3)
9. Quakertown Panthers (6-6)
10. Upper Moreland Golden Bears (8-3)
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