Scott Huff pays tribute to legendary Souderton football coach Drew Darrah and closes the book on the 2017 SOL football season.
By Scott Huff
And the beat goes on….
The term legend is a term that should be used very sparingly. But in the case of legendary Souderton head football coach Drew Darrah, the term more than fits the man.
Darrah passed away in October at the age of 80. He was memorialized last weekend at Souderton Area High School as many in the Big Red football community came to pay their respects.
To say that Darrah was one of a kind is, of course, very true. Legends are always exceptional.
Darrah roamed the sidelines as head coach for SAHS from 1964 to 1997 and was an impressive 223-127-9 during his successful tenure. His zeal for the game and his devotion to his often-undersized players was, well, legendary.
I got to see what many considered a cantankerous football head coach from a couple of vantage points.
I was a player in uniform at Pennridge High School back in the day and watched as Souderton won the Bux-Mont title in 1969. Darrah would go on to win SOL titles in 1988, 1992, and 1993.
Most of my interaction with him, though, came as both a young and not-so-young sportswriter for a number of local newspapers.
Win or lose – he always had that same piercing stare when a sportswriter asked a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ question. Let’s just say that talking to the media was not his favorite part of the job.
What was his favorite part of the job were coaching the game he loved and his personal interactions with the players. He was legendary, there’s that word again, coming up with game plans that included plays that were simply not in any other team’s playbook.
Sometimes forgotten about the man was his dedication to his students in the classroom. He was – according to former students I have spoken to – an outstanding Biology teacher.
Drew Darrah has left a legacy at Souderton Area High School that is going to be hard to match.
Legends have a way of doing just that.
Coaching Vacancies
WANTED: HEAD FOOTBALL COACH – PENNRIDGE H.S.
Jeff Hollenbach decided to retire after two tours of duty with the Rams.
Hollenbach coached Pennridge from 1997-2004 and had a remarkable record of 72-25 over those eight seasons. He left the program to watch his older son, Sam, play his collegiate football at the University of Maryland.
Hollenbach returned to the Ram sideline as head coach in 2013 when former head coach Randy Cuthbert left to coach at Emmaus. In his second stint with Pennridge from 2013-2017, Hollenbach registered another outstanding mark of 40-22 that included a run to the PIAA 6A District One semifinals this year.
If you do the math – Hollenbach was a tremendous 112-47 over his 13 seasons with the Rams.
If you looked up the word ‘class’ in the coaching dictionary – it just might have a picture of Jeff Hollenbach.
WANTED: HEAD COACH – CENTRAL BUCKS WEST H.S.
Chas Cathers decided to give up his coaching duties with the Bucks to accept a position as athletic director at Central Bucks South.
Cathers time at CB West was short-lived with a three-year head coaching career. He took over a program that had been in some turmoil after a hazing incident and helped the Bucks turn things around.
In his first season at the helm, CB West finished the 2015 season with a record of 3-7. Improvement came the following season as the Bucks finished 4-6.
And last season Central Bucks West returned to the PIAA 6A District One playoffs with a record of 6-5. A loss to Garnet Valley in the opening round did little to tarnish the outstanding season the Bucks had in Cathers’ final year with the program.
It looks like the Bucks are indeed back.
Turkey Day Leftovers
Hatboro-Horsham (6-4) avenged a 41-40 loss to Upper Moreland (10-2) during the regular season and as the Hatters dominated from start to finish in a 34-0 Thanksgiving morning victory over the Golden Bears.
H-H quarterback Chris Edwards capped off a career with a brilliant performance as he passed for 191 yards and three touchdowns. Calvin Broaddus Jr. caught 8 passes for the Hatters.
Pennridge (11-3) closed out its season with an impressive 34-6 Thanksgiving morning victory over rival Quakertown (7-4). The Rams piled up over 400 yards in total offense with Kyle Schetter the leading ball carrier.
Christian Patrick went over the 1000-yard career mark for the Panthers. Patrick scored the lone Q-town touchdown on an 18-yard run in the fourth period.
2017 SUBURBAN ONE LEAGUE
YEAR IN REVIEW
SOL National Conference
Neshaminy (10-2, 6-0)
Game of the Year: The Redskins defeat Pennsbury 21-20 to win the SOL National Conference championship.
Pennsbury (10-3, 5-1)
Game of the Year: The Falcons defeat Neshaminy 36-17 to advance to the PIAA 6A District One semifinals.
Harry S Truman (7-4, 3-3)
Game of the Year: The Tigers defeat Bensalem 49-21 to earn a PIAA 6A District One playoff berth.
Council Rock South (4-6, 3-3)
Game of the Year: The Golden Hawks soar to a 38-14 victory over rival Council Rock North to win the Rock Cup in the final game of the season.
Bensalem (5-5, 2-4)
Game of the Year: The Owls defeat Abington 41-18 to earn a great deal of respect in the conference.
Abington (4-6, 2-4)
Game of the Year: The Ghosts defeat a playoff bound Truman 14-0.
Council Rock North (1-9, 0-6)
Game of the Year: The Indians defeat West Chester East 14-13 in season opener.
SOL Continental Conference
North Penn (9-3, 6-0)
Game of the Year: The Knights defeat Pennridge 45-35 to win the Continental Conference championship.
Pennridge (11-3, 5-1)
Game of the Year: The Rams shut out Perkiomen Valley 25-0 to advance to the PIAA 6A District semifinals.
Central Bucks South (7-4, 4-2)
Game of the Year: The Titans defeat Central Bucks East 37-28 to help secure the Central Bucks Cup and a berth in the playoffs this season.
Central Bucks West (6-5, 2-4)
Game of the Year: The Bucks defeat archrival Central Bucks East 14-13 to help secure a PIAA 6A playoff berth.
Central Bucks East (4-6, 2-4)
Game of the Year: The Patriots edge Souderton 10-7 in a closely contested conference game.
Souderton (3-7, 2-4)
Game of the Year: The Indians close out the regular season with a 21-14 victory over playoff bound Central Bucks West.
William Tennent (0-10, 0-6)
Game of the Year: The winless Panthers play Pennridge tough the entire game before losing to the talented Rams 35-26 in a Homecoming game.
SOL American Conference
Upper Moreland (10-2, 6-0)
Game of the Year: The Golden Bears defeat Upper Dublin 21-20 to clinch the conference championship and finish the regular season unbeaten.
Quakertown (7-4, 5-1)
Game of the Year: The Panthers defeat Upper Dublin 34-28 in double overtime to help secure a PIAA 6A playoff berth.
Upper Dublin (8-4, 4-2)
Game of the Year: The Flying Cardinals defeat Academy Park 17-12 to advance to the PIAA 5A District One semifinals.
Hatboro-Horsham (6-4, 3-3)
Game of the Year: The Hatters destroy conference champion Upper Moreland 34-0 on Thanksgiving morning.
Cheltenham (2-8, 2-4)
Game of the Year: The Panthers defeat Wissahickon 20-13 for their first win of the season.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-8, 1-5)
Game of the Year: The Colonials march to their only win of the season against Wissahickon – 20-0.
Wissahickon (2-7, 0-6)
Game of the Year: The Trojans defeat Martin Luther King 20-10 to open the 2017 season.
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