Truman, CB West and Upper Moreland are featured in this third of periodic SOL football notebooks.
It was another good week for the SOL Continental Conference as five of its teams were winners, and all five squads – Central Bucks East, Central Bucks South, Central Bucks West, North Penn and Souderton – enter Suburban One League play with perfect 3-0 records. Neshaminy also improved to 3-0 with a big win over Downingtown West, and Upper Dublin, which had a bye, is 2-0.
Two teams picked up their first wins of the season. Abington gave coach Kevin Conlin his first win at the helm with a no-doubt-about-it 27-0 shutout win over neighboring Cheltenham in Friday’s Rivals Unite game that also saw the two schools combine to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Harry S Truman came from behind to earn a 30-21 win over William Tennent.
This week in the SOL:
Abington (1-2) at Bensalem (1-1)
Central Bucks East (3-0) at Central Bucks South (3-0)
Central Bucks West (3-0) at North Penn (3-0)
Cheltenham (1-2) at Upper Dublin (2-0)
Council Rock North (0-2) at Neshaminy (3-0)
Harry S Truman (1-2) at Council Rock South (0-3)
Souderton (3-0) at Pennridge (1-2)
Upper Moreland (2-1) at Plymouth Whitemarsh (2-1)
Quakertown (0-3) at Wissahickon (1-2)
William Tennent (0-3) at Pennsbury (1-2)
National Conference
Harry S Truman: Staying positive.
That has been a point of emphasis for coach Jon Craig and his coaching staff this season, and that philosophy was put to the test after the young Tigers suffered back-to-back shutout losses to Ridley and Upper Dublin in their first two games of the season.
It apparently was effective as the Tigers – sparked by the 166-yard rushing effort of David Akinwande – twice rallied from deficits in Friday night’s 30-21 win over William Tennent. After falling behind 14-0, Truman came back to take an 18-14 lead into halftime. When the Panthers went on top 21-18 in the fourth quarter, the Tigers responded yet again, reeling off 12 unanswered points to close out the game.
“We knew this season we would take our lumps and we were young,” Craig said. “The emphasis with my coaches is to try to teach every moment you can, when things are bad or good.
“The last couple of years we probably would have come down a little harder and been a little more forceful because we new we had kids that were experienced and knew how to do it right. This year it’s more – Let’s teach within the moment because these kids are going to be around for a lot of games. We have sophomore out there starting for us, so let’s take a moment and be teachers and realize that the success might come down the road more than it will come immediately.”
Assisting Craig on the sidelines are Bob Kinney (offensive coordinator/assistant head coach), Chase Rieger (offensive line), Ryan Katona (defensive line), Mike Forward (running backs), D’Andre Webb (strong safeties), John Later (linebackers), Kevin Schafer (defensive backs), Shawnte Carroll (wide receivers) and Shaun Hudgins (wide receivers).
Freeman in charge – On a young and inexperienced squad, senior quarterback Jorden Freeman has been the undisputed leader. In Friday’s win over the Tribe, Freeman threw for 81 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 125 more.
“He has really been our guy that’s really a leader,” Craig said. “I try to talk sidebar with him as much as I can about walking the walk of a leader and realizing when things are bad you have to find a way to be positive, and you have to have your shoulders up and your chest up. You can’t draw negative attention to yourself, and he’s done a real good job of working at that.”
Stepping up – A pair of underclassmen have been pleasant surprises so far this season. Sophomore Gabe Gipli, according to Craig, has been an irreplaceable defensive starter at outside linebacker.
“He’s only a sophomore, and he’s grown up a lot during camp and these first couple of weeks,” the Tigers’ coach said.
Junior Tyrone Willis didn’t play for the Tigers the past two years, but he is finding his niche on the defensive side of the football.
“He had a great game on Friday,” Craig said. “He had a couple of big plays on defense. He had an interception on a screen pass that led to a touchdown.
“He played when he was younger, but this is the first year playing with us. It’s tough for a kid to be kind of humble and realize when we started the season he might not be getting playing time as a junior. He was humble and he worked, and now he’s getting a lot of varsity reps. Those two players really showed me a lot.”
Looking ahead: The Tigers will be on the road at Council Rock South on Friday. “It’s the SOL National – it’s going to be tough,” Craig said. “We don’t get a week off. The big thing is we have a chance next week to get to .500 against a team that we have not been able to knock off the last couple of years. We know we have a lot of flaws we have to work on, but there’s a chance we could be 2-2 at the end of this week in our first game in the league.”
Continental Conference
Central Bucks West: The Bucks entered the season with the goal of heading into week four and their SOL opener at North Penn with a 3-0 record.
Mission accomplished.
“That gives us some confidence going into this week, and that’s going to be important,” coach Chas Cathers said.
The Bucks – who defeated Quakertown 21-12 on Friday – are off to their first 3-0 start since 2003 under the second-year coach.
“We have great kids in the program,” Cathers said. “Success comes from the type of kids you have in the program and whether or not they buy into what you’re trying to accomplish.
“I think we have a great group of kids that have been buying into what we as a staff have implemented. They had a great offseason.”
Making the strong start especially gratifying is the fact that it’s been a team effort.
“You don’t win football games with one outstanding player,” Cathers said. “That’s something we try to make our players understand.
“Obviously, there’s 11 players on the field at a time, but you really have to have the entire roster – all 80 guys – bought in. Everyone has a role and everyone contributes, and that’s when we get our team success because when it comes down to it – when the games get tough, you have to rely on the guys next to you executing their job. That’s when you win football games.”
A rotation that works – With the graduation of quarterback Eddie Shields, senior Josh Crecca and junior Ryan Moylan were the frontrunners to fill his sizeable shoes. Entering camp, the race for the starting job was too close to call.
“They both were performing in the offseason and going into the scrimmage, and we didn’t know if we could name a quarterback, so we gave them both an opportunity, and it worked well,” Cathers said. “It can be hard for two quarterbacks to rotate, but both Josh and Ryan have done a great job of staying focused and understanding that they both have great qualities. They have done a phenomenal job.
“Our game plan doesn’t change depending on who the quarterback is – we’re going to run what we’re going to run. If Ryan Moylan has one series, the next series Josh Crecca will go in. They’ve done a nice job of going in and leading the offense.”
Cathers credited his offensive line for doing its job.
“Chase Lorino has been our anchor,” the Bucks’ coach said of his senior guard. “We have a really good group of skill positions – Kevin O’Hanlon, who’s a fine receiver for us, and the backfield of TJ Rakowsky and Griffin Shields have done a nice job, and we plug Jake Reichwein in when we can.”
A stingy defense – The Bucks have not allowed more than 12 points in any of their games. Senior Corey Cepeda – who had 10 ½ tackles in Friday’s win over Quakertown – anchors the defensive line. The linebacking corp – comprised of juniors Jake Reichwein and TJ Rakowsky as well as sophomore Ryan Hieber – has been the heart of the defense.
“Those guys are hardnosed football players,” Cathers said. “They love to make contact – they’re playing real aggressive, and we love that.
“They are going to have quite a year this year, and I’m excited to see what they do next year as well.”
Seniors Frank Amsler and Shane Ehlo have stepped into starting roles at cornerback and are excelling.
“They have really stepped up to the challenge this year,” Cathers said. “Frank has a couple of interceptions and Shane has had some lockdown games.
“We played two seniors last year, and I’m really happy with their performance thus far.”
Buck Nation strong – Beginning with the team’s season opener against visiting Hatboro-Horsham, the fans have showed up in force to show their support for the Bucks.
“Having that game with school starting a week later, I was a little concerned,” Cathers said. “I didn’t know how much the fans would come out, but they’ve done a great job of supporting the team and the players, and I know they’re excited.
“We’re just hoping we can keep performing and living up to the expectations of our fans as well.”
American Conference
Upper Moreland: Sterlen Barr Jr. might not be a household word just yet for fans of Upper Moreland football, but if he keeps turning in performances like he did in Friday’s 41-34 win over Upper Perkiomen, he soon will be. The junior running back rushed for 203 yards and three touchdowns, looking very much like he could be the next in a line of standout running backs for the Bears.
“We got him on the field last year in a playoff game and got a couple of carries,” coach Adam Beach said. “When you have a nice back, the young kids look up to them and see how they run, and they learn how to work, they understand the offense, and it kind of feeds itself.
“Last year Rodney Morgan kind of took it from Tyler Whitmore, and now Sterlen is starting to take it from Rodney. We also have (Nick) Pagano running the ball, so it’s been very nice. We’re very fortunate.”
Waiting in the wings are a pair of promising sophomore backs –Safier Barr, Sterlen’s brother, and Caleb Mead.
“You have to have the kids, but there’s something to be said for passing on the torch,” Beach said.
The Golden Bears – who will take a 2-1 record into Friday’s SOL opener at Plymouth Whitemarsh – have a young squad after graduating the nucleus of last year’s District One AAA runner-up squad.
“The new guys are learning how to play varsity football,” Beach said. “I just told them to stay with it and just keep working. We’ve been coaching them up, fixing their technique, helping them understand what their roles are.
“As they’re getting experience, they’re starting to get better. Hopefully, we can continue moving forward. We still have a lot to learn. We’re nowhere near where we need to be, but we’re getting better. As long as we keep working and keep improving, we’re heading in the right direction.”
Coming back strong – The Golden Bears found themselves staring at a 27-14 halftime deficit in Friday’s non-league game against Upper Perk but rallied for the come-from-behind win.
“That’s huge for the kids,” Beach said. “At halftime, the speech was, ‘Fellows, we’re stopping ourselves. It’s a missed block, it’s a miscommunication, it’s an error, it’s a turnover. Let’s just minimize our mistakes and get back to playing Upper Moreland Golden Bear football and things will be fine,’ and they did.
“They understood they each had to do their job, and then things started to click and started to go our way. We found a way to win the game. They can draw on that experience, and if we’re ever down at halftime – we did it before, we can do it again. It’s a journey. They’re learning as they’re going, and we’ll see where we go.”
Leading the Bears – Senior quarterback Casey Decker, according to Beach, has been a rock, running the ball and throwing the ball.
“Nick Pagano has been doing a great job for us,” Beach said of his senior running back. “We’ve been able to hit Brett Grossman, our tight end.”
Cole Kitchen and Ronnie Perelli are picking up the slack at wide receiver. Beach went on to credit Ryan Caral (center/defensive lineman), Brett Broderick (inside linebacker/offensive guard), Nick Yerk (offensive tackle, inside linebacker), Hunter Williams (offensive guard/inside linebacker) and Jake Villanueva (offensive line/defensive line).
“We have some other kids who haven’t been on the field yet,” Beach said. “Hopefully, we can continue to let our offense grow, get our guys the ball and see what they can do.”
Last week in the SOL:
Plymouth Whitemarsh 26, Norristown 8 (PW’s Khan Jamal ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns.”
Central Bucks East 42, Methacton 6 (East’s Matt Szczypiorski threw for 126 yards and two touchdowns.)
Neshaminy 42, Downingtown West 14 (Neshaminy’s Mason Jones threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns, and Will Dogba ran for 143 yards and a TD.)
Central Bucks South 39, Council Rock South 13 (South’s Sam Thompson threw for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Christian Jabbar led the Golden Hawks with 75 yards.)
Upper Moreland 41, Upper Perkiomen 34 (UM’s Sterlen Barr rushed for 203 yards and three touchdowns.)
Souderton 42, Hatboro-Horsham 27 (Souderton senior Koby Khan ran for 130 yards and five TDs, Brandan Taranga added 127 rushing yards and quarterback Joey Curotto threw for 167 yards. Hatter quarterback Chris Edwards threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 90 more.)
Abington 27, Cheltenham 0 (Abington’s Darryl Davis-McNeil ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns and completed an 85-yard TD pass to George Reid. Jarrett Jenkins led the Panthers with 75 yards on the ground.)
Harry S Truman 30, William Tennent 21 (Truman’s Jorden Freeman had 201 yards combined in the air and on the ground, and David Akinwande had 166 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Tennent’s Sean Bragen had a game-high 176 yards and two touchdowns.)
North Penn 38, Pennsbury 0 (North Penn’s Reece Udinski completed 19-of-23 passes for 315 yards, and Nick Dillon had four rushing TDs.)
Central Bucks West 21, Quakertown 12 (TJ Rakowsky led a balanced West attack with 78 yards on the ground while Quakertown’s Noah Wood finished with a game-high 95 yards and two touchdowns.)
Perkiomen Valley 38, Pennridge 20 (Pennridge QB Jagger Hartshorn threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns.)
Pottsville 35, Wissahickon 13 (Darryl Baldwin led the Trojans with 117 yards on the ground and one touchdown.)
Coatesville 54, Council Rock North 20 (North was led by Michael Welde with 79 yards on the ground and Matt Shinot with 72.)
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