This week's notebook features CB West, Springfield & North Penn and highlights some of the SOL's top performances.
By Scott Huff
The opening week of the Suburban One League season is in the books.
In the SOL American Conference – Upper Dublin and Plymouth Whitemarsh were expected winners – however, both Hatboro-Horsham and Springfield crashed the first place party.
The Hatters were winless going into its game with unbeaten Upper Moreland and proceeded to stun the Golden Bears 20-13. The Spartans – a Class AA school – rallied back to stun Wissahickon – a Quad-A school – 34-20.
In the SOL National Conference – Pennsbury, North Penn, Neshaminy, and Central Bucks South were all expected to win – and there were no surprises as the Falcons, Knights, Redskins, and Titans were all comfortable winners.
In the SOL Continental Conference – Quakertown and Council Rock South exploded to wins while Council Rock North came up with a huge win over Central Bucks East and Central Bucks West surprised some with an overtime win over Norristown.
And the beat goes on…
SOL American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Springfield Spartans
Springfield (2-1, 1-0) head coach Chris Shelly wasn’t too sure how he was going to replace outstanding quarterback Chris Stone who was lost to graduation.
But after Springfield’s eye-catching 34-20 victory over Wissahickon, Coach Shelly’s concerns are over after the marvelous performance of senior Justin Hill. Hill rushed for 217 yards and passed for an additional 115 yards – 332 yards of total offense in all –and accounted for five touchdowns.
“After Chris graduated, we asked Justin to move from running back to quarterback and he embraced the move,” said Shelly. “Justin is a natural and gifted athlete that has both toughness and leadership qualities.
“He fumbled the ball on the first play of the Wissahickon game, and he was ticked off,” added Shelly. “And we were down 13-7 at the half. But we knew that we could play with them – and Justin led us to the win in the second half.”
Shelly also noted that senior running back Brett Righter and offensive/defensive lineman Nigel Fox have played huge roles in the early Spartan success.
“Brett might not have great numbers – but he is a good runner and teams have to game plan against him,” said Shelly. “And Nigel is a tough as nails on both sides of the ball.
“We lost to Lansdale Catholic in the second week – then we had a bye week – and it was a good thing,” added Shelly. “Now we go from a good win this week to play Upper Dublin – and they are a great team. It’s all good.”
And – for this week – so are Justin Hill and the Spartans.
‘Notable Numbers’ in the SOL American Conference
Justin Hill of Springfield had a spectacular outing as the Spartan quarterback accounted for 332 yards of total offense and five touchdowns as Springfield captured a 34-20 victory over Wissahickon. Hill rushed for a game-high 217 yards and passed for a game-high 115 yards.
Nyfeese Nasir of Plymouth Whitemarsh rushed for 208 yards and four touchdowns as the Colonials routed Upper Merion 42-14.
Casey Walsh of Hatboro-Horsham completed 11 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown – and also ran for two scores – as the Hatters topped Upper Moreland 20-13.
Ryan Stover of Upper Dublin completed 8-of-10 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns as the Cardinals soared to a 42-6 victory over Cheltenham.
Rodney Morgan of Upper Moreland rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown as the Golden Bears were defeated by rival Hatboro-Horsham – 20-13.
Mason Menhart of Wissahickon kicked two field goals as the Trojans were defeated by Springfield 34-20.
Jared Skidds of Upper Merion returned a fumble for 75 yards and a touchdown as the Vikings were defeated 42-14 by Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Brandon Mack of Cheltenham threw a 60-yard touchdown pass as the Panthers were defeated by Upper Dublin 42-6.
This Week in the SOL American Conference
Cheltenham Panthers (1-3, 0-1) @ Upper Moreland Golden Bears (3-1, 0-1)
Upper Merion Vikings (2-2, 0-1) @ Hatboro-Horsham Hatters (1-3, 1-0)
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-0, 1-0) @ Wissahickon Trojans (1-3, 0-1)
Springfield Spartans (2-1, 1-0) @ Upper Dublin Cardinals (4-0, 1-0)
SOL National Conference ‘Snapshot’
North Penn Knights
North Penn (2-2, 1-0) head coach Dick Beck was more than a little happy with the Knight defense in a 31-7 victory over host Pennridge in the SOL National Conference opener for both teams.
“It was without question our best defensive game we have played this season,” said Beck. “Dontae Stewart played a great game at linebacker, and we were able to take their running game away – and Pennridge wanted to run the football.
“Pennridge is a good football team and they are big,” added Beck. “But I thought our athleticism really showed on the defensive side of the ball.
“I thought on offense that we let too many scores on the field,” continued Beck. “We are going to have to go back to work and clean those things up.”
North Penn – which opened the season with a 1-2 record that included a win over West Catholic (40-24) and losses to La Salle (24-12) and Downingtown East (28-24) – knows that the championship road is open for a SOL National League title. The Knights and Pennsbury are defending co-champions.
“On the bus ride home after the Downingtown East game we talked about how our season really begins this week with Pennridge,” said Beck. “Our goal every year is to win a league championship.
“Sure we want to win every game this year,” added Beck. “But our goal is to be the best we can be at the end of the season – not necessarily at the beginning of the season.”
The next step on the SOL National Conference journey for North Penn is a home date against Central Bucks South. Last year the Titans were the only team in conference that beat the Knights.
“I’m sure that will come up at some time during the week,” said Beck. “But all we really need to do is focus on what we do.”
And North Penn did quite a lot of that last week against Pennridge.
‘Notable Numbers’ in the SOL National Conference
Nick Isabella of North Penn rushed for 98 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Knights captured a 31-7 victory over Pennridge. Reece Udinski completed seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.
Daulton Hose of Pennsbury rushed for a game-high 122 yards and scored a touchdown as the Falcons soared to a 37-0 victory over Souderton. Chris Rupprecht rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns, while Mike Alley threw two touchdown passes for the winners.
Ian Vogt of Central Bucks South completed 11 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns as the Titans marched to a 46-16 victory over Bensalem. Joe Bechta rushed for a game-high 122 yards and a touchdown, while Stephen Iannuzzi caught four passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Will Dogba of Neshaminy scored two touchdowns as the Redskins routed Abington 47-7. He was one of six players to score TDs in a game that saw the Redskins open up a 34-7 halftime lead.
Judens Desrosiers of Pennridge scored the lone touchdown as the Rams dropped a 31-7 contest to North Penn.
Malcom Carey of Bensalem scored two touchdowns as the Owls fell to Central Bucks South 46-16.
Joey Curotto of Souderton completed seven passes for 69 yards as the Indians were beaten by Pennsbury 37-0.
David Kretscham of Abington scored on a 16-yard run as the Ghosts were defeated by Neshaminy 47-7.
This Week in the SOL National Conference
Abington Ghosts (0-4, 0-1) @ Pennsbury Falcons (3-1, 1-0)
Bensalem Owls (0-4, 0-1) @ Souderton Indians (2-2, 0-1)
Central Bucks South Titans (2-2, 1-0) @ North Penn Knights (2-2, 1-0)
Pennridge Rams (2-2, 0-1) @ Neshaminy Redskins (3-1, 1-0)
SOL Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Central Bucks West Bucks
Central Bucks West (1-3, 1-0) head coach Chas Gathers earned his first coaching victory at West, and it was a memorable one as the Bucks captured a 31-28 overtime win over Norristown.
“We finally put together four quarters – and a little extra – to get the win,” said Gathers. “Our non-league schedule was tough – but we took something positive out of each loss.”
CB West opened the season with setbacks to Central Bucks South (40-14), Souderton (21-14), and Pennridge (34-0).
“Even though we lost those games – the players showed a lot of character,” said Gathers. “We kept stressing that we have to play well in all four quarters in order to win games.
“I felt like we put together four good quarters against Norristown,” added Gathers. “We’re excited to come out with a win in our first league games – and now we have to build on that next week against Truman.”
The game winning 32-yard field goal in the overtime came off the strong foot of placekicker Kenny Doak.
“I was happy that he got the shot at the kick to win the game,” said Gathers. “He just missed a 51-yarder earlier in the game – and we knew he was going to make that kick. He is just a huge asset to this team.”
Two other assets for the Bucks in the victory were senior quarterback Eddie Shields and junior wide receiver Kevin O’Hanlon. Shields completed 10 passes for 260 yards and four touchdowns – while O’Hanlon caught four passes for 104 yards and three touchdowns.
“We did a nice job of establishing the run – and our play action worked well,” said Gathers. “Eddie and Kevin did a great job of working together.”
And now the challenge for the young Bucks will be able to continue to work well together and play all four quarters next week against Truman.
‘Notable Numbers’ in the SOL Continental Conference
Brandon McIlwain of Council Rock North had a marvelous performance racking up 308 yards of total offense and 4 touchdowns as the Indians held off Central Bucks East 26-21. McIlwain rushed for 119 yards and two scores and passed for 189 yards and two scores. Tyler Nowmos caught five passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
Kenny Doak of Central Bucks West booted a game-winning 32-yard field in overtime as the Bucks edged Norristown 31-28. Eddie Shields completed 10 passes for 260 yards and four touchdowns. Kevin O’Hanlon caught four for 104 yards and three touchdowns.
Brendan Patterson of Council Rock South scored five touchdowns as the Golden Hawks soared to a 50-15 victory over Harry S Truman. Kevin Hickey rushed for a game-high 110 yards and a touchdown.
Rob Burns of Quakertown rushed for 242 yards and five touchdowns – all in the first half – as the Panthers routed William Tennent 56-7.
Alex Gibson of Central Bucks East had a spectacular game in a losing cause as the Patriots were defeated by Council Rock North 26-21. Gibson rushed for a game-high 204 yards and scored two touchdowns of the Pats.
Khalif Sinclair of Norristown scored three touchdowns as the Eagles were clipped by Central Bucks West in overtime – 31-28. Sinclair scored on a punt return – a run – and a pass reception.
Matt Olsen of Truman scored two touchdowns as the Tigers were caged by Council Rock South 50-15.
Tyler Lynch of William Tennent completed seven passes for 93 yards as the Panthers were caged by Quakertown 56-7.
This Week in the SOL Continental Conference
Council Rock South Hawks (2-2, 1-0) @ Central Bucks East Patriots (3-1, 0-1)
William Tennent Panthers (3-1, 0-1) @ Council Rock North Indians (2-2, 1-0)
Central Bucks West Bucks (1-3, 1-0) @ Truman Tigers (2-2, 0-1)
Norristown Eagles (2-2, 0-1) @ Quakertown Panthers (4-0, 1-0)
Suburban One Sports.com
Top Ten
1. Upper Dublin Cardinals (4-0, 1-0)
2. Pennsbury Falcons (3-1, 1-0)
3. North Penn Knights (2-2, 1-0)
4. Neshaminy Redskins (3-1, 1-0)
5. Quakertown Panthers (4-0, 1-0)
6. Council Rock South Hawks (2-2, 1-0)
7. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (4-0, 1-0)
8. Council Rock North Indians (2-2, 1-0)
9. Central Bucks East Patriots (3-1, 0-1)
10. Pennridge Rams (2-2, 0-1)
About the Author
