By Scott Huff
The Suburban One League showcased its collective talent in the first round of the PIAA Quad-A District One playoffs. The SOL went an impressive 5-3 in games played for the best overall league record; while the Pioneer Athletic Conference went 1-1; the Central League went 1-2; and the Ches-Mont League went 1-2.
Another ‘fun-fact’ was that in the eight first round games – five of the lower seeds came away with victories. No. 15 Pennsbury defeated No. 2 Downingtown West in overtime (35-28); No. 13 Neshaminy easily won over No. 4 Spring-Ford (31-16); No. 12 Quakertown edged No. 5 Central Bucks East (7-6); No. 10 Perkiomen Valley defeated No. 7 Haverford (35-28); and No. 9 North Penn routed No. 8 Unionville (48-7).
As for the three higher seed winners – No. 3 Upper Dublin was a 35-3 winner over No. 14 Garnet Valley; No. 6 Upper Darby was a 59-34 winner over No. 11 Council Rock North; and No. 1 Downingtown East survived against No. 16 Plymouth Whitemarh (35-28).
And the beat goes on…
PIAA District One Quad-A Playoffs
# 6 Upper Darby (10-1) @ # 3 Upper Dublin Cardinals (11-0)
Friday – November 20, 2015, 7 pm
Winner gets the winner of # 13 Pennsbury (8-3) vs. # 10 Perkiomen Valley Vikings (10-1)
Last Game:
Upper Dublin routed # 14 seed Garnet Valley 35-3. Ryan Stover rushed for four touchdowns and also threw a touchdown pass. Kalief Lee rushed for a game-high 146 yards.
Upper Darby routed # 11 seed Council Rock North 59-34. Running back Isaiah Bruce had a spectacular day for the Royals rushing for 373 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Season Resume:
• Upper Dublin finished the season as the champion of the Suburban One League American Conference.
• Upper Darby finished the season tied for a league title with Haverford in the Central League.
Signature Wins:
Upper Dublin
• Defeated Plymouth Whitemarsh 42-0
• Defeated Upper Moreland 35-7
• Defeated Hatboro-Horsham 31-10
Upper Darby
• Defeated Conestoga 25-22
• Defeated Garnet Valley 41-34
• Defeated Ridley 25-16
Losses:
Upper Dublin
• None
Upper Darby
• Lost to State College 28-0
Stat Track:
Upper Dublin – 45.0 points per game * 7.4 points allowed per game * + 37.6 margin of victory.
Upper Darby – 32.8 points per game * 17.3 points allowed per game – * + 15.5 margin of victory.
Players To Watch:
Upper Dublin – Ryan Stover, Kalief Lee & Jack Rapine.
Upper Darby – Christian Minott, Isaiah Bruce & Brandon Morton.
Upper Dublin Head Coach Bret Stover says: “(Upper Darby running back – Isaiah) Bruce is an intimidating back. He reminds me a little of (PW running back – Nafeese) Nasir is that he isn’t really big but can hurt you in a number of ways. To get those numbers in a playoff game (373 yards and 7 touchdowns) is impressive. He has great vision, tremendous speed, and he can run you over. He runs back kickoffs, returns punts, and catches the ball. He is going to be a lot to handle. Playing at home is a plus – we’ll let them come our place on a Friday night in traffic. We have been blessed to have six home games this year and to be able to maintain a routine and play in front of our home crowd is great.”
# 9 North Penn Knights (9-2) @ # 1 Downingtown East Cougars (11-0)
Friday – November 20, 2015, 7 pm
Winner gets the winner of # 12 Quakertown Panthers (9-2) vs. # 13 Neshaminy Redskins (8-3).
Last Game:
North Penn routed # 8 seed Unionville 48-7 in a ‘mercy-rule’ game. Nick Isabella rushed for 92 yards and scored three touchdowns for the Knights. Nyfease West rushed for a game-high 111 yards, while quarterback Reece Udinski completed 11 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.
Downingtown East survived a huge scare from # 16 Plymouth Whitemarsh and escaped with a 35-28 victory.Saunders Healy threw five touchdown passes for the top seeded Cougars, while tight end Cary Angeline caught three touchdown passes for Downingtown East.
Season Resume:
• North Penn finished the season as the champion of the Suburban One League National Conference.
• Downingtown East finished the season as the champion of the Ches-Mont National Conference.
Signature Wins
North Penn
• Defeated Neshaminy 17-7
• Defeated Pennsbury 27-20
• Defeated Pennridge 31-7
Downingtown East
• Defeated North Penn 28-24
• Defeated Unionville 49-13
• Defeated Downingtown West 21-14
Losses
North Penn
• Lost to La Salle 24-12
• Lost to Downingtown East 28-24
Downingtown East
• None
Stat Track:
North Penn – 37.9 points per game * 18.7 points allowed per game * + 19.2 margin of victory
Downingtown East – 37.0 points per game * 11.5 points allowed per game – + 25.5 margin of victory
Players To Watch:
North Penn – Nyfease West, Reece Udinski & Nick Isabella.
Downingtown East – Cary Angeline, Saunders Healy & Jack Kincade.
North Penn Head Coach Dick Beck says: “The kids really wanted to play Downingtown East again. We lost to them early in the year (September 18th in a 28-24 loss) and both teams have improved since then. That game was played in hot weather and our players that played both ways seemed to wear down in the second half. (North Penn led 21-14 @ the half). We can’t make the same mistakes we made against them the first time if we want to win. We are coming off a nice win (48-7 win over Unionville), and they came back to win their game (35-28 against Plymouth Whitemarsh). I think they might have had a letdown after beating Downingtown West the week before (21-14) – but that surely won’t affect them this week.”
# 13 Neshaminy Redskins (8-3) @ Quakertown Panthers (9-2)
Friday – November 20 , 2015, 7 pm
Winner gets the winner of # 1 Downingtown East Cougars (11-0) vs. # 9 North Penn Knights (9-2)
Last Game:
Neshaminy was impressive in a 31-16 victory over # 4 seed – and previously unbeaten – Spring-Ford. The Redskins were led by reserve running back Joe Pirrone who rushed for a game-high 113 yards on 27 carries. Will Dogba – playing limited time due to injury – did score two touchdowns for the winners. Quarterback Mason Jones had a fine outing with 11 completions for 203 yards and a touchdown.
Quakertown was able to advance in the postseason with a razor-thin 7-6 opening round victory over Central Bucks East. Rob Burns scored the only touchdown for the Panthers and rushed for a team-high 80 yards on 25 carries. Linebacker Noah Wood along with hybrid safety/linebacker Tom Garlick led the Q-town defensive performance. Kyle Baskin intercepted two passes in the final quarter for the Black Cats.
Season Resume:
• Quakertown finished the season in a second place tie in the SOL Continental Conference.
• Neshaminy finished the season tied for second place in the SOL National Conference.
Signature Wins:
Neshaminy
• Defeated Montclair State 37-31
• Defeated Council Rock South 27-25
• Defeated Pennsbury 16-14
Quakertown
• Defeated Norristown 49-7
• Defeated Council Rock South 35-14
• Defeated Hatboro-Horsham 38-19
Losses:
Neshaminy
• Lost to Downingtown West 20-13
• Lost to Pennridge 17-7
• Lost to North Penn 22-17
Quakertown
• Lost to Central Bucks East 24-23
• Lost to Council Rock North 41-31
Stat Track:
Neshaminy – 25.2 points per game * 16.7 points allowed per game * + 8.5 margin of victory
Quakertown – 35.6 points per game * 11.9 points allowed per game * + 23.7 margin of victory Players To Watch:
Neshaminy – Will Dogba, Mason Jones & Denzel Hughes.
Quakertown – Rob Burns, Nick Bonomo & Tom Garlick.
Neshaminy Head Coach Steve Wilmot says: “We are really looking forward to playing at Quakertown – it is a fun place to play. We have really turned it up in the second half of the season, and right now we are playing our best football. (Outstanding Neshaminy running back)Will Dogba missed some of the game last week with a high ankle sprain, but our trainer tells us that he is at least 95 % and will be able to play. Quakertown has a good running back in (Rob) Burns, and an excellent quarterback in (Tom) Garlick- they have some really good players on both sides of the ball. We have preached all year that the season is a process – and we won’t prepare any differently for the playoffs than we do for a regular season game.”
Quakertown Head Coach George Banas says: “Playing this game at home is a good thing for our student body and the community – but the game is going to be won or lost between the lines. There have been many away games this year where our fans outnumbered the home fans – and we had a great following in the win over CB East last week. Neshaminy looks to be the Neshaminy of old – big, physical and very aggressive.”
# 15 Pennsbury Falcons (8-3) @ # 10 Perkiomen Valley (10-1)
Saturday – November 21, 2015, 7 pm
Winner gets the winner of # 3 Upper Dublin (11-0) vs. # 6 Upper Darby Royals (10-1)
Last Game:
Pennsbury had to work overtime as the Falcons soared to a 35-28 victory over # 2 Downingtown West in a PIAA Quad-A quarterfinal game. Mike Alley – who scored two rushing touchdowns and passed for a third TD – scored the game winner in overtime.
Perkiomen Valley rallied to defeat # 7 Haverford 35-28 on the road to advance to the quarterfinal game. Stephen Sturm had a huge night for the Vikings with a four-touchdown performance, and running back Ronnie Arch carried the rushing load for the winners.
Season Resume:
• Pennsbury finished the season tied for second place in the SOL National Conference.
• Perkiomen Valley finished the season in second place in the Pioneer Athletic Conference.
Pennsbury
• Defeated Pennridge 38-32
• Defeated Council Rock South 13-6
• Defeated Council Rock North 41-19
Perkiomen Valley
• Defeated Council Rock North 56-36
• Defeated Pottsgrove 34-21
• Defeated Owen J Roberts 49-14
Losses:
Pennsbury
• Lost to La Salle 14-0
• Lost to North Penn 27-20
• Lost to Neshaminy 16-14
Perkiomen Valley
• Lost to Spring-Ford 28-14
Stat Track:
Pennsbury – 29.9 points per game * 16.8 points allowed per game * + 13.1 margin of victory
Perkiomen Valley – 44.0 points per game * 12.9 points allowed per game * +31.1 margin of victory
Players To Watch:
Pennsbury – Mike Alley, Chris Rupprecht & Luke Snyder.
Perkiomen Valley – Stephen Sturm, Ronnie Arch & John Strickler.
Pennsbury Head Coach Galen Snyder says: “We scrimmaged Perkiomen Valley before the season and we will take a long look at the film. They have a really good quarterback (Stephen Sturm) – and that’s where it all starts. Our whole team really stepped up last week against Downingtown West (35-28 overtime win) – and we have some experienced players back from our district championship team. About half of our roster played last year – and those kids know what it takes to win in districts. The game will be played Saturday night – and we played Saturday night last week. The extra day’s rest is very important at this time of year – maybe more important than the preparation.”
PIAA District One Class AAA Playoffs
# 6 Marple Newtown Tigers (9-2) @ # 2 Upper Moreland Golden Bears (9-2)
Friday – November 20, 2015, 7 pm
Winner gets the winner of # 1 Academy Park (11-0) vs. # 4 Great Valley (9-2)
Last Game:
Upper Moreland advanced to the PIAA District One Class AAA semifinals with a 33-6 victory over # 7 seed Pottstown. Rodney Morgan rushed for a staggering 313 yards and scored two touchdowns for the Golden Bears, while quarterback Casey Decker scored three touchdowns of the winners.
Marple Newtown defeated Pottsgrove 20-7 to win its first ever district playoff game. The Lions scored the first 20 points in the game to win the game with relative ease.
Season Resume:
• Upper Moreland finished second in the SOL American Conference.
• Marple Newtown finished third in the Central League.
Signature Wins:
Upper Moreland
• Defeated Plymouth Whitemarsh 49-35
• Defeated Conwell-Egan 20-10
• Defeated Penncrest 28-15
Marple Newtown
• Defeated Penncrest 20-17
• Defeated Radnor 20-9
• Defeated Springfield (D) 9-3
Losses:
Upper Moreland
• Lost to Hatboro-Horsham 20-13
• Lost to Upper Dublin 35-7
Marple Newtown
• Lost to Conestoga 14-7
• Lost to Garnet Valley 40-17
Stat Track:
Upper Moreland – 29.5 points per game * 16.7 points allowed per game * + 12.8 margin of victory
Marple Newtown – 22.6 points per game * 10.0 points allowed per game * + 12.6 margin of victory
Players To Watch:
Upper Moreland – Rodney Morgan, Casey Decker & Nick DeLucas.
Marple Newtown – Anthony Paoletti, Abel Hoff & Marcus Weathers.
Upper Moreland Head Coach Adam Beach says: “Win or lose this will be the last home game in the ‘Grove’ for the seniors and it is going to be an emotional game. And to be able to play that final senior high school game in a playoff atmosphere is going to be special. This should be a good high school football game. Marple Newtown is a balanced team that is very physical and can match our size. We are going to have to be fundamentally sound and the coaches have to be able to put the players in good position to make plays.”
PIAA District One Class AA Playoffs
# 2 Springfield Spartans (4-6) vs. # 1 New Hope-Solebury Lions (10-1)
@ Central Bucks West High School
Friday – November 20 , 2015, 7 pm
Last Game:
Springfield advanced to the PIAA District One Class AA title game with a 26-12 victory over # 3 Bristol. Justin Hill was the touchdown maker for the Spartans with a pair of scoring passes and a touchdown run.
New Hope-Solebury advanced to the PIAA District One Class AA title game with a 27-0 victory over # 4 Lower Moreland. Nick Garritano, Jack McKenna and Blake Hildebrandt each scored solo touchdowns for the winners.
Season Resume:
• Springfield finished the season in sixth place in the SOL American Conference.
• New Hope-Solebury finished the season in second place in the Bicentennial League.
Signature Wins:
Springfield
• Defeated Lower Moreland 42-0
• Defeated Wissahickon 34-20
• Defeated Upper Merion 33-20
New Hope-Solebury
• Defeated Bristol 25-8
• Defeated ANC 9-0
• Defeated Jenkintown 29-7
Stat Track:
Springfield – 18.4 points per game * 37.0 points allowed per game * – 18.6 margin
New Hope-Solebury – 41.0 points per game * 7.4 points allowed per game * + 33.6 margin of victory
Players To Watch:
Springfield – Justin Hill, Brett Righter & Ben Fisher.
New Hope-Solebury – Nick Garritano, Jack McKenna & Blake Hildebrandt.
Springfield Head Coach Chris Shelly says: “We talked all through the off-season about having a chance to defend our District One title – and now we have that chance. It was been a tough journey going through the Suburban One (American Conference) – we had the nice win last week against Bristol – and now we want more. New Hope is going to be a good test – and I guess we are going to be an underdog again. But we like being the dog. New Hope is balanced on offense – and is aggressive on defense. I still feel that we haven’t played our best football yet – and I hope we can do that and win another district championship.”
SuburbanOneSports.com
Top Ten
1. Upper Dublin Cardinals (11-0)
2. North Penn Knights (9-2)
3. Neshaminy Redskins (8-3)
4. Pennsbury Falcons (8-3)
5. Quakertown Panthers (9-2)
6. Central Bucks East Patriots (8-3)
7. Pennridge Rams (8-3)
8. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (8-3)
9. Council Rock North Indians (7-4)
10. Upper Moreland Golden Bears (9-2)
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