Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. NP/Pennsbury photos courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography, PW/Springfield courtesy of Michael Rice Photography, Quakertown/Truman courtesy of Kim Supko, Upper Dublin/Cheltenham photos courtesy of Shannon O’Sullivan, Souderton/CR South photos courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography & Tennent/Hatboro-Horsham photos courtesy of Kadi Schenk. Check back for galleries.
SOL National Conference
NORTH PENN 22, PENNSBURY 14
Matt Bucksar and Ryan Bocklet.
An unusual duo perhaps, but the junior quarterback and senior kicker were the undeniable catalysts in the Knights’ win over a tough Falcon squad. While Bucksar threw for a pair of touchdowns, including a dazzling 58-yard TD strike to senior Jackson Schurmann, Bocklet connected on three field goals.
“I told the kids – I never ever remember calling for three field goals in one game, but it was nice to get,” NP coach Dick Beck said. “He’s a weapon, plus he kicked five touchbacks. He was pretty great tonight.
“I thought Bucksar played great – not only just scrambling. The ball to (Jackson) Schurmann was so perfect. He caught it in stride, and Schurmann got all the way down and scored. That was a big play for us, a big play.”
Early on, it was the Falcons – benefitting from a pass interference call as well as a 28-yard run by Jordan Brensinger– marching down the field on a touchdown drive that was capped when Kaiden Brown punched it in from a yard out.
The Knights took advantage of a short field to even the score 7-7 early in the second quarter. Bucksar connected with Jackson Schurmann for 17 yards on the first play of the drive, later raced 17 yards to the eight and then connected with Justin Long for the tying score.
A key stretch in the game came late in the first half when the Knights – with the Falcons driving – recovered a fumble on their own 18-yard line, and in less than two minutes, they took it all the way to the Falcons’ five where they settled for a Bocklet 23-yard field goal as time expired to go into the half with a 10-7 lead.
“We basically go no-huddle down the field,” Beck said. “We actually had a shot to score, but they made a nice play, knocking it out of our hands. It was nice to have Bocklet get three points.”
The Bucksar-to-Schurmann connection accounted for a major chunk of yards on the drive.
“Last year, Jackson broke his ankle and was out for the year, and then this year, he’s one of our best receivers,” Beck said. “Not only did he catch the touchdown pass, he made two other great catches over defenders, which was huge also.
“On that drive, he caught those two little stops and got out of bounds which were big.”
A 26-yard Bocklet field goal with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter gave the Knights a 13-7 lead, and with nine second remaining, Bucksar – on third-and-seven – hit Schurmann with the highlight real touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, the Falcons scored a late touchdown, and Bocklet connected on his third field goal for the 22-14 final.
The Knights overcame some adversity in this win. They were without all-league linebacker Christian Johns-Wallace – who was feeling under the weather – in the first half.
“He had an injury and didn’t feel good when he went out for the first series,” Beck said. “His replacement got hurt on the first drive. We had to put another guy in, and he got hurt.
“Christian said, ‘I’ll go in,’ so he went out there and kind of limped through it, but he made some plays when he needed to.
“I thought defensively we had a really gutty performance. In the first half, you don’t have Christian, who’s obviously a great player, and you don’t have (Aidan) Eves, who’s our best or second best player. They’re running the ball, and you don’t have those guys.”
Beck also credited a pair of players whose names won’t show up in the box score.
“Cole D’Ambrosio – who’s an inside linebacker – played great,” the Knights’ coach said. “I thought our two D-tackles which we rotated in – Dylan Webb-Dennis, Jack Silvers and Vinnie Montmore – I thought those guys were outstanding.”
North Penn (7-1, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Friday, and Pennsbury (3-5, 1-4) will host Abington Friday.
Pennsbury 7-0-0-7 14
North Penn 0-10-9-3 22
NESHAMINY 24, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 13
The visiting Patriots drove 60-plus yards for a touchdown on their first possession.
The Redskins answered with 24 straight points before East scored a late touchdown when the outcome had been decided.
East got on the board when Mike Price scored on a four-yard touchdown run, and the Patriots took a 6-0 lead into the second quarter. The Redskins took a lead they would not lose when Michael Eckart connected with Lucas Stewart on a 12-yard touchdown pass to go on top 7-6.
Neshaminy came up with a big defensive stop, holding the Patriots on a fourth down play. The Redskins got themselves in a scoring position, and with two seconds on the clock, Kaden Nicastro connected on a 29-yard field goal to send the Redskins into halftime with a 10-6 lead.
“After that initial drive, I thought our defense settled down against their offense pretty good,” Neshaminy coach Steve Wilmot said. “We were able to string together a drive, and we got another drive that kind of stalled, but we were able to kick a field goal and go in 10-6 at halftime.”
If there was a pivotal moment in the game, it came on the Patriots’ opening drive of the second half when Neshaminy’s Nick Sassano came up with a pick six, returning an interception 50 yards and turning a tenuous 10-6 lead into a 17-6 advantage.
“That was the turning point of the whole game,” Wilmot said. “That was the biggest play of the game.
“Both brothers (Nick and Michael Sassano) can do a lot of things. Nick has thrown a couple balls for us this year. This might be his third interception of the year. He’s a ball Hawk back there on defense.”
Carter Clee’s four-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter put the Redskins on top 24-6 before East’s Chase Ingram scored from one yard out with two minutes remaining for the 24-13 final.
Eckart led the offense, completing 16 of 24 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown.
“I thought Mike Eckart led our offense pretty well,” Wilmot said, going on to credit his defense. “I think our two inside linebackers – Carson Schneider and Connor Frederick – did a nice job all game of shutting down CB East’s running game for the most part. They were able to get some rushing yards but not many.
“I think our secondary in general did a good job. They got a couple of passes, but it was linebackers covering the people who caught the passes. Our three secondary guys – Nick and Mike Sassano and Chris Long – played very well. Chris Long came up with an interception at the end of the game to kind of seal it.”
The Redskins’ defense limited the Patriots to just 160 yards total offense.
Nsehaminy (6-2, 3-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Friday, and Central Bucks East (3-5, 1-4) will host Pennridge Friday.
Central Bucks East 6-0-0-7 13
Neshaminy 0-7-10-7 24
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 63, ABINGTON 0
(Game stats provided by CB South football)
The Titans – the top-ranked team in the District 1 6A power rankings – upped their record to 8-0 with a mercy rule win over the Ghosts.
“It was a weird start to the game,” South coach Tom Hetrick said. “They kicked off to us – hit an onsides kick and recovered it.
“We stuffed them, and they scrambled to get a first down on fourth-and-forever, so we still didn’t get the ball. It was not an ideal start, but we settled in eventually.”
The Titans didn’t score their first touchdown until three minutes remained in the first quarter when Braylen Cape scored on a 13-yard run. Once they started scoring they didn’t stop, and while the offense was putting points on the board, the Titans’ defense stymied the Ghosts at every turn.
“Our defense played well,” Hetrick said. “We were able to spread the ball around. Braylen Cape scored a couple of touchdowns. Pink (Owen Pinkerton) scored one.
“We threw the ball, we ran the ball. We executed what we needed to execute on a short week of practice. I was happy because at the end of the day – every season has a different vibe to it, every week has a different vibe.
“The more you can get kids to buy into the fact that we just push reset at the end of each week, and we obsess over the next opponent, and it’s not about anybody else but us. Us coming out and executing what we do. If you can get kids to buy into that, you can hopefully be successful.”
Cape had a pair of touchdowns and ran for 58 yards on nine carries. Pinkerton threw for 96 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 60 yards and a TD. Michael Chilberti added 54 yards and a touchdown, and Sean Bulicki had 31 yards and one TD. Matt Harmon had three receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown.
The Titans’ defense was once again dominant and received contributions up and down the lineup. Branndon Zubyk led the way with six tackles, which included a sack and two tackles for loss. Jack Bartolillo added four tackles, including a sack, and Javin Kube also had four tackles. Eddie Bowen had three tackles – all sacks.
Central Bucks South (8-0, 5-0 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy Friday, and Abington (1-7, 0-5) will be on the road at Pennsbury Friday.
Abington 0-0-0-0 0
Centrsl Bucks South. 7-28-14-14 63
SOL Continental Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 20, CHELTENHAM 17
Upper Dublin’s football games the past two weeks were not for the faint of heart.
One week after Kevin Etkin connected with Eric Berman on the game’s final play to give UD the come-from-behind win, the Cards were back at it this week and needed a Matt Miller field goal as time was about to expire
for the win.
“I guess I’m going to have a heart condition soon,” UD coach Bret Stover said with a laugh. “We were up 17-0 at halftime, they tied it, and we won it with two seconds left when we kicked a field goal to win it.”
There was absolutely nothing to suggest the Cardinals would need Miller’s late-game heroics in a first half that belonged to the Cardinals. Etkin put the Cards on the scoreboard with a three-yard run, and then Miller delivered a field goal.
UD’s lead grew to 17-0 when Etkin connected with Colin Atherholt for a 20-yard touchdown pass, but no lead was safe, and the Panthers went to work in the second half, rallying to knot the score.
“It’s high school football – momentum,” Stover said. “They got a touchdown about halfway through the third quarter, and then they stuffed us.
“Then they go right down the field again, the quarter changed, and they kicked a field goal, so it’s 17-10. We blow a coverage, and it’s 17-17. Then they stuff us again, but when we go to punt, and there’s a roughing the punter call.
“We got a first down and stabilized things. We ate the last six minutes of the clock and got it down to the three-yard line with two seconds left and
kicked essentially an extra point, but it was a field goal for the win as time expired. The key play was the roughing the punter call.”
As for heroes in the win – there were plenty, many of them in their first varsity action.
“We had so many kids stepping in – we’re so beat up,” Stover said. “A lot of guys in their first varsity game action were called upon, and all of them stepped up. They rose up on the defensive line, in the secondary, at the wideout position and the offensive line. We really called on our depth, and our depth responded.”
Upper Dublin (6-2, 5-0 SOL) will be on the road at Bensalem Friday, and Cheltenham (2-6, 2-3) will travel to Harry S Truman Friday.
Upper Dublin 0-20 20
Cheltenham 17-0 17
BENSALEM 41, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 6
The Owls – on the heels of a 44-13 road loss to Souderton – delighted their home crowd with a no-doubt-about-it win over the Indians.
“We knew that every game matters,” Houston said. “It was great to be at home. We had a tough loss last week, and I was really happy with how the guys came out.
“We were a little sloppy early, but defensively, we kept getting after them. We recorded some sacks tonight.”
The list of contributors was a lengthy one.
“Evan Varallo had an interception,” Houston said. “Isaiah Poston had an interception, Nick Aristoklis – I want to say he had three sacks. Jaden George continued to play well for us. I thought those guys were really dialed in.
“Thomas Bailey played a nice game at corner and had two scores, and offensively, we got better. I thought we took better care of the ball. We had a costly turnover late in the second quarter, but I thought we came back well. We got a lot of different contributions tonight.
“Benjamin Williams scored his first touchdown of the year. Aidan Mayfield had one rushing, one receiving, and he returned a punt for a touchdown. Our offensive line got better as the game went on. We’ve been a little banged up there, but all together, I’m really pleased they can experience this.”
The Owls led by just one score at halftime, 14-6, but they blew the game open with a 27-0 second half.
“Council Rock North was playing hard, but in the first half, I thought we were making costly mistakes – we turned the ball over, we had some penalties on procedure things,” Houston said. “Things you have to clean up late in the season. We’re a .500 ballclub. We’ve had some good wins, we’ve had some tough losses. We’re growing as a team, growing as a program.
“I’m really proud of the guys just working hard – the coaches, the players, and we’re going to try and have a great effort in week nine.”
Friday’s win evened the Owls’ record at 4-4.
“The way I like to look at it – you take it one week at a time,” Houston said. “You don’t make the schedule, you try to do the best you can.
“Here we are in week nine, and we’re playing meaningful football. We’re hopeful for a great effort in practice. We know we have a great Upper Dublin team coming in next Friday night, but we’re at home, and we’re going to try and focus and enjoy this win and get back to work tomorrow.”
Bensalem (4-4, 2-3 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Friday, and Council Rock North (1-7, 1-4) will host Souderton on Saturday at 1 pm.
Council Rock North 6-0 6
Bensalem 14-27 41
SOUDERTON 35, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 6
Ben Walsh had himself quite a night, ensuring Souderton’s Senior Night would be a good one.
The Indians’ junior quarterback threw four touchdown passes. He capped the Indians first possession of the game with a 15-yard TD pass to Hunter Smeltz, and Walsh was just getting started.
“The first drive was a mix of pass and run,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “Then they started playing some really heavy fronts with a lot of linemen inside the box, so we just spread it out and threw the ball most of the night.
“Ben threw for like 300 yards and four touchdowns. It’s something you don’t usually hear from me, but it’s what they gave us.”
In the second quarter, Walsh hit Jack Potson with a 20-yard touchdown pass, and a four-yard Walsh touchdown pass to Smeltz put the Indians on top 21-0, a score that stood until halftime. His 70-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Moyer with 3:57 remaining in the third quarter – which put the Indians on top 35-0 – was his fourth TD pass.
“It was nice – last week five different kids scored, and this week, four different kids scored,” Gallagher said. “I love to share the wealth. We have capable athletes that are all capable of scoring.
“When you think about it, kids like Michael McCormick didn’t get in the end zone tonight, and JoJo Sudi and Elijah Hampton didn’t score. We have kids that are all capable. We just have a lot of really good athletes.”
The lone touchdown that didn’t come through the air came in the third quarter when senior Houston Marshall – the fourth Souderton player to score a TD – took it in from two yards out.
“I’m so happy for Houston,” Gallagher said. “He’s one of our main contributors that’s a senior in a skill position, and he had a heck of a run, an interception and a fumble recovery. He made a ton of plays, and I’m so happy for him.
“His whole family was there. Some of his family from Oklahoma was in town, so it was a great experience for him, and I’m proud of all of our kids for the
way they played tonight.”
Not to be overlooked was the Indians’ standout defensive effort and the performance of their offensive line.
“Without watching the film, it just seemed like Jayden Bergey was in on a ton of tackles,” Gallagher said. “He had a really good game for us. Again, he had a huge group of his family there.
“We have some seniors on our offensive line – Austin Paturzo, Tommy Lynch and Evan Meenan that you don’t hear much about. You hear about Julian (Adorno) and Jayden (Bergey) because they make tackles on defense, but the offensive line is a pretty senior-laden group, and they played really well tonight. It was really exciting for all our kids and a great effort on their Senior Night.”
The Indians led 35-0 after three quarters before the Golden Hawks – on a 15-yard touchdown reception by Brody Walker – got on the scoreboard.
“It was very satisfying, very efficient,” Gallagher said. “We went out and did what we needed to do. It was chilly, but it was a beautiful night for football. Our kids showed up, and they played well.
“Council Rock hit a couple of plays, but we kept them from scoring – they executed a few plays well. Their quarterback made some nice throws. They have a couple of capable receivers, but we were able to tackle them before they got in the end zone. We played really good defense all night.”
Souderton (5-3, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North next Saturday (1 pm), and Council Rock South (3-5, 2-3) will host Quakertown Friday.
Council Rock South 0-0-0-6 6
Souderton 7-14-14-0 35
QUAKERTOWN 54, HARRY S TRUMAN 14
The Panthers celebrated Senior Night with a big win that included contributions from many of those honored.
“It was an awesome night for them,” Quakertown coach George Banas said. “I’m very happy for them. A lot of them came out and played very well, and we were able to get them all in the end zone, and I really take a lot of pride in that.
“We had all the main seniors get in, and they all scored. It was really, really nice on Senior Night to be able to spread it around and get everybody in the end zone. That to me means a lot, and everyone was happy for each other. It was really good to see.”
In the first quarter, it was senior Gavin Carroll scoring on a one-yard run, and then senior Aidan Burgy hauled in a five-yard touchdown pass from Brady Martin for a 14-0 lead.
In the second quarter, the Panthers exploded for 28 points that also included plenty of senior contributions. Senior Matt Thomas scored on a seven-yard run, and senior Gavin Mushrush caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Martin. A seven-yard touchdown run by senior Aidan Whitely was followed by Martin connecting with Burgy for a 45-yard touchdown pass and a 42-0 Quakertown lead.
Sophomore Brendon Gartland broke the streak of TDs by seniors when he opened the second half with a 70-yard kickoff return. A two-yard TD run by senior Tyler Scheibenhofer closed out the scoring for the Panthers.
“The seniors did a lot of leadership this year by showing kids and not much verbally, and then all of a sudden – starting from Souderton on, we started to get some verbal leaders as well besides just leading by example,” Banas said. “It’s kind of cool to see them come out of their shell and be more vocal, be more energized, and the other kids follow them. To have that example so the underclassmen know how to act – that’s huge.”
The Tigers scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns.
Quakertown (4-4, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South Friday, and Harry S Truman (1-7, 0-5) will host Cheltenham Friday.
Harry S Truman 0-0-0-14 14
Quakertown 14-28-12 54
SOL American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 28, WISSAHICKON 27 (OT)
(Game info courtesy of @ADRobinson3/The Reporter)
Games don’t get much better than this.
At least not for the Golden Bears and coach Adam Beach. The Bears scored a late-game touchdown to send the game to overtime and then won it by stonewalling the Trojans’ two-point attempt and scoring a touchdown of their own when Aidan Tuffy took it in from five yards out. When Luke Sword split the uprights with the extra point, the heart-stopping win was in the books for UM.
The Trojans certainly didn’t make it easy with Nolan Pounds scoring on a 10-yard TD run on their first possession of OT.
“We went offsides on the extra point, and they went for two,” Beach said. “They were running the ball very well. They came out, I called timeout, and we talked about what we wanted to do defensively.
“It was a little bit of a gamble, but we ran a certain defense that we thought – no matter what they come out in, we’re going to go for it. We got good penetration, and Justin Valentin gets in the backfield, hits 32 (Quasir Sampson), down he goes, and now they’re only up by six.”
And a six-point lead was anything but safe.
“The first play we ran a toss to Aidan Tuffy, and he made a nice cut and got us down to the five,” Beach said. “I’m looking at the way they were lined up, we knew they gave us something on the other side, so the next play we ran Tuffy inside, and he walks into the end zone.”
If that wasn’t reason enough to celebrate, there was more. The win was number 100 of Beach’s career. When it was over, the veteran coach was more interested in talking about his team’s huge win than his personal milestone.
“It was a great high school football game,” Beach said. “They were very well coached, they had a nice scheme, and we had to communicate and adjust, an all-hands-on-deck type of thing.
“To come out on top in a game like that, it only helps build confidence in what we’re trying to do and working together and trusting each other and understanding what everyone’s job is and everyone executing. We made a lot of mistakes, but we made enough plays when we needed to make them. We got the stop, we get the score, Luke Sword hits the extra point, and there we go.”
The win doesn’t happen if the Golden Bears – after Quasir Sampson scored on a four-yard touchdown with 3:03 remaining to give the Trojans a 21-14 lead – didn’t stage a heroic late-game rally.
“Rory (Graver) was burning clock – not giving us a lot of time, which was smart,” Beach said. “Aidan Tuffy had a great kickoff return to the 50, and we were basically able to run the ball to get us close.
“For substitutions, his better kids came in, and we decided to throw the ball because they were going to stop the run. We had a play cooked up, and once they made the subs, we ran the route, Braden Moore was open, (Alex) Foley saw the read, he hit it, we got in the end zone, and we went for one for overtime. That was basically it.”
UM scored the equalizer with 1:22 still remaining.
“They had a good return, they ran a couple plays, they ran a muddle-huddle, and Jamir Williams made a nice play and picked off the pass, and we took a knee to go to overtime,” Beach said. “Rory is a very good coach, he had his kids prepared, he does a great job with them.It was one of those games that was the classic chess match. We were going back and forth, and that’s what made it a great high school game.
“I think the main key for us – we decided to not adjust to their adjustments. They were coming out, they were shifting, they were doing this, they were doing that. When I called a timeout before they did the two-point conversion, I said, ‘Forget the adjustments, line up and play football. I don’t care what they do. This is what we’re going to do – if they get us, they get us.’ We kind of simplified things – they could just get off the ball and do their job, and I think that was the key to us winning because that’s how we got the big stop. Once we got the big stop, they got deflated. We walk in on two plays, and Luke Sword carries us to victory.”
This was a team win with contributions all around
“Frankie McDermott did a great job as our fullback this game – he really paved the way for Justin Valentin,” Beach said. “Justin Valentin ran the ball very well.
“Our offensive line – Foley had a lot of time to make the reads, to make the plays, and that was very critical for us. Also, Alex Costanzo, at defensive end, and Jimmy Baker really held the line of scrimmage and gave us a chance.”
Comprising UM’s offensive line were Darius Whetstone, Michael Maglio, Jimmy Murray and Jimmy Baker with Thomas Rose and Anthony Maglio splitting time. Alex Costanzo and Frankie McDermott were the tight ends.
Foley threw for 150 yards and three touchdowns – one each to Tuffy, Moore and Larry Hughes. Valentin led UM’s ground game with 79 yards on 13 carries.
As for his milestone win, Beach downplayed it.
“I don’t want it to be about me – it’s about the kids,” the UM coach said. “It’s funny – you don’t get a single win unless you have kids who really are dedicated and buy into the program.
“The fundamentals of the program are hard work, dedication, doing the right things in the classroom and doing the right things out of the classroom, and that’s what translates into wins on the field. Wins like this don’t just happen. All the work they put in matters, and to teach a kid that at the high school age – that’s why I’m here. That’s really what my role is as a coach/mentor. The more kids I get in contact with, the more they work, the more they have success – that’s how I measure my success as a coach.”
Upper Moreland (7-1, 2-1 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh Friday, and Wissahickon (4-4, 0-3) will host Hatboro-Horsham Friday.
Wissahickon 0-7-7-7-6 27
Upper Moreland 0-7-0-14-7 28
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 42, SPRINGFIELD TWP 0
PW spent Friday night’s battle of conference unbeatens delivering one big play after another and establishing that a trip to the top of the SOL American still goes through Plymouth Whitemarsh.
“It was a good win for us,” PW coach Dan Chang said. “It was tight in the beginning.”
But only briefly.
The Colonials – thanks to a Caiden Leszczynski 11-yard TD pass to Chase Rarrick – took a modest 7-0 lead into the second quarter when they erupted for 21 points and never looked back on their way to the mercy rule win.
“I think it started with our defense,” Chang said. “They were a team that was really putting up a lot of points. We gave up a lot of points last week (in a 37-34 win over Wissahickon), so we challenged our defense to step it up.
“We were able to execute pretty well our defensive game plan. Our guys were very physical. They got a lot of guys on their team that move really well with the ball, really explosive players, so I was proud of our guys being able to contain those guys.”
Leszczynski threw a 55-yard touchdown strike to Chase Smith to give the Colonials a 14-0 lead. Michael Bongard returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown and a 20-0 advantage.
“Mike Bongard made a great play on a deep ball, picked it and returned it for a touchdown,” Chang said. “That was a big one for us.”
The Colonials had time for one more big play in the first half when Leszczynski connected with Marcus Laffredo with 24 seconds remaining, and after the two-point conversion, the Colonials led 28-0 heading into halftime.
“Caiden did a nice job tonight,” Chang said. “They really focused on shutting down our running game and challenged us to throw the ball.
“This year, we have a guy that can throw the ball, and we have guys that can get open and beat guys one-on-one, so that’s what we did tonight. I thought Caiden played really well I thought our receivers played really well, and I thought our offensive line gave us plenty of time to make those
throws.”
Paving the way for PW’s all-but-unstoppable offensive attack was an offensive line comprised of tackle Jared Thomas-Payne, guard Nobi Morffiah, center Cole Ashbridge, tackle Eddie Moyett and tight end Chase Rarrick.
Chang gave credit to offensive line coach Ronnie Fry.
“He is really, really doing a great job with those guys,” Chang said. “Not only do they respond really well to him, but he’s excellent in coaching his technique and what these guys need every week.”
The Colonials added a pair of touchdowns in the second half – a nine-yard TD pass from Leszczynski to Christian DiCiurcio late in the third quarter, and Amir Butler returned a fumble 51 yards for the score after a strip sack by Kevin Hegerty.
“We got a group of linebackers right now that are playing so well, and they’re all guys that can run, and they’re all guys that are very physical,” said Chang of a linebacking corps comprised of Hegerty, Luke LaViola, Chase Rarrick and Christian Diciurcio. “Our defensive line – our D-ends are doing a really nice job. Shi-Nobi Morffiah, who has been a stud for us at D-end, and then junior Amir Butler, who has gotten so much better every week and had the scoop-and-score in the fourth quarter.
“The was a great call by our D-coordinator, Paul Borusiewicz. He dialed up a blitz, and Kevin (Hegerty) came off the edge and made a great play to strip sack (the ball), and Amir picked it up and went.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (6-2, 3-0 SOL) will host Upper Moreland Friday, and Springfield Twp (6-2, 2-1) will host William Tennent Friday.
Springfield Twp 0-0-0-0 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7-21-7-7 42
HATBORO-HORSHAM 21, WILLIAM TENNENT 7
Ty Teasley had himself a game to remember.
The junior running back scored all three of his team’s touchdowns and finished a stellar outing with 210 yards to lead the Hatters a win that brought a welcome end to a three-game skid.
“Ty has kind of been forced into being our key back with all our injuries, but he had a really big night,” Hatters’ coach Tom Butts said. “This (win) was absolutely huge.
“To their credit, our kids – if you showed up at our practices, you have never known we were on a three-game losing streak. They bring it every day. The energy is there. They’re a unique group of kids.”
The game started on a promising note for the Hatters when the Panthers – after a pooch kick –fumbled the opening kickoff that was recovered by the Hatters.
“We drove a little bit, and we fumbled the ball, and #1 (AJ Alwan), their defensive end, who’s a pretty good player, scooped it up and ran it down to the one-yard line,” Butts said. “Ty Teasley caught him at the one, and they punched it in two plays later to go up 7-0.
“Then it was just a back-and-forth battle. Pretty much all night, it was a defensive battle. We did eventually get things going on the ground.”
Midway through the second quarter, Teasley put the Hatters on the board when he scored on an electrifying 76-yard run.
“Then we stopped them, and I think it was 1:33 left in the half,” Butts said. “We put together a drive and threw a fade from Chris Roughton down to Jaedon Lebens on the two-yard line with six seconds left.
“We ran up and killed the clock, and then Ty Teasley scored on a pass from Chris Roughton as time ran out to make it 14-7 at the half.”
The back-and-forth pattern continued in the second half, and the Hatters gave themselves some welcome insurance when they added a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
This time it was Teasley scoring on a nine-yard toss play to give the Hatters their final margin of victory.
Butts had high praise for his team’s defensive effort, which did not allow a point after the Panthers’ early score.
“Quinn Fullmer was our sparkplug out there,” the Hatters’ coach said of the sophomore linebacker. “I don’t know how many tackles he had, but he had a bunch, and he had two interceptions, which were huge.
“Kayden Collazo came back from injury, and he played defensive end and fullback for us. He had a nice night. Nate Gockley forced a fumble late, and Christian Burkert recovered the fumble. We played solid defense. Other than the interceptions, it wasn’t like it was spectacular, but it was really solid, fundamental defense.”
Hatboro-Horsham (3-5, 1-2) will travel to Wissahickon on Friday, and William Tennent (3-5, 1-2) will be on the road at Springfield Twp Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-14-0-7 21
William Tennent 7-0-0-0 7
Non-League
LOWER MORELAND 26, THOMAS EDISON 8
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION ACADEMY CHARTER 50, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 7
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