Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. North Penn/Pennsbury photos courtesy of Darryl Rule/J&D Photography, CB West/Pennridge photos courtesy of Tracy Valko, CB East/Abington photos courtesy of David Tucker, Wissahickon/Tennent photo courtesy of Kadi Schenk & New Hope-Solebury/Harriton photo courtesy of Michael Rice. Check back for galleries.
SOL National Conference
NORTH PENN 24, PENNSBURY 21
Things did not look promising for the Knights.
The Falcons had turned a 7-7 tie into a 21-7 halftime lead after scoring a pair of touchdowns in the final 1:19 of the first half. If that wasn’t enough, the Knights added to their already lengthy list of injured players.
“At halftime, our starting linebacker is down, our second best receiver breaks his hand, and our best defensive end who just got back from a knee injury hurts his ankle, and he’s out,” North Penn coach Dick Beck said. “At halftime, we were trying to figure out what kind of plays we could run. We were scrambling. And then Amir Major, who starts at linebacker and running back, got hurt, so he was out most of the second half. I’ve never had injuries like this ever in my life.”
Scrambling apparently agreed with the Knights, who outscored their hosts 17-0 in the second half, a remarkable stretch that culminated with junior Ryan Bocklet calmly nailing a 40-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining to give the Knights the 24-21 win.
Bocklet was just one in a long list of heroes in this win, and topping the list had to be junior Aidan Eves – a linebacker pressed into emergency duty at quarterback.
“There’s not enough superlatives that I could say about Aidan Eves,” Beck said. “Unbelievable, and it’s not even just running tough and throwing strikes. It’s running the offense, getting the motion moving, getting the snap count, handling the ball, handing it off.
“The guy didn’t take a snap at quarterback for three years. When our quarterback got hurt against Neshaminy and our backup quarterback got hurt in that same game, he goes in without a snap all year
and wins the Neshaminy game with a touchdown throw over the middle and then wins this game. I don’t know what else to say. He was just phenomenal, just phenomenal.”
Bocklet’s game-winning field goal was set up after the Knights – who came up with a defensive stop and forced a Pennsbury punt – took over on their own 30 with 3:45 remaining in regulation. On the Knights’ first series, Eves came up with a clutch six-yard run on third-and-five for a first down. Then came arguably the biggest play of the night when Rashad McNeill leaped over a Falcon defender to haul in a 40-yard pass from Eaves at the Pennsbury 19. Just like that, the Knights were in scoring position.
“I had that play in my back pocket,” Beck said. “Rashad, who caught the ball, is 6-3, and their safety is 5-7 or 5-8, so I thought even if the guy played it, he could outjump him for the ball.”
The Knights were backed up to the 25 after a five-yard illegal procedure penalty and a one-yard loss on first down. With the ball on the 23 and the Knights facing third-and-long, Beck opted to bring Bocklet in for the field goal.
“Everyone was wondering why we did it on third down,” Beck said. “We told the holder if he got a bad snap to dive forward. I had a timeout, and we could kick it on fourth down. It gave us a little insurance policy, and they only had 10 seconds left.
“(Bocklet) has the leg to make the 53-yarder that he took in the first half, but he just didn’t hit it right.
The one he kicked for the winner – what can you say? I had so much confidence. Usually, I would get down there and say, ‘We’ve got to try and score.’ As soon as we got inside the 30, I said, ‘We’re kicking the field goal. We’re not even going to try (to score).’”
Earlier in the contest, the Falcons broke a scoreless tie in the second quarter when Jordan Czerniak – shedding would-be tacklers – scored on an 11-yard run. That 7-0 lead lasted all of 13 seconds when – on the Knights’ first play from their own 33 – senior Marc Cobbs took it to the house with a remarkable 67-yard run.
“He hit that corner and just outran everybody,” Beck said. “Marc Cobbs was just awesome tonight. Running the ball, and he made two great catches, and he played the whole game on defense (at corner).”
The Falcons took a 14-7 lead when quarterback Nathan Beigley, who had 128 rushing yards in the first half, scored on a 50-yard run with 1:19 remaining in the quarter. On the Knights’ first play at their own thirty, Noah Rice intercepted a flat pass by Michael Cliver at the 19. Four plays later, Beigley took it in from four yards out for a 21-7 lead.
After forcing the Falcons to punt on their opening possession of the second half, the Knights scored on theirs. A key play on the drive came when Eves connected with
Cobb for 33 yards. One play later, Eves hit a wide open McNeill for a 52-yard TD that made it a 21-14 game.
On the Falcons’ ensuing possession, Cobbs recovered a fumble at the North Penn 39, and the Knights marched 61 yards for the score with Eves taking it in from three yards out to make it a 21-21 game.
It was three-and-out for the Falcons, and the Knights took over for the game-winning drive.
“We shut them out in the second half,” Beck said, going on to laud the efforts of several defenders. “Aiden Qualett and Dillon Hastings were great today. Josiah Coleman did a great job coming in the second half replacing Owen Harris, who was injured. Christian Johns-Wallace made a huge tackle on third down to bring their quarterback down to make them punt.
Beck has had his share of big wins, but Friday’s gutsy come-from-behind win for the shorthanded Knight was especially gratifying.
“I’m sitting here in shock,” the Knights’ coach said. “Because these guys have really been beat up, losing some games, and people saying, ‘Hey, what’s going on.’
“We have so many injuries. The excitement of the kids after this game – the way they gutted today out – I’m just so happy and proud for them. It’s been a tough year, and for them to get this win is big for them. It’s really special, a really special win for us.”
North Penn (4-4, 3-2 SOL) will host Pennridge on Friday, and Pennsbury (3-5, 1-4) will travel to Abington Friday.
North Penn 0-7-7-10 24
Pennsbury 0-21-0-0 21
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 28, PENNRIDGE 0
(Stats courtesy of @ADRobinson3 X)
Conor McFadden can make things happen on the football field.
And that’s understating what the West senior – a district champion in track – can do with the ball in his hands. McFadden had three of his team’s four touchdown in Friday’s win at Pennridge – two on runs and one a pick-6. His interception – on the Bucks’ three-yard line – was highlight reel material as McFadden took it 97 yards for a
touchdown.
“He’s elite,” West coach Rob Rowan said. “He’s got elite speed. I think the neat thing is – we’ve had him for three years now, and he has evolved as just a total football player in terms of a route runner, a runner with the ball in his hands.
“Specifically, what you saw tonight was defensively he really has evolved as a defensive back. His skills and his techniques have gotten better. Obviously, he made a big play at a big moment in the game, and once he gets green ahead of him, there’s nobody in the league catching him.”
McFadden’s interception was one of two on the night for the Bucks’ defense. AJ Gerace also had a pick in a contest that saw the Rams manage just 133 yards of total offense.
Take away a big play by the Rams for 35-40 yards late in the game, and the Rams might well have been kept under 100 yards.
“Defensively, it’s such a collective team effort,” Rowan said. “All of the guys have to be on the same page, and they’ve got to playing off each other, feeding off each other, and our guys do that. They play as a unit. I’m just incredibly proud – they play with a relentless effort. Defensively, we’ve played at a high level.”
The most telling stat is the Rams 22 carries for 26 rushing yards.
“It starts up front but then your linebackers and secondary are running to the football,” Rowan said. “All of those things are a factor. I just give credit to our staff who gets those guys prepared every week.
“Positionally, we get coached up. Our guys do a tremendous job. I credit our players for responding to the coaching and then going out there on Friday nights and executing at a high level.”
The Rams put a touchdown on the scoreboard in each of the four quarters. McFadden scored on an 11-yard run in the first quarter. In the second, he came up with his 97-yard pick-6 that sent the Bucks into halftime with a 14-0 lead.
McFadden’s 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter made it a 21-0 game, and Ryan Clemens – who surpassed the 100-yard mark on the ground – closed out the scoring with a 24-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
“Our whole front four played really well,” Rowan said of a D-line comprised of Jeff Cappa, AJ Gerace, Chris Hutchinson and Jack Williams. “Those guys played fantastic. i thought Jack Williams might have had his best defensive game of the year. He was just around the football all night. I know he had a sack, and I think he had a couple TFLs.
“Our two inside linebackers – Aedan Donnelly and Jake Ambuster – played really well.”
The Bucks’ coach had good things to say about his opponent.
“They’re getting better every week,” Rowan said. “They’re definitely a program that’s trending up. Kyle (Beller) is doing a really, really good job over there.
“I just was really proud of our consistency of effort and energy and running to the football. Those things are difficult to chart. They don’t show up in the stat book per se, but when you play with that type of energy on a consistent basis, usually good things happen defensively.”
The win was the eighth without a loss for the Bucks
“Winning on Friday nights never gets old because you work so hard during the week,” Rowan said. “Any time you get to see smiles on the kids’ faces and a lot of their hard work pay off – that doesn’t get old.”
West quarterback Cooper Taylor had 13 carries for 82 yards.
Central Bucks West (8-0, 5-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks South in a battle for conference supremacy on Friday. Pennridge (3-5, 2-3) will be on the road at North Penn.
Central Bucks West 7-7-7-7 28
Pennridge 0-0-0-0 0
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 42, NESHAMINY 0
(Stats courtesy of Neshaminy football & CB South football)
For one quarter, it looked as though it was going to be a dogfight as the Titans and Redskins battled to a scoreless tie. Then came a second quarter that showcased the Titans at their very best as they erupted for 35 unanswered points to blow the game wide open, rolling to their eighth win in as many games and their second shutout in as many weeks.
“This was a really good win,” South coach Tom Hetrick said. “I was pretty happy about this win because Neshaminy is Neshaminy. They’ve got some tough kids. All right, they came in at 3-4, but they know how to play football, and they’re coached well.”
The Redskins threw a new defensive scheme at the Titans.
“I was telling the kids all week – Neshaminy has been a 4-4 defense for as long as I’ve known them, so we’re ready for it,” Hetrick said. “They came out, and they were playing an odd defensive front, so it took us a little bit to make a couple of adjustments.”
And make adjustments the Titans did.
“This is where having the experience on the offensive line comes into play,” Hetrick said. “Once we tweak this and tweak that and say, ‘This is how we need to do this,’ the guys just went to work.
“It was an interesting first quarter in that ‘Okay, this isn’t playing out like I was hoping it would,’ but once we got calibrated, my guys went to work, and they had a heck of a second quarter.”
The second quarter began with an Owen Pinkerton 34-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Leonardi and included TD runs of 70 (Leonardi), 48 (Pinkerton), 16 (Pinkerton) and one yard (Corey Moore).
“Anthony Leonardi had a long run, and we hit him on a touchdown pass,” Hetrick said. “He has a certain burst that not a lot of guys have, so he burst it a couple of times.
“Owen Pinkerton had a heck of a night. He had an extra burst to him tonight, and he scored a couple of touchdowns. He really did some pretty cool things.
“Corey Moore had his one, maybe two touchdowns. It was definitely a collective effort. The offensive line took over in the second quarter. It was a pretty cool thing to see.”
The Titans came up with a stop of the Redskins’ opening possession of the second half and scored a touchdown on their first possession for the 42-0 final.
“Our offensive line has been doing some pretty good things all season,” Hetrick said of his line comprised of Kieran Padgett (left tackle), Nick Micewski (left guard), Nick Conte (center), Rolan Hess (right guard) and Collin Goetter (right tackle) . “Once they figured out how we needed to get things done, they did it.
“The defense just played like they’ve been playing. There’s not necessarily one person I can think of defensively. It was just good collective team defense.
“I told the guys after the game – ‘It’s hard to shut anyone out in the Suburban One National Conference.’ This is the real deal, and it’s a gauntlet, so to shut any team out is definitely something you should be proud of.”
The Titans’ defense limited the Redskins to just 166 yards total offense while they accumulated 356 with 322 of those yards on the ground. For the Titans, Leonardi had 11 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns, Pinkerton had seven carries for 94 yards and two TDs, and Moore had six carries for 69 yards and one touchdown.
Sophomore Carter Clee led the Redskins with 65 yards on 20 carries.
Sean Moskowitz led the defense with nine tackles and a forced fumble. Adam Oscar had seven and Moore, six tackles, including one TFL. Rolan Hess had two tackles for loss while Matt Harmon and Justin Dwyer each had a fumble recovery.
Central Bucks South (8-0, 5-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West for a showdown of undefeated SOL squads Friday. Neshaminy (3-5, 2-3) will be on the road at Central Bucks East.
Neshaminy 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks South 0-35-7-0 42
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 49, ABINGTON 0
The Patriots knew they were better than their 3-4 record suggested.
After all, their four losses were by a combined 18 points, but there was small consolation in knowing they were better. They wanted to prove it, and they did.
“We know that we’re a pretty good football team – our four losses have been by an average of four points,” East coach John Donnelly said. “Two of the losses we had the lead in the fourth quarter and then relinquished it. The other two games we outgained our opponent, but in the end, the final score is what matters.
“It was good to see us score a lot of different ways offensively. We blocked a punt, we played great defense again. Our kids all year long have played with a lot of toughness and grit. We wanted something to show for it tonight, and we were able to do that.”
Less than two minutes elapsed in Friday’s game when Dean Blackwell scored on a nine-yard run. The Ghosts came up with a 60-yard kickoff return, but the Patriots’ defense turned them over on downs at their own 25. With 4:37 remaining in the opening frame, quarterback Danny Voglesong scored on a 26-yard run, and Ryan Corrigan nailed the extra point to put the Patriots on top 14-0.
East recovered the pooch kickoff but could not capitalize and took that 14-0 lead into the second quarter. The Patriots missed a 44-yard field goal, but with 4:27 remaining in the half, Voglesong was sprung loose by a
huge block by Joe Collins for an 11-yard TD run, giving East a 21-0 lead.
The Patriots recovered an Abington fumble at the 30 and capitalized when Voglesong connected with Jack Donnelly for a 17-yard touchdown. Another successful pooch kickoff was recovered by the Patriots, who scored on a trick play that was capped with Blackwell scoring from a yard out with 1:58 remaining.
East wasn’t done yet as Blackwell picked off an Abington pass and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown and a 42-0 halftime lead.
The Patriots took the second half kickoff and drove 70-plus yards in 10 minutes, culminating with Nicky Giordano scoring on a one-yard run to give East its final margin of victory.
“Last week we had 332 of total offense (in a 14-7 loss to North Penn), but we had a touchdown called back, we dropped a touchdown, and we kind of conked out a few times around the 30 or 25,” Donnelly said. “It was good to keep moving the football and scoring in a bunch of different ways.
“Kids overall are pretty resilient, and they know what we’re capable of, and they know how close we’ve been in those four losses. It’s just a matter of who’s going to make the fewest mistakes. That’s the team that’s always going to win. I think we finally put it together in all three phases. They’ve stayed the course over the last couple of weeks, and it’s great to be back in the win column
“Our guys know what lays ahead in the next two weeks. We’re ready for the challenge. We have a lot of heart on this team, that’s one thing we never lacked. We’re excited about the challenge of Neshaminy next week – it’s Senior Night.”
Central Bucks East (4-4, 2-3 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Friday, and Abington (1-6, 0-5) will host Pennsbury on Friday.
Central Bucks East 14-28-7-0 49
Abington 0-0-0-0 0
SOL Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 7, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
Ed Gallagher and the Indians have spent a whole lot of time on the road in recent weeks. In four of the last five weeks, they’ve travelled to Council Rock North, Harry S Truman, Warwick and – on Friday – Council Rock South. All four have resulted in wins, including Friday night’s defensive battle with the pesky Golden Hawks.
Still, it was more than enough bus time.
“Thankfully, our last two games are at home, and we should have a home playoff game,” Gallagher said.
On a night that saw five SOL teams surpass the 40-point mark, the Indians and Golden Hawks managed just seven points between them, and that came when Ryan Sadowski scored on a 19-yard run to spot the Indians a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the opening quarter.
“We came out and had our first possession, and we stayed on script and went down the field and executed,” Gallagher said. “Ryan had a really nice run – a nice cutback on buck sweep that got us in the end zone.
“We’re up 7-0. I know their defense is really good, but I’m thinking, ‘All right, we’re off to a good start. Hopefully, we’ll put a few more on the board and just hold them down,’ and that was all we got.”
The Indians, according to Gallagher, drove to the five but fumbled the ball away.
“It felt a lot like the CB South playoff game last year,” the Indians’ coach said. “We scored that early touchdown, played with the lead, and once we got that field goal, I felt comfortable.
“Tonight, we didn’t get the field goal. Unfortunately, we fumbled the ball inside the five, and we held on for dear life because they’re capable offensively.”
While the Indians’ offense struggled to put points on the board, their defense stood tall.
“Our kids played really well defensively,” Gallagher said. “(Quarterback Chase Ennis) throws the ball really well, and they played clean the whole first half and kept the ball away from us. We only had four possessions.
“We did a good job in the second half of taking the ball away. Timmy Meehan, our sophomore safety, had two interceptions, and one was huge down the stretch that really sealed the game for us. I’m really happy for him.”
Meehan wasn’t the only sophomore to come up big.
“Ben Walsh played really well at quarterback,” Gallagher said. “Hunter Smeltz played well at receiver and corner on defense. We had three sophomores repeatedly making plays for us tonight on top of our seniors who always make plays.
“Ryan (Sadowski) and Danny (Dyches) are the heart and soul of our team. They’ve carried us this far, but tonight we had a few sophomores step up and make plays when they needed to.”
The Indians’ coach credited the Golden Hawks for giving his team all it could handle.
“They’re a really good football team,” Gallagher said. “There are a lot of good teams in our league and district one. It depends on how you match up.
“We got up 7-0, and I thought we might be off to something, and we never scored again. Hats off to them. Council Rock South did a really good job. They made some adjustments and played really good defense the rest of the game. Fortunately, we played really good defense the whole game, so we found a way to win.”
Friday’s shutout was the Indians’ second of the season. The first also came at Walt Snyder Stadium in a 42-0 win over Council Rock North.
The Golden Hawks, who held the advantage in total yardage, were led by senior Chase Myers, who had 26 carries for 130 yards. Ennis threw for 106 yards.
Souderton (8-0, 4-0 SOL) will host Upper Dublin in a battle for the conference’s top spot on Friday, and Council Rock South (5-3, 2-2) will travel to Bensalem on Friday.
Souderton 7-0-0-0 7
Council Rock South 0-0-0-0 0
QUAKERTOWN 50, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 7
There are big quarters, and then there’s the Panthers’ 35-point first quarter in Friday’s conference game that left their coach searching for words to describe it.
“I’ve never seen it, I’ve never seen 35-0 in the first quarter,” Quakertown coach George Banas said. “I didn’t see this one coming, that’s for sure.”
The win came on the heels of a 38-14 win over Bensalem.
“We had a good week of practice,” Banas said. “We’re starting to get some guys back healthy.
“Last week was sort of a momentum builder for us. Late in the game, we started moving the ball, running the ball like we usually do. I thought we had a good game plan on both sides of the ball, and everything just clicked. You get those games every once in a great while where everything just goes your way, and that was tonight.
“I’ve been on the other side. I feel for John (Greiner). He does a great job over there. They have a ton of injuries like we do.”
Ed Bittner got the ball rolling with back-to-back touchdown runs three minutes apart – the first from nine yards and the second from one.
“I have to give credit to the offense,” Banas said. “We get the ball on the opening kickoff, and we just pounded it right down – our type of football.”
Vince Micucci found Anthony Ferruggio with a 15-yard touchdown pass that put the Panthers on top 21-0 with 2:27 remaining in the quarter, and they were far from finished.
Ferrugio had a pick-6 for a TD that put the Panthers on top 28-0.
“The kids came up with some unbelievable plays,” Banas said. “Ferrugio’s interception was ridiculous. He’s a rushing D-end. He had an outside pass rush, he batted the ball and then tips it to himself, catches it almost a shoestring catch and then runs it in.”
Nineteen seconds later Reagan Payne came up with an interception and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown and a 35-0 lead with 1:49 remaining in the first quarter.
“He stepped in front of a deep pitch and took it right up the sidelines,” Banas said. “Our kids really took the game plan – they knew it inside and out. Defensively, they worked it to a T. Every check we had in worked, and that doesn’t always happen. Every key that we gave them exactly worked.”
Another one-yard TD run by Bittner – his third of the half – sent the Panthers into halftime with a 42-0 lead. Evan Hilton’s one-yard touchdown and the successful two-point conversion closed out the scoring for the Panthers in the third quarter. The Indians also scored their only points of the game in the third quarter, and that 50-7 score stood until the final whistle.
Banas credited the strong play of running backs Bittner, Hilton and Gavin Carroll, who ran behind the Panthers’ eighth different starting offensive line in as many games. Friday’s line was comprised of Brian Hendrzak, Dierks Stott, Steven Hermann, Kieran Hennessy and Dylan Fenstermacher
“We have some young kids in there playing,” Banas said. “The offensive line stepped up big tonight. The future’s bright, that’s for sure.
“We were able to get some older kids back tonight too – one on each side of the ball, which helped. The offense was able to churn it out, make plays and move the ball consistently.
“Special team-wise, we did a really good job kicking the ball and covering. Our return game was really good – I think we were plus-30, plus-40 going in on two possessions, which was set up by the defense. Our defense as a whole really played well together. It was a team effort, and what was great about tonight – every single kid got on that field.”
Quakertown (4-4, 2-2 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman on Friday, and Council Rock North (2-6, 2-3) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham for a non-league game.
Council Rock North 0-0-7-0 7
Quakertown 35-7-8-0 50
UPPER DUBLIN 47, HARRY S TRUMAN 19
Truman scored on its opening possession to take an early 7-0 lead. The rest of the game belonged to the Flying Cardinals, who opened up 41-7 halftime score on their way
to the decisive win.
UD’s win sets the stage for a showdown with Souderton on Friday in a showdown between the conference’s two 4-0 squads.
“We went out and handled our business – we challenged them to go out and do what we do well in preparation for what’s on the horizon,” UD coach Bret Stover said. “We basically start the playoffs this week.
“We wanted to play well, we wanted to get everybody out and healthy, and we were able to do that, and that was big for us.”
Highlights of the 41-point first half included a long pass from quarterback Kevin Etkin to tight end Nick Cummins that took the Cardinals to the two-yard line where Shyne Roberts ran it in.
“Shnye had a lot of carries and then took it in on a one-yard run,” Stover said. “He had a 50-yard run to make it 21-7.”
Etkin connected with Chris Kohlbrenner on a 65-yard touchdown pass, and Trey Relvas was also on the receiving end of an Etkin TD pass.
In the second half, freshman quarterback Lawson Tyler found sophomore running back Shane Greenberg for a touchdown.
“Our young kids got to play a lot tonight,” Stover said. “We played against their varsity in the second half, so it was a good experience for us. They got pushed around a little bit by their guys, and then we pushed back, so it was good.”
Upper Dublin (6-2, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Souderton Friday, and Harry S Truman (1-7, 0-5) will host Quakertown on Friday.
Upper Dublin 21-20-0-6 47
Harry S Truman 7-0-6-6 19
SOL American
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 35, SPRINGFIELD TWP 0
The visiting Colonials opened up a 28-0 halftime lead on their way to the convincing win over the Spartans.
“Everett Baker had a nice game for us running the ball,” PW coach Dan Chang said. “He ran tough, broke tackles and finished his runs.
“I thought our defense was stellar tonight. Nazye (Boggs) was big for us defensively as was Jason Joseph. We made some mistakes offensively, but we will get better this week.”
Boggs accounted for a pair of touchdowns in the opening quarter, and in the second quarter, Caiden Leszczynski scored on a 10-yard run, and Boggs scored his third touchdown to give the Colonials a 28-0 lead. They added a touchdown in the second half to close out the scoring.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-1, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Wissahickon on Friday, and Springfield Twp (3-4, 1-2) will be on the road at Upper Moreland.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-14-7-0 35
Springfield Twp 0-0-0-0 0
CHELTENHAM 20, UPPER MORELAND 14
The Panthers celebrated Senior Night with an important win over the visiting Golden Bears.
Tre McLeod gave Cheltenham a 7-0 lead with a long touchdown run in the opening quarter. In the second quarter, quarterback Jon Ingram raced home from 60 yards out for a touchdown and a 13-0 lead at halftime.
Another McLeod touchdown run – this one from 11 yards – put the Panthers on top 20-0 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Alex Foley connected with Zion Akinbo for a 16-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to make it a 20-7 game, and the Golden Bears added another score with 1:14 remaining in regulation once again with the Foley to Akinbo connection – this one from 35 yards.
Cheltenham (2-5, 2-1 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Friday, and Upper Moreland (3-5, 1-2) will host Springfield Township on Friday.
Upper Moreland 0-0-7-7 14
Cheltenham 7-6-7-0 20
WISSAHICKON 35, WILLIAM TENNENT 14
The Trojans took a 13-7 lead into halftime and then blew the game wide open with a 22-0 third quarter explosion on their way to the convincing win.
“Injuries have plagued us a little bit this year, but our guys continue to do a great job of stepping up,” Wissahickon coach Rory Graver said. “We got contributions from
Kareem Lee at the running back position, and Quentin West really stepped up for an injury we had at the receiver position this week. He did a great job and had three really big catches for us.”
West had three catches for 64 yards, which included a 31-yard touchdown reception, and Lee finished with nine carries for 64 yards and also had two receptions for 29 yards.
Quarterback Noah Pounds had a productive night, finishing 12-for-18 for 170 yards and two touchdowns, but there were contributors galore in Friday’s win.
Quasir Sampson had 19 carries for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns on runs of six and 14 yards. Jason Murray had 10 carries for 45 yards, which included a six-yard touchdown run, and Julian Perkins hauled in a six-yard touchdown pass.
Dom Harvey-Sheppard had four carries for 22 yards, two catches for 21 yards and also caught a two-point conversion. Amari Nash had four receptions for 33 yards and Rahmel Brooks had one catch for 21 yards.
On the defensive side of the football, senior Jackson Palmer had a key interception.
“He’s playing with a cast for a broken wrist, and he had a big pick for us early in the game, which was pretty awesome,” Graver said.
Wissahickon (6-2, 2-1 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh in an American Conference showdown, and William Tennent (2-6, 0-3) will host Cheltenham on Friday.
Wissahickon 13-22 35
William Tennent 7-7 14
Non-league
BENSALEM 52, HATBORO-HORSHAM 20
(Game info courtesy of Tom Moore X: @TomMoorePhilly)
Bensalem had itself quite a Homecoming celebration.
The Owls – who did not score a point in their first three games of the season – erupted for 52 points to earn the no-doubt-about-it win over the Hatters in a non-league contest.
“We’re getting better,” Bensalem coach Alex Houston said. “It’s one of those things that took longer than I wanted it to, but we’ve been playing better. The film showed that we were improving. We got some consistency, some of the young guys are starting to get better, and we’re just trying to stick to it.
“We were just really happy to be able to get the win tonight. I thought Hatboro-Horsham played hard. Our home fans were able to experience some fun on Homecoming.”
The fun started early for the Owls, who led 7-0 after sophomore Aiden Mayfield took a screen pass from sophomore Hollis Sanders 34 yards for the score. Another sophomore – Thomas Bailey – also got into the act, scoring on a 13-yard run that put the Owls on top 14-0 after one quarter.
And they were just getting started.
The two teams exchanged touchdowns to make it a 21-7 game, and then Bailey’s second touchdown run – this one from 42 yards – put the Owls on top 28-7. Chris Roughton found Mason Bynum with a 13-yard touchdown pass to pull the Hatters to within 28-14, but Mayfield scored his third touchdown of the game with under a minute remaining In the first half to send the Owls into halftime with a 35-14 lead.
“He’s been doing it all year,” Houston said of Mayfield. “I think he ended with a little more than 200 yards and four touchdowns.
“I thought Thomas Bailey played well. It’s about being selfless. We talked about it before the game tonight. I said, ‘Guys, it doesn’t matter for these next three hours whose name is called. None of it matters. The only thing that matters is the name in front of your jersey, and that’s Bernsalem.
“Aiden’s been a quiet leader for us. He’s a heck of a football player. He plays hard, he plays tough, and he’s a good teammate, which is what the best teams have. If your best players are your best teammates, you’re going to do well, and that’s something we’re learning, and that’s something we’re seeing week by week.”
Mayfield’s fourth touchdown on a 27-yard run upped the Owls’ lead to 42-14, and then it was senior Jaxon Dunn splitting the uprights with a 33-yard field goal to make it a 45-14 game after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Roughton punched it in from one-yard out to make it a 45-20 game, and sophomore Jayden Moore’s 35-yard touchdown run closed out the scoring.
The Owls’ coach had high praise for his team’s offensive line comprised of Jake Quinlan, Thomas Leible, Joey Dougherty, Kyree Sanders and Gavin Phelan.
“We’re healthy,” Houston said. “We had lost our right tackle after week one to an emergency appendicitis. Thomas Leible comes back week four or week five, and so we’ve had the same five guys up front, which I don’t think is a coincidence. As they play better, our specialty guys can play better.
“Those five guys have been playing together – this is week three or four that they’ve played together, and each week they’re improving, which is what you hope for.”
Also earning props from the Owls’ coach was a player on the defensive side of the ball.
“I thought Jaden George, our middle linebacker, has been playing really good football the last several weeks,” Houston said. “He’s a junior, and he’s just getting better, and that’s what we want as coaches. We want to finish the year strong and go into the offseason with some positive vibes.”
Bensalem has scored 94 points in its last three games after managing just 21 points in their first five contests.
“We prepared like we’ve been preparing all season and really emphasized to the guys the importance of putting the team first,” Houston said. “Everybody do your job, and do it with great excitement and great focus, and good things will happen for us.
“We saw this a few weeks ago at Truman. I thought we played pretty well for most of the game up at Quakertown. We came home for Homecoming, and we were able to take another step forward. Just guys being able to see – you don’t have to be Superman, you just have to do your job, and always put the team first, and that’s something we’ve been learning step by step.
“Yes, we haven’t had as many wins in the win column as we want. We lost a game in the last second on a flea flicker, we lost a one-score game, so we’ve been close. Those guys are practicing hard, which is paramount to us, and that’s something we’ve got to learn. Everybody doesn’t understand that – it starts at practice, so as we practice better, we can play better.”
Bensalem (2-6, 1-3 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (4-4) will host Council Rock North in a non-league game Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 7-7-0-6 20
Bensalem 14-21-10-7 52
HARRITON 19, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 3
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