Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. CB South/Pennsbury photos provided courtesy of Jenn McDonald & Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. CB East/North Penn photos provided courtesy of Brad Jenkins. Check back for galleries of both games. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ FOOTBALL GALLERIES.
SOL Patriot Division
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 34, NORTH PENN 12
Talk about a change of fortunes – this is it.
Two weeks ago, The Patriots’ district playoff hopes were on life support after back-to-back losses to Pennridge and Central Bucks South.
On Friday night, the Patriots put themselves firmly in the driver’s seat with a huge win over North Penn, moving all the way to eighth in the District 1 6A power rankings.
“Look, this was a statement win for sure,” East coach John Donnelly said. “I think probably our best practice of the year was on Wednesday, and I think it showed up tonight. We had five takeaways on defense. They took the lead, 6-0, and we didn’t look back after we reclaimed the lead.
“I’m just super proud of the players and coaches. It was really everybody’s concerted effort, and everybody was one heartbeat tonight. Everybody was connected, and it’s just a great feeling for the program.”
The win was East’s first over North Penn since 2022, and while Mike Price was gashing the Knights’ defense for close to 200 yards, the Patriots’ defense was delivering one big play after another.
Perhaps none loomed larger than the Patriots’ defensive stop in the red zone on a fourth-and-one in the closing moments of the first half with East clinging to a 14-12 advantage. Liam Hoey delivered the big hit on the play
“That was huge,” Donnelly said.
The Knights – trailing by just two – received the opening kickoff of the second half, and they were driving. With the ball on the East’s 13, the Patriots came up with another huge defensive play when Hunter Pulford broke through the line on a blitz, causing a fumble that was recovered by Owen Metzger.
“Hunter Pulford is really unsung,” Donnelly said. “The kid plays defense – middle linebacker – and quarterback. We’ve had a number of guys that have done that.
“He is unsung just because of what he does defensively. He directs our offense. He’s a great leader. He had some really big runs tonight, some that were called, some that he made on scramble plays.”
The fumble set up an impressive drive by the Patriots that was capped by a 15-yard touchdown run by Price. Cole Wojnicki’s PAT put the Patriots on top 21-12 with 2:56 remaining in the third quarter.
The Knights were yet again on the move in East territory when Lorenzo Graziosi came up with a strip sack that was again recovered by Metzger.
“We’re plus-eight on the season,” said Donnelly of his team’s turnover advantage. “It’s tough to lose when you take the ball away and you don’t give it away.”
East once again capitalized, marching 70 yards for a drive that culminated with a 19-yard touchdown run by Price, giving East a 27-12 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
The Patriots had several more big defensive plays up their sleeves, and this time it was Hoey coming up with an interception with 6:30 remaining.
Any thoughts of a North Penn comeback were put to rest when Price scored his fourth TD of the night – this one from 18 yards to put the Patriots on top 34-12 with 3:17 remaining.
“Mike was just a beast,” Connelly said. “He threw for a touchdown. It was like a crime scene. He was just running through people, and there were bodies on the ground.
“The holes were big, but Mike is a bruising runner and then has the ability to run away from people, which he did tonight.”
For good measure, Hoey came up with his second interception of the night, putting an exclamation point on the big win.
“Two interceptions, a number of tackles,” Donnelly said of Hoey. “He didn’t carry the ball as much as Mike did tonight, but he had some really big runs, and he blocked really well. He’s just unselfish.”
The veteran coach went on to credit his offensive line.
“I thought the offensive line and the tight ends blocked tremendously well,” Donnelly said. “We only threw the ball four times tonight. The weather kind of dictated that a little bit, but we also just felt like we could run it on them, and we did.”
Early on, it was the Knights taking a 6-0 lead on a nine-yard touchdown reception by Sal Colella from London Evans, but they could not convert the PAT. Yaro Yevlantyev came up with an interception, and the Patriots took over at their own 27.
East answered with a scoring drive that was capped with Price scoring on a four-yard run, and then it was Price connecting with Owen Grotz for a three-yard TD pass and a 14-6 lead. A huge play on the drive was Pulford connecting with Wojnicki on a 58-yard pass.
North Penn’s Jacob Garrett scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass by Evans. The two-point conversion failed, and East led 14-12, setting the stage for the Patriots’ big fourth down stop and the Patriots’ big second half.
The importance of Friday’s win could not be overstated.
“It’s North Penn – they’re the defending District One champions,” Donnelly said. “They’re well coached. They’ve got dudes all over the place.
“We matched them and then some tonight. I couldn’t be more proud of how we played. We’ve got a lot of momentum coming down the stretch, and we really needed this one.”
Not a bad way for the Patriots – despite the weather – to celebrate Senior Night.
“With the weather, we’ve been talking about all kinds of contingency plans for 48 hours,” Donnelly said. ‘We’re glad we got in tonight because it was looking like we were going to have to play on Monday because of the lack of officiating crews.”
Up next: Central Bucks East (5-3, 3-2 SOL) will be on the road at Abington Friday, and North Penn (5-3, 3-2) will travel to Central Bucks South Friday.
North Penn 6-6-0-0 12
Central Bucks East 14-0-7-13 34
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 9, PENNSBURY 0
(Game stats provided by CB South FB)
The weather was anything but pleasant with rain – sometimes heavy – preventing both teams from getting into any kind of offensive rhythm. Underscoring the teams’ offensive struggles was the fact that they combined for just 277 total net yards.
“Obviously, we couldn’t throw the ball as well,” CB South coach John Cataldo said. “Ball security became a 
big issue. They fumbled on a punt return, and that was a big play for us — a turning point. Whenever it’s wet like that, there are ball security issues.”
That muffed punt came late in the third quarter of a scoreless ball game when the Falcons fumbled the reception, and sophomore Dylan Varanavage fell on the loose ball on the Pennsbury 15.
The Titans capitalized with Gavin Graham scoring – on third-and-five – from the eight-yard line with 3:43 remaining in the third quarter. Oliver Woodcock’s extra point gave the Titans a 7-0 lead.
The Falcons did get into the red zone in the fourth quarter, but the Titans’ defense held.
“Super proud of the defense in that series,” Cataldo said. “They hit a pass play, we had a missed tackle — credit to them, the kid made a great play. We chased them down, and then we had a red zone stand.
“That was another big point of emphasis all week. We can bend, but we don’t want to break. We want to get the ball back to our offense.”
A sack in the end zone by Jake Friedman late in the fourth quarter gave the Titans their final margin of victory.
“Jake Friedman’s a dynamic player – he’s super fast off the ball,” Cataldo said. “He’s been great for us all year.”
The Titans’ coach had high praise for the performance of his entire defense.
“Very pleased,” he said. “Trent (Haviland), our quarterback, stepped up. He played more defense tonight than he’s played all season because they showed on film that they have a strong passing attack, and he really stepped up for us tonight.
“One of our key secondary players, Jake Blum was out with an injury, so we had some other guys step up. Dylan Varanavage, who’s a sophomore, played the entire night at corner, and he did great as well. We had two sophomores starting at corner. We preach next-man mentality, and they really stepped up and played great.”
Although the Titans’ offense put only seven points on the board, the Titans’ coach was pleased with the effort. 
“When the conditions are wet, we really got after the guys about ball security, and our offense did a nice job not turning the ball over,” Cataldo said. “In a close game like that, turnovers make all the difference.
“Our offense did a really nice job of ball control, and our defense stepped up. We played some complementary football. We had a big play on special teams, and when we play complementary football, good things happen.”
The two teams combined for just 13 first downs, and they were 5-for-23 on third down conversions. Graham (68 yards and 1 touchdown on 20 carries) and Colin White (46 yards on eight carries) were South’s leading ground gainers. Luke Beighley (55 yards on 20 carries) led the Falcons. The game’s most remarkable stat might be that they combined for just one turnover in the inclement weather.
Friday’s road win was a big one for the Titans, 10th in the latest District 1 6A rankings.
“Going to Pennsbury, it’s always a great atmosphere,” Cataldo said. “The conditions were tough. We focused on ball security, got that turnover on special teams, and we took advantage. The result was a nice win on the road.”
Up next: Central Bucks South will host North Penn on Friday, and Pennsbury – 19th in the latest District 1 6A power rankings – will host Central Bucks West Friday.
Central Bucks South 0-0-7-2 9
Pennsbury 0-0-0-0 0
SOL Continental Conference
QUAKERTOWN 36, COUNCL ROCK NORTH 7
A long road trip for the Panthers was followed by a long weather delay. Not an ideal start for any team.
“It’s just an odd night with the rain and the storms coming through,” Quakertown coach George Banas said. “Do you postpone? Do you play? It was a lot mentally to try to make sure you stay in it.
“We had to be off (the field) by 6:15 for their senior night, and then all of a sudden, they evacuated everything because of lightning, so then we have to wait. We got (out of our uniforms/pads) because we were sitting inside for over an hour. It’s not a normal night by any means.”
The Panthers showed no ill effects from the delay, opening the game with an early score when Carter Tucholski connected with Mason Pavone on a 15-yard touchdown pass. A one-yard touchdown run by Tucholski and a successful run by Hayes Banas on the two-point conversion put the Panthers on top 15-0 with just under seven minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Quakertown took that two-score lead into the second quarter, and it was Tucholski hitting Lucas Furness with a 42-yard touchdown pass. A 15-yard touchdown run by Daimon Lowande-Richardson made it a 29-0 game, and a one-yard TD run by Lowande-Richardson sent the Panthers into halftime with a 36-0 lead.
“I thought offensively except for one drive, we played pretty clean,” Banas said. “Defensively, we made a couple mistakes here or there, but overall, we played a solid half of football.
“It was 36-0 at half, and that was that. JVs came in the second half.”
Up next: Quakertown will be on the road at Upper Dublin, and Council Rock North will be on the road at Morrisville for a non-league game Friday.
Quakertown 15-21-0-0 36
Council Rock North 0-0-0-7 7
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 42, UPPER DUBLIN 0
(Game stats provided by PW football)
The Colonials rolled to their second mercy rule win in as many weeks, opening up a 28-0 halftime lead and adding a pair of scores in the second half.
Aiden Orensky led the Colonials’ potent ground game with 89 yards and two touchdowns on three carries. Michael Giangiulio had seven carries for 74 yards and a touchdown, and Noah Alston had one carry for 48 yards. Quarterback Cole Reilly added 45 yards on six carries. Ryan Guarino had three carries for 18 yards and a touchdown. All told, the Colonials ran for 278 yards.
The Colonials’ defense limited UD to just 87 yards of total offense – 55 on the ground.
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh will be on the road at Council Rock South on Friday, and Upper Dublin will host Quakertown.
Upper Dublin 0-0 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 28-14 42
SOL American Conference
HARRY S TRUMAN 35, HATBORO-HORSHAM 19
(Check back for a complete game recap)
WISSAHICKON 28, WILLIAM TENNENT 7
(Check back for a complete game recap)
Non-league
APPOQUINIMINK (DE) 28, SOUDERTON 27
Souderton just might have the corner of the market when it comes to heartbreaking losses. The Indians have lost their last three games by a combined total of five points with Friday’s the Indians’ second one-point loss in two weeks.
The game started out on a promising note for the Indians when Levi Lopez scored on a 68-yard run on the Indians’ first possession, spotting the visitors a 7-0 lead. Appoquinimink answered with a touchdown drive of its own, but the Indians blocked the PAT and still led by one.
The Indians went on top 14-6 after Brandon Alderfer returned an interception 40 yards for a TD.
“We had possession on their 40 with ten minutes left in the second quarter when we had a long weather delay,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “They scored and converted the 2-pointer to tie it at 14 at the half.”
Appoquinimink took a 21-14 lead in the third, but Souderton evened the score heading into the fourth when Chris Ormeno ran it in from eight yards out.
“They were driving to take the lead, and we roughed the holder on their field goal attempt,” Gallagher said. “They took the points off the board, and then on the next play fumbled.”
Chase Hart returned it 95 yards for a TD.
“We missed the extra point, then they converted a fourth down pass to take the 28-27 lead,” Gallagher said. “We had one more chance but ended up turning it over on downs.”
Up next: Souderton will host Bensalem on Friday.
Souderton. 14-13 27
Appoquinimink 14-14 28
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