Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. Upper Moreland/New Hope-Solebury photos courtesy of Kathy Leister Photography. Pennsbury/CB East photos courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography, and Upper Dublin/Wissahickon photo courtesy of Geanine Jamison Photography. Check back for galleries of all three games. CB West/Pennridge photo courtesy of Marge Bullock (https://photos.margebullock.com/f590833899) Springfield Township photos courtesy of Springfield Football/Ann Gozzard)
SOL National
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 28, PENNSBURY 21
(Stats provided courtesy of Todd Thorpe/Intelligencer. To view a complete box score: https://s3.amazonaws.com/phillyburbs.com/sportsstats/theintell.html?site=default&mkt=bucksmont&Season=2020&tpl=new_Boxscore_MB&Sport=&ID=39859&TeamID=&SearchType=Teams)
The mood was something close to festive when the Patriots travelled to Pennsbury for Friday’s season opener.
“Just to be able to play a game – we never thought we’d get to this point,” East coach John Donnelly said. “I’m just happy for the kids. The resiliency they showed since March 12 has been so inspiring to us.
“This was a great thing for our team, for the community, for the school, for everything. It was great. As we left the school, a bunch of parents were lined up down on York Road to see us off because they couldn’t be there. It was just a great thing for us and for the Suburban One for kids to be able to get out and play and have something somewhat normal. It was great.”
Great would also sum up the Patriots inspired first half that saw them open up a 22-0 lead over the Falcons. Anthony Giordano hit Dylan Rotondo with a 47-yard scoring strike to put the Patriots on the board and then found Jack Vogelsong with a pass for the two-point conversion and an 8-0 lead.
The senior quarterback – who threw for 246 yards, three TDs and no interceptions – was just getting started. He followed that with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Pat Keller and then ran it in for the two-point conversion and a 16-0 lead after one quarter.
Giordano continued to spread the ball around in the second quarter, finding Quinn Moody with a 16-yard scoring pass and a 22-0 halftime lead.
“We came out super aggressive, and we executed very well,” Donnelly said. “It’s always a game of mistakes, and the team that makes the fewest is going to win.
“I thought we came out in the first half especially and just executed – we were far from flawless, but we came out aggressive, we came out confident.”
Giordano was 10-for-16 in the opening half for 161 yards and three TDs.
“His throwing percentage is probably not very high because there were a bunch of drops, but Gio is just a winner,” Donnelly said. “He led us on the offensive side and played very good on defense as well, and so did (wide receiver) Will Silverman. He tackled real well on defense.”
The Falcons got on the scoreboard in the third quarter when Ron Graham caught a four-yard touchdown pass from 
Pat Kirk. In the fourth quarter, Kirk scored on a quarterback sneak from a yard out to make it a one-possession game, 22-14, but sophomore Tommy Day’s five-yard touchdown run extended East’s lead to 28-14. It was Day – who appeared to be caught in the backfield – setting up the important TD with a huge run to the five.
“That was a big drive for us,” Donnelly said. “I thought we were very balanced on that drive. Tommy made a lot of those plays on his own to get in the end zone. The blocking was average in a few spots, but he really made the most of it. You have to give a lot of credit for a kid in his varsity game to do what he did in that way.”
With time winding down, the Falcons tacked on a touchdown when Kirk hit AJ Hirsch from 39 yards out to make it a 28-21 game. The Patriots recovered the Falcons’ on-sides kick to close out the game.
“I don’t think our guys let their foot off the gas,” Donnelly said. “I give credit to Pennsbury. They had a good drive to start the second half, but we left some points on the field.
“We had a touchdown called back, we dropped a few, but I do like the way we started. We didn’t finish the way I would like. I thought the O-line played very well. Dylan Rotondo, who’s a sophomore, had our first touchdown as a running back, and Pat Keller is a sophomore who had a touchdown, so three sophomores were in the scoring column today, and Moody is a junior.”
Day finished the game with 91 yards on 11 carries.
“Tommy Day is just a super kid, very soft spoken but runs very hard – he runs angry,” Donnelly said. “He’s just very coachable, he looks you in the eye. We really have a crew of young running backs with Tommy Day, Declan Kelly and Dylan Rotondo.”
The Patriots’ coach also acknowledged the play of Jack Vogelsong.
“He’s a guy that played well on both sides of the ball,” Donnelly said. “I don’t know how many tackles he had, but he was very steady for a guy that played both ways.”
The Patriots coach had high praise for his offensive line comprised of Liam Powers, Reins Leedy, Andrew Taber, Ethan Embry and Liam Scully.
“I thought the O-line played very well,” Donnelly said. “We had to shuffle a few guys around as the game went on. We settled in with our starting crew by the end.
“Liam Powers and Sean Connor, who came in, are both sophomores, and they did a nice job playing against the big boys up front.”
Central Bucks East (1-0) will visit sister school Central Bucks South next Friday, and Pennsbury (0-1) will be on the road at North Penn Friday.
Central Bucks East 16-6-0-6 28
Pennsbury 0-0-7-14 21
NESHAMINY 35, NORTH PENN 19
Chris James has made the walk to Heartbreak Ridge countless times over the course of a stellar career, but walking out for Friday’s season opener was different.
“Chris and I were walking out at the beginning, and he said, ‘Coach, I’ve been looking forward to this for three months,’” Neshaminy coach Steve Wilmot said. “That just sums up the whole night.
“It was just such a rollercoaster ride for this senior class. They wanted to really get out there and avenge last year’s 5-5 season. That didn’t really sit very well with them. They worked really hard in the offseason, and even when we weren’t allowed to do stuff – not with my blessing, of course, they were getting together during those months of April, May and June when we couldn’t really do anything. Then I found out they were having passing scrimmages, but they organized that themselves. They had a lot of will to get out there and play football. It was great for them.”
The Redskins saw two early drive results in Thomas Leonhauser field goals – the first from 26 yards and the second from 31. Those field goals were sandwiched around a 25-yard touchdown pass from North Penn quarterback Ryan Zeltt to Malik Staten.
Neshaminy took its first lead (14-7) when Aiden Schlupp scored from a yard out to cap a 36-yard TD drive and then completed a pass for the two-point conversion.
North Penn’s Khalani Eaton – shedding one would-be tackler after another – dashed 36 yards for a touchdown, but Gavin O’Connor blocked the extra point, and Neshaminy still led 14-13.
The Redskins extended their lead to 21-13 when James scored from a yard out, but the Knights answered with a 64-yard drive that was capped when Zeltt found Levi Carroll with a 18-yard touchdown pass, pulling the Knights to within two (21-19) at the intermission.
The Redskins extended their lead to 21-13 when James scored from a yard out, but the Knights answered with a 64-yard drive that was capped when Zelt found Levi Carroll with a 18-yard touchdown pass, pulled the Knights to within two (21-19) at the intermission.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, but the Redskins – after a defensive stop on fourth down – stretched their lead to 28-19 when John Hutchinson took it in untouched from nine yards out.
“Our defense was a little bit on their heels in the beginning,” Wilmot said. “North Penn is a very fast and physical team. I think it took a little bit of time to get adjusted. They had some long runs on us in the beginning.
“We were able to come back with a score there and hit John Hutchinson. John’s a guy that played fullback for us last year.
“John is a tremendous athlete. He’s a strong kid, he’s a physical kid, and he catches the ball really well. When I did my postseason analysis last year, one of the things I wish I would have done differently was use him more. Going into the year, we wanted to make John an important part of our offense.”
On the drive, Neshaminy benefitted from a costly North Penn facemask penalty that gave the Redskins a first down when the drive would have stalled. Also key was Leonhauser’s 35-yard extra point to make it a two-possession game after the Redskins were penalized for an excessive celebration.
“All of our kids work hard, but Tommy and his dad are out there at all hours – I might run up to the high school, and I get there and Tommy and his dad are out there on the practice field,” Wilmot said. “Tommy is on the soccer team, his brother kicked for us three years. He just works and works and works, and he was ready for those situations.”
James was a workhorse for the Redskins, carrying the ball 33 times for 134 yards.
“Chris got way too many carries today,” Wilmot said. “He can’t keep doing that every single week, that’s for sure.
“We have to start rolling other kids in. We can’t have him banged around like that. That’s not really Chris’ style, but Chris did what he had to do. Chris is the ultimate team player, but John Hutchinson is a really nice complement to him.”
One of the game’s unsung heroes was tight end Andrew Kindness, who caught a seven-yard Schlupp TD pass to close out the scoring.
“He did a really nice job for us blocking,” Wilmot said. “We ran behind him a lot. He’s a strong blocker and he can also catch the ball. He did some really nice blocking in there.”
Neshaminy (1-0) will host Pennridge next Friday.
“We can enjoy this win tonight, but we know Pennridge is going to have a good team,” Wilmot said. “We have a lot of respect for Cody (Muller) and what he’s doing at Pennridge. Cody’s a great guy. We can enjoy it for a little bit, but we have to get on to Pennridge tomorrow.”
North Penn (0-1) will host Pennsbury on Friday.
North Penn 7-12-0-0 19
Neshaminy 6-15-0-14 35
ABINGTON 42, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 28
The Ghosts lost a pair of star offensive players with the graduation of quarterback Tamir Berthau and running back Andrick Wesh, but plenty of talent remained, including their entire offensive line.
Oreck Frazier, a high level recruit in the secondary, stepped into the role of running back and put up 183 yards and three touchdowns in Friday’s opener.
“He looked great,” Abington coach Kevin Conlin said.
It was the Ghosts’ defense that put the first points on the board when Blaise Zacarro recovered a fumble and took it 38 yards to the house for an early 6-0 Ghost lead.
A 32-yard touchdown run by Frazier was followed by a 77-yard pick six by Jamie Rivera that made it a 20-0 game.
“South was doing a great job with their screen game,” Conlin said. “Jamie Rivera stepped into one of them and had a caravan in front of him.”
South got on the scoreboard when Carter Hallgren, who threw for over 300 yards, found Chris Moore with a 27-yard TD pass, but Abington answered when quarterback Johnny Dzweila hit Caleb Baker for a 10-yard TD pass, sending the Ghosts into halftime with a 34-7 lead.
“We were running the ball pretty good, and he did a nice job with some play action plays,” Conlin said of his first-year quarterback. “When you have a 6-4 wide receiver like Caleb, it makes it easier for the quarterback to overthrow sometimes, and he comes down with it.”
The mercy rule went into effect after Frazier scored on a 68-yard run early in the third quarter that gave the Ghosts a 42-7 lead.
Conlin praised the efforts of several players in the big win.
“Billy Everett fourth year in a row is just a monster in the middle, offensively and defensively,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “He’s a handful for offenses to handle.
“Another kid that played well is D’Andre Townes-Blue. He’s a big cat in the middle, and he moves really well. He leads a lot of our plays, and he did a great job. Our running backs, Oreck and Rob Bell, did a great job.
“Jonah Dalton is a middle linebacker. It’s his first start at linebacker – he was a defensive end for us last year, and I think he did a great job in the middle I thought Kyle Hughes on the outside along with Blaise Zaccaro also did a great job “
Abington (1-0) will host Central Bucks West next Friday, and Central Bucks South (0-1) will host Central Bucks East on Friday.
Central Bucks South 0-7-7-14 28
Abington 13-21-8-0 42
PENNRIDGE 35, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 14
If anyone took Friday Night Lights for granted, those days are over. Just ask Cody Muller or any other coach or player who was back in action Friday.
“It’s surreal – we never thought we’d get to this point with everything that’s been happening,” the Rams’ coach said. “To actually be out there on a Friday night for the first time in 10 months, it felt great.”
If the Rams – who struggled in a three-win season last year – needed a jumpstart, Joey Kacerik gave it to them, returning the game’s opening kickoff for an 81-yard touchdown.
“That was a spark for us right from the start, and we went up 7-0 right off that,” Muller said. “Our kids did an awesome job on the kick return, blocking-wise.
“Fabian Padin had an amazing block to spring Joey. That gave us a lot of momentum and energy. Just getting that first one out there especially with it being a big play like that was a big difference for us.”
After forcing the Bucks to punt on their first drive, the Rams marched downfield with Shane Hartzell capping the drive with a 47-yard touchdown run. For good measure, the Villanova-bound senior recovered a fumble on West’s 
ensuing possession and capped his team’s third TD drive of the quarter by punching it in from two yards out, giving the Rams a commanding 21-0 lead.
Hartzell – after being sidelined with an injury last season – made his return to the lineup memorable, accumulating 124 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries. He also had a sack, a fumble recovery and was in on double-digit tackles.
“Shane is Shane – there’s no other way to put it,” Muller said. “He’s a one-of-a-kind kid, and he did a great job running the football and playing defense, both sides.”
“The defense did an awesome job all night, playing tough and physical and just running the football and trusting our guys up front. Our linemen did an awesome job opening holes, getting downfield and just being overall physical.”
Comprising the Rams’ offensive line were Stephen Reutlinger, Jake Tarburton, Eli Kantor, Joey Rindone, and Danny Fish as well as tight ends Tyler Fuchs and Phil Picciotti.
Pennridge went on top 28-0 on Hartzell’s third touchdown run of the half before the Bucks got on the board when sophomore Eli Boehm returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards. Bobby Croyle scored from a yard out to close the scoring in the half, sending Pennridge into halftime with a commanding 35-7 lead on its way to the big win.
“I told the kids – with everything that’s been going on the past 10 months, really since Thanksgiving, all the cards have been stacked against them,” Muller said. “Nobody thought they’d get to this point.
“They’ve done everything right the whole way. For them to be able to go out and get this first one – not only that but to go out and play the game of football again and just have fun, they haven’t been able to do that. Kids haven’t been able to be really kids anymore. It’s great to see them out there. They were all smiling, they were all having fun.”
After playing a game in front of no fans at War Memorial Field, the team received a hero’s welcome upon their return to Pennridge.
“The cheerleaders sent us off, and when we got back, all the parents were in the parking lot honking their horns,” Muller said. “There was sidewalk chalk leading from where we got off the bus into the locker room. You would have thought we went to states. People were just excited to have somewhat normal back.”
Pennridge (1-0) will travel to Neshaminy next Friday, and Central Bucks West (0-1) will be on the road at Abington Friday.
Pennridge 21-14-0-0 35
Central Bucks West 0-7-7-0 14
SOL Continental
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 40, BENSALEM 6
The Indians served notice that they will be heard from this year, turning in a dominant performance on both sides of the ball.
“The kids played well,” coach John Greiner said. “Just the fact that they were at this point in time was monumental from where we started when we got the shutdown on Friday the 13th (of March) to actually make it through all these hurdles and be able to see the kids play to fulfill the fantasy of actually getting back on the field when many times it was highly doubtful that they would be out there.
“I know it would be great for their parents to be there and the community to be there, but I think the way the kids responded to playing in an empty stadium was beyond phenomenal. We gained our ground in the second quarter, and in the second half, we were used to it. Once they got used to it, the score is reflective of what they did.”
Five interceptions highlighted the standout effort of the defense with one each by Gavin Papp, Shawn Perry, Ryan McCaffrey, Amaree Mayo and Anthony Esposito.
Offensively, the Indians scored a pair of touchdowns in the opening half – the first on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Mike Sylvester and the second a Sylvester to McCaffrey 25-yard touchdown strike that sent the Indians into halftime with a 13-6 lead.
“At halftime, we made a couple of adjustments,” Greiner said. “And those adjustments led to four touchdowns in the second half. That’s where the players in terms of their mentality and being able to adjust within the game was a strength of ours.
“We built up the physical part in the offseason, and now we have to build up the mental part of it as well. They did a great job coming out of halftime Without having a scrimmage, this is the first time they saw live bullets, and it was expected there would be some hiccups in the first half, the first quarter. We overcame them, which is a great sign.”
That mental toughness was on display after Gavin Papp came up with an interception only to see the Indians fumble it back to the Owls on the very next play.
“Our kids didn’t flinch, they kept their heads up and kept fighting,” Greiner said.
The Indians added two more touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters. In the third quarter, Papp scored on a six-yard run, and Mayo had a pick six, taking it in from 45 yards out. In the fourth quarter, Papp had a 15-yard TD run, and Seunghyeon Kim put an exclamation point on the win, closing out the scoring with a 27-yard touchdown run.
“The score may have been 40-6, but (coach) Eddie (Cubbage) has some great athletes and great players over there at Bensalem,” Greiner said. “Our players stepped up and rose to the occasion of playing against a very tough and energetic Bensalem team. Eddie did a great job of getting them ready and prepared for the game.”
The Indians coach lauded the all-around play of several seniors.
Ryan McCaffrey overall in terms of what he did offensively and defensively and also handling the kicking game – he had an interception, he also caught a touchdown pass, he handled some of the kickoffs for us along with Sawyer Kozia, and he did some of the points after,” Greiner said. “Ryan had his hands in all aspects of the game. He’s one of the seniors that probably doesn’t get enough recognition.
“The other player that deserves a shout-out is Amarre Mayo, who had a beautiful interception and touchdown return and locked down their receivers as well.”
Council Rock North (1-0) will host Souderton next Friday, and Bensalem (0-1) will be on the road at Upper Dublin Friday.
Council Rock North 6-7-14-13 40
Bensalem 0-6-0-0 6
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 14, HATBORO-HORSHAM 6
Defense was the name of the game when the Golden Hawks and Hatters did battle.
“With so much uncertainty, just to come in and finally play a game – you don’t know how the kids are going to come out,” Rock South assistant head coach Tony Checcia said. “They came out and played and we got the tough win.
“It ended up being a stingy defensive type of game but one of those games – it was very clear it was our first game without a scrimmage, so there were a lot of things we can fix and do better.”
The Golden Hawks scored on their opening drive when junior quarterback Matt Striffolino found senior Gavin O’Neil with a 23-yard touchdown strike.
“(Striffolino) was back there as a sophomore and got beat up a lot,” Checcia said. “A year under his belt, a little bigger and stronger – he showed some real flashes of being a leader tonight, for sure. Just his command of everything we were trying to do – he adlibbed and was able to create a couple of plays himself. He had a couple nice runs, threw a touchdown on the opening drive.”
The Hatters made it a 7-6 game in the second quarter when Ali Omar took it in from nine yards out.
“They had a ton of fight in them,” Checcia said of the Hatters. “Some very talented guys and some good size too. We were able to hold them out at the end of the half, which ended up being pretty big.”
That 7-6 score stood until the fourth quarter when Striffolino scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak.
“Jack O’Neil ripped off close to a 50-yard run but got just short of the end zone,” Checcia. “Then it was just a matter of running it out.
“We had a couple of interceptions defensively. Tom Woloshyn had an interception, and Brendan Malone had one on the last play. Those are guys that are both juniors. Tommy played a lot as a sophomore, but Brendan is an emerging guy.”
Also on the defensive side, Damon Culver forced a fumble.
“Brady Beres running the ball was a focal point for us offensively and Jack O’Neil with a couple big plays were the main guys,” Checcia. “We were able to win this one mostly on guts.
“Now it’s, ‘Let’s clean it up,’ but to go 1-0 is our only goal right now. Nobody knew if we’d be playing a month ago. To finally have that moment before you get on the field, ‘Hey guys, it’s actually here’ was a pretty cool moment for everybody.”
Council Rock South will travel to Quakertown next Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-1) will host Wissahickon.
Council Rock South 7-0-0-7 14
Hatboro-Horsham 0-6-0-0 6
SOUDERTON 28, QUAKERTOWN 23
(Stats provided courtesy of Drew Markol/Intelligencer. Click for complete box score: https://s3.amazonaws.com/phillyburbs.com/sportsstats/theintell.html?site=default&mkt=bucksmont&Season=2020&tpl=new_Boxscore_MB&Sport=&ID=39949&TeamID=&SearchType=Teams)
The Indians took on a familiar opponent in Friday’s season opener, and both sides were just happy to be back on the gridiron.
“We’ve been practicing for 13 weeks,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “Usually when we have a summer workout, we get 25-30 kids. We do the workout, and we send them home because we don’t have enough kids to practice.
“This summer we were averaging 70-75 kids there. They wanted to get back out, they wanted to play football. It was really a productive summer for us. I was really happy that once we were able to put the pads on and hit the last two weeks, they really got after it.”
The Indians found themselves in an early hole. A Dom Peterson 26-yard field goal was the only scoring in the first quarter, giving the Panthers an early 3-0 lead, and in the second, Zach Fondl hauled in a 69-yard TD pass from Will Steich that put the Panthers on top 10-0.
Souderton quarterback Evan Kutzler found Willie Goods with a nine-yard touchdown pass to make it a 10-6 game, but the Panthers returned the favor with Steich hitting Tyler Merwarth from six yards out, giving Quakertown a 17-6 lead. Again the Indians had an answer, this time Goods took it in from 10 yards out to make it a 17-12 game at the intermission.
“The unfortunate nature of it is we’re playing a lot of first-year starters,” Gallagher said. “A lot of guys played in their first varsity game tonight, and it took them a while to adjust.
“They settled down in the second half, really turned it on and played the way they’re capable of playing.”
The Indians reeled off 16 straight points out of halftime to go on top 28-17. A Nick Haynes field goal was followed by back-to-back four-yard TD runs by Brayden Porter, whose 80 yards on the ground led the Indians.
“In the first half, Jalen White (78 yards, 7 carries) was running really well, and then he got hurt in the second quarter and didn’t come back in the game,” said Gallagher. “Willie (Goods) picked up the slack a little bit towards the end of the second quarter, and then Brayden Porter finished the deal in the second half.
“Brayden is a good running back, a good linebacker. He really stepped up and had a great second half for us. He stepped up in Jalen’s absence and took over the game.”
Quakertown made it a 28-23 game with six minutes remaining after a Brady Williams seven-yard touchdown run. Souderton’s Aonghas Evanik recovered a fumble, the Indians ran out the clock, and the win was in the books.
“It was just a great team effort,” Gallagher said. “I thought our defense played so much better in the second half. We had one little blown coverage, but other than that, we did a real nice job in the second half, controlling some really talented kids over there from Quakertown.
“I’m pretty happy with the way everything ended up. There were some moments that weren’t so good, but to get out of there 1-0 is all we were hoping to do, so let’s move on to the next one.”
Kutzler, who played wide receiver last year, stepped into the quarterback role occupied by Andrew Vince the past three years. He threw for 117 yards and a TD.
“He played a solid game,” Gallagher said. “With Jalen getting hurt and we had another kids that kept cramping up during the game, we had probably five or six kids that didn’t come off the field. Brayden Porter, Shawn McGoldrick, Aonghas Evanik, Evan Kutzler – they played probably every snap. Luke Pollock and Jake Horton played almost every snap. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but it’s what happened. Elijah Goods got hurt during the week, and he’s Jalen White’s backup, so all of a sudden, we’re shuffling people around. We did what we had to do, and we got enough players to play when they had to, and that’s all that mattered.”
For the Panthers, Steich threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Williams was the top ground gainer with 53 yards in a contest that saw the Panthers rush for 135 yards while the Indians had 294 yards on the ground.
“You never know what to expect,” Gallagher said. “We didn’t see them scrimmage, they didn’t see us scrimmage. You know you’re always going to get a dogfight with Quakertown because they’re physical kids.
“Honestly, it just took us a while to figure out what we needed to get done, and we weathered the storm and came out with a win.”
Souderton (1-0) will travel to Council Rock North on Friday, and Quakertown (0-1) will host Council Rock South on Friday.
Quakertown 3-14-0-6 23
Souderton 0-12-10-6 28
SOL American
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 14, WILLIAM TENNENT 6
It was a memorable return to the SOL for the Spartans, who not only notched their first SOL win in five years but also picked up their first ever win over a Class 6A school,
“It was a tremendous win for us,” Springfield coach Chris Shelly said. “Our kids were so excited. It was our Senior Night. I can’t tell you how proud I am.
“We’ve had some big wins. The last two years we’ve been to the district playoffs, but coming back into the Suburban One, we said, ‘Here’s our time to make a statement,’ so it really was a statement game for us.
“Our kids felt like we could match up with them with our heart and with our toughness. You only get a couple tapes of them from last year, and you’re just not sure until game day exactly what you’re going to get.”
The Spartans saw an impressive opening drive stall on the Panthers’ three-yard line, and the Panthers marched 97 yards for a touchdown and an early 6-0 lead that stood until halftime.
“We felt coming out there we could do some things and move the ball up and down the field early, but we got stuck in the red zone,” Shelly said. “We shot ourselves in the foot.
“We did move the ball really well down the field, but we couldn’t punch it in. It was so frustrating. We looked at each other at halftime and said, ‘Guys, just be patient, it’s going to happen.’”
And eventually it did happen. A Spartan drive that began at the end of the third quarter was capped when quarterback Gabe Franzyk found Will Conlin with a five-yard touchdown pass. The successful extra point gave the Spartans a 7-6 lead.
“Our sideline exploded – it was about time,” Shelly said.
The Spartans’ defense protected that lead with Nate Dennis and Ben Cooney both coming up with interceptions.
“Nate is out for the first time, and he had a huge day,” Shelly said. “He made a lot of tackles, a big-time pick. Cooney’s pick was tremendous. They were two huge defensive plays.”
Cooney’s pick set up a Spartan touchdown that saw sophomore Dylan McKenzie haul in a 35-yard Franzyk pass for a 14-6 lead with 2:55 remaining. The interception by Dennis sealed the Panthers’ fate.
“We obviously have a really strong senior class returning after playing two years of playoff level football,” Shelly said. “But the younger kids – we had a sophomore named Dylan McKenzie who made some huge catches.
“We’re playing with a defense that has one returning starter, junior Ben Cooney. Our defense is sophomores and juniors. We actually go one way with our guys, which is crazy, but we actually feel we can go one way with our young kids, and they’re just going to get better and better. We were impressed with the way Ben led the defense.”
On the offensive side, the Spartans are led by quarterback Gabe Franzyk and slot receiver Cam Dennis.
“Cam Dennis was a second team all-state kid for us, and he was a monster tonight,” Shelly said. “We ran a couple screens for him, and when he’s in space, he’s unstoppable. Gabe is a two-year starter, and he made plays for us.
“It was an all-around win for us, and I was really happy for our seniors but also leaning on our young kids who need to step up, so this is really kind of a growing up game.”
The night was a double victory of sorts for the Spartans – the first was simply being back on the gridiron.
“It’s huge, it really is,” Shelly said. “Like everybody else, you’re wondering if this is ever going to happen. You just keep grinding your way, and our kids did that.
“We knew coming back in the Suburban One after two years out of it was going to be a challenge. We had a schedule in place where we had three games initially against the same size schools as us, three early games that were going to get us prepared for the Suburban One. That didn’t happen. We jumped right in. We didn’t know what to expect from Tennent. Those kids over at Tennent are well coached and hardnosed.
“To be honest with you, we weren’t intimidated at all. I don’t know if anybody else expected us to win, but we expected to win that game. We’re so excited – our fans were going crazy watching it on live stream.”
Springfield Township (1-0) will host New Hope-Solebury next Friday, and William Tennent will be on the road at Upper Moreland Friday.
William Tennent 6-0-0-0 6
Springfield Township 0-0-0-14 14
UPPER MORELAND 21, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 7
There was no mistaking the excitement when the Golden Bears took the field for their home opener.
“They were extremely excited – probably to the point that midway through the first half they were exhausted,” UM coach CJ Szydlik said. “There were so many emotions and so many things that go into it early. Then you go off-sides, and you’re doing all kinds of crazy stuff. It was definitely interesting, for sure.”
The Golden Bears broke a scoreless tie with 14 unanswered points in the second quarter – both on touchdown throws from Byron Hopkins to Jon Knight.
“Two years ago, Jon was our starting quarterback as a sophomore, and then we moved him to tight end,” Szydlik said. “He got himself into really good shape as more of a wide receiver and is probably going to be a big factor for us this year. Jon played really well and Byron played really well.”
In the third quarter, Hopkins ran it in for the score and a 21-0 UM lead.
Szydlik was pleased to see his team’s depth in the win.
“We have a lot of kids that play,” the Bears’ coach said. “We ran into the cramping bug in the third and fourth quarters, and we were able to put guys out there that stepped up and played.
“As the season goes on and with everything else that is going on in the world, we’re going to need as many guys as we possibly can.”
The Golden Bears’ coach credited the play of several players whose names won’t show up in the box score.
“We had some really good spots from our defensive line,” Szydlik said. “Nasir Thomas is a three-year starter for us, and he played well.
“We’re actually starting a new strong safety, a sophomore Shawn Herbert, who played a phenomenal football game for us. Jahaire Johnson, who was our biggest weapon last year – it was kind of a quiet night for him. It was a game we didn’t need to lean on him, which is something we all can build on. We have a lot of work to do, but we’re happy.”
Upper Moreland (1-0) will host Williams Tennent next Friday, and New Hope-Solebury (0-1) will be on the road at Springfield Township Friday.
New Hope-Solebury 0-0-0-7 7
Upper Moreland 0-14-7-0 21
Non-league
UPPER DUBLIN 31, WISSAHICKON 27
Friday night’s opener had a different look and feel, but nothing could detract from the joy of being back in action.
“We couldn’t have anybody there, we drove ourselves and had a caravan – it was like you were at youth football,” UD coach Bret Stover said. “Halftime was in the end zone. The only thing we didn’t have was the sliced oranges – we had Gatorade instead. It was different, cool and fun all in the same breath.”
The Cardinals came roaring out of the gate, and senior Micah Bootman put the Cardinals on the board early with a pick six, returning an interception 75 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
“His pick six was highlight film material, and it kind of settled everybody in,” Stover said.
The Trojans knotted the score on a 12-yard run by Kyle Lehman, but Jake Rossman’s 12-yard touchdown run gave the Cardinals a 14-7 lead after one quarter. A three-yard touchdown run by John Kohlbrenner stretched that lead to 21-7.
“Kohbrenner also blocked a punt and had a great kickoff return,” Stover said. “Jake Rossman ran the ball well.”
A 32-yard field goal by Owen Carl sent the young Cardinals into halftime with a 24-7 lead.
“We started freshmen and sophomores pretty much across the board,” Stover said. “We weren’t sure what we were going to get because we have two freshmen out there, which we really haven’t done since Andrew Derr or Henry Winebrake. We were impressed by them. They made young kid mistakes, but we’re going to grow up on the field this year.
“Even the film room is different. It’s Zoom. You can’t sit with the kids. Hopefully, next year we’re back to normal, but right now, I’m just ecstatic to be playing. I’m really happy for our seniors because I saw what happened to our seniors last spring. A lot of us fought to get this.”
Lehman’s second TD run – this one from nine yards – made it a 24-13 game after one quarter, but the Cardinals got that score back when senior Michael Wright took it in from 26 yards out to put the Cardinals on top 31-13 on their way to the win.
“It was our first scrimmage was the way we looked at it,” Stover said. “We didn’t have any of the lead time we would have normally had in the summer, we didn’t have our team camp, we didn’t have 7-on-7, so for where we are – we were halfway through the game and we’re like, ‘Oh, we haven’t covered that yet.’
“It’s not the kids’ fault, it’s not my staff’s fault either. We just didn’t have time. We did what we needed to do to get ready to play tonight.”
Stover was pleased with a lot of the things he saw.
“My kicker had really nice night – he had a field goal, made all his extra points and punted outstanding,” Stover said of Owen Carl. “Colin O’Sullivan and Nick Rodriguez were my quarterbacks tonight, so we have a sophomore and junior there.
“We blocked a punt – our defense really set us up with some short fields. Michael Wright had an interception and had a touchdown run late in the game and then we cleared our bench and played our young kids. They scored a couple late, but that’s all right. It was a fun night. We’re happy for our seniors, we were happy to win. The biggest jumps you make are typically from week one to week two, so we hope we keep going up the ladder this week.”
Upper Dublin (1-0) will celebrate Senior Night next Friday when it hosts Bensalem, and Wissahickon (0-1) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham Friday.
Upper Dublin 14-10-0-7 31
Wissahickon 7-0-6-14 27
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