Bensalem rallied for a 19-0 deficit to defeated Council Rock North in SOL football action Saturday.
Stats used in the wraps are provided courtesy of the Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier Times. For complete high school football coverage, visit the web sites: http://www.theintell.com/sports and http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports.
SOL National Conference
BENSALEM 20, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 19
Senior Nights don’t get much better than this one. The Owls – who trailed 19-0 – rallied for a come-from-behind they’ll be talking about for a long time.
“Coming back from 19-0 to win 20-19, that’s just the way we are – that defines this group because all of our wins over the last three years seem to come like this,” Bensalem coach Ed Cubbage said. “I wish we could win differently, but it’s just not the way we are.”
It was an emotional night for a team that appeared to be down for the count after wins in their first two games of the season were erased by forfeits for an ineligible player. The Owls lost the next six on the field and brought an 0-8 record into Saturday night’s win.
“My kids took the announcement of the forfeits a lot harder than I anticipated,” Cubbage said. “I thought we could sell them on the fact that we weren’t going to recognize what the PIAA said because we won the games on the field, and no one could take them away from us.
“My kids took it much harder than I anticipated. It had a longer hangover than I thought it would. The first game after it against CB East – I don’t think it had much of an effect, but once our record officially went to 0-3, I think that’s when it really affected our kids. We did all of this hard work, we won two games on the field, and now it was taken away from us. The hangover from that announcement did last longer than I’d anticipated, and it affected us.”
The first half belonged to Rock North. An 11-yard touchdown run by Dillon Sheehy gave the Indians a 6-0 lead at the end of one quarter, and Sheehy’s second touchdown – this one from 42 yards out – gave the Indians a 12-0 lead. Quarterback Jonathan Kane connected with Griffin Peterson for a touchdown and a 19-0 lead.
That’s when the points stopped coming for the Indians, who saw their lead trimmed to 19-7 after Owls’ quarterback Tyler Barry took it in from a yard out.
“We walked into halftime and we felt that all of our issues were self-inflicted wounds,” Cubbage said. “We did not think that as tough as Council Rock North played – we felt it was more us than them.
“At halftime, it was ‘This is what we’re going to adjust on defense, this is what we’re going to adjust on offense.’ We challenged the kids. It was Senior Night for us. We talked about playing for the seniors. We also said, ‘If you don’t believe we’re going to win this game, don’t come out in the second half. ‘ Obviously, the kids responded very well.”
The Owls opened the second half with a sustained drive that was capped with Barry hooking up with Jarred O’Connell from 11 yards out, and suddenly, it was a 19-14 game.
“We had the ball for most of the quarter,” Cubbage said.
The stage was set for the Owls’ go-ahead drive that included converting a second-and-40 from deep in their own territory.
“One of my players got a personal foul and an unsportsmanlike conduct on the same play,” Cubbage said.
Senior Dimetrius Coles ran it in from five yards for the 20-19 lead. The two-point conversion attempt fell short, but the one-point lead held the rest of the way.
Cubbage lauded the efforts of several players in the win.
“Dimetrius Coles played both ways tonight and really, really, really did a fabulous job.” Cubbage said. “Christian Bond had a spectacular catch on offense as a wide receiver for us. He had a couple of big-time catches where he laid out his body and pulled it in.
“Richard Bardone plays offense, defense and special teams for us. He’s just a tough, gritty kid who just makes plays.”
The Owls’ coach also credited the play of Barry. The sophomore quarterback was 13-for-20 for 161 yards and a touchdown.
“He played really well,” Cubbage said. “We have high expectations for him as a sophomore quarterback moving forward.”
Sheehy led the Indians with 154 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Cole’s 70 yards on the ground led the Owls.
According to Cubbage, Saturday’s win was especially significant for the seniors.
“With this win tonight, this senior class – including the two wins we had at the beginning of the season – has the most wins at Bensalem since at least 1999,” said Cubbage, who does not have the records before ‘99. “We told them, ‘That’s a pretty cool thing, a feather in your caps. You get to brag about that forever.’
“These guys came into the program freshman year, and we were still in that long losing streak. They were sophomores when we broke the losing streak. Two years in a row, these guys were part of a group that put us on the cusp of the playoffs.
“Things didn’t go the way we wanted them to this season, but they’re a tough and resilient group. They are a very good group of kids, and I’m just thrilled that they got this win tonight to go out on top.”
The Owls took a 29-game losing streak into the 2016 season when the Owls not only broke the skid but finished 5-5.
“This senior group has been through everything with us, and it doesn’t seem like we do anything easy,” Cubbage said. “It’s their MO. They fought, they stuck together, and on Senior night, they got a win. It was also great to see a lot of our seniors were complete messes after the game just crying. They put their heart and soul into it, so you have a bunch of rough and tough teenagers who are sitting there completely exposed crying. That was neat to see.
“I don’t care what anyone says – this is our third win on the field tonight. People can say whatever they want. For me, we have three wins, and we’re going forward.”
Bensalem (1-8, 1-4 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman on Friday, and Council Rock North (1-8, 0-5) will take on Council Rock South Friday in the Rock Cup game.
Council Rock North 6-13-0-0 19
Bensalem 0-7-7-6 20
Non-league
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 41, GEORGE SCHOOL 20
Friday, Oct. 19
WISSAHICKON 58, EASTERN YORK 43
(Submitted article)
Trojan fans traveled out to Eastern York to watch a Friday night football game and were treated with a basketball game instead. The young Trojans were able to notch their first victory Friday night, besting Eastern York 58-43. The Trojans put the scoreboard operator at work early behind the running of senior Chris Smalls to take a lead of 6-0. Eastern York – behind a high-powered passing offense – was able to strike early and often in the first quarter to take a 21-6 lead midway through the quarter. The young Trojans did not put their head down and were able to respond back to close first quarter with a score by way of pass from Nick Santo to Maurice Willis.
The second quarter saw the Trojans jump on the back of Chris Smalls and the arm of Nick Santo to go into the half down 28-20. The defense started the second half with a stand to force Eastern York to their first punt of the night. Wissahickon responded back with a TD run by Chris Smalls to tie the score 28-28. Eastern York responded with a drive of its own, giving them the lead once again at 35-28. Wissahickon moved the ball down the field with runs and a long pass from Santo to Caso to set the team up for the score. A missed extra point left the score 35-34.
At this point in the game, lightning struck quickly for the Trojans. In a span of two minutes, Wissahickon put 24 points on the board. A TD run by Chris Smalls, a fumble recovery and score for Tyler Caso, and another TD run by Chris Smalls. All three scores were followed with two-point conversions by Jalen Smalls. This barrage of points allowed the Trojans to secure the victory. The defense received big hits led by Raejon Benjamin, Mark Thompson, and Tyler Caso. Two timely interceptions by EJ Schreiner and Raejon Benjamin helped secure the victory.
Chris Smalls had a career night, finishing the game with 24 carries for 249 yards and four TDs. He also had two catches for 18 yards and a sack. Nick Santo continued to perform in his sophomore season going 12-for-26 for 202 yards with two TDs and three INTs. Maurice Willis continues his stellar senior season with three catches for 99 yards with two TDs. Tyler Caso put in a complete game on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he had three catches for 52 yards, two carries for five yards and 1 TD. Defensively, he had a fumble return for a TD and constant pressure on the QB.
Overall, a great team win. Come out and support your Trojans as we finish the season Friday night at Wissahickon Stadium and we celebrate senior night. 7pm kickoff.
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