SOL Football Wrap (10-28-22) – Suburban One Sports

Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. Pennsbury/Neshaminy photos provided courtesy of Daryl Rule of J&D Photography. Upper Dublin/Quakertown photos courtesy of Geanin Jamison Photography. CB South/Pennridge photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko, and PW/Upper Moreland photos courtesy of Michael Rice. Check back for galleries of all four games. All SOS photo galleries for FOOTBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Stats provided courtesy of the Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier Times. For additional football cover, visit the Intelligencer (https://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school) and Courier Times (https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/)

SOL National Conference

PENNSBURY 35, NESHAMINY 0

Worst to first.

It’s an overused phrase, but for the Falcons, it effectively sums up their season. With Friday night’s no-doubt-about-it win in their rivalry game at Neshaminy, the Falcons closed out league play with a perfect 7-0 record, this on the heels of an 0-7 record last season.

Talk about a dramatic turnaround, this was it.

“You know what – it’s a really good league, a lot of good teams, and it’s going to be well represented in the playoffs,” Pennsbury coach Galen Snyder said. “To go undefeated and get a league title outright is pretty special.

“I knew it was a tough league, so I talked to the kids at the first day of camp, and I said, ‘Listen, our goal is to make the playoffs. Once we get in the playoffs, we could be a tough out. We could win a district title.’ As far as league title, I just knew with the level of teams, it would be tough to pull off, so the fact that we were able to do it is a surprise to even me a little bit. I felt like we would win enough games to be a playoff team, and if we got in there, I thought we could do well. To do what we did is quite a nod to the kids.”

It’s also a nod to the coaching staff, and Snyder acknowledged it’s a group effort.

“Obviously, it starts with the kids, the assistant coaches do a real good job, and even the district, the administrators and everybody – even the classroom teachers that work with the kids in school,” the Falcons’ coach said. “Everybody pulled together.”

Friday’s shutout win was the Falcons second in as many outings. It came on the heels of a 35-0 win over Abington a week earlier. The defense was once again in the spotlight in Friday’s win.

Nate Beighley – after watching his first pick six waved off for a penalty – decided to do it again, putting an exclamation point on the win with a pick six he took 70 yards to the house for a TD that gave the Falcons their final margin of victory, 35-0.

“He had two tremendous runs off pick sixes,” Snyder said.

Earlier in the game, Chamar Wade returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown that sent the Falcons into halftime with a 21-0 lead.

“We had a few picks tonight,” Snyder said. “This is two shutouts in a row. The defense played great.”

So did the Falcons’ offense.

Galamama ‘G’ Mulbah capped the Falcons’ opening drive of the game with a 14-yard touchdown run, and Pennsbury led 14-0 late in the half after quarterback Shane McGurrin punched it in from a yard out on fourth down. That touchdown was set up by a 46-yard run by Beighley all the way to the Redskins’ six-yard line. Wade’s pick six sent the Falcons into halftime with a three-touchdown lead.

In the third quarter, that lead grew to 28-0 when Mulbah scored on a three-yard run. Beighley’s fourth quarter pick six closed out the scoring.

Beighley and Wade weren’t the only catalysts on defense.

“Jake Mullery played well, and Cade Gabbett had some big hits too,” Snyder said.

On the offensive side of the football, Mulbah had another productive night, rushing for 91 yards in the first half and finishing the night with over 150 yards on the ground and two TDs.

“G played great,” Snyder said. “Neshaminy does a real nice job playing run defense, so we knew that was going to be the challenge, and we just had to be patient and take what we could get it.”

Pennsbury (9-1, 7-0 SOL), third in the District One 6A rankings after Friday’s win, awaits the final word on its seed for the upcoming tournament. Neshaminy closed out its season with a 2-5 record in league play and a 4-6 record overall.

Pennsbury 7-14-7-7 35

Neshaminy 0-0-0-0 0

NORTH PENN 38, ABINGTON 21

(Stats courtesy of Mike Cabrey/PAPrepLive: https://papreplive.com/2022/10/29/zeltt-haynes-lead-north-penns-passing-attack-in-win-over-abington/)

Ryan Zeltt continues to work his magic behind center.

The North Penn quarterback threw four touchdown passes in the first half, propelling the Knights to a 31-0 halftime lead on their way to the decisive win.

“In the second half, maybe we relaxed a little bit defensively,” North Penn coach Dick Beck said. “We started subbing some guys in, but I just thought offensively, especially in the first half, we were really clicking on all cylinders. Zeltt was playing really well. I thought it was a very good first half for us.”

Zeltt put the Knights on the board when he connected with Xavier Bryan for a 10-yard touchdown reception. Two minutes later, Zeltt found Yazeed Haynes for a 68-yard touchdown catch and a 14-0 lead after one quarter.

Ryan Bocklet connected on a field goal early in the second quarter, and then Zeltt found Rashad McNeill for a 15-yard touchdown reception. Another Zeltt-to-Haynes connection – this time for 50 yards – sent the Knights into halftime with a commanding lead.

In the second half, Abington’s Jaime Rivera had a pair of touchdown runs sandwiched around a 17-yard TD run by North Penn’s Michai Cuffie. Rivera – who scored on runs of two and three yards – ran for a game-high 127 yards. A 38-yard touchdown completion from Antonio Ford to Joshua Young accounted for Abington’s final score.

Zeltt was once again remarkably efficient, completing 16 of 19 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns. Haynes had five catches 160 yards.

Beck acknowledged the contributions of senior linebacker Luke Cody.

“I thought Luke Cody played really well defensively,” the Knights’ coach said. “He had two tackles in the backfield, he had a pressure that the quarterback had to throw the ball away right as he was hitting him, and he had two or three catches. He’s really become a factor for us offensively.”

The win was the second in a row heading into the postseason, and Beck had a simple message for his team after Friday’s game.

“Whoever we play next week – everybody is 0-0,” the Knights’ coach said. “So, everybody’s got a shot. We’re going to go out there, give it our all and see what we can do.”

North Penn (5-5, 4-3 SOL) was 14^th in the still unofficial power rankings after Friday’s win while Abington closed out its season with a 2-8 record overall (0-7 SOL).

North Penn 14-17-0-7 38

Abington 0-0-7-14 21

CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 32, PENNRIDGE 23

(Stats provided by CB South football)

CB South notched its third win in as many games, and it was the running game that carried the Titans to a win on Friday. A pair of players both surpassed the century mark. Jack Carver led the way with 147 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries while Anthony Leonardi had 125 yards and one TD on 17 carries.

The Titans – who found themselves on the short end of a 15-10 halftime score – staged a second-half rally, outscoring their hosts 22-8 after the intermission to earn the win. With the Titans relying on their running game, it was Carver coming up big. The senior running back ran for a pair of second-half touchdowns – the first late in the third quarter from 17 yards out. Brett Szarko connected with Owen Wheeler for the two-point conversion, and the Titans led 18-15.

That score stood just two minutes remained in the fourth quarter when Carver punched it in from a yard out to give the Titans a 25-15 advantage. Leonardi’s 74-yard touchdown run with 1:07 on the scoreboard clock put the Titans on top 32-15 and sealed the Rams’ fate. Brennan Fisher closed out the scoring with a 42-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the game. Keating connected with Jake Holt for the two-point conversion and the 32-23 final.

Early on, the Rams took a 7-0 lead when Fisher scored from six yards out. Tommy Donnelly caught a 22-yard pass from Szarko to even the score 7-7. Nate Mossbrook’s 52-yard touchdown reception from Noah Keating gave the Rams – after a successful two-point conversion by Fisher – a 15-7 lead over the Titans. A 24-yard field goal by Nick Esterly pulled the Titans to within five at the intermission (15-10).

Szarko completed 13 of 18 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown.

For the Rams, who finished with just 77 rushing yards, Fisher finished with 68 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Keating threw for 125 yards.

Colin Kelly’s seven tackles – six solo and two tackles for a loss – led the Titans defensively while Sean Moskowitz had six.

Central Bucks South (7-3, 4-3 SOL) was ninth in the District 1 6A power rankings after Friday’s win. Pennridge (2-8, 1-6) is off until its Thanksgiving Day game against Quakertown.

Central Bucks South 0-10-8-14 32

Pennridge 7-8-0-8 23

CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 21, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 14

This was high school football at its very, very best.

And as debuts go, the first East-West game under the lights at East was a special one.

“It was an epic night,” West coach Rob Rowan said. “It was everything you’d want in a high school football game. You had two really well-coached, highly motivated teams.

“The atmosphere was incredible. I don’t think there was a seat in the house open, standing room only around the fence line. It was everything you’d want in a high school football game.”

Vinny Cherubini’s 23-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter broke a 14-14 halftime tie and proved to be the difference in Friday’s rivalry game. Churbini finished with a team-high 100 yards on 11 carries.

“It was just a focal point for us going into this week to try and get him more involved,” Rowan said of his senior running back. “Just get him some more touches because he’s a pretty dynamic kid, and he’s had – prior to this year – two years of really strong success.

“Throughout the season we have really tried to tweak things and really get our guys in the best position possible to be successful, so we’ve asked them to do some different things this year. Him getting the call last night and seeing a bit more touches than he usually does on a weekly basis – he rose to the occasion. He ran really hard, he ran like he had fresh legs. He found holes, and he hit them. It was definitely just a really cool thing to see him be able to experience that success because he’s worked so hard this year doing what we’ve asked him to do. I’m just really happy for him.”

Although Cherubini’s TD gave the Bucks a lead, the game was far from over, but their defense rose to the occasion.

“Offensively, I don’t know what they were averaging coming into the game, but it had to be near the 30s,” Rowan said. “We knew the challenge we were up against. They have a fantastic offensive line, they have a veteran quarterback (Pat Keller) who makes really good decisions, and they have a plethora of tight ends and receivers that are available options on any give play. Of course, they have (Ethan) Shine.

“For us, it was really about a collective effort of trying to not give up big plays and really forcing them to have to earn it – keeping things in front of us. I thought in the second half it was like a bend but don’t break type of situation where they got in our red zone a couple times, and we ended up turning them over twice in the second half – once on a fumble and another on a fourth-and-one QB sneak.

“At the end of the game, they had the ball on the 16 (of West), and our guys just stepped up. Last week (in a loss to CB South), we were in a situation where we didn’t make those couple of plays, and this week we did, and that was the difference. I’m just really proud of the collective effort everyone played with defensively because in order to stop them – it has to be a collective effort.”

The two teams spent the first half exchanging scores. Eli Boehm’s four-yard touchdown run gave the Bucks a 7-0 lead after one quarter. Ethan Shine’s six-yard TD evened the score early in the second quarter.

Conor McFadden’s 39-yard touchdown reception from Cooper Ganz put the Bucks back on top 14-7, but the Patriots got that back on a 24-yard touchdown run on a reverse by Luke Wilson, sending the two teams into halftime deadlocked 14-14 and setting the stage for a defensive second half.

“I could speak about everybody,” Rowan said of his team’s performance. “Our safety play – we started our quarterback (Ganz Cooper) at safety for the first time all year last night, and I thought he played exceptionally well. He brought a level of physicality at that level – I call it the third level of the defense – that I really thought was just a welcome addition.

“And Cooper Taylor, as always, just played fantastic football. He’s so tough, he’s so smart and sound. He ended up getting a deflection in the first half which led to an interception. Those two guys are the last line of defense, and if it gets behind them, we’re in trouble.

“And then our D-line – we’re so outsized. They’re gigantic up front, and our guys just battled all night. It wasn’t pretty, but they did what we asked them to do.”

Comprising West’s defensive line were junior Jack Williams, senior Jackson Estes, sophomore AJ Gerace and senior Isaiah Thomas.

Friday’s win came on the heels of a 27-14 loss to Central Bucks South a week earlier.

“We really try to take things one week at a time – I just think it’s so critical you do that in high school football,” Rowan said. “Our staff is great, we have tremendous support across the board, and our kids – they care, and when that’s at the essence of what you do, you have the ability to do some cool things, so last night was one of those.”

The East-West rivalry might well have a third chapter this season when next week’s District 1 6A Tournament gets underway.

“Here’s the reality – it’s about 99.9 percent that we’re going back there next week,” Rowan said. “We’re going to enjoy this because any win’s a good win, and you’re going to enjoy the heck out of it, but the truth and reality is we’ve got to turn the page very quickly. We have to go back there again next week, and we have to find a way to be a really good football team again.”

East needed a win in Friday’s game to win the coveted Central Bucks Cup. As a result of West’s win, all three teams are 1-1, and it’s a draw. Since West won last year, the cup will remain in the Bucks’ possession for another year.

Central Bucks West (6-4, 5-2 SOL) was 11^th in the District 1 6A power rankings after Friday’s game while Central Bucks East (8-2, 5-2) fell to fifth.

Central Bucks West 7-7-7-0 21

Central Bucks East 0-14-0-0 14

SOL Continental Conference

UPPER DUBLIN 38, QUAKERTOWN 8

(Stats provided courtesy of Ed Morlock/PAPrepLive: https://papreplive.com/2022/10/28/upper-dublin-dominates-to-finish-regular-season-undefeated/)

What a difference a year makes.

Last year, a senior-heavy Quakertown squad put a 31-0 beating on UD, handing the Flying Cardinals their only league loss. This year, the Cards returned the favor, capping a perfect regular season with the no-doubt-about-it win that clinched sole possession of the conference crown.

“Obviously, our goals every year are league, district and state,” UD coach Bret Stover said. “To do it outright in the league that we play in – we were very pleased with that outcome because Quakertown was very dominant last year and Souderton the year before.

“We got embarrassed last year. That was part of our motivation. That (31-0 loss to Quakertown) was the first time we’d been shut out since 2005 or maybe even before that. We had a lot of motivation to do it. Quakertown’s a good football team. When you beat Souderton (34-3 last week) and Quakertown going into the playoffs, it’s really the kind of road you want to be on.”

Quarterback Colin O’Sullivan effectively set the tone for Friday’s big win, connecting on 6-of-6 passes to five different receivers on the opening drive that was capped with a four-yard touchdown pass to Shyne Roberts.

“That was pretty much a statement right there,” Stover said. “They’re stout up front with their linebackers. (Number) 20 (Gavin Carroll) is an active linebacker, and rather than try and go in there and beat our head against the wall, we thought – let’s take advantage of our passing game tonight. We were able to do that, it kind of softened them up, and we were able to run the ball.

“We had the ability to be inside or outside, so that’s what you want to be. You want to be able to have it all. That was a big difference from when we played them last year. We didn’t have a run game whatsoever, and they were really good defensively. When we played them at that point in the season, we weren’t where we were when we ended up.”

O’Sullivan found DJ Cerisier in stride with a 51-yard touchdown strike and a 14-0 UD lead. Austin Pendleton’s 22-yard field goal – set up by a Chris Kohlbrenner fumble recovery – put the Cardinals on top 17-0 midway through the opening quarter. Cerisier – with a touchdown catch already to his credit – made it two touchdowns in the first quarter when he turned an interception into a 67-yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead after one quarter.

A pair of Nyfise McIntyre TD runs in the second quarter – the first from 41 yards and the second from six – sent the Flying Cardinals into halftime with a 38-0 lead, well on their way to the win.

“Everybody contributed,” Stover said. “Before the clock struck zero, we started talking about being home (in the district playoffs), which is going be nice.”

The Panthers scored their only touchdown in the fourth quarter on a two-yard run by Brady Martin. They were successful on the two-point conversion for the 38-8 final.

The Cardinals’ defense limited the Panthers to less than 200 yards of total offense.

O’Sullivan led UD’s offensive charge, completing 10 of 14 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns.

Upper Dublin (10-0, 6-0 SOL) – barring anything unforeseen – will enter the District 1 5A Tournament as the top seed. Quakertown (5-5, 4-2 SOL) was 15^th in the Class 6A rankings.

Quakertown 0-0-0-8 8

Upper Dublin 24-14-0-0 38

COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 21, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 20

The Indians came back not once but twice to earn the dramatic win and capture their third Unity Cup in as many years.

“They were resilient, persistent and just came out and battled tooth and nail with a very good CR South football team,” Rock North coach John Greiner said. “We were able to match the physicality CR South had, and they do have a lot of physicality. CJ Szydlik has done a very good job with them all year long, and our players stepped up.

“They overcame a lot of obstacles over the years and as seniors this year, and the same thing during the game. South went up not once but twice. We were able to muster enough momentum luckily to fend them off at the end for a thrilling 21-20 victory.”

There was no mistaking the significance of Friday’s win for a Rock North squad that had won just one game for three straight years and upped that to two wins in back-to-back years before last year’s three-win season.

“This is the most victories Council Rock North has had in (seven) years,” Greiner said. “Four wins doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s a slow process. These seniors came in – they’ve been through a lot in terms of the two COVID years and still being persistent, building off the one-win seasons they had for three years previously.

“For us to slowly build and progress to where we want to build the program up to is satisfying because it proves to the kids that hard work and dedication does pay off, even the small gains.”

The Indians were staring at a 20-14 deficit after Chase Ennis scored from a yard out with 10:15 remaining in regulation, but less than two minutes later, Jackson Farley connected with Will Scibona for a 10-yard touchdown pass that knotted the score 20-20.

“We have a small wildcat package for Farley,” Greiner said. “We were able to put that in play because of the fact that we broke a tendency by having Farley in there. Usually when we have Farley in there, 99.9 percent of the time he runs. We were able to do a run-action pass play, and he was able to hit Will Scibona in the back corner of the end zone.

“In all honesty, the most crucial aspect of that was James McCafferty hitting the extra point. That was the difference in the game.”

Thanks to McCafferty’s extra point, the Indians led 21-20, a lead they were able to maintain the rest of the way.

“Vaughn Vanderslice had an interception in the end zone when they threw a Hail Mary at the end, so Vaughn sealed the deal,” Greiner said. “He also had a couple of big catches to really help us out.”

Earlier in the game, in the first quarter, the two teams exchanged one-yard touchdown runs – Ennis scored first to give the Golden Hawks a 7-0 lead and Gavin Papp answered for the Indians, who trailed 7-6 after the Hawks blocked the extra point.

“They scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Jack Paessler blocked their PAT,” Greiner said. “Without him blocking that PAT, the game probably would have gone into overtime at the very least.”

With 4:53 remaining in the first half, Ennis scored from three yards out to send the Golden Hawks into halftime with a 14-6 advantage.

Julian Matera’s three-yard touchdown pass to Papp pulled the Indians to within two with 6:08 remaining in the third quarter, and the Indians evened the score 14-14 when Matera connected with Scibona for the successful two-point conversion.

“Jules had a terrific game,” Greiner said of his sophomore quarterback. “With the fierce pass rush that South brings, Jules stayed in the pocket, kept his composure, and he had a really nice game orchestrating the offense that we run.

“Will got two touchdown pass receptions but also had the key two-point conversion after our second touchdown to tie the game up at 14-14. Will also had a key fumble recovery to stymy one of CR South’s drives in the fourth quarter. With 5 minutes and 50 seconds left, he recovered a fumble, and we were able to take some time off the clock and left them with a minute and 16 seconds. He also did an awesome job punting the ball throughout the night with the rush they were sending. Will deserves a lot of credit in terms of the victory in terms of his punting, his defensive prowess and then also from the offense.”

Council Rock North and Council Rock South closed out the season with identical 4-6 records overall (2-4 SOL).

Council Rock North 6-0-8-7 21

Council Rock South 7-7-0-6 20

SOUDERTON 45, BENSALEM 6

Ryan Sadowski raced 20 yards for a touchdown to cap the Indians’ opening drive of Friday’s game at Bensalem. It marked the beginning of a big night for both Sadowski and the Indians.

The win came on the heels of Souderton’s first league loss to Upper Dublin a week earlier.

“I’m just glad we bounced back and got some confidence back,” said Souderton coach Ed Gallagher, whose team fell to UD 34-3. “I think we were a little demoralized coming off of last week. Upper Dublin took it to us pretty good, so we had to get a little bit of our swagger back, a little bit of our confidence back, and I feel we did that tonight.

“We executed very well both offensively and defensively in the first quarter and that put the game out of doubt right away, which was nice. We kind of got in a flow, and kids made plays. I was very happy to see we came out and bounced back like that.”

Logan Wrubel’s 23-yard touchdown run put the Indians on top 14-0 with five minutes remaining in the opening quarter, and Sadowski followed with his second touchdown of the night – this one on the defensive side of the ball after a Bensalem fumble. The Owls returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to make it a 21-6 game after one quarter.

A Ty Quintois field goal put the Indians on top 21-6, and Sadowski capped a huge first half when he came up with the ball after a blocked punt by the Indians and raced into the end zone for a touchdown and a 31-6 lead midway through the second quarter.

“Ryan Sadowski really stepped up,” said Gallagher. “He scored three touchdowns. He kind of knew he’d get a little more running the ball with Chris (Kerns) out and Shaun (Purvy) out, so we knew we’d be leaning on him a little bit.”

A Bryce Williams interception set the stage for an 11-yard touchdown run by Caleb Hageman, and the Indians led 38-6. An interception by Danny Dyches in the end zone thwarted a Bensalem drive and put an exclamation point on an impressive first-half performance by the Indians.

In the third quarter, Wrubel’s second touchdown run of the game accounted for the lone score of the second half.

“Logan Wrubel ran the ball really well at fullback in place of Chris Kerns,” Gallagher said. “It was a pretty solid one-two punch between Wrubel and Sadowski.

“We had other guys step up as well. Jayden Bergey played really well at linebacker again. Overall, it was just a solid effort on both sides of the ball. Again, it was a decent job by our special teams unit outside of the kick return.”

Souderton (8-2, 5-1 SOL) was ranked seventh in the District One 6A power rankings after Friday win.

“We’ve been on a nice run the past couple of years,” Gallagher said of his team’s return to districts. “It’s been a great group of kids. I can’t believe we’re through 10 weeks already. It really flew this year. We don’t want it to end. I really like coaching these kids. I really enjoyed the time. I’m anxious to see how we do in the playoffs, and I certainly hope we can at least advance through one game because I don’t want it to end.”

Bensalem closed out its season with a 2-8 record, 1-5 in league play.

Souderton 21-17-7-0 45

Bensalem 6-0-0-0 6

SOL American Conference

PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 56, UPPER MORELAND 20

(Statistics courtesy of Andrew Robinson/PaPrepLive: https://papreplive.com/2022/10/29/plymouth-whitemarsh-leaves-no-doubt-in-besting-upper-moreland-for-sol-american-title/)

The Colonials have been making it look easy, rolling to one lopsided rout after another. Friday’s contest at Upper Moreland – against a Golden Bears team that also entered the game undefeated in conference play – was the final test for PW on the road to a conference crown. It didn’t turn out to be much of a test for the Colonials, who once again were operating on all cylinders.

“We’re playing well right now, which is a good time to be playing well,” PW coach Dan Chang said. “I thought our guys came out tonight, and they were really ready to go.

“We were loose. Sometimes you get into these types of situations, and you get all tight and tense, but the guys were loose and relaxed and came out firing.”

Nazye Boggs returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, and the Colonials were off and running.

“He’s one of those guys who can make guys miss in the open field – he got a little seam, and he was able to go,” Chang said.

That play not only set the tone but also marked the beginning of a big night for Boggs.

“Nazye Boggs played a huge complete game,” Chang said. “He was stellar on all sides of the ball. He had his first interception tonight, he returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, he had some nice runs, he caught some good tough balls, he blocked an extra point, he had a big forced fumble on their quarterback. He was stellar tonight.”

Tommy Hannon’s 28-yard touchdown run was followed by a 10-yard TD run by Luke Winterbottom that put the Colonials on top 21-0 midway through the opening quarter.

The Golden Bears showed signs of life when quarterback Shawn Herbert hooked up with Stephen Broderick for a 43-yard touchdown pass, but it took the Colonials less than two minutes to respond – this time with a one-yard Hannon TD run to give PW a 28-7 lead after one quarter.

Broderick’s one-yard touchdown run made it a 28-13 game, but the Colonials answered with three more touchdowns. Aiden O’Brien scored on a 12-yard run and then hooked up with Winterbottom for a 12-yard touchdown pass. Winterbottom scored his third touchdown of the night – this one on a 69-yard run that capped an explosive first half for the Colonials, who took a 49-13 lead into halftime.

“Not only are the guys carrying the ball explosive and can make guys miss, our guys are really good at blocking downfield – our guys are getting downfield and turning that 10-yard gain into a 30-yard gain,” Chang said.

With the running clock in effect, the two teams exchanged second-half scores. O’Brien scored on a five-yard TD run in the third quarter, and Broderick’s six-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter closed out the scoring in a contest that gave the Colonials sole possession of their second conference crown in as many years.

“I told our team when we start each season – it’s always check box number one,” Chang said. “I thought they did a great job of taking one game at a time, taking care of business and making sure we met that first goal. Now we’re moving on to check box number two.”

The Colonials’ coach acknowledged one of the game’s defensive heroes.

“Greg Feinberg is one of our outside linebackers, and he had two interceptions tonight and really was just so on top of the game plan and what we wanted to do,” Chang said. “He made every play that came to him.”

Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-2, 5-0 SOL) – fourth in the latest District 1 5A power rankings – will await word on its final seed and opponent for next week’s tournament opener.

“Season number one is done, and now it’s time to restart and get back after it,” Chang said. “We treat every game and every practice like it could be our last. I told our guys not to squander that opportunity. This might be the last time you put on these pads as seniors, so be ready to go.”

Upper Moreland (8-2, 4-1) will also be competing in the Class 5A tournament. The Golden Bears, ninth after Friday’s loss in the rankings, will await their final seed and opponent as well.

Plymouth Whitemarsh 28-21-7-0 56

Upper Moreland 7-6-0-7 20

CHELTENHAM 49, WISSAHICKON 18

A big run by Zaire Williams on the opening drive of Friday’s game set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Zahiem Welton, marking the beginning of a big offensive night for the Panthers.

“We celebrated our seniors in their last game because it was Senior Night – that was the most important thing,” Cheltenham coach Troy Gore said. “Zaire Williams started us off and got us moving. The first play of the game he had a 45-yard run.

“Jonathan Ingram, our quarterback, ran the offense and made sure every senior and every player touches the ball and everybody contributes.”

Ingram’s one-yard keeper for a touchdown was followed by a successful two-point conversion by Welton, and the Panthers led 14-0. A 37-yard touchdown run by Ingram upped that lead to 21-0 midway through the second quarter.

The Trojans interrupted the Panthers’ early run with a touchdown to make it a 21-6 game at halftime.

Ingram connected with Malachi Wyche for a 34-yard touchdown, and the Panthers led 28-6. Welton’s eight-yard touchdown run was followed by a 34-yard TD run by Tre McLeod that put the Panthers on top 42-6 in the closing seconds of the third quarter.

A six-yard touchdown reception by Gavin Myers made it a 42-12 game, but a 10-yard touchdown run by Lequane Sanford upped the Panthers led to 49-12. A 62-yard catch and run by Wissahickon’s Matt Torres was the game’s final score.

With the win, Cheltenham (3-2 SOL) evened its record at 5-5 and found itself 18^th in the District 1 6A power rankings, but Gore is holding out hope.

“It was important for us to get the win because we’re still trying to sneak into the playoffs,” Gore said. “We needed this win, and we needed some other schools to help us out. It was very important to get this win against a tough Wissahickon team because we’re trying to survive for the playoffs.”

Wissahickon (1-4 SOL) closed out its season with a 1-9 record.

Wissahickon 0-6-0-12 18

Cheltenham 7-14-21-7 49