Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. (CR North photos provided courtesy of Blair Greiner/CR North football)
Stats provided courtesy of Intelligencer/Courier. For additional football stats and coverage, visit the Intelligencer (https://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school) and Courier Times (https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/)
SOL National Conference
NORTH PENN 35, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 7
Michai Cuffie.
The name might not have been all that familiar to fans of North Penn football, but the junior made an immediate impact in his first career start on Friday, racing 47 yards for a second quarter touchdown that sent the Knights into halftime with a 21-7 lead.
“He blocked well, he’s a weapon for us in the backfield,” NP coach Dick Beck said. “I thought he was great tonight, absolutely great.
“He’s been a running back/linebacker for us, but he hurt his ankle six weeks ago, and he was kind of limping, but then he was 100 percent finally and played really well in the JV game. I just said, ‘Why don’t we put this guy at fullback – take a look at him. It will give us another weapon.’ This kid has got some bounce to him, he’s fast. I think he can be another weapon to give Khalani (Eaton) a little bit of a break.”
In the first quarter, the Titans took a 7-0 lead after quarterback Brett Szarko punched it in from a yard out, but the Knights answered when Eaton scored from 15 yards out, knotting the score 7-7 after one quarter. Eaton added another long TD run to his resume, taking it 94 yards to the house for a 14-7 lead. Cuffie’s TD sent the Knights into halftime with a two-touchdown advantage.
“The wind was definitely bad, but the rain made the ball unthrowable and uncatchable,” Beck said. “In warmups, I said, ‘We’re going to run the ball every play.’ In fact, I wasn’t even going to punt, I was going for it every time.”
The Knights took that 21-7 lead into the fourth quarter when Ethan Spann scored on a five-yard run, and Tyler Beam put the finishing touches on the win, snaring an interception and taking it 49 yards for a touchdown and the 35-7 final.
When it was over, Beck credited the efforts of several players.
“I thought Darren Miller on defense was just dominant,” Beck said. “Tyler Beam had a pick six, and he caught a ball down the middle on third-and-20, which was a really nice throw by (Ryan) Zeltt. Tyler made a great catch, got the first down and we scored the next play, which was big for us.”
Eaton finished the night with 16 carries for 198 yards and two touchdowns while Cuffie had 12 carries for 75 yards and a TD.
For the Titans, Zak Fisher (6 for 79 yards) and Tyler Robinson (3 for 71 yards) led the way.
The win capped a perfect 10-0 regular season for the Knights, who won the conference title with a 7-0 mark. They are second behind Garnet Valley in the latest District One 6A power rankings and are ready to make a strong postseason run.
“I think we’re healthy,” Beck said. “Last week (in a 28-21 win over Central Bucks East) we were not. We got Tyler Beam and Bobby Hill back, and they’re our two tight ends that didn’t play last week, which is big for us. It was good to have them back.
“Michai Cuffie is healthy, and it’s nice to have him as part of the offense. Xavier Bryan, who’s been injured the last two weeks, will be 100 percent next week. He’s a good player for us. Khalani’s a little dinged up tonight, but he’ll be fine, and we’ll be ready to go next week.”
Central Bucks South (6-4, 3-4 SOL) is 15th in the latest District One 6A power rankings that will be finalized this weekend.
North Penn 7-14-0-14 35
Central Bucks South 7-0-0-0 7
PENNRIDGE 27, ABINGTON 0
Cody Muller and his players – a win in the books – arrived back in Perkasie around the time they’re usually taking the field for the opening kickoff on Friday nights.
“I’m cold, I’m wet, but I’m happy,” the Rams’ coach said.
A 4 p.m. start time allowed the two teams to complete their game before the worst of the storm arrived.
“This is probably the one time I’m going to say I’m glad we were playing on grass because Abington was smart enough to make the call to go early,” Muller said of a decision made at 10 a.m. Friday morning. “We were on edge the whole morning, waiting for them to tell us, ‘Yes, it’s at four.’
“I had all the kids bring their stuff with them – we weren’t sure because we would have to catch the bus at 12. It was crazy, but our kids – with all the adversity and everything, we still found success. I was happy.”
It’s no secret that defense has been a calling card of the 2021 Rams, and on Friday, they showcased their defensive prowess, notching their fourth shutout of the season.
“They’re just well-prepared by both the coaches and themselves, watching film and working hard throughout the week,” Muller said. “So going into the game today, we were pretty confident in what we were doing, and the kids executed it.”
On the opening drive of the game, Brayden Landherr scored the only touchdown the Rams would need on a six-yard run, and they took that 7-0 lead into halftime.
“I don’t want to say we stalled out, but we got down in the red zone again, and we just couldn’t punch it in,” Muller said. “Defense did a great job of maintaining that shutout going into halftime.”
In the second half, quarterback Logan McGowan had three touchdown runs, including a pair of TD carries in the third quarter – the first from five yards and the second on a 19-yard run. He scored on a one-yard keeper in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.
“Logan McGowan had a heck of a game for us at quarterback – he was a catalyst for us, running the football and taking command of the offense,” Muller said. “When we asked him to throw the football, he put it in good places and had a big fourth down conversion for us.
“Granted, with the weather and what-not, we weren’t willing to punt the ball a whole lot. It was fourth-and-11, and we were on Abington’s 40-yard line. Logan converted a big first down – Tyler Wetzel caught the ball across the middle and got down to the five-yard line at that point.”
McGowan finished a productive day behind center by connecting on 3-of-4 pass attempts for 70 yards. He also was the Rams leading ground gainer, carrying the ball 13 times for 113 yards. Wetzel (79 yards), Fisher (56 yards) and Landherr (41 yards) each had nine carries.
“Overall, the defense – the whole group out there did a great job,” Muller said. “I could say (Phil) Picciotti’s name every game. Phil did a great job in the middle, Stephen Reutlinger had a great game as well at noseguard for us, and Connor Lelii had a big interception
Quarterback Johnn Dielzawa had 91 rushing yards and threw for 39 more in a contest that saw the Ghosts manage just 153 yards total offense.
Pennridge closed out its regular season with a 7-3 record (5-2 SOL). The Rams are 10th in the latest District One 6A rankings that will be finalized Sunday.
“It’s funny because a lot of these seniors – they were talking about how their first varsity experience was our Abington scrimmage,” Muller said. “We went down to Abington when they were sophomores, and it almost came like full circle for them.
“Now they’re ending their regular season at Abington. It was cool for them, but more importantly, it ended the regular season on a good note. We put ourselves in a good spot heading into districts. Like I said to the kids, ‘We’re not sure who we’re going to play yet. We won’t find out until later, but whoever it is, we’re looking forward to getting going.”
Abington closed out its season with a 3-7 record overall (2-5 SOL).
Pennridge 7-0-14-6 27
Abington 0-0-0-0 0
SOL Continental Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 7, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 3
One night can change everything.
It certainly did for a young Rock North squad that capped a difficult season with a 7-3 win over Rock South in Friday’s annual Unity Cup game. The inclement weather that saw the two teams play the second half in a steady downpour didn’t matter at all. This was reason to celebrate.
“It speaks volume about our kids,” John Greiner said. “Our players are of the underclassmen ilk and could have packed it in with the wind and the rain and everything, but they fought to the end for me, the coaches and the players beside them.
“It’s a great feeling to end on a win because teams don’t get to end their season on a win. Being 3-7 doesn’t sound good. However, it’s progress from where this program has been in the past. Before I took over, they were 1-9 three straight years. We’ve taken baby steps. Hopefully, we’ll get more people into the program and take bigger steps. The footprint tonight will help lead us this way. The defense did awesome, and we did enough offensively to keep the clock running.”
The game was won when in the fourth quarter when senior Brandon Boyd – with the Indians trailing 3-0 – fell on a muffed punt in the end zone for the game’s only touchdown. Sawyer Koza’s extra point gave the Indians a 7-3 lead.
“It was awesome,” Greiner said. “Brandon broke his hand on the second play against New Hope, so he missed four games. For him to come back his last game and recover a fumble for a touchdown is remarkable what he did for us.
“It was a feeling of relief and a feeling of adulation for all the players, especially the seniors. The fact that we were able to beat them back-to-back years – I don’t know when North has done that.”
Sawyer Koza, the Indians’ kicker, was one of the game’s unsung heroes. Twice Koza fumbled the ball on punts – twice he ran for first downs, none more significant than his fumble in the end zone that he took to the 30-yard line and a first down.
“Sawyer is a soccer player by trade,” Greiner said. “He came to us last year and wanted to come out and kick for us. The mentality Sawyer has – never say die, never give up – was persuasive tonight. When the kids saw what he was able to do out of nothing at all, it really rallied our troops.”
Those two plays were not Koza’s only big plays, according to his coach.
“People are going to remember those two fumbles he picked up and ran for first downs, but in that fourth quarter with four-plus minutes, he got that punt off and got it down and kept them in the red zone, which forced them to drive the field after the big punt,” Greiner said. “Even when Brandon Boyd recovered the muffed punt in the end zone for a touchdown, (Koza’s) extra point was probably by far the biggest kick he’s ever made because that meant they would have to score a touchdown.
“They have a really good kicker themselves, and by the time they got it down there (at the end of the game), they were probably in field goal position, but it forced them to go for a touchdown because Sawyer made that extra point. It was remarkable what he did.”
With 3:43 remaining in regulation, the Golden Hawks – pinned at their own 20-yard line after the Koza punt – had one final possession. Sophomore quarterback Chase Ennis entered the game and delivered a 33-yard completion to Nick Haurin on the second play of the drive, and just like that, the Hawks were in Indians’ territory. They benefitted from a pass interference call, but with time winding down came up empty on several throws to the end zone.
The Indians took a knee, and all that was left to do was celebrate.
“It was a moment of joy because last year when we beat South, the only people who were allowed in the stands were their parents,” Greiner said. “This year, we were able to have a student section, which was remarkable, and the cheerleaders were there this year and weren’t last year. I want to give props to the cheerleaders because they stood out there in that cold rain the whole time and supported us.
“It was just an accumulation of us working hard and all the hard work and grind of football paying off by beating our rival. It’s not an easy thing to do especially when you’ve beaten them the previous year. Vinnie (Bedesem) does a great job with his program. I’m just so proud of all the players. With us being so young and inexperienced – for them to have this big win is only going to help us going into the offseason and going into next year.”
The conditions limited both teams to running the football, and the two teams combined did not put up 300 yards of total offense. Rock North’s Gavin Papp was the workhorse, carrying the ball 24 times for 75 yards.
Rock South’s offense consisted of Gavin Hagen’s 33-yard field goal in the opening quarter.
“The defensive effort was remarkable keeping us in the game,” Greiner said. “We didn’t do a lot on offense, but we did enough to keep the clock running and keep the ball out of their hands in the second half.
“Gavin Papp is just a tremendous, tremendous leader of the men on our team, and he had some hard yards and some hard first downs that he fought for. I can’t say enough about Gavin.”
Greiner lauded the efforts of his entire defensive unit, including the defensive line of Fred Nolte, Aden Roe and Kyle Oros, linebackers Will Scibona, Avi Patel, Brandon Boyd and Dylan Siveter, safeties Vaughn Vanderdslice and Gavin Papp, and cornerbacks James Paessler and Jack Paessler.
The Indians’ coach went on to credit his assistant coaches.
“Great job by the assistant coaches of keeping the team together and on point every week,” Greiner said. “They continuously found ways to motivate the players to keep their heads up no matter what was put in front of them. Assistant coaches Cliff Stout, Zach Schram, Brandon Garrett, Joe Brown, Ken Simon, Joe King, David Gray, Matt Applebaum and Tyler Hoffmaster.
“Tonight shows the resiliency of these kids. Unfortunately, the season didn’t go the way we planned. We had injuries out the wazoo. Going into the season, we had 17 underclassmen starting for us, and by the time this game started tonight, we were close to 19 of the 22 positions being underclassmen. We’ve been fighting uphill. However, we kept on fighting. All the games except New Hope we were outnumbered and outsized, but it shows the heart of our players, the heart of our coaches and just the effectiveness of the assistant coaches to keep the players motivated and to keep on fighting.”
The last time North has won in back-to-back years was in 2012 and 2013. North’s back-to-back wins came on the heels of South winning four straight years.
Council Rock North closed out its season with a 3-7 record (2-5 SOL) while Council Rock South was 2-8 (2-5).
Council Rock South 3-0-0-0 3
Council Rock North 0-0-0-7 7
SOUDERTON 34, BENSALEM 12
(Statistics provided by Andrew Robinson/PA Prep Live: https://papreplive.com/2021/10/30/porters-running-defenses-stops-help-souderton-weather-bensalem-secure-playoff-bid/)
The Indians celebrated Senior Night with a win that – paired with several losses by teams ahead of them in the District One 6A power rankings – vaulted from 15th to 12th in the latest power rankings that will be finalized Sunday.
“Two teams ahead of us got upset,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “Owen J Roberts lost to Phoenixville and Spring-Ford also lost.
“I’m excited that we’re getting the opportunity. We’re going back to the playoffs with a chance to defend our District One title – I never thought I’d hear myself say those words, but it’s nice to hear them come out of my mouth. We won all of our games on the road last year, so who’s to say we can’t do that again this year.”
In Friday’s win, senior Brayden Porter once again was the catalyst for the Indians, finishing with 26 carries for 202 yards three touchdowns.
“I kid with Brayden a lot of times at school, and I tell him – ‘You should expect to see your tongue dragging by the end of the night because you’re going to get the ball a bunch, so get ready to go,’” Gallagher said.
Putting a damper on the Indians’ big win – in addition to the weather – were the injuries the team sustained.
“It had nothing to do with the weather,” Gallagher said. “It was just one injury after another. We played the year without four guys, and now all of a sudden, we just added to them again tonight.
“There’s nothing you can do. That’s high school football. We were pretty blessed last year that we got through without a lot of guys missing games. It was a nice situation that we fell into last year.”
The key injury, according to the Indians’ coach, was senior Elijah Goods, who left the field in an ambulance as a precautionary measure after suffering a neck injury. Before his injury, Goods scored on a five-yard touchdown run.
“He toughed it out – his hip was bothering him throughout most of the second and third quarters before he left with the injury,” Gallagher said.
The inclement weather prevented either team from putting the ball in the air.
“Unfortunately, it was a necessary evil,” Gallagher said of playing in the less than ideal conditions. “I think playing tonight helped to neutralize their passing game because you couldn’t throw the ball at all tonight. They have two really good receivers, and that took their passing game out, and we were able to just concentrate on stopping the run, which we did an above average job on.
“There were obviously three or four that they broke that will make the stats look pretty good, but we had to have 15 tackles for a loss. We made a lot of good plays defensively. We just gave up some big ones.”
A pair of Porter touchdown runs – the first of 40 yards and the second of 12 – gave the Indians a 14-0 lead after one quarter. Bensalem’s Josiah Leonard scored on a 16-yard run to make it a 14-6 game at halftime.
Porter’s third touchdown run, this one a 52-yarder, put the Indians on top 21-6 and then it was Goods scoring for the 28-6 lead. A 30-yard touchdown run by Bensalem’s Ashton Barnes made it an 28-12 game. Late in the game, with the Indians trying to ice the clock, Chris Kearns had a 75-yard touchdown run on a night that saw the Indians put up 378 rushing yards.
“Nobody could punt tonight, so there were a lot of fourth down stops because we were both going for it in situations you normally wouldn’t,” Gallagher said.
For the Owls, Leonard had a big night, finishing with 24 carries for 184 yards. Barnes had 65 rushing yards.
Gallagher took time to pay tribute to his seniors, who played their final home game.
“It’s been a really good class,” the Indians’ coach said. “We have some good kids, good leadership. Luke Pollock and Nick Curotto probably made at least 10 tackles each because they both made play after play like they’ve done for us all year. They’re both solid kids that could be first team all-league linebackers.
“Gabe Epps stood out. He played really well and made some big plays. Sean Barrera is our center, so he doesn’t get a lot of recognition, but he quietly gets the job done inside. You look at all five of our captains, and all of them did pretty well in different aspects of the game.
“Overall, the senior class had a really good night. Josh Daley went in and had one carry (for 11 yards) that helped us extend a drive when we were subbing. We played a couple other seniors on the line, and they made contributions. Aiden Derstine made a big defensive play for us on the last possession to get the ball back. There were a lot of seniors making a lot of plays that we don’t always get, so you definitely have to be happy with that.”
Souderton heads into next week’s district playoffs with a 6-4 record overall (4-2 SOL).
“I think we’re going to be a tough out,” Gallagher said. “Brayden Porter is really good, our two linebackers (Pollock and Curotto) are really good. We have a good team.”
Bensalem closed out its regular season with a 5-5 record (4-3 SOL).
Bensalem 0-6-0-6 12
Souderton 14-0-14-6 34
QUAKERTOWN 50, HARRY S TRUMAN 6
Ignoring the wind and rain, the Panthers took care of business, celebrating Senior Night/Homecoming by rolling to a no-doubt-about-it victory. The win put the finishing touches on a perfect 10-0 regular season and gave the Panthers sole possession of the SOL Continental Conference title.
Coach George Banas knew he had plenty of talent on his squad that finished second to Souderton last year, but he also knew his team’s schedule was a potential minefield.
“We’re pretty realistic as a staff, and we were thinking if we could go 8-2, somewhere in that vicinity, we would get a home game in the playoffs and hopefully have a shot at the league title,” Banas said. “You look at the schedule at the beginning of the year, and you have Abington, Upper Dublin, Souderton, Neshaminy. If you can go 2-2, great. If you can go 3-1, awesome. We didn’t think we’d go 4-0.”
The game started out on a shaky note with the Panthers recovering a Truman fumble and then almost immediately fumbling it back to their visitors.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen – I think there were four fumbles in the first three minutes or so,” Banas said. “It was craziness. I’m thinking ‘Oh boy’ because those are the type of games that can go either way.
“We were able to settle down and make some key blocks and open up some holes and get some guys loose. They were putting nine in the box because it was virtually impossible to throw tonight with the wind and the rain, so you were able to pack the box and just try and stop the run. Essentially, you’re almost one-dimensional on nights like tonight.”
John Eatherton jumpstarted the Panthers with back-to-back touchdown runs of 54 and 34 yards. Dylan Harrison recovered a botched punt and ran it in for a TD that gave the Panthers a 20-0 lead after one quarter.
A seven-yard touchdown run by Tyler Woodman – with a successful two-point conversion – gave the Panthers a 28-0 lead. Truman returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to make it a 28-6 game at halftime.
Woodman’s second touchdown of the game – this one on a run of 55 yards – put the Panthers on top 35-6 in the third quarter.
“The two of them really complement each other well,” Banas said of Eatherton and Woodman. “If you’re going to load up on one, then the other one has a big night. Again, we’re well balanced. Even in the running attack we’re well balanced.”
Senior Paul Lancos scored from two yards out, and a safety put the Panthers on top 43-6 at the end of three quarters. A 38-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter by sophomore Vince Miccuici – the punter and back-up quarterback – gave the Panthers their final margin of victory.
“Every single kid got on the field tonight in a championship game, which was great,” Banas said. “Overall, we played really well. The seniors did a great job. It’s great on Senior Night/Homecoming to get some kids in.
“Paul Lancos, a senior that really puts forth a great effort for us on the scout team – we were able to get him in the end zone. We were able to get Riley Gaj, a senior, back as a kicker, and he was able to get some points and kick off for us tonight. We were able to give Alex Bates quite a bit of time on the offensive and defensive lines. Two other kids were David Funez and Jason Andino.
“Those kids are program kids that show up every day, and they know they’re not going to start and might not get a ton of playing time, but they still show up every single day, and they give it their effort. That was great to see them on the field. We have the typical list of characters with (Will) Steich, (Fred) Retter, (Josh) Bergstrom and (Kaden) Roesener – all the starters that are seniors, and on Senior Night, to have them have a great game but then also have those other guys get involved was awesome.”
Quakertown (10-0, 7-0 SOL) will be in action in the District One 6A Tournament on Friday. The Panthers were seeded fifth in the latest power rankings that will be finalized this weekend.
“Here’s the deal – one and done,” Banas said. “You lose and you’re going home. You have to win to keep playing. That’s the key.
“Every week this year we’ve celebrated wins through Saturday night, but then we wake up on Sunday, we see who our next opponent is and we only concentrate on them. I think that’s got to still be the mindset in the playoffs.”
Harry S Truman closed out its season with a 3-7 record overall (2-5 SOL).
Harry S Truman 0-6-0-0 6
Quakertown 28-0-7-15 50
SOL American Conference
CHELTENHAM 27, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 12
The Panthers overcame not only a spirited Spartan squad trying to notch a win to keep its slim playoff hopes alive but also the inclement weather.
“But the kids had fun – that’s all that matters,” Cheltenham coach Troy Gore said. “We played a lot of young kids today. Because of the weather, we couldn’t run our regular offense, so I had to play a couple of freshmen on the offensive line. We just had to play power football and run the ball.
“Our defense played well on the back end. Springfield has an awesome quarterback (Ben Cooney) who is really a good runner, and we really had to buckle down and shut him down. We had to play hard-nosed football and drive him off the ball.”
The Panthers’ coach pointed to junior Zahiem ‘Moonie’ Welton-Salahuddin, senior Kamden Wyatt and senior Tyzeem Kinney as catalysts on offense.
“They ran the ball between the tackles, ran downhill, did what we needed them to do,” Gore said.
On the defensive side of the football, senior Matt Hoffman, junior Rasheab Bradsher and junior Naheem Williams were difference makers on the D-line.
“They really made plays when we needed them to make plays,” Gore said. “We just got through the game, got through the rain, tried to run the clock and just play football.”
The Panthers led 13-6 at halftime.
“It was a nail biter in the beginning, but we ran away from them in the fourth quarter – we just wore them down,” Gore said.
Momentum swung firmly in Cheltenham’s favor when Williams recovered a fumble.
“We were able to score right after that, and that changed the momentum,” Gore said.
According to Friday night’s projections by Kyle Berger (@bergerkg), Cheltenham (5-5, 4-1 SOL) will fall somewhere between 12 and 14 in the 16-team District One 5A Tournament. Springfield Township closed out its season with a 6-3 record (3-3 SOL).
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 54, WISSAHICKON 7
(Statistics provided by Ed Morlock/PA Prep Live: https://papreplive.com/2021/10/29/plymouth-whitemarsh-completes-undefeated-sol-american-season-with-win-over-wissahickon/
On a night that limited teams to a ground game, it was pretty much business as usual for the Colonials, who piled up the rushing yards on their way to the mercy rule win.
In the first quarter, Dominic Konieczka scored from five yards out, and then it was quarterback Aiden O’Brien with a nine-yard touchdown run. O’Brien, whose 84 rushing yards led a balanced PW attack, completed his only pass attempt of the night for 16 yards and a touchdown to Konieczka, putting the Colonials on top 20-0 after one quarter.
They added to that lead in the second quarter. O’Brien’s 26-yard touchdown run was followed by a 27-yard touchdown run by Gregory Feinberg. Anthony Iannozzi added his name to the list, scoring on a 29-yard carry and the Colonials took a 47-0 lead into halftime.
Thomas Montemayer’s 57-yard touchdown run in the third quarter closed out the scoring for the Colonials. Wissahickon’s Jeremiah Clark scored on a nine-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to avert the shutout.
According to Kyle Berger (@bergerkg), Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-1, 6-0 SOL) is projected to be the fifth seed in the 16-team District One 5A Tournament.
Wissahickon closed out its season with a 3-7 record (2-4 SOL).
Wissahickon 0-0-0-7 7
Plymouth Whitemarsh 20-27-7-0 54
Non-league
UPPER DARBY 36, UPPER MORELAND 6
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