Check out the results for SOL football teams in action Friday night. Please check back for photos of the Souderton/Pennridge and Upper Dublin/Hatboro-Horsham games. CB South/Pennsbury photo provided courtesy of Lisa Henderson. The Neshaminy/North Penn photo provided courtesy of Jesse Garber. To view photos of the Neshaminy/NP game, please click on the following link: http://JSGarber.zenfolio.com/p461423327
Stats used in the wraps are provided courtesy of Calkins Media. For complete high school football coverage, visit the web sites: http://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school/and http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/.
National Conference
PENNRIDGE 14, SOUDERTON 8
Jeff Hollenbach is undoubtedly tired of answering the all-too-familiar question about his squad’s slow starts, but he fielded it again on Friday night when – for the third time in as many games – his team struggled in the opening half.
“I can’t explain why we’re starting so poorly the first half,” the Rams’ coach said. “We’re just not playing the way we should in the first half. The other side of the story is I’m really proud of our play in the second half.”
The Rams – with their backs against the wall if they entertain hopes of a postseason berth – did not score a point in the first half, but their defense kept them in the game. The Rams’ defense not only delivered a goal line stand on fourth-and-goal with the ball on the three-yard line – stopping Blake Gular just inches from the goal line – but also limited the Indians to only a pair of Nate Verso field goals.
Trailing by just a 6-0 score despite their offensive woes, the Rams – according to Hollenbach – made a few adjustments and may have received some inspiration from their senior quarterback.
“DaVon (Balmer) did a great job at halftime – just challenged all the kids and said, ‘This is the time to step up, this is it,’” Hollenbach said of his senior quarterback. “I think they really responded. Coaches talked too, but DaVon did a great job.”
“It’s been the same thing the past three weeks really,” Balmer said. “I’m just asking the team – ‘Hey, who wants to make playoffs?’ I’m asking the seniors – ‘Who wants to make playoffs?’
“Everyone raised their hands, and I said, ‘Okay, we have to pick it up. We have to come out firing on both sides of the ball and dominate the second half.’ That’s what we did luckily the last two weeks.”
The Rams didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard in the second half, but they did come up with enough big plays to earn the win.
The Rams, who trailed 8-0 after an intentional grounding call in the end zone, showed their first signs of life on offense when Randy Cuthbert took a reverse 53 yards for a touchdown that made it an 8-6 game.
“He’s an outstanding athlete, and we had that set up – it’s the only time we ran it all year, so Souderton had no clue it was coming,” Hollenbach said. “I’d hoped it was the right situation to run. We did just make a partial block.
“Souderton’s kid in the backfield almost made a play, but I thought when Ryan got past him he had a chance to score because he’s such a threat in the open field.”
Midway through the final quarter, Balmer connected with Dan Hockman for a big gain and then –after an option fake – took it 39 yards to the one-yard line .
“He has outstanding feet,” Hollenbach said of his quarterback. “Maybe not the fastest kid on the field, but he can make people miss.
“That little option fake he made back there – he just set the guy up, and he took off. That’s not the first time he’s done that.”
Juden Desrosiers took it in for the touchdown. The two-point conversion put the Rams on top 14-8.
“Coach called a design play to the right on the option,” Balmer said. “Their outside backer is a heck of a player, and he was really shutting us down the first half, all night really, and he kind of bit on the fake to my boy Dan Hockman.
“I saw a crease, and my linemen made really good blocks, and I just went with it. In the first half, the two picks I had – you have to have a short memory. You have to forget all the mistakes you had and make sure you come out firing the next chance you get.”
The Indians’ fate was sealed when – with 1:46 remaining – Hockman came up with an interception.
“Danny is a football player,” Hollenbach said. “When he caught that ball, I thought, there’s our football player.’ Not that these other guys aren’t, but he’s a gamer, like DaVon’s a gamer. When the game’s on the line, these guys are ready to play. They’re seniors that really care deeply about the team and how they’re performing, and it showed up on the field.”
With one league game remaining on their schedule, the Rams keep their district playoff hopes alive.
“That’s definitely really big, especially for me not being able to participate in playoffs last year,” Balmer said. “I’m really excited, and if we get that chance, we have to make sure we come out the first half.
“When it comes to playoffs, you have to be a four-quarter team, and right now, we’re a two-quarter team. We’re trying to get to four quarters.”
Pennridge (6-3, 4-2 SOL) will close out the regular season at Bensalem next Friday, and Souderton (4-5, 2-4) will host Central Bucks South.
Pennridge 0-0-6-8 14
Souderton 3-3-2-0 8
NORTH PENN 22, NESHAMINY 17
In a game that kept fans on the edge of their seats, the Knights – a week removed from a 27-20 win over Pennsbury – found themselves staring at a 17-16 deficit after Will Dogba’s 10-yard touchdown run with 3:47 remaining in regulation.
They responded with an impressive 71-yard touchdown drive of their own and then made one last defensive stand to earn the hard fought win.
The game-winning drive included a clutch fourth-and-four conversion that saw quarterback Reece Udinski finding tight end Keith Earle for four-and-a-half yards. The big play of the drive was a strike from Udinski to Jake Hubler, taking the Knights to the Redskins’ three, but a dead ball foul on the Knights took the ball back to the 17. A Justin Ostopowicz run set up a first-and-goal, and Nyfease West took it in from the three for a 22-17 lead. It was his third TD of the night.
The Redskins didn’t go down quietly. Mason Jones found Zach Tredway for a 25-yard gain, and the ‘Skins benefitted from a defensive pass interference call against the Knights. They took the ball to the Knights’ 25, but the threat ended when – on fourth down – West capped a stellar outing by knocking away a pass in the end zone.
While West ran for 103 yards, Udinski threw for 217. Jones finished with 107 yards in the air, and Dogba ran for 100 to lead the Redskins.
North Penn (7-2, 6-0 SOL) will host Abington in next Friday’s regular season finale while Neshaminy (6-3, 4-2) will face archrival Pennsbury at Heartbreak Ridge.
Neshaminy 3-0-0-14 17
North Penn 0-10-0-12 22
ABINGTON 36, BENSALEM 35
The Ghosts won a thriller, delivering a defensive stop on a two-point conversion that would have won it for the Owls and escaping with their first win of the season.
The two squads exchanged first quarter TDs with Matt Hafer scoring on a two-yard run for the Owls, and Abington’s Kyle Pitts returning a fumble 55 yards for a touchdown. The Ghosts led 7-6 after one quarter but trailed by one at halftime (22-21).
Abington took a 28-22 lead into the fourth quarter. The only points of the third quarter came when Darryl Davis-McNeil punched it in from one yard out. It was his second TD of the night. Once again, Bensalem had an answer – this time Zach Prescott ran it in from seven yards out to put the Owls on top 29-28.
But not for long.
Pitts – who had three touchdowns – hauled in a nine-yard touchdown pass from Dave Kretschman, and when Kretschman made good on the two-point conversion, Abington led 36-29. Ken O’Connell’s three-yard touchdown run made it a one-point game, but that’s as close as the Owls would get.
Abington (1-8, 1-5 SOL) will travel to North Penn next Friday, and Bensalem (0-9, 0-6) will host Pennridge.
Bensalem 6-16-0-13 35
Abington 7-14-7-8 36
PENNSBURY 27, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 9
Mike Alley did it all for the Falcons, rushing for a pair of touchdowns and throwing for two more in a superb 
outing. The senior quarterback finished with a game-high 178 yards on the ground, and it was his two touchdown passes in the second quarter that erased a 3-0 Titan lead.
In the pivotal second quarter, Alley connected with both Vinnie Ratamess and Rob Daly, tossing TD passes of 24 and 25 yards, respectively, to send the Falcons into halftime with a 14-3 lead. Alley’s 39-yard touchdown run in the third quarter put the Falcons on top 20-3.
The Titans broke the Falcon’s 20-0 run with a fourth quarter touchdown when Sam Thompson found Stephen Iannuzi with a seven-yard touchdown pass, but Alley answered with yet another TD run – this one for 52 yards – for the 27-9 final.
Pennsbury’s Chris Rupprecht rushed for 102 yards.
Pennsbury (8-1, 5-1 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy for its regular season finale next Friday. Central Bucks South (3-6, 2-4) will host Souderton in its season finale Friday.
Pennsbury 0-14-6-7 27
Central Bucks South 0-3-0-6 9
Continental Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 41, QUAKERTOWN 31
(For a complete game story and stats, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/article/content/cr-north-stuns-undefeated-quakertown-0057298)
HARRY S TRUMAN 53, WILLIAM TENNENT 20
The Tigers picked up their first league win, and they did it in convincing fashion, roaring out of the gate to a 26-0 lead after one quarter and extending that to 40-0 before the stunned Panthers got on the scoreboard.
Quarterback Jorden Freeman returned to the lineup and completed 5-of-5 passes for 116 yards and a TD. He also ran for three touchdowns. The Tigers led 40-0 when Freeman found Justin Fant for a 53-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.
Truman held Tennent to less than 200 yards of total offense.
Truman (3-6, 1-5 SOL) will close out conference play at Norristown next Saturday. Tennent (4-5, 1-5) will travel to Central Bucks West next Friday for its season finale.
William Tennent 0-6-6-8 20
Harry S Truman 26-14-7-6 53
American Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 31, HATBORO-HORSHAM 10
The Flying Cardinals clinched sole possession of their second straight SOL American Conference title, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to turn a 3-3 tie into a 24-3 lead.
The two teams exchanged field goals in the opening quarter with Todd Spirt putting the Cardinals on the board with a 36-yard field goal only to watch Jim Kim answered with a 30-yard field goal for the Hatters.
The Cardinals went on top 9-3 after Ryan Stover found Michael Sowers for a 17-yard touchdown strike (the PAT kick was block). Kaleif Lee’s seven-yard touchdown run and the two-point conversion from Stover to Jack Rapine put the Cardinals on top 17-3. When Lee punched it in from one yard out, the Cardinals led 24-3.
That lead stood until the fourth quarter when the two teams exchanged touchdowns. James Lampmann hauled in an 11-yard TD pass from Stover, and Hatboro-Horsham quarterback Casey Walsh found Kingsley Nworu with an 8-yard touchdown pass for the 31-10 final.
Upper Dublin (9-0, 6-0 SOL) will travel to Upper Merion for its regular season finale next Friday. Hatboro-Horsham (4-5, 4-2) will host Cheltenham.
Hatboro-Horsham 3-0-0-7 10
Upper Dublin 3-21-0-7 31
UPPER MORELAND 62, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 14
The Golden Bears accumulated close to 500 yards of total offense on a night that saw eight different players contribute touchdowns. Rodney Morgan led a multi-pronged UM attack with 191 yards, and Nick DeLucas finished with 99 yards. Quarterback Casey Decker ran for a pair of TDs and threw for two more, and Tyler Smith turned a fumble recovery into a touchdown.
Springfield got on the scoreboard in the game’s opening minutes when Brett Righter took it in from 17 yards out, and it was a 14-14 game early in the second quarter. When DeLucas hauled in a touchdown pass from Decker, the Golden Bears had a lead they would not lose. By halftime, they led 28-14 and upped that lead to 49-14 on their way to the lopsided win.
Upper Moreland (7-2, 4-2 SOL) will travel to Wissahickon next Friday for its SOL finale while Springfield (3-5, 2-4) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Upper Moreland 14-14-21-13 62
Springfield 7-7-0-0 14
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 35, CHELTENHAM 14
The Colonials took a 21-0 lead into halftime and upped their advantage to 28-0 early in the third quarter before the Panthers got on the scoreboard with a pair of third quarter scores.
A pair of PW runners – Nyfeese Nasir and Christian Jones – surpassed the 100 yard-mark rushing.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (7-2, 4-2 SOL) will host Springfield next Friday, and Cheltenham (4-5, 3-3) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7-14-14-0 35
Cheltenham 0-0-14-0 14
UPPER MERION 18, WISSAHICKON 6
The Vikings picked up their first league win of the season, rallying from a 6-2 halftime deficit with a pair of third quarter scores. The go-ahead touchdown came after the Vikings recovered a fumble, and Marc Picarelli took it in from three yards out.
Upper Merion (3-6, 1-5 SOL) will host Upper Dublin next Friday, and Wissahickon (1-8, 0-6) will host Upper Moreland.
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