Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. CB East/North Penn photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. CB West/Neshaminy photos courtesy of Kim Supko, and Souderton Warwick photos provided courtesy of Geanine Jamison. Upper Dublin/CR South photos courtesy of Michael Rice/Keith Clemens Photography. 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
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 42, NORTH PENN 35
(Stats courtesy of Mike Cabrey/PA Prep Live: https://papreplive.com/2022/10/08/shine-runs-for-287-yards-and-4-tds-central-bucks-east-earns-1st-win-over-north-penn-since-2001/)
1996 or 2001.
Both were mentioned as the last time Central Bucks East defeated North Penn on the gridiron. In truth, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that the Patriots won, and it was a huge win by any standard. 
“It’s been a long time coming,” East coach John Donnelly said. “I’m just so proud of our players’ grit and mettle. They made history tonight. There was so much riding on the game.
“It was a big bounce-back game after a tough slugfest last week against Pennsbury (a 35-22 loss).”
Ethan Shine once again played a starring role for the Patriots. His interception at midfield in the game’s closing seconds sealed the Knights’ fate, but there were more than a few anxious moments in the final minutes after the Knights pulled to within seven (42-35) when Dave Dawes scored with 2:09 remaining in regulation.
“We were trying to salt the game away at the end, they’re calling timeouts – situation stuff we practice all the time,” Donnelly said. “Ethan (Shine) had broken into the open, and we didn’t want to give them the ball back, so he got down instead of scoring a touchdown.
“They had a few timeouts, they punched the ball out, so they got possession, and a few plays later, Ethan Shine sealed the game with an interception.”
Shine’s interception was just one big play in a game filled with big plays. The Patriots’ senior running back had 40 carries for 287 yards and four touchdowns, ensuring that the Patriots would win the battle for time of possession.
“Their offense is super potent, and what we knew is that we were really going to slow the game down and chew up clock, which we did,” Donnelly said. “We scored on every possession in the first half and the first possession of the second half, and they
matched us.”
There were early signs this was going to be a wild one. Shine gave the Patriots a 6-0 lead when he scored on a 15-yard run only to watch NP quarterback Ryan Zeltt connect with Yazeed Haynes for a 30-yard touchdown that put the Knights on top 7-6. With 48 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Tommy Day scored on a 33-yard touchdown run, and Shine’s successful run on the two-point conversion gave the Patriots a 14-7 lead after one.
Senior quarterback Pat Keller connected with Matt LaBouliere, who raced 83 yards for a touchdown and a 21-7 East lead. A 24-yard touchdown run by Dawes made it a 21-14 game, but Shine scored from nine yards out, and the Patriots led 28-14 heading into halftime.
The Knights scored on their opening drive of the third quarter – again, it was Dawes scoring, this time from six yards out to pull the Knights within seven, 28-21. The Patriots answered, and Shine capped off the drive with a one-yard TD to up the Patriots’ lead to 35-21.
The Patriots came up empty on a field goal attempt to stretch their lead, and the Knights seized the opportunity with Zeltt connecting with Bobby Hill for an eight -yard touchdown that made it a 35-28 game early in the fourth quarter. A 23-yard Shine touchdown run gave the Patriots a 42-28 lead with 2:55 remaining, but the game was far from over.
There was plenty of praise to go around after Friday’s win, and Donnelly mentioned several players who made major contributions.
“Pat Keller didn’t play last week, and he was back,” the East coach said of his senior quarterback. “He didn’t throw much tonight,
but he threw a touchdown pass, and he was 4-for-4 or 5-for-5.
“Sean Connor was just lights out on both sides of the ball. Ethan Shine again – he ran with authority, and he’s tough to deal with.”
For the Patriots, it was quite a bounce-back win after their loss to Pennsbury knocked them from the ranks of the undefeated.
“Our kids are pretty resilient,” Donnelly said. “They were in a good mindset after the Pennsbury game. Nobody was appreciative of losing, but we made a few mistakes. We turned the ball over twice, and they won the takeaway battle, and that’s what cost us in that game. Other than that, it was a real good football game.
“Our guys did not hang their heads. They came back, had a great week of practice. We’re 6-1. It’s a great place to be, and look, we beat North Penn for the first time since 1996.”
Central Bucks East (6-1, 3-1 SOL) – fourth in the latest District One 6A power rankings – will host Abington Friday, and North Penn (3-4, 2-2) will host Pennsbury on Friday. The Knights, ranked 14th entering the game, fell to 16th after Friday’s loss.
North Penn 7-7-7-14 35
Central Bucks East 14-14-7-7 42
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 22, NESHAMINY 0
A word of warning to future opponents of Central Bucks West – don’t underestimate the Bucks’ passing game. Quarterback Ganz Cooper threw just five passes, but he certainly made the most of them, connecting on four for 142 yards and three touchdowns – all to junior speedster Conor McFadden and all in a first half that saw the Bucks take control of the game.
“At the end of the day, what we did tonight is all part of our offense,” West coach Rob Rowan said. “It’s just a matter of being able to make adjustments on a week-to-week basis.
“Those guys have been playing together since fifth grade, and it’s pretty clear when you watch them. They have a pretty good presence about where Conor’s going to be and what he’s going to do on certain routes. Ganz has really elevated his game recently, and I think he’s starting to make really good decisions. He’s throwing with confidence, and it’s nice when you’re throwing to an elite athlete like Conor.”
The fun started early for the duo as Ganz and McFadden connected for a 23-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead midway through the opening quarter. The second of three touchdown passes – this one from nine yards out – put the Bucks on top 14-0, and the third was an 80-yard hookup that – after Eli Boehm’s successful run on the two-point conversion – sent the Bucks into halftime with a 22-0 lead.
All but lost in the shuffle of the duo’s dazzling first half was a critical fumble by the Redskins – who were driving – after a bad snap. The Bucks turned that turnover into their third touchdown, but listening to Rowan tell it, the biggest play of the night may have occurred
several plays before his team’s fumble recovery.
“Three plays before that – (Markus) Barnett broke a long run on a bad call by me, and I told our team that,” Rowan said. “I said, ‘I own that, that was a bad call.’
“They broke a long run, and Conor (McFadden) saved me because he hawked him down from the other side of the field and knocked him out of bounds at the two-yard line. We ended up getting a stop and a stop, so now it’s third and goal from the five, and they fumbled the snap and we recovered it. At the time it was 14-0, and if they punch it in, it’s 14-7, and the outlook is a lot different there.
“That play only happened because Conor – max effort – hawked him down, knocked him out at the two-yard line, and now we were fighting to live another play. It was just a tremendous, tremendous effort play from him. He has elite speed, but it’s an effort and it’s a choice. We always talk about – you never know what play is going to swing the momentum of the game, which is why you need to commit to each play. For him to do that, it just embodies who we want to be as a program.”
The Bucks’ defense came up big with stops on back-to-back plays after McFadden’s big play, but it was the kind of effort they gave all night in the shutout win.
“At every level of the defense – I thought up front at times played really well, specifically penetrating in the run game and getting after the quarterback in certain spots,” Rowan said. “I thought the linebackers played really well, just doing what we’re asking them to do – to close windows, and our secondary again –I don’t know what the stats are. They threw the ball a little more than maybe I anticipated. I thought at every level of our defense we played really sound, we played really aggressive. That was really a total team effort.”
Also for the Bucks, Eli Boehm finished the night with 96 yards on 21 carries.
“We’re always going to take what the defense is giving us,” Rowan said. “He’s our guy. He’s our back, and he’s the guy we love and value and trust immensely, so we’re willing to put the ball in his hands in any situation. We have three guaranteed games left. I have no doubt that he’ll continue to come up in big spots.”
For the Redskins, Colin Baker threw for 221 yards with Travis Lavelah hauling in nine passes for 102 yards.
Central Bucks West (4-3, 3-1 SOL) – 10th in the latest District One 6A power rankings – will host Pennridge on Friday, and Neshaminy (4-3, 2-2) will host Central Bucks South Friday. The Redskins are ranked 15th in the district power rankings.
Neshaminy 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks West 7-15-0-0 22
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 34, ABINGTON 19
The Titans notched their first conference win of the season, but it wasn’t easy. They trailed 19-7 at halftime but found their rhythm in the second half, outscoring the Ghosts 27-0.
“We knew once we got into the National Conference – everybody had guys coming back,” South coach Tom Hetrick said. “These last three weeks – (Central Bucks) East, Pennsbury and North Penn – it was like, ‘Man oh man, we’ve got to play our ‘A’ game,’ and we just haven’t. We haven’t played terrible. We made too many mistakes and just haven’t played our best.
“I kept believing in them, and I just wanted them to believe in themselves. We came out tonight, and Abington opened the game by taking the opening kickoff to the house, and I’m like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’”
Ayden Turner returned the opening kickoff 56 yards for the TD, and then it was three-and-out for the Titans on their first series. Midway through the first quarter, the Titans found themselves staring at a 12-0 deficit after Jaime Rivera took it 30 yards to the house. The Titans put a touchdown on the board late in the first quarter when Brett Szarko connected with Tommy Donnell for a five-yard score, but the Ghosts answered with Michael Moynihan connecting with Josh Young for a 22 yard-touchdown, and the Titans still trailed 19-7 at halftime. The second half – that was another story.
“We literally made no adjustments,” Hetrick said. “It was just a matter of the kids deciding – ‘We’ve got to go out and do this,’ and they did. We lit it up in the second half.”
The Titans scored on their first drive of the second half, a 65-yard drive that was capped when Anthony Leonardi raced 50 yards for a touchdown, but they sill trailed 19-14 heading into the final frame. South took its first lead with 10:07 remaining in the game when Szarko connected with Donnelly for 58 yards and a touchdown. Jack Carver’s 29-yard touchdown run with 4:21 remaining put the Titans on top 27-19, and if they needed insurance, the Titans got it when Carver intercepted a pass and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown and the 34-19 final.
Hetrick credited Carver for giving the Titans a huge lift.
“He had an unbelievable fourth quarter,” Hetrick said. “It was a third-and-short, and he popped one for a 45-yard touchdown.
“Three of our running backs are out right now, so we’re on our fourth guy. He hit that big run, and late in the fourth quarter, he had a pick six that sealed the game. We talk all the time – we need guys to make plays. You have to be somebody that wants to make plays, and he made a couple of really big plays for us in the fourth quarter.”
The Titans’ coach went on to laud the efforts of several other players.
“Again, as far as playmakers making plays, Tommy Donnelly had a long touchdown catch, and that was huge – we have momentum,” Hetrick said. “Anthony Leonardi literally has taken no reps at running back all season. We started to get him ready last week because we were down a couple of guys. On his first touch of the season for us in this game, he took it to the house for 50 yards. He definitely added a spark coming out in the second half. That was on the first drive.”
South’s defense limited the Ghosts to just 157 yards total offense while the Titans amassed 327 yards. Szarko finished the game 13-for-19 for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Leonardi’s eight carries for 83 yards and a touchdown led the Titans’ ground game. Carver added 76 yards and a touchdown.
Central Bucks South (4-3, 1-3 SOL) – 12th in the latest District One 6A power rankings – will be on the road at Neshaminy on Friday, and Abington (2-5, 0-4) will travel to Central Bucks East Friday.
Central Bucks South 7-0-7-20 34
Abington 13-6-0-0 19
SOL Continental Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 20, HARRY S TRUMAN 13
September was not the kindest of months for coach John Greiner and his Rock North football team.
The Indians lost all four of their games in September after notching a win in their season opener, but far more difficult to swallow than those losses on the gridiron was the sudden passing of Greiner’s mother early in the month.
“September, quite frankly, has been a very crummy month for me personally and for the players – we went 0-for-September after winning our opening game,” Greiner said. “The players have been my solace. My assistant coaches and the administration at Council Rock North have been wonderful in terms of the support.
“The players work hard for me, and to come into work every day after what has happened has been one of the bright spots in my day. It was a shock, it’s still a shock. My mom was an avid fan of high school football and high school sports in general. My players have pulled me through it, my assistants have pulled me through it and the administration, especially (athletic director) Vanessa (Robtison) have been awesome.”
To say Friday’s win was welcome and much needed would be an understatement.
“It’s about time good things happen,” Greiner said. “For me, it meant everything in the world about persevering and overcoming.
“September has been a rough month for me personally and record-wise for our players. For them to keep on fighting and overcome every obstacle that’s thrown their way, it’s really a tip of the cap to them. They keep coming to practice every day, they keep on working hard. If you would watch them practice, you wouldn’t know that they’re a 1-5 team. They worked their tail off. The record is what the record is, but in terms of the life lesson to keep on working hard and overcoming and no matter what may happen to you – life goes on, and you need to keep on going.”
Gavin Papp had himself quite a night for the Indians, scoring all three of the team’s touchdowns. His first came on a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Julian Matera with 5:25 remaining in the first quarter. His one-yard TD run later in the same quarter put the Indians on top 13-0.
Truman – playing under coach James Freeman after Ben Johnson resigned one day earlier – got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter when Rondell Bradley Jr. scored on a one-yard run. Papp answered with a one-yard TD run midway through the quarter, and Rock North took a 20-7 lead into halftime.
“Gavin had a great game offensively and defensively,” Greiner said. “He led the way rushing-wise. I don’t have his totals in front of me, but he was close to 100 yards or even over it. He helped lead the charge rushing-wise.
“Jules Matera did a great job throwing the ball and staying in the pocket withholding himself in terms of the rush that Truman was putting on him because they bring pressure. Jules did an awesome, awesome job. The offensive line did a great job protecting him as well. Vaughn Vanderslice had a couple key catches, and Will Scibona had a couple of great catches as well. From an offensive perspective, it was a complete team effort against a team that was hungry and came off a victory last week over Bensalem. I have all the respect for their players and their coaches. They were very well prepared given the circumstances.”
Bradley scored his second touchdown of the game from four yards out to make it a 20-13 game with 6:20 remaining in the third quarter. That score held up until the final horn.
Defensively, the Indians forced four Bensalem turnovers.
“Our defense also stepped up,” Greiner said. “Avi Patel had an interception, Jack Paessler had an interception, James Paessler had an interception, and Sammy Goddard had a fumble recovery that stymied one of their first-half drives.
“We did a nice job of containing them from a special teams standpoint as well.”
Council Rock North (2-5, 1-3 SOL) will host Quakertown on Friday.
“We’ve flipped the page on September, we’re into October,” Greiner said. “We have three games left. Hopefully, they go the positive way.”
Harry S Truman (2-5, 1-3) will host Upper Dublin Friday.
Council Rock North 13-7-0-0 20
Harry S Truman 0-7-6-0 13
UPPER DUBLIN 16, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
(Stats courtesy of Ed Morlock/PAPrepLive: https://papreplive.com/2022/10/07/upper-dublins-defense-dominates-in-win-over-cr-south/)
The Flying Cardinals have made scoring points look easy, averaging 37.5 points a game heading into Friday’s game against Council Rock South. The lowest offensive output for Pennsylvania’s top-ranked 5A team prior to Friday’s game was 32 points in their win over North Penn.
In Friday’s division game against the visiting Golden Hawks, the Cardinals scored just half of that and had less than 200 yards total offense but still won by double-digits to remain undefeated after seven games.
“They have a really good linebacking corps,” UD coach Bret Stover said of Rock South. “Honestly, it was a good plan by (coach) CJ (Szydlik), and it gave us some fits. We knew what they were doing, but we didn’t do a good enough job adjusting.”
If its offense didn’t get untracked, Upper Dublin’s defense certainly did, allowing just 49 yards of total offense. The Golden Hawks had 32 carries for just 31 rushing yards.
“Defensively, our front four was unbelievable,” Stover said of Riley Hackett, Kyree Butler, Shyne Roberts and Nyles Bunn-McNeill. “I don’t know the exact number of sacks, but it might be double digits. The four of them played lights out, and our secondary did a great job.”
The UD coach also lauded the play of his secondary that included DJ Cerisier, Chris Kohlbrenner, Dominick Paone and Quincy Pauling.
“Our defensive plan was solid,” Stover said. “We really were never not in control of the game.”
The Cardinals got on the scoreboard midway through the first quarter when Colin O’Sullivan connected with Griffin Pensabene for a four-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Shyne Roberts took it to the house from 38 yards out, and the Cardinals led 14-0 late in the second quarter.
A late safety in the fourth quarter gave the Cardinals their final margin of victory.
“We were working on some things offensively – maybe it was my fault for starting it too early in the process,” Stover said. “There are some things we need to find out about ourselves. And we were working on our depth tonight, so we had some inexperienced people out there.
“It seemed like offensively we’d make a play, the next play we’d shoot ourselves in the foot – whether it be a bad snap or penalty or sack. We just couldn’t get into a rhythm tonight, and that’s really a credit to CJ (Szydlik), not our deficiencies. It’s more what they did to us.”
Upper Dublin (7-0, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman on Friday, and Council Rock South (3-4, 1-2) will be on the road at Souderton Friday.
Council Rock South 0-0-0-0 0
Upper Dublin 7-7-0-2 16
QUAKERTOWN 37, BENSALEM 0
The Panthers scored early and often, opening up a 22-0 lead after one quarter on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win. Igniting the Panthers offensively was junior quarterback Vince Miccuci, who threw for 110 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 80 yards and a touchdown.
“He had another really good night running the ball and throwing the ball,” Quakertown coach George Banas said. “I don’t want to say he’s young anymore – we are heading into week eight, so he’s not a rookie quarterback anymore, but he’s playing really well for us, keeping us in games. Extending plays is where it really helps us.”
The scoring began with Miccuci connecting with John Eatherton on a five-yard touchdown pass with 5:23 remaining in the first quarter. Less than three minutes later, Miccuci scored on a 10-yard run, and also ran it in for the successful two-point conversion to give the Panthers a 14-0 lead, and they weren’t finish yet. Eatherton scored on a two-yard run and then took it in for the two-point conversion and a 22-0 lead with 19 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
Eatherton – sidelined with an injury earlier this season – is starting to find his stride and finished with 16 carries for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“I would say he’s maybe 85-90 percent because he still doesn’t have his longevity,” Banas said. “He needs a break here and there, and that’s just not him. He’s typically going every return team, every defensive snap, every offensive snap.”
In the second quarter, Miccuci hooked up with Max Morris for a 12-yard touchdown pass, and Eatherton again took it in for a two-point conversion and a 30-0 Quakertown lead at halftime.
“Max Morris really helped out,” Banas said. “He’s been playing big for us on special teams and offense.”
A five-yard touchdown run by Brett Heilman with 48 seconds remaining in the third put the Panthers on top 37-0 and put the mercy rule into effect. That score stood the rest of the way.
Quakertown was successful on three two-point conversions in Friday’s win.
“We went for two all night except the last touchdown,” Banas said. “Our kicking game was struggling a little bit. Our kickers play soccer too, so we didn’t have our kickers this week to practice. You only have to make one out of two two-point conversions, and it’s just like two PATs. The mathematics say – go for two.”
The Panthers also excelled on the defensive side of the ball, and according to Banas, it was the definition of a team effort.
“They stepped up as a unit,” the Panthers’ coach said. “They really flew to the ball well. A bunch of times (assistant coach) Brad (Mushrush) and I were on the headset, and it’s like, ‘Good, 11 guys to the ball. That’s all we ask for,’ and it happened tonight.
“A lot of times they got out of the first tackle or an arm grab, and we had one, two, three or four guys coming to the ball to wrap him up. The unit as a whole really played well. There wasn’t a standout. It was pretty well balanced between the D-line, the linebackers and even the secondary coming up and making plays. It was a real defensive effort as a team.”
Quakertown (3-4, 2-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North Friday, and Bensalem (2-5, 1-3) will host Upper Darby in a non-league contest.
Quakertown 22-8-7-0 37
Bensalem 0-0-0-0 0
SOL American Conference
CHELTENHAM 30, SPRINGFIELD TWP 2
If the Panthers needed a bounce-back win after falling to Plymouth Whitemarsh 37-6 on Sunday, they got just that.
“That was a life learning lesson that sometimes life is going to hit you hard, sometimes life is going to put you in the corner, sometimes life is going to knock you on your behind, but when that happens, you don’t give up,” Cheltenham coach Troy Gore said. “You say, ‘Let’s go to the next game and redeem, restore, revamp and be resilient. Get our wits back and come back out and get a ‘W.’”
Cheltenham also responded to a slow start in Friday’s game that the saw the Spartans – after an early safety as the result of a bad snap – hold a 2-0 lead until midway through the second quarter.
“We faced a little adversity at the beginning of the game,” Gore said. “Once we got it rolling and got it going, we were able to bounce back and put up some points, and that was the main thing – just being resilient, facing the little adversity we had and coming out of it with a win.”
Tre McLeod put the Panthers on the scoreboard, thanks to a 16-yard touchdown run. With time winding down in the half, quarterback Jonathan Ingram connected with Malachi Wyche for a 10-yard touchdown, and McLeod took it in for the successful two-point conversion and a 15-2 lead at halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Ingram hit Tyrese Alexander-Lee Odom from six yards out to put the Panthers on top 22-2. Ingram delivered his third TD of the game later in the third quarter, this time hooking up with Zahiem Welton for a 25-yard touchdown and a 30-2 lead that turned out to be the final.
“Ingram had a very good night – three touchdown passes, no turnovers,” Gore said. “Ahmad Govens had a huge game on both sides of the ball.”
The Panthers’ defense shared the spotlight, stymying the Spartans’ offense and standout running back Dylan McKenzie.
“We felt if we could neutralize (McKenzie) we could neutralize the whole offense,” Gore said. “We prepared to stop that kid. He’s a great player. We found a way to box him in, keep him contained, keep him from getting outside and just constantly laying hits on him. I think it wore him down a little bit, but he’s a good kid. He fought to the end. He really battled. We were keying on him, and it worked for us.”
Cheltenham (4-3, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland Friday, and Springfield Twp (4-2, 1-1) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 57, WILLIAM TENNENT 7
There wasn’t a whole lot not to like about the Colonials’ dominant performance in their win over the Panthers.
“We were able to distribute the ball around tonight efficiently run and pass-wise,” PW coach Dan Chang said. “Aiden O’Brien threw the ball well, our offensive line protected well.
“I don’t know how many times we threw it, but we were able to move the ball through the air, and we were able to run the ball a little bit, so I was pretty happy with our balance tonight.”
By halftime, the Colonials led 49-0, and there was never a doubt about the outcome in this one.
“Our goal every game is to come out and play our game,” Chang said. “It doesn’t matter who’s on the other side. We want to execute, move at a tempo we’d like to and play good defense, and that’s what we were able to accomplish tonight.
“It started with (quarterback) Aiden (O’Brien). He ran the ball well, he threw the ball well. He threw the ball a couple of times to Nazye Boggs, who made some nice plays.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-2, 2-0 SOL) will host Springfield Township Friday, and William Tennent (1-5, 0-2) will travel to Wissahickon on Friday.
UPPER MORELAND 42, WISSAHICKON 14
(Stats provided courtesy of Andrew Robinson/PAPrepLive: https://papreplive.com/2022/10/08/upper-morelands-broderick-eyes-strong-finish-wissahickons-mclean-eyes-new-beginning/ )
The Golden Bears have made a habit of putting teams away early and coasting to the finish line. That wasn’t the case on Friday night. The Trojans refused to go away, and it was a one-touchdown game late in the third quarter, but the Golden Bears were unfazed, closing out the game with 21 straight points to win going away.
“To be honest, it was good for us,” UM coach Adam Beach said of the Trojans making it a 21-14 game. “We haven’t faced adversity the past few games. We’ve been able to assert our will on our opponents
“Give Wissahickon credit. They came out – they had a nice game plan. They got it to one score, and it was good to see our kids respond. It forced us to play a full 48 minutes, which is good for us because we haven’t done that in a while.”
UM got on the board midway through the first quarter when Shawn Herbert hit Stephen Broderick with a 30-yard pass for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Wissahickon’s Jaden McLean’s four-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter made it a 7-6 game. Hassan Johnson scored on an 8-yard touchdown run, and Upper Moreland led 14-6 with 6:38 remaining in the first half. Another Johnson TD run, this one from five yards, sent the Golden Bears into halftime with a 21-6 lead.
McLean – whose 129 rushing yards led the Trojans – scored his second TD of the game, this one on a 27-yard pass from quarterback Julian Parkins to make it a 21-14 game with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. UM got that score back in a hurry when – after a 71-yard kickoff return by Broderick – the senior running back took it in from 16 yards out, and the Golden Bears led 28-14.
Broderick added a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns – one from 42 yards and the other from 17. He finished the game with 179 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.
“He’s the engine that makes our team go – he was able to break some runs and kind of put it away for us at the end,” Beach said of Broderick. “I thought early on we were able to get Hassan Johnson moving a little bit. He did some nice things for us. He played some nice defense for us as well. He’s one of the guys that cramped up a little bit.
“We’ve been getting up on people and putting our young kids in because that’s the right thing to do in my opinion, and it was good for the old guys to get the work and get most of the reps, and you could tell because they started to cramp up at the end almost like they do at camp. I told the kids that was good. We needed that. Every game now is going to be a full game. There’s no more easy win stuff.”
Beach also credited the efforts of several players who won’t find their way into the headlines.
“I think Tahir Harris had a nice game for us, blocking, and he caught a nice pass down the field,” the UM coach said. “Dom Giordano got a chance and had a reception. He hasn’t played a whole lot, and it was good to see him do that. Aidan Casey is a kid who was hurt, and this was his first action of the whole season. He’s a senior, and it was good to see him get out there and mix it up. He felt pretty good at the end, and we were happy to see that.”
Upper Moreland (6-1, 2-0 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Friday, and Wissahickon (0-7, 0-2) will host William Tennent Friday.
Non-league
SOUDERTON 45, WARWICK 24
(Stats courtesy of LancasterOnline: https://lancasteronline.com/sports/highschool/football/warwick-knocks-out-win-against-souderton/article_22260d84-46af-11ed-a09d-1bb661611be6.html
Plenty of offensive firepower was on display for both sides when Warwick travelled to Souderton for a non-league contest.
The Indians – who never punted – rushed for over 300 yards. Quarterback Jared Zimmerman was once again effective behind center, completing 12 of 17 passes for 121 yards and three
touchdowns. Chris Kerns ran for 121 yards and a touchdown.
On the other side of the field, Jake Reed – according to LancasterOnline – was 16-for-23 for 268 yards and three touchdowns.
“Their quarterback was a Class 5A all-state kid last year,” Souderton coach Ed Gallagher said. “He’s a very good football player. He ran pretty well, and he threw the ball really well. We sometimes got pressure, and he got rid of the ball pretty quick. They have some capable receivers.
“All week watching film – I knew we were going to score on them, and as my ‘D’ coordinator said to me, ‘You’ve got to score every time you get the ball, and we pretty much did. They got a couple of things on us, but overall, we got enough stops defensively, and the offense was rolling. The offense was definitely humming tonight and got the job done.”
After Warwick put up a field goal on its first drive, the Indians answered with a touchdown on their first drive of the game when Zimmerman connected with Danny Dyches for the score and a 7-3 lead. Chris Kerns scored from five yards out, and the Indians led 14-3, but Warwick answered with a score early in the second quarter, and it was a 14-10 game.
A sack by Evan Zettle forced a Warwick punt, and the Indians upped their advantage to 17-10 when Ty Quintois split the uprights with a 36-yard field goal with 4:36 remaining in the half.
With time winding down in the half, the Indians were driving. Zimmerman had a pair of completions to Shaun Purvy, and the drive was capped with a Zimmerman to Winday Dawson TD pass that sent the Indians into halftime with a 24-10 lead.
“Early on, we started out kind of like we did last week against Quakertown – with a couple different RPO looks to see how they were covering,” Gallagher said. “We saw on film they weren’t really covering the slot, and they kind of did a couple different things to take away the bubble on the weak side of our RPO.
“We missed a block once or twice on it and misfired once or twice, but then we made a few adjustments and were able to execute that a little bit better. We threw the ball really well. Jared had a really good game again and made some plays.”
Purvy scored from a yard out to give the Indians a 31-10 lead midway through the third quarter, but Reed threw a 14-yard TD strike to make it a 31-17 game. The Indians once again had an answer with Zimmerman hooking up with Dyches for another TD – this catch with
defenders draped all over him. Warwick answered with a TD, but a Logan Wruble touchdown run gave the Indians their final margin of victory.
Gallagher was understandably pleased with his team’s offensive production.
“Jared was probably the best offensive performer overall, but Chris Kerns is always running hard,” the Indians’ coach said. “His leg was bothering him all week, so we got Logan Wruble in, and he scored a long touchdown. Winday (Dawson) got his first touchdown of the year, which I’m happy for after he missed all of last year with a torn ACL. There were a lot of positives. Overall, really solid execution.”
Souderton (6-1, 3-0 SOL) – sixth in the latest District One 6A power rankings – will host Council Rock South on Friday.
Warwick 3-7-7-7 24
Souderton 14-10-14-7 45
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