Check out the results for SOL football teams in action. To view photos of the Quakertown/Pennridge and Upper Dublin/CR North games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Stats used in the wraps are provided courtesy of Calkins Media. For complete high school football coverage, visit the web site www.PhillyBurbs.com<http://www.PhillyBurbs.com>.
It was a night of firsts for SOL teams. While North Penn lost in the opening round of the playoffs for the first time, Quakertown and Upper Dublin picked up their first playoff wins ever.
Pennsbury, Quakertown and Upper Dublin were the only teams to survive the opening round of the District One Quad A playoffs while – in addition to North Penn – Central Bucks South, Council Rock North and Pennridge were eliminated from the tournament.
The Ches-Mont dominated Friday’s opening round with its teams compiling an impressive 4-1 record as Coatesville, Downingtown East, West Chester Henderson and Bayard Rustin all advanced.
#1-1 PENNSBURY 63, #1-15 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 55
The murmurings started on the Falcon sidelines as time was winding down in a marathon second half – word was beginning to spread that Charles Snorweah had rushed for more than 400 yards.
“That’s ridiculous,” junior quarterback Mike Alley said, shaking his head in disbelief.
That might well have been the consensus of just about everyone who had witnessed the senior running back’s brilliant performance. The final jaw-dropping numbers showed Snorweah rushing for 433 yards and seven touchdowns in a record-shattering performance.
“It all started with the blocking,” Snorweah said. “My ‘O’ line did a great job blocking the D-lineman, and our middle linebacker, Luke Snyder, came in and did a great job blocking for me on every single play. My wing back, Raheem Thompson, the recievers – the whole offense did a great job blocking for me. That all comes from them.”
When the dust had settled on a contest that saw the two teams combine for 118 points and over 1,100 yards of total offense, the Falcons had accumulated 546 yards on the ground and 601 yards of total offense
Not bad for a team that was minus a pair of running backs (Daulton Hose and Victor Delgado) due to injuries.
“You know what – we did what we needed to do, and we got the job done,” coach Galen Snyder said. “We decided we were going to feed (Snorweah) the ball. We have a great ‘O’ line. We did a nice job lead blocking for him.
“That’s the way we decided to do it – we had two backs out, so we went with the I-formation.”
The Falcons – who received a lift from Snyder in the backfield – may have had less weapons than they typically do in their usual wing-T, but Snorweah proved to be more than enough. The Rutgers-bound senior would have had even more yards if a 50-yard touchdown run in the first half had not been called back for a penalty.
“He’s going to Rutgers for a reason,” senior offensive lineman Austin O’Neill said of Snorweah. “He’s just an outstanding athlete. There are no words to describe him. He can do anything. He’s really a beast.”
There were early signs that this could be a wild one when – after Raheem Thompson’s 35-yard kickoff return to the 45 – Snorweah took it 55 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead on the Falcons’ first play from scrimmage. That lead was short-lived as the Whippets ran the ensuing kickoff back for a score. It took just 32 seconds for the two teams to put 14 points on the board.
A 66-yard Snorweah touchdown run gave the Falcons a 14-7 lead with 9:49 left in the second quarter, and that lead grew to 21-7 when Alley took it in from the one-yard line. The Whippets cut that lead to 21-14 by halftime, giving indications they would not go down quietly.
They didn’t.
Two more touchdown runs by Snorweah – the second for 64 yards – gave the Falcons a 35-14 lead, but things got interesting when the Whippets – after scoring to make it a 35-21 game – recovered an on-sides kick. They could not capitalize, and when Snorweah scored from 10 yards out for his fifth TD, the Falcons led 42-21 late in the third quarter.
Back-to-back touchdowns by the Whippets made it a 42-35 game with 8:14 left, and the craziness was about to begin. The Falcons answered with back-to-back touchdowns – the sixth and seventh by Snorweah – to go on top 56-41 with 3:52 remaining and a lot more offense still to come.
“We knew they had a very good (offense),” O’Neill said. “We knew we had to come out and score almost every drive we were out there.
“We had to give it our best. We didn’t run the wing-T, so in the I, we have to hold our blocks a little longer. We just had to keep grinding out, grinding out the tough yards.”
With 1:02 left, the Whippets scored to make it a 56-48 game only to watch Rob Daly recover the on-sides kick attempt and race 46 yards for the score to put the Falcons on top 63-48 with 56.4 seconds remaining, which was still time for the Whippets – who were led by the 425-yard passing effort of Tyler McNulty – to add one more TD for the 63-55 final. The two teams combined for 62 points in a wild fourth quarter that featured 20 points in the final 62 seconds.
“That last minute felt like an hour,” O’Neill said.
The game lasted close to three hours, and for fans who favor offense, it was a classic.
“I knew it was going to be a good game,” Snorweah said. “They came out physical. I told the boys – every game in the playoffs is going to be a heated game, no matter what your seed is.
“We want this flow going to the district title. We want to take it game by game. We don’t keep looking forward – we want to take it game by game.”
“This is huge for us,” O’Neill said. “Senior year – we obviously all want to get it done. We have big dreams for this season.”
And then O’Neill paused.
“It’s a shame,” he said. “I really wanted to play North Penn again.”
The Falcons (10-1, 6-1 SOL) won’t have a chance to avenge their only loss of the season to the Knights, but they will have a chance to play for a bigger prize. Next week they will host seventh-seeded Garnet Valley in a second round game, one of three SOL teams still alive in the hunt for a district crown.
Downingtown West 7-7-7-34 55
Pennsbury 7-14-21-28 63
#1-4 QUAKERTOWN 14, #13 PENNRIDGE 10
(Click on the following link for Scott Huff’s game story and stats: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/article/content/quakertown-edges-pennridge-historic-win-0048525)
The Panthers made history when they earned their first ever playoff win. Alec Vera had a pair of touchdown passes to lead the Panthers, the first to Kyle Baskins (10 yards) and the second for the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter to Tyler Kishbaugh (20 yards). A Kishbaugh interception preserved the win.
Pennridge senior Joe Unangst had a game-high 231 yards rushing in a contest that saw the Rams (7-4, 4-3 SOL) hold a 354-235 in totals yards.
Quakertown (10-1, 6-1) will host fifth-seeded Downingtown East in a second round game next Friday. The Cougars used a last-second field goal to eke out a 27-24 win over Perkiomen Valley.
Pennridge 0-0-0-10 10
Quakertown 0-7-0-7 14
1-6 UPPER DUBLIN 48, #1-11 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 14
(Click on the following link to read Ben Reese’s complete game story and stats: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/article/content/upper-dublin-earns-historic-win-over-rock-north-0048524)
Upper Dublin put its name in the history books, notching the program’s first district win. The Cards, who accumulated more than 400 yards of total offense, were led by performances of Kaleif Lee (136 yards, four touchdowns) and John Lee (169 yards).
The Flying Cardinals led 14-0 at the end of one quarter and stretched that lead to 28-0 by halftime. It was a 35-0 game before the Indians got on the scoreboard on a Brandon McIlwain run. The Cards’ defense limited McIlwain to just 132 yards passing and 12 net yards on the ground. Chris Welde led the Indians with 97 yards on the ground.
Upper Dublin (10-1, 7-0 SOL) will travel to Bayard Rustin for a second round game next week while the Indians closed out their season with a 6-5 mark overall (4-3 SOL).
Council Rock North 0-0-8-6 14
Upper Dublin 14-14-13-7 48
#1-8 WEST CHESTER HENDERSON 40, #1-9 NORTH PENN 13
For just over one half, it was anyone’s game.
The Knights actually led 7-6 after Nyfease West’s five-yard touchdown run, but a Whippet touchdown just before halftime gave Downingtown West a 13-6 lead at the intermission. The Knights rallied to knot the score when quarterback Spencer Jones scored from one yard out early in the third quarter, and it looked as though the two teams might spend the rest of the game exchanging touchdowns.
That didn’t happen.
Things went downhill in a hurry after the Knights knotted the score as the Whippets reeled off 27 unanswered points – which included three touchdowns in less than six minutes. The Knights were never heard from again.
The Knights, who were without quarterback Jake Bevan (concussion), closed out the year with a 7-4 record. They were 6-1 in SOL National Conference play and won a share of the conference title with Pennsbury. West Chester Henderson will travel to Coatesville for a second round game against the top-seeded Red Raiders.
North Penn 0-7-6-0 13
West Chester Henderson 6-7-14-13 40
#1-7 GARNET VALLEY 35, #1-10 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 15
The Jaguars took early control of Friday’s district game, scoring a pair of touchdowns to go on top 14-0 at the end of one quarter. A one-yard touchdown run by Josh Adams made it a 14-7 game, but Garnet Valley answered with a touchdown to go on top 21-7. The Jaguars took that lead into halftime and all but sealed the Titans’ fate with a time-consuming scoring drive to open the second half, taking a three-touchdown lead. By the end of the third quarter, the Jaguars led 35-7 before the Titans scored a late TD.
While Garnet Valley will travel to Pennsbury for a second round game, Central Bucks South closed out the year with a 7-4 record overall. The Titans were 5-2 in National Conference play.
Central Bucks South 0-7-0-8 15
Garnet Valley 14-7-14-0 35
UPPER MERION 27, BENSALEM 13
The Owls, who limited the Vikings to just 26 yards of total offense in the opening half, took an early lead when quarterback Kenny O’Connell found Albert Moore with a 20-yard TD pass. Upper Merion’s Kori Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 84 yards to knot the score. The Vikings capitalized on an Isaiah Graham-Mobley interception to score the go ahead touchdown when Isaiah Alicea took it in from five yards out to give the Vikings a 13-7 halftime lead.
The Owls knotted the score when Devante Porter returned a fumble for a touchdown. The rest of the game belonged to the Vikings, who took a lead they would not lose when Smith took it in from 20 yards out. In the fourth quarter, Nick Monastero returned an interception for a touchdown and the 27-13 final.
The Vikings closed out the season 2-9 overall (1-6 SOL) while the Owls are 0-11 overall (0-7 SOL).
Bensalem 7-6-0-0 13
Upper Merion7-0-13-7 27
CHELTENHAM 28, HARRY S TRUMAN 27
With 32 seconds remaining, Trysten Hunt took it in from one yard out to make it a 28-27 game. The Tigers elected to go for the win, and when their two-point conversion attempt failed, the Panthers had earned the win.
The two teams exchanged touchdowns in the opening half with Hunt giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead in the second quarter when he took it in from 56 yards out for the score. Greg Morris answered with a 62-run for the Panthers. Antonio Mumford scored on a 45-yard run to give the Panthers a 14-7 lead, but Mark Lopez-Shefcyk found Hunt with a 30-yard touchdown pass to knot the score.
That pattern continued with Mumford’s 22-yard TD run giving the Panthers a 21-7 lead only to watch Lopez-Shefcyk take it in from eight yards out and the tie. Mumford scored on a one-yard plunge to give the Panthers a 28-21 lead, setting the stage for one last Truman comeback attempt.
Lopez-Shefcyk led the Tigers with 133 rushing yards while Hunt had 99. Morris led the Panthers with 110 yards while quarterback Brandon Mack, who was 10-for-117, had 117 yards passing.
Both teams are 6-5 overall, and both closed out league play with 4-3 records.
Harry S Truman 0-7-7-13 27
Cheltenham 0-7-14-7 28
WEST CHESTER EAST 14, HATBORO-HORSHAM 7
The Hatters had a chance to break a scoreless halftime tie after a pair of Viking turnovers in the third quarter, but they could not capitalize. West Chester East capitalized on a blocked punt to get on the scoreboard in the third quarter. A Viking fumble set up the Hatters’ only score of the game when Joe Albano took it in from 15 yards out. West Chester East took a lead on a 67-yard run by quarterback Jon Jon Roberts.
The Hatters saw their record drop to 3-8 overall (3-4 SOL).
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