Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. CB South/PW photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko, CR North/Wissahickon photos courtesy of John Gleeson, Pennridge/Downingtown East photos courtesy of Tracy Valko, and CR South/Tennent photos courtesy of Jon Sklut. All SOS photo galleries for FOOTBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
For additional football cover, visit the Intelligencer (https://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school) and Courier Times (https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/)
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 21, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 6
(Stats courtesy of Ed Morlock/PAPrepLive: https://papreplive.com/football/2022/08/26/cb-south-turns-plymouth-whitemarsh-mistakes-into-touchdowns/ and CB South football.)
The Titans threw some stifling defense at the host Colonials and used some timely offense to open up a 21-0 lead on their way to the impressive win over the defending SOL American Conference champions.
“It was a good start,” South coach Tom Hetrick said. “PW’s offensive system – they are a well-oiled machine. Their quarterback (Aiden O’Brien) is a dynamic player. They have a fullback that’s a very good player.
“I don’t know the numbers, but I think it would be a while since the last time they were held to six points. For us to defend their offense, which is very high powered, I couldn’t be more proud of our defensive players.”
The Colonials managed just 171 yards total offense and did not get on the scoreboard until late. There were heroes galore for the Titans.
“Our whole defensive line played really well – Matt Krysko, Kevin Dingas, Liam Goss had an unbelievable night, and Connor Croft,” Hetrick said. “Those were our four D-linemen, and they just made a lot of plays. Our game plan is to put them in a position to make those plays, and they did exactly what we asked them to do.
“Our linebackers played well. Sean Maskowitz was everywhere doing some very good things. Our outside linebacker, Sebastian Pacchione, did a lot of very good things because that quarterback wants to get out on the edge. That’s where he makes his plays, and we were able to – as a whole – control him for the most part. I couldn’t be more proud of the defensive game plan that our coordinator John Cataldo put together and our kids’ ability to see it through.”
Moskowitz’s eight tackles, which included two tackles for a loss and one sack, led the Titans. Krysko had six, one for a loss.
The Titans broke a scoreless tie early in the second quarter when Brett Szarko connected with Jack Carver for a 27-yard TD pass and a 6-0 lead. Tommy Donnelly hauled in a 26-yard Szarko touchdown pass, and – after a successful two-point conversion – the Titans led 14-0 midway through the second quarter, a lead they took into halftime.
The Titans extended their lead to 21-0 after Liam Goss took it in from 13 yards. O’Brien’s 53-yard TD run put the Colonials on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter.
“It’s always a good way to start the season with them because you know you’re going to get a well-coached team that plays hard, and that was certainly what we got,” Hetrick said.
Szarko paced the Titans’ offense, throwing for 150 yards with Donnelly accounting for 98 receiving yards.
“Tommy Donnelly made a handful of catches and a couple of them in key spots,” the Titans’ coach said. “We had an 11-play drive at the beginning of the fourth quarter that bled a lot of the clock. He had a real clutch catch – a freaky kind of I-can’t-believe-a-high-school-kid-could-do-it kind of a catch.
“Jack Carver did a lot of really good things with the ball and without the ball. I thought Brett Szarko hung in the pocket well. They have some pretty good defensive ends – their one kid was an all-league guy last year. Brett had a lot of poise in the pocket and made some nice throws.
“We have a stable of running backs – Liam Goss ran the ball well, Will Ratcliffe ran the ball hard, Corey Moore late in the game ran the ball hard on that fourth quarter drive. We had a nice drive when we needed to have it because their defensive front is pretty stout. As a whole, it was definitely complimentary football.”
For the Colonials, O’Brien rushed for 115 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries. PW had just 11 passing yards.
Central Bucks South (1-0) will travel to Harry S Truman on Friday for a non-league game, and PW (0-1) will host Methacton in a non-league game.
Central Bucks South 0-14-7-0 21
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-0-0-6 6
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 21, WISSAHICKON 7
The Indians opened up a 21-0 lead on their way to a win that got their season off to a strong start.
“It feels great after putting in all the offseason time and 7-on-7s in the summertime,” Rock North coach John Greiner said. “Also, this group of players took their lumps last year, and we had 17
returning players from last year because we only have five seniors last year, probably the smallest senior group in 6A ever, so a lot of these players got experience last year. They came through tonight.”
The Indians, according to their coach, have changed things up offensively and defensively this year.
“I was most pleased with the response the kids had,” Greiner said. “Also, with all the coaches we’ve put in place, we put Ken Simon and Zach Schram in charge of the defense. From a defensive standpoint, the players adjusted and played with a purpose on defense. Instead of playing a stationary and passive defense, they played more of an attack and an aggressive style defense which led to four turnovers.
“That change in the defensive philosophy in terms of being more aggressive and assertive to the ball contributed to the turnaround of the defense and change of possessions. We were passive and stationary last year – I changed it up and turned the keys over to those gentlemen, and it paid immediate dividends, at least for the first game out.”
Gavin Papp had a fumble recovery and interception, Noah Hoskins had a fumble recovery and Vaughn Vanderslice also had an interception.
The Indians broke a scoreless deadlock when quarterback Julian Matera found Will Scibona for the score in the closing seconds o
f the opening half. Another Matera TD pass – this one to Vanderslice midway through the third quarter – gave the Indians a 14-0 lead. Papp’s 27-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter put the Indians on top 21-0 .
“Offensively, we changed it from a wing-t style offense to a more spread power running game, which led to two touchdown passes and Gavin (Papp) scoring a rushing touchdown,” Greiner said. “(Offensive coaches) Mason Jones, Ray Jones and Shane Oros spearheaded the offense.”
The Trojans’ got on the scoreboard when Aidan Wescott turned a pass from quarterback Julian Perkins into a 70-yard touchdown reception, but that’s as close as they would get as the Indians notched the big win.
“We’ll hit the weight room tomorrow, start game planning for Abington next week,” Greiner said. “But they deserve a taste of victory.
“Rory (Graver) did a great job with Wissahickon in terms of preparing them. They had speed, they had size, and they were well prepared, so I give credit to Wissahickon. They played very well from start to finish as well.”
In addition to doling out praise to Simon and Schram, Greiner also credited defensive coaches Joe Brown and Zach Flaherty.
“Special teams guru coach Steve Bostancic was flawless tonight,” the Indians’ coach said.
Council Rock North (1-0) will host Abington in a non-league game on Thursday (7 p.m.), and Wissahickon (0-1) will host Owen J Roberts on Friday.
Wissahickon 0-0-0-7 7
Council Rock North 0-7-7-7 21
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 21, WILLIAM TENNENT 7
Wins were hard to come by for a Rock South squad that was just 2-8 last season, so Friday’s season opening win was welcome indeed for the Golden Hawks, who outscored their hosts 15-0 in the
second half to earn the hard fought win.
“For the rough spot they’ve been in for a while, it was nice to get that lift and get that off their chest,” said Rock South coach CJ Szydlik. “Now they can just worry about getting better every week and letting the games come as they come. It was great.”
The Panthers – thanks to a 45-yard TD pass from Zack Stanfield to Liam Gibson and a successful extra point – took a 7-6 lead into halftime.
Rock South quarterback Chase Ennis scored from two yards out late in the third quarter, and the successful two-point conversion put the Hawks on top 14-7. A 21-yard touchdown run by Myers late in the fourth quarter gave the Panthers their final margin of victory.
Szydlik had high praise for his offensive line comprised of Richie Pohorilenko, Hugh Frank, Garrett Hagen, Vinnie Szydlik, PJ Labadie and tight ends Saxton Leal and Anthony Carey.
“We ran the ball very well, and they really blocked well in the second half,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “We finally kind of got into a groove and that’s what carried us.
“Tennent’s defense played tough like they always do, and we were able to find some success in the second half. Chase Myers ran the ball fantastic. We subbed him in and out with Nick Diaz, who also gave us some big carries. We started to wear them down a little bit. We have a lot of guys, and they don’t have to play both ways, and that actually worked in our favor.”
Szydlik also had praise for a pair of defenders.
“Defensively, we were led by our two linebackers – Joe Fortunato and Connor Omlor,” the Hawks’ coach said. “They’re both senior captains, they’re both tough-nosed, they’re very good tacklers – they can move from side to side, and they both were all over the place.”
Council Rock South (1-0) will host Neshaminy in a non-league game Friday, and William Tennent (0-1) will host Pennsbury on Friday.
Council Rock South 0-6-8-7 21
William Tennent 0-7-0-0 7
CHELTENHAM 26, ABINGTON 8
It was a long time coming. Seven years to be exact, but the Panthers at long last notched their first win over the Ghosts since their 41-36 victory in the final Thanksgiving Day game on Nov. 26, 2015.
“We ended a seven-year streak,” Cheltenham coach Troy Gore said. “Abington is an awesome team, but they had a number of kids playing both ways, so we took advantage of their fatigue.”
Tre McLeod had an impressive debut with the Panthers.
The Imotep transfer – who recently moved into the district – scored three touchdowns, capping an impressive night with a 55-yard kickoff return of an on-sides kick attempt to close out the scoring.
The Ghosts took their first and only lead, 2-0, after picking up a safety with 9:21 remaining in the second quarter, but the Panthers took a lead they would not lose when McLeod raced into the end zone from 13 yards out with 37 seconds remaining in the half, sending the Panthers into halftime with a 7-2 lead.
“He was able to get into a little rhythm and was able to do some things,” Gore said of McLeod.
A big kickoff return by the Panthers to open the second half set the stage for a 14-yard touchdown run by McLeod that gave Cheltenham a 14-2 advantage.
Quarterback Anthony Torres connected with Lequane Sanford for a 36-yard touchdown strike and a 20-2 lead with 7:38 remaining in the contest. The Panthers took that lead into the final quarter. The Ghosts broke up their shutout bid with a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, setting the stage for McLeod’s kickoff return for a TD and the 26-8 final.
“When it’s the first game of the season, the kids are not really in football shape – they’re in shape, but they’re not in football shape, meaning being able to play with all that anxiety and all that emotion and play at a high speed level so they get tired quick,” Gore said. “I was pleased with the play of our offensive line and the play of our quarterback, Anthony Torres. He suffered a little ankle injury, but before that, he had a phenomenal game. I was very impressed with him.”
The Panthers’ coach was especially impressed with the play of juniors Kurt Scheuerman and Forey Cherry on the O-line.
The story within the story at Friday’s game occurred as the time wound down in the contest and a fight broke out in Cheltenham stands. The two teams turned a tense situation into a bonding experience, using it as an opportunity to come together.
“The fight occurred on our side of the field, so security was doing their job and herded all the kids (Cheltenham players, cheerleaders and coaches) to the Abington sideline for their safety,” Gore said. “Our kids were on the same sideline with Abington kids – we were all on the same side. The coach from Abington (Kevin Conlin) said, ‘Keep the cheerleaders in the middle,’ so we kept the cheerleaders in the middle, and those young men from two different football teams became unified in surrounding the cheerleaders. We were all together.
“We all walked out the same exit together. There was no trash talking – it was just kids greeting each other, talking with each other, taking pictures with each other. We just blended in with each other. It was just a nice peaceful thing, it was love. When you get something that’s chaotic like that and then you get that type of unity in a big rivalry game like this that’s been going on for over a hundred years and students can still be friends – that’s the lesson of the night. Abington and Cheltenham were able to come together at the end and be there for each other. We walked out together, and when we got to the building, we shook hands and separated to go to our locker rooms.”
Cheltenham (1-0) will travel to Northeast High School for a non-league game on Thursday (6:30 p.m.), and Abington will be on the road at Council Rock North on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Abington 0-2-0-0-6 8
Cheltenham 0-7-13-6 26
NESHAMINY 21, OCEAN CITY 0
Markus Barnett had himself a season opener to remember. The Redskins’ senior running back shredded Ocean City’s defense for 274 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns. With 29 carries, he was the workhorse out of the backfield.
“We knew we wanted to run the ball a lot because we wanted to keep their quarterback off the field,” Neshaminy coach Steve Wilmot said. “Take away the sloppiness and the stupid penalties we got, the game kind of went the way we wanted it to.”
Also impressive was the dazzling performance of the Redskins’ defense, which posted a shutout and stymied OC’s standout quarterback Riley Gunnels, who threw for over 1200 yards with 17 touchdowns to lead Ocean City to an 11-1 record last season.
“To shut that team out – they had some serious weapons,” Wilmot said. “When we first found out about this Ocean City game, there were some games on YouTube, and I started watching them. I saw he was a junior and I said, ‘Oh man, we’ve got to defend this guy next year.’
“He’s got some good receivers around him. Thank God we were able to keep the pressure on him all night, and our pass coverage held up. They gave up a few plays here and there, but overall, they held up well.”
Perhaps no one was a bigger force than senior defensive lineman Nick Buchys, whose dominance was underscored on back-to-back plays in the opening half. On the first, the Army-West Point commit stuffed a running play in the backfield and, on the second, came up with a sack. He finished the game with seven tackles, two tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.
“He’s a warrior – that’s the best way to describe him,” Wilmot said. “Last year, he was the overall MVP of our team. He plays offense and plays defense and doesn’t really get tired. He gets it done both offensively and defensively, and he’s really the leader of our team. He does a great job.”
Buchys had plenty of help on both sides of the ball. Jack Dunkley turned in a monster effort, finishing with seven tackles – four for a loss – and 1.5 sacks.
“Jack Dunkley is another defensive lineman, Joey Zack – the D linemen are really the strength of our team,” Wilmot said. “The people behind them have some experience because last year a lot of kids got on the field for us.
“The secondary did well. Liam Cothery had a good game at corner, Demacio Cooper had a good game at free safety. John Morris was out there playing corner and wide receiver. The linebackers were doing a nice job too. Ocean City didn’t have a whole lot of yards running the ball, and they were able to help out in the pass game when they were supposed to.”
Barnett’s eight-yard touchdown run in the second quarter sent the Redskins into halftime with a 7-0 lead. He added a second TD in the third quarter – this one from 18 yards out. Jullian Hammond’s 33-yard TD in the fourth quarter – on his only carry of the game – closed out the scoring.
“Barnett was getting tired from carrying the ball a million times, so we put in his backup, Hammond, and he ripped off about a 33-yard run,” Wilmot said. “(Early on), we were making a lot of silly mistakes, and we got to the point where we said, ‘Enough is enough.’ We put it on our offensive line and our running back. We just kept running the same play. They would make adjustments, and we would make adjustments to their adjustments.”
Neshaminy quarterback Colin Baker completed 8 of 11 passes in an efficient outing. Ashton Lovelace (32 yards) and Buchys (30 yards) each had a pair of receptions.
Friday’s setting at Ocean City High School featured an amusement park on the adjacent boardwalk on one side and houses on the other.
“It was fun – there was a ton of Neshaminy people there,” said Wilmot, who made the return trip with the bus driver and two players. “A lot of people came down. Some kids went home with their parents, but I’d say 60 percent of the team – their parents got houses and they’re staying the whole weekend.”
Neshaminy (1-0) will travel to Council Rock South next Friday.
Neshaminy 0-7-7-7 21
Ocean City 0-0-0-0 0
HARRY S TRUMAN 19, CHICHESTER 2
It’s not how you start but how you finish. The Tigers proved as much in their season opening win.
The game didn’t exactly get off to a rousing start for the visiting Tigers, who trailed 2-0 at halftime, but the second half – that was another story entirely. A blocked punt set the stage for a 19-0 second half surge by the Tigers.
“I’m beyond myself,” said a very pleased Truman coach Ben Johnson. “Our defense did not give up a score. We gave up a safety the first possession of the game, and that was the only time they got any points.
“We got a big stop going into the second half from about the four or five-yard line. It was just a tremendous game – the next man up, resilient. We found a way to win.”
The Tigers came into the game without starting quarterback Marshall Kennedy, who was sidelined with an injury, and that thrust freshman Syamir Newkirk into a starting role.
“He’s a very talented quarterback, but he’s a freshman,” Johnson said. “He did a phenomenal job stepping into that role for us this week. We came into this game with a second-string quarterback and finished with Rondell Bradley.”
Bradley – the Tigers’ gifted wide receiver – was a game changer. After the Tigers came up with a blocked punt in third quarter, Bradley took it in from five yards out to give the Tigers a lead they would not lose (6-2).
“He filled in as the third string quarterback for us and just had an electric second half,” Johnson said. “After our first touchdown, our defense had a three-and-out. We came down, and Abraham Bataille took it on a sweep play.”
The Tigers took a 12-2 lead into the final quarter.
“We put a nice drive together, and Nasir Jallah took it in from seven yards,” Johnson said. “Our offensive line did a tremendous job of moving some pretty big defensive linemen all night.
“I don’t think they had a lineman up front that was under 300 pounds, and we just dominated. I have to give a lot of credit to them. They dominated in the run game. It was just a phenomenal game to watch.”
Comprising the Tigers’ offensive line were Eliazar Mercado, Osual Reyes, Andrew Denucci, Eric Brennan and Maxx Strong.
“Abraham Bataille did a phenomenal job both in blocking and running,” Johnson said. “He actually had a 45-yard touchdown called back that I didn’t see but the refs saw. Credit to my offensive coordinator, my defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator with that big punt block that set us up for a quick score.”
“You work hard and you think you have a good idea what your team looks like, but you find out what your team is really all about when you play a game. This is absolutely a resilient, tenacious group. This is a really good start to the season for us.”
Harry S Truman (1-0) will host Central Bucks South in a non-league contest on Friday.
Chichester 2-0-0-0 2
Harry S Truman 0-0-12-7 19
SOUDERTON 27, HAVERFORD 7
Two snaps was all it took.
On the second snap of Friday’s non-league game, Shaun Purvy turned a Jared Zimmerman pass into a 71-yard touchdown, and the Indians were off and running on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win.
“I’m just happy with the overall play tonight,” coach Ed Gallagher said. “Jared Zimmerman played sound as a quarterback. “We went into the game thinking we would be able to execute a few things,. They changed up the defense from what we expected them to do. We still hit a couple of things, but we had to change a few other things. We ended up with our base offense.
“That’s a good Haverford team that returned 10 starters on defense from last year and a bunch of offensive weapons. They’re going to win five or six games at least in that league, so it’s a good win for us.”
The Indians received contributions in all phases of the game.
“I thought we played really well defensively, and we executed very well on the special teams,” Gallagher said. “We stopped a fake punt, we kicked two field goals, we kicked three extra points. We punted well, we downed two punts inside the five. I thought our special teams execution was excellent tonight.
“Our defense played really well against a very good offensive team. That quarterback is at least a three-year starter – a big, strong kid who throws well. They have some good receivers. We did a really good job with them.”
On Haverford’s opening possession after Souderton took a 7-0 lead, the Indians came up with a big stop after the Fords moved the ball to Souderton’s 18-yard line. On fourth-and-six, Purvy deflected a pass, and the Indians held.
That 7-0 lead stood until Chris Kerns – who finished just shy of 100 yards on the ground – took it in from eight yards out with 3:48 remaining in the second quarter to send the Indians into halftime with a 14-0 lead.
On the Fords’ opening drive of the second half, the Indians – thanks to a Ryan Sadowski tackle – came up with a stop on a fake punt. A 33-yard field goal by Ty Quintois late in the third quarter put the Indians on top 17-0, and that lead grew to 20-0 after Rylan Zuk split the uprights with a 39-yard field goal.
“We have a very strong kicking game,” Gallagher said.
Kerns turned an interception into a touchdown, and the Indians led 27-0.
“Chris Kerns just had an outstanding game on both sides of the ball,” Gallagher said. “He had an interception return for a touchdown, and he also had a lot of big tackles out in space, so as a linebacker, he played really well.
“Kahlil Williams had a couple of tackles for loss – at least one of them was a sack. He made some big plays for us. Overall, it was just a solid team effort defensively. We had a lot of guys step up and play well.”
The Fords got on the scoreboard late, but the night belonged to the Indians, who – according to their coach – could have had an even bigger night.
“We shot ourselves in the foot a few times offensively,” Gallagher said. “It could have been over sooner. We go down there a couple of times – one time we had a penalty, and we had to punt. We pinned them deep, which was good.
“Two other times we got down there we ended up settling for field goals. I really thought we could have executed a little better.”
Souderton (1-0) will host Pennridge in a non-league rivalry game Friday.
Souderton 7-7-3-10 27
Haverford 0-0-0-7 7
UPPER DUBLIN 37, KENNETT 13
Coaches love nothing more than a good start, and coach Bret Stover could not have been happier with his young team’s opening drive that covered 99 yards and a touchdown. The drive was capped with Nyfise McIntyre punching it in from a yard out.
“It was probably a 17- or 18-play drive, so I was super proud of the way we started offensively,” Stover said. “In spots, we were pretty good on offense, and then we sputtered in other spots, and that’s to be expected.
“We’re young, we’re young in spots, and we played like that at times, and at other times, we played like we’re all seniors. We’re going to get better. We have a couple of tough weeks ahead of us and good competition to get better with too.”
The Cardinals led 8-0 at the end of one quarter, thanks to a safety after downing a high snap on a Kennett punt in the end zone. They added 12 points in the second quarter. Quarterback Colin O’Sullivan found Dan Johnson with a 42-yard touchdown pass, and – after a big completion to Griffin Pensabene on third down to Kennett’s five – found Pensabene with a five-yard TD pass.
Pensabene had 123 receiving yards in the first half that saw O’Sullivan pass for 198 yards and two touchdowns, and the Cardinals led 20-0.
Austin Pendleton’s 31-yard field goal accounted for the only points in the third quarter. After O’Sullivan connected with Pensabene for an 18-yard touchdown pass, the Cardinals led 30-0 before Kennett got on the scoreboard with 5:35 remaining. Dominick Paone’s eight-yard run closed out the scoring for UD.
Stover pointed three players who were catalysts on offense.
“Up front, Kyree Butler played against a formidable opponent from Kennett and handled him – he was a big kid,” Stover said. “We challenged him, and he more than handled the challenge.
“Griffin Pensabene had a big night catching the ball. Colin (O’Sullivan) as usual was steady. He had a solid performance, did some nice things getting us in and out of plays, putting us in better plays.”
The Cardinals’ coach also had high praise for his defense.
“I’m very happy with the defense,” Stover said. “Defensively, we were there. It was pretty much a collective effort. (Defensive coach) Dave Sowers did a nice job again of preparing our kids and our kids were buying in. If we can do that – we’re going to score points, there’s no doubt about it.
“I’m happy with my special teams. We’re young. It was the first game for a lot of of those kids, who were wide-eyed but handled the challenge. I was proud of my kicker (Pendleton). He had a couple of ugly ones the first couple of kicks but settled in and made a field goal and made all his extra points from there. He kicked well, punted well. First game jitters – you’ve got to get over it, and everyone’s a veteran.”
Upper Dublin (1-0) will host Central Bucks West in a non-league game Friday.
Kennett 0-0-0-13 13
Upper Dublin 8-12-3-14 37
BENSALEM 24, NORRISTOWN 6
Zyan Greene returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown, igniting the Bensalem faithful and spotting the Owls a 7-0 lead with five minutes remaining in the first quarter. They did not score again until the fourth quarter when they erupted for 17 points to blow open a tightly contested game, but according to coach Alex Houston, it was Greene’s punt return that set the tone for the nonleague win.
“We needed a big play,” the Owls’ coach said. “There’s no question – our offense had some struggles, so when Zyan Greene returned that punt for the first touchdown, it gave us some life.
“Defensively, we were playing well, but we kept turning the ball over. I thought Zyan, as a senior and as a kid who just started playing for us last year – him returning that punt just gave us life. His score was enough for us to win. I thought he played a good game.”
Norristown scored a touchdown late in the second quarter, and that score stood until 6:23 remained in the contest when Michael Schneider returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown. Tommy Hurst converted a 24-yard field goal with 53 seconds left, and Nick Becht put the finishing touches on the win when he returned an interception 19 yards for a touchdown.
Houston lauded the play of a pair of senior leaders.
“I thought Jose Garcia played a heck of a ballgame at defensive end,” the Owls coach said. “He was the one who had a strip sack at the end that Mike Schneider picked up and returned for the touchdown. I thought both of those guys played really well.
“I also think our defense grew up tonight. We graduated a bunch of guys last year. Mike and Jose were starters for us last year, and those senior leaders made plays when we had to have it.
“From my perspective, it was a good win for us. We have a lot of new players with not a whole lot of varsity experience, so this was the first game for a lot of guys. I’m really proud of the way they kept fighting, kept playing. They showed a lot of heart. We made some mistakes, that’s clear, but we’re glad to get out of there with a win.”
Bensalem (1-0) will host Central Bucks East in a non-league game on Friday.
Norristown 0-6-0-0 6
Bensalem 7-0-0-17 24
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 45, LOWER MORELAND 6
Dylan McKenzie raced 94 yards for a touchdown on a punt return late in the opening quarter. The senior’s score gave the Spartans a 7-0 lead after one quarter and marked the beginning of a big day for McKenzie – who had three touchdowns and led the Spartans to the mercy rule non-league win.
The Spartans blew the game wide open with a 26-point second quarter. McKenzie got things started with a nine-yard touchdown run to make it a 13-0 game, and when quarterback Mateo Ringgold punched it in from two yards out, the Spartans led 19-0 midway through the frame.
Less than two minutes later, the Spartans turned an interception into another touchdown score by McKenzie – his third of the half, this one from four yards out. A 48-yard touchdown run by Ringgold in the closing minute of the quarter sent the Spartans into halftime with a 32-0 lead.
In the third quarter, CJ Johnson raced into the end zone for a touchdown from 16 yards out and he followed that later in the frame with a nine-year touchdown run that put the Spartans on top 45-0. The Lions averted a shutout with a touchdown with just over six minutes remaining in the game.
Springfield Township (1-0) will host Harriton in a non-league game on Friday while Lower Moreland (0-1) will travel to Bristol.
Springfield Township 6-26-13-0 45
Lower Moreland 0-0-0-6 6
UPPER MORELAND 41, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
A blocked punt by John Baker set up a touchdown pass from Shawn Herbert to Paul Meyers, and the Golden Bears were on their way to the convincing win.
A Hassan Johnson 10-yard touchdown run was followed by three straight Stephen Broderick touchdown runs – the first an eight-yard run in the second quarter to send the Golden Bears into halftime with a 20-0 lead. His second – this one from 29 yards out in the third quarter – put the Bears on top 27-0, and his five-yard run later in the frame sent the Bears into the final quarter with a 34-0 lead. Freshman Elijah Davis scored from 25 yards out in the fourth quarter to give Adam Beach the decisive win in his return to the sidelines at Upper Moreland.
Upper Moreland (1-0) will host Archbishop Carroll in a non-league game on Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-1) will travel to Springfield Township on Sept. 9
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-0-0 0
Upper Moreland 7-13-14-7 41
QUAKERTOWN 42, SOUTHERN LEHIGH 28
The Panthers notched a convincing win in Friday’s non-league opener, and while the Panthers – who lost more than a few key players from last year’s SOL Colonial championship squad – are young, they showed their some promising signs.
“Vince Micucci under center for the first time really had a good game for us,” coach George Banas said of his junior quarterback. “Cody Jefferson running the ball and playing middle linebacker did a nice job.
“Max Morris at wide receiver, Brett Hileman ran the ball well for us and played outside backer. Vinnie Pelligrini on the offensive and defensive line did a nice job for us.
“We had two caused fumbles. On one play, I think the fumble was caused by a sophomore and recovered by a sophomore. We had three sophomores on defense at one point tonight.
“We had some guys cramp up, so we were really trying to shift some things around. There were definitely some positives, and the best part about it is that the things that happened – we can correct. They were self-inflicted wounds.”
Quakertown (1-0) will host North Penn in a non-league game on Friday.
LA SALLE 37, NORTH PENN 28
(Stats courtesy of Drew Markol of the Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier: https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/ )
Stevie Davis – at 5-7 – doesn’t look imposing
Until, that is, the La Salle junior running back has the football in his hands. After putting up more than a 100 yards rushing in the opening half, Davis added even more in the second half, finishing with 241 yards on 30 carries. He helped spearhead the Explorers’ come-from-behind win over the Knights in a classic battle of the perennial state powers.
When Davis wasn’t doing damage, freshman quarterback Gavin Sidwar was, throwing for 213 yards and four touchdowns.
“Too many big plays,” NP coach Dick Beck said. “They made some nice throws and made some big plays. Look, they’re a good team. They can do a lot of good things.”
The Knights showed they could do more than just stay with the Explorers – they led for the good part of the game. They went on top 7-0 after senior Michai Cuffie raced in from six yards out. The Explorers made it a 7-6 game after one quarter, but a six-yard TD run by Amir Major put the Knights on top 14-6 early in the second.
The Explorers rallied to knot the score, but quarterback Ryan Zeltt connected with Yazeed Haynes for a 31-yard touchdown pass to give the Knights a 21-14 advantage. They took a 21-17 lead into halftime and extended that to 28-17 when Jay Ford-Kong took the opening kickoff of the second half 91 yards with an electrifying touchdown run.
The Explorers made it a 28-24 game after three quarters, thanks to a nine-yard Sidwar to James Dolan touchdown pass. They went on top 30-28 after yet another Sidwar to Dolan connection – this one from 25 yards out early in the fourth quarter.
The Knights were on the move when the Explorers came up with an interception in the end zone.
“I know he wants that one back,” Beck said of Zeltt, who threw for 264 yards and a touchdown. “He had the guy open, and he kind of floated it a little bit, but I thought Zeltt played one of his best games, his gutsiest games in his career.”
The Explorers wasted no time before capitalizing on the turnover. Two Davis carries and 80 yards later, the Explorers – thanks to his 37-yard Davis TD run – led 37-28 with seven minutes remaining. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
There was no mistaking the heat was a factor for both sides with multiple players battling cramps.
“It’s tough to have a lot of guys going both ways,” Beck said. “When you’re playing in this heat and humidity, it’s not easy.
“They are very good up front offensively, very big, and they were taking it to us. We were fighting as hard as we could. We caught a couple of bad breaks, but they made a lot of their breaks also. I’m proud of the kids. I thought we played hard. I just wish obviously we had a better result for us.”
North Penn (0-1) will travel to Quakertown for a non-league game on Friday.
La Salle 6-11-7-13 37
North Penn 7-14-7-0 28
GARNET VALLEY 14, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 7
Coach Rob Rowan and his Bucks do not shy away from tough competition. Last year, the Bucks opened their season against Coatesville. This year, they travelled to District One 6A champion Garnet Valley.
The Bucks didn’t just play with the Jaguars, they held a 7-6 lead until just 16 seconds remained when the Jaguars scored the winning touchdown and successfully converted a two-point play for the 14-7 final.
Central Bucks West (1-0) will be on the road at Upper Dublin for a non-league game Friday.
DOWNINGTOWN EAST 31, PENNRIDGE 13
Brennan Fisher spotted the Rams a 6-0 lead early in Friday’s season opener, racing 73 yards for a touchdown. Seven minutes later, the visiting Cougars scored to take a lead they would not lose. That
score ignited a 31-0 tear by the visitors on their way to the convincing win.
Fisher surpassed the elusive 100-yard mark rushing in the first half, but the Rams trailed Downingtown East 17-7 at the intermission. The Cougars took a 24-7 lead into a final quarter that saw the two teams exchange touchdowns with Fisher scoring on a 55-yard run for the 31-13 final.
Pennridge (0-1) will travel to Souderton for a non-league rivalry game on Friday.
Downingtown East 7-10-7-7 31
Pennridge 6-0-0-7 13
COATESVILLE 28, PENNSBURY 6
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 2, RENAISSANCE ACADEMY 0
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