Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. Pennridge/Bensalem photos courtesy of Tracy Valko, Wissahickon/Archbishop Carroll photos courtesy of Kim Supko, and Lower Moreland/KIPP Dubois Charter photos courtesy of William David Tucker. Check back for galleries of all three games.
Non-league
PENNRIDGE 38, BENSALEM 27
(Game info courtesy of @ADRobinson3 X/The Reporter)
The Rams managed just 14 points in a season-opening loss to Liberty. On Friday night, it took them just one quarter to put 14 on the board, and they were just getting started in a wild one at Helman Field.
Ryan Rowe set the tone for a big night when he scored the game’s first touchdown to cap a drive that saw the junior running back account for 42 yards. When Noah Keating connected with Zach Swanson for a 34-yard
touchdown, the Rams led 14-0.
It looked like it might be an easy night for the Rams, but the Owls had other ideas, rallying to knot the score 20-20 at halftime. The Rams, however, would not be denied, outscoring their visitors 18-7 in the second half to earn the hard-fought win.
“It was absolutely important to get this,” Pennridge coach Kyle Beller said of the win. “That first game is always a crapshoot with only having one scrimmage. We gave up some big plays on kickoffs and defense. (Liberty) was a good team. They just won last night – they beat a very good Allentown Central Catholic team.
“Our kids bounced back. We didn’t have a great practice Tuesday, but they came out Wednesday locked in and focused. They played that way tonight too. Every time we’ve challenged this team from the offseason on, they have risen to the occasion, and I’m very proud of them.”
The Rams’ offense stole the spotlight in this win. Rowe finished with 122 rushing yards, William Dougherty, the team’s’ fullback, had 43 tough yards, and Keating finished with 28 yards rushing.
“Noah was also efficient at quarterback,” Beller said. “He was 9-for-11 for 177 yards and three touchdowns. That’s a very efficient and very productive night when you look at an offense. It was a very balanced offense. Everyone was doing their job.
“That’s the way it’s supposed to look when it gets rolling like that. They did an awesome job both halves.”
Sharing the spotlight – if not the box score – and paving the way for the offense’s big night was the O-line.
“The offensive line did a great job opening up holes for Ryan Rowe and William Dougherty tonight,” Beller said. “Even Noah getting under center when we called the tush-push to get key first downs. You have to start with them. The tight end and wing backs also did a really good job..
“You’re talking about Ian Gallagher at center, Andrew Volberg, Shane Rowand , Cole Jones and Ray Perez at tackle. We throw three tight ends in there in Trovor Fuhs, Cade Bachman and Jackson Gregoire, and our wing back is Zach Swanson and even our receivers -those guys did a great job blocking.”
In the second half, a Chase Marshall interception set up a four-yard touchdown run by Rowe. Then it was Keating finding a wide-open Swanson in stride for a 65-yard touchdown and a 32-20 lead.
The Owls made it a 32-27 game, thanks to a Myles Annan touchdown pass, but Rowe’s 14-yard touchdown gave the Rams their final margin of victory.
“Bensalem is big up front, and they are a very athletic team, and we knew that going in,” Beller said. “We could not tackle them in the first half. They broke runs, they kept fighting.
“Credit to them – they play hard, and they have some really great athletes, and they were just out-athleting us in the first half. We were missing tackles. Second half we tackled better, and we got more guys the ball. Our kids just kept playing. Our offense was awesome both halves, but the defense got a couple of stops in the second half and tackled better.”
Pennridge (1-1) will travel to Harry S Truman on Friday, and Bensalem (1-1) will host Abington Friday.
Bensalem 0-20-0-7 27
Pennridge 14-6-12-6 38
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 42, CHELTENHAM 26
Sophomore Mike Price had himself a night, rushing for five touchdowns and throwing for another. Sparked by Price’s heroics, the Patriots put 42 points on the board to earn the win, but this night was about a whole lot more than winning a football game.
“It was our home opener, it was our Gold Out Night in memory of Connor Boyle,” said East coach John Donnelly. “We’re still raising money for osteosarcoma research.
“Connor’s dad, Matt, delivered the pregame speech, and it was fiery. It was awesome.”
Price’s big night came one week after taking a blow to the head that sidelined him in the second half. The sophomore returned with a vengeance Friday.
“He bounced back in a big way,” Donnelly said. “He’s only a sophomore – he’s a super humble kid.
“The first thing out of his mouth to the reporter after the game was – ‘I couldn’t do any of this without the line and tight ends. They blocked their tails off tonight,’ but Mike’s hard to bring down. It doesn’t look like he’s running fast. He’s just so smooth, and he’s just so physical. He’s going to be very, very good for a long time. We’ve got four other guys that we feel good about as well, so we have a nice stable.”
The night began on a high note for the Patriots when they recovered a Cheltenham fumble on their first play of the game. Price capped a five-play, 20-yard TD drive with a one-yard run.
After a Cheltenham punt and a big return by Chase Ingram, East once again drove just 20 yards with Price getting his second one-yard TD. A trick play resulted in Gavin Kraus hauling in a catch for the two-point conversion that put the Patriots on top 15-0.
Cheltenham returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown to make it a 15-6 game at the end of one quarter.
A 26-yard Price run and the Brody Wojnicki extra point gave East a 22-6 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the first half. The Patriots upped that lead to 29-6 when Price added a touchdown pass to his stat line, connecting with Reuben Bell for a 41-yard TD. The Patriots took a 29-12 lead into halftime.
Cheltenham made it a 29-20 game midway through the third quarter, but Price had an answer, racing to the end zone from 20 yards out to give the Patriots a 35-20 lead. Price capped a memorable night with another one-yard TD before the Panthers tacked on another touchdown.
“We scouted Cheltenham last week, and we had a lot of concerns coming into the game,” Donnelly said. “Their quarterback is very good. They’ve got a ton of good receivers who catch the ball super well. We felt we’d be able to get some pressure, and we did at times, but their quarterback is pretty elusive and extends plays well, so they hit some big plays, which we knew we had to limit to the best of our ability.
“We also believed the best way to keep their offense neutralized was for our offense to chew time off the clock and move the ball, which we did.”
Although Price had the big numbers, a long list of players contributed to the win.
“I thought Connor Simkiss had a great game on both sides of the ball,” Donnelly said of the linebacker/tight end. “So did Logan (Simkiss). How many guys in the state are playing linebacker and quarterback? We’ve had a guy the past two years that have done that – Dan Voglesong last year. The two Simkiss brothers had a really good game.
“You’ve got to give it to O-line and the tight ends. They did a great job blocking all night long.”
Comprising the Patriots’ offensive line were Christian Taormina, Jack Thomas, Connor Rodriguez, Gavin Mullevey and Timmy Fuhrmeister as well as tight ends Connor Simkiss and George Worster.
“(Getting this win) was huge,” Donnelly said. “Last week was – the total yardage was close. We had two trips to the red zone where we didn’t score, and that game was a lot closer than was indicated. We knew we didn’t play our best, so this was huge.”
Central Bucks East (1-1) will be on the road at Council Rock North Friday, and Cheltenham (0-2) will host Neshaminy.
Cheltenham 6-6-8-6 26
Central Bucks East 15-14-6-7 42
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 21, SOUDERTON 6
(Game stats provided courtesy of CB South football)
Defense is becoming a calling card for a Titan squad that – on the heels of a season-opening shutout win over Archbishop Wood – did not allow a touchdown for the second week in a row.
The Indians managed just two field goals, and underscoring the Titans’ stellar defensive outing was a goal-line stand midway through the third quarter.
“They had first-and-goal from about the one-yard line, and the drive ended about the five-yard line – they went mostly backwards on four plays, so that was pretty huge,” South coach Tom Hetrick said. “We drove the ball again, but we didn’t get anything out of it, but that was a big stand. We were up two scores at that point (21-6), so that would have put them within one.
“Souderton was moving the ball, and they definitely racked up some yards. It was one of those nights of bend-don’t-break type of a thing. We tightened things up when they got into the red zone.”
Quarterback Owen Pinkerton put the Titans on the board late in the opening quarter with a four-yard touchdown run.
“Owen Pinkerton had great game,” Hetrick said. “He’s an absolute warrior. He really is. He just makes plays when you need him to make plays.
“He’s a very good football players and he’s playing with a lot of confidence, and that’s a good thing.”
Souderton pulled to within 7-3 after Tannor Wiszneski connected on a 26-yard field goal early in the second quarter, but a four-yard TD run by Gavin Graham put the Titans on top 14-3. The Indians made it a 14-6 game with another Wisznewski field goal as time expired in the half.
Kaden Kube’s two-yard touchdown gave the Bucks a 21-6 lead, and that score stood the rest of the way.
“We knew this was going to be a competitive one because Souderton always cranks out some tough kids, they’re very well coached, and their quarterback (Ben Walsh) is a pretty good player,” Hetrick said. “I was happy with the way we ran the ball. We ran the ball somewhat consistently throughout the game. In the fourth quarter, I think we had a 17-play drive and used a lot of clock. It ended with a fumble on the five-yard line, but we bled a lot of clock, and we were able to control the line of scrimmage, so I was happy with our ability to do that.”
The Titans also received a spark from a pair of running backs.
“Kaden Kube had a pretty good night,” Hetrick said. “He ran some pretty tough yards. Gavin Graham, a sophomore, got a lot of touches and was able to sustain drives because we wanted to keep those two fresh. The offensive line did a pretty good job and those guys ran it pretty hard tonight.”
And how good was South’s defense? Souderton had 25 carries for just 13 net yards. The Titans had nine tackles for a loss, and it all starts with their defensive line.
“I’m always happy with our defensive line,” Hetrick said. “Eddie Bowen is the D-end, Nick Micewski is also very good, Justin Dwyer is our nose, and he does a lot of good things. We played a lot of three-man front, so they were pretty active.
“There’s still things we need to clean up, but the good thing is the things we need to clean up are within our control, and we can fix those things.”
For the game, Pinkerton stats underscore his versatility behind center. The senior QB attempted just four passes but completed two for 58 yards and also had 14 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. Kube led the Titans’ ground game with 19 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown.
On the defensive side of the football, Jack Bartolillo had a hand in seven tackles with three solo tackles – two tackles for a loss and 1/2 sack. Bowen had a team-high five solo tackles (six total) with one sack and 2 1/2 tackles for a loss. Micewski (1/2 sack, 1 1/2 tackles for loss), Brandon Zubyk and Kevin Hartanft each had a hand in five tackles. Reid Ermigiotti and Isaiah Gardiner both recorded a sack.
Souderton quarterback Ben Walsh completed 16 of 23 passes for 216 yards with Hunter Smeitz on the receiving end of 10 passes for 134 yards.
Central Bucks South (2-0) will host Upper Dublin on Friday, and Souderton (0-2) will be on the road at Central Bucks West.
Central Bucks South 7-7-7-0 21
Souderton 0-6-0-0 6
WILLIAM TENNENT 21, METHACTON 13
(Game stats provided courtesy of William Tennent football)
Ask Colin Leach what he was most pleased with in Friday’s win, and the Panthers’ second-year coach didn’t hesitate.
“The hard-nosed defensive style that we played,” Leach said. “We have a lot of guys that go both ways. We have quite a few injuries – we have six starters out this week.
“Just the way our defensive line played at the point of attack.”
His praise didn’t end with the defense.
“The connection between Gavin Mensch and Joey Hebling, our quarterback and our wide receiver, was just amazing,” Leach said. “They were on point today. They carried us on offense and did a great job.”
This game was tightly contested from the outset. The Hebling-Mensch connection was showcased early, capping a drive with Mensch – a sophomore in his first career start – finding Hebling with a 17-yard touchdown pass. The Warriors answered with a score but missed the extra point, and the Panthers led 7-6.
Midway through the second quarter, Hebling, a senior, hauled in an eight-yard touchdown pass from Mensch.
“He was just on fire,” Leach said of his sophomore QB. “He was trusting himself. He let the game slow down. That’s what I kept saying to him pregame – ‘Let this game slow down. It’s just football,’ and he did that perfectly. He commanded the offense.
“Derrek Gunther and Justin Frederic were the two running backs tonight, and they did a great job running downhill behind the offensive line and getting Joey (Hebling) loose in the secondary. He was just a playmaker tonight. He showed up in a big way for us.”
The Warriors made it a 14-13 game heading into halftime, , and it was still a 14-13 game heading into the final quarter when – with 5:06 remaining – the Panthers added an insurance TD when Justin Frederic scored from one yard out.
When it mattered most, Tennent’s defense came up big, shutting out the Warriors in the second half.
“The message at halftime was – ‘We made some mistakes in the first half. If we clean up the mistakes, we’re going to win this game,’” Leach said. “For us, it was small adjustments, and we just had to execute.
“Tackling was a big thing for us and a big focus for us this week. We had a lot of missed tackles in week one, and we wanted to fix that this week, and I think we did a great job doing that.”
Mensch completed 7 of 12 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns and also had 12 carries for 38 yards – an impressive showing in his first varsity start. Hebling was on the receiving end of seven of those passes and finished with seven receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Frederic, a senior, led the Panthers’ ground game, finishing with 13 carries for 104 yards and a TD. Guenther, a junior, had five carries for 18 yards.
Standouts on the defensive side of the football, according to the Tennent coach, included senior defensive end Sean Hazlett, senior linebacker Dan Ellis, junior defensive tackle Dan Minetola and senior corner Joey Hebling.
“They carried our defense today,” Leach said.
There was no mistaking the significance of Friday’s win.
“It was massive,” Leach said of the win. “This is one of the biggest wins of my young head coaching career just because of the fact – we were without six starters.
“It was a rough week. Guys played out of position, but we just fought. They just kept fighting. Everyone on this team gets credit for the win. Everyone on this coaching staff. That was a dogfight.
“Credit to Methacton – they’re well coached, great kids, great competitors. I’m just extremely happy with how we showed up this week.”
William Tennent (1-1) will travel to Radnor for a non-league game Friday.
Methacton 6-7-0-0 13
William Tennent 7-7-0-7 21
NESHAMINY 34, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 13
Forcing turnovers had not been a strong point of the Redskins.
That changed in a hurry in Friday’s contest. Neshaminy came up with interceptions on Rock North’s first two possessions of the game. The first by Jason Gilardi, the second by Brock Williams. Nick Sassano’s first of two interceptions made it a trifecta in the first half.
“We had a little bit different philosophy this week on defense,” Neshaminy coach Steve Wilmot said. “We were going to man them up, play man coverage and trust our guys to cover their guys and just allow certain guys to take care of the run and certain guys to take care of the pass, and it worked out well. Our defense played very well.”
Williams scored on a 14-yard run after the first interception to give the ‘Skins a 7-0 lead after one quarter. Jason Wilmot’s two-yard touchdown in the second quarter gave Neshaminy a 13-0 advantage. Another Williams’ touchdown sent the Redskins into halftime with a 20-0 lead.
In the third quarter, quarterback Michael Eckart hit Cole Tarapchak for a touchdown, and Nahsir Moore added a score that put Neshaminy on top 34-0 before the Indians scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Wilmot credited his entire defensive line comprised of Owen Schwartz, Woody Moise, Jason Cunningham and Shaakir Whiting.
“All four of those guys played pretty well,” the Redskins’ coach said. “I also saw a lot of good things from our inside linebacker Carson Schneider. I think our defense really controlled the flow of the game.
“Offensively, we did okay and moved the ball when we had to. We went with three running backs this week. Carter Clee is out. We moved Brock Williams in, and he had some nice runs and a touchdown. My son, Jason, had a touchdown. I’m not sure how many yards he had, but I think upwards of 50. The star of last week, Nahsir Moore, was in there too. We counted on three guys to make up for what Carter did for us, and we did okay offensively, but the story of the night is defense.”
Neshaminy (2-0) will travel to Cheltenham Friday, and Council Rock North (0-2) will host Central Bucks East Friday.
Council Rock North 0-0-0-13 13
Neshaminy 7-13-14-0 34
ABINGTON 7, HARRY S TRUMAN 6
Damian Mager scored a touchdown on Abington’s opening possession of the game. Brayden Davis converted the extra point for an early 7-0 lead
It was the first and last time the Ghosts would find the end zone, but they still found a way to win.
Not exactly how first-year coach Bruce Fleming drew it up, but a win’s a win, and the Ghosts were more than happy to take it.
“I think this was really important,” Fleming said of the win. “Especially for the guys after how last year went for them, winning their first game and then losing the next nine.
“Starting the year off with a loss out at Conrad Weiser –to get the first win at home in front of the home fans. For me being there maybe 20 days now – it was good to see that the guys are really listening and buying in to what myself and the coaching staff are putting together, and they’re really starting to apply it in the games.”
The game was not without some drama in the closing minutes of regulation.
“They were driving down, and they drove all the way down to get to within field goal range,” Fleming said. “They called a timeout with three seconds left to try to kick a field goal to win the game. We ended up blocking the field goal kick.”
Making the game-saving block for the Ghosts was Saadir Wimbush, a junior defensive end.
“He really stepped up in the second half,” Fleming said. “It was really a team effort out there. I really talked to the guys about – it’s going to take all three phases of the game for us to win, and we really got it tonight. Offense, defense and special teams really won the game for us.”
The Ghosts’ defense was especially impressive, and this win, according to Fleming, was a team effort.
“It’s hard to pinpoint one guy that really stood out,” Fleming said.
The Ghosts’ defense served early notice that it meant business,
“We went on offense first to start the game. We drove the ball down 10 plays to score to go up 7-0,” Fleming said. “They came back, drove down and scored. They kicked the extra point. It was good, but they had a penalty, and they had to back up, and Ayden Turner ended up blocking the extra point.”
The Ghosts led 7-6 at the end of the first quarter, and they still led 7-6 when the final horn sounded.
“No one had that final score,” Fleming said with a laugh. “It’s not too often that you block two kicks in a game, and they end up being the difference.”
There’s no mistaking this was a game that belonged to the respective defenses.
“After they scored, it was just a back-and-forth defensive battle between the two teams,” Fleming said. “Starting the second half, we were able to make stops here and there. They’d drive down, but they couldn’t get it into the end zone.”
Abington (1-1) will travel to Bensalem next Friday, and Harry S Truman (1-1) will host Pennridge Friday.
Harry S Truman 6-0-0-0 6
Abington 7-0-0-0 7
UPPER MORELAND 21, WEST CHESTER EAST 14
Coach Adam Beach called it “one of those really hectic, crazy games,” and the Golden Bears delighted their home fans, finding a way to win.
It didn’t look like a good omen for UM when the visiting Vikings – on their first possession of the game – scored a touchdown.
“They’re a very good quality team,” Beach said. “They’ve got some really good linemen – some monsters up front, and their running back was tough. They came off with a good game plan. They went right now the field and scored basically.”
The Golden Bears wasted no time at all before responding.
“Early in the game, Jamir Williams had a great punt return and set us up for our first score,” Beach said. “He caught the ball at our 10-yard line, and then he took it to their 30 or 40, so it totally flipped the field. It gave us momentum, and that’s how we were able to tie it up.”
Aidan Tuffy punched it in for a touchdown that knotted the score 7-7 in the first quarter.
“They’d put some drives together, and we were able to make plays when we had to,” Beach said. “Again, they’re running the ball really well. We’re fighting, scratching and clawing, and we found a way to stop them.
“We got the ball, we had a couple of nice plays, and Frankie McDermott scored our second touchdown. We’re up 14-7, and they’re driving. They go to kick a field goal, and we block it, so then we take knees and it’s 14-7 going into halftime.”
The Vikings got the ball to open the second half and broke a big run on the first play from scrimmage.
“The guy’s running down the field, and somehow one of our kids – Malik Rodgers – stopped him with a great all-effort play just hawked him down,” Beach said. “It was one of those things that we weren’t going to give up, we weren’t going to quit. It was one of those games where both teams were getting tired, both teams were hurting, and we had enough in our tank that we were able to execute when we needed to.”
West Chester East evened the score in the third quarter, but once again, the Golden Bears had an answer. This time it was Larry Hughes scoring a TD that put the Golden Bears on top to stay, 21-7.
“They had another drive, and we stopped them,” Beach said. “On one of our drives, we had the ball, and we kept eating the clock – get a first down, eat the clock. We ended up with a fourth-and-six or seven inside the 20. It’s high school football, and we didn’t want to risk a field goal. Alex Foley dropped back, ran for it and got a first down, and then we took knees to end the game.”
There was plenty of credit to go around after this one.
“Aidan Tuffy did well,” Beach said. “The guys up front did a yeoman’s work – Alex Costanzo, Jimmy Baker, Darrius Whetstone were fighting like (heck) up front. Other guys would be Frankie McDermott, our inside linebacker and tight, Michael Maglio and Jimmy Murray.
“On the game-sealing drive, we had a great catch by Travis Quirk. Braden Moore had great catch to extend a drive. That’s what’s great about our offense – we’re spreading the ball around. It was third-and 11 or 12, and they all ran with Tuffy, and the quarterback (Foley) saw Travis Quirk was open, and he hit him with a pass. Boom, first down. It was one of those games – it was a chess match. They were taking certain guys away, but other guys were able to step in and make the plays when we needed them.”
The end result was a win that was anything but easy.
“It was a back-and-forth game,” Beach said. “They’d get a breakaway and get some big runs, and we’d get a negative play and find a way to stop them.
“It was one of the high school games where we’re making mistakes and getting penalties, and we’d have to overcome them. Then we do. It was one of those really hectic, crazy games. It was a great high school football game – it was a 48-minute fight, and to come out on top was good.”
Upper Moreland (2-0) will host John Bartram High School in a non-league game Thursday at 7 p.m.
West Chester East 7-0-7-0 14
Upper Moreland 7-7-0-7 21
WISSAHICKON 56, ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 21
WILSON-WEST LAWN 21, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 7
BRISTOL 42, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 7
WEST CHESTER HENDERSON 42, HATBORO-HORSHAM 28
LOWER MORELAND 17, KIPP DuBOIS CHARTER 0
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