Check out the recaps for all of Friday’s SOL contests. Neshaminy/Pennridge photos provided courtesy of Jesse Garber (https://JSGarber.zenfolio.com/p977540007)
Stats used in the wraps are provided courtesy of the Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier Times. For complete high school football coverage, visit the web sites: http://www.theintell.com/sports and http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports.
NESHAMINY 27, PENNRIDGE 14
Calling the second game of the season a must-win sounds extreme, but coach Steve Wilmot acknowledged that Friday’s game at Pennridge came mighty close to being just that after his team fell to North Penn in double overtime in last week’s season opener.
“At the end of last week, I’m saying that we’re really going to have to pull together because Helman Field is a tough place to play,” the Redskins’ coach said. “We saw Pennridge on film, and they looked pretty good.
“The mood was – do whatever it takes to get the win. There was kind of – I don’t want to say desperation, but kind of our backs were against the wall. It was just go up there, play your best and get out of there with a win.”
If the visiting Redskins needed a lift, they got one on their very first drive of the game. A pair of Ram penalties turned a third-and-13 into a manageable third-and-three, which the Redskins converted. The drive was capped with Oleh Manzyk taking it in from 21 yards out for a 6-0 lead (the PAT kick was blocked).
The Rams’ defense came up with a safety four minutes into the second quarter, and that 6-2 score stood until late in the opening half when a Neshaminy interception set up a 14-yard touchdown strike from Brody McAndrew to Ian Sheehan, sending the Redskins into the locker room with a 13-2 lead.
According to Wilmot, that play loomed large.
“The play that probably made me the happiest was Ian Sheehan’s touchdown,” the Redskins’ coach said. “He’s Cory Joyce’s backup, so he doesn’t really see all the time in the world, but he’s a dedicated football player, and he’s also very talented.
“He just has this athletic ability that is unbelievable, and Brody’s instructions on that play were just – throw it up to Ian and let him come down with it, and he did. He also had a really nice catch down the sideline on the other side too.”
The two teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter with Zak Kantor finding Jon Post with a nine-yard touchdown pass to make it a 13-8 game. The Redskins had an answer as Joyce hauled in a nine-yard TD pass from McAndrew that gave the ‘Skins a 20-8 advantage.
A 46-yard Kantor to Post connection for a touchdown pulled the Rams to within six with 8:54 remaining, but Brody sealed the Rams’ fate when he took it in from four yards out for the 27-14 final.
Chris James – who had several big runs late – led the Redskins’ rushing attack with 90 yards. On the heels of his 150-yard rushing effort against North Penn, Manzyk finished with just 31 yards on the ground. McAndrew threw for 150 yards and a pair of TDs.
“Besides Oleh being out there running the ball against North Penn, we kind of struggled to keep a consistent drive,” Wilmot said. “It was nice to have a consistent drive tonight without Oleh. Chris James, our running back, came on in this game.”
Kantor accounted for 147 total yards of offense – 88 in the air. Wilmot lauded the efforts of his defensive backfield comprised of Marcus Griffin, Cory Joyce and Logan Williamson against the Rams’ imposing lineup.
“Cory Joyce had a really nice game,” Wilmot said. “That doesn’t really surprise me. He’s a four-year player for us, a two-year captain.
"I was really happy with the way our defensive backfield played in general. They had those tall receivers, and that’s not an easy task. They made some plays.
“I really liked what Dawson Obringer was doing. We asked him to get out there and jam some of those receivers, and he was moving around the whole game doing a lot of good, positive stuff. I’m very pleased with our defense. I think our defense did a really good job.”
Wilmot was not as pleased with the performance of his offense.
“Overall, I think our offense was inconsistent, and even our special teams – there’s just too much inconsistency right now,” Wilmot said. “I have to give a lot of credit to Pennridge’s defense. I thought their guys played really hard, and they have some talented guys on that defense.
“We had consistency at times, but overall, as the season goes forward, I’d like to see a lot more consistency than we had.”
Neshaminy (1-1) will be on the road at Downingtown West next Saturday for a non-league contest, and Pennridge (1-1) will travel to Perkiomen Valley for a non-league tilt on Friday.
Neshaminy 6-7-7-7 27
Pennridge 0-2-6-6 14
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 10, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 7 (OT)
The Golden Hawks needed a bounce-back win. Badly.
In last week’s season opener at Cheltenham, they not only lost all-everything quarterback Andrew Vera on the opening series of the night, they also were shut out in a 14-0 loss.
They rebounded to defeat a tough West squad, eking out the win in overtime when Adam Keylin connected on a 20-yard field goal.
“We were shorthanded last week when we lost Andrew (Vera) – it’s no secret we were really, truly going to feature him in our run game along with Chase Patterson,” coach Vince Bedesem said. “Andrew is a human punt return – we wanted the ball in his hands every play as far as being a quarterback. He goes down after the third play – you want to say it’s not a deflating thing, but it is.
“Not only offensively but the defense, the coaches. It’s just human nature. Even with that, I thought the kids showed a lot of character, we showed a lot of fight. We had a couple of things that were not typical of us as far as penalties – we cleaned that up tonight, and good things happen.”
The win was not without its anxious moments. In the final minute of play, the Bucks lined up for a potentially game-winning field goal, but Nick Gallo had other ideas, blocking the kick and preserving the tie.
“Defensively – how stingy we were by not allowing them in the end zone, and then when they got a little momentum and scored a touchdown, you can beat yourself up, you can be deflated, you’re tired, you’re this, you’re that, the air is coming out of you – you could just pack your tent and go home,” Bedesem said. “The kids just collected themselves, got the under control, and everybody did their job. On that play, we had the block on, we actually flipped the block, and Nick ended up coming through and was able to get a piece of it, which was outstanding.”
The game headed into overtime where the Bucks – who were lined up for a field goal – came up empty on their opening possession after a botched snap.
Armed with a reprieve, the Golden Hawks went to work and won it on Keylin’s field goal.
“Brandon Berghaier, who’s our short snapper, snapped to Dawson Fresses, and Adam Keylin, a first-year football player who’s a former soccer player – put it through the uprights for the win,” Bedesem said of the game-winning sequence.
Neither team scored until late in the third quarter when – after Matt Checchio’s second interception of the night – Council Rock’s Chase Patterson punched it in from one yard out. The Bucks knotted the score early in the fourth quarter when tight end Luke Benson caught a four-yard Jack Neri touchdown pass.
The stage was set for the wild ending.
“Defensively, the kids played really, really well,” Bedesem said. “Offensively, I thought we did exactly what we needed to do, and we’re just getting better and better offensively.
“West is old school. I know Rob (Rowan) has brought on his mentor (and former Archbishop Ryan coach) Glen Galeone. I love Glen – he’s a former Wood guy, and he’s a hell of a football coach. I said – these guys (the Bucks) are tough, these guys are a tough, tough football team. I don’t care about flair, I don’t care about this or that. These guys are football players, and this was a good, good win.”
Patterson led the Golden Hawks with 112 rushing yards, and Noah Caldani stepped in for Vera at QB and performed well, leading the team with a lot of poise according to his coach. Garrett Hitchens was the leading ground gainer for West.
Council Rock South (1-1) will host Central Bucks South in a non-league game next Friday, and Central Bucks West (1-1) will travel to Quakertown for a non-league contest.
Council Rock South 0-0-7-0-3 10
Central Bucks West 0-0-0-7-0 7
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 34, WISSAHICKON 0
The Indians controlled play on both sides of the football in Friday’s shutout win, limiting the visiting Trojans to under 150 yards of total offense while putting 34 points on the board.
“It was a great team win – defense, offense, special teams,” coach Matt McHugh said. “First half, we left some points out on the field but came out in the second half and cleaned things up.”
Quarterback Jon Kane’s 50-yard touchdown run gave the Indians a 7-0 lead after one quarter, and that lead that stood until halftime. Kane found Griffin Peterson with a 26-yard touchdown pass to ignite a 20-point third quarter that included a Kane to Dillon Sheehy 19-yard touchdown connection and five-yard TD run by Kane that put the Indians on top 27-0.
With the outcome already decided, Hayden Brick hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jack Owens in the final quarter.
All told, Kane accounted for four touchdowns, throwing for 109 yards and running for 60 more.
“Jon Kane made some nice reads for us and threw the ball well when we needed him to,” McHugh said. “Our defensive line was able to control the line of scrimmage, specifically our defensive ends – Colman Closser and Josh Colton. It was a great win for the program.”
Council Rock North (1-1) will travel to Penn Wood for a non-league game Friday, and Wissahickon (0-2) will host Lansdale Catholic next Friday in a non-league contest.
Wissahickon 0-0-0-0 0
Council Rock North 7-0-20-7 34
BENSALEM 22, WILLIAM TENNENT 19
The never-say-die Owls were at it again Friday night.
On the heels of last Friday’s come-from-behind 28-27 win over Frankford, the Owls won another thriller, this time using a five-yard touchdown run by Jalen Smith, his second of the night, with 39 seconds remaining to eke out the win.
That was 31 seconds sooner than last week when the Owls won it with a field goal with eight seconds remaining.
“Our kids just hang in there,” coach Ed Cubbage said. “We always preach we’re a play away, and they just hang in there.”
On the game-winning drive, the Owls had a pair of fourth down conversions. On the first, Tyler Barry completed a pass to Jarred O’Connell.
“We needed six yards and Jarred got seven,” Cubbage said. “We had fourth-and-one at the 10, and Jalen Smith had a big tough run and picked up four or five yards. Jalen came back and scored the winning touchdown as well.”
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Justin Webb delivered a big defensive play when the Panthers bobbled the snap, giving the Owls good field possession and setting up a 36-yard Jarred O’Connell TD run.
“That was a huge play for us,” Cubbage said of Webb’s stop.
It took the Panthers just one play to regain the lead (19-15) when Eddie North raced in from 50 yards out. The Owls were unfazed.
“We didn’t flinch,” Cubbage said. “We got the kickoff, and we drove down the field.
“The big thing was – we took the lead, they took it right back with one play, but we didn’t flinch. This is old hat to us at this point. We know week in and week out this is what it’s going to come down to. Obviously, for the second week in a row, we were very fortunate to come out on top.”
North’s five-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter put the Panthers on top 12-8, erasing an 8-6 Bensalem halftime lead. In the opening half, the two teams exchanged touchdowns with Smith scoring from 11 yards. The two-point conversion put the Owls on top 8-0 after one quarter, but Fernando Delgado’s three-yard TD made it a two-point game at halftime.
Cubbage acknowledged the strong play of several players whose names don’t show up in the box score.
“Alex Davis played very big,” Cubbage said. “Demetrius Coles was at linebacker, and he did a real nice job.
“This wiin is huge. At this point, these kids don’t even blink when it’s a close game. We were down, and you see everybody kind of take a deep breath and it was ‘Here we go.’ They just respond well.”
The Owls’ coach gave a shoutout to his coaches, including associate head coach Steve Fulmer, offensive coordinator Bob Kinney, defensive coordinator Mike Magowan and offensive line coach Chase Reiger.
“My coaches did a great job,” Cubbage said. “Because of the heat – and a lot of schools were in the same boat, we weren’t allowed outside Tuesday or Wednesday, so we had to practice indoors.
“I just think my assistant coaches did a great job of staying on top of them and making sure we didn’t get lackadaisical inside. To me, they were huge.”
Bensalem (2-0) will host Central Bucks East in a non-league game next Friday, and William Tennent (1-1) will host Harry S Truman on Friday.
William Tennent 0-0-6-13 19
Bensalem 8-0-0-14 22
NORTH PENN 21, LA SALLE 13
The Knights improved to 2-0 with their second win in as many outings over a perennial power. One week after edging Neshaminy in double overtime, the Knights threw some defense at the visiting Explorers.
Early in the second quarter, Julian White scored on a two-yard run, his first of two touchdown runs on the night that put the Knights on top 7-0. The score capped a drive that was set up by RJ McNamara’s 46-yard run to La Salle’s 29. The Explorers converted a 35-yard field goal to make it a 7-3 game at halftime.
Senior quarterback Solomon Robinson’s 60-yard touchdown run in the third quarter put the Knights on top 20-6. The Explorers made it a 20-14 game with their only touchdown of the night in the third quarter. White iced the Knights’ win when he took it in from 14 yards out. The drive included a clutch 37-yard pass from Robinson to Haynes.
North Penn (2-0) will host Pennsbury in a non-league game next Friday.
La Salle 0-3-3-7 13
North Penn 0-7-7-7 21
ABINGTON 16, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 7
The Ghosts rebounded from an opening week shutout at the hands of Northeast to defeat the Colonials.
“We played a really tough PW team, and we knew we had to match their toughness,” Abington coach Kevin Conlin said. “We played very good hard-nosed defense versus a very tough offense.
“Our special teams played well and we had two playmakers in our backfield in Tamir Berthau and sophomore Andrick Wesh.”
It was Tamir, the Ghosts’ quarterback, breaking a scoreless tie early in the second quarter when he ran it in from 15 yards out. That score stood until PW’s Brian Dresnin’s seven-yard touchdown run that knotted things up. The Ghosts closed out the game with 10 unanswered points that included a Reece Gibbs field goal and a 47-yard TD run by Wesh.
Conlin praised the performance of his defense, including linebackers Nassir Jones and Blaise Zaccaro, defensive linemen Chris Allen and TJ Allen as well as a backfield that featured Angelo Pearson, Oreck Frazier and Jordan Grimaldi.
Abington (1-1) will host Cheltenham in a battle of neighboring rivals on Friday. Plymouth Whitemarsh (0-2) will be on the road at Norristown next Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest.
Abington 0-7-3-6 16
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-0-7-0 7
CHELTENHAM 34, BISHOP McDEVITT 27
The Panthers improved to 2-0 – a far cry from last year’s 0-7 start, and Friday’s wild win was vastly different than last week’s 14-0 win over Council Rock South.
“Had it not been as rainy as it was it might have been 50 to 40-something,” coach Ryan Nase said. “Both teams had trouble stopping the other team.
“(Quarterback) Lonnie Rick and John Luke Peaker, their running back, are very, very good football players, so it was a little tough to shut them down.”
Jamir Barnes stole the spotlight for Cheltenham, igniting the Panthers faithful with an 80-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter. He finished the night with three touchdown runs.
“Jamir Barnes had a day,” Nase said. “He had at least two, if not three runs over 50 yards, three touchdowns and close to 200 yards rushing. That was big.
“(Quarterback) Adonis Hunter helped us a ton in terms of changing up the snap counts and getting us some free first downs. McDevitt plays multiple formations, and we had a number of pre-snap RPOs (run pass options), and Adonis put us in the right play a lot of times, and that helped us a ton.”
The Panthers did most of their damage in the first half, opening up a 27-14 lead. In addition to a pair of Barnes TD runs, Hunter had a TD run as well as a touchdown pass.
“We are still a team that’s learning how to win,” Nase said. “We had an opportunity to go up three touchdowns at the end of the third quarter, and unfortunately, we fumbled the ball.
“They got the ball back, they scored, they onside kicked, they get the on-sides kick, so rather than us putting the game away like good teams do, we gave them an opportunity to win it, and that’s one thing we have to get a lot better at as a team that’s just starting to get good.”
Cheltenham (2-0) hopes to extend its winning streak to three next Friday when the Panthers travel to neighboring Abington for a non-league contest.
“This week is a huge rivalry week beating McDevitt, and next week is an even bigger one with Abington right down the street,” Nase said. “We owe them a little bit after last year (a 35-20 Abington win). I joke – we’re supposed to hate McDevitt and we’re supposed to hate Abington, but both teams are really well coached. I wish they had coaches that weren’t as sound as they are.
“It was really tough preparing for McDevitt, and it’s really tough preparing for Abington too because they’re not a team that just does one thing. They can do a lot of things really well, and we have to really mentally prepare for both teams.
“We struggled last year and we started 0-7. I told our kids going into Senior Night, homecoming and Hatboro-Horsham – ‘You started 0-7, but if you win the last three, nobody remembers 0-7.’ I told them the opposite today – 2-0 is great but if you finish 2-9, nobody remembers 2-0. We’re not done yet. If we want to be who we think we can be, there’s a long road ahead of us.”
Bishop McDevitt 7-7-6-7 27
Cheltenham 13-14-0-7 34
UPPER DUBLIN 32, CENTRAL 12
The Flying Cardinals led Friday afternoon’s contest from wire to wire.
They took a 10-0 lead into halftime and then blew the game wide open with a 15-point third quarter that included a safety by Jason Scott, who sacked Central’s quarterback in the end zone.
Quarterback Mike Slivka did it all for the Flying Cardinals, throwing touchdown passes of 22 and 30 yards and also running it in from 55 yards out. Lucas Roselli had a one-yard TD run, and Chris Barbera connected on a 27-yard field goal.
Defensively, the Cardinals limited Central to just nine snaps in the first half.
Coach Bret Stover acknowledged one of the team’s unsung heroes in its 2-0 start.
“Mason Novak has been one of the biggest surprises at fullback for us,” the Cardinals’ coach said. “He’s doing all the dirty work running between tackles and lead blocking.”
Upper Dublin (2-0) will be on the road at William Penn Charter next Friday.
Central 0-0-0-12 12
Upper Dublin 0-10-15-7 32
QUAKERTOWN 28, SOUDERTON 14
It looked like Friday night’s battle for the 309 Bowl trophy would come down to the wire. Michael Terra made sure that didn’t happen, scoring a pair of touchdowns in a three-minute span to turn a 14-14 tie into a two-touchdown lead for the Panthers.
His first – a 21-yard run – capped a touchdown drive that was set up after a short Souderton punt. The Panthers recovered the ensuing kickoff – a pooch kick – and added an insurance TD when Brad Bryan found Terra with a 17-yard pass.
While Terra was the ultimate finisher, he wasn't the only player to come up big for the Panthers on those scoring drives.
"It's crazy because he makes some really big plays," coach George Banas said of Terra. "A lot of his plays are set up by his teammates – Tyler Merwarth had a great reverse and a couple other run-and-catches in there. Christian Patrick had a couple tough runs in there. Brad Bryan really threw the ball well and had some really good runs in there. Then you mix in Delbert Ross. Terra makes the big-time plays without a doubt, but everybody across the board sort of chips in to get the ball rolling, and I think they all feed off each other."
The Indians took a 14-7 lead into halftime, thanks to a pair of short TD runs by quarterback Andrew Vince. Terra accounted for his team’s only score with a 20-yard touchdown run. The Panthers knotted the score early in the second half when Bryan took it in from one yard out.
"We came out in the second half, and we knew we were getting the ball," Banas said. "For as bad as we played in the first half, we told the kids – it's really a one-play game, and it's a tie ball game. That's what happened on the opening drive.
"Then we held them on defense, got the ball back and scored and then we pooch-kicked because we know they have some really talented kids back deep. With the rain and everything else, Gavin Croissette hit a great shot. The ball kicked back towards us and caught them off guard. We were lucky to recover and go down and score again, so then we're up two and really scored three in a row. That's where momentum really shifted and definitely stayed with us."
Banas went on to credit several other players who contributed to the win.
"I think Will Chenoweth had a real solid game – he plays tight end and outside linebacker," the Panthers' coach said. "Tyler Merwarth – receiving the ball, running the ball, had an interception on Souderton's last drive."
Willie Goods had an interception for the Indians.
Quakertown (2-0) will host Central Bucks West in a non-league game Friday, and Souderton (0-2) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham Friday.
Big Ticket – Interview with Quakertown Coach (Click Here)
Quakertown 0-7-7-14 28
Souderton 7-7-0-0 14
SUN VALLEY 35, UPPER MORELAND 0
The Vanguards took a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter, but it looked as though the Golden Bears were about to knot the score. A UM fumble at the goal line gave the Vanguards possession. That’s as close as the Bears would get to putting points on the board.
Upper Moreland (0-2) will host Upper Perkiomen in a non-league game next Friday.
Upper Moreland 0-0-0-0 0
Sun Valley 7-6-14-8 35
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 43, LOWER MORELAND 0
A 34-point second quarter dispelled any thoughts that the Lions – who battled Springfield Township to a scoreless tie after one quarter – would be able to hang with the Spartans.
By halftime, quarterback Max Perry had three touchdown passes and also had a TD run. It was more than enough as the Spartans rolled to the mercy rule win.
Springfield Township (1-0) will host Valley Forge Military Academy next Friday.
Lower Moreland 0-0-0-0 0
Springfield Township 0-34-3-6 43
PENN WOOD 32, PENNSBURY 27
The Falcons came oh-so-close to pulling off the big win, taking a 26-24 lead when Brad Mickles scored from seven yards out on huge fourth-down play. The successful extra point game the visiting Falcons a three-point advantage with 3:11 remaining in regulation.
That, however, proved to be enough time for the hosts to march 68 yards for the go-ahead score that still allowed the Falcons close to two minutes to try and win it. Their drive – which began at the Falcons’ own 20 – stalled, and Penn Wood escaped with the win.
Pennsbury – which trailed 8-6 after at halftime and 16-6 heading into the final frame – scored 15 of its points in the final quarter.
Pennsbury (0-2) will travel to North Penn next Friday for a non-league contest.
Pennsbury 6-0-6-15 27
Penn Wood 0-8-8-16 32
DOWNINGTOWN WEST 37, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
The Titans were shut out for the second time in as many games. They fell behind 14-0 after one quarter and still trailed by that score at halftime but never could generate any offense.
Central Bucks South (0-2) will travel to Council Rock South next Friday for a non-league contest.
Central Bucks West 0-0-0-0 0
Downingtown West 14-0-9-14 37
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