Truman picked up its second win of the season on Saturday. Springfield Twp & Upper Moreland were winners on Friday. Bensalem/CR North photos courtesy of Dave Oakill, and Bensalem/CR North photos courtesy of Richard Owens. Check back for galleries of both games. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ FOOTBALL GALLERIES.
Non-league
HARRY S TRUMAN 37, SOUTH PHILADELPHIA 0
The Tigers – according to their coach – are learning how to win.
Saturday provided another lesson.
Sparked by another huge performance from Koko Johnson, Truman exploded for 37 points – 27 in the first half – and rode its defense to the team’s second win this season.
“We’re just learning how to win because they’ve been down so long,” Truman coach Frank McArdle said. “We need to develop that confidence, and we’re getting the confidence. We just need to develop the consistency.”
In another dominant effort, Johnson scored four touchdowns and surpassed 200 yards in the first half alone, according to McArdle.
“He had at least three touchdowns that were over 60 yards,” McArdle said.
Also scoring a touchdown was Jaeden Fralin, who hauled in a 25-yard Aydan Singh pass.
“Believe it or not, we could have been a little sharper,” McArdle said. “It took us like two possessions to get going, but we made some adjustments. We moved some kids around, and they played really hard.
“Our biggest problem is when something goes wrong, the kids almost look around like something else is going to go wrong. We’ve got to get rid of that attitude. I’m half a cheerleader now. We’re trying to break that. ‘Come on, guys. We’re going to be all right.’”
Truman added 10 points after halftime, including a 28-yard field goal by senior Mark Hackney.
“He did kickoffs too,” McArdle said of Hackney. “And he had a nice day.”
In Saturday’s shutout win, plenty went right for the Tigers.
“Our quarterback – Aydan Singh – managed the game really well,” McArdle said. “Defensively, Avery Delgado, who’s a freshman, started at linebacker, and he played excellent.”
The Tigers’ coach went on to laud the defensive efforts of Taheem Watts, Zamir Moore at D- tackle and Evan Pack.
“They all obviously played good, and I haven’t watched game film yet, but those are the guys who stood out during the game,” McArdle said.
The Tigers’ coach also lauded the standout effort of the offensive line comprised of Dan Cominski, Dontrel Lovelace, Christian Willis, Brandon Goodard, Makhi Kimble and Christopher Diamond.
Truman, according to its coach, is beginning to look like a team capable of expecting good things to happen rather than waiting for something to go wrong.
The victory brought Truman back to .500 at 2-2.
“We wish we were 4-0 or 3-1,” McArdle said. “But 2-2 is not bad.
“What you are going to see as the year progresses – we have a good football team.”
Up next: Harry S Truman will host Chichester in a non-league game Friday.
Harry S Truman 27-10 37
South Philadelphia 0-0 00
Friday, Sept. 18
UPPER MORELAND 21, PENN WOOD 12
The Golden Bears won for the fourth time in as many games on Friday night, reeling off 21unanswered points after falling behind early.
The scoring began in the first quarter during an unusual sequence.
The Golden Bears had put together a promising drive on their first possession before being stopped on fourth down. One play later, Penn Wood had a 6-0 lead.
“It was one of those freaky plays you see every now and then,” UM coach Adam Beach said of Penn Wood’s touchdown. “They threw a deep ball, and our kid is actually there, and we think he’s picking it off. At the last second, their guy tips it, and it bounces off our guy’s head, right in the air, like 10 yards to where their guy happens to be standing. No one’s around, and he scores.”
Penn Wood’s 72-yard touchdown came with 8:24 remaining in the first quarter.
Upper Moreland needed just two minutes to answer.
Quarterback David Adamski connected with Brody Hughes on a 63-yard touchdown pass with 6:23 remaining, and Luca Rohn’s extra point gave the Golden Bears a 7-6 lead.
For Beach, the response said a whole lot about his team.
“We’ve been having a lot of success, and to go out there and our first drive was looking good, and then we stall, and then they get that kind of lucky-bounce play — to see our kids get the ball the next possession, go down the field and score, that was what I was probably most proud about,” Beach said. “We didn’t get down on ourselves. We didn’t get upset. We didn’t start kicking the can. We just kind of went back to work, and we were able to execute and get ourselves right back in the game. That was one of the most positive moments for me.”
Upper Moreland’s defense produced the next score.
With 21 seconds remaining in the first half, Santino Rodriguez intercepted a Penn Wood pass and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown. Rohn added the extra point, sending the Golden Bears into halftime with a 14-6 advantage.
Rodriguez wasn’t finished.
After Upper Moreland stopped Penn Wood on the opening possession of the second half, Rodriguez capped the ensuing drive with a three-yard touchdown run with 6:48 remaining in the third quarter. Rohn’s third extra point stretched the lead to 21-6.
Penn Wood finally broke through again with approximately two minutes remaining, connecting on a 25- yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 21-12. The two-point conversion attempt failed.
“Penn Wood has some athletes,” Beach said. “We did a really good job of keeping them in check most of the game. They got loose there at the end.”
Upper Moreland recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt, picked up a first down and was able to finish the night in victory formation.
Beach also was pleased with the contributions of several players that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
“Grey Tucker, our punter, did a nice job punting the ball when we had to punt,” Beach said.
Then there was Rohn, a soccer player making his varsity football kicking debut.
“He got hurt in soccer, but he got cleared to kick for football,” Beach said. “Last night was his first time kicking, and he made every extra point. His kickoffs were tremendous.
“First time on a varsity field. Pretty cool for him.”
Up next: Upper Moreland will travel to West Chester Henderson next Friday.
Penn Wood 6 0 0 6 — 12
Upper Moreland 7 7 7 0 — 21
SPRINGFIELD TWP 27, BRISTOL 6
Springfield Township broke open a scoreless game with a 20-point third quarter, riding the momentum of Mekhi Paschall’s pick six to a 27-6 win over Bristol.
“In the first half, we felt like we had shot ourselves in the foot, so to speak,” Springfield coach Chris Shelly said. “At halftime, we challenged our guys and said, ‘Look, this is a defining moment here. You’ve got to make this happen. You’re a young team, but it’s time. It’s game four.’
“Mekhi just kind of set it off. When he picked the ball and took it to the house, I think it just ignited our team.”
Bristol immediately answered Paschall’s pick six by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, but Paschall blocked the extra point to keep Springfield even at 6-6.
From there, the Spartans seized control.
Junior Tru Ellerbee broke loose for a 62-yard touchdown run to put Springfield on top 13-6, then struck again on a 65-yard screen pass from senior quarterback Nathan Torrealba as the Spartans erupted for 20 third-quarter points.
Marques Warren completed the scoring in the fourth quarter, catching a nine-yard touchdown pass from Torrealba.
Ellerbee finished with 135 rushing yards, while Torrrealba threw for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
Paschall’s impact went beyond his interception return – he finished with two interceptions, blocked an extra point and added two receptions for 20 yards.
Shelly said Paschall, who received numerous Division I offers as a sophomore, has taken an important step this season.
“We challenged him this year to lead us,” Shelly said. “He’s a captain as a junior. The kid, without question, is special with his talent, but I’m just so impressed by his leadership this year.”
The victory was particularly significant for a Springfield team that entered the game with a 1-2 record, suffering two disappointing losses, including a game that came down to the final play against Trinity.
“We tell the kids, ‘We’re getting better every week, and we’re that close to being 3-0, but you’re not. You’re 1-2. You are who you are,’” Shelly said. “So, we challenged them.
“We’ve played Bristol for years, and Bristol kids are always, always tough, well-skilled. They had played some tough opponents, so we weren’t surprised it was 0-0 at halftime.”
Springfield’s defense also received a major contribution from senior Jabril Tawfeeq, who was given the assignment of helping contain Bristol’s passing game.
“We knew coming in Bristol had a pretty good receiver, and we kind of just stuck Jabril on him,” Shelly said. “He had a great interception, he had a forced fumble, which was key in the game, and he had a lot of big hits.
“He’s coming out for football for the first time. He’s a senior, and he hasn’t really been battletested. He showed
what I hope he knows — that he can play with anybody. We’re really excited about some of our first-time seniors that came out.”
Shelly went on to credit several other seniors.
“Phoenix Ferragame has been playing D-end for us, which is a new position for him,” the Spartans’ coach said. “Ronan Moran was a linebacker for us last year. We don’t have a ton of guys that are experienced, but these guys stepped up – along with Nathan Torrealba – and provided leadership. We don’t have a ton of guys that are experienced, but these guys stepped up.”
Torrealba took on defensive responsibilities against Bristol in addition to quarterbacking the offense.
“Usually, we don’t like playing our quarterback on defense, but we challenged him, and he came up with numerous big hits for us,” Shelly said. “It was nice to see.
“Our seniors kind of led the way to the win. We have to keep getting better, keep growing as a team, but I think they realized some things last night that we haven’t realized before.”
Final stats for the game showed Ellerbee with 135 rushing yards and two touchdowns – one rushing, one receiving. Torrealbea threw for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
Up next: Springfield Twp will host North Schuylkill in a non-league game Saturday.
Springfield Twp 0 0 20 7 — 27
Bristol 0 0 6 0 — 6
BENSALEM 6, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0 (OT)
You had to see it to believe it.
As a matter of fact, Bensalem coach Mitch Cohen saw it, and he’s still trying to wrap his head around the Owls’ 6-0 win over the Indians in overtime.
“I’ve been doing this a very long time,” the Owls’ first-year coach said. “I played football, I head coached at Morrisville High School, I was the defensive coordinator at Neshaminy last year, and I’m gonna tell you – this was the most insane and craziest game I’ve ever been associated with, playing or coaching.”
It’s hard to argue.
Bensalem and Council Rock North played four scoreless quarters before Brennan Farnsworth finally ended a wild night with a touchdown in overtime, giving the Owls a 6-0 victory.
That alone would qualify as unusual.
But consider this: Farnsworth carried the ball 32 times for 263 yards — and his only touchdown came in overtime.
“I’ve coached Raymond Holman at Morrisville, and he played Division 1 at Morgan State,” Cohen said. “He had school records like 270 (yards) in a game, and he would score four touchdowns.”
Four touchdowns with 270 yards rushing would not be considered unusual, but one touchdown in overtime with 263 yards – to say it’s unusual would be an understatement.
“We were going up and down the field,” Cohen said. “Every time we took two steps forward, we would take two steps back.
“I went through film twice with the coaches. Film doesn’t lie. Numbers don’t lie either. It’s just unbelievable.”
Farnsworth had five runs of at least 20 yards and 11 of 10 yards or more, according to Cohen. Yet Bensalem repeatedly came away empty.
The Owls turned the ball over three times inside the Council Rock North 20, according to Cohen.
“I have to give credit to Council Rock North,” Cohen said. “They played with a lot of emotion. I can’t take anything away from Coach (Vince) Bedesem. They changed their entire game plan. Their kids played tough.
“Their defense bent but didn’t break. They fought. They changed their game plan against us. They used different coverages, different fronts. So, I do have to give them credit. It wasn’t just us beating ourselves.”
While Bensalem piled up yards without scoring, its defense was making certain North couldn’t take advantage.
The Indians put together their most serious scoring threat in the closing minutes of regulation in an unusual sequence.
North lined up for a potential game-winning field goal with less than a minute remaining.
“We had a key field goal block by Jeremiah Lugo to give us a chance,” Cohen said. “That was huge.”
Bensalem took over at its own 15, and Farnsworth immediately broke loose for 40 yards. On the next play, he had another 27.
The Owls drove inside the North 5, and Cohen called timeout with one second remaining to set up a field goal attempt.
Council Rock North blocked it.
0-0.
Overtime.
“You can’t make this up,” Cohen said.
Bensalem won the overtime coin toss and elected to put its defense on the field first. Rock North threw three incompletions before attempting a field goal, but the kick went wide right.
Then it was Bensalem’s turn from the 10.
Cohen had seen enough.
“I go, ‘You know what, man? Just end this game,’” he said.
Two running plays later, Farnsworth did.
His touchdown finally put points on the scoreboard and ended one of the strangest games Cohen could remember.
“We’re just gashing them on the ground,” said Cohen, whose team completed 2 of 12 passes for 56 yards. “When you have that many yards rushing – our O-line blocked really well. We were really good in the run game. Our O-line played really well.”
Creating holes for Farnsworth was an offensive line comprised of Joey Ott, Dominic Lafontano, Wesley Cook, Alan Reyes-Garcia and Liam Nilsson.
And as remarkable as Farnsworth’s numbers were, Cohen was equally pleased with what Bensalem did on the other side of the football.
“You’ve got to give a shoutout to Tony Dragani,” Cohen said of his defensive coordinator. “After letting up 63 points against CB East, for Tony Dragani’s defense to pitch a shutout, you’ve got to give our defense as much credit as possible.mOur defense played great.”
The coach acknowledged the strong play of defensive back Jimmy Cross, who had a pick six called back.
The Owls, according to their coach, have a young team with about five senior starters after the graduation of a large senior class that included Lehigh commit Aidan Mayfield.
“He’s actually the number two at Lehigh, so they were a very talented team last year,” Cohen said. “The biggest thing is we’re so young and inexperienced that these guys need to learn how to win. Once we learn how to win, that’s the first step in this process.”
Farnsworth is a junior and the Owls are young at quarterback and along the offensive line.
That youth found a way to survive a bizarre night, but it may take Cohen a little longer to recover.
“I probably lost about 10 years of my life,” he said.
Up next: Bensalem will host Upper Dublin Friday, and Council Rock North will be on the road at Souderton Friday.
Council Rock North 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Bensalem 0 0 0 0 6 — 6
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