Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. Pennridge/Souderton photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko. Truman/Neshaminy photos courtesy of Darryl Rule of D&J Photography. CB West/Tennent photos provided courtesy of Jon Sklut, and Upper Dublin/Penn Charter courtesy of Geanine Jamison.
Football stats provided courtesy of the Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier. To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the Intelligencer (https://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school) and Courier Times (https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school) web sites.
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SOL National Conference
HARRY S TRUMAN 55, NESHAMINY 41
The Tigers – according to coach Ben Johnson – want respect.
If scoring 55 points and accumulating 415 yards of total offense – 312 yards on the ground – against a perennial conference power on the road doesn’t do the trick, nothing will.
“The team came ready, they had a great week of preparation, and I just couldn’t be prouder of that team,” Johnson said. “We have a chip on our shoulder. They want respect. I said, ‘The only way you get respect is to go out there and earn it.’ This is the first step to doing that. This is two years in a row.
“We went to Heartbreak Ridge tonight and really made a statement.”
Speaking of statements, no one made a bigger one than Dajuan Harris. The Tigers’ junior running back had himself a career night, scoring five touchdowns and rushing for 180 yards in the first half to propel the Tigers to a 41-27 halftime lead.
“This young man is special beyond measure,” Johnson said. “He is very much locked into football, but what I can tell you is this kid is also locked in to what he needs to do academically.
“If Dajuan does what he needs to academically and continues to have success on the football field and stays out of trouble off the field, he is going to be one of the biggest stories out of Truman High School. That’s how you get respect.”
Briefly, very briefly, the Redskins had momentum on Friday night, capitalizing on a Truman turnover on its opening possession to score a touchdown when – on fourth-and-nine – Brody McAndrew found Dawson Obringer with a 23-yard touchdown pass, giving the Redskins a 7-0 lead two minutes into the game.
In a preview of things to come, Harris raced 46 yards for a touchdown on his team’s ensuing possession. The Tigers’ defense held, and this time Harris took it 58 yards for the score on a delayed draw, spotting Truman a 12-7 lead. Cason Hearn returned a blocked punt for a touchdown, and the Tigers led 19-7.
Chris James – back in the Redskins’ lineup after being sidelined with an injury – had a 51-yard touchdown run that made it a 19-14 game, but Harris got that back with a 17-yard TD run to put the Tigers on top 26-14.
McAndrew and Ian Sheehan hooked up for a 79-yard touchdown pass to make it a 26-20 game, but a David Wilson to Joey Wright completion on a tipped pass on fourth-and-22 set up a nine-yard Harris touchdown run that gave the Tigers a 33-20 lead.
“As a coach, you look for your kids to buy in, and do they have good command of the playbook,” Johnson said. “Tonight David Wilson took total, total command of that offense.
“He was able to come off the field and tell us, ‘Hey coach, what we’re doing is good, but we also have this. Trust me, this is what I’m seeing.’ These are conversations we have with our quarterbacks all the time – read the defense, see what they’re giving us. We always want to take what they’re giving us. That’s how you beat them, and tonight he did that. He is a phenomenal, phenomenal quarterback and has proven he knows the playbook.”
Another Harris nine-yard touchdown run and a successful two-point conversion made it a 41-20 game, but McAndrew hooked up with Sheehan from 40 yards out, and it was a 41-27 game at the intermission.
The Redskins pulled to within a touchdown (41-34) in the opening seconds of the final quarter after a drive that featured a whole lot of Chris James was capped with a McAndrew to Sheehan four-yard touchdown pass. A 34-yard TD pass from Wilson to Jordan Fant all but sealed the Redskins’ fate.
Not to be ignored in the win was the overpowering performance of Truman’s offensive line comprised of Manny Johnson, Lawrence Baldwin, John Graves, Salinas Javier and David Slay.
“They’re all seniors, they were all hungry,” Johnson said. “This game means a lot to them, and they just wanted to beat them so bad. They were ready to go.
“The offensive lines and defensive lines are the ones who makes things happen. When plays happen, it’s because the quarterback has time. We gave up no sacks, and Dajuan was running right up the middle, and that comes from the boys up front. This is the first year in 17 years of coaching high school football that I’ve been actually able to coach the offensive line. I put a lot of pressure on my coaches, and they do a phenomenal job in preparation. They get it done. This is a heck of a coaching staff.”
Johnson acknowledged the strong play of several players in the win.
“Jordan Fant had the putaway touchdown in the fourth quarter,” Johnson said. Kashun Holden had a really nice touchdown. He played a fantastic game, and Cason Hearn had a huge touchdown on special teams with the punt block.”
Harris finished with 243 yards and five TDs. Wilson threw for 133 yards and two touchdowns.
For the Redskins, McAndrew had himself a day, throwing for 313 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. Sheehan hauled in 12 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns, and James ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
Listening to Johnson tell it, it’s a new era of football at Truman.
“These kids are under a whole new coaching staff, they have a whole new playbook on both sides of the ball and a whole new culture they’ve never experienced prior to me coming here,” the Tigers’ first-year coach said. “Academics first. If your academics aren’t first, you’re sitting next to me on the sidelines. These kids have bought into that.
“Everybody loves to play football. That’s easy. You have to have that same enthusiasm or more when it comes to your academics. When I talk to (college) coaches, I need to be able to sell a well-rounded kid, and it’s my goal to send as many kids as possible to school on scholarships. That’s why we stress the academic and character piece. Our goal is to deal with the whole individual. We want them to be great students and athletes. We want them to leave this program when they graduate having gotten some caveats to be great men when they become fathers, employees and leaders. There’s a lot of things from football that carry over, and that’s what we’re really hammering. As a head coach, I could not ask to be in a better place than Truman.”
Harry S Truman (3-2, 2-0 SOL) will be on the road at Council Rock North on Friday, and Neshaminy (2-3, 1-1) will travel to Abington on Friday.
Harry S Truman 12-29-0-14 55
Neshaminy 7-20-0-14 41
ABINGTON 38, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 8
The Ghosts raced out of the gate to a 31-0 halftime lead on their way to a decisive win that put a damper on the Golden Hawks’ Senior Night celebration.
Andrick Wesh put the Ghosts on the scoreboard with an early 18-yard touchdown run. He led a balanced Ghost attack with 140 rushing yards. Wesh was one of six players to score touchdowns.
Chris Kretchman caught a six-yard TD pass from Tamir Berthau, who followed that with a 53-yard touchdown run. Reece Gibbs connected on a 32-yard field goal, and Nasir Jones scored from two yards. Kyle Hughes caught a 15-yard Johnny Dzielawa touchdown pass.
Brady Beres accounted for the Golden Hawks’ lone score – a 25-yard touchdown run. The Golden Hawks managed less than 150 yards of total offense.
Berthau completed 10-of-14 passes for 143 yards and a TD.
Abington (4-1, 2-0 SOL) will host Neshaminy in a key conference game Friday, and Council Rock South (0-5, 0-2) will be on the road at North Penn for a non-league contest.
Council Rock South 14-17-7-0 38
Abington 0-0-0-8 8
PENNSBURY 38, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 7
(Statistics by Rick Fortenbaugh/The Trentonian: https://www.trentonian.com)
The Falcons took care of business in a hurry on Friday night, opening up a 21-0 first quarter lead and extending that to 28-0 by halftime.
Jay Von McNeil put the Falcons on the board when he scored from 22 yards out, and the Falcons were off and running. Drew Hensor once again lined up at running back and wasted little time before making his presence felt, taking it home from 49 yards. Hensor finished the night with 174 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback CJ Kohler had a pair of TD passes.
Pennsbury (2-3, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Friday, and Council Rock North (1-4, 0-2) will host Harry S Truman on Friday.
Council Rock North 0-0-0-7 7
Pennsbury 21-7-3-7 38
SOL Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 24, PENNRIDGE 21
Ed Gallagher knew it wouldn’t be easy. Forget the fact that the Indians brought a 4-0 record into Friday’s game and the Rams were 1-3. This is a rivalry game, and records are out the window.
“I said that every day this week to them,” the Indians’ coach said. “I even gave Exhibit A, Exhibit B and on to Exhibit G or H.
“They laughed at me as I gave them the history of the rivalry and how many times the team with the worst record came in and either won or came close to winning. It’s a great rivalry. I enjoy playing it, I enjoy coaching it. I’ve been on both sides, and I feel for (Pennridge coach) Cody (Muller) and his kids.
“I know they played their hearts out. They were really physical tonight, and they’re going to be all right. They took a step forward tonight, which is good for them. Our kids made enough plays to hold them off and win. It’s pretty exciting.”
The Rams served early notice that this was not going to be easy when quarterback Bobby Croyle found Elias Dantzler for a touchdown. The Indians evened the score when Andrew Vince hit Evan Kutzler with a 69-yard touchdown pass. When Jalen White took it in from two yards out, the Indians led 14-7, but the Rams got that back when Croyle scored from three yards.
A Will Leyland 37-yard field goal as time expired in the first half sent the Indians into halftime clinging to a 17-14 lead. A five-yard touchdown run by Vince put the Indians on top 24-14 late in the third quarter.
“(Nick) Guthre had the big run to take us down to the five,” Gallagher said of a 63-yard run by the senior that set up the Indians’ final touchdown.
Again, the Rams came back, scoring on a one-yard Croyle sneak to make it a three-point game.
“We got the ball back and we’re icing the clock,” Gallagher said. “We got it to midfield – we ran a fake punt, and Nick Guthre threw a pass to (Ethan) Smerecki that got a first down pretty much in field goal range. I didn’t want to risk it with a field goal and get a blocked kick. It would have been nice to be able to score again, but we were able to take some time off the clock.
“We turned it over on downs, and they had one more chance coming out from their 20, and we stopped them and took a knee. As much as our defense gave up a couple of big plays, they really came up with some huge plays in that last series to get us the win.”
Gallagher lauded the play of several players.
“Andrew Vince had a couple of really nice runs – he threw for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown,” the Indians’ coach said. “Nick Guthre probably had over a hundred yards rushing. Jalen White scored a touchdown.
“Jacob Horton was outstanding on defense (at linebacker). He made play after play. We joke with him all the time about his speed because he’s not that fast, but he really plays fast. He makes reads and he gets downhill and just hits people. He had some highlight reel hits tonight.”
With the win, the Indians are 5-0 for the first time since 2013.
“At 5-0, we should be in the playoffs unless we completely nosedive and lose five games, which I don’t see us doing,” Gallagher said. “We’re in a good position, and now we have to keep it rolling.
“We can’t afford to get complacent and hope things will fall into place. We have to keep winning games and get a home football game in the playoffs because going on the road is never easy. You’re always playing tough, physical football teams. No one wants to get on the bus and drive to Downingtown or Coatesville or somewhere like that. I’m a big fan of continuing to win games and getting a home game.”
Souderton (5-0, 2-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Friday, and Pennridge (1-4, 0-2) will host Central Bucks West.
Pennridge 7-7-0-7 21
Souderton 7-10-7-0 24
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 28, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
The Bucks kept their perfect record intact, improving to 5-0 and notching their second shutout of the season.
“Like I tell the guys, any time you get a win – they’re all special, no matter what shape or form they come in,” coach Rob Rowan said. “Everybody is all in, and that’s what it takes to be successful. I’d be lying if I said we expected this, but by the same token, I’m not surprised
“You don’t ever look that far down the road, you really don’t. You believe in the guys you have in the room. I don’t want to say you expect it to happen, but you’re not surprised when it does because of the work ethic and the commitment and the investment my guys and the staff have made.”
The Bucks got on the scoreboard when Jack Fallon took it in from nine yards out. A pair of second quarter touchdowns sent the Bucks into halftime with a 21-0 lead. Nick Olear hauled in a 24-yard touchdown pass from Jack Neri, and Fallon had a 45-yard touchdown run. A Neri three-yard touchdown in the third quarter closed out the scoring for both sides.
Tom Santiago accounted for 103 of Tennent’s 215 yards of total offense.
“That kid’s the real deal,” Rowan said. “We knew that going in. We knew going in that he’s a dynamic player, so obviously, we devised some things to try and take him away, and he still had a handful of big runs because he’s that type of player.
“I think ultimately we had that bend but don’t break mentality today. We had two turnovers backed up in our own territory, and that was huge. Those are backbreakers offensively. Any time you put a zero on the board it’s a team effort.”
Fallon also surpassed the 100-yard mark, leading all ground gainers with 117 yards and two touchdowns.
Rowan credited the efforts of several players.
“Nick Olear had a big game – he had a touchdown (reception) to spark us and really get us going, and he also had two interceptions,” the Bucks’ coach said of his defensive back/wideout. “Defensively, (inside linebacker) Tristan Hulme – I know for a fact he had a minimum of three TFLs (tackles for loss). He was all over the field.”
Central Bucks West (5-0, 2-0 SOL) will be on the road at Pennridge on Friday, and William Tennent (2-3, 0-2) will travel to Central Bucks South Friday.
William Tennent 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks West 7-14-7-0 28
SOL American Conference
WISSAHICKON 21, HATBORO-HORSHAM 18
(Statistics provided by Tyler Sablich/PA Prep Live: http://papreplive.com/football/2019/09/20/wissahickon-ends-skid-with-win-over-hatboro-horsham/)
It’s been a long time since the Trojans walked off the football field winners in SOL play – more than five years to be exact since Wissahickon defeated Springfield Township 41-28 on Sept. 19, 2014.
“This means a lot for us,” coach Bruce Fleming said of Friday’s win. “This is our first Suburban One win in I don’t know how many years.
“This is a good win for us. It allowed us to see who we were. Our first four games – two we were a little outmatched and two we didn’t play well ourselves. We felt we played all together tonight.”
There wasn’t a whole lot of offense for either side, but it was the Trojans taking a 7-0 lead in the second quarter when sophomore quarterback Aidan DeFeo found Raejon Benjamin with a 10-yard touchdown pass. The Hatters made it a 7-6 game at the intermission and took a 12-7 lead in the third quarter when Jordan Collazo punched it in from a yard out.
Wissahickon went back on top 14-12 when DeFeo connected with EJ Schreiner for a touchdown from 15 yards out. Again, the Hatters answered, and again, it was Collazo – this time from seven yards.
But DeFeo wasn’t finish yet, hooking up with Schreiner for the game-winning 52-yard touchdown with three minutes remaining.
Fleming credited the efforts of several players in the win.
“Defensively, it was Raejon Benjamin – he’s our defensive leader,” the Trojans’ coach said. “Even though he’s tired and hurt, he willed himself to stay out there and help us out defensively.
“Aidan DeFeo, our quarterback, had a great game. This is his third varsity start. We started to see signs of it last week against PW. He’s starting to get his composure and understand what varsity defenses are doing. Tonight he really put it all together to have a really solid game for us.”
DeFeo stepped into the starting role when Nick Santo was sidelined with an injury.
“Last year we tried to do a freshman team, and he was the freshman quarterback, but we ended up folding, so he only played three freshmen games last year,” Fleming said. “He was coming in raw to play varsity football, and he’s stepping up and understanding what’s going on and what’s expected of him. I’m pleased with his progress so far.”
The Trojans’ coach also praised the efforts of his offensive and defensive lines.
“My offensive line did a great job of picking up blitzes and staying in their blocks,” Fleming said. “The defensive line really stepped up and was able to hold their running backs to not as many yards. They did their job holding onto their blocks. The guys have really bought into trying to change this program around. It’s not just myself and the coaching staff, but the guys understand that it’s a full team effort. We have to focus on the small things, and that’s what we’re doing. That’s what we’re getting better at, and it’s starting to translate onto the football field.”
Wissahickon (1-4, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Quakertown Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-5, 0-2) will host Upper Moreland on Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-6-6-6 18
Wissahickon 0-7-7-7 21
CHELTENHAM 30, QUAKERTOWN 12
(Statistics provided by Andrew Robinson/PA Prep Live: http://papreplive.com/football/2019/09/21/cheltenham-starts-strong-tops-quakertown/)
Sparked by a 17-point second quarter, Cheltenham raced out of the gate to a 24-0 halftime led. The visiting Panthers outscored their hosts 12-6 in the second half but couldn’t put a dent in Cheltenham’s early lead.
“We need to play two halves,” Cheltenham coach Ryan Nase said. “We didn’t play very well in the first half against Norristown last week and then came out lights out in the second half.
“Tonight we played about as good a half as you could in the first half against Quakertown, and we’re like a different team in the second half. When we play teams we’re going to play in the next month or so – we’ve got to play two halves or we’re not going to be able to win.”
A four-yard touchdown run by Jamir Barnes spotted Cheltenham a 7-0 lead after one quarter. By halftime, Andrew Moreland had split the uprights on a 29-yard field goal. Adonis Hunter connected with Nate Edwards for a 40-yard touchdown pass, and Sam Sykes had a 21-yard touchdown run.
“We had a really, really good balance of run, pass, spread, pro, 12 personnel – we were able to do a lot of different things and hit on all cylinders, and we have a quarterback (Hunter) who can run and throw,” Nase said. “We’re pretty hard to defend.
“Adonis Hunter has been playing really well. Jamir Barnes was going again. Sadiqq Williams had a huge catch on third-and-long on our first series when we eventually scored a touchdown. Nate Edwards takes a hitch, makes two moves and scores and then gets a pick six later in the game. TJ Harris had two interceptions. Unfortunately, we lost him later in the game and for the next because of a targeting call. I thought he went shoulder pad to chest – it was pass interference, but I didn’t think it was that, so it was unfortunate for us.”
Tyler Merwarth’s three-yard touchdown put Quakertown on the scoreboard in the third quarter. The two teams exchanged touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Barnes finished with a game-high 159 rushing yards.
Cheltenham (4-1, 1-0 SOL) will be on the road at Upper Dublin for a conference showdown Friday.
“I’ve seen PW on film, and they’re really good, but until somebody beats Upper Dublin from our league – they’re the team to beat,” Nase said. “We want to do it when they’re at full strength and we’re at full strength.
“The biggest problem with us in the second half this game – we were already down two starting offensive linemen, and we lost another one during the game. We lost our starting tight end, we lost TJ (Harris), and I’m not sure we’re going to get any of them back, so it’s going to be a tough week.”
Quakertown (1-4, 1-1) will host Wissahickon on Friday.
Quakertown 0-0-6-6 12
Cheltenham 7-17-0-6 30
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 28, UPPER MORELAND 6
(Statistics provided by Ed Morlock/PA Prep Live: http://papreplive.com/football/2019/09/20/brian-dresnin-leads-plymouth-whitemarshs-rushing-attack-against-upper-moreland/)
Running the ball down the throat of its opponents is becoming a trademark of this year’s PW football team. That didn’t change in Friday night’s convincing win over Upper Moreland. Brian Dresnin led the Colonials with 181 yards and two touchdowns, and Michael Paciello had 104 yards and a TD.
“We really got our ground game going again this week,” coach Dan Chang said. “We had a couple other people contributing to the running game as well. Our guys up front are leading the way for us. The offensive line is getting better every week.
“Upper Moreland did some nice things. They tried to mix things up against us. They were a tough team – they were physical, they were good. I was happy with how we played.”
Dresnin punched it in from a yard out to spot the Colonials a 7-0 lead, and his 42-yard touchdown run made it a 14-0 game. The Colonials took that two-touchdown lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, Jake Davis recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown that put the Colonials on top 21-0. Paciello’s seven-yard touchdown run gave PW a 28-0 lead before the Golden Bears got on the scoreboard late.
The win kept the Colonials perfect after five games.
“I think this is where we envisioned ourselves to be – 5-0 going into our bye week,” Chang said. “Now we got all our eyes and all our focus on Cheltenham, who is very good. They have got to be one of the favorites – between them and Upper Dublin – to win the league. We’re going to try and get in there and get ready for them.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-0, 2-0 SOL) has a bye next week, a break that Chang says is coming at the perfect time.
“Chris Pierce went down with an injury, so we’re hoping this bye week will allow him to get healed up,” the Colonials’ coach said. “We have a couple of guys banged up. Being relatively healthy, I think it will help going into our next four games.”
Upper Moreland (3-2, 0-2) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham on Friday.
Upper Moreland 0-0-0-6 6
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-0-7-7 28
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 40, BENSALEM 13
Josh Consoletti returned to the Titans’ lineup and immediately made his presence felt. The senior quarterback completed 7-of-8 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns.
“It was great to have him back,” coach Tom Hetrick said. “He does a nice job of extending plays with his feet and keeping his eyes down field. He threw some very nice balls tonight.”
Sean Smith caught both of Consoletti’s TD passes. The first – for four yards – spotted the Titans a 6-0 lead. Jason Christiansen punched it in from a yard out to make it a 13-0 game after one quarter, and when Consoletti, rolling to his left, hit a streaking Smith with a 46-yard TD strike, the Titans led 20-0.
By halftime, the Titans’ lead had grown to 33-0 as they rolled to the lopsided win.
Smith finished the game with five receptions for 145 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Matt Cohen had a pair of touchdown runs.
For the Owls, Jalen Smith’s 76 yards on the ground led the attack. Henry Hill and Josiah Leonard both had TD runs.
Central Bucks South (3-2, 0-1 SOL) will host William Tennent on Friday, and Bensalem (2-3, 0-1) will host Pennsbury on Friday.
Central Bucks South 13-20-7-0 40
Bensalem 0-0-7-6 13
WILLIAM PENN CHARTER 56, UPPER DUBLIN 0
It was a rough night for the Flying Cardinals against a powerful Penn Charter squad. They trailed 28-0 after one quarter and never threatened.
Upper Dublin (3-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Friday.
William Penn Charter 28-14-7-7 56
Upper Dublin 0-0-0-0 0
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