Check out the results for SOL football teams in action Friday. Neshaminy/Truman photo provided courtesy of Jesse Garber (http://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p318377327). PW/Wissahickon photos provided by Kim Supko, and North Penn/Pennridge photos are courtesy of Keith Clemens.Upper Moreland/Hatboro-Horsham photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of JD Photography and Dan Beck…CLICK HERE. Stats used in the wraps are provided courtesy of Calkins Media. For complete high school football coverage, visit the web sites: http://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school/fall/football/ and http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/fall/football/
American Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 18, QUAKERTOWN 7
Bret Stover raised a clenched fist as he headed toward his team’s huddle after Friday night’s win. Quakertown, it turns out, had not been an especially pleasant road trip for the UD coach in years past.
“It’s been a house of horrors for me as a coach,” Stover said. “The last time we were here was in 2006. This has been a historically tough place, and their kids are tough.”
There was nothing easy about Friday’s win, but when the Cardinals needed it most, their defense delivered, shutting the Panthers out after a second quarter TD that broke a streak of 13 straight scoreless quarters for UD’s defense.
The Cardinals limited Noah Wood to 83 yards on 23 carries. The gifted senior was averaging 8.6 yards a carry entering Friday’s game. Stover credited middle linebackers Malik Bootman and Max Winebrake for making the plays.
“Number 27 (Wood) was the focus coming in, and we had to stop him,” the UD coach said. “Our guys up front – Dave Hernandez, Zhaire Lee, Chris Smith, Max Weinburg and Jason O’Gara – really did the job so those two could make the plays.
“Those guys up front were able to keep the offensive line off of our linebackers so they could run in and make plays.”
Bootman and Winebrake are both listed as 5-8 and tip the scale at 173 and 178 respectively, but what they lack in size they make up for in speed.
“We like to hit,” Winebrake said.
“He’s fearless,” Bootman said of his fellow linebacker.
Both credited their defensive line.
“They were taking all the blockers, and it allowed us to make plays,” Winebrake said. “We were just reading our keys and doing what the coach’s say.”
“Coach really prepared us well,” Bootman said. “They preach – do your job, and today we just did our job.”
The Cardinals struck first when quarterback Justin Horn took it in from two yards out – a touchdown that was set up by Bootman’s 41-yard interception return. The Panthers erased that deficit in the second quarter when Nick Lefkowski scored from 15 yards out on a reverse. Gabby Sullivan’s extra point gave the Panthers a 7-6 lead, and the Cardinals trailed for the first time this season.
“We loved the test,” Horn said. “In the locker room at halftime, we didn’t have any fear of losing the game.
“We just knew that this was going to show what this 2016 team is all about, and we were excited for the challenge.”
The tide began to turn in the Cardinals favor after a punt by Chris Barbera late in the third quarter pinned the Panthers on their own five-yard line. The Cardinals’ defense held, and a short punt gave Upper Dublin possession at the Panthers’ 37. After a three-yard loss on first down, Horn found Phillip Butler at the 13 with a 27-yard completion. A 10-yard run by Michael Cottom set the stage for a one-yard TD by Butler that put the Cardinals on top 12-7.
“We had a great kick that pinned them in at the five,” Stover said. “That, to me, flipped the game.
“We could have gone for it at the 45, and if we don’t get it, we don’t have field position the rest of the night. We kicked it and then had the three-and-out, so that was a big play for us.”
Another UD defensive stop gave the Cardinals the ball at the Panthers’ 35. Horn sealed the win when – on third-and-four – he took it in from 25 yards out.
“Justin is so poised out there,” Stover said. “He stood at shortstop at Citizens Bank Park in the Carpenter Cup (championship game) in the last inning, so he’s been under pressure, he’s been under fire.
“He’s been a part of this the last two years. There was absolutely no panic in the locker room, there was no yelling at each other. My coaching staff made great corrections, and these guys went out and implemented them in the second half.”
Horn, who completed 9-of-13 passes for 116 yards, has had big shoes to fill, stepping in the QB position.
“Seeing what Ryan (Stover) did last year and just taking mental reps and knowing what to do helped some and compensated for not being up to speed with the varsity,” Horn said. “With the little experience we had, those first three games were good test for us to see where we were. That helped us out with our experience.”
Upper Dublin (4-0, 2-0 SOL) will be on the road at Wissahickon on Friday, and Quakertown (1-4, 1-1) will host Hatboro-Horsham.
“We just have to get better every week,” Stover said. “We’re still young. Everybody is anointing us things, and we’re not ready to be anointed anything yet. We didn’t earn anything yet. We’re one game at a time, and that’s how we were last year.”
Upper Dublin 6-0-0-12 18
Quakertown 0-7-0-0 7
HATBORO-HORSHAM 35, UPPER MORELAND 14
The Hatters needed an offensive jolt. They also needed a win. They got both Friday night at Upper Moreland.
“It’s huge,” coach Michael Kapusta said of his team’s win. “It’s a rivalry game. Everybody in the school and in the community really takes this game seriously.
“Just for the season – we’re looking at it as a new season. The non-league season is over, and now we’re looking at the league season. We’re 2-0 if you count the (Springfield) forfeit, so we’re looking at next week – one week at a time.”
The Hatters scored just 39 points in three non-conference losses. Chris Edwards provided the offensive spark in Friday’s rivalry game at Upper Moreland. The junior quarterback ran for 146 yards, threw for 141 and accounted for five touchdowns, four passing and one running.
“That was his best game, no doubt,” Kapusta said. “I know Chris is that type of dynamic player. It was just a matter of getting him settled in.”
The Hatters took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Edwards hit Brandon Crews for a 14-yard touchdown on a third-and-six play. The Golden Bears tied the game later in the first on a seven-yard TD run by Billy McKenna.
The Hatters scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to go up 21-7 at halftime. Edwards threw a screen pass to Adam Suder, who took it 36 yards to the house. He also threw a 20-yard touchdown to Crews.
Hatboro-Horsham extended the lead to 28-7 early in the third when Edwards fired a 41-yard touchdown pass to Crews, their longest connection of the night. Upper Moreland got back into the game when quarterback Casey Decker ran for a 15-yard touchdown on the final play of the quarter to make it 
28-14.
In the fourth, the Hatters drove deep into Upper Moreland territory, but Bryan Mowery intercepted an Edwards pass at the one-yard line and ran it back to the 25 of Hatboro-Horsham. The Bears appeared to have momentum with still more than 10 minutes left in the game, but the drive stalled near midfield.
The Hatters answered with a decisive touchdown drive that Edwards capped with a 19-yard dash into the right corner of the end zone.
Crews caught three passes for 75 yards and three touchdowns, all on slant routes. Upper Moreland was playing just a single high safety because the Hatters were running the ball well. The Hatters ran for 212 yards.
The Hatters’ defense limited Upper Moreland to 132 rushing yards on 39 carries with Sterlen Barr running for 56 of those.
Hatboro-Horsham (2-3, 2-0 SOL) will travel to Quakertown next Friday, and Upper Moreland (2-3, 0-2) will host Cheltenham.
Hatboro-Horsham 7-14-7-7 35
Upper Moreland 7-0-7-0 14
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 39, WISSAHICKON 36
The Colonials never could put the Trojans away but escaped with the hard-fought win. PW led 26-0 after quarterback Joe Stoberl found Vince Martina, but the Trojans came roaring back, trailing 26-14 at the half after Marlyn Johnson caught Mike Schoenleber’s 52-yard Hail Mary.
PW led 33-14 after a Stoberl touchdown run and still led 39-21 late in the third quarter only to watch the Trojans close it out with 15 unanswered points.
Johnson finished with more than 200 receiving yards and three touchdowns on a night that saw Schoenleber throw for close to 300 yards and four touchdowns.
For the Colonials, Stoberl accounted for more than 200 yards of offense.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-1, 2-0 SOL) – which was scheduled to play Springfield on Friday – is off until Oct. 7 when the Colonials will travel to Upper Dublin. Wissahickon (1-4, 0-2) will host Upper Dublin on Friday.
Continental Conference
NORTH PENN 45, PENNRIDGE 21
It looked as though the Rams might pose an honest-to-goodness challenge when – after the Knights came up short on fourth-and-one from the 46 – they marched 46 yards for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. The Knights responded with 45 unanswered points.
So much for the challenge.
“We started off a little slow,” coach Dick Beck said. “It’s how they respond to adversity.
“Everybody plays well when things are going good. When things are going bad, that’s when the character really rises to the top.”
For the second week in a row, the Rams capitalized on a trick play – this time Austin Herrlinger found quarterback Jagger Hartshorn with a 27-yard touchdown pass. Kelly McNamara’s 21-yard field goal made it a 7-3 game after one quarter.
“Kelly McNamara hitting that field goal and every extra point (she was 6-for-6), and her kickoffs were great – that was good to see,” Beck said. “Then all of a sudden our passing game started clicking.”
The Knights took a lead they would not lose when Nick Dillon took it in from 10 yards out.
“Nick Dillon was electric tonight,” Beck said. “He was very, very impressive.
“They blitzed (Nick) Tarburton in the hole, and (Dillon) just cut it back and walked into the end zone from 10. It was a great cut. He’s really getting a good feel for it now.”
A pair of five-yard touchdown passes from Reece Udinski to Owen Thomas sent the Knights into halftime with a 21-7 lead, and they added to that with 21 more points in the third quarter – a tear that was ignited when Udinski found Jake Hubler with a 64-yard touchdown strike.
“We’ve been trying to get that one going,” Beck said. “Reece did a great job seeing the man-to-man coverage. Jake just ran by the guy, and Reece put it right on the money.”
The Knights led 45-7 before the Rams tacked on a pair of late touchdowns.
Udinski once again put up brilliant numbers, completing 13-of-22 passes for 259 yards and five touchdowns. Hubler led the receivers with 123 yards. Dillon had 87 yards on the ground, but it wasn’t only the Knights’ offense that excelled.
“I thought the defense really, really played well,” Beck said. “We did a nice job on their quarterback, who is really elusive.
“We caused a turnover on a hit on a scramble, which was a big play for us. Owen Thomas made a big stop on fourth down at the end of the (first) half. I thought Justis Henley did a great job shutting down (Ryan) Cuthbert, and Nick Vasger was disruptive all night at defensive end.”
Hartshorn led the Rams with 82 yards in the air and 57 on the ground.
North Penn (5-0, 2-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Friday for a battle of unbeaten squads, and Pennridge (2-3, 1-1) will host Council Rock South in a non-league contest.
Pennridge 7-0-7-7 21
North Penn 3-21-21-0 45
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 7, SOUDERTON 0
In a contest that was the very definition of a defensive battle, it was Tyler Watson – breaking a 78-yard run for a touchdown midway through the third quarter. It was the game’s lone score.
South – no longer the offensive juggernaut it once was – relied on its defense to get the job done. The Indians managed just 34 yards in the air, and the Titans limited senior running back Koby Khan to 74 yards on 21 carries.
Watson led all ground gainers with 99 yards on 11 carries. It was Watson’s interception in the closing minutes that sealed the win.
Central Bucks South (5-0, 2-0 SOL) will host unbeaten North Penn in a conference showdown on Friday. Souderton (3-2, 0-2) will host Central Bucks East on Friday.
Central Bucks South 0-0-7-0 7
Souderton 0-0-0-0 0
National Conference
ABINGTON 35, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 31
The Ghosts displayed a flare for the dramatic in Friday’s come-from-behind victory, rallying from a 31-21 deficit to earn the dramatic win. Trailing 31-28, the Ghosts fumbled the ball on the Golden Hawks three-yard line, and the Golden Hawks recovered it. But freshman defensive lineman Maliq Strother forced a Golden Hawk fumble in the end zone, and noseguard Jamil Robinson fell on the football for the go-ahead touchdown.
“Our kids kept fighting and working and didn’t give up,” coach Kevin Conlin said. “It was unbelievable.
“They showed true character right there. It wasn’t anything we said, it was all about our kids’ attitude, and the kids showed tremendous growth in that department. When the chips are down, sometimes kids put their heads down and that’s the end of it, but we kept plugging and plugging.”
Early on, the Ghosts – benefitting from a pair of Darryl Davis-McNeil touchdown runs – led 14-7 after one quarter, but the Golden Hawks responded with 21 unanswered points in the second quarter that included back-to-back TD runs by sophomore Chase Patterson – the first from 68 yards out and the second from 60 yards. Andrew Vera hauled in a 44-yard touchdown pass from Christian Jabbar, and the Golden Hawks took a 28-14 lead into halftime.
Davis-McNeil’s 33-yard touchdown run made it a 28-21 game at the end of three quarters. Brett Gold’s 24-yard field goal gave the Hawks a 31-21 lead, but the Ghosts clawed their way back, trimming that lead to three on a Davis-McNeil 30-yard touchdown run. The Ghosts were set to ice the win when a fumble near the goal line set the stage for some late-game heroics by Abington’s defense.
Davis-McNeil, who had three TD runs of 30 yards or more, finished the night with 271 yards and four touchdowns on 34 carries.
“When you have a kid like Darryl Davis, he can run for some yards, and George Reid can make some big plays for you,” Conlin said. “(Quarterback) Billy Griffenburg has played very well for us the past few weeks. He’s done exactly what we expect, not doing anything crazy, and they’re all just playing within our system.”
A bright note in the loss for the Golden Hawks was yet another impressive performance by Patterson, who raced for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
Abington (3-2, 2-0 SOL) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Friday, and Council Rock South (1-4, 1-1) will travel to Pennridge for a non-league contest.
Council Rock South 7-21-0-3 21
Abington 14-0-7-14 35
NESHAMINY 62, HARRY S TRUMAN 28
The Redskins amassed more than 500 yards of total offense and scored 41 first-half points on a night that saw both squads gain more than 200 yards on the ground. Tack on quarterback Mason Jones 317 yards in the air that resulted in four touchdowns, and it’s not hard to understand how the Redskins put 62 points on the board.
The Tigers kept it close for a while, trailing by just a 28-21 score after Sayyid Saunders returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. The Redskins closed out the half with a pair of Jones TD passes to Oleh Manzyk – the first from 65 yards and the second from 60 yards – to go into halftime with a 42-21 lead.
A five-yard interception return by Tyrone Williams pulled the Tigers to within 14, but not for long. Will Dogba’s six-yard TD run ignited a 21-0 Redskin run to close out the game.
Dogba finished with 163 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. Manzyk led the receivers with 194 yards and three touchdowns.
For the Tigers, quarterback Jorden Freeman threw for 100 yards and ran for 89 more. David Akinwande added 74 yards.
Neshaminy (5-0, 2-0 SOL) will host Abington on Friday, and Harry S Truman (1-4, 0-2) will host Council Rock North next Saturday at 5 p.m.
Neshaminy 21-21-7-13 62
Harry S Truman 7-14-7-0 28
Non-League
BENSALEM 28, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 21
The odds appeared to be stacked against the Owls when they travelled to War Memorial Field for a non-league contest with the 3-1 Bucks, but they crashed the Bucks’ homecoming party by pulling off the SOL upset of the night, overcoming the not-so-little matter that the 13 players missed Thursday’s practice due to illness.
“We had a flu bug or something bad hit us during the week,” coach Ed Cubbage said. “We had guys sick as dogs literally the whole week.
“Practice was okay, but we had so many guys missing every day. Going into the game in the locker room, it was all coughing and hacking. Somehow we hung in there and hung on and won.”
The Owls stunned the Bucks by racing to a 21-0 halftime lead.
“I really thought it was going to be 7-7 at halftime or a low score with us hanging around,” Cubbage said. “I was never envisioning 21-0 at all. “
Quarterback Drasaun Moore – who had a hand in all four touchdowns – played a major role in the Owls’ hot start, finding Isaiah Murray with a 10-yard touchdown pass and then taking it in from seven and 30 yards out.
“We had a couple of breaks – when we were up 7-0, we had a big halfback pass on third-and-long from Rob Fund to Isaiah Murray for a 50-yard gain or so,” Cubbage said.
Down but not out, the Bucks scored 14 unanswered points in the third quarter to make it a 21-14 game, thanks to a three-yard TD run from Jake Reichwein and a 30-yard touchdown pass from Joshua Crecca to Kevin O’Hanlon. A fumble recovery by the Bucks in the fourth quarter set the stage for a 15-yard TD run by Griffin Shields that knotted the score.
The resilient Owls came roaring back to take a lead they would not lose when Moore found Murray with a 24-yard touchdown pass.
“West did a great job of tying it up,” Cubbage said. “We say it all the time – we know things are going to go wrong in a game, and it’s just a matter of everyone sticking together and believing in one another and just fighting through it.
“We got the ball back at 21-21, and we had a couple of guys make a couple of plays. My quarterback scrambled around and got a couple of first downs. We got a good matchup, and Isaiah Murray out-jumped the kid for the ball (in the end zone).”
The Tigers’ coach lauded the performances of several players.
“Drasaun Moore did some really good things,” Cubbage said. “Rob Fund not only threw that pass and played some halfback. He also had the game-ending interception on the two-yard line.
“Keith Parrish had an interception tonight too, and he does so much for us. Offense, defense and special teams – he’s just a warrior. Blake Morgan, my lineman, was sick all week and he played well. Saleem Martin was just a complete terror on defense.”
Moore had 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He threw for 49 more and two TDs. Keith Parrish added 104 yards on the ground. For the Bucks, Crecca threw for 165 yards.
The significance of the win was not lost on Cubbage.
“It’s huge,” the Owls’ coach said. “Kids are kids and they don’t understand the history behind CB West. I was giving them the history at the beginning of the week, and I was telling them how excited I was to go to War Memorial.
“As a coach or player, this was my first time ever being on that field. We talked about this iconic program, and we said, ‘let’s go play, see what happens.’ The kids played well.
“We’ve been practicing well for weeks. It’s not a surprise. We work at it, and the kids got something they deserved tonight. They got a good win. I can’t imagine the last time Bensalem beat CB West.”
Bensalem (2-2, 0-1 SOL) will be on the road at Pennsbury Friday, and Central Bucks West (3-2, 0-1) will travel to William Tennent on Friday.
Bensalem 7-14-0-7 28
Central Bucks West 0-0-14-7 21
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