Bensalem & Upper Moreland notched wins in SOL football action Saturday. Bensalem/CR North photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Upper Moreland/New Hope-Solebury photos courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for galleries of both games. All SOS photo galleries for FOOTBALL can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Continental Conference
BENSALEM 22, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 14
Alex Houston made the decision to go young.
“That was a product of us being 1-3, really trying to grow some more talent, grow some players,” the Owls’ coach said.
So far, so good.
The Owls snapped a three-game skid with a come-from-behind win over the Indians, and it was impossible to discount the contributions of the young players Houston inserted in his lineup.
“We started three true freshmen today, and those guys came up big and made big plays,” the Owls coach said. “Lucas Hasson, a freshman strong side linebacker, had an interception and Kyleal Cottrell played safety.
“Thomas Bailey played out of his mind. It’s his first start ever. He scored the last touchdown for us, and he had a pick return for a score. The kid just was everywhere. We made a decision as a coaching staff that we were going to get some of these young guys in there and see if we can’t get a spark, and we were glad to stop the losing streak and get in the win column.”
It’s hard to imagine a more impressive debut than Bailey’s which was highlighted by a pair of interceptions, including a pick six. The freshman also scored the Owls’ final two touchdowns – the first from 21 yards out with two minutes remaining to turn a 14-9 deficit into a 15-14 lead. The pass attempt on the two-point conversion failed. His second – on a nine-yard run – in the closing seconds gave the Owls their final margin of victory after the Indians failed on a hail Mary attempt.
“It came down to the last couple of minutes,” Houston said. “I’m really just proud of the way our guys continue to fight. We had some mistakes and some penalties and some things early in the game, but they kept at it and I’m glad to be in the win column today.”
The key to Saturday’s comeback, according to Houston, was the Owls’ defense.
“We were having unforced errors on offense,” the Owls’ coach said. “We were getting some penalties, and we had some procedure things that we were really shooting ourselves in the foot. But our defense kept playing.
“We would punt, and our defense would get stops. On the day, we forced four turnovers. We’re growing a lot of players this year.”
The Owls got on the scoreboard first in Saturday’s game, taking a 7-0 lead after Rymeer Newkirk scored on a nine-yard run late in the first quarter. The Indians evened the score midway through the second quarter when senior Vaughn Vanderslice hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Julian Matera.
Rock North took a 14-7 lead in the third quarter when Matera found Gavin Papp with a 22-yard TD pass. The Owls scored on a safety after a Rock North snap out of the end zone, setting the stage for Bailey’s late-game heroics.
Saturday’s game marked the return of senior quarterback Zach Roberts to the lineup.
“He was out with a concussion,” Houston said. “He had never played quarterback before this year, so he has to continue to grow, reading defenses. The thing I talk about most with him – and I believe this with everything inside of me – the biggest thing about a quarterback is you’ve got to be a leader. Guys got to believe when you got into the huddle that we can be better so that’s what I’m challenging him to be.
“I thought our offensive line got better as the game went on today. We were missing two starters up front today to injury, so we had two subs in there. I thought they played hard, I thought they 
played well. I thought they got better as the game went on.”
Newkirk led the Owls’ offense with 108 rushing yards and one TD. He also had 10 yards receiving.
“I thought Rymeer Newkirk ran the ball really well,” Houston said. “He scored our first touchdown at running back. He’s a new player to the school, and he’s rounding into shape, and I think he can really be special.
“Defensively, I think Jose Garcia, who plays defensive end, really was a terror out there today.”
The Owls are looking forward to the second half of the season.
“I think we’re getting better, and that’s all I can ask as a coach,” Houston said. “Our coaches have done a really nice job of adjusting on the fly.
“I tell my guys – you are what your record says you are, so you can always say woulda, shoulda, coulda and all this other type of stuff, but right now we’re a 2-3 ballclub. I’m really proud of my guys and how they fought today. We’re looking to get back to .500 this coming Friday.”
Bensalem (2-3, 1-1 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Friday, and Council Rock North (1-4, 0-2) will travel to Upper Dublin on Friday.
Bensalem 7-0-0-15. 22
Council Rock North 0-7-7-0. 14
Non-league
UPPER MORELAND 35, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 13
The Golden Bears put 35 points on the board, but the day – according to coach Adam Beach – belonged to the defense.
“It was really a defensive game today,” the UM coach said. “I don’t know how many sacks we had – their quarterback was under pressure a lot. They couldn’t really run against us because we’re
pretty strong up front. They just really had a hard time.
“We had a couple of picks that got us going. I don’t know what their yards from scrimmage were, but they didn’t move the ball that well. They did hit a couple of passes on us, but other than that, we shut them down, and that sparked our offense.”
Beach went on to acknowledge the strong efforts of several players on the defensive side of the ball.
“Haleem Muhammed, a defensive end, had a really good game,” said the UM coach, going on to laud the play of John Baker at defensive end, Joe Hardy at defensive tackle, and Chase Ragan at defensive tackle
“Tahir Harris and Hassan Johnson, who had a pick – they’re both inside linebackers, and they played very well,” Beach said. “Paul Myers and Tomas Carr at outside linebacker – they all played very well.”
Stephen Broderick scored an early touchdown to spot the Golden Bears a 7-0 lead, and a pick six by Hassan Johnson made it a 14-0 game.
“Shawn Herbert had some nice completions – he made a key pass to Paul Myers,” Beach said of his quarterback. “Broderick had a couple of catches too. Broderick does what Broderick does. He always plays well.
“Tomas Carr had a nice catch in the flat, he helped us out there. Hassan Johnson did a nice job again for us offensively. We tried to spread it around offensively and throw a little bit more”
Despite their impressive record, the Golden Bears, according to their coach, are not satisfied.
“We’re talking about everyone needs to grow, everyone needs to keep getting better because if we want to play against good teams, we need to get better as individuals and as a team,” Beach said. “So we’re always working on our own game and what we need to do to get better. It was good to see the defense step up and make plays.”
Upper Moreland takes a 4-1 record into SOL play. The Golden Bears will travel to William Tennent for Friday’s league opener.
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