Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday night. Pennridge/CB West photos courtesy of Kim Supko. CR South/North Penn photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. CLICK HERE to go to the SOS gallery of photos.
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.
SOL National
NESHAMINY 27, ABINGTON 7
In a game featuring a pair of teams looking to establish themselves as conference contenders, it was the Redskins remaining very much alive in the race for the top spot. The ‘Skins kept the Ghosts off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, opening up a 27-0 lead before Caleb Baker hauled in an eight-yard touchdown pass from Chris Kretchman.
The Redskins took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Cory Joyce’s catch-and-run turned a Brody McAndrew pass near midfield into a long touchdown and an early 6-0 lead. A drive that featured a whole lot of sophomore Chris James was capped with Oleh Manzyk taking it in from five yards out.
Logan Williamson’s 92-yard interception return for a touchdown sent the Redskins into halftime with a commanding 21-0 lead, and the Redskins weren’t finished yet. James – who had a team-high 90 yards on the ground – scored from five yards out before the Ghosts broke up their shutout bid with a late score.
Neshaminy (3-3, 2-1 SOL) will be on the road at William Tennent Friday, and Abington (3-3, 1-2) will travel to Council Rock North next Saturday.
Abington 0-0-0-7 7
Neshaminy 14-7-0-6 27
HARRY S TRUMAN 35, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 14
The Tigers established early on there would be no letdown after last Saturday’s historic win over Neshaminy, racing to a 21-0 lead after one quarter and opening up a 35-0 advantage before the Indians got on the scoreboard with a pair of late touchdowns.
Dylan Snelling found Javeer Peterson with a 20-yard touchdown pass, and the Tigers were off and running. Before the first quarter was over, the Tigers had added a 61-yard touchdown run by TJ Rodgers and a three-yard touchdown run by Snelling. Gabe Gipli’s 13-yard TD run sent the Tigers into halftime with a 21-0 lead.
Rodgers led all ground gainers with 152 yards and two touchdowns.
Harry S Truman (5-1, 2-1 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury Friday, and Council Rock North (1-5, 0-3) will host Abington next Saturday.
Council Rock North 0-0-7-7 14
Harry S Truman 21-7-7-0 35
SOL Continental
PENNRIDGE 21, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 10
Cody Muller has always preached the one-game-at-a-time philosophy. After watching his Ram squad come oh-so-close but falling short in last week’s game against Souderton – the Rams’ fourth loss in a row, the first-year coach had a change of heart.
“There’s a couple of games you look back on and you wish you had them back, but unfortunately, there’s no taking back a game,” Muller said. “I always preached to the team ‘1-0, 1-0 and 1-0,’ but I turned it around a little bit.
“I told them, ‘Instead of 1-0, it’s 4-0 and playing four quarters’ because we seem to play the first quarter great, second quarter bad, third quarter great, so I said we have to go 1-0 each quarter. That’s the kind of mentality we went in with tonight, and for three of the four quarters we did well.”
The Rams took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Connor Pleibel hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass from Zak Kantor. The second quarter belonged to the Bucks, who used a six-yard Garrett Hitchens TD run and Sean Metzler’s 19-yard field goal to go on top 10-7.
Trailing by three, the Rams came out of the intermission with a sense of purpose.
“I came into the locker room at halftime, and I told our kids, especially offensively – everything we did we were shooting ourselves in the foot that whole first half,” Muller said. “We had a good drive, we’d have a first down, we’d have a penalty, and all of a sudden – it would be first and 20. It’s tough to convert on a first and 20.
“I told our kids, ‘We have to clean it up, we have to play smarter’ and that we were a better football team, a more physical, a more dominating team, and I think our kids believed in it. That’s what we did in the second half. We played clean football and did what we’ve been waiting to do the whole time.”
In the third quarter, Ryan Garner capped a 65-yard scoring drive with a two-yard touchdown run, giving the Rams a lead they would not lose. An 11-yard Kantor to Jon Post touchdown pass in the fourth quarter gave the Rams their final margin of victory.
Muller acknowledged several catalysts on both sides of the football.
“Offensively, you look at Ryan Garner, and he ran like a man possessed,” the Rams’ coach said. “Jon Post is always the guy we can count on when we need one. Connor Pleibel as well – he made some huge catches in the first half.
“Defensively, Shane Hartzel, Chris Feralio, Jon Post – guys were flying around. It’s what we’ve been waiting to get back to since the summertime.”
Kantor threw for 122 yards and a touchdown. Hartzel led the Rams’ ground game with 70 yards while Garner added 61.
The Rams are 23rd in the latest District One 6A power rankings, and it’s no secret – they need to continue winning if they hope to play into the postseason.
“Everybody knows it, but for us, we try to take it one game at a time – 4-0 each week, and that’s what we’re aiming for,” Muller said. “These kids believe, and I think tonight was a taste for them of what we could be when we play together as a team.”
Pennridge (2-4, 1-2 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Friday, and Central Bucks West (2-4, 1-2) will be on the road at Central Bucks East on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Pennridge 7-0-7-7 21
Central Bucks West 0-10-0-0 10
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 38, WILLIAM TENNENT 6
Those who wrote the Titans off when they staggered out of the gate to an 0-3 start might want to reconsider. After scoring just 17 points in those three losses combined, they have exploded for 100 points in their three straight wins combined.
Friday’s game at Tennent was all but over by halftime as the visiting Titans rolled to a 24-6 halftime lead. What began with a Brian Maddon 28-yard field goal was capped with an eight-yard TD run by Sean Smith. In between, Josh Consoletti found Matt Norris with a four-yard pass, and Matt Tobey had an eight-yard touchdown run.
Tennent’s only score of the game came in the second quarter when Dan Goodz caught a 58-yard Jason Schweizerhof touchdown pass.
The second half also belonged to the Titans, who added a pair of touchdowns.
Jake Layer led a balanced Titan ground game with 121 yards and two touchdowns – both were from 32 yards and both came in the second half. Connor DiLissio added 79 yards.
Central Bucks South (3-3, 2-0 SOL) will host Pennridge on Friday, and William Tennent (2-4, 0-3) will host Neshaminy Friday.
Central Bucks South 10-14-7-7 38
William Tennent 0-6-0-0 6
SOL American
UPPER DUBLIN 20, CHELTENHAM 7
The Flying Cardinals dubbed this past week ‘Championship Week,’ and on Friday night, they notched a win that left them alone atop the conference standings.
“All week we were basically preparing for Championship Week because we knew what it would take to beat these guys, and if we didn’t beat them, we’d have no shot,” Mason Novak said. “We went out there and tried our best, and it paid off.”
On a night that saw the Cardinals’ defense steal the spotlight, Novak – along with CJ Stehli, Quinton Derr and Bryan Derr – comprised a defensive line that owned the line of scrimmage, stymying the Panthers’ dangerous attack.
It was the kind of performance, according to Bryan Derr, that doesn’t just happen.
“I feel like it’s the way our team functions – we’re one whole unit working together,” the senior lineman said. “This team is unlike any we’ve had in a really long time.
“Some of us have been playing together for 10 years now. We know each other, we get along, and it’s a bond we haven’t had at Upper Dublin in a while.”
Cheltenham never found its offense on a muddy track, managing less than a hundred yards on the ground.
“It was hard to get pressure on the quarterback for the D-line, but I don’t think it hurt anyone,” Quinton Derr said of the field conditions. “I don’t think it made a difference.”
The big win came on the heels of a 42-17 non-league loss to William Penn Charter a week earlier.
“Our kids took it to heart,” UD coach Bret Stover said. “It’s also nice we could play a game like that against a really good running back and get humbled. What were we going to do?”
What Selvin Haynes did was pick off the Panthers’ second pass attempt of the game, and although the Flying Cardinals didn’t capitalize, the tone had been set for a glittering defensive effort.
An interception by sophomore John Kohlbrenner late in the opening quarter led to the Cardinals first score, a seven-yard touchdown pass from Mike Slivka to Jason Scott that put UD on top 7-0. Later in the game, Scott delivered a remarkable highlight reel catch in traffic.
UD’s lead grew to 13-0 when Lucas Roselli took it in from three yards out. Another Slivka to Scott pass connection highlighted the drive.
The Panthers made it a 13-7 game, thanks to a bad snap on a punt that was recovered in the end zone by Sam Sykes for a touchdown.
“That gave them momentum when they got the touchdown off the punt block, so we just have to shove it down their throats and stop the momentum,” Quinton Derr said.
It looked like the Panthers might be in business when a booming kickoff by Justin Grady resulted in Upper Dublin – after its return man slipped – starting its ensuing possession at the three, but their momentum was short-lived. A Slivka to Brody Balasa pass gave the Cardinals possession at their own 45.
The Panthers regained possession, but a fumble on the first play gave the ball back to the Cardinals, who drove to the Cheltenham eight but then lost ground and came up empty. Once again, the Cardinals’ defense held, forcing the Panthers to punt.
The Cardinals found themselves at midfield with a fourth down and less than a yard. Stover – after a failed attempt to draw the Panthers off-sides – chose to punt the ball away.
“I just trusted the way we were playing,” Stover said of his decision. “We were playing so well tonight.
“I’m not going to give you the ball at midfield because too many things could happen. The way our defense was playing that was kind of an easy one for me to decide.”
The strategy paid off. The Panthers never crossed midfield, and according to the players, they don’t mind if the outcome of the game rests in their hands.
“It’s tough – at the end of the day, you’d rather win 50-something to a low score, but those drives are what help you in the playoffs, “Stehli said. “You play teams that are way bigger than Upper Dublin and have more people so they’re fresh, and you’ve got to be prepared for that last-minute win.”
With time winding down, Novak raced in from 40 yards out for a touchdown and the 20-7 final.
“We came in here knowing if we lost – our shot at the championship was in someone else’s hands,” Stehli said. “Now this changes the direction.
“We came out here – we had some ups, we had some downs, but it really came down to who had more heart and who wanted to win more. We didn’t come out so hot at first, but we were able to turn it around – just get small yardage on offense and just keep them out of the end zone on defense. That’s the goal at the end of the day.”
“This felt great,” Bryan Derr said. “This was Championship Week. This game meant everything to all of us, and being able to walk off the field (after a win) – it means everything.”
Stover credited several of his younger players for stepping up.
“We had some young sophomores making plays, like Kohlbrenner with the interception – that was unbelievable,” the UD coach said. “He batted the ball to himself.
“(Micah) Bootman is a sophomore, and he played lights-out press coverage against a really, really good receiver, and so did Selvin (Haynes). He’s our senior captain. I’m proud of the way my defense responded.
“My offense did just enough. We still haven’t played a perfect game, and I guess that’s a good thing.”
As for the dominating performance of his defensive line, Stover was not surprised.
“We got Quinton (Derr) back tonight,” the UD coach said. “He’s coming off the knee injury. We’ve been slow and careful with him. He knows his body, and we trust him.
“We had hoped to wait one more week, but when Cheltenham went up and knocked off (Quakertown), you put all your guns on the table. That was a nice kick in the pants for us to have our senior captain back. As big as he is, he just consumes people.”
Upper Dublin (4-1, 2-0 SOL) will host Quakertown in yet another key conference showdown Friday. Cheltenham (4-2, 1-1) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh Friday.
Upper Dublin 0-13-0-7 20
Cheltenham 0-0-7-0 7
HATBORO-HORSHAM 14, UPPER MORELAND 8
Last week, the Golden Bears scored 47 points in their win over Plymouth Whitemarsh. On Friday night, Hatters’ defense limited them to just eight. Still, the Hatters found themselves trailing by one with time winding down in regulation.
That’s when quarterback Patrick Chapman and Jordan Collazo delivered the play of the game when Chapman – on the run – found Collazo, who took it 65 yard to the house for a score that was the game-winner.
Earlier, the two teams exchanged touchdowns with Amir Bookard scoring from seven yards out in the first quarter to spot the Hatters a 7-0 lead. Caleb Mead’s 44-yard TD run in the second made it an 8-7 game, a score that stood until late in the fourth quarter.
Mead finished with 144 yards while Collazo led the Hatters with 83.
Hatboro-Horsham (3-3, 2-1 SOL) – after a bye week – will travel to Cheltenham on Oct. 12. Upper Moreland (2-4, 1-2) will be on the road at Wissahickon Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 7-0-0-7 14
Upper Moreland 0-8-0-0 8
QUAKERTOWN 42, WISSAHICKON 12
The Panthers wasted little time before taking care of business, opening up a 14-0 lead after one quarter and erupting for 28 second-quarter points to go into halftime with a 42-0 lead. The Trojans got on the scoreboard in the third quarter.
Quakertown (5-1, 2-1 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Friday, and Wissahickon (0-6, 0-3) will host Upper Moreland Friday.
Quakertown 14-28-0-0 42
Wissahickon 0-0-12-0 12
Non-league
NORTH PENN 27, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 24 (2OT)
Coach Dick Beck may have said it best after Friday night’s double OT thriller – ‘You can’t have more entertainment for five bucks,’ and fans certainly got their money’s worth and then some at this one.
Ayoub Cherradi may have been an unlikely hero, but with the game on the line and the outcome resting firmly on his leg in the second overtime, the Knights’ senior kicker split the uprights with a 22-yard field goal that sent North Penn home with the dramatic win.
“I thought our field goal kicker really, really had a big night –he made the game-winner, he made all the extra points, he made a field goal in the fourth quarter. He was big time for us,” Beck said.
Setting the stage for Cherradi’s game-winner was Kenneth Grandy’s block of Rock South’s attempt at a 33-yard field goal for the lead earlier in the second OT after the Knights’ defense held on the first three downs.
“I thought in the second overtime defensively we came up with some huge plays,” Beck said. “I was real excited for our kids, and to get the blocked field goal was just awesome.”
And on a night when things weren’t always going their way, the Knights – who found themselves staring at a 10-0 halftime deficit and still trailed 10-7 at the end of three quarters – found a way to win.
“My whole thing is and we preach to the kids – it’s not what you can do when things are going great, it’s what you can overcome when things are going bad,” Beck said. “It was 10-0 – our first drive we get stopped and have to punt.
“I thought the kids never panicked, we tried to stay patient as coaches. Give Council Rock South a lot of credit. I thought they really played hard and tough. Hats off to coach (Vince) Bedesem and his team. I thought they really did a nice job.”
If it seems as though the Golden Hawks would have been happy just to hang with the highly regarding Knights, guess again.
“It’s tough, it’s a real tough one,” assistant head coach Tony Checchia said. “Going into this game – we didn’t look at it like, ‘Oh, it’s North Penn.’ We truly did look at it as just another game and another opportunity to prove how good we can be.
“Obviously, it would have been a shock to a lot of people if we had won that game. Just the mentality we went into it with, that would not have been a shock to us. We wanted to fight and grind it – regardless of the end score, we did that. It’s a tough pill to swallow to come that close, but ultimately, you do have to look at the glass half full in a situation like that.”
A remarkable 99-yard interception return for a touchdown by senior Matt Checcia spotted the Golden Hawks a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. An interception by Sammy Vaniver in the final minute – his second of the game – set up a 23-yard field goal by Adam Keylin that sent the Golden Hawks into halftime with a 10-0 lead.
“I thought we struggled offensively in the first half,” Beck said. “Whether we had open guys and we wouldn’t throw a strike or we’d throw a strike and the open guy would drop it. Maybe I tried to put in the air a little too much in the first half.”
The second half was another story entirely. Beck went back to his team’s reliable ground game, and a 26-yard run by Julian White made it a 10-7 game after three quarters. A sack and fumble set the stage for a 14-yard touchdown return by Nate Brown, and the Knights had their first lead, 14-10.
“In the second half, I thought we were real efficient running the ball – we would get three, four, five yards at a clip,” Beck said. “When we got the sack, fumble, scoop for the score, I said, ‘Now we’re even – they had their interception return for a touchdown and now we got that.’ I thought that was big.”
It looked as though the Knights were about to make it a two-score game late in the fourth quarter, but the Golden Hawks forced them to settle for a 25-yard Cherradi field goal and a 17-10 lead.
“I was a little disappointed in myself that when we got inside the 10 we had to kick a field goal and we didn’t score (a touchdown),” Beck said. “I think I have to make better play calls.”
There was no mistaking the significance of the Golden Hawks’ defensive stop.
“The big stop for us on defense in the second half was – they had that opportunity to go in and score again and get another touchdown and that would have made it a two-score game,” Checchia said. “That gave us the opportunity for the offense to make the game go to overtime.”
And the Golden Hawks’ offense delivered, capping a 68-yard scoring drive when quarterback Noah Caldani hooked up with tight end Nick Gallo for an eight-yard touchdown reception with 20 seconds remaining.
“We struggled throughout the game offensively, but to have that kind of poise at the end – that’s the sort of thing we’ve been saying all year about these guys and why we love these guys so much,” Checchia said. “There’s no quit in them.
“It doesn’t matter the circumstance of what the score is – we understood we had a chance to tie it up, so let’s throw away all the other mistakes we’ve made. One drive is all it takes, and sure enough, that’s what it took.”
Keylin nailed the all-important extra point that knotted the score and set the stage for overtime.
“Our kicker came through for us,” Checchia said. “That’s a game-on-the-line kick, and for him to hit that was a huge moment for him.”
Both teams scored almost effortlessly in the first OT with Solomon Robinson taking it in from 10 yards out and Chase Patterson doing the same for Rock South. The stage was set for Cherradi’s game-winner.
“There were a lot of times tonight and really throughout the year – there have been a lot of opportunities for us to fold, and in years past, that’s sort of what’s happened,” Checchia said. “Whether it’s a bad turnover or we give up a bad play on defense, there’s that deflating feeling.
“Nobody’s happy about a turnover, but there’s now this attitude of rising to the occasion. We say it all the time – that’s been the difference with this team. Whether it’s the leadership, whether it’s the mentality of these kids – we’re not okay with losing. That’s what has led us get to this point.”
In a game with plenty of heroes on both sides, Beck acknowledged several players who came up big defensively.
“Nate Brown – he’s the one that had the scoop and score,” Beck said. “Erik Laughlin had huge defensive play where he tipped a pass and it got deflected, and Grandy intercepted it. I thought that was a nice play.”
Patterson once again surpassed the 100-yard mark, finishing with 127. Shamar Edwards led the Knights with 96 yards.
“In the second half, North Penn went back and said, ‘We’re going to do what we do best,’ which is just pound the ball, commit to the run game and try and wear these guys down,’” Checchia said. “One of their scores was a defensive one. In regulation time, we gave up 10 points against an offense like that, a team that can be so dangerous and has so many weapons, that’s pretty good. Obviously, we like where we’re at. We don’t want to dwell on a loss. The result is what it is. There were a lot of positives for us to take away from that.”
North Penn (6-0, 2-0 SOL) will travel to Souderton on Friday, and Council Rock South (4-2, 2-0) will host Bensalem on Friday.
North Penn 0-0-7-10-7-3 27
Council Rock South 0-10-0-7-7-0 24
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