Check out the winners in SOL football action Friday. CB East/Neshaminy photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Pennridge/Pennsbury photo courtesy of Kim Supko Photography, and CB West/CB South photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for galleries of all three games.
Stats provided courtesy of Intelligencer/Courier. For additional football stats and coverage, visit the Intelligencer (https://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school) and Courier Times (https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/)
SOL National Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 28, NESHAMINY 14
Streak broken – history made.
It was a phrase coined by East coach John Donnelly after a win that halted a winless streak against Neshaminy extending at least two decades.
“I’m on cloud nine right now – this was a long time coming,” said the Patriots’ coach, whose team was coming off a 34-29 loss to Ridley in its season opener. “Especially after last week – just a heartbreaking down to the last second loss to Ridley and we really played our hearts out.
“This week we were not allowed to practice for two days. We hadn’t practiced since Tuesday, but our legs were fresh, and our guys came ready to play. Last week we just ran out of time – we didn’t lose the game, but whenever there’s a breakdown, the breakthrough is coming and it came tonight in a big way.”
After the Patriots took a 7-0 lead on Ethan Shine’s one-yard TD plunge in the first quarter, they appeared to be on the verge of scoring yet again, but the Redskins’ defense delivered a tough goal line stand. Neshaminy – without throwing a pass – marched 99 yards to knot the score 7-7 on Jayden Wilson’s two-yard TD run. Wilson and Dayvon Tinsley were the workhorses on the drive.
“That was a huge stop for them – we figured it was six inches and we’d got to be able to get it, and they made a good stand there, and then they just ran it right down the field,” Donnelly said. “We knew it was going to be a fight in a phone booth with them. They like to run power, we like to run power. It was a slugfest.”
Any thoughts that the 99-yard scoring drive might be a backbreaker were put to rest when East quarterback Pat Keller found Quinn Moody with a 31-yard touchdown strike with 1:23 remaining in the second quarter, sending the Patriots into halftime with a 14-7 lead.
“We took some timely shots down the field,” Donnelly said. “We only threw the ball (nine) times, but we had some really big plays downfield.
“Pat Keller – I’ll go on record right now. He’s a D1 quarterback, he’s one of the best in Eastern Pennsylvania. He made some big-time throws, some great runs. He’s a stud.
“Quinn Moody is a difference maker on the perimeter running the ball. We move him out quite a bit, and he came up big for the second week in row.”
A big kickoff return by Matt La Bouliere to open the second half gave the Patriots the ball on the Neshaminy 48. A personal foul on the return added 15 yards, and the Patriots started on the Redskins’ 33. Shine covered 24 of them on second-and-short, bursting up the middle for a touchdown run that put the Patriots on top 20-7.
The Patriots all but sealed the Redskins’ fate when – with just over a minute remaining in the quarter – Shine punched it in from a yard out. The TD was set up by another Keller to Moody connection. The Patriots showed off their own version of Philly, Philly when Declan Kelly passed to Keller for the successful two-point conversion and a 28-7 advantage.
A blocked punt out of the end zone in the game’s final minute accounted for the Redskins’ final TD.
“We had a breakdown on the punt, but I think it was a convincing win,” Donnelly said.
Keller completed 5-of-9 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. Moody had two catches for 85 yards. Shine was a workhorse in the backfield with 22 carries for 70 yards and three touchdowns.
Donnelly had plenty of praise to go around.
“Our offensive line, our tight ends and our fullbacks – those guys did a great job of just creating a surge up front,” the Patriots’ coach said. “We made some good adjustments at halftime to alter our running lanes, but our entire offensive line, our two tight ends and our fullbacks did a great job.
“Ethan Shine had some big holes to run through, but he also moves the pile. He does not go down easily.”
Comprising the Patriots’ offensive line were Jimmy Mullevey (left tackle), Liam Powers (left guard), Andrew Traber (center), Joe Collins (right guard) and Sean Connor (right tackle).
“I also give a lot of credit to our defensive coordinator, Ray Riley, and our defense for making some adjustments at halftime because on that 99-yard drive they just ran power down the field,” Donnelly said. “They made some really good adjustments. We had four or five takeaways tonight, so we’re plus seven or eight on the year. We’re winning the takeaway battle. The ‘D’ really did a great job standing on its head, making some big plays in the second half.
“Matty LaBouliere stood out on the back end, so did Kelly Declan. Sophomore Dan Voglesong did a great job at safety along with Quinn Moody.”
For the Redskins, Wilson led the way with 13 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Central Bucks East (1-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks South next Saturday at 11 a.m., and Neshaminy (0-2, 0-1) will travel to Pennridge on Friday.
Central Bucks East 7-7-14-0 28
Neshaminy 0-7-0-7 14
NORTH PENN 58, ABINGTON 8
The Knights controlled play from the outset, opening up a 31-2 halftime lead on their way to the mercy rule win, and in two their first two games combined in newly renovated Crawford Stadium, the Knights have put 100 points on the board.
Some of those points came on big plays – Levi Carroll’s second kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half in as many weeks and Max Zampirri’s pick six that put an exclamation point on the win in the closing minutes of the contest.
Even more impressive than the Knights’ remarkable point total was the relentless effort of their defense, which allowed less 150 yards of total offense – only 42 yards on the ground.
“I thought the defense played really well,” NP coach Dick Beck said. “They played hard, they were in good positions. I wasn’t happy with the touchdown on the slant pass to start the second half, but I thought for the most part – we were solid defensively, and our guys did a nice job. I was very happy.”
Catalysts for the Knights defensively, according to Beck, were Tyler Beam (inside linebacker), Darren Miller (defensive tackle) and outside linebackers Luke Cody and James Mangine.
“Our two outside linebackers are the ones that really keep us in good shape,” the Knights’ coach said.
Khalani Eaton put the Knights on the board with a 34-yard touchdown run, and a nine-yard Ryan Zeltt to Tyler Beam touchdown pass gave the Knights a 14-0 lead after one quarter. It was a 21-0 game after Eaton’s second TD run of the night – this one from two yards out – before the Ghosts got on the scoreboard with a safety. The Knights answered with James Mangine hauling in Zeltt’s second nine-yard touchdown pass of the half. A Ryan Bocklet field goal sent the Knights into halftime with a commanding lead.
Carroll’s 83-yard kickoff return to open the second half gave the Knights a 37-2 lead. Abington’s lone score of the game came on a 49-yard completion from Johnny Dzielawa to Saud Salhuddin. Touchdown runs by Jason Marrero and Amir Major as well as Zampirri’s interception return of 36 yards for a TD closed out the scoring for the Knights.
Eaton finished the night with 135 rushing yards and two TDs on 13 carries while Zeltt threw for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
North Penn (2-0, 1-0 SOL)) will travel to Pennsbury on Friday, and Abington (1-1, 0-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks West.
Abington 0-2-6-0 8
North Penn 14-17-13-14 58
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 28, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 20
Donte Mancini and Eli Boehm proved to be double trouble for the Titans out of the West backfield, combining for 244 rushing yards and a touchdown and leading the Bucks to the important win.
“Any win in our league is a great win,” West coach Rob Rowan said. “It’s such a competitive league, and it’s obviously a rivalry game. Anytime you can beat a rival, it’s a great thing. I’m really just proud of the four-quarter effort our guys put forward.
“South is a very good football team – they always are. They’re well coached, it’s always uber competitive. I thought all of our backs ran extremely hard, specifically Donte Mancini and Eli Boehm. I thought our offensive line played really consistent, physical football for four quarters.”
Comprising the Bucks’ offensive line were Jeremy Goldrick, Quin Whalin, Ty Maguire, Chris Pionzio, Sam Heath and Hayden Mulligan. They created holes for Mancini, who had 27 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown, and Boehm, who had 16 carries and 115 yards. Vinny Cherubini added 81 yards and a TD on 11 carries as the Bucks amassed 333 rushing yards.
The first half featured a whole lot of offense by both teams, and it looked as though it was going to be a high-scoring game after the two teams combined for 41 first-half points. The Bucks and Titans took turns exchanging touchdowns.
A one-yard quarterback sneak by quarterback Patrick Maerz spotted the Titans an early 7-0 lead. Cherubini answered with a 15-yard TD run for the Bucks, but Ryan Smith’s pick six gave the Titans a 13-7 lead after one quarter. It was more of the same in the second quarter. Quarterback Ganz Cooper punched it in from a yard out, and the Bucks had their first lead, 14-13. Another Maerz TD from a yard out allowed the Titans to go on top 20-14, but again, the Bucks answered. This time it was Mancini with an eight-yard touchdown run that sent the Bucks into halftime with a 21-20 lead.
Cooper’s one-yard touchdown in the third quarter turned out to be the extent of the scoring for both teams as West’s 28-20 lead held the rest of the way.
“I thought our defense in the second half really buckled down,” Rowan said. “We shut them out in the second half, and that was partly because we had a timely turnover, and our offense possessed the ball a great deal in the second half, and that really took a little bit of pressure off our defense.”
Several players were catalysts on defense.
“Jack Wierzbowski, our nose guard, caused a lot of disruption all night” Rowan said. “He was a guy that stood out to me as the game went on.
“I also think Jeremy Goldrick played very well at the linebacker position. He made a couple of big plays.”
For the Titans, Maerz and Brett Szarko combined for 155 yards in the air. The Titans managed just 94 yards on the ground.
Central Bucks West (1-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Abington on Friday, and Central Bucks South (1-1, 0-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks East on Saturday (11 a.m.).
Central Bucks South 13-7-0-0 20
Central Bucks West 7-14-7-0 28
PENNRIDGE 35, PENNSBURY 0
If the Rams were looking for a bounce-back win after their season-opening loss to Downingtown East, they got that and then some, erupting for 21 points in the second quarter and never looking back while their defense posted a shutout in a no-doubt-about-it win over the visiting Falcons.
“We needed this,” Pennridge coach Cody Muller said. “I give (Downingtown East) coach (Michael) Motta a lot of credit. He always has great teams up there. Every coach uses the same excuse, but we have a lot of new faces and we had to settle in.
“Guys like Phil Picciotti, Tyler Wetzel and Brayden Landherr – guys that really carried us tonight and did a great job. They kind of got us settled in to what we needed to do as a varsity football group.”
Neither team scored in a first quarter that saw the Rams drive down the field but come up empty. Early in the second quarter, Picciotti – whose big run took the Rams to the Falcons’ 21 – bulled his way into the end zone from 13 yards out, dragging would-be defenders with him for a score that gave the Rams a lead would never lose.
“We call it Ram Ball,” Muller said. “It’s our brand of offense. We talked about it all week, getting back to what we do after what happened last week against Downingtown East. We really challenged our guys to step up and bring more intensity.
“Overall, up front, they really opened the lanes, and Phil (Picciotti) did a great job at the second level just taking on the tacklers. We had the ball pretty early but stalled out a little bit. Phil took off on a big run, and all of a sudden, we started settling in. We found ourselves again.”
By halftime, the Rams – thanks to a pair of Xavier Dantzler TD plunges – led 21-0. Dantzler, the Rams’ quarterback, was the ultimate finisher in Friday’s win – four times punching it in from one yard out.
Tyler Wetzel didn’t find the end zone, but he spearheaded the Rams’ running game, leading all ground gainers with 153 yards on just 11 carries. Picciotti added 72 yards on six carries.
All told, the Rams had 365 rushing yards, and creating holes up front were Danny Fish (left tackle), Joey Rindone (left guard), Sam Mueller (center), Nick Kruas (right guard), Loughlin Smith (right tackle) and tight ends Tyler Fuchs and Will Smith.
“They did an awesome job,” Muller said. “Sam Mueller had his first start tonight and did an awesome job as a sophomore.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the Rams’ coach had high praise for his front eight. Ryan Gallagher (defensive end), Stephen Reutlinger (defensive tackle), Nick Kraus (defensive tackle) and Tyler Fuchs and Dylan O’Brien at defensive end. At linebacker, Picciotti and Hunter Burdick were inside while Logan McGowan and Brayden Landherr were on the outside.
“We took a kid – who’s mainly played offense his whole career – Stephen Reutlinger, and I challenged him a little bit this week and moved him over to defensive tackle,” Muller said. “I told him that honestly he could be a dominant player if he wanted to be. He looked at me square in my eyes and said, ‘Coach, I got you,’ and he went out and proved it. He did an awesome job up front.
“You could name a bunch of names – Phil Picciotti is always going to be a name that is going to pop up on our defensive side of the ball, but just across the board our front eight did a great job. Looking at them last week, our defense did a phenomenal job and made some big plays when we needed them most. They ended up doing the same thing – they forced quite a few turnovers that put our offense in really good positions. It was a great team game overall. We’re proud of those guys on both sides of the ball.”
For the Falcons, Nathan Beighley’s 77 yards on six carries led the offense.
Pennridge (1-1, 1-0 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Friday, and things won’t get any easier for Pennsbury (0-2, 0-1), which will host North Penn on Friday.
Pennsbury 0-0-0-0 0
Pennridge 0-21-7-7 35
SOL Continental
BENSALEM 39, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
The Owls picked up their second win in as many outings, opening up a 17-0 lead after one quarter and rolling to the lopsided win over a Hatter squad that was sidelined due to COVID protocols last week and this week saw its community ravaged by Hurricane Ida.
“I think the guys came out excited,” Bensalem coach Alexander Houston said. “They were really excited for the first home game. Our fans were there, the student section was great, the band was out, the cheerleaders were there. It just really felt good, especially coming off COVID last year.
“We’re going to enjoy tonight, but we’re going into a big week this week with the defending District One (5A) champs Upper Dublin coming to town. We’re excited to see where we are.”
Tommy Hurst – only a freshman – put the Owls on the board with a 45-yard field goal, and after a defensive stop by the Owls, Josiah Leonard returned a punt for a touchdown and a 10-0 Bensalem lead. Leonard followed that up with a 17-yard touchdown run, and the Owls were off and running.
Midway through the third quarter, Allen Myers caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Saunders, and with a minute remaining in the quarter, Terrel Roane recovered a fumble for a touchdown that gave the Owls their final margin of victory.
Leonard’s 70 rushing yards and one touchdown on 12 carries led the Owls, whose defense limited the Hatters to less than 100 yards of total offense.
“I thought Allen Myers, who plays wide receiver, played really well,” Houston said. “Defensive tackle Terrel Roane ended up getting a fumble recovery for the touchdown.
“Scott Pearson, a defensive back, had a good game, and Josiah Leonard just keeps answering the call, returned a punt for a touchdown. The guys are just really excited – first time in front of the home crowd. They worked hard. We got a day of practice the day of the monsoon. The guys recognize we have to work every day.”
Bensalem (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Upper Dublin in its SOL opener Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-1) will host Harry S Truman Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-0-0 0
Bensalem 17-0-22-0 39
Non-league
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 42, METHACTON 14
(Statistics courtesy of Ed Morlock/PA Prep Live: https://papreplive.com/2021/09/04/plymouth-whitemarsh-runs-for-nearly-400-yards-in-win-over-methacton/)
The Colonials ran over, around and through the Warriors, accumulating close to 400 yards on the ground and bouncing back quite nicely from a season-opening loss to Central Bucks South.
“Like I told our kids – I was proud of how they responded after a tough loss last week,” PW coach Dan Chang said. “I thought we executed a lot better this week. We were able to keep the tempo going.
“We had a lot of guys touch the ball and contribute, so that’s always nice to see.”
Eight different players ran the ball for the Colonials, who all but buried the Warriors with a 21-point first quarter. Gregory Feinberg scored from a yard out to give the Colonials a 7-0 lead, and Zion East delivered an 85-yard touchdown run that ignited the Colonials. East delivered his second electrifying play of the quarter when he hauled in a 60-yard TD pass from Aiden O’Brien.
“It starts with our quarterback Aiden O’Brien,” Chang said. “He played another good game. He threw some balls and made some good decisions that put us in the right spot.
“Right off the bat, Zion East had a huge run and then another long pass that he caught and broke tackles for a touchdown. That kind of jumpstarted us there, and we tried to keep the pace up.”
O’Brien’s second touchdown pass of the night – this one to Dominic Konieczka for 34 yards – put the Colonials on top 28-0 before the Warriors scored a TD late in the half.
In the third quarter, O’Brien’s two-yard TD run upped PW’s lead to 35-7 heading into the final frame, and after the Warriors scored their second touchdown of the game, O’Brien’s one-yard touchdown gave the Colonials their final margin of victory.
Chang credited the play of his defense in the win.
“Our linebackers – Nate Kern and Tommy Hannon – both played a good game,” the PW coach said. “They’re always solid for us.
“Chris McLaughlin had a huge interception that turned the momentum back in our favor when they were moving the ball a little bit.”
O’Brien had a huge night for the Colonials. The PW quarterback didn’t need to throw the ball a whole lot, but when he did, he was on target, finishing the game 3-for-3 for 104 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 14 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Zion East had 102 rushing yards and a TD, and Nate Kern added 80 yards on eight carries.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-1) will host Norristown in a non-league game on Friday night.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 21-7-7-7 42
Methacton 0-7-0-7 14
OWEN J ROBERTS 34, WISSAHICKON 24
(Scoring info provided courtesy of Zak Wolf)
The visiting Trojans led 18-13 after three quarters, but the Wildcats closed out the game with a 21-6 tear to earn the non-league win.
Aiden DeFeo’s six-yard touchdown run gave the visitors a 6-0 lead after one quarter. The drive included a big pass play on third and long from DeFeo to Braheem Thomas. A 33-yard touchdown run up the middle by Kyle Lehman at the 8:27 mark of the second quarter put the Trojans on top 12-0, but a 63-yard touchdown run by Avery Grimm on the first play of OJR’s ensuing drive made it a 12-6 game.
After the Trojans’ defense came up with a big stop on fourth down, Lehman took it 65 yards for a touchdown that put the Trojans on top 18-6, but Grimm scored his second TD of the game with nine seconds remaining in the first half to make it an 18-13 game at the intermission. It was still an 18-13 game heading into the final quarter when the Wildcats’ offense erupted, reeling off three straight scores to go on top 34-18 with 6:27 remaining. Lehman scored on a two-yard run with a minute remaining to make it a two-score game. That’s as close as the Trojans would get.
Wissahickon (0-2) will host Methacton in a non-league game on Friday.
Wissahickon 6-12-0-6 24
Owen J Roberts 0-13-0-21 34
ACADEMY PARK 42, WILLIAM TENNENT 7
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