Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. Pennsbury/North Penn photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule & Keith Clemens, CB South/CR South photos provided by Lisa Henderson, CB West/Quakertown photos courtesy of Jon Sklut, Upper Moreland/Upper Perk photos courtesy of Sharon Shipe, and Pennridge/Perk Valley photos courtesy of Kim Supko. PhotosCheck back for photos of all five games. CLICK HERE to go directly to the FOOTBALL GALLERIES.
Stats used in the wraps are provided courtesy of the Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier. 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/
NORTH PENN 29, PENNSBURY 20
One week after catching 11 passes for 201 yards, Justis Henley had just two receptions for 34 yards against the Falcons, but the senior wide receiver was certainly a difference maker. Momentum swung squarely in North Penn’s favor when – with the Knights’ leading 6-0 – Henley scooped up Julian White’s block of a Falcon field goal attempt and raced 95 yards for a score.
“The ball landed in the right hands,” coach Dick Beck said.
Henley also had a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery on the defensive side of the ball. The fumble recovery on the Pennsbury 40 came on the Falcons’ first offensive play of the second half with the Knights on top 19-7.
“Justis is a monster – he’s so good,” Beck said.
Henley wasn’t the only player to come up big for the Knights. Dars Bowsky rushed for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His three-yard TD run spotted the Knights an early 6-0 lead.
“Dars Bowsky did a great job running the ball,” Beck said. “The first two games he carried the ball four times. I said, ‘That’s unacceptable. He’s got to get the ball.’”
White’s blocked field goal to set up the Henley TD came after the Falcons drove down the field and appeared poised to cut the Knights’ lead in half. Instead, the Knights went on top 12-0. A 46-yard touchdown run by KJ Cartwright gave North Penn a 19-0 lead.
“KJ Cartwright came in and broke a touchdown run, outrunning everyone to the end zone,” Beck said.
The Falcons made it a 19-7 game after quarterback Zach Demarchis found David Burke who caught his fourth touchdown pass of the young season, this one from 21 yards out.
Another Bowsky touchdown run in the third quarter stretched the Knights’ lead to 26-7. A 34-yard touchdown run by Demarchis made it a 26-14 game. Kelly McNamara nailed a 35-yard field goal to give the Knights a 15-point lead. Demarchis added a touchdown to pull the Falcons to within nine, but they would get no closer as the Knights held on for the much-needed win.
“It’s everything to us,” Beck said of the win. “It’s a slippery slope that we have here. We lost those two games, and spirits can get down regardless if you lose to good teams or not. You’re still not feeling good about yourself, especially giving up so many points.
“We still have to play better defense, but it’s definitely good to get a win.”
The Knights’ coach lauded the play of Khan Jamal after senior fullback Anthony Andrews went down with an injury.
“Khan Jamal did a great job blocking,” Beck said.
North Penn (1-2) will open SOL play at Central Bucks West on Friday, and Pennsbury (2-1) will be on the road at William Tennent Friday.
North Penn 13-6-7-3 29
Pennsbury 0-7-7-6 20
BENSALEM 28, ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 27 (2 OT)
It was all or nothing when the Owls lined up for a two-point conversion in the second overtime of Friday’s thriller.
“After they scored in the second overtime and kicked the extra point, I made the decision, and I said, ‘If we score, we’re going to go for two, and we’re going to end this thing one way or the other,’” coach Ed Cubbage said. “It’s a little bit of my philosophy of being aggressive. It’s taking control of our fate. Either we were going to win it or lose right there on that play.”
The Owls converted the two-point play when Drasaun Moore – who had scored from two yards out – found Jared O’Connell in the end zone on a play that was anything but easy. Or conventional.
“The craziness of the final play was absolutely nuts – we got lucky,” Cubbage said. “It was supposed to be a handoff to Keith Parrish, and there was a bad exchange between my quarterback and Keith, and they fumbled the ball.
“My quarterback (Moore) picked the ball up and ran about 10 or 15 yards backwards with so many people chasing him, and he threw the ball in the end zone, and Jared O’Connell was wide open, and he caught the ball and that was it.”
The two-point conversion put the finishing touches on a dramatic contest that was deadlocked 13-13 at the end of regulation. In the first overtime, Parrish scored on a 10-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. He had a pair of touchdowns on the night – one in the air and one on the ground.
“Keith Parrish had a big night,” Cubbage said. “Jared O’Connell had another game where he didn’t come off the field. He’s not our biggest kid, but he’s just always there.”
Bensalem will take a 3-0 record into next Friday’s SOL opener at Abington, and Cubbage has no idea when the Owls were last 3-0.
“Someone told me they’re pretty sure it has not happened in the 2000s. I don’t know how true that is, but it’s definitely been a long time,” the Owls’ coach said. “This is huge for us as a program.
“We wound up in another tight game, and we were down again in the fourth quarter and we just keep finding ways to win. It’s crazy because it’s not the same thing every week, but the main thing is we just keep battling. We have good kids who fight hard. We just hang around and hang around. We’ve been a little bit lucky to find a way to win, but I’ll take that luck.”
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 20, QUAKERTOWN 0
Defense was the name of the game for the Bucks, who allowed just four first downs for the second week in a row – none in the first half.
“We’re being pretty opportunistic on defense as well,” coach Chas Cathers said. “We had three or four turnovers, which is always good. It helps our offense too, so I was pretty happy with how they played on defense.
No one was a bigger factor on the defensive end that Don McCauley, who spearheaded West’s all-but-impenetrable defense.
“All 11 of the guys and even some of the guys we have subbing in played really well,” Cathers said. “Don McCauley stepped up this game. He had two interceptions and a fumble recovery, so he really stood out.
“They have some pretty talented skill guys, and he was really lights out in his coverage. He did a nice job stepping up.”
The Bucks got on the scoreboard first midway through the second quarter when Josh Crecca punched it in from two yards out to put the Bucks on the board. The Panthers fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, and the Bucks made it hurt, going on top 14-0 when Ryan Hieber took it in from five yards out with 20 seconds remaining in the half.
“We really were able to execute in all three phases of the game,” Cathers said. “Coming off that touchdown and then getting lucky with a muffed return set us up to be able to put one in as we were going into half. That really helped our morale and helped our kids with the momentum. That’s always good to see when your special teams produce as well.”
In the third quarter, Crecca found Rohan McDonald with a 31-yard scoring strike for the 20-0 final.
“Josh Crecca played well – his composure every week has been getting better and better,” Cathers said. “I think our offensive line really stepped up and played well.
“It’s a good win. Quakertown is a really talented team. Going into this game, we knew they were going to play us tough. We just had a couple of opportunities go our way, and we were able to capitalize. I think Quakertown is going to do a heck of a job in their league. It gives us some confidence going into a really good team in North Penn.”
Central Bucks West (3-0) will host North Penn in Friday’s SOL opener, and Quakertown (2-1) will host Wissahickon on Friday.
Quakertown 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks West 0-14-6-0 20
HATBORO-HORSHAM 28, SOUDERTON 3
Brett Johnson spent the night in the trenches on both sides of the football. The senior lineman shook his head when he heard that the Hatters had gained 354 yards on the ground.
“That’s amazing, that’s amazing,” the Hatters’ senior center said. “We knew it was going to be a great week this week. We liked our matchups, and we came out and executed for sure. That’s a great statement win for our program.”
A week earlier, the Hatters needed a clutch play in the game’s closing seconds to escape with a win over Central Bucks East. No late-game heroics were needed this time as the Hatters controlled play on both sides of the football. They not only piled up the yards on the ground, they limited the Indians to 152 yards of total offense.
“The key to that was 11 Hats to the ball at all times,” senior middle linebacker Nick Chapman said. “You have to get 11 Hats. That’s pretty much it.”
Coach Mike Kapusta had nothing but good things to say about his team’s effort.
“The kids really dug deep as far as a gutsy effort by the backs, the quarterback, and obviously, the offensive line was superb, the receivers on the perimeter blocking, and the few times we put the ball in the air, the receivers were there to make the plays as well,” the Hatters’ coach said. “It was just a great all-around effort.
“We’re starting to develop our identity. This is the type of football we’ve been wanting to play for a long time, and our kids have bought into it. That’s the key factor here. The other key factor is playing smart football – (we had) way fewer penalties than we’ve had in the past.”
Josh Smith, who finished with 132 yards on the ground, raced in from 47 yards out to give the Hatters an early lead, and that lead ballooned to 14-0 after one quarter, thanks to a 17-yard TD pass from Chris Edwards to Ben Ejimonyuegwo. Edwards threw only three passes but led the Hatters with 148 yards on the ground.
“I thought the guys coming out of the locker room were fired up,” Kapusta said. “They wanted to make a statement.
“They know we’re probably a better football team than people in the area thought, and they wanted to earn that respect.”
A William Leyland field goal made it a 14-3 game, but that’s as close as the Indians would get. Edwards took it in from 26 yards out to send the Hatters into halftime with a 21-3 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Hatters put an exclamation point on the win with a time-consuming drive that was capped with Ismael Colazzo scoring from one yard out.
“Here’s the thing about this team – it’s leadership across the board,” Kapusta said. “Obviously, the 12th grade class and the captains at the helm, but we have some young guys playing and sophomores leading as well.
“This one goes hats off to the team, and it always starts with the guys up front, and they had a phenomenal game.”
“We’ve definitely had leaders step up over the past couple of weeks,” Johnson said. “We took a tough loss week one against CB West, and after that, we all got together and said, ‘We’re not going to have that kind of performance again.’
“We’ve had some leader step up, and I’m just so proud of all my teammates. We understand the Suburban One American has some really stiff competition, but this was a big confidence booster for us.”
“This gives us confidence,” Chapman said. “But every single Friday or Saturday, it’s a different game.”
Hatboro-Horsham (2-1) will be on the road at Springfield Township for next Friday’s SOL opener, and Souderton (1-2) will host Pennridge on Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 14-7-0-7 28
Souderton 0-3-0-0 3
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 21, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 7
The Titans – who outscored their first two opponents 73-13 – opened up a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, but any thoughts that it would be another cakewalk were put to rest when the visiting Golden Hawks got on the scoreboard in the third quarter to make it a one-touchdown game.
Jack Johns, who threw for 147 yards in the first half, found Matt Norris with a two-yard touchdown pass for the early 7-0 lead, and when Ryan Watson took it in from five yards out, the Titans led 14-0.
Rock South quarterback Christian Jabbar scored from one yard out to make it a 14-7 game after three quarters, but Watson’s second TD run of the night – this one for 32 yards – sealed the Golden Hawks’ fate.
Jabbar threw for 116 yards, and he also was his team’s top ground gainer with 19 yards as the Titans’ defense limited the Hawks to just 42 rushing yards.
Central Bucks South (3-0) will be on the road at Central Bucks East for next Saturday’s SOL opener at 11 a.m. Council Rock South (1-2) will travel to Harry S Truman on Friday.
Council Rock South 0-0-7-0 7
Central Bucks South 7-7-0-7 21
ABINGTON 35, CHELTENHAM 20
The Ghosts appeared to be on their way to a rout after opening up a 35-0 lead in the second quarter, but that’s when the points stopped coming.
After the Panthers fumbled the game’s opening kickoff, Darryl Davis-McNeil got the ball rolling for the Ghosts with a 16-yard touchdown run. KJ Drummond returned an interception 21 yards for the score, Jackson Taylor – who had 225 yards on the ground – added a pair of touchdown plunges, and Billy Griffenburg threw to Keith Hoduka for a TD, spotting the Ghosts a 35-0 lead.
A Jordan Gyabaah touchdown pass to Mason Jones put the Panthers on the board before halftime. The Panthers added two more touchdowns in the second half but could get no closer than 15 points.
Abington (2-1) will host Bensalem in Friday’s SOL opener, and Cheltenham (0-3) will host Upper Dublin on Friday.
Abington 14-21-0-0 35
Cheltenham 0-7-7-6 20
HARRY S TRUMAN 41, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
A week after accumulating 377 yards on the ground, the Tigers were back at it again, this time piling up 355 yards on the ground in a rout of the visiting Panthers.
David Akinwande led a pack of Tiger running backs with 191 yards and two touchdowns. He had plenty of help. Sayyid Saunders added 61 yards, and Enzo Poulson had 56, including the first touchdown of the game on a 19-yard run.
Javeer Peterson returned a touchdown 45 yards to spot the Tigers a 14-0 lead after one quarter. Dylan Snelling’s seven-yard touchdown run in the second quarter sent the Tigers into halftime with a commanding 21-0 lead. The second half was more of the same with Terrence Rogers capping the night with a 22-yard TD run to close out the scoring.
The Tigers’ defense limited the Panthers to 125 yards of total offense.
Harry S Truman (3-0) will host Council Rock South Friday, and William Tennent (0-3) will host Pennsbury on Friday.
William Tennent 0-0-0-0 0
Harry S Truman 14-7-7-13 41
DOWNINGTOWN WEST 37, NESHAMINY 33
The Redskins piled up close to 500 yards of total offense in a back and forth contest.
In a preview of things to come, the Redskins took an early 7-0 lead after sophomore quarterback Brody McAndrew hit Oleh Manzyk from 10 yards out. Manzyk’s second TD pass from McAndrew in the second quarter sent the ‘Skins into halftime with a 19-17 lead. Mike Garlick also hauled in a McAndrew touchdown pass in the first half – this one from 48 yards out.
The lead continued to change hands in the second half with the Whippets going on top 24-19 only to watch the ‘Skins take their final lead of the night when Joel Stills – who had a team-high 145 yards on the ground – raced in from 85 yards out.
McAndrew threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Garlick was his favorite target, finishing with 181 yards and a TD.
Neshaminy (2-1) will travel to Council Rock North for its SOL opener on Friday.
Downingtown West 7-10-7-13 37
Neshaminy 13-6-0-14 33
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 41, METHACTON 0
The Patriots controlled play from start to finish, scoring 41 points in the first half and coasting to the mercy rule win.
Quarterback Evan O’Donnell capped the opening scoring drive with a six-yard run, and then Chris Lochetta, who was on the receiving end of three touchdown passes, scored on a 30-yard O’Donnell strike. Jake Ventresa’s 28-yard touchdown run made it a 21-0 game at the end of one quarter. Ventresca added a second rushing touchdown and Lochetta caught two more O’Donnell TD passes to close out the scoring.
O’Donnell completed 13-of-15 passes for 191 yards while Ventresca ran for 111 yards.
The Patriots held a commanding 442-96 advantage in total yards.
Central Bucks East (1-2) will host Central Bucks South next Saturday at 11 a.m.
Central Bucks East 21-20-0-0 41
Methacton 0-0-0-0 0
PENNRIDGE 29, PERKIOMEN VALLEY 0
Perk Valley outscored its opponents 69-9 in its first two games of the season, and the Vikings were expected to give the Rams all they could handle. That didn’t happen.
The Rams – thanks to a Nick Tarburton safety – led 2-0 after one quarter and effectively buried their visitors with a 21-point second quarter. Josh Pinkney scored his first of two rushing touchdowns on the night, this one from 16 yards out. Ryan Garner had a five-yard touchdown run. A Zak Kantor to Tucker Chaikin touchdown pass accounted for the other score, sending the Rams into halftime with a 23-0 lead. For good measure, Pinkney tacked on an 82-yard touchdown run in the second half.
All told, the Rams had 468 yards of total offense – 307 on the ground. The Vikings managed just 199 yard.
Pennridge will travel to Souderton Friday to open SOL play.
Perkiomen Valley 0-0-0-0 0
Pennridge 2-21-6-0 29
UPPER DUBLIN 28, LANSDALE CATHOLIC 3
Malik Bootman had himself a day, scoring all four of his team’s touchdowns in the Cardinals’ convincing win over the visiting Crusaders. Bootman scored on carries of one and two yards in the second quarter. Only an LC field goal in the frame interrupted Bootman’s personal tear as the Cardinals took a 14-3 lead into the intermission.
In the third quarter, Bootman scored on runs of 30 and 16 yards.
Upper Dublin (1-1) will be on the road at Cheltenham for next week’s SOL opener.
Lansdale Catholic 0-3-0-0 3
Upper Dublin 0-14-14-0
PENN WOOD 28, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 7
The Patriots took a 14-7 lead into halftime and never looked back on their way to the non-league win. They piled up 434 yards of total offense while the Indians struggled to find their stride.
Michael Welde led the Indians’ offense with 93 yards on the ground and one touchdown.
Council Rock North (1-2) will host Neshaminy in Friday’s SOL opener.
UPPER MORELAND 34, UPPER PERK 20
Upper Perk scored 89 points in its first two wins this season, but the Golden Bears derailed the Indians with another impressive outing.
Upper Moreland (3-0) will travel to Plymouth Whitmarsh Friday for its SOL opener.
NORRISTOWN 10, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 9
POTTSVILLE 46, WISSAHICKON 12
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