Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. Pennridge/Bensalem photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. CB West/Quakertown photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko, and Springfield Twp/Hatboro-Horsham photos provided courtesy of Dave Tucker.
Stats provided courtesy of the Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier Times. For additional football cover, visit the Intelligencer (https://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school) and Courier Times (https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/)
UPPER DUBLIN 32, NORTH PENN 28
(Game info courtesy of Mike Cabrey/PAPrepLive twitter: @mpcabrey)
This was a game for the ages.
At least it was for fans of Upper Dublin football who will be talking about the Flying Cardinals improbable and inspired comeback for a long, long time.
Trailing 28-17 with just 2:13 remaining after North Penn’s Amir Major scored on a seven-yard run, the Flying Cardinals went to work, capping the unlikely comeback when senior quarterback Colin O’Sullivan hit senior wide receiver Griffin Pensabene in stride in the end zone with 29.5 seconds remaining to give the Cardinals their final margin of victory.
“I’m just so happy for both of those seniors,” UD coach Bret Stover said. “We were in a game like that with PW that ended our season last year. It was back and forth, and PW scores all those points at the end, and you’re like – ‘Wow, that’s really how our season ended.’ It’s hard. They worked hard, and they didn’t want it to happen again.
“This just helps us so much. We still have seven (games) in the regular season. We can’t look past anybody, and trust me, we won’t, but it’s going to help us at some point again because we’re going to be down to somebody and we’re going to need to come back, and it’s just going to help us. You need a little adversity. It builds your program, and I think tonight we came together as a team, which is huge for us.”
The O’Sullivan to Pensabene TD strike was just one of many highlight reel plays that came after a seemingly backbreaking play when the Cardinals – leading 17-14 late in the third quarter – were going in for the score only to see the ball pop loose, and the Knights’ Jay Ford-King ran it back for a touchdown and a 21-17 lead.
“We were in the end zone, the ball came out after we broke the plane, a kid from North Penn ran it back 104 yards,” Stover said. “It was deflating. To their credit, our kids didn’t hang their heads. They kept playing ball.
“I went out and took a penalty because I needed everybody to get refocused. I took a 15-yarder because I needed to get everybody off the play. I wanted to show the kids I had their back. They had my back tonight also. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what being a team is. You’ve got to have each other’s backs in good times and bad times. It’s easy to have somebody’s back when things are going great. When things are going poorly, that’s when we need you the most. That’s the message I was trying to send.”
Things didn’t look all that promising when the Cardinals were stopped on their ensuing drive and Major scored a TD after a time-consuming drive that put the Knights on top 28-17
“We literally drove back to the 20, they stopped us, and they went all the way down, running the clock, running the clock as they do because they’re a real good football team,” Stover said. “We get the ball back, we’re down 10, but let’s see what we can do.
“First down didn’t go real well, second down didn’t go real well. We picked up a first down, and we started moving. We started clicking. Colin (O’Sullivan) hit Griffin Pensabene on a crossing route, and Griffin kicks out of a tackle, a total weight room kick out for him because he really worked hard in the weight room. He kicked out of it and ran into the end zone, and all of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Wow, we’re back in it.’
“I went out there and said, ‘Guys, we get this two-point play, it’s a field goal (differential), we’re going to get the on-sides kick and then we’ll see what happens.”
The successful two-point play from O’Sullivan to Chris Kohlbrenner made it a 28-25 game, and the best was yet to come for Upper Dublin. It all began with an on-sides kick – an almost impossible play to execute successfully, but the Cardinals pulled it off.
“Austin Pendleton – he’s a senior, he tore all the ligaments in his knee when he was a sophomore wrestling,” Stover said of his kicker. “He couldn’t play last year, he came out this year, and he was trying to be a receiver, trying to be a D-back, and he probably will be before the year’s over, but we needed him to help us kick.
“He’s been kicking these on-sides kicks, and every time we kick them in practice – they’re one or two bounces right to our scout team kid who catches it and falls to the ground. He kicks it, and this thing goes up in the air. Once it went in the air, I was like, ‘We’ve got a shot,’ and we came up with it. Shyne Roberts came up with it, and we got the ball at the 35.”
The Flying Cardinals were once again in business.
“We ran a come-back, and we’re down to the 25, and we got out of bounds,” Stover said. “We were just going to keep going with it. We have an option route on the outside, and Griffin (Pensabene) just converts it, and Colin (O’Sullivan) just drops it right in the bucket, and the place goes nuts.”
The Cardinals – who then held off the Knights one last time to secure the win – showed early on that they were a team to contend with. Forget that it was a 5A team against a perennial 6A power. After Michael Duffie scored on a 31-yard TD run for the Knights, the Cards answered with a one-play drive – a 68-yard touchdown pass from O’Sullivan to Pensabene.
Early in the second quarter, Pendleton connected on a 25-yard field goal, and an O’Sullivan to Kohlbrenner 24-yard TD pass put the Cardinals on top 17-7 at halftime. North Penn’s Dave Dawes scored on an 11-yard touchdown run midway through the third to make it a 17-14 game, setting the stage for the wild finish.
Stover lauded the play of several of his team’s unsung heroes.
“DJ Cerisier locked up #23, their kid who’s going to Georgia (Yazeed Haynes),” the UD coach said. “They essentially had to move him off DJ just to get a better matchup. He was unbelievable locking him down. He had a hit right before halftime that I think woke him up and woke our whole team up going into the half. He was huge tonight for us.
“Kyree Butler was huge for us up front defensively and offensively. The kid does not come off the field. He honestly does not come off the field, which is crazy. Somebody’s going to get a heck of a football player at the next level in Kyree.
“Those two, Colin (O’Sullivan) and Pensabene obviously, and my kicker Pendleton. He made all his extra points, made a field goal, which at the end was the difference in the game. I’m so happy for Austin to be able to do that for us. Hopefully, he takes off and we can start mixing him in on offense and defense too.”
Upper Dublin (3-0) will travel to Bensalem for Friday’s SOL opener, and North Penn (1-2) will host Neshaminy to open league play Friday.
Upper Dublin 7-10-0-15 32
North Penn 7-0-14-7 28
PENNRIDGE 35, BENSALEM 0
The Rams made their first win of the young season an impressive one, scoring 35 first-half points to put the mercy rule into effect and stymying the Owls’ offense at every turn in the shutout victory. Brennan Fisher was the offensive catalyst, finishing with 157 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries.
The groundwork for Friday’s big win might well have been laid a week earlier at Souderton when the Rams rallied from a 24-6 fourth-quarter deficit at to make it a 24-21 game before the Indians fell on an on-sides kick and escaped with the win.
“That was key,” Pennridge coach Chuck Burgy said. “That’s one of those moments – you’re at a crossroads. You can either lay down and take the beating – if we had another minute in that game, I would have liked to have seen it, but it is what it is. The 15 points in the fourth quarter were a turning point for us. The fight, the character the kids showed in that game when it was rough – that translated over into the week of practice and then translated into tonight. That was cool to watch.
“There are no cupcakes on our schedule. The Suburban One League is the standard of Pennsylvania football. We run the gauntlet. There are no teams you can look past. Bensalem is having a tough year, but they are a physical team. They’re well coached, they’re hardworking kids. There are no easy weeks. That Souderton game catapulted us into the week and into tonight, and we’re going to ride that week and into tonight. We’re going to try and ride that wave and keep going.”
Fisher put the Rams on the scoreboard with 3:44 remaining in the opening quarter with a six-yard touchdown run. Another Fisher touchdown – this one from 44 yards out – gave Pennridge a 14-0 lead after one quarter, and they were just getting started.
In the second quarter, Tyler Wetzel raced 72 yards for a touchdown, and then Fisher added his third and final touchdown with a run of 27 yards to put the Rams on top 28-0. With just seconds remaining in the half, quarterback Pat Burdick found Nate Mossbrook for a 44-yard touchdown reception and a 35-0 halftime lead.
On the defensive side of the football, Burgy pointed to the return of senior middle linebacker Dylan O’Brien to the lineup as a game changer.
“That was key for our team, specifically for our defense,” Burgy said. “He’s the heartbeat on defense that Brennan Fisher provides on the offensive side. The spirit of that group comes from that guy. That’s what we expect. They’re our senior leaders, they’re the guys have been in our program. Now they’re taking the reins, and they’re going to dictate the level of play of the players around them. Dylan being back was a key. It definitely showed.
“Chase Washington had a great night on our D-line. Ryan Kirkwood had a great night. There are so many guys. Coach Jay Jones has worked with our secondary, and their level of play – they’ve been a bright spot through the first three weeks. Regardless of what’s going on on the scoreboard, they’ve been a highlight. It was cool to see the defense really get that identity, a little bit of bravado, a little bit of confidence. It was good to see that.”
Burgy tipped his hat to his assistants on the defensive side of the ball.
“Craig Whitten, our defensive coordinator, had a great plan,” Burgy said. “Mike Chando, Jay Jones and Josh Lake are the coaches that run that defensive side. They really tightened it up. The kids stepped up and were coachable, and everybody was moving in the same direction, and it came into fruition tonight.”
Pennridge (1-2) will host Abington in Friday’s SOL opener, and Bensalem (1-2) will host Upper Dublin on Friday.
Bensalem 0-0-0-0 0
Pennridge 14-21-0-0 35
PENNSBURY 41, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 6
A touchdown pass from Chase Ennis to Jake Zarnowsky spotted the Golden Hawks a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter of Friday’s non-league game against Pennsbury.
It turned out to be their last hurrah.
By halftime, the Falcons had 41 points on the board, and the mercy rule was in effect.
“After they scored, we came right out and scored right away,” Pennsbury coach Galen Snyder said. “I think we were just a little bit flat on ‘D’ to start. They did a good job – they had a good drive against us, but then picked up right after that.”
If there was a turning point in Friday’s game, it came with the Falcons on top 7-6 when sophomore Chris Karamis returned an interception 19 yards for a touchdown and a 14-6 advantage. It was three-and-out for the Golden Hawks, and Pennsbury quarterback Shane McGurrin capped a 69-yard drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass to CJ Wisor.
After a Falcons’ defensive stop on fourth down, Nate Beigley’s 73-yard touchdown run put the Falcons on top 28-6, and when McGurrin connected with Jayce Secoda on play action for a 22-yard touchdown and a 35-6 lead.
“When you’re having success running the ball, it opened up the play action for us,” Snyder said. ”Then you have to make it count. You have to make sure you make good throws and catches, and our guys did that tonight.
“It was nice that McGurrin made some timely plays. He was 2-for-2 with two touchdown passes, so that’s big as well.”
A drive that featured a whole lot of Galamama Mulbah was capped with Mulbah punching it in from two yards out for a 41-6 halftime lead that held until the final whistle.
All told, the Falcons amassed close to 300 yards total offense, most of it on the ground. Mulbah led the way with 103 yards.
“Obviously, G (Mulbah) and Beigley are very talented runners, and the ‘O’ line is coming together just about the time we expected it to,” Snyder said. “It’s kind of the way it goes with us. It takes us a few games to start jelling.”
Comprising the Falcons’ offensive line are center Donovan Frascella, right guard, Bailey McDonnell, right tackle Dylan Biddle, left guard Fabian Francois and left tackle Rocco May.
“Not to be lost are the two kids who caught touchdown passes – the two tight ends, CJ Wisor and Jayce Secoda,” Snyder said. “Our wing back, Eric Davis, does a great job blocking. He’s another guy who does a great job catching the ball for us, and he can block as well.”
The Falcons’ coach also credited his defense.
“Karamis made a nice play on that interception return for a touchdown,” Snyder said. “I thought Jake Miller made a couple of nice open field tackles. The defense as a whole played well.”
Friday’s win was the Falcons’ second win in as many weeks.
“We’ve kind of thought we’d be after the first three games entering league play,” Snyder said. “We also understand that everything picks up from here on out. Every game’s going to be a battle from here on out.”
Pennsbury (2-1) will travel to Central Bucks West for Friday’s SOL opener, and Council Rock South (1-2) will be on the road at Harry S Truman.
Council Rock South 6-0-0-0 6
Pennsbury 21-20-0-0 41
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 30, SOUDERTON 13
Night football has at long last arrived at Central Bucks East.
And the Patriots celebrated their school’s first ever night football game by notching an impressive win over the Indians.
“We said many times – there are so many people that came before us that fought so hard to make this a reality, and the kids have come and gone,” East coach John Donnelly said. “A lot of them were back tonight – so many alumni and people that played here in the 70s. It was a great night for all of CB East. It was a game to honor the legacy of (legendary East football coach) Larry Green, and it was a sea of green in the stands, which was awesome to see.”
For the East faithful, there wasn’t a whole lot not to like about a night that saw Ethan Shine deliver yet another dazzling performance.
“Souderton is a very good football team with a lot of great skill players, they’re always well coached,” Donnelly said. “I thought we moved the ball really well on the ground, and we made some timely completions when we needed to, but we really did a good job of controlling the clock and just controlling the line of scrimmage. It’s unofficial, but Ethan Shine went for 266 yards rushing, and we needed it because we ended up shortening the game.
“The game was tight throughout, it really was. It never really solidified until we got the final score. We’re just super proud. The guys drew on the emotion of the crowd. The crowd was electric, the student body was awesome, the band was great, the cheerleaders and our community. It couldn’t have been any better.”
The two teams exchanged early field goals with East’s Jack Corrigan connecting on a 30-yard field goal and Souderton’s Ty Quintois splitting the uprights on a 33-yard field goal. Shine – after breaking a long run – punched it in from a yard out to give the Patriots a lead they would not lose. East took a 9-6 lead into halftime.
A six-yard touchdown run by Shine extended East’s lead to 16-6 after three quarters, and Shine’s 30-yard TD run upped that lead to 23-6. Souderton quarterback Jared Zimmerman connected with Shaun Purvy on a 39-yard touchdown, but Shine got that back with a five-yard touchdown run, giving East its final margin of victory.
Paving the way for Shine’s brilliant offensive performance was an offensive line comprised of left tackle Sean Connor, left guard Liam Powers, center Connor Harris, right guard Joey Collins, right tackle Chris Poulson.
“Also, our tight ends and fullbacks – Joe Maeglin, Luke Quillen and Jack Donnelly – do a great job of blocking as well,” said Donnelly, pointing also to a key defensive stop on fourth down. “Late in the third quarter, Souderton was deep in our territory, and Luke Wilson just stayed home.
“Their quarterback (Jared Zimmerman) is very good. He’s explosive, he’s an excellent runner, and Luke was able to make a huge tackle to stop him short of a first down. That was a huge play, the play of the game defensively.”
Central Bucks East (3-0) will travel to Central Bucks South for Friday’s SOL opener, and Souderton (2-1) will host Council Rock North in its league opener Friday.
Souderton 0-6-0-7 13
Central Bucks East 3-6-7-14 30
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 56, QUAKERTOWN 14
The Bucks wasted little time before seizing control of Friday’s home game against the Panthers, opening up a 14-0 lead after one quarter and extending that to 42-7 by halftime.
One fact became abundantly clear – the Bucks’ 0-2 start was more than a little misleading.
“I think at the end of the day – you start 0-2, and obviously, it’s important to get back in the win column,” West coach Rob Rowan said. “We knew we played two really good football teams, and we also knew that on several different occasions in week one that we were one play away from winning the game (a 14-7 loss to Garnet Valley in a game the Bucks led late), and that team’s likely to go 10-0. That was important to keep in perspective.”
Last week’s 35-7 loss to an Upper Dublin team that rallied to beat North Penn on its home turf is also seen in a different light.
“We played really poor, and some things happened to us that put us in a tough spot personnel-wise,” Rowan said. “I’m not taking anything away from Upper Dublin because they are a very good team, but I also think we played about as bad as we could. It was 21-7 with five minutes left in the third quarter of that game.
“Tonight, I told our guys, ‘Just remember who you are, remember what your standards are. Tap back into that self-belief – ‘I know
that I’m a good football player, and I know I’m capable of going out and executing at a high level,’ so let’s forget about everything else. Go out and play and have fun.’”
The Bucks had a whole lot of fun – all at the Panthers’ expense.
Vinny Cherubani scored early on a 33-yard TD run, and it was 14-0 after quarterback Ganz Cooper connected with Conor McFadden for a 12-yard TD. Early in the second quarter, Cooper again found McFadden, this time on a two-yard touchdown score, and an Eli Boehm’s 41-yard touchdown run put the Bucks on top 28-0.
Quakertown broke West’s tear when Vince Micucci connected with John Eatherton for a 47-yard touchdown pass. The Bucks had an immediate answer as Matt Cleland ran the ensuing kickoff back 64 yards for a touchdown and a 35-7 lead. A third Cooper to McFadden TD pass – this one from two yards out – sent the Bucks into halftime with a 42-7 lead.
In the third quarter, Micucci scored on a one-yard plunge, and a pair of sophomores tacked on fourth-quarter touchdown runs for the Bucks – Ryan Clemens on an 11-yard run and Keegan Gonzales on a TD run of 28 yards.
There were plenty of standouts for the Bucks in Friday’s win.
“I thought our offensive line executed at a really high level,” Rowan said. “They opened up tremendous holes for our backs all night. McFadden had three touchdowns, and Ganz threw for three touchdowns.
“Eli (Boehm) found the end zone, which was nice to get him going. I felt like he ripped off some vintage Eli runs. I asked them all week – ‘Remind yourself who you are,’ and I think he tapped back into some of the special runs he’s capable of, and we saw a little bit of that night.”
Boehm led the Bucks with 113 rushing yards behind an offensive line comprised of tight end Jack Williams, right tackle Clark Sedenger, right guard Carter Charran, center Danny Gannon, left guard Sam Heath and left tackle Hayden Mulligan.
Central Bucks West (1-2) will host Pennsbury in Friday’s SOL opener, and Quakertown (1-2) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh in a non-league game.
Quakertown 0-7-7-0 14
Central Bucks West 14-28-0-14 56
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 56, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 7
Sebastian Pacchione’s 15-yard touchdown run broke a 7-7 tie early in the second quarter, and the Titans were off and running on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win that upped CB South’s record to a perfect 3-0 heading into next week’s SOL games.
“We knew coming into the season – the PW game is always a good one, and that’s a nice opening game to have,” South coach Tom Hetrick said. “In my mind, I was wanting us to be 3-0 by the time we get into our conference. We were able to get over that first hurdle with PW, and I think we are getting better, and that’s the goal to get better every week.
“I thought we got better last week, and I think we definitely got better tonight. As we prepare to open up play in the National Conference next week – if you’re not getting better, everybody else is, so that’s got to be our focus.”
On a night that saw the Titans rush for 275 yards, Pacchione, Liam Goss (7 yards), Will Ratcliffe (1 yard), Corey Moore (3 yards) and John Henson (6 yards & 11 yards) each scored at least one touchdown on the ground. Moore’s 75 yards on nine carries led the Titans. Owen Pinkerton had one carry for 54 yards, and Pacchione finished with 48 yards in a game that saw 10 players record carries.
Brett Szarko opened the game with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Owen Wheeler – who also had an interception – and later connected with Jack Carver for a 26-yard TD. He completed four of 6 passes for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
“Most of the credit for the fact that we were able to score 56 points goes to our offensive line – they had an outstanding game,” Hetrick said. “For as many touchdowns as we scored, I don’t think anyone scored more than one. We were definitely spreading the ball out, but the offensive line just played outstanding. They just did very good things. I was very proud, and everybody on the team is giving them the credit for what we were able to do tonight.”
Comprising the offensive line are Nick Micewski (left tackle), Nick Conte (left guard), Ed McDonald (center), Rolan Hess (right guard) and Collin Goetter (right tackle).
“Three of those kids are juniors, one is a sophomore and the center is a senior,” Hetrick said. “A lot of them had experience last year. They got a lot of battle reps last year, so we’re experienced, but yet we’re still young, so we haven’t reached the ceiling yet.”
Defensively, Sean Moskowitz had a monster performance, finishing with 16 tackles – 10 solo – and two tackles for a loss. Matt Krysko had a hand in five tackles and was credited with one sack and one tackle for a loss while Colin Kelly had four tackles (1 TFL).
Central Bucks South (3-0) will host Central Bucks East in Friday’s SOL opener, and Council Rock North (1-2) will travel to Souderton for its league opener.
ABINGTON 49, HARRY S TRUMAN 7
The Ghosts found themselves trailing 7-0 early on in Friday’s contest. It hardly turned out to be cause for concern as they responded by reeling off 49 unanswered points to earn the lopsided win in their home opener.
“They got up on us and forced a punt,” Abington coach Kevin Conlin said. “One of the things I was really happy about was – they came out and they scored on the very first play. They kicked off to us, and we went three and out. We gave them the ball back, and our defense really buckled down, and that gave us a little bit of breathing room – all right, here we go.
“We got pushed around a little bit, and we responded very, very well, which was good to see as a coach because I don’t know if we responded as well when Cheltenham had scored a couple in a row (in a season-opening loss). Tonight, we responded very well.”
There were plenty of heroes for the Ghosts, but Conlin was especially pleased with the play of quarterback Anthony Pronsati.
“He’s running our offense very well for what we expect from him, and he’s doing a really good job both running and obviously passing,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “I’m not sure how many touchdown passes he might have had – it was definitely two, and he ran for one, so he’s doing a really good job running what we call.
“I don’t think he’s thrown for a lot of incompletions, and he’s just very simply taking whatever teams are giving him, and it’s really good to see. We’ve been working with him all year. There’s been good competition between him and another quarterback, and I think he has proved that he’s the right choice.”
Abington (2-1) will host Pennridge in the SOL opener for both teams on Friday, and Harry S Truman (1-2) will host Council Rock South on Friday.
UPPER MERION 21, WILLIAM TENNENT 14
(Stats courtesy of Ed Morlock/PAPrepLive.com: https://papreplive.com/football/2022/09/09/upper-merion-starts-fast-holds-off-william-tennent/)
The Panthers staged a furious fourth quarter rally, scoring a pair of touchdowns in less than a minute to trim a 21-0 deficit to seven, but that’s as close as they would get.
Timothy Lawson scored on an eight-yard run with 4:32 remaining in regulation, and after Tennent recovered the on-sides kick, Lawson connected with Liam Gibson on the first play for a 33-yard touchdown that made it a 21-14 game, a score that stood until the final whistle.
The Panthers managed just 127 yards of total offense.
William Tennent (0-3) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham Friday for a non-league game.
William Tennent 0-0-0-14 14
Upper Merion 14-7-0-0 21
METHACTON 18, WISSAHICKON 8
Jaden McLean hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Julian Perkins, who also tossed a completion on a two-point play to give the Trojans an 8-0 late in the opening half. The Warriors rallied to knot the score and added a field goal in the third quarter and a touchdown in the fourth to earn the non-league win.
Wissahickon (0-3) will host Simon Gratz Charter in a non-league game Friday.
Wissahickon 0-8-0-0 8
Methacton 0-8-3-7 18
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 21, HATBORO-HORSHAM 6
Ryan Marcino is the “other” halfback on a Springfield Township squad that has seen Dylan McKenzie put up eye-popping numbers this season, but with the Hatters intent on taking McKenzie out of Friday night’s non-league game, Marcino stepped to the fore and delivered in a big way, scoring a pair of touchdowns.
“Ryan is one of those guys that is really underestimated,” Springfield coach Chris Shelly said. “He’s the other halfback for us. Usually, he’s more of a blocker for Dylan, but they were overplaying Dylan.
“Hatboro’s coaching staff did a tremendous job. They got a lot better from their first game to the second one. We definitely didn’t underestimate them coming in. We knew they had some Suburban One size. They have 30-some kids, they’re well coached and they have tough kids. We expected a battle. We told our kids – you’re not going to get blowouts every game. They really did a nice of job game planning to stop Dylan. What we found was real effective was running our other kid.
“We have a couple kids, but Ryan Marcino played a heck of a game on both sides of the ball, he fought through cramps late in the game. I don’t think anybody outside of us knows how valuable he is. He’s a senior linebacker, and he’s what we call our H-back. He was tremendous on both sides of the ball. Great job by him.”
It was Marcino scoring on a 14-yard run to give the Spartans a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The Hatters answered with a one-yard TD run in the second quarter, but their two-point attempt failed, and the Spartans still held a tenuous 7-6 advantage. Marcino gave the Spartans some breathing room, scoring on a five-yard run to send Springfield Township into halftime with a 14-6 lead.
Late in the fourth quarter, McKenzie scored on a 12-yard run for the 21-6 final.
Marcino wasn’t the only player to step up big for the Spartans.
“EJ Hendrzak plays wide receiver for us,” Shelly said. “We had lost one of our wide receivers last game – he broke his wrist. We came into this game banged up, but no excuses. We expect our kids to play to a certain standard, and EJ played great. He was that kid 
blocking on the edge, he’s that kid that did everything we needed him to do to spring our running backs loose on runs. I was real proud of that effort.
“On defense, Rymir Ware was terrific leading our defense, making some key plays. (Hatboro-Horsham) moved the ball on us. They’re in a wing-t like us, and that wing-t when it gets cooking can give you some problems. We changed things up a little bit in the second half, gave them a different look, and Rymir really led the charge.”
Shelly didn’t have final statistics but guessed that McKenzie rushed for close to 100 yards.
“Late in the game, we put the ball in his hands,” the Spartans’ coach said. “We call it our ‘dude back’ – he’s the dude. I don’t like the term wildcat. We just call it the dude package. Everybody knows what it is. We’re putting the ball in his hands, and he makes it happen for us. It was another classic game by him.
“Also, we had some young linemen that were playing for the first time because of injuries, but we told our kids coming in – no excuses. Hatboro doesn’t care if you have kids hurt. Our kids are getting practice reps. I’ve been here for a while, and fortunately, we can go two deep at every spot, which we’ve never been able to do. We call our twos 1As. We tell them all the time – ‘You’re a 1A, you’re ready to be a one, but you don’t know when.’ I was real happy with some of our younger kids stepping up.”
Shelly tipped his hat to this opponent.
“(Hatboro-Horsham) certainly gave us a handful,” the Spartans coach said. “I told their coach and their players that afterwards. I’m really impressed with Hatboro’s kids. They really played hard.
“We’ve been in that spot where we had to rebuild our program four or five years ago, and I really respect them a ton. I think they’re heading in the right direction without question.”
Springfield Township (3-0) will host Phoenixville in a non-league game on Saturday at 1 p.m. Hatboro-Horsham (0-2) will host William Tennent on Friday.
Springfield Township 7-7-0-7 21
Hatboro-Horsham 0-6-0-0 6
PERKIOMEN VALLEY 35, CHELTENHAM 25
DOWNINGTOWN WEST 30, NESHAMINY 7
RIDLEY 35, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 13
LOWER MORELAND 20, JENKINTOWN 14
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