By Scott Huff
The destination was the PIAA District One Football Playoffs, and the journey was a mystifying one for a trio of Suburban One League teams.
Council Rock North (6-4 overall, 4-3 SOL National Conference) arrived to its postseason destination in the most inexplicable manner.
The Indians lost to archrival Central Bucks South (8-2, 5-2) last Friday, 35-28. And most felt that the season was over for Rock North, and the flood of raw emotion that swept over the Indian locker room was proof.
“We thought that in order for us to get into the playoffs, we were going to have to win the game,” said Council Rock North senior Adam Yborra. “We kind of let our emotions get the best of us.
“Then, at 12:32 (a.m.), I got a text message from (captain) Lee Marvel that said - We got North Penn,” continued Yborra. “And we were really excited about getting a chance to play against the best team in the state.
“Everyone expects us to lose, so there is really no pressure on us,” added Yborra. “We can go out on the field, have fun, and get to play in a playoff game.”
“I thought at 6-4 we didn’t have a shot at getting in the playoffs,” said Council Rock North head coach Tom Coates. “We were at the lowest point emotionally you could imagine. I felt so badly for our seniors that our season – and their career – was over.
“Then I got a call from radio station WNPV later that night to congratulate us on making the playoffs,” added Coates as the Indians earned the #16 seed and will face #1 seed North Penn. “I guess that things fell right for us as far as the points were concerned, and we’re thrilled with the opportunity to play one more week.”The domino effect that presented Rock North with a chance to compete in the playoffs included regular season losses by Glen Mills, Perkiomen Valley, and Souderton.
In fact, the Indians tied for 15th place in the point standings with Unionville with 80 points. However, Unionville (7-3) won the third tiebreaker, and Rock North will travel to Towamencin to meet the #1 ranked team in the state – North Penn.
“One of the most upsetting thing about the loss to Council Rock South was that we didn’t play our best game,” said Coates. “You always want to end a season playing at your best, and we didn’t do that against South.
“We want to represent our conference well when we play against North Penn. We will have five teams from the National Conference, and that says a lot about the quality of football that we play.
“We have competed well against Pennsbury, Neshaminy, and Abington,” continued Coates. “We have played well against a very high level of competition.”
And right now North Penn (10-0 overall) may be the highest level of competition in the district.
“To win a district championship, you are going to have to go through North Penn,” said Coates. “We happen to get them right away.”
Quakertown (8-2 overall, 4-2 SOL Continental Conference) already had its ticket for the PIAA District One Football Playoffs punched before its game with Souderton last week.
But the Panthers still had a lot to prove.
“We treated the game as a ‘must win’ game for us,” said Quakertown head coach John Donnelly. “The kids were jacked up all week for the game. A lot of people in the media had Souderton picked to win the game, and it didn’t seem like we were getting a whole lot of respect.”
Quakertown earned a measure of respect with a 21-15 victory over the Big Red (5-5). The loss shattered any hopes Souderton had of getting to the playoffs.
“At times during the season we may not have been worthy of respect,” said Donnelly. “Our game against North Penn – the loss to Hatboro. But we still felt that we were a good football team, and some people were overlooking how good a season we were having.
“To beat Souderton – which is a good football team – puts an exclamation point on our regular season,” added Donnelly. “But now we are in a new season – the playoff season – and we want to keep things rolling.
“We experienced the playoffs last season, and we want to improve on that,” continued Donnelly in reference to the Panthers 21-0 loss to Ridley in the first round. “It’s an exciting time of year.”
Quakertown – who was earned the #12 seed - will travel to Avon Grove (9-1) – the #5 seed – on Friday.
Upper Moreland (5-4 overall, 4-3 Suburban One American Conference) earned the eighth and final slot in the PIAA Class AAA District One Football Playoffs – despite a 27-0 loss to Norristown last week.
“We knew that if we lost we would need some help to get into the playoffs,” said Upper Moreland head coach Adam Beach. “And things worked out for us.
“When you get into the playoffs, all the teams are good football teams,” added Beach. “Winners are determined by who is ready to play. Anyone can be the best.”
Upper Moreland will have to travel to Pottsgrove (10-0) to meet the # 1 seeded Falcons.
The loss to Norristown may have been a blessing for the Golden Bears.
“Norristown and Pottsgrove have very similar teams,” said Beach. “Both are extremely fast teams, and we should have a good idea of what we have to do to beat a team like Pottsgrove.
“We can’t make mistakes, and we have to be able to limit the big plays,” added Beach. “We’re excited to be in the playoffs, and we’ll try to make the most of this opportunity.”
On the Suburban One League Playoff Menu
Quad-A
# 16 CR North (6-4) @ # 1 North Penn (10-0)
# 9 Abington (7-2) @ # 8 Neshaminy (8-2)
# 12 Quakertown (8-2) @ # 5 Avon Grove (9-1)
# 11 Downingtown East (8-2) @ # 6 Norristown (9-1)
# 10 CR South (8-2) @ # 7 Ridley (9-1)
# 15 Unionville (7-3) @ # 2 Pennsbury (9-1)
Class AAA
# 8 Upper Moreland (5-4) @ # 1 Pottsgrove (10-0)
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