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Kevin Cooney, Dan Dunkin and Scott Huff talk SOL football.
Back for its fourth season, the popular Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features high school football beat writers Kevin Cooney and Dan Dunkin. Cooney, the Phillies beat writer, covers schools in the Intelligencer area while Dan Dunkin – who has been covering sports at the high school and professional level for 25 years - covers teams in the Courier Times area. Both share their perspective on the teams in their coverage area. To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the web site http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/high_school/
SuburanOneSports.com: Your comments about North Penn and Pennsbury after watching North Penn pull off the upset last Friday.
Dan Dunkin: “Both teams had trouble stopping the other early on with the running game. Overall, North Penn beat them soundly on the line of scrimmage. Their offensive line beat Pennsbury’s defensive line, which is a quick defense but a little bit light up front in terms of weight. They got pushed off the ball consistently. Pennsbury had real trouble tackling Nyfease West. He’s a good second-effort runner, and he constantly broke the first contact.
“To me the early key to the game was when Pennsbury did not punch it in on fourth –and-goal on the three-yard line. North Penn’s defense did a good job. Breon Clark probably could have taken it outside. I don’t know if he would have scored, but it was just a good job by North Penn’s defense.
“North Penn had the ball deep in their own territory. They could only get the ball as far as the 11-yard line, and they fake- punted, and it worked. That was huge because Dick Beck had seen Pennsbury was standing a bit off the line and Luke Berry went five yards for a first down. Even though North Penn did not march all the way down for a touchdown or a field goal, they consumed a lot of time, which effectively took away any chance for Pennsbury to have a meaningful possession to end the first half.
“In the second half, North Penn established the line of scrimmage again and made it 28-6. The way Pennsbury plays – it was too late. They’re not going to come back. They can’t do it from that far back with their running game. The lesson had to be for them – to get to the next level, they’ve got to throw the ball a little more. They only threw five times, and they can’t just do it in desperation. They do what they do very, very well. They now have a quarterback who can do things. He can run, he can roll out, and can throw it really well, but they need to polish that up for next year.
I’ll give Pennsbury credit. They ended up outrushing North Penn 319-251, but a lot of those yards came in the second half when it was too late. While Pennsbury deserves credit for their character in coming back a little bit, the time was draining off the clock with the running game. They got within 31-21, but they ran out of time.
“The plus side for Pennsbury is that this team did more than many thought they would do this year. Everybody thought they were a talented group, but they really played beyond their years overall for the season. To win the conference undefeated, they arrived sooner than a lot of people thought. Everyone thought next year would be their year, and next year could very well be their year. They’re going to be a really good team next year. But to take that next step, they’re going to have to throw it more. Not give up who they are - they can still be a strong wing team, a smash-mouth team, but they’re going to need to add a little bit more of a passing game.
“I give North Penn with Dick Beck and his staff a ton of credit. What they’ve done is amazing. They’ve won nine in a row now, and they're not as dominant a North Penn team as in the past, but they are certainly good enough to win the district. Those kids have really pulled together. I think their game against Perkiomen Valley will be a shootout, but I think they can win that. They’re more fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball and also deeper, so they should win that game and be in the district final.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Your thoughts on Abington vs. Neshaminy in the other semifinal?
Dan Dunkin: “You know it’s a rematch, and Abington is your definitively dangerous kind of team. They knocked off the number one seed, Garnet Valley, which I predicted. They’ve got real good speed on defense, and they have a host of playmakers. Craig Reynolds is back to being Craig Reynolds after some early-season injuries. David Kretschman is their third quarterback, and he’s done a really good job stabilizing things and throwing the ball. For Tim Sorber and his group, I think it’s one of their best coaching jobs.
“Having said all of that, it’s a really tough order for Abington going against Neshaminy. They gave Neshaminy a really good game for a half when they first met. Neshaminy started slow offensively. Mark Schmidt told me this week – they did have to adjust to Abington’s speed. They hadn’t played anybody like that, and they did make adjustments and came out and dominated the second half with D’Andre Pollard and their running game, and their defense played tremendously. They held Reynolds to 71 yards – 21 on one carry.
“Neshaminy knows all the danger points with this team. It’s at home, and it’s the last home game for this real good senior group. They can smell the district title. They’ve played this team, they know this team. Abington will throw some stuff at them. I think it will be interesting at times, but I think ultimately it will be the same result. I think Neshaminy is going to do what they did the last time. I think Reynolds is going to have a hard time breaking anything against their defense, and that’s going to put a lot of pressure on their sophomore quarterback to do a lot of different things. He’s good, but if they can’t run the ball effectively consistently, they’re not going to win this game. I think Neshaminy’s defense is too good, and this is too big a spot. What they’ve accomplished and what they want to accomplish – they’re too close now. Pollard and that offensive line are just rolling right now. If Neshaminy doesn't turn the ball over, which they did in the first half against Spring-Ford –if they take care of that, they’re going to be okay, and they’re going to win by a couple of touchdowns.”
Kevin Cooney: “You look at what’s happened, and it’s happened for North Penn the entire second half of the season. They played physical football. They’re opportunistic. They have really overwhelmed teams they have played since they were 0-3. They are feeling right now like a team that is invincible. When you look at it, confidence is so important at this time of year. What you saw is a very confident team against an opponent they were very confident against. Pennsbury can deny it, but the fact that they have not beaten North Penn is a mental block. I think everybody has something that they can’t figure out why they can’t get to ‘x’ or ‘y.’ For Pennsbury, who most years have been overmatched and there was a talent deficit between the two teams- this was a year I think most people felt that the talent was even, maybe even slanted in favor of Pennsbury for the first time in a while. When you fall behind against North Penn, and you have to try to dig yourself out of a hole, it’s a big hole.
“Ultimately, it’s balance that wins in the tournament. What I mean by that – (running back) Nyfease West has got a lot of the attention for North Penn, and rightfully so, but Austin Shearer has really done a nice job at quarterback. Against Pennsbury, he was really good in the second half and helped them break that game open. Say what you want – that’s a dimension that Pennsbury doesn’t bring at this time of year. It doesn’t bring the passing component that makes teams quick and feared. Whether that’s going to change or not, I don’t know. Whether they have the personnel to do it, I don’t know, but ultimately, for them to get to a really elite level, they’re going to have to find a way to be able to throw the football, especially when they trail in games. Otherwise, it’s just going to be a huge hurdle for them to overcome. They would almost have to be so good running the football that nobody could stop them, and I just think that’s awfully difficult to ask game after game after game. Especially when you fall behind, it becomes very difficult to play catch up when you can only run the football.
“Breon Clark, their quarterback, had a decent year. The point is they were never in a situation where they were in a close game late trailing, and they had to do it. That’s a huge hurdle.
SuburbanOneSports.com: In the first half of Friday’s game with North Penn on top 13-7, Pennsbury went for it on fourth-and-goal, and North Penn’s defense delivered a goal line stand. Your thoughts on the significance of that play as well as your comments about North Penn going into this week’s game against Perk Valley.
Kevin Cooney: “It would have been 13-10 if they made it, but they still would have trailed. I think you have to put points on the board. It’s still a one-possession game, but at every turn, they have to take the points. When you’re playing a team like North Penn, you have to take the points when you can.
“North Penn is playing with a world of confidence. Obviously, Perk Valley is too, but North Penn is playing right now at a level where they’re pretty much at the top of their game. This is what happened a couple of years ago when they went to the state final. They got on a roll, they got a lot of confidence, and a team that was not filled with Division One talent but became superior with the sum of its parts. I think you’re seeing a little bit of that right now with North Penn.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Abington pulled off the upset of top-seeded Garnet Valley. Talk about that game as well as this week’s game against Neshaminy.
Kevin Cooney: “You look at the job Tim Sorber’s done at Abington, and it’s just pretty remarkable. They’re in a situation right now where they’re going through their third quarterback, but they’re still finding ways to get the job done. Ultimately, what it comes down to this week against Neshaminy is – can they correct the mistakes that doomed them when they played earlier this season? They can’t turn the ball over, and they’ve got to stop the Neshaminy running attack. They have to maintain distance. If Neshaminy goes up 14, 17 or 21 points, they’re not coming back. They have to be right there lock stepped the entire way to give themselves a chance in the fourth quarter to pull the game out at Heartbreak Ridge.
“But give Tim Sorber a lot of credit. This is a team that has been tested by injuries. This is a team that year after year after year finds a way to get the job done, and I think it’s pretty remarkable that they’re back in this spot.
“I like Neshaminy in this game. I think Neshaminy is one of those teams that got its wake-up call when they lost to Pennsbury in the final week of the regular season. I think you’re seeing a team now that knows they’ve been given another chance. They’re playing with a world of confidence, and quite honestly – and this can go for North Penn too – if you’re those two teams, you see a big prize at the end of the rainbow. What I mean by that – St. Joe’s Prep is probably still the best team in the east, but the injury to quarterback Chris Martin really changes the equation. They struggled on Saturday to beat Frankford, and I saw part of that game. Maybe they’re a little out of step because of the injury and the new personnel. They were bored because everybody assumes the Catholic League champ will just steamroll over the Public League. Give credit to the Frankford kids. They’re pretty tough, but if I’m North Penn or Neshaminy, I look at that result, and I’m thinking I can win a state title. Especially North Penn who already lost to Prep, I look at that result and think ‘Wow, we may have a chance here.’ I think that’s really got to fire both of those teams up. Not to say anything against Abington or Perk Valley, but realistically, they’re probably the two teams from this area that would have the best shot of making noise in the big picture. I think it’s highly possible that either one of them could get to Hershey at this point.”
Suburban One Sports: You were at the North Penn-Pennsbury game on Friday. What are your thoughts on the game?
Scott Huff: “I selected Pennsbury to win the game, but I had a feeling that North Penn might be the winner at the end of the night (no kidding, I really did!). North Penn head coach Dick Beck seems to have Pennsbury head coach Galen Snyder’s number – I believe the Knights have won seven times in a row in the Beck-Snyder era – and North Penn has won 13 straight times over the Falcons.
“The key drives in the games, in my humble opinion, came on the first North Penn drive of the game and the last Pennsbury drive of the first half. Pennsbury had featured its ground and pound offense to score on its opening drive to take a 7-0 lead, but North Penn answered with a critical scoring drive of its own on that first possession. And with North Penn leading 13-7 late in the half, Pennsbury had a first-and-goal from the North Penn 4-yard line and failed to score.
“Pennsbury had a huge amount of success for a team that started 14 underclassmen. Juniors Breon Clark and Charles Snorweah were terrific in 2013 and should be even better in 2014. Pennsbury will be one of the 2014 favorites to not only win a SOL National Conference title but a District One title as well.”
Suburban One Sports: Abington moved on to the district semifinals with a 26-21 win over top seeded Garnet Valley. Surprised?
Scott Huff: “No. I mean I picked Abington to win the game (and no, I didn’t have a feeling that Garnet Valley would win). I actually didn’t think that it would take a fourth period drive in the final seconds for the Ghosts to win the game. Even though Garnet Valley was a #1 seed, the Jaguars hadn’t played a close football game since Upper Darby early in the season. And the Delaware Valley League hasn’t been all that competitive during district playoff play in recent years.”
Suburban One Sports: Neshaminy continued to win at home in the districts with a big win over Spring-Ford. What are your thoughts on the Redskins?
Scott Huff: “I think the 31-3 loss to Pennsbury served as a big-time wakeup call for Neshaminy. All head coach Mark Schmidt had to do was show his team that game film, and the seniors on that team were determined not to make that game their collective legacy. Neshaminy at the beginning of the season was being touted as the elite team in the Suburban One League, and the last couple of weeks the Redskins are playing like that team with huge wins over Unionville and Spring-Ford in the district playoffs.”
Suburban One Sports: North Penn earned a home game in the district semifinals as a # 11 seed and will play # 15 Perkiomen Valley this week. Do the Knights move on to the district final?
Scott Huff: “I think North Penn will move on to the district final, but the game with explosive Perkiomen Valley will not be an easy one for the Knights. Perkiomen Valley has a magnificent quarterback in Rasaan Stewart who has run for over 1000 yards and has passed for over 1000 yards this year. Stewart was awesome last week for the Vikings, running a kickoff back for a score, running for two touchdowns, and passing for three touchdowns. And Perk Valley has a defense that has held teams on average to less than 10 points a game.
“North Penn will have to be its methodical self and control the ball on offense. Sometimes the best defense is a ball control offense, and the Knights can do that with a backfield of sophomore Nyfease West and senior Luke Berry. Senior quarterback Austin Shearer has been playing his best right now running the Knight offense.
“The lower the final score – the better for North Penn. How about North Penn winning 27-21?”
Suburban One Sports: Abington will travel to Heartbreak Ridge to play Neshaminy in the other semifinal game. Who moves on the district final?
Scott Huff: “Again, I think that Neshaminy will move on to the district final, but the game with Abington will surely not be an effortless contest for the Redskins. Abington sophomore David Kretschman has matured into a solid – if not good - quarterback, and senior running back Craig Reynolds is one of the elite running backs in the area. The Ghost defense pitched a second half shutout against high scoring Garnet Valley last week.
“Neshaminy has continued to take advantage of its home field advantage the last two weeks with huge wins. And the Skins are home again against an Abington team that Neshaminy defeated 31-14 in a SOL National Conference game earlier in the season. Junior running back D’Andre Pollard continues to impress, and a swarming Skin defense will give Neshaminy a slight advantage.
“The Redskins should win the rematch with Abington – how about 31-28?”