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Back for its ninth season, the popular Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features the ‘Game On’ crew: Drew Markol and Todd Thorpe. To view this week’s show, click on the following link: http://www.theintell.com/videos/hsgameon/ To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the Intelligencer http://www.theintell.com/sports and Bucks County Courier http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-schools web sites
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Check out this week’s picks by our panel of experts: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/football-forecaster
SuburbanOneSports.com: In a battle for a share of the SOL National title and district seeding, Neshaminy defeated Pennsbury. Your thoughts about those two teams heading into the district tournament.
Drew Markol: “That was an important game – you have the rivalry. They’ve played 87 times now – Pennsbury has won 40, Neshaminy has won 40, and they’ve tied seven times. It really is a good rivalry. It doesn’t get better than that. I’m a little surprised by the 35-7 score. I thought it would be closer. I haven’t seen Neshaminy for a 
while, but from everyone I’ve spoken to, they’ve gotten progressively better, and that’s what you want to be doing. By getting that win and with the way a couple of the other games fell, Neshaminy grabbed a home game that they probably didn’t expect to get. I’m sure they were hoping for it in the back of their minds, but now they got it as an eight seed. They get to play Haverford, which was one of the teams that was ahead of them in the power points, but they lost to Ridley which shook up a lot of things. The bottom line was Neshaminy getting a home game, which is nice. I’m not sure how much it means on the field, but it sure beats taking a bus ride on a Friday when you don’t have to. Let’s say Neshaminy wins they’ll have to likely play North Penn. They’ve already played North Penn and went to overtime. There’s familiarity there. I’m sure they’re very happy.
“As for Pennsbury, you don’t want to go into the playoffs coming off a four-touchdown loss to your archrival, but you just have to bounce back and do what you can. No game in districts is ever truly easy, but now Pennsbury has to go to Garnet Valley. Garnet Valley is a team – all they do is run their option attack. Granted, Pennsbury has seen something somewhat similar by playing Council Rock South. A lot of teams have not had the opportunity to play that kind of offense. Garnet Valley gave Coatesville all they wanted last year in the district final. It was a wild game – 35-25. When you hear about a running team like that, you don’t think of a lot of points. Garnet Valley can score, and they can score fast. They’ve become an absolute legit district power and one of the four undefeated teams in the 6A tournament. Pennsbury has to make that long ride down there on a Friday, which is not fun. They have to try and bounce back. I’m sure Pennsbury obviously would have preferred to have won – no kidding. I’m sure they would have preferred to have been in a closer game too because now you have to get rid of that bad taste in your mouth and be ready for an offense you don’t see that often from a team that’s really good. That’s a big test for Pennsbury.”
Todd Thorpe: “What a very one-sided game. Neshaminy played great. They just absolutely dominated the game. They came right out of the block and threw a touchdown pass over the top of Pennsbury’s defense from Brody McAndrew to Cory Joyce. I thought that was as sharp a Brody McAndrew as I’ve seen all year. He had three touchdown passes. He really threaded the needle when he had to. Then in the second half they went to Chris James, their up and coming sophomore who has really stepped into a huge role the past month, and he had over 
200 yards rushing and a couple of touchdowns. Pennsbury was never able to get back in the game, mostly because they couldn’t do anything offensively. While the game was going on, I was wondering how many consecutive quarters Neshaminy had without allowing a touchdown because they shut out Council Rock South the week before. This game was 28-0 – it was garbage time by the time Pennsbury scored their touchdown. I went back and looked at the stats in the game scores, and since they’ve lost to Truman, they’ve allowed only three touchdowns. They’ve had a four-touchdown lead in every one of those games when each of the three touchdowns came in the fourth quarter. Their first string hasn’t allowed a touchdown in five weeks, and they did it to Pennsbury who I thought was an offense that was really on the rise, that had figured out the spread and was doing some things. I still think Pennsbury is pretty good offensively. It was just a really good effort by Neshaminy. Oleh Manzyk really played well at linebacker. He controlled things and really dictated the way the game was played, and he can do that. You saw it against Pennsbury last year when they beat them and then against North Penn earlier in the year. It was just a really, really good effort. That win tied Neshaminy with Truman for a share of the SOL National Conference.
“As far as Neshaminy against Haverford High, I certainly don’t think that’s an easy game. Any 8-9 game is going to be tough. Haverford plays in a good league. Neshaminy has played very well. Obviously, defensively they’ve just completely blanked teams. I think that’s a dog fight Friday night at Neshaminy. I think the game is really tough, it’s almost as tough as trying to get out of that parking lot after a game, but that’s an interesting matchup.
“Pennsbury has to regroup, and they’ve got to play Garnet Valley. Garnet Valley is an awfully tough team. That game is going to be a really, really interesting game. How close is Pennsbury to competing on that level? I don’t know – after last week, I’m not sure. For Pennsbury’s sake, you hope they bounce back, but there’s no question that game was a little bit of an eye opener last week.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Central Bucks East needed a come-from-behind win over Pennridge to earn a spot in districts. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “The Pennridge-CB East game on Saturday was one of the best games I’ve seen in a long time. You had two teams that probably thought they were out and had nothing to play for after some of the results came in Friday, and then they found out later Friday that they did have something to play for. A couple of East kids told me after the game they had gone to bed Friday thinking districts were out the window, and they were basically playing the last game of the season. They woke up Saturday morning and found out – hey, it did mean something. Owen J Roberts winning was the final domino to fall, and with them winning, that set off a whole chain of events and made the Pennridge-East game mean something to both teams whereas the winner would be in and the loser would be out.
“What a great game – nasty weather, nasty wind, but Pennridge came back from a 10-point halftime deficit and took the lead. It looked like they were going to hang on for the win, but East goes 82 yards in the last four minutes. It ends up with quarterback Evan O’Donnell throwing a short touchdown pass to senior Chris Lochetta. Those two grew up together playing football and dreaming of this type of scenario. Well, it happened for them when they beat CB West, and it happened again when they beat Pennridge and it puts them in the playoffs. They scored with eight seconds to go. They could have tried to kick a field goal – they had the wind at their backs, and they have a good kicker in Michael Smigley. East went for the win, and they got it. It was a very exciting game. That gave them the 15thseed. Now they have to go to Coatesville. A lot of people have Coatesville the number one team in the state – Pennsylvania Football News has Coatesville number one. I think they’re wrong. I think that still belongs to St. Joe’s Prep. It was a good game when they played the Prep last year. We’ll see down the road, but it’s just a tough task for East. Coatesville has the running back, Aaron Young, who’s going to Michigan State, and Ricky Ortega at quarterback. He’s only a junior, but he’s a three-year starter, he’s the coach’s son and the whole thing. He does a really good job. That’s a whole another level when you look at the Coatesvilles of the world, so that will be a tough one for East, but to their credit, they got in. Good for them. They came back to do it. After they had a rocky season where they lost some close games, they won some close ones at the end and got themselves in districts. There’s something to be said for that.”
Todd Thorpe: “The game of the week last week was CB East needing a touchdown late to beat Pennridge and get into the playoffs and earn that trip to Coatesville. Good for East. East has been one of those teams that has played well at times, and they found a way to win that game. They have seniors like Evan O’Donnell and Chris Lochetta, and they’re the two that hooked up for the winner. Those guys have played with a lot of heart. Good for them. It’s a credit to the coaching staff. Pennridge was in it right to the end. There’s a team that was probably three or four plays away all season.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Council Rock South will travel to Harry S Truman for a rematch of a regular season game that Rock South won. Your thoughts.
Todd Thorpe: “Let’s not shortchange Truman, which had a big win over Bensalem like they were supposed to and tied Neshaminy for the league championship. The Truman people can puff their chests a little bit because they won the head to head with Neshaminy. They’re co-champions technically, but if they had a tiebreaker, they’d win. The way they played the first game – it would be fun to see them play again. Obviously, a lot of work has to be done in the playoffs before that happens.
“The other game last week was Council Rock South defeating Council Rock North to earn their spot in districts. Lo and behold, they will play Truman, and there’s a lot of back story to that one because when they played the first time that was Truman’s only loss without four starters, and that was Rock South’s biggest win, so now they’re playing again at Truman. Presumably, all the starters are playing for both teams. It’s going to be interesting. It will really be interesting to see how they match up because Truman – aside from that one blip – they had close games against Pennsbury and Neshaminy, but they’ve really pretty much scored points against everybody, and they’ve done everything they’ve had to do this year except in that game, and they were very shorthanded in that game.
“I’m sure on the other side Council Rock South is tired of hearing how Truman was shorthanded. They showed up, they played the game and they beat them. This is really a grudge match, kind of like last year when Neshaminy played Pennsbury in the second round of districts. It was a grudge match from two weeks earlier when Neshaminy won with the little prequel to the Philly special at the end of the game. It’s interesting. I like to see these matchups in the playoffs when teams really know each other because you really get to see the best of both teams. I’m looking forward to seeing it.”
Drew Markol: “You look at that game, and that’s – I don’t know what the word might be – karma? Truman’s only loss came against Council Rock South. Truman was missing four of its players who missed the game because they got thrown out of the game against William Tennent the week before, and Council Rock South beats them. It’s Truman’s loss, they’re 5-1 and they get the five seed, and they look up and they say, ‘How about that – we get to avenge our only loss.’ I don’t think you can sell Council Rock South short. They have some players on that team. Truman was missing some guys when they played them the first time. I think Truman wins, but I think Council Rock South makes it quite a fight. That’s one of the better matchups of the first round, which doesn’t always happen when you have a five versus a 12.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn, the top seed, will be facing Ridley. Your thoughts about the Knights.
Todd Thorpe: “North Penn beats up William Tennent last week, and now they’re going to play Ridley in the first round. There’s some history there, but I don’t think Ridley is what they were the last time they played in districts. North Penn’s got something to prove. They’re 10-0. They’re not beating teams 45-0, and North Penn, I’m sure, goes into this feeling a little disrespected because everybody is saying this is Coatesville’s tournament to win, and North Penn is sitting there saying, ‘We’re the number one seed. Coatesville didn’t play our schedule early in the year.’ I’m sure they’ve got a chip on their shoulder. Take care of Ridley impressively, and North Penn will be back in the conversation. It’s tough to gauge if you’re them. All you can do is beat the teams in front of you. It’s kind of like when Penn State went undefeated the one year and didn’t win the national championship. North Penn has a great coaching staff, a great coach, good players. I think North Penn will be heard from in this tournament.”
Drew Markol: “North Penn is the number one seed in the whole tournament. Dick Beck has never lost a home playoff game, and I don’t think he’s going to start now. Not that long ago, Ridley was always a district stalwart, always right in the mix. They’ve been playing better as of late and got themselves into the tournament. They had to beat Haverford, and they went and did that, so they have to be feeling pretty good. It’s been a while since Ridley has been in this, so for their kids, how much do they know about North Penn and how good North Penn is? It’s a much smaller world now, but they’re going to find out as a 16 seed it’s hard to play a number one seed. North Penn – this is what they do. To their credit, they got the number one seed, and now they get to play at home. Good for them. I don’t think they have a problem with Ridley, but everybody brings up a couple of years ago when Abington beat Council Rock when it was the 16 versus the one, but now we’re going back a ways, and I don’t see that happening.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Quakertown will travel to Perkiomen Valley on Friday. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “Quakertown added a game against Kennett and they played on Friday and won. I guess you could look at it as – do you take the bye or do you play? They decided to play and they won, so now they get to go against Perk Valley. I think that will be a good game. Last year when Pennridge made its run to the district semis, they beat Perk Valley, shut them out actually. That’s a good team in Perkiomen Valley. Quakertown has a lot of injuries. It’s an 11 versus 6 game, and those are usually pretty close. Like everybody, Quakertown wanted a home game but couldn’t get in the top eight, but it’s not a killer ride to Perk Valley for them. They’ll get to go over there and see what they can do. It’s not an overwhelming game for Quakertown against an overwhelming opponent. Perk Valley is a very good team, but it’s not like they’re playing a Coatesville like CB East is, but again, that’s the benefit of finishing 11thinstead of 15th. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
Todd Thorpe: “Quakertown goes to Perk Valley, and I know they’re pretty relieved they’re not making a longer trip. I’m curious to see – you’d think Perk Valley is a little bit of a favorite in that game because they’re playing at home, and they play in a conference with the likes of Spring-Ford and teams like that. I don’t know – I think Quakertown goes to that game thinking they’re going to win. I probably won’t pick them to win because I’m not going to take a road game in that scenario, but they’re definitely going there to win. I’ll be curious to see how they play. They’ve played well. It’s just those two games were hiccoughs to them when they completely fell asleep at the wheel to Cheltenham at home and they were in front of Upper Dublin at halftime, and they can’t put the game away. They’re not that far away from being an undefeated team. I’m sure they have a game plan to win that game. You know what – that might be the flip-a-coin game of the week.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Upper Dublin and Cheltenham will be competing in Class 5A. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “Upper Dublin has become a fixture in the district playoffs over the years. As the number two seed, I don’t see them having any problems. Their only loss came against Penn Charter, and Penn Charter is pretty good. The fact that they’re always in this spot – there’s something to be said for experience. They know what it’s about, they get a home game, and the coaching staff knows how to coach in this spot. Upper Dublin plays in the American Conference. They play a couple of 6A schools, but now they’re back in 5A at their level. As a two seed, I would not be surprised if they’re playing in the final in a couple of weeks against Penn Wood.
“If you had told me in the middle of August that Cheltenham would be a seventh seed in the district tournament, I would have laughed. As it turns out, they are. I don’t know that much about West Chester East, but I do know Cheltenham beat Quakertown, and Quakertown is the number 11 seed in the 6A tournament, and that tells you something. Again, good for them. A true surprise, and normally surprise teams from one season to the next, they may get in as a 15 or 14. Cheltenham gets in as a seven, so that’s a nice turnaround. The 7-10 game will be close, but the advantage they have is they’re at home. West Chester East is not around the corner, so they have to make a bus ride. Give the edge to Cheltenham.”
Todd Thorpe: “In 5A, Upper Dublin is going to beat Phoenixville, but I have Cheltenham losing their game to West Chester East.”