By Scott Huff
There is no just ‘another day at the office’ for the Souderton football team and head coach Ed Gallagher.
The Souderton Area School District is involved in a teacher strike that began on September 2 and has yet to be resolved. The strike, under state law, can last until September 24.
“We have tried very hard to keep things as normal as we can,” said Gallagher – also a teacher in the SASD. “And so far we have been able to that.
“Right now we have most of their attention,” continued the coach. “But I wish they were putting their attention on their school work as well.”
Right now a Souderton football player has time to spend on ‘other’ things from the time they wake up until the time practice begins around three o’clock in the afternoon.
“Sure we worry a little about what they are doing,” said Gallagher. “But we know that they will be mature enough to do the right things.”
And if the distraction of the school strike wasn’t enough for Souderton to deal with – Tropical Storm Hannah moved into the area.
The Indians were scheduled to play at Downingtown East Saturday night at 7 p.m. A deluge of rain would have soaked the field during the afternoon hours, and there was no guarantee that the game would not have been played in a driving rainstorm on Saturday night.
“Initially we wanted to move the game up to Friday afternoon,” said Gallagher. “Downingtown West had a game Friday night, and we thought we might start the game at four o’clock as part of a doubleheader. But East didn’t want to do that.
“Then we got a call later in the day to move the game to eleven on Saturday morning,” added Gallagher. “We thought that was a lot better than playing on Monday night.”
So the Indians and the coaching staff loaded buses that left from Souderton High School at 8 o’clock in the morning and arrived in Downingtown at around 9:15.
“The booster club provided bagels and juice,” said Gallahger. “Thanks to them we had something good to eat before the game.”
Despite the school strike - and Tropical Storm Hannah - the Big Red put a Big Hurting on Downingtown East, 46-14.
“I am really proud of the way the kids have handled situations this season,” said Gallagher. “Things on the football field couldn’t go much better.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Pennsbury is 2-0 this season – no surprise there.
Pennsbury needed a touchdown on the last play of the game – a 15-yard run by sophomore quarterback Brandon Pepper - to defeat Archbishop Ryan, 21-20.
And Pennsbury trailed Frankford 10-3 at halftime, but scored 16 unanswered points in the second half to rally back and claim a 19-10 victory.
Some surprise there.
“There is no question that we have some things to clean up,” said Pennsbury coach Galen Snyder. “But we’re getting there.
“In the first game we had six turnovers, but still found a way to win,” continued the coach. “And in the second game we had no turnovers – but we got beat up pretty good in the first half.
“We play a Glen Mills team this week that has good size and good speed,” added Snyder. “We will have to make sure that we are ready to play all four quarters.”
Bet on it.
SUBURBAN ONE NATIONAL
Council Rock South (2-0) won its seventh straight game over the course of two seasons with a 35-14 victory over Central Bucks East. The Hawks ground out 300 yards of offense that featured a three-touchdown performance by quarterback Terence McGovern.
Abington (2-0) remained unbeaten with a convincing 33-6 rout of Plymouth Whitemarsh. The Ghosts showcased a balanced attack with 170 yards rushing and a 165-yard passing attack that featured quarterback Sam Kind. Julien Ireland led all Abington rushers with 102 yards.
Pennsbury (2-0) needed to squeeze out a 19-10 victory over Frankford of the Philadelphia Public League. Dante Devine scored the game-tying touchdown with a 20-yard TD reception, while placekicker Blake Montgomery kicked a pair of field goals.
Neshaminy (1-1) rebounded from its 14-13 loss to Souderton with a 24-14 win over Hatboro-Horsham. The Skins were led in rushing by junior Bryan Dean who carried 30 times for 132 yards and three touchdowns. The only score of the second half was a 27-yard field goal by Keelan Adams.
Bensalem (0-2) continued to earn the “Tough-Luck Award” as the Owls lost a 28-26 decision to Pennridge. Bensalem had the ball on the Ram 9-yard line with 20 seconds left in the game, but a PHS interception sealed the loss. Camryn Lasalle was spectacular, gaining 200 yards on 38 carries and three touchdowns.
Council Rock North (0-2) played a competitive game with Central Bucks South but came out on the wrong end of a 14-7 verdict. The Indians got on the scoreboard when quarterback Tyler Hamilton (13-20-185 yards) threw an 8-yard TD pass to Lee Marvel.
Harry S Truman (0-2) played much better this week, but the Tigers still lost to George Washington, 12-6. Truman lost its opening game of the season, 33-0, to Cheltenham.
SUBURBAN ONE AMERICAN
Wissahickon (2-0) remained unbeaten with a 31-22 victory over Pottsgrove. The Trojans featured a 1-2 punch of Myron Ross and Brandon Gunn. Moss scored a pair of touchdowns, including a 93-yard kickoff return, while Funn scored on a three-yard run.
Cheltenham (2-0) remained unbeaten with a 42-14 victory over Bishop McDevitt. Makhail Reed had a spectacular game with a four-touchdown outing. Reed scored on runs of 74, 4, and 4 yards while also catching a 48-yard TD pass.
Norristown (2-0) remained unbeaten with a 48-27 win over Spring-Ford. Tailback Sheldon Mayer and quarterback James Ramsey led the Eagles offensively, while the NAHS defense created four turnovers and had three sacks.
Upper Dublin (2-0) remained unbeaten with a 33-12 victory over Pottstown. Flying Cardinal running back Josh Mastromatto jetted for 240 yards and four touchdowns. UD quarterback Derek Giannetti completed 8 of 10 passes.
Upper Moreland (2-0) remained unbeaten with a 13-7 double overtime victory over Bayard Rustin. The OT scores were a 14-yard TD pass from Mike Rosenblum to Tom Knox, and a 10-yard TD run by Christian Kehoe.
Upper Merion (1-1) lost its first game of the season in a 31-22 loss to Quakertown. The Vikings received a two-touchdown performance from quarterback Alex Panthavong, who ran for a score and fired a TD pass to
Plymouth-Whitemarsh (0-2) received a 45-yard TD run from Austin Stevens, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Colonials were throttled by Abington, 33-6. P-W has been outscored this season by a 78-6 margin.
SUBURBAN ONE CONTINENTAL
North Penn (2-0) claimed its second impressive win of the season with a 34-12 victory over rival Lansdale Catholic. Justin Davey - who scored on a 45-yard TD run - also threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Akins. Tyler Smith was the leading Knight ruster with 80 yards on nine carries.
Quakertown (2-0) – yes Quakertown – remained unbeaten with a 31-22 win over Upper Merion. The Panthers scored THREE touchdowns on interceptions – two by Tony Latronica and one by Geoff DeLan. Q-town scored 31 points with only six first downs.
Souderton (2-0) took revenge on Downingtown East with a resounding 46-14 victory. East knocked the Indians out of the playoffs last season. The Big Red scored five rushing touchdowns – two by Derek Brown.
Pennridge (2-0) had to cling to a 28-26 win over Bensalem. The Rams led 21-0 and never trailed in the game. The Knepp brothers – Jesse and Zach – came up with key plays to help PHS claim victory. Jesse scored a pair of TD’s and ran for 150 yards, while Zach intercepted a pass in the end zone on Bensalem’s final offensive play.
Central Bucks South (1-1) won its first game of the season when the Titans defeated Council Rock North, 14-7. Theo Davis scored on a 1-yard run, and Mike Doty scored the game winner on a 20-yard TD pass from Tom Johns.
Hatboro-Horsham (0-2) is still seeking its first win for first year coach Tom Butts. The Hatters played hard in a 24-14 loss to Neshaminy. The scoring plays were a 45-yard run by Dan Schandein and a 55-yard TD pass from Matt Hollenbeck to Dave Lorenzo.
Central Bucks East (0-2) is still seeking its first win for first year coach Tim Michaels. The Patriots dropped a 35-14 verdict to Council Rock South. Devon Passman led the Pats in rushing with 80 yards on 12 carries.
FOOTBALL FEVER FAB FIVE
- NORTH PENN KNIGHTS (2-0)
- SOUDERTON INDIANS (2-0)
- UPPER DUBLIN CARDINALS (2-0)
- ABINGTON GHOSTS (2-0)
- WISSAHICKON TROJANS (2-0)
FOOTBALL FEVER FORECAST (* HOME TEAM)
*North Penn 27 St. Joe. Prep 17
*Abington 28 Northeast 13
*Cheltenham 27 Quakertown 20
*Upper Dublin 34 Truman 14
*Upper Merion 17 William Tennent 14
CB East 14 *George Washington 13
*Lansdale Cath. 20 Upper Moreland 17
Pennridge 42 *Plymouth-Whitemarsh 21
*Souderton 24 Roman Catholic 13
*Norristown 21 CB South 14
*Hat-Horsham 17 CR North 13
CR South 35 *Conwell Egan 6
Wissahickon 34 *CB West 13
*Neshaminy 35 Germantown 10
*Bensalem 34 West Philly 21
Pennsbury 27 *Glen Mills 20
- Log in to post comments
0
