By Scott Huff
The new look Suburban One League has taken on the appearance of a winner if a random sample of football coaches is taken into account. Sure there are some who are not as thrilled as others, but any change creates some discontent.
The new look SOL has abandoned the enrollment factor in deciding the three conferences. In its place is a geographical component designed to reinvigorate old rivalries and at the same time reduce travel.
The newly formed National Conference has as its nucleus the old Lower Bucks League – with some exceptions. Those teams are Abington, Bensalem, Council Rock North, Council Rock South, Neshaminy, Pennsbury, Harry S Truman, and William Tennent.
The newly formed Continental Conference has as its core the old Bux-Mont League – again with some exceptions. Those teams are Central Bucks East, Central Bucks South, Central Bucks West, Hatboro-Horsham, North Penn, Pennridge, Quakertown, and Souderton.
The newly formed American Conference has as its foundation in the old Suburban One League – once again with some exceptions. Those teams are Cheltenham, Norristown, Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Upper Dublin, Upper Merion, Upper Moreland, and Wissahickon.
Methacton, a member of the SOL last season, dropped out of the league and will be a member of the Pioneer Athletic Conference. Springfield, still a member of the SOL, plays football in the Bicentennial Athletic League.
The new look Suburban One League will be in effect for a two-year period when it will be evaluated a
SOL National Conference
This conference will have a blend of the ‘old’ National Conference and the ‘old’ Continental Conference.
Abington, Bensalem, Neshaminy, Pennsbury, and Truman were all members of the “bigger” National Conference last season, while CR North, CR South, and William Tennent played in the “middle” Continental Conference in the 2007-2008 season.
“I always thought that Abington was in southeastern Montgomery County – not lower Bucks County,” joked Abington head coach Tim Sorber. “Of all the schools affected by the change, we were helped the least in terms of travel and playing old rivals.
“It would have been nice to have played a Norristown or an Upper Moreland or a Hatboro-Horsham. But really, we don’t have that big an issue with it. We will have to bite the bullet, I guess, and see where we are in two years.”
The Rock North Indians have, in a sense, moved ‘up’ to play some football powers in Abington, Neshaminy and Pennsbury.
“I’m really excited about the new league,” said CR North coach Tom Coates. “It creates a lot more excitement in the neighborhood when we play teams that the community is familiar with.
“And as far as playing the Neshaminy’s and the Pennsbury’s, that will be a great thing to help grow our football program,” continued the coach. “We want the culture of our football program to change – and playing the teams we play now should help with that.”
SOL Continental Conference
This conference is a hybrid of all three former conferences.
Members of the SOL National Conference a season ago were Central Bucks South, North Penn, and Pennridge. Members of the SOL Continental Conference were Central Bucks East, Central Bucks West, Hatboro-Horsham, and Souderton. The lone member of the SOL American Conference, the smallest enrollment teams, was Quakertown.
“This will be our third conference in the last five years,” said Central Bucks South coach Bart Szarko. “But this should be a great move for us – this is the first time that CB South, CB East, and CB West will all be in the same conference.
“There is no question that the community will become more involved,” added the coach. “I grew up playing in some great neighborhood rivalries – and right now CB South really doesn’t have a strong rival. I hope we stick with this a while so we can establish some strong rivalries.”
“It’s a great thing to play those backyard rivalries,” said Quakertown coach John Donnelly. “We always scheduled Souderton and Pennridge anyway, now they will be in our league and that is great.
“There has been some question with us playing a school like North Penn that has such a huge enrollment compared to us,” continued Donnelly. “But our guys are tired of hearing that and have prepared hard to make sure we can compete with them.”
SOL American Conference
This conference is the least affected by the shift in alignment. The lone addition was Norristown – which played in the SOL Continental Conference last year - while the subtractions were Quakertown and Methacton.
Cheltenham, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Upper Dublin, Upper Merion, Upper Moreland, and Wissahickon all played in the SOL American Conference last year.
“This will be great for both the students and the community,” said Norristown coach E.J. Smith. “It will eliminate a lot of long bus rides for us and will also give us a chance to renew some old rivalries.
“We get a chance to get back to the “River Wars” of years ago,” added Smith in reference to the game with Upper Merion. “We are the only team new to the league, and we’ll have to scout an entirely new league. But we really are excited about the move.”
“It will be great to have a Norristown in the league, and I hope things work out for Quakertown,” said Wissahickon coach John DeSimone. “But our preparation for the season really hasn’t had to change all that much.
“We will still have a whole lot of work ahead of us,” added the coach. “But that happens each and every year.”
No matter what the leagues look like.
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