There’s no need for hype, no need for talk, no need for much of anything.
This game is one of the special ones.
When Neshaminy and Pennsbury do battle on the football field, it’s always a war. The two teams have a healthy dislike for each other that lends itself to great football.
“We see them in restaurants, we see them with their varsity jackets – I guess you could say it’s just anger,” Pennsbury senior captain Chris Hoffman said. “I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say it, but we just want to (crush) each other.”
And that’s what makes this rivalry so special. No matter what the records or circumstances, the two teams play this game as if their very lives depended on it.
“It’s perfect,” Hoffman said. “It’s just what we want.”
If the Falcons and Redskins needed an even bigger stage to showcase one of the area’s best rivalries, they got one.
On Friday night, all eyes will be on Heartbreak Ridge where the SOL National Conference title is on the line. Both teams enter the game with identical 6-0 records in league play (8-1 records overall).
“Every year whether both teams are 1-8 or 8-1, it’s a war,” Neshaminy coach Mark Schmidt said. “The rivalry is really one of the best around as it is. You throw in the fact that both of us are winning some games, and it certainly heightens up the whole shooting match.”
While league title is at stake, perhaps even more importantly to the players, so are bragging rights.
“This is the biggest game of my whole entire life,” Hoffman said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
The key for the Falcons?
“Just the same old stuff,” Hoffman said. “We’re just going to come at them, we’re going to be super pumped up. It’s going to be awesome.”
The ‘same old stuff’ for the Falcons is smash-mouth football. They come at opponents with a stable of weapons that is difficult – if not impossible – to defend. Last week, the Falcons racked up 359 yards on the ground. Jordan Lollis led the charge with 134 yards.
Quarterback Brandon Pepper added 113, and Richie Applegate, 84. Dante Devine is also a threat coming out of the backfield.
“It’s a big challenge,” Schmidt said. “He (Pepper) is certainly the wild card – the guy can pull it up and run or pull it up and make a big play. It keeps you honest.”
The Redskins have a multi-pronged attack as well. Running backs Quilan Arnold and Bryan Dean are both capable of putting up big numbers. In last week’s win over Bensalem, Arnold had 100-plus yards on the ground.
Powerful fullback Jay Colbert, who is battling a knee injury and is listed as questionable, adds an extra dimension to the backfield. In his absence last week, sophomore Corey Majors, the Redskins’ leading tackler, more than held his own.
All but lost in the shuffle has been the emergence of senior quarterback Brian Titus, who was 9-for-13 for 110 yards and three touchdowns in the Redskins’ 35-20 win over Bensalem. Rick Brebner hauled in a pair of TDs. Other targets for Titus include all-everything tight end Paul Carrezola as well as speedy wide receiver Tyler Orr.
“The last couple of weeks he’s really picked it up,” Schmidt said of Titus. “He’s making good decisions, he’s starting to relax a little bit. He’s out there having more fun.
“Before, he was guilty of putting a little too much pressure on himself. Now he’s really taken some strides.”
Titus admits it took some time to adjust to his new role.
“In the beginning, I was getting my feet wet a little bit, but as it went on, I felt like repetition was the thing that helped me the most,” he said. “That first game you had the jitters, but now you just go out and have fun and played your hardest.”
For Titus and his teammates, the script has been just about perfect.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “Not many players have a chance to play the last regular season game of the year for a championship, so I’m very excited.”
The key for the Redskins when they take on their archrivals?
“Our biggest goal is intensity,” Titus said. “If either team comes out flat at any point during the game, I think the other team will dominate. There can’t be any letdowns. Pennsbury is too good. Neshaminy is too good. Neither team can let the other team take advantage of their mistakes.”
Last year, the Redskins humbled the Falcons 48-21. It’s a different Falcon team that will be taking the field this time around.
“Just our experience – we had a lot of young guys playing last year, including myself.” Hoffman said. “We came out this year, and we all knew what it was like, and we were ready for it.
“There’s great cohesion we have. Our team is just like a family. We have known each other for such a long time. This is just the best thing. I’m having the best year of my life.”
The long-awaited showdown is set for Friday night at 7 p.m. Expect a full house and a classic battle when two of the area’s best lock horns with a league title at stake.
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