By Scott Huff
The results are in.
Forget those results from that Obama-McCain contest, Dancing with the Stars, or American Idol. The important results for Suburban One League football fans, coaches, and players are in for the upcoming PIAA District One Playoffs.
But before those results, congratulations are to be given to SOL Conference champions.
The SOL American Conference title will be shared by both the Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals and the Upper Moreland Golden Bears with identical 6-1 conference marks.
The lone loss of the conference for Upper Dublin was a 20-12 loss to Norristown, while the single setback for Upper Moreland came in a 19-14 loss to the Cardinals in their head-to-head meeting.
The SOL National Conference champion is Neshaminy, which finished the conference unbeaten at 7-0. The Skins won the title in the final conference game when they defeated Pennsbury (6-1 conference) at Heartbreak Ridge – 16-13.
The SOL Continental Conference champion is North Penn. The Knights steam rolled through the conference with a 7-0 mark. They outscored opponents by a staggering 287-88 margin – with most of those defensive points given up in uncontested second halves.
The District One Quad- A Playoff Results
North Penn earned the #1 ranking with a perfect 10-0 regular season. The Knights – the SOL Continental champion - earned an average of 153 points and will host #16 Souderton.
The Indians, who were just 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the conference, managed to average 79 points. The Big Red, with a huge early season win over Neshaminy, eked into the playoffs ahead of both Council Rock South [6-4 – 78 points], Chester [6-3 – 76.667], and Unionville [6-4 – 74].
Neshaminy – the SOL National Conference champion - earned the #3 ranking with a 9-1 record – the lone loss a 14-13 setback to Souderton in the season opener. The Redskins [128 points] will host the #14 seed Downingtown East.
East finished the season with a 6-4 record and ended the season with a total of 850 points – an average of 85 points.
Upper Dublin – the SOL American Conference co-champion – will be the #5 seed and will host #12 Conestoga. The Cardinals (8-1) concluded the season with an average of 115.566 points compared to the 90 points earned by Conestoga (7-3).
Quakertown – a member of the SOL Continental Conference – will be the #6 seed and will host #12 Ridley. The Panthers (8-2) have not lost a home game all season, while the Green Raiders (8-2) are the reigning District One champions.
Pennsbury – which finished second in the SOL National Conference – has earned the #7 seed and will host #10 Penncrest (8-2). The Falcons (8-2) have lost only to Glen Mills and Neshaminy this season.
Abington – which ended the season as the third place finisher in the SOL National Conference – will be the #9 seed and travel to #8 Glen Mills. The Ghosts (8-2) earned 103 points – one point less than the Battling Bulls (8-2).
Pennridge – the fourth member of the SOL Continental Conference to make the playoffs – will be the #15 seed. The Rams (6-4) will travel to meet unbeaten Garnet Valley (10-0) – the #2 seed.
The District One Triple-A Playoff Results
The lone Suburban One League District One playoff team will be American Conference champion Upper Moreland.
The Golden Bears (8-1 – 142.222 points] will be the #1 seed and host #8 Phoenixville (7-3 – 92).
Upper Merion (6-4) finished the season with 87 points and as the #9 team. Only the top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.
And Now the Week That Was in the SOL …
SOL National Conference
Neshaminy (9-1, 7-0) won the conference championship last week with a 16-13 victory over visiting Pennsbury (8-2, 6-1).
The Redskins had a clutch three field goal performance (31, 2, and 19 yards) turned in by senior Seth Jeffries to pace the scoring. Bryan Dean scored the lone TD on an eight-yard run.
Pennsbury led early on a touchdown run by Jordan Lollis, and scored the game’s final points on a three-yard TD run by quarterback Brandon Pepper.
Abington tuned up for its upcoming District One Playoff contest by tuning up Harry S Truman, 40-16.
The Ghosts (8-2, 5-2) had a fine game turned in by quarterback Sam Kind who fired a pair of TD passes to Dom Massey. Sophomore running back Julien Ireland joined the 1,000-yard plus club and also scored a touchdown.
Truman coach Van Smith announced that this is going to be his final season of coaching the Tigers. Smith has been at the helm since 1989.
Truman, which still has two games left on its schedule, saw quarterback Mike Schmidt throw a pair of TD passes – to Pat Moran and Jeff Watts - in the loss to Abington.
Council Rock North not only upset rival Council Rock South, 20-18, but also jettisoned the Golden Hawks from the district playoffs.
Rock North (3-7, 3-4) quarterback Tyler Hamilton threw three touchdown passes to spark the Indian attack. One was an 80-yard TD strike to Steve Williams, and the game-clincher was a 25-yard TD pass to Lee Marvel.
Rock South (6-4, 3-4) received touchdown efforts from both Rus Chichkin and Billy Flemming in the loss. Chichkin scored on an eight-yard run, while Flemming got the Hawks close in the final period with a four-yard TD burst.
Bensalem kept William Tennent winless for the season with a 42-14 conference win.
The Owls (4-6, 3-4) had a spectacular outing from running back Camryn LaSalle, who rushed for 250 yards and scored three touchdowns. QB Ron Vogelei threw a pair of TD passes – one to Khalil McMillan and the other to Jerry Davis.
William Tennent (0-10, 0-7) received touchdown efforts from QB Pat Traczykiewicz and Scott Roth. Traczykiewicz scored on an 18-yard run, while Roth dashed in from 41 yards out.
SOL Continental Conference
North Penn (10-0, 7-0) put the finishing touches on an unbeaten regular season with a 42-21 thumping of visiting Pennridge (6-4, 3-3).
The powerful Knights scored on their first six possessions to coast to the win. Ronnie Akins scored three touchdowns for the winners as the winners rolled up 335 yards of total offense. Tyler Smith scored on a 47-yard run for the NP.
Pennridge had a three-touchdown performance turned in by quarterback Brad Herrmann who scored on runs of 3, 1, & 1 yards. Sophomore running back Jesse Knepp led the team in rushing with 90 yards.
Quakertown (8-2, 4-2) won the 309 Bowl with an exciting 27-25 conference victory over Souderton (5-5, 3-4).
Panther running back Tony Latronica had an outstanding performance with 110 yards that included TD runs of 60 yards and one yard. Quarterback Ryan Tincknell was an efficient 8-for-13 for 150 yards that included a 22-yard scoring strike to Eric Fath that sealed the win.
Souderton had a terrific game turned in by Justin Powell, who raced for 135 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Indians also scored a special teams touchdown when Ryan Hollingsworth scored on a blocked punt.
Central Bucks South (4-6, 2-5) won the battle of Central Bucks with a 14-6 victory over Central Bucks East (4-6, 3-4).
The Titans – who defeated both CB East and CB West this season – had a pair of touchdown plays. The wonderful pass combination of Tom Johns and Mike Doty clicked once again on a 25-yard TD pass. Alex Taing also scored on a five-yard run.
The Patriots – who split their CB contests with a win over West – saw their outstanding running back (Devon Passman) lost to injury during the game. The lone East score came on a 25-yard TD pass from Kyle Bernard to Baxter Whittington.
Central Bucks West (3-8, 2-5) edged Hatboro-Horsham (4-6, 3-4) in a conference finale for both teams, 33-31.
Buck fullback Ted Conrad bulled his way to four scores – which included a 52-yard TD run - and racked up 160 yards. Sophomore running back Rashaad Williams added a TD and 120 yards for West.
The Hatters had four players reach pay dirt. Dan Lineberger found the end zone twice, while Eddie Coombs, Mike Borbin, and Darryl Neville each scored solo touchdowns.
SOL American Conference
Upper Moreland (8-1, 5-1) earned its share of the conference title with a convincing 34-0 victory over host Norristown (4-5, 2-4).
Bear running back Chris Smallwood punished the Eagles with a three-touchdown effort, while QB Mike Rosenbaum threw a pair of TD passes. The UM defense also scored when Dmitri Miller scored on a 90-yard interception return.
The loss was the third in a row for Norristown – to Upper Merion, Wissahickon, and Upper Moreland. The highlight of the conference season for the Eagles was a 20-12 win over co-champion Upper Dublin earlier this season.
Upper Dublin (8-1, 5-1) earned its share of the conference title with a 41-28 victory over Wissahickon (5-5, 2-4).
A trio of Cardinals figured in the scoring as Mark Visco scored twice and Josh Mastromatto scored on a 36-yard TD run. QB Derek Giannetti threw a seven-yard TD pass to Robbie Swartz.
Wissahickon featured a 73-yard TD pass from Brandon Gunn to Ryan McDounough – a 48-yard TD run by Myron Ross – and a 10-yard TD burst by Jerome Jacobs.
Cheltenham (5-5, 3-3) kept Plymouth-Whitemarsh (0-10, 0-6) winless for the season with a 35-14 victory.
The Panthers showcased a 62-yard TD run by Mikhail Reed and a 10-yard touchdown run by Damin Finley. Daniel Rouse scored on a 101-yard return of an interception.
The Colonials had a pair of touchdown plays. Rommell Robinson tallied on a five-yard run, while Kyle Crowder scored on an 18-yard run.
The toughest thing about Upper Merion’s 28-7 loss to Father Judge was the fact that if the Vikings had NOT played this non-league game they would have made the playoffs.
Upper Merion – which finished with an ‘average’ of 87 points – would have finished with 97 points and the eighth and final PIAA District One Class AAA spot if the game was not played.
However, the game was played, and the Vikings could only manage a single score against the Philadelphia Catholic League champion. The lone UM score was an 88-yard TD kickoff return by Naim Cheeseboro.
Football Fever Forecast (* Home Team)
*North Penn 42 Souderton 20
Abington 35 *Glen Mills 21
*Upper Dublin 28 Conestoga 21
*Garnet Valley 28 Pennridge 20
*Pennsbury 27 Penncrest 21
*Neshaminy 28 Downington East 14
*Quakertown 21 Ridley 20
*Upper Moreland 35 Phoenixville 14
*WC Henderson 35 Plymouth Whitemarsh 14
*Bensalem 38 Norristown 20
Suburban One Sports.com’s Top Ten
1. North Penn Knights (10-0)
2. Neshaminy Redskins (9-1)
3. Pennsbury Falcons (8-2)
4. Abington Ghosts (8-2)
5. Upper Moreland Bears (8-1)
6. Quakertown Panthers (8-2)
7. Upper Dublin Cardinals (8-1)
8. Souderton Indians (5-5)
9. Pennridge Rams (6-4)
10. Council Rock Hawks (6-4)
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