Friday night’s game pitting Neshaminy at Pennsbury will also be a featured game on SuburbanOneSports.com this week.
Tom Coates compares the Council Rock North – Council Rock South showdown to a backyard brawl.
“If you’ve ever seen brothers fight, they go at it,” the Rock North coach said. “That’s what this game is going to be like.
“It’s going to be a physical game - it’s going to be a great game.”
This game is a throwback to an era when power rankings didn’t exist and rivalries between neighboring schools were all that mattered when football season rolled around.
“It’s always a battle,” Rock North senior Tyler Hamilton said. “It’s one of those games you throw the records out the window. You just go out and battle.
“This year is a little different because both teams are fighting for those playoff spots, so that’s added a little something there.”
In truth, records are meaningless when the sister schools meet.
Last year Rock South was poised to earn a berth in the district playoffs. Rock North, meanwhile, was going nowhere.
So what happened? You guessed it.
Rock North pulled off a 20-18 upset that sent South home for the season. The Golden Hawks have not forgotten.
“That was their Super Bowl last year,” Rock South senior Derek Shatz said. “They weren’t looking at the playoffs like we were. That was their championship.”
This year, Rock South has already earned a playoff berth. Rock North has not. The Indians are perched squarely on the playoff bubble and must win to ensure themselves a spot in the post-season.
“We’re telling them, ‘You know what – the playoffs might start next week for everyone else, but they start this week for us,’” Coates said. “We always count it as a playoff game because it really is for us.
“We need to win this one in order to have an opportunity to go to playoffs. It has been an electric week all week long.”
On Tuesday, the two teams were represented on the Coaches’ Roundtable on WBCB 1490 AM. On Wednesday, the annual North-South senior dinner was held. To say it’s a special rivalry would be an understatement.
“We just feel so fortunate to be a part of this,” Coates said. “It’s definitely memories kids will hold onto for a long, long time.”
For those unfamiliar with this neighborhood rivalry, Coates gives a window into Council Rock’s version of ‘Friday night lights.’
“Last year we went into the game with a record that wasn’t very good by itself, but our team had made progress,” the Rock North coach said. “I told them, ‘This is going to be our playoff game. The atmosphere is going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen.’
“That proved to be true. The place was packed, the excitement was electric. During warm-ups, they already had cheers going in the stands, and the stands were full.”
Last year, Rock North won by two. The year before, Rock South won by three.
“I can see this game being a lot like last year’s game,” Rock South coach Vince Bedesem said. “It was a hard-fought game by both teams. Both did some really good things, and I think fundamentals are going to be key.
“I think it’s going to come down to a last-minute whatever.”
Last year’s ‘whatever’ was a field goal – Rock South missed a field goal and lost by two points. They hope to rewrite the ending on Friday night.
“We’re coming in – we’re fired up,” Shatz said. “The playoffs mean a lot, and we’re glad we clinched it, but this is our first playoff game. That’s the way we’re thinking about it.
“It’s rare that you get a chance to come back and do the same thing to them that they did to you. It’s a great opportunity, and we’re excited for it.”
Both teams have plenty of weapons, although both have decidedly different styles of play. While Rock North likes to spread the field, Rock South has perfected its triple option offense.
Quarterback Billy Fleming has 614 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. Greg Welch has 586 yards on 78 carries (7.5 yards per carry) while fullback Braxton Ambrose has 460 yards on 82 carries.
Fleming also has accumulated 454 yards in the air. Welch is his favorite target with seven receptions for 143 yards and two TDs.
“We have to contain their run,” Coates said. “Stopping it is a big, big task to take on. They put up just about 300 yards on just about everybody they’ve played.
“It’s a similar offense to the one we faced last week at Truman, but these guys have been running it longer. They run it very well – they get the most out of their lineman. They have the big kid – Shatz (6-4, 255), who’s a heck of a blocker. They have a big bruising fullback, they have Welch with a bunch of speed, and they have a quarterback that keeps making people miss him and scoring touchdowns. No doubt – the task is big.”
Rock South’s defense will be faced with the equally daunting task of trying to contain a dangerous Rock North offense. Quarterback Tyler Hamilton is a double threat and can beat you with his arm or with his legs.
The Indians’ senior QB has thrown for 1,048 yards and 11 touchdowns. For good measure, he has rushed for 406 yards and two touchdowns. Ty Bostain has 30 receptions for 453 yards and eight touchdowns. Lee Marvel has 12 receptions for 147 yards while Jack Worthington has nine receptions for 145 yards and three TDs.
Junior Brandon Cottom has accumulated 492 rushing yards and six touchdowns, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Marvel also has 281 yards.
“We have gotten better week by week,” Hamilton said. “Everyone is really buying into it, everyone is a lot more confident.
“We have always had the talent. It’s just a matter of putting it together. Lately, it just seems as though everything is firing on all cylinders. We have that confidence level, and that’s really what we needed.”
While the Indians’ offense has been putting points on the board, their defense has been establishing an identity of its own. Since falling to Pennsbury, the Indians have outscored their opponents 112-31.
“The defense has been a quiet story,” Coates said. “After getting our hats handed to us against Judge (a 35-21 loss), I think we’ve slowly gotten better each week.
“They’re playing with a lot of confidence, and they’re really looking forward to the challenge of slowing South down.”
In truth, it looked as though Rock South’s season might be over before it began as one player after another went down with injuries. Several were lost for the season, but the Golden Hawks flew to unexpected heights.
“It’s very gratifying because this is what we’re all about,” Bedesem said. “You might not be the most talented, you might not have this, that or the other thing. You might be considered underdogs going into a high level conference, but with the kids really, really buying in and working hard, it does pay off.”
As a result, the stage is set for an extraordinary night of football on Friday that will have emotions running high on both sidelines.
“It’s definitely a little weird because you know it could possibly be your last game,” Hamilton said. “It’s a little emotional, but it’s also exciting. You want to go out on a good note.”
“I love playing this game,” Shatz said. “We look forward to this all year. It’s two teams that have been doing extremely well this season.
“Everybody has been talking about the Council Rocks being the shining teams in the league this year. I think it’s going to be a classic rivalry football game that everybody is going to enjoy.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Council Rock North Stadium.
**Stats are courtesy of The Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier Times.
Last year: Council Rock North 20, Council Rock South 18
Last week: Council Rock North 40, Harry S. Truman 0 (Tyler Hamilton completed 8-of-11 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns. Ty Bostain had four receptions for 88 yards and two TDs while Jack Worthington had one 43-yard TD reception. Brandon Cottom had 122 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns.)
Council Rock South 33, William Tennent 6 (Braxton Ambrose had 131 yards rushing on 13 carries while Greg Welch had 100 yards on 12 carries and one TD. Billy Fleming completed 6-of-9 passes for 84 yards and one TD. He also had eight carries for 56 yards and three TDs.)
On the air…
This week’s Neshaminy/Pennsbury game will be broadcast live on WBCB 1490 AM, beginning with a pregame show at 6 p.m. and followed by the opening kickoff at 7 p.m. The game will also be streamed live on the web site www.wbcb1490.com.
On WNPV 1440 AM, the North Penn at Pennridge game will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Quakertown at Souderton game will be streamed live on the web site www.1440am.com.
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