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NEWTOWN – This was ‘Friday Night lights’ at its very best.After all, what could be better than two neighboring schools playing as if their very lives depended on it in front of a packed house on a crisp November night?
“It’s basically like the Super Bowl,” Rock South senior Mark Damirgian said. “North-South is always a big game. It doesn’t matter what your records are – it’s 0-0, and you have to play your hearts out.”
Both teams played their hearts out, giving fans their money’s worth and then some in a contest that saw Rock South hold on to earn a hard-fought 27-25 win over Rock North to clinch a share of the SOL National Conference title along with Neshaminy and Abington.
In the shadow of the goal post, Rock South senior Billy Fleming clutched the trophy awarded annually to the team that wins the neighborhood battle.“It feels awesome winning the first league title in history and having the best record in school history,” the Hawks’ quarterback said. “It was a little bit closer than we wanted, but we knew this would be a tough game. A rivalry game is always tough, and I’m so happy our guys came out and played great.
“It was a great high school game and a great game to be a part of.”
The Golden Hawks – a top seed in the upcoming district tournament - closed out their regular season with a 9-1 record, and few wins are sweeter than this one.
“This game means a lot to both teams,” Rock South senior Hunter Shull said. “Some people aren’t as lucky as us to have two schools this close as we are playing each other every year.
“It’s always one of the funnest games. I wouldn’t have it any other way – I love a close game. It’s always fun for us, and I’m sure it’s fun for North.”On this night, the Indians didn’t have quite as much fun as the Golden Hawks, and as they bid their tearful farewells, the players made no attempt to hide their disappointment.
“This is real hard,” North senior Brandon Cottom said. “When it comes down to the wire like that, it always hurts, especially when it’s against South.
“Everyone was doubting us this whole year, but we came out and proved a lot of people wrong. We may have lost, but we still came out and gave them a game.”
Did they ever.The Indians opened the game by grinding out a 14-play touchdown drive that covered 61 yards. The big play on the drive was an 18-yard run by Steve Sroba, who capped the drive by hauling in a nine-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brandon Knotts. A failed two-point conversion kept it a 6-0 game.
The Golden Hawks answered with an eight-play, 63-yard scoring drive that began with Damirgian dashing 25 yards to the Indians’ 38-yard line. Fleming took it in from three yards out, and a failed extra point kept the score deadlocked 6-6.
A three-and-out for the Indians set the stage for a 94-yard South scoring drive. The big plays of the drive were a 23-yard Damirgian run and a 48-yard toss down the middle of the field from Fleming to P.J. Gallo. One play later, Fleming punched it in from three yards out, and Ben Solis’ extra point put the Hawks on top 13-6.
It was a short-lived lead as Cottom – back at full speed after missing most of the season with an ankle injury – answered with a dazzling 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Once the Purdue-bound senior was through the pack, he turned on the afterburners, leaving one would-be tackler after another in the dust.
“When I saw him kick the ball to me, I knew I wasn’t getting many opportunities because I knew they weren’t kicking it deep,” Cottom said. “I wanted to do what I could. I saw that hole open up and just burst through it.“It was great blocking by my kick return team, and I just took it.”
Ryan Henritzy’s extra point knotted the score 13-13, but the Golden Hawks responded with a 60-yard TD drive. Fleming got things started with a 26-yard run, and Ryan Whitely ran for 16. It was Damirgian – who finished with 94 yards rushing and two TDs – taking it in from two yards out. The Solis extra point sent the Golden Hawks into halftime with a 20-13 lead.
Rock South appeared to seize control of the game when Damirgian raced 59 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the second half to make it a 27-13 game after the Solis kick.The Indians – despite losing Cottom to an ankle injury on their first drive of the half - refused to go down quietly.
A 12-play, 65-yard scoring drive included six straight runs by Cal Parker and culminated with John Raymon bulling into the end zone on fourth-and-one for a touchdown that – after a blocked extra point - made it 27-19.
It was three-and-out for the Golden Hawks as Bobby Rubino made a tackle for a three-yard loss, and then it was Raymon coming up with a fourth-down tackle for a five-yard loss, giving the Indians possession on the Golden Hawks’ 40.
A quarterback sack by South’s Matt Emilius for an eight-yard loss on first down set up a three-and-out for the Indians, but an AJ Garboski fumble recovery at the Hawks’ 39 with 10:50 remaining set up a 10-play TD drive that was capped with Billy McAlister pulling down a 16-yard Drew Dispirto pass in the end zone. The two-point conversion attempt failed, and with 5:08 remaining, it was a 27-25 game.
The Golden Hawks benefitted from a 15-yard personal foul against the Indians’ sidelines and a clutch fourth-down run by Whitely, but it wasn’t until Gallo’s diving catch of a Fleming pass for a 19-yard gain and a first down at the Indians’ 18 that a Golden Hawk win was assured.
“What a great catch by PJ Gallo,” Fleming said. “I led him a little bit too far, but he just came up with a huge play. It was gut check time – he saved our team, plus he didn’t give North any chance to come back and throw Hail Mary’s. He played awesome, and I was so happy he made that catch.”
Rock North coach Adam Collachi, whose team closed out its season with a 1-9 mark, had no complaints about his team’s performance.“They demonstrated what we talk about all the time,” the first-year coach said. “It’s about character, it’s about earning everything – no one is going to give us anything.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our guys. We have laid the foundation for the future.”
Cottom, who watched most of the second half from the sidelines, echoed those sentiments.
“I am so proud of them,” the senior captain said of his teammates. “They did everything they could. They rallied back and scored. You can’t ask for anything more.
“Our team came out and played hard. Everyone had a lot of heart. It’s not the ending we wanted, but everyone played as hard as they could.”
Outside his team’s locker room at Rock South, coach Vince Bedesem reflected on his team’s first title.
“I just told the kids – in my 44 years of existence – I have been playing since I was six years old, and this is my first championship ever,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “I told the kids this is the first time I’m speechless.
“I really didn’t have anything thought-provoking or funny to say. Right now I’m speechless. It feels so good, and I’m so happy for the kids and these coaches. This is all their hard work – it’s almost 12 months since we began working for this. The lesson is that hard work does pay off. It’s just a great feeling.”
“It feels great,” Damirgian added. “We finally got a league championship under our belts. Now we’re moving into the playoffs where it’s one and done.”
“We got that league title that we have been looking for all season,” Shull added. “We definitely have to make adjustments heading into the playoffs because every team we play will be a challenge.”
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 27, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 25
Council Rock North 6 7 6 6-25
Council Rock South 6 14 7 0-27
CRN-Steve Sroba 9 pass from Brandon Knotts (Pass failed)
CRS-Billy Fleming 5 run (Kick failed)
CRS-Billy Fleming 3 run (Ben Solis kick)
CRN-Brandon Cottom 82 kickoff return (Ryan Henritzy kick)
CRS-Mark Damirgian 2 run (Ben Solis kick)
CRS-Mark Damirgian 59 run (Ben Solis kick)
CRN-John Raymon 1 run (Kick failed)
CRN-Billy McAlister 16 pass from Drew Dispirto (Pass failed)
CRN CRS
First Downs 16 16
Rushing Yards 169 260
Passing Yards 38 67
Total Yards 207 327
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1
Passing (C-A-I) 6-12-1 2-2-0
Penalties-Yds. 3-30 7-55
Punts-Avg. 3-28.7 2-31.0
RUSHING:
CR North: Brandon Cottom, 14-66; Cal Parker, 15-40; Steve Sroba, 6-37; Brandon Knotts, 6-12; Drew Dispirto, 4-10; John Raymon, 2-4, 1 TD; A.J. Nielson, 1-0.
CR South: Mark Damirgian, 10-94, 2 TDs; Billy Fleming, 17-82, 2 TDs; Brian Donnelly, 10-42; Ryan Whitely, 6-35; Tony Checchia, 4-14; Cory Wilkenson, 1-(-7)
PASSING:
CR North: Brandon Knotts, 3-4-19, 1 TD; Drew Dispirto, 3-8-19, 1 TD, 1 INT.
CR South: Billy Fleming, 2-2-67, 1 TD
RECEIVING:
CR North: Billy McAllister, 3-27, 1 TD; Steve Sroba, 1-9, 1 TD; Brandon Cottom, 1-5; A.J. Nielsen, 1-(-3).
CR South: PJ Gallo, 2-67, 1 TD.
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