Back for a second season is the Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football,’ featuring high school football beat writers Kevin Cooney and Dan Dunkin. Cooney, who has been named the Phillies beat writer, will continue to cover schools in the Intelligencer area while Dan Dunkin – who has been covering sports at the high school and professional level for 25 years - will cover teams in the Courier Times area. Both share their perspective on the teams in their coverage area. To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the web site http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/high_school/.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Central Bucks South and Central Bucks West will be facing each other in a key Continental Conference battle. Your thoughts on that game since both are coming off losses – CB West to Souderton and CB South at the hands of North Penn.
Kevin Cooney: “You’re already talking a little bit of an elimination game. You have two teams that are 0-1 in the conference who kind of felt they were in a pretty good spot last week. Obviously, it didn’t work out. I think part of the problem is that the conditions really seemed to hurt both of them last week, especially CB South. That offense is not made to play in poor conditions like that. It’s a spread offense, and you don’t play on muddy tracks, you don’t play with a wet football. It didn’t work. I was surprised they actually played the game. If you’re looking at it from the perspective of CB South, they got some things taken care of last week. I think their defense is better than it showed week one in a loss to CR South, and I think it’s better than it was last season, but are they ready to win one of those grind-out games?
On the flip side, West has to win one of these games against a ‘tough opponent.’ They have to beat a Souderton, they have to beat a North Penn to take the next step, but I don’t think they’re quite there yet. For them to have any hope of making the playoffs, they have to win this game. For these 2-2 teams, we’re in an elimination mode already. This is how quick the season moves. Some people say, ‘Oh, it’s only the last weekend of September,’ but if you’re 2-3, you have to be perfect in October, and that’s pretty tough in the Continental Conference where most of them still have to face North Penn and most of them still have to face Souderton.
The good part for West is that one of those hurdles is cleared. We’re seeing the damage of the Wissahickon loss coming back to really haunt them. They’re a team that the way their schedule is built up, they have to go 3-0 and kind of ride out any storms they face, and they have not done the job the last two weeks.
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn defeated CB South 28-14. What are your thoughts about the Knights?
Kevin Cooney: Dick Beck had a lot of kids who were sick and a lot of kids who were injured, and he just got his (butt) handed to him the week before when Prep put up 51 points and had serious defensive issues, and yet they found a way to kind of pound it out, and that was a really good sign. This is not classic North Penn, and anyone who thinks it is is probably not being realistic here, but they’re still dangerous. There is still something about North Penn that in a game like last week you think they will find a way to get the job done, and that’s what they did. That was not a pretty game. South comes down and scores and gets within eight (14-6) and then James Fielder breaks a 68-yard touchdown run, and it’s over. That’s a typical North Penn kind of a moment. A team might think they’re hanging in there kind of like Souderton did last year, and then North Penn hits you with a haymaker. Can they survive the injuries? That’s going to be a real tough thing. Realistically, they’re just finding ways to get it done, but at some point, does this all catch up to them?
SuburbanOneSports.com: Pennridge had a big win over Lansdale Catholic on Friday night. What are your thoughts about the Rams going into Friday night’s game against Souderton?
Kevin Cooney: You’ve seen Pennridge play two solid games in a row. Defensively, they played well against CR South but couldn’t get the offense going obviously, and they played pretty well last week against LC, which – yes – is winless. Can they give Souderton a game? It’s interesting. The game is at Poppy Yoder Field, and the thing I’ll be interested to see is the condition of that field. Playing in that quagmire last week and talking to Kyle Berger (WNPV 1440 AM) – it was pretty beat up and torn up, and that really does kind of play in Pennridge’s favor because Souderton is used to playing on the quick turf at their place. Does Pennridge have the physical horses? That’s what I don’t know, and I think that’s a legitimate question, and I think it’s going to be something we’ll all find out together.
I think the best thing Randy Cuthbert could do this year with the way it’s going is find his core pieces, build them up and see what happens. If he finds two or three players, maybe even defensive players who are underclassmen, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled going forward.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Hatboro-Horsham had a convincing win over Central Bucks East on Saturday and will be traveling to Quakertown on Friday night. Both teams are 3-1. Share your thoughts about those two squads.
Kevin Cooney: It’s kind of good for Hatboro because they had a tough year last year with the whole teacher situation and the whole Dave Sanderson thing. They’re playing hard, they’re playing tough, and they played Neshaminy pretty well for three quarters of that game the other week. It’s a nice pleasant surprise. Now will it continue? I don’t know. How will they stop Quakertown quarterback Zac Gravelle is probably the big question.
What I want to see out of Quakertown is - I want to see Quakertown just keep progressing. George Banas talks about getting better, just keep getting better. They took a step up last week when they faced Downingtown West, and they got smacked down a little bit, so you want to see how they respond because, quite frankly, the bulk of their schedule is still up ahead against the two big heavyweights in the conference. If you struggle against a Hatboro – I think we’ll find out a lot about both of these teams this week.
One of them is going to be 4-1 at the end of the day. If Hatboro wins, they become 2-0 in the conference, and they become a really good story. Will it last? I can’t say that, but I think it’s a pretty good measuring stick for them at this point.
You can learn a lot by winning, but you also can learn a lot when you lose. You’re talking about a coaching staff at Hatboro last year that had almost no varsity experience, and they got their heads handed to them. You learn what works and you learn what doesn’t. It’s a copycat sport. Every coach thinks they have reinvented the wheel, but they really haven’t. Good for Hatboro. It’s not exactly the (Brian) Kuklick days, but it’s a decent start. They can start moving forward. Again, when they face the big boys, do I see this continuing? Not necessarily, but I don’t think it’s wrong to think they can’t compete with that next tier in the Continental Conference.
That’s the main thing with the Continental – it’s just not good football right now. It’s just not. I think it’s not viewed as good football because of the level we’ve been used to has kind of spoiled everybody. I talk to coaches, and they’ll tell you it’s a down year, which is okay.
Abington may go to a district final. Neshaminy could get there, and in the end, we’ll all be watching Archbishop Wood make a run for a AAA (state title).
SuburbanOneSports.com: Abington came up with a big won over Neshaminy on Monday night, and even though you no longer cover the National Conference, what are your thoughts about that game between the two SOL powers?
Kevin Cooney: Tim Sorber’s built a very nice program. This is not the first time they beat Neshaminy. They also have beaten Pennsbury, and at a certain point, you kind of expected they would take this next step. They’ve come from an area where football has become pretty good. You have La Salle, which has drawn from that Abington area, and Germantown Academy has had some decent players from that neck of the woods. Bishop McDevitt, for years, was able to pick up a few when the Catholic League was the old Catholic League.
Timmy has brought a semblance of structure to a program that didn’t have it. It was such a tough program for years because of no stadium, a poor weight room and things like that. When Doug Moister was there, he really was facing obstacles that Mike Pettine never had and Roger (Grove) never had at Norristown. I’m not saying he was as good as them, but he did have different circumstances. The circumstances now have been cleared. You have the stadium, you have the coaching staff that has been in place for some time, Kevin Conlin has done a good job as defensive coordinator and the league structure is different. It’s been a gradual process, and they’re getting good players who buy into the program.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are your thoughts about the Continental Conference after the first weekend of conference games?
Kevin Cooney: One of the things that came up on the WNPV Scoreboard Show last week was – what do we know about this conference? What we know is, quite frankly, that we don’t know anything. Souderton and North Penn are both 2-2, but both of their losses are against teams that you think are legitimate contenders. You look at the Catholic League with La Salle and the Prep that beat North Penn, and you look at what happened with Abington and Neshaminy – the two teams that beat Souderton. Abington right now is obviously on a different level than everybody else. There’s a difference in those losses than there is losing to Wissahickon. There’s a huge difference in the caliber of teams, so there’s a little bit of smokiness on what is actually taking place.
Then you have Quakertown which hasn’t played a league game, and they lose to a pretty good Downingtown team.
It’s at the point now where if you have three losses at the midway point, you are really putting yourself behind the eight ball even in a district that is not a really deep district. There is going to be a lot of mediocrity at that 6-4 and 7-3 range, and I say that with all due respect. This is not last year where there was no way you were getting in at 6-4. There are going to be teams at 7-3 and maybe 6-4 that get into the playoffs. The National Conference has proven it is four teams deep, and the Continental might be three teams deep.
SuburbanOneSports.com: The Phillies begin post-season play this weekend. Your thoughts as they enter the most important part of the season.
Kevin Cooney: If the Phillies play their game, if they play at the top of their game, and if their starting pitchers pitch as well as they have all season long, especially in this last flurry – Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay combined in their final starts had an under 2.00 ERA - if they play like that, there’s nobody in baseball that can beat them.
The way the lineup is constructed now – moving Chase Utley to the two hole – allows them to have a different flow. It recognizes that Utley is not what he used to be, but he still has a different set of talents - he can foul pitches off, he can make pitchers work, he can be a pain in the rear end driving pitch counts up.
There are a couple of things that could derail this – injuries and the bullpen. The best sign that came out of Tuesday night’s win over Atlanta was the fact that Antonio Bastardo looked really good for the first time in weeks. He pitched a one-two-three inning. Granted, it was against a comatose Braves team, but I don’t think they should fear anybody. If they play their level of baseball and play to their capabilities, they should win the National League at the very least and probably should be favored to win the World Series. They have earned it and at 102 wins – I think they’ve earned that right. It just doesn’t always work out that way.
I think the toughest challenge will come against the Cardinals and if they get the Tigers. Those are the two teams that can really battle them, but I think the Phillies are in pretty good shape right now.
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SuburbanOneSports.com: Abington defeated Neshaminy in a battle of two of last year’s National Conference tri-champs. What are your thoughts after that game?
Dan Dunkin: For Neshaminy, the main concern with Abington was certainly their speed, but Mark Schmidt was disappointed, starting with the line play. Abington has replaced a lot of their offensive line, and obviously, they’ve done a good job. They’ve opened up a lot of room for their highly skilled and speedy players. I was surprised that Neshaminy got beat at the point of attack. I think it opened their eyes. They have some good younger players who are finding their way in the Neshaminy program, and it opened their eyes to the next level of competition. I had written glowingly last week about Neshaminy’s defense, but I do think a game like this with the coaching staff they have and the players they have – they will definitely learn from this, and I think they will be better for it. I think they will get some of those holes tightened up. I don’t look for anybody else to do that to them. Abington is really good, and if they played again, I think it would be a lot closer.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Was it an advantage for Abington to play Neshaminy on its home field?
Dan Dunkin: I don’t put any stock in the home field advantage in high school. Abington’s got the big three – Neshaminy, Pennsbury and CR South at their place, but I don’t think it means anything in high school. Kids could care less about that. They just go play.
Abington got some people’s attention by putting 35 points up against Neshaminy, but I still believe in this Neshaminy team, and they will get better defensively. They showed a lot coming back and making a game of it late with what they did offensively. I look for them to fill the holes as well as they can.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Comment about Council Rock North’s win over William Tennent.
Dan Dunkin: It was an uplifting victory for North. I was impressed with how they held the fort when their quarterback – Trevor Guzy – went down with an ankle injury. That team has had so many injuries the last two years. They all stepped up after that happened. They did have a 13-0 lead, but when something like that happens and you lose your quarterback after all the injuries they have had, you can go south, and they didn’t. Exactly after that happened, they went 80 yards on a drive. I give credit to their coaching staff. They were going to use the wildcat formation a little bit more anyway in that game to diversify themselves offensively given the losses they’ve had – losing Cal Parker, their top running back they had, in week one. They used it more than planned because their quarterback went down, and Steve Sroba did a terrific job – a power runner, a good vision runner. He followed some tremendous blocking. Their offensive line, which is improving, manned up in that game and did what they had to do. Their defense was opportunistic. I do think their defense is also coming along. They made two big plays to get them off the 13-0 start.
It was big for North. They won one game last year. They won two now, and they’re .500 and opened their National Conference season with a victory over a team that’s in their caliber level right now. I think that’s going to propel them psychologically. I think they can be more competitive as the season goes on and we'll see if they can build on that.
Biz Keeny wasn’t happy that his team didn’t come to play initially. They did come out like a house on fire in the third quarter, and put together a nice long scoring drive. Tennent does have some capability with their running game. I saw some flashes there. Defensively, the team sometimes has trouble tackling, and that was manifested in that game in the first half.
SuburbanOneSports.com: The big game this week in the National Conference is Council Rock South at Pennsbury. Your thoughts about that game?
Dan Dunkin: It’s a great matchup. They have similar styles. You have the Wing-T of Pennsbury and you have the option attack for CR South. There might be a total of six passes in that game. Pennsbury is starting to find its stride offensively. They put together two good weeks with their running game. They rediscovered their identity from last year. They’re back to what they do best after some experimentation with the I-formation last year. They fly around defensively, and they have a terrific linebacker in Tommy Hose, and they’re getting better. I’m impressed how they shook off that opening game shutout loss to Easton to win three in a row. Shawn Pepper is getting healthy, which is big for them. He’s a good athlete – he’s big, he’s strong, he’s mobile, he can throw it if they need to throw it. Interestingly, I do think if one of them decides to surprise the other with the pass a little more, I think Pennsbury has the advantage there.
It will be very interesting to see who has the deeper running game. They each have four running backs who can really hurt you. They both have good offensive lines. I think Pennsbury will really try to focus as much as they can on South’s quarterback, Brian Donnelly - who’s still averaging over 10 yards a carry and is the leading rusher in the area with over 500 yards – and make him pitch the ball. Both defenses are good. I think South wins it in a close one. I think Donnelly, who is a senior, gives them the edge, and they’re a little more experienced than Pennsbury. I think South could force a turnover or two. It will be a close game – I think it will be a terrific game.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Bensalem, which is coming off a loss to Pennsbury, will be traveling to Neshaminy. What are your thoughts about that game?
Dan Dunkin: Neshaminy has a short week, and they’re not happy and shouldn’t be. They have a lot to work on, especially defensively. Bensalem is going to be competitive every week. They were right in it for a while against Pennsbury on a wet field. If Bensalem can get out in space and make some of their speed work for them, they can keep this game close. They’ve got three or four guys – especially Davonte Newkirk, who is the leading receiver in the area – that can get loose. If Neshaminy does what they think they should do offensively, they should win this game, but Bensalem is a whole new ballgame now. No one can look at them as a pushover. Kevin Kelly is an excellent coach, and they’re competitive. They’ve turned it around mentally, and they have 25 seniors, and that’s big.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Truman, which is coming off another tough loss, will be facing William Tennent. Your thoughts about Truman?
Dan Dunkin: If Truman could ever get their problems figured out a little bit defensively to stay in the ball game – they do have three running backs that are all averaging upwards of five yards a carry (Bobby Hill is averaging 13 yards a carry and Marvin Todd and Larry Winton are breakaway threats, too). They’ve been outscored 154-20, and when you get down in games, it gets harder to get your skill people in favorable matchups, especially if you don’t pass the ball particularly well.
SuburbanOneSports.com: As the beat writer who covers the National Conference, who are some players to keep an eye on as the season progresses whose names might not be out there as much?
Dan Dunkin: We’re reaching the midway point of the season, and you see some kids that fly a little bit under the radar who might not have been the most hyped kids in their respective programs. One kid who has really stood out to me is Pennsbury’s Adam Lewis. This kid is fast. On a wet field at Bensalem, he was the only one who didn’t have trouble with his footing. He’s fast on any field, and he’s averaging seven yards a carry. He’s an ‘X’ factor for Pennsbury. Another kid that emerged last week – I hadn’t even known about this kid – Chuck Snorweah, who is a running back. He’s only a freshman, but he’s coming along.
I look for Neshaminy’s receivers to make more of an impact as the season goes along. They’ve got Bobby Marterella, Justin Andrews and Ron Smith. These are very dangerous, capable wideouts. Sean Ulmer has been a terrific running back for them, and he is carrying Neshaminy’s offense, but I think they will be using their receivers more, especially if teams really try and take Ulmer out of the game. No one has really been able to do that yet – the kid has been great, and their offensive line has come along. Even against Abington when they were down, they did come back. As Joe Bianchino develops at quarterback for Neshaminy, I think you’ll see Smith and Marterella get the ball more.
Another kid to keep your eye one is Rock South’s PJ Gallo, who will be going to Maryland. They don’t throw the ball much – he’s a defensive end and a tight end, and boy, you get him out there one-on-one with people, he can do some damage.
Rock North quarterback Trevor Guzy was really starting to make progress. He’ll be back – it’s just a question of when. I look for their passing game to improve - which they will need to open things up given their injuries. I look for John Devine and Bill McAllister – they are very solid receivers. A lot of teams aren’t throwing the ball consistently, but North is another team that with their line and quarterback improving – when he gets back fully healthy – I look for them to open the field up a little bit more.
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