To view action photos of the PW/Upper Dublin and Pennsbury/Tennent games, visit the Photo Gallery by clicking on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
By Scott Huff
Plymouth Meeting - Plymouth Whitemarsh assistant coach Phil Chang – brother of head coach Dan Chang – has the initials DC following his name in the Colonial program. Those letters stand for Defensive Coordinator - but for all 
the major adjustments Chang made during the Plymouth Whitemarsh’s critical 23-7 Suburban One League American Conference victory over Upper Dublin - DC could have stood for Doctor of Chiropractic.
Upper Dublin (4-2, 2-1) came into the game with the reputation of having an explosive offense, and the high-flying Cardinals had averaged over 26 points per game. Senior quarterback Andrew Derr was the trigger man behind a potent Cardinal offense, and Upper Dublin opened the game with a well executed nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive to take a 7-0 lead against the host Colonials (5-1, 3-0).
During the drive, Derr was a perfect 4-for-4 for 39 yards that included a gorgeous 12-yard scoring aerial to Chris Naughton. Running back Tybree Stallings gashed the Colonials for a 33-yard run during the drive, and Chang was faced with the difficult predicament of stopping the Flying Cardinal attack.
“Andrew Derr is a stud,” said Chang. “People may not realize how good a high school quarterback this kid is. He has a rocket for an arm, and he handles pressure as well as any quarterback that I have seen.
“We knew after that first drive, we were going to have to do things differently,” added Chang. “Derr took us apart when we were in cover three, so we shifted to a cover two. We also wanted to get as much pressure on him as we could.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh used the defensive talents of powerful 6-foot, 2-inch; 260 pound tackle Kavon Johnson to generate that intense pressure.
“Coach Chang had us switch from a three-man front to a four-man front after that first series,” said Johnson who came up with a pair of second half sacks for the winners. “Our defense takes a lot of pride in how we play, and I had to bite my tongue a little after they scored that first touchdown.”
“Kavon really came through with the huge pass rush,” said Chang. “It seems that every game they we watch him on film, Kavon is getting double and sometimes triple teamed. It opens things up for the rest of our defense to make plays.”
And one of those players was hard hitting senior defensive back Russhon Phillips. Phillips – who played a wonderful game on the ‘other’ side of the football as the PW quarterback – played a terrific cover back in the Colonial secondary.
“Our defense is a family within a family,” said Phillips. “We had three shutouts coming into the game, and we wanted to come back after (Upper Dublin) scored to take the lead.”
“Russhon is one of the best athletes we have on the team,” said Chang. “We know how important he is to our offense, and we get a little nervous playing him on both sides of the ball.”
The talents of Phillips on the other side of the ball came moments after the Flying Cardinals took the initial lead.
Phillips – who rushed for a game-high 122 yards on 11 carries – broke free for a 60-yard touchdown burst to counter the UD scoring drive. The first period ended in a 7-7 deadlock.
“We had to work hard to move the ball down the field to get our score, and they come right back to tie the game with a big play,” said Upper Dublin head coach Bret Stover. “Plymouth Whitemarsh has nice athletes to watch, but those athletes are awful to coach against. The big plays that they make are very demoralizing.”
Plymouth Whitemash scored on its first possession of the second period – and again the Colonials used the big play.
Senior Xavier Ellington – who joined Phillips in the 100-yard club on the evening with 116 yards on 20 carries – scored on a sparkling 43-yard touchdown run.
The Colonials scored with just 29 seconds left in the first half to assume a 17-7 lead when senior place kicker Tyler Haney split the uprights for a 36-yard field goal.
The only score of the second half came in the fourth period. Phillips capped a time consuming 10-play scoring drive with a five-yard touchdown gallop. The key play in the scoring drive was a 22-yard pass completion from Phillips to Corey Kelly.
“(Plymouth Whitemarsh) was the better football team tonight – they made the plays when they had to make them,” said Stover. “We were able to move the ball some, but the scoreboard tells the story.”
Derr finished the night with 17 completions for 169 yards and no interceptions, but PW kept the Cardinals out of the end zone after Chang made those defensive adjustments. Upper Dublin would finish with a meager 52 yards rushing – with only 11 rushing yards coming after that initial scoring drive.
The significant win over the defending SOL American Conference champion Cardinals could go a long way for the Colonials in their quest for a SOL American Conference title this season.
“We know what our mission is, and we know that we have to get ready for Cheltenham next week,” said Phillips. “We have to be prepared to play each week if we want to get where we want to go.”
And if any game adjustments are needed – Phil Chang D.C. - is on the Plymouth Whitemarsh sideline.
Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals 7 0 0 0 - 7
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 7 10 0 6 - 23
UD: Chris Naughton 12 pass from Andrew Derr (Eric Boyer kick)
PW: Russhon Phillips 60 run (Tyler Haney kick)
PW: Xavier Ellington 43 run (Haney kick)
PW: Haney 36 FG
PW: Phillips 5 run (kick failed)
Upper Dublin Plymouth Whitemarsh
12 First Downs 14
52 Rushing Yards 335
169 Passing Yards 57
221 Total Offense 392
4-33 Punts / Avg 3-36
5-38 Pen / Yds 5-45
Upper Dublin
Rushing: Tybree Stallings 9-52; Jino Park 2-5; Zach Walsh 1-3; Khalid Weems 1-0; Andrew Derr 11 (minus 8). Totals 24-52.
Passing: Andrew Derr 17-26-0; 169 yards and TD.
Receiving: Luke Felix 6-29; Sean McAneney 5-57; Chris Naughton 3-57 & TD; Jake Gibbons 2-22; and Stallings 1-4. Totals 17-169 & TD.
Plymouth Whitemarsh
Rushing: Russhon Phillips 11-122 & 2 TD; Xavier Ellington 20-116 & TD; Corey Kelly 14-53; and Brian Afflick 1-4. Totals 46-335-3TD.
Passing: Russhon Phillips 3-5-0; 57 yards.
Receiving: Alton Custus 2-35; Kelly 1-22. Totals 3-57
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