Friday night’s Council Rock North/Council Rock South contest is an SOL Featured Game sponsored by Sterling Limousine. The game will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. on the internet at www.WBCB1490.com. The Pennsbury/Neshaminy game will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. on WBCB 1490 AM. Friday night’s Souderton/Quakertown contest will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. on WNPV 1440 AM, and the North Penn/Pennridge game will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. on the internet at www.WNPV1440.com. Check www.SuburbanOneSports.com for all the SOL scores as well as bonus coverage of the Hatboro-Horsham/Central Bucks West game.
It’s known simply as the ‘Battle for the Rock.’
And talking to seniors on both sides, it doesn’t take long to figure out that Friday night’s annual showdown pitting neighboring Council Rock North and Council Rock South will create memories that will last a lifetime.
“This game pretty much means everything,” Rock North senior captain Steve Sroba said. “We have to win this game to make the playoffs, and we just want to beat South so bad.
“For most of us, this could be our last football game. It all comes down to this game. This is the biggest game we’ve ever played.”
“It’s just a great game to be part of,” Rock South senior captain PJ Gallo said. “A lot of kids don’t get a chance to be in a rivalry game like this. It’s really a cool experience, and it’s just an awesome game.”
The annual North/South contest, according to Rock North senior captain AJ Garboski, is a game the players dreamed about when they were youngsters.
“As a little kid, I came to the games, and one of my first games was the North/South game,” Garboski said. “I’ve always wanted to be the captain of North and be on that field playing South in front of that huge crowd.
“It’s the typical dream of a little kid playing football – playing under the lights, a huge crowd, playing with all his friends against a rival. There’s nothing better to end the season, and hopefully, we can get a win.”
The emotions associated with Friday night’s showdown were – for one evening at least – put under wraps for the annual Senior Dinner at the Northampton Valley Country Club as the coaching staffs from both sides and 30 Rock South seniors and 16 Rock North seniors shared a special night Wednesday.
The underlying message of the evening – sponsored by the Worthington Family/Newtown Athletic Club and John Donohoe/Sterling Limousine - was that although the players are from two rivaling schools, they are all part of the Council Rock family.
“I was born and raised here,” said Rock South coach Vince Bedesem, himself a Council Rock alum. “My brothers came through here. There’s just a ton of history.
“Some of our teammates have sons who are now playing on Friday night. This a great tradition and great to be part of.”
Last year’s game gave evidence of just how insignificant records really are when the neighboring schools do battle.
Rock North entered the game 1-8 while Rock South was 8-1. It took some late-game heroics for Rock South to eke out a 27-25 win. This year, the Golden Hawks are not only atop the National Conference standings with a 5-1 mark (8-1 overall), they are the district’s top-ranked team heading into the final week of the regular season.
“Our goals starting with day one of two-a-days was to go out on the practice field and get better and better every day,” Gallo said. “As the season went on, we wanted to get better and better each week, and we’re just going to keep on working hard and see where that takes us.”
“We were here last year,” senior captain Ryan Whiteley added. “It’s just a great feeling that we could replace what our seniors left for us last year and follow in their footsteps.”
Most of Rock South’s players had followed their team’s the annual tradition of getting mohawks. Some were done professionally, others weren’t, but it was yet another show of unity before the annual showdown.
For the Rock North seniors, it’s a point of pride that they’ve laid the foundation for a solid program. They are the heart and soul of an Indians squad that boasts a 4-2 mark in league play (5-4 overall) on the heels of last year’s 1-9 season.
“As soon as the season ended last year, we worked so hard to turn this program around,” Sroba said. “That’s what we really think we’ve done.
“Even if we don’t make playoffs, we really think we have started this program going in the right direction. It’s definitely been the most fun year of my life. We have come together more than any other team I’ve been on. We just bonded so well, and I think that’s one reason we have done so well this year.”
“Personally, it’s awesome,” Garboski added. “We got together after the season and said, ‘It starts with us seniors. We have to get the juniors behind us, and the rest will fall in place.’
“That’s what really has been happening. A couple of games we’ve slipped up here and there that we wish we could have back, but it’s been a great season, a great bounce-back year. Credit that to our seniors.
“We came together this year. Last year there was a little separation between each class. Now it’s like we’re one big family. We play together. We have each other’s backs on the field. We play for each other, and we win for each other. We don’t play for ourselves.”
Friday night’s game will pit former classmate against former classmate since many went to school together at Richboro Middle School.
“I went to school with a lot of them,” Hickey said. “A lot of the kids I used to be friends with are now at North, so you’re playing against your friends, but on the field, you’re not friends.”
“Just the fact that we’ll see them on weekends, and we’ll talk about the game – it’s always a high pressure game,” Whiteley added.
The Golden Hawks are coming off an emotionally charged win over previously undefeated Abington, but they say there will not be a letdown on Friday night.
“At this point, you can’t ever let down,” Hickey said. “It’s the last game of the year, and we’re going into playoffs.
“We came into the season, and we wanted to be better than last year. We had a lot of returning starters. Our expectations were really high. We put a lot of work in during the offseason in the weight room. Where we are right now doesn’t surprise us at all. This is what we’ve been training for.”
For one night, the players who will be going to war against each other on Friday night were in the same room enjoying not only a good meal but each other’s company.
Mike Ortman – now the offensive coordinator at Ursinus College who for 20 years was the head football coach at Council Rock and later Rock North - was the guest speaker. The players listened intently as a member of their family shared memories of his days at Council Rock.
Midway through the program, time was given for the players to meet and greet each other. They exchanged handshakes and hugs. It was all part of the tradition that precedes the annual rivalry game.
“It’s an exciting time,” Rock North coach Adam Collachi said. “It’s an exciting time for the kids. This year there’s a lot more riding on it for both teams, particularly for us more than it was this time last year.
“There’s always pride, there’s always bragging rights. When you (win), you can say you had the last say for at least a year.”
On Friday night, Rock South seniors Gallo, Whiteley, Hickey, Cory Wilkinson, Austin Fizel, Brian Donnelly, Jake Presley, Ben Solis, Tyler Cohen, Alex Kwiatkowski, Ian McDermott, Zachary Young, Anthony Alimenti, Stephen Kaschak, Chris Messina, Michael Fluri, Angelo Miller, Anthony Miller, Michael Hirthier, Kyler Edgar, Michael Yost, Jim Sankey, Justin Flor, Matthew DeLuca, Nathan Benner, Tom Trampe, Mark Patterson, Erik Berkheiser, Andrew Cohen and Nick Cocco will line up against Rock North seniors Garboski, Sroba, Ferguson Amo, Billy McAlister, Trevor Guzy, Dan Schmidt, Billy Worrell, Jack Fletcher, Dakota Hirst, Alex Yardley, Cal Parker, Jake Yardley, Al Venus, Tim Mullin, Dave Laiter and Sam Ryan.
It will be a night of creating memories to add to the lure of one of the area’s premiere rivalries.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH at COUNCIL ROCK NORTH
Friday, Nov. 4, 7 p.m., Walt Snyder Stadium
2011 Record: Council Rock South 5-1 SOL (8-1 overall), Council Rock North 4-2 SOL (5-4 overall)
2010 Record: Council Rock South 6-1 SOL National Conference tri-champs (11-2 overall), Council Rock North 1-6 SOL (1-9 overall)
Last week: Council Rock South 30, Abington 22; Council Rock North 21, Bensalem 20
Last year: Council Rock South 27, Council Rock North 25
Council Rock South coach Vince Bedesem’s keys to the game: “My job is becoming easier and easier in the fact that I don’t have to go into the locker room and give a fired-up pregame speech. Things take care of themselves, and the kids take care of one another. The preparation the coaches put these guys through – they’re ready, and that’s our key – to keep a sense of normalcy and to put everything into perspective and then you can fall back on the original goals that you have every week – ball security, discipline on the field, gang tackling and running to the ball. Our goals are not going to change that much. It’s just putting everything into perspective.”
Players to watch:
Brian Donnelly (Sr.) – Quarterback. “He has the ball in his hands every single play, and it’s not like he just hands the ball off,” Bedesem said. “For a while in last week’s game, he was flawless. He was 90 percent on his reads, which is unheard of.”
PJ Gallo (Sr.) – Tight End/Linebacker “Here’s a kid who’s MVP of the team and the unsung hero,” Bedesem said. “He does his job, and he leads by example. All the good things you see in young kids today – he’s it. He’s a kid that has a commitment to a college, and he just works harder than anybody out there, and that’s in all phases.”
Anthony Alimenti (Sr.) – Running Back “Anthony is just very explosive,” Bedesem said. “I don’t think people realize just how hard he hits the hole. He’s a strong kid and does a lot of preparation in the weight room. On top of that, just the speed he has – he’ll pull away from people. He’s just tremendous.”
Andrew Cohen (Sr.) – Offensive Line/Defensive Line “I have said it all along that I think Andrew is by far the best offensive and defensive lineman in this area, if not in the state,” Bedesem said. “He’s just been a tremendous player throughout his career.”
Ryan Hickey (Sr.) – Safety/Running Back “He’s our quarterback in the secondary,” Bedesem said. “We ask him to do an awful lot. He’s another kid who is so unselfish and just does whatever we ask him to do. He returns punts, he returns kicks, he’s the holder on extra points and field goals, and he’s running at halfback. He’s a kid who can play high safety or in the box stopping the run.”
Ryan Whiteley (Sr.) – Fullback/Linebacker “He’s a staple in our offense as far as establishing the run,” Bedesem said. “He also brings the same type of tenacity on the defensive side plugging up the middle for us at inside linebacker.”
Council Rock North coach Adam Collachi keys to the game: “One of the keys will be keeping our emotions in check. This is a very emotional week. It started last week when we were playing Bensalem. It was always in the back of our minds. It’s just a special week. They’re a great football team. Coach Bedesem and his staff have done an outstanding job. I don’t say it lightly – they are one of the premiere teams in the State of Pennsylvania. It’s a great test to see where we’re at as a program.
“When you play them, you have to be disciplined on defense, and you have to pay attention to details. They are outstanding. They are a well-oiled machine on offense. We have watched tons and tons of tape. I have watched six or seven different games, and it’s not a mystery – they’re awesome.”
Players to watch:
Trevor Guzy (Sr.) – Quarterback
A.J. Nielsen (Jr.) – Running Back
AJ Garboski (Sr.) – Linebacker
Steve Sroba (Sr.) – Running Back/Linebacker
Billy McAlister (Sr.) – Wide Receiver
Coach Collachi says: “Not doing all the math, but we’re not eliminated yet, so it’s important for us to win this game. Obviously, they’re looking for a league championship as well. There’s more than just pride in this game. It shows you where these two programs are heading. I think coach Bedesem said it best – I think this is the marquee game of the week.”
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