Scott Huff previews the upcoming District One AAAA semifinal games that will feature a pair of SOL schools – Neshaminy and Pennridge.
By Scott Huff
The Final Four.
CBS television makes a ton of money on the NCAA basketball tournament promoting the final four – and with good reason. It allows four schools to dream the dream of becoming a national champion.
We are to that point in the season in District One, as four teams will fight the good fight to capture the title and make the ultimate trip to Hershey for a state title. And included in that foursome are Suburban One League Continental Conference champion Pennridge (12-1), SOL National Conference runner-up Neshaminy (9-3), Pioneer Athletic Conference runner up Spring-Ford (11-2), and Ches-Mont National Division runner-up Coatesville (10-2).
It is interesting to note that in this final four – only Pennridge was able to capture a conference championship. Neshaminy was second to Pennsbury, Spring-Ford was second to Pottsgrove, and Coatesville was second to Downingtown East.
The Rams [# 3] opened the district playoffs with a 35-14 victory over [# 14] Abington and followed with a thrilling 28-27 win over [# 6] Pennsbury. Both games were played within the friendly confines of Poppy Yoder Field – as will the PIAA District One Quad-A semifinal game against Spring-Ford.
The Redskins [# 13] opened the playoffs with a surprisingly easy 42-21 victory over [# 4] Plymouth Whitemarsh (SOL American Conference champion) and followed with a 14-7 victory over [# 5] Central Bucks South (SOL Continental Conference runner-up). The Skins were forced to be road warriors in both games – and Neshaminy will once again be on the road this Friday against Coatesville in a District One Quad-A semifinal game.
Those Spring-Ford Rams [# 7] opened the district playoffs with a 43-27 victory over [# 10] Garnet Valley (Central League runner-up) and followed with a 28-27 upset victory over [# 2] Ridley (Central League champion). The Rams were home in their first game, but were on the road against Ridley – the Rams will be on the road again against Pennridge in their PIAA District One Quad-A semifinal game at Pennridge on Saturday afternoon.
The Red Raiders [# 9] opened the district playoffs with a 38-21 victory over [# 8] Unionville (Ches-Mont American Division champion) and followed with a 42-21 rout of [# 16] Wissahickon (SOL American Conference runner-up). Coatesville was on the road in the win over Unionville, but had a home game against the Trojans – the Red Raiders again will host a playoff game on Friday against Neshaminy.
PIAA District One Semifinal Games
Spring-Ford Rams @ Pennridge Rams
Saturday – 1 pm
Records: Spring-Ford Rams (11-2) **** Pennridge Rams (12-1)
Last Game / Players To Watch: Spring-Ford scored 28 points in the first half and held off a furious Ridley second half comeback to defeat the Green Raiders 28-26. The Rams scored a pair of defensive touchdowns in the game. Spring-Ford has three strong running backs in Jarred Jones (836 yards – 9 scores), Tate Carter (696 yards – 10 scores) and Yousef Lundi (959 yards – 14 scores). Quarterback Hank Coyne is a threat to throw the football (1582 yards on 119 completions and 22 touchdowns passes). *** Pennridge led 28-7 and held off a furious Pennsbury comeback to defeat the Falcons – 28-27. Michael Class rushed for 150 yards and two scores, while Alec Krivda threw a 25-yard scoring pass to Kyle Bigam. Class has registered some impressive numbers this season (2358 yards and 31 touchdowns), while Kenny Crawford (646 yards – 4 scores) is an inside threat. Senior quarterback Alex Krivda (59 completions for 1001 yards and 12 touchdowns) has been efficient, and receivers Kyle Bigam (20 catches – 522 yards – 8 scores) and Micah Stutzman (13-154-2) are primary targets.
Stat Stuff: Spring-Ford has scored an average of 36.8 points per game *** Pennridge has scored an average of 33.6 points per game ***** Spring-Ford has permitted an average of 17.1 points per game *** Pennridge has permitted an average of 18.3 points per game. ***** Spring-Ford is a + 19.7 points per game *** Pennridge is a + 15.3 points per game.
Pennridge head coach Randy Cuthbert says: “When we began the season, we knew we had a strong group back from last year, but you can never know how things are going to shake out. Things have really come together after the Bensalem game (a 24-21 overtime loss), and the players have learned what it takes to win close games. This is without question the most unselfish group of players that I have coached, and all the kids are really close. Getting into the district semifinal is new territory for us, but we are thrilled to still be playing football.”
Pennridge senior co-captain John Dubyk says: “This season has been unbelievable. All the players on this team have been so close, and we can’t wait for practice to get ready for the next game. We have some great individual players, but I think the reason that we win is that we have a great team of players. This is almost too much fun.”
Neshaminy Redskins @ Coatesville Red Raiders
Friday – 7 pm
Records: Neshaminy Redskins (9-3) @ Coatesville Red Raiders (10-2)
Last Game / Players To Watch: Neshaminy held explosive Central Bucks South to a single touchdown in the Skins 14-7 victory. Senior tailback Nate Hall rushed for a game-high 276 yards and scored on TD runs of 19 and 9 yards. For the season, Hall has rushed for 1590 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Redskin defense did not allow a point in the second half to a Titan offense that has averaged over 38 points per game. Justin Andrews, Cole Creighton, Hugh Hart, and Joe Falkowski have supported the efforts of Hall this season. *** Coatesville also showcased a wonderful defensive effort in its 42-21 victory over Wissahickon. The Red Raiders held the potent Trojan offense in check with just 40 yards of total offense and zero points in the first half. Coatesville features a balanced attack with the talents of DaQuan Worley in the running game and quarterback Emmett Hunt in the passing game. In the win over Wissahickon, Worley rushed for 70 yards and a pair of scores, while Hunt completed 11 of 15 passes for 155 yards and three scores – two to favorite target Chris Jones.
Stat Stuff: Neshaminy has scored an average of 26.6 points per game *** Coatesville has scored an average of 36.5 points per game *** Neshaminy has permitted an average of 14.4 points per game *** Coatesville has permitted an average of 13.6 points per game ***** Neshaminy is a + 12.2 points per game *** Coatesville is a + 22.9 points per game.
Neshaminy head coach Mark Schmidt says: “We started our season at 2-2 and it was a rocky start, but these seniors refused to give up on the season. They have a strong sense of accomplishment, and they have busted their tails all season is get to where we are right now. We have been playing hard – we have been playing together. Coatesville is a dangerous team, much like CB South, and we will be prepared.”
Neshaminy senior Brian Toal says: “We are really looking forward to this game and hope to move on. I feel like we are playing great football right now. When we were at 2-2, we knew that things would turn around and we would get into the playoffs. We knew that if we practiced hard and listened to our coaches, good things were going to happen.”
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