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Kevin Cooney, Dan Dunkin and Scott Huff talk SOL football.
Back for its fourth season, the popular Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features high school football beat writers Kevin Cooney and Dan Dunkin. Cooney, the Phillies beat writer, covers schools in the Intelligencer area while Dan Dunkin – who has been covering sports at the high school and professional level for 25 years - covers 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: Pennsbury defeated Neshaminy 31-3 last week. You predicted a Neshaminy win and were at that game. What are your thoughts?
Dan Dunkin: “Pennsbury is better than a lot of us thought, and Neshaminy hadn’t played anyone with close to their team quickness since very early in the season. That interception early really seemed to put Neshaminy on their heels. That, to me, was a classic game of momentum – Pennsbury coming out real hard and just taking the opportunity and running with it. Even though Neshaminy settled down a little bit and had a little bit of a running game, they could never sustain anything.
“There were two big points in that game to me – in the first half, Neshaminy had a 13-yard loss on a lateral deep in their own territory and then they had to punt. That enhanced Pennsbury’s field position when they got the ball around midfield after the punt, and they went ahead and marched in and scored a touchdown. Another key play in that first half was when Neshaminy did have its one decent possession of the night, and they couldn’t punch it in for a touchdown. You never see Neshaminy get stopped in the red zone. You just don’t, and they had to kick a field goal.
They were just beat. They were out-quicked, the three backs gave them trouble – Pennsbury has a very deep running game. Their misdirection and their ability to run off tackle and through the middle – that’s where they made their yards. Tremendous job by Pennsbury’s offensive line, and I give them a lot of credit because they came out in the second half and made a statement and went 66 yards for the third touchdown to make it 24-3. That was game, set and match.
“I will say this – the score did not lie. Pennsbury beat them that badly. Like Mark Schmidt said after the game, ‘All credit to Pennsbury and Galen Snyder.’ They were just that much better, but in the big picture, for what it’s worth, I don’t think Pennsbury is 28 points better than them if they played again.
“You can’t diminish what Pennsbury did. That was a very impressive, fundamentally sound performance on both sides of the ball. I want to say also – quarterback Breon Clark is very unheralded, but that kid is as vital to what they do as anybody on their team. His ball handling, his thinking, he can throw it – he was 3-for-3, made some big plays and ran the ball really well.
“I do think Pennsbury played great, but Neshaminy also made an abnormal number of mistakes in their lack of execution. But I think that loss is going to help Neshaminy in the playoffs. It hit their reset button. They’re a mature group of kids with a lot of good senior leadership and a coaching staff that adjusts as well as anybody does. I think that’s going to really light a fire under them in the playoffs. At the same time, I think the win is going to help Pennsbury. They really believe they can beat anybody, and they should believe that. I think there is a great opportunity for these teams to meet in the district final. In fact, I’m predicting that.
“Neshaminy smashed Downingtown West, who just beat Coatesville. Coatesville lost its best running back. Neshaminy is traditionally better than the best teams from the Central League and especially the Ches-Mont. They own the Ches-Mont. They beat every Ches-Mont team they play.
It was a wake-up call for Neshaminy, and I would love to see them play again. I really would. I think it would be a lot different story. The outcome – I’m not ready to say that yet. Ask me in three weeks if it happens, but I think it would be a closer game.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are your thoughts about Neshaminy and Pennsbury heading into the opening round of the playoffs?
Dan Dunkin: “I think both Neshaminy and Pennsbury will win their first-round games. Interestingly, the team Pennsbury is playing – Upper Darby – has shut out two teams that play the wing-t, which is what they play, and coach Galen Snyder mentioned that to me when we were talking this week. Upper Darby has good athletes, and they are going to be a good test for Pennsbury. They have a really balanced team offensively. But I just think Pennsbury is playing with such confidence, such maturity. All those underclassmen, in particular, are really discovering how good they can be, and they’re excited. They’re not cocky. They’re confident in a good way coming off that Neshaminy game. How many teams have three really good running backs? Their defense is good, and their quarterback is good. They’re just in a real good place.
“Neshaminy – a lot of people are going to be watching to see how they respond mentally after what happened to them at Pennsbury. I don’t think that’s a big concern. I think they can’t wait to get back on the field. Unionville is going to be a challenge for them, though; it has a good offensive line, a strong-armed quarterback. I think that Neshaminy’s defense is going to reassert itself. Another thing, I think a lot of people almost forget that Neshaminy has a lot of other weapons besides D’Andre Pollard, who’s a really good running back. I think you’re going to see more of those other weapons.
“Neshaminy has a little bit smoother bracket than Pennsbury. I can see Pennsbury and Neshaminy in the District One final. It would be tremendous, an almost you-can’t-make-it-up rematch. If it’s ever going to happen, this would be the year for it to happen.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are your thoughts about Council Rock entering the postseason?
Dan Dunkin: “Last year, Downingtown East, the top seed, got upset by the 16 seed, Wissahickon. I don’t see that happening here. Garnet Valley has got too deep a running game and is too good defensively. (Quarterback) Brandon McIlwain could make it interesting for a while if they could use the short passing game, control the clock, break a couple of big plays with Dejuan Martin on passes and McIlwain running the ball, but realistically, North’s defense is too thin to make it happen in a game like this against the top seed.
“I do want to say – give Council Rock North credit for making the playoffs. It’s the first time in four years, the first time for the (Adam) Collachi regime, and it’s a good achievement. They went from 1-9 to 5-5, 5-5 to 7-3.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Any thoughts the Coatesville/North Penn game since Pennsbury will be playing the winner of that contest, especially since Coatesville is without Penn State recruit Daquan Worley (ACL injury).
Dan Dunkin: “Coatesville is still good. Their defense is still good, they’re well-coached, and they’re very athletic, but I think the way North Penn is playing with their two or three running backs and all the momentum they've built from winning seven straight will help them a lot in this game. I like North Penn in this one.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Your thoughts on last week’s Pennsbury-Neshaminy game.
Kevin Cooney: “You kept thinking – if Neshaminy kept it close, they would still be able to make it work and get in it, but they were never really able to do that. I said last week that I thought it was more important for Pennsbury to win that game – they were home, they are young. I thought that it was a big, big thing going forward that they needed to find a way to win that one, and that’s huge for them.
“For Neshaminy, if you look at the bracket, I don’t think it really hurt them because they have a nice bracket through to the semifinals. Pennsbury, as a three seed, has to look at the Coatesville-North Penn winner if they get by their first game. It’s a very strange dynamic involved, but quite honestly, I think it helped both teams. I think Neshaminy is going to be able to refocus. Mark Schmidt is going to be able to use the video and will be able to get his team a little more focused. Maybe this isn’t fair to say when you’re not there every day, but when you’re 9-0 and everyone is telling you how good you are, something like this can snap you back to a little bit of reality. I think Schmidt will do a really good job this week. I don’t see them having a problem with Unionville.
“Whereas Pennsbury-Upper Darby is interesting. Pennsbury, in the past, has not done well in the first round, but I think they’re just too good, so I think Pennsbury will win that first game.
“It’s an interesting thing when you look at it – we put so much emphasis on that Pennsbury-Neshaminy game, but you look at what happened last year. Pennsbury won that game but still checked out of the playoffs quicker. It will be interesting to see how things go. I think for Neshaminy that was a wake-up call and for Pennsbury a momentum builder going forward.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: One of the most intriguing first round matchups is the Coatesville-North Penn game. Your thoughts about that game.
Kevin Cooney: “You’re talking about the last two district champions in this game, and that’s a rarity. It’s going to be interesting. A lot more of this game will depend on how healthy Coatesville is. Their running back (Worley) is hurt, and how will they react coming out of the Downingtown West game (a 24-7 Coatesville loss). Whereas if you’re North Penn – it sounds strange to say this, but you haven’t been tested in a long time. Not since that 0-3 start.
“North Penn is healthy, they’ve gained a lot of confidence. Nyfease West is running really, really well. Austin Shearer has played well, and Dick Beck is talking about how good their offensive line is, but you almost wonder. The comparison I use - and this is an obscure reference, but back in the mid 1990s, the Detroit Lions used to always have this big run to get in the playoffs every year. One year, they won like eight in a row to get in the playoffs and then came to Philadelphia and got absolutely destroyed because they ran out of energy, and they weren’t really as good as everyone thought. It was in the Barry Sanders era.
“You wonder if a team that makes a run like North Penn did just to get into the tournament – when you actually get there and you’ve won your league, what’s left in the tank? I think North Penn has something left in the tank, but it’s going to be very interesting to see how they handle that early. It’s going to be interesting to see how they handle a road game against a tough team that’s a little wounded, but I think most people, quite honestly, thinks North Penn has a real good shot of winning this, even on the road against a team that people thought would be the district favorite going in.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Central Bucks West will host American Conference champion Plymouth Whitemarsh in an opening round game. Your thoughts about that game.
Kevin Cooney: “For CB West, this is a big thing – getting back in the playoffs and having a home game. It’s been a long time since they’ve been in that spot. I think 2004 might have been their last home game when they lost to Neshaminy in the first round.
“For PW, everybody downplays the American Conference over the years – it’s just a simple fact. Win a playoff game, win a couple of playoff games, and PW has been the biggest culprit, if you will, because they’ve really struggled. They were blown out a couple of years ago when they played Central Bucks South at home, and they lost to Neshaminy last year at home, so how are they going to handle a game on the road.
“I really like West’s bracket. If they win this game and they go on, they would probably get Rustin in the second round. I think they can get to the semifinals. I just kind of like the way things set up for them. I could be dead wrong, but I really think this is a good, good bracket for them going forward.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are your thoughts about the Abington-Upper Dublin game?
Kevin Cooney: “It’s the same dilemma for Upper Dublin. Upper Dublin beat West, but I still think most people don’t look at that as a victory that they have enormous confidence in. The West game now looks good, but back in week one, you’re thinking West is a .500 team.
“Abington – with Anthony Lee out – has had to adjust some things. Craig Reynolds has been really good. Abington has done really well in this spot in past years, and that’s the other part. For Upper Dublin, it’s been a while. In fairness, the American Conference did have Wissahickon (upsetting Downingtown East) last year, but I just don’t see it working out for Upper Dublin in this one. I think it’s a tough spot. I think Abington, in a strange way, is the biggest favorite of the week in my mind.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Looking at the remaining opening round games, do you see any potential upsets?
Kevin Cooney: “I think this is the year we get mostly chalk. I think Garnet Valley is the clear one. I think you’ll more likely see upsets in the second round. The one potential upset – if you want to call it that – would be North Penn over Coatesville. I know somebody said Downingtown West-Spring-Ford is a game that could turn into a bit of an upset trap. Downingtown West is obviously coming off that big win over Coatesville, and Spring-Ford is a team that went to the district final last year. That could be a little bit of a trap, but I think pretty much it’s chalk.
“If we get to Pennsbury-North Penn next week – you hate saying it like this, but 1) it’s a preview of what we’re going to be seeing next year, and 2) Dick Beck has kind of had Pennsbury’s number over the years. How will they react to that? It will be at Falcon Field. That’s the one thing that’s really difficult for North Penn if they’re going to make a playoff run – they’re going to have to do it almost exclusively on the road, and that gets a little tricky.”
Suburban One Sports: Both Plymouth Whitemarsh and Upper Dublin are in the PIAA Quad-A District One playoffs. What are their chances for moving on to the second round?
Scott Huff: “Both Plymouth Whitemarsh and Upper Dublin fell into the bottom half of the 16-team field as PW is a #10 seed and UD is a #9 seed and both will have away games. Both will play Suburban One League teams in the first round as PW goes to Central Bucks West (SOL Continental Conference) and UD travels to Abington (SOL National Conference).
“No real surprises if both win, both lose, or one or the other wins.
“Of the two teams, I think that Plymouth Whitemarsh might have the better chance of moving on to the second round. The Colonials have an enormous offensive line that can open up holes for both running backs Jose Mora-Vega and Brian Afflick, along with quarterback Connor Hanlon. Hanlon has been magical at times this season directing the offense, and he can throw the ball with James Rodgers being his favorite target.
“The PW defense has been suspect at times but can be very physical. Vega has proven to be one of the premier linebackers in the area. And the Colonial defense may indeed be the difference in what could be a high-scoring game with CB West. West senior Marvin Todd – who transferred to West from Truman this year – is one of the elite backs in the area.
“Plymouth Whitemarsh has played four teams that are in the 16-team field and has split the games with that foursome. The Colonials lost to [# 15] Perkiomen Valley (33-0) and [# 8] Abington (34-12) and has defeated both [# 5] Downingtown West (36-34 in overtime) and [# 9] Upper Dublin (28-23). PW is currently on an 8-game winning streak. Central Bucks West has played just two teams from the 16-team field – and lost to both. The Bucks lost a season opener to Upper Dublin (45-21) and lost to [# 11] North Penn (50-14).
“A Plymouth Whitemarsh victory would move them on to the second round against the winner of the [# 2] West Chester Rustin (10-0) – Perkiomen Valley (8-2) game.
“Upper Dublin, I believe, will have a tougher road to travel to get to the second round. The Cardinals have been playing good football all season and have just the single loss to PW over the course of the season. Quarterback John Derr is a tremendous dual-threat for UD and the backfield of Kyleif Lee and John Lee has been wonderful all year. Ryan Siwinski has been the go-to receiver for Derr.
“Upper Dublin, much like PW, might have to win this game with its defense. Abington showcases the talents of senior running back Craig Reynolds, who might just be the most explosive back in a SOL National Conference that features game-breaking running backs like D’Andre Pollard (Neshaminy) and Charles Snorweah (Pennsbury).
“Upper Dublin has played just two teams in the 16-team playoff field and split those games. The Cardinals opened the season with a 45-21 win over [# 7] Central Bucks West and lost what proved to be the SOL American Conference game to [# 10] Plymouth Whitemarsh, 28-23. Abington has played four teams in the 16-team field and has split those games. The Ghosts have beaten [# 10] Plymouth Whitemarsh (34-12) and [# 16] Council Rock North (41-6) and has lost to [#3] Pennsbury (37-0) and [# 4] Neshaminy (31-14).
“An Upper Dublin victory would move them to the second round game against the winner of the [# 1] Garnet Valley (10-0) – [# 16] Council Rock North (7-3).
“Predictions????
“How about - Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 35/ Central Bucks West Bucks 31 & Abington Ghosts 34/ Upper Dublin Cardinals 28??”
Suburban One Sports: Springfield is the # 4 seed in the PIAA Class AA playoffs and will play # 1 seed Imhotep Charter. Any chance for the Spartans?
Scott Huff: “Slim, slimmer and none.
“Bet the house on none.
“Imhotep is a team that most people who follow scholastic football say could compete for a state title at the Quad-A level and is playing at the Class AA level. The Panthers have an 83-6 win this year over High School of the Future (?) and a 2-0-forfeit win when Delaware Valley Charter would not take the field against Imhotep. The Panthers have an explosive offensive team that averages over 53 points a game.
“Imhotep, however, is not undefeated this season as the Panthers lost a 36-28 midseason contest to Eastern Christian – an elite team from Maryland.
“Springfield was the lone Class AA team to compete in the Suburban One League American Conference and was able to win three of seven conference games. The wins came over Quad-A Norristown (35-14) and Class AAA teams Upper Merion (33-31) and Upper Moreland (18-16). Conference setbacks came against four Quad-A teams – Cheltenham (28-26), Wissahickon (14-0), Plymouth Whitemarsh (27-12), and Upper Dublin (34-7). The Spartans claimed wins over Class AA Lower Moreland (48-13) and Neumann-Goretti (29-6).
“Nobody, I mean nobody, would want to get in that Panther cage and tangle with Imhotep in the first round of a district playoff. Not Pennsbury, or Neshaminy, or North Penn – nobody.
“Prediction????
“How about – Imhotep 56 – Springfield 14?”
Suburban One Sports: Neither Upper Moreland or Upper Merion made the Class AAA playoffs. What’s up with the Bears and Vikings this week?
Scott Huff: “Both Upper Moreland and Upper Merion finished out of the ‘money’ for the playoffs. The Golden Bears have lost four straight games, while Upper Merion has dropped its last six games. The Bears will close out its season with a Thanksgiving morning game against Hatboro-Horsham, and also have a non-conference game this week with Owen J Roberts. The Vikings will have to wait until next year as Phoenixville – scheduled for this week – made the Class AAA playoffs.
“Upper Moreland will host Owen J Roberts from the Pioneer Athletic Conference. The Bears will face a Wildcat team that finished with a 2-6 PAC-10 record and is 2-8 overall. OJR defeated Pope John Paul 26-14 last week and also owns a 35-28 victory over Upper Perkiomen this season. The last Golden Bear win came on Oct 4th when Upper Moreland beat Norristown 21-20.
“Predictions????
“How about – Upper Moreland 35/ Owen J Roberts 27?
Suburban One Sports: How will Cheltenham and Norristown compete this week in their non-conference games?
Scott Huff: “Cheltenham will prep for its possible Thanksgiving morning game with Abington (provided that Abington is no longer in the district playoffs) with a non-conference game against Hatboro-Horsham (3-7). There has not been a bigger touchdown maker in recent weeks than Panther quarterback Marcus Heimann who has been involved in 15 touchdown plays the last four games for Cheltenham – three of which ended in CHS victories. Expect him to have another huge game for the Panthers (5-5).
“Norristown will conclude its season as the Eagles fly north on route 422 to play neighborhood rival Methacton from the Pioneer Athletic Conference. Norristown is in search of its first win of the season, while the Warriors will provide a huge challenge with an overall mark of 6-4. The Eagles – who finished 1-10 last season – will most likely finish an unwanted perfect 0-11 this season.
“Predictions????
“How about Cheltenham 42/ Hatboro-Horsham 28 & Methacton 38/ Norristown 14?
Suburban One Sports: What did Wissahickon teach everyone about the Quad-A playoffs?
Scott Huff: “It was just last year on November 9, 2012, that [# 16] Wissahickon shocked the District One playoff world with a 38-35 victory over [# 1] Downingtown East. The Trojans lost the following week to eventual District One champion Coatesville – 42-21. This season Wissahickon finished its season in third place in the SOL American Conference with a 6-4 record but failed to reach the PIAA Quad-A District One playoffs.”