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Back for its sixth season, the popular Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features Kevin Cooney and Drew Markol. Cooney, the Phillies beat writer, will handle the Bucks County Courier Times coverage area and also is part of a panel each Friday night on the WNPV/Intelligencer Scoreboard Show. Markol is the football beat writer for the Intelligencer area. Both are regular contributors on the weekly Game On show, and to view this week’s show, click on the following link: http://www.theintell.com/videos/hsgameon/ To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the Intelligencer/Courier Times web site http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/high_school/
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SuburbanOneSports.com: Council Rock North – behind the remarkable performance of quarterback Brandon McIlwain – knocked Quakertown from the ranks of the undefeated last week. Your thoughts.
Kevin Cooney: “When the story of Brandon McIlwain is written, this is probably the night they’re going to 
talk about. Pretty much everything was on the line. It seemed like all year everybody doubted that Rock North’s defense could hold up and that McIlwain would have to carry them to a playoff berth. Well, here we are week 10, and McIlwain is carrying them to a playoff berth. He’s banged up, but the fact that he has put them in this spot is really remarkable.
“I think this type of game, in the end, could be good for Quakertown. It’s almost like things came too easy. I know they would say, ‘That’s not fair,’ but it is. Even their showdown game against Council Rock South wasn’t exactly a close game. If Quakertown makes a run in the playoffs, I think this type of game will help them. Right now it obviously puts a little bit of a cloud over them.
“For Rock North to have set up Saturday night against Council Rock South the way they did is pretty remarkable. It’s a testament to how a great player can change everything. I think sometimes we overhype some kids, but Brandon McIlwain is special. To be as good an athlete as he is, to have the options he has – somebody is going to be lucky to be his agent.”
Drew Markol: “We’ve been saying all year long when you have a player like Brandon McIlwain who comes along every 50 years – he can win games for you, and you’re never out of it. Last year when they played, he went crazy too, but Quakertown was able to come back (in a 48-32 win). This year I’m sure Council Rock North said, ‘We want a little bit of revenge,’ and the kid went nuts doing what he does. He can do that to teams. That’s what makes them dangerous against anybody they play because whoever they play – Rock North has the best player, and when you have the best player, you’re never really out of it.
“Now you have Quakertown that has to win against CB East – the only team that beat them last year, and it’s a good CB East team – in order to get a share of the Continental Conference. If Quakertown were to lose, the Council Rock North-Council Rock South winner is going to get the title.
“The repercussions from the CR North-Quakertown game are just huge – district seedings, Continental Conference championship. It’s just really good stuff that, quite frankly, I didn’t see coming, and I’m not sure many folks did. You look at the stretch that Quakertown had – CR South, Council Rock North and then CB East. It’s three very tough games, but I think perhaps in Quakertown’s eyes getting past CR South was the biggest obstacle. Could there have been a letdown for CR North? Maybe because then they had revenge on their minds against CB East, so maybe it was one of those sandwich games, but you don’t want to take anything away from North for what they did.
“Explanations for why it happened? McIlwain is really, really good, and they didn’t have an answer for him.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Quakertown will host Central Bucks East on Friday. Your thoughts.
Kevin Cooney: “The other part of (last week’s CR North win) is Quakertown went from being the second seed to tied for fifth, and if they lose to East, they could be the 12th or 13th seed. There’s just so much on the line for Quakertown, more than just the idea that you’re going to fall down in the playoff rankings. That sheer invincibility that they had – if you lose this week – is completely gone. If Quakertown wins this week, people will say, ‘Well, McIlwain just had one of those nights. Great quarterbacks do that. What are you going to do?’ If Quakertown loses this week, people will be saying, ‘What’s wrong with Quakertown heading into the playoffs?’ And you end up with a road game, and that’s bigger than any conference title.
“Let’s be honest – conference titles kind of get blended in with one another at this point because districts are so big. There are co-champions and tri-champions. If you’re Quakertown, it’s how you’re going to do in the next month. The only way they can ensure themselves of a long road is to actually play well on Friday night.
“Ironically, CR North could have had the title outright if they had just beat Norristown.”
Drew Markol: “If Quakertown were to lose to East, now you’re looking at a two-game losing streak going 
into districts, and your confidence is shaken. Depending how things filter out, they may cost themselves a home playoff game in the first round of districts.
“Right now they’re in a tie for fifth with Haverford, but it’s really, really close point-wise, so you don’t know what could happen with another loss. You want to have as many home games as you can. If Quakertown had won out – beat North last week and East this week, they were probably looking at a two seed and then you’re looking at potentially three home games, and if you make it to the final, it’s at a neutral site, so you’re never actually going on the road. Now that’s all out the window.
“For East, they’re in 12th right now in the district power rankings. With a loss – granted it’s against a team with a ton of wins in Quakertown, but the further you fall down in the seeds – in theory – the tougher your first round game will be, so East doesn’t want to drop down to 15 or 16 and play a Downingtown East or a Downingtown West or an Upper Dublin in the first round. You want to avoid that. That game is just enormous as will be the CR North-CR South game on Saturday.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Council Rock North will face Council Rock South in one of the weekend’s biggest games with the winner capturing at least a share of the Continental Conference title. Your comments.
Kevin Cooney: “I think Rock North now has all the momentum. Rock South won ugly again last week in a shootout at Norristown. This is an elimination game. Both teams will know their status going in on Saturday night, and to pick against McIlwain right now is foolish. You thought Rock North was dead after the Norristown game (a 44-43 loss), and you looked at the schedule and thought, ‘This is really not going anywhere,’ but here they are – they still have a shot.”
Drew Markol: “I like the fact that it’s actually on Saturday because we’ll know everything beforehand, and you obviously have the rivalry between North and South. On Friday, a bunch of games will be going on, but on Saturday, they’ll be the only game in town that people are really paying attention to, and that’s what makes it good. We’ll also know what’s on the line.
“You can’t ask for more, and quite frankly, I’m glad that South is playing North the last week of the season. CB East should play CB West the last week of the season. I don’t know why they don’t do that – you figure the schedule makers could figure that one out, but obviously, they did not.
“You look at last year – CR South beats North 40-29. Could I see that many points being scored? Maybe. I think South will beat them, but I think it will be close. With McIlwain, he’s the wild card that always gives you a chance.
“This is why the Continental is so good. It’s far and away the most interesting conference. You have four very good teams, and they’re all playing the last weekend. It’s great how it worked out.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Neshaminy also finds itself in a must-win situation when it takes on Pennsbury on Friday night. Your comments.
Kevin Cooney: “We’ve talked a lot about Neshaminy and how that Pennridge loss could come back and haunt them, but there are positive signs if you look at Neshaminy. Last week’s game against North Penn was ugly because of the penalties and everything, but they forced a really hot North Penn team to the brink and found a way to give themselves a chance at the end. Can they do it one more time? That’s a big, big question.
“Pennsbury, right now, is still playing for a lot. They’re going to make the tournament, but seeding-wise, there’s an outside chance they could get into the top eight.
“This is the biggest rivalry game there is. I know Rock South-Rock North is more important this year, and you can say East-West, but Pennsbury and Neshaminy – it seems as though there’s something about those two that’s different. I would say Pennsbury has to be the favorite, but I almost give Neshaminy more of a chance than I would have this time last week because of the way they played at North Penn.”
Drew Markol: “This will be another down-to-the-wire situation. Neshaminy knew going into this North Penn-Pennsbury ending that it had to win one of them in order to get into the district field. Most people thought – hard as it may seem – that it might be ‘easier’ to beat Pennsbury than North Penn because North Penn had beaten Pennsbury.
“Neshaminy slugged it out with North Penn in a very entertaining game. North Penn hurt itself with a bunch of penalties, and the officiating was sketchy at best. Still, I was surprised Neshaminy was able to run against North Penn, and they do have a bit of a passing game too. North Penn was able to come back a couple of times because they were able to throw it too. If Neshaminy gets a lead on Pennsbury, throwing the ball is not Pennsbury’s thing.
“As great as that rivalry is, right now it might mean a little more to Neshaminy because they want to get into the playoffs, and plus, even with a loss, Pennsbury will still be in. That’s a one or two-point game. I’m picking Neshaminy, but it’s a tenuous one that’s flipping a coin.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Souderton will close out the season at Central Bucks South. Your thoughts.
Drew Markol: “This has been a disappointing season for both teams. Before the season, I thought Souderton was a real darkhorse, and that turned out to not be the case. South wanted to prove that with Josh Adams gone they could still be successful, and it turns out they struggled. They have a ton of kids out for the team. I don’t get it.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Upper Dublin continued its unbeaten season with a win over Hatboro-Horsham. Have the Cardinals lived up to the lofty preseason expectations?
Scott Huff: “You bet.
“Upper Dublin played its most competitive game of the week last week in its 31-10 victory over the Hatters. The Cardinals have won games by 62, 49, 49, 42, 36, 35, 31, 28, and 21 points this season. The Upper Dublin offense has generated an average of 44.9 points per game this year – and the Cardinal defense has yielded an average of just 5.7 points per game – a winning margin of an overwhelming 39.2 points per game.
“Upper Dublin has inched up the PIAA Quad-A District One rankings to third place with a total of 1200 power points. The move up the rankings came via the Cardinals win over Hatboro-Horsham and the Quakertown loss to Council Rock North. Upper Dublin trails both Downingtown East (1260 power points) and Downingtown West (1230 power points).
“The good news is that Downingtown East plays Downingtown West this week. The ‘bad news’ is that the remaining game on the Upper Dublin SOL American Conference schedule is Upper Merion. Why? Upper Merion is a three-win Class AAA football team and not a huge harvest of power points.
“Stay tuned.”
SuburbanOneSports: Plymouth Whitemarsh is in a cluster of teams fighting for the final playoff spots in the PIAA District One Quad-A 16-team playoff field. What are the chances for the Colonials to get back into the playoffs after missing out last year?
Scott Huff: “Plymouth Whitemarsh - which has 1050 power points and is currently tied with Garnet Valley for the 14th place in the district - can only control winning its final game. And a win there against a three-win Class AA Springfield - might – or might not – be enough to get in the postseason.
“The jumble for the top 16 teams begins with 12th ranked Central Bucks East (1070) which will meet 4th ranked Quakertown (1120) at Quakertown. Council Rock North (1060) ranks 13th and will ‘host’ 17th ranked Council Rock South (1000). Garnet Valley (1050) is tied with PW in 14th place and will host 11th ranked Upper Darby (1070). Pennridge (1010) is currently ranked 16th and will play at winless Bensalem. And 18th ranked Neshaminy (990) plays @ 10th ranked Pennsbury (1080).
“Stay tuned.”
SuburbanOneSports: Upper Moreland is going to make the Class AAA field of eight teams, and Springfield is going to make the Class AA field of four teams. Where do the Golden Bears and Spartans stand right now?
Scott Huff: “Upper Moreland (1090) is currently ranked second in the Class AAA field – and a win this week over Quad-A Wissahickon (1-8) should allow the Bears to hold onto that spot. Springfield (91.25 average power points) is also ranked second in the Class AA field, but the Spartans are a long shot at best to close out the season with a win against Quad-A Plymouth Whitemarsh (7-2). A playoff date in the first round with Bristol (83.3 average power points) is a given in the first round – the site is to be determined. The Warriors close the season on the road against Class AA Lower Moreland (2-7).
“Stay tuned.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: “Who wins in the final week of the SOL American Conference season?
Scott Huff: How about / Upper Dublin 49 – Upper Merion 7/ Upper Moreland 42 – Wissahickon 13/” Plymouth Whitemarsh 45 – Springfield 14/ and Hatboro-Horsham 35 – Cheltenham 28/
*The opinions expressed in the Q&A above are not necessarily those of SuburbanOneSports.com.