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Back for its eighth season, the popular Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features Drew Markol, Todd Thorpe and Jen Wielgus. Markol is the football beat writer for the Intelligencer area while Thorpe is the Courier’s football beat writer. Wielgus is a video sports reporter for the Intelligencer and Courier. Markol and Wielgus are contributors on the weekly Game On show. 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 (http://www.theintell.com/sports/) and Courier Times (http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/) web sites.
Check out the picks by our panel of experts: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/football-forecaster
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn lost to Garnet Valley 36-35 in a game it appeared to have won. Your thoughts.
Drew Markol: “To me, that game is still a shock – that a North Penn team with 10 minutes left in the third quarter and a 28-point lead would lose. People have said to me that Dick Beck took his foot off the gas pedal, and he shouldn’t have done that. He took his foot off the gas against CB East a couple of weeks ago, and East 
came back, and North Penn had to put its starters back in. Deep down I don’t think it was North Penn taking its foot off the gas. I just think it’s a credit to Garnet Valley for continuing to play. Maybe when North Penn got the big lead, those kids thought, ‘Okay, we have this one in the bag,’ and they let up. Psychologically, when you’re up by that much, you’re saying, ‘This game’s over.’ It’s hard to believe that it happened. I don’t know what happened. I’m sure the North Penn folks are scratching their heads and wondering. That was just crazy.
“Look at Garnet Valley – they get to 35-34, and they go for two. You’ve got to love that a team would do that. Even if it doesn’t work, at least you went for the win. You said to yourself, ‘My kids are spent because of this comeback. Either we win or lose right here.’ Good job by Garnet Valley to do that, to say ‘We’re going to go for it. We’ve got momentum, and we’ll see what happens.’ That was really something. It’s a credit to them.
“That game to me is the biggest shocker, knowing how good of a coach Dick Beck is, and to see that one slip away is really something.”
Todd Thorpe: “That was shocking – to see a North Penn team lose a lead that way is really astounding. The only thing you could say is they played a legit playoff team, a team that is in the playoffs every year and has gone on runs before, a team that was playing at home and never stopped playing. Once you get momentum, all of a sudden a mistake can compound and you’re right there. I give them a lot of credit for going for the win at the end of the game. That takes a lot of guts with a third string quarterback, a sophomore. Give Garnet Valley a ton of credit for that. A lot of times in that scenario, especially if you’ve played a long game, you don’t want to give North Penn a chance to catch their breath and regroup for overtime. You want to go for the kill right there, and they did, and it worked out for them. That’s just an unbelievable comeback. It’s not something you normally see North Penn teams do. To me, ironically, that’s the only upset of the whole round in 6A. Even though Pennsbury and Pennridge won on the road against higher seeds, the top eight seeds have been random. It really didn’t matter who was seeded where – they’re all pretty good teams.”
Jen Wielgus: “North Penn really killed themselves. I had to go read as much as I could about that game because I was like, ‘What the heck happened?’ People were talking about North Penn at the game that I was at, saying, ‘North Penn’s up big.’ It’s 35-7, and if you think back to the beginning of the season, North Penn’s defense had its issues. They had some defensive meltdowns, but that wasn’t just defense. They turned the ball over. Garnet Valley has a third string sophomore quarterback playing. Obviously, they’re there for a reason. It’s not like they’re the Cinderella story of the world, but even the hometown beat writers that cover Garnet Valley were calling that a miracle game after they came back and won it - a 28-point deficit with a third string quarterback. They’re at home again this week, and who knows what kind of confidence you build when you’re able to knock off the defending district champion, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat as the old cliché goes.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Pennridge shut out Perk Valley for the second time this season and will now travel to Garnet Valley for Friday’s district semifinal. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “What must Pennridge be thinking? Psychologically, the edge they got with not having to play North Penn – they gave North Penn a good game during the regular season. It was 45-35, but they lost. People will tell you there’s not an intimidation factor with North Penn, and to that, I say, ‘Baloney.’ There is, but now if you’re Pennridge, you went and shut out the number two seed, a (Perk Valley) team that hadn’t lost since the beginning of the season. If you were at the game, after five minutes, you knew Perk Valley was not going to win that game. They couldn’t move the ball, and Pennridge was just gashing them with all the different running backs they have. I said to myself, ‘This game is over.’
“Now Pennridge finds out that North Penn is out. If you’re Pennridge, now you are truly playing with house money. Do any of these kids on Pennridge even know where Garnet Valley is? No. I barely do either, but that’s another story. So to them, that’s now a winnable game. Then you find yourself in a district final. It’s just crazy – the repercussions, but nice job by Pennridge to take care of the business that they had to take care of, and that’s just what they did.
“Pennridge’s middle linebacker, Nick Tarburton, played like the kid who’s going to Penn State on a football scholarship. He was dominant. He was far and away the best player on the field, and someone who’s going to Penn State should be. It seemed as though he made just about every tackle, and he makes punishing tackles.
“Now Pennridge is getting ready for the triple option from Garnet Valley, who’s having quarterback injury troubles, so who knows? It does seem to be lining up for Pennridge, but we’ll see.”
Todd Thorpe: “Pennridge is really playing well defensively. When you’ve got Nick Tarburton, anything can happen. He’s just so dominant against the run. I’m really anxious to see him against that triple option attack from Garnet Valley. That whole defense is just physical and rugged. They’re really a talented defense, and they’ve been getting enough offense to win games. They beat Perk Valley twice. I tell you one thing – Perk Valley is probably looking for a way to get Pennridge off their non-league schedule. Good for Pennridge, good for Jeff Hollenbach. To get to the district semifinals is a big deal.
“They play Garnet Valley now, and that’s not necessarily an unfavorable matchup for Pennridge with an experienced, physical defense against a running team. Put the helmet strap on and let’s go.”
Jen Wielgus: “Obviously, Pennridge’s defense has been tough all season. They’ve pitched two shutouts, but Garnet Valley – and I’m a cliché machine – is playing with house money. They’ve got to really love their position, a home game. I didn’t know who to pick in that game – I was really on the fence, but I’m not going to pick against Pennridge.
“Pennridge impressed me again last week shutting out Perk Valley. I did not think that was going to happen. I thought it would be a lot closer than that. You have to give Pennridge the benefit of the doubt in that one. They’ve absolutely got to love it that their nemesis got knocked out and they could potentially be playing for a district championship. Their side of the bracket already looked favorable, more or less, and that Thanksgiving game is looking as though it’s endangered to be a jayvee affair.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Pennsbury defeated Neshaminy in a rematch of the final game of the regular season. The Falcons will face Coatesville in a semifinal game. Your thoughts.
Todd Thorpe: “I described it in my story as the 2017 spread offense version of ground and pound. Pennsbury lined up in the shotgun like they were running the spread, and they had one back. Whether it was Nasan Robbins, the tailback, or the fullback, Andrew Basalyga, Zach Demarchis would just give the ball to those guys, and you could tell right on that first drive that they were saying, ‘We don’t think you can stop us up the middle.’ They never went away from that. They used Demarchis as a decoy, and it worked. Neshaminy never stopped them.
“Neshaminy, to their credit, had a couple big runs with Joel Stills, and they’re only down a point at halftime. You’re thinking, ‘Okay, this could be another wild one,’ and Pennsbury came out and completely dominated the second half. It was impressive. Not only offensively but defensively. Pennsbury’s got a very, very good defense. Their linebackers are good. Basalyga is good, Diante Wiggins is very, very good. Their D-line – at one point in that game, they sacked Neshaminy quarterback Brody McAndrew three consecutive plays in the fourth quarter. They’re tenacious. You talk about Pennridge being a physical team – Pennsbury is a physical team.
“I think Pennsbury is the most physical team Coatesville will play. I was just doing the numbers. Coatesville – since their only loss of the season to Cumberland Valley in week two – is averaging 49 points a game. They’ve only been held under 40 points once, and they’ve won all 10 games. Nobody has slowed them down. Pennsbury is the best defense they’re going to play, and I don’t know if Pennsbury can slow them down. They may score on Pennsbury. Teams like Abington and Truman have scored on them. This Coatesville team is geared to go. It is just a real contrast in styles. The funny thing is offensively they actually are pretty similar. They do run a spread, they both have left-handed quarterbacks who can run or pass. Pennsbury is very athletic, but Coatesville is ultra athletic. Coatesville has got everything. They’ve got the good quarterback, the good running back, two or three really good wide receivers, speed all over the field – even on the offensive and defensive lines. They’re just a dominant team. I thought they were probably the pre-tournament favorite, and I still go with them, but I give Pennsbury a fighter’s chance because of the defense that they’re going to bring to the table. All of a sudden, if that game’s in the 20s in the fourth quarter, who knows? You just don’t want this to be in the 50s. You talk about a team that averages 49 points a game, and they’re not playing slouches. They scored 61 points against Downingtown East last week, and that’s a rivalry game.
“I saw them against Truman, and it’s tough not to be impressed with them. It’s interesting – they were heavily penalized against Truman. I said, ‘You know what, that might come back and hurt them at some point.’ Last week, Pennsbury was heavily penalized against Neshaminy.’ Hopefully, penalties aren’t a big factor. The best news about this week is that the forecast is not nearly as cold as last week.”
Drew Markol: “The motivation in that one – not that it should really be a factor in the district quarterfinal between two rivals, but the motivation obviously lies with Pennsbury after what happened in the regular season. Pennsbury lost that game in the regular season on a last-minute trick play. The last thing they’re thinking is, ‘Oh, we’ll get another shot at them in two weeks.’ They don’t know that, but it turns out that way. If you’re Pennsbury, you’re thinking, ‘My god, we’re seniors, and we have a shot at redemption here.’ How rare is that? And they took advantage of it. They went back to their ground and pound days, and it worked. Good job by them.
“You get the last laugh against your rival, and now you have to play Coatesville. Okay, that’s not easy, but your defense is really good, so you give it a go.”
Jen Wielgus: “Honestly, it was so cold I wanted one team to take control of the game, and I wanted to get the heck out of there. You know what, I wasn’t the only one that wanted to get out of there because it was a mass exodus at halftime. There were so many people that could not handle the weather, but it was only a one-point game at halftime. To Neshaminy’s credit, they hung in there, but Pennsbury really established that run game from their very first possession, and they took care of the ball, and that really was the story of the game.
“I was talking to some people before the game, and they said, ‘It’s so cold out here. That ball is a rock, and there’s going to be turnovers tonight.’ Neshaminy made the turnovers, Pennsbury did not. Pennsbury took care of business. Neshaminy had a turnover on its opening possession, and that kind of takes away the home field advantage. (Neshaminy coach) Steve Wilmot said somewhere in the media that the first few minutes of the game were going to be key, and he was right because in the first few minutes you have a turnover by the home team that really needs to come out and make a statement. Instead, that kind of set the tone for the game, which was giving the ball back to Pennsbury, and Pennsbury made good use of every opportunity that was given to them.
“Andrew Basalyga was the breakout performer of the game because Nasan Robbins did in that game what he’s been doing all season long. With Basalyga and Robbins, you kind of have that thunder and lightening thing, going back to when Ron Dayne and Kiki Barber were playing for the Giants. Basalyga is a linebacker. He’s really good on defense. It’s not as though he did nothing for the team all season long and suddenly emerged. He was huge on Friday – he broke some really big runs and really opened things up because Zach Demarchis is a quarterback who can do everything, and when you have that other presence that’s a threat, that’s huge.
“With my frozen fingers at the end of the game, I tweeted ‘Pennsbury upsets top-seeded Neshaminy,’ and I had people complaining all night about the word upset. It’s not an insult at all. They’re saying, ‘Pennsbury’s the better team, so it wasn’t an upset.’ Well, if you look at the bracket and see the top seed is now gone and Coatesville will now have a home game, that’s what we mean by upset.
“I want to say congratulations to the Pennsbury coaching staff for engineering the turnaround they did this season because they did not make the playoffs last year, they got pretty much embarrassed by Neshaminy in that last game last year, and to play the way they have this year is impressive.
“Now Pennsbury has to go into the buzzsaw that is Coatesville. Coatesville is a juggernaut, and I really think they’re going to win the district championship, especially with North Penn out of it.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Upper Moreland saw its season end at the hands of Marple Newtown for the second time in as many years. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “Maybe Marple Newtown has their number, I don’t know. If you’re Upper Moreland, it’s really cool to be undefeated, but you can learn a lot from a loss. If you’re undefeated, you think, ‘Oh, this team beat us last year, but we’re better this year.’ I’m not saying that’s what happened, but you do wonder. You might take them a little lightly and you shouldn’t.
“I’m sure coach Adam Beach pounded in their heads, ‘Look, this team beat us last year. They’re not intimidated by us being undefeated.’ Maybe the kids nodded their heads, but did the message truly get through? I don’t know. Once you get out of the first round of districts, you’re down to the final eight in 6A and 5A. You can make it through the first round not playing well, but in the second round, all the teams are confident, and if you play poorly, you lose. That’s what happened to Upper Moreland.”
Todd Thorpe: “I feel bad – this was kind of Upper Moreland’s year. Everything was pointing towards them. That all being said, give Marple Newtown a lot of credit. They came to play. This is the playoffs, and the only teams playing here are good teams.
“When they decided to expand to six classifications a couple of years ago, a lot of the teams in the district – most of the teams from that side of the district – said how positive a move that would be because it would take the 400 and 500 enrollment schools out of the biggest classification. We really haven’t seen it affect the Suburban One League that much because besides Upper Dublin and Wissahickon, most of those teams are still 6A, but teams like Marple Newtown, Springfield-Delco and the West Chester schools – these are teams that are in a smaller classification now. This is more fair to them size-wise. The 5A tournament is very competitive. We don’t see it necessarily because we only have a couple of those teams, but when you’re talking Upper Moreland with a very, very good year at home loses to Marple Newtown, obviously, they’re playing pretty good football at the 5A level in that other part of the district and you still have Springfield-Delco.
“Garnet Valley’s only loss was to Springfield-Delco, and Springfield-Delco is the team to beat in the 5A tournament. How good are they if they can beat Garnet Valley, a team that just beat North Penn.”
Jen Wielgus “Upper Moreland losing to Marple Newtown - you’ve got to call that an upset. I was absolutely surprised. I thought Upper Moreland would be playing for a district championship. The American Conference was such a dogfight, and they came out the champion and undefeated. Hats off to them for having an amazing season. You get in the playoffs and you have ridiculously cold weather – you never know what’s going to happen. Good job by Marple Newtown. I don’t think anyone saw that coming.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Upper Dublin knocked off defending District One Class 5A champion Academy Park and advanced to the district semifinals where the Flying Cardinals will face top-seeded Springfield-Delco. Your thoughts.
Drew Markol: “Upper Dublin has a shot at tying for the SOL American Conference title but doesn’t get it, loses to Upper Moreland. Well, now they’re still alive. Again, they’re kind of getting the last laugh. They’re preparing for the district semifinal, and the goal of the Upper Moreland kids was to not play Hatboro-Horsham on Thanksgiving. It was ‘let’s make Hatboro practice and practice, and we’ll be in the district final, so they would practice for nothing.’ Well, that didn’t happen.
“Upper Dublin can say, ‘We didn’t get the American Conference title, but we’re in the district semifinal, which is pretty good stuff.’ Academy Park has a nice program. They’ve shown that over the years. We talked about this before- Upper Dublin is no longer a good team, they’re a good program. What do good programs do? They bounce back from defeats that cost them a shot at the league title and say, ‘Look, we have a second chance here in the playoffs. Let’s make the most of it.’ Well, what do they do? They went and did it, and now they’re still going. That’s pretty cool.
“Upper Moreland has to regroup and play a game that a lot of those kids probably didn’t think they’d be playing on Thanksgiving.”
Todd Thorpe: “Give Upper Dublin a ton of credit to win these two rounds. I give them a puncher’s chance going in against Springfield-Delco. They’re very well coached. This isn’t the Upper Dublin of 2014. We know they don’t have the 1AA quarterback or all the talent they had on that team, but it’s a good solid team that’s well coached, and they win the games they’re supposed to win. To go in and win two rounds in this tournament and now to have a puncher’s chance against the number one seed in the tournament, good for them, and who knows? I don’t think it’s out of the question that something strange could happen in this game. It’s too bad for Upper Moreland – you’d like to see if they could win this whole thing, but it’s a 16-team tournament, and it’s going to be a grind.”
Jen Wielgus: “I’m actually not surprised that Upper Dublin won. I wouldn’t be surprised by anything that an Upper Moreland or an Upper Dublin does in districts. I know the Suburban One bias comes out, but I saw Upper Dublin win a district title at the higher classification, and I know how good of a coach Bret Stover is and what kind of program they run over there. I would not be overly shocked if they won again.”