Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday night. CR South/Cheltenham photos provided courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography. CLICK HERE to go to the football gallery.
Stats used in the wraps are provided courtesy of the Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier Times. For complete high school football coverage, visit the web sites: http://www.theintell.com/sports and http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports.
https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f129542182
CHELTENHAM 36, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 13
Ryan Nase didn’t need any lengthy explanation when asked the story of Friday night’s big win. One name pretty much summed it up.
“TJ Harris,” the Panthers’ coach said of his senior standout.
Harris set the tone for a dazzling performance when he returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown, spotting the Panthers a lead they would not lose. By the time the night was finished, Harris had three touchdowns – one on the interception return, another on a punt return and a third on a TD reception. He also had a second interception.
“When they couldn’t stop him, we just gave the ball to Jamir Barnes,” Nase said. “Sometimes they make us look smarter than we are.
“At the same time, we have other guys. Siddiq Williams had a touchdown pass, and our defense played really well again. They had a shutout into the fourth quarter. Our defense has done a really good job with their triple option the last two years.”
Friday’s win came on the heels of the Panthers’ 20-0 shutout of the Golden Hawks in last year’s season opener.
This time around, Harris set the tone. The Panthers went on top 13-0 – a lead they took into halftime – when quarterback Adonis Hunter punched it in from a yard out.
In the third quarter, they tacked on 13 points. The first score came when Williams hauled in a 22-yard scoring pass from Hunter. Then it was Harris delighting the Panther faithful yet again with a 70-yard punt return that put the Panthers on top 26-0 head into the final quarter.
The Golden Hawks got on the board when Sal Mastromarco hauled in his first of two touchdown passes – this one from 24 yards out from Noah Caldani. Cheltenham’s Andrew Moreland split the uprights on a 27-yard field goal, and then it was Harris scoring on an 18-yard TD pass from Hunter to put the Panthers on top 36-7. Mastromato caught a Matt Striffolino TD pass to close out the scoring.
Nase lauded the play of his linebackers – Sam Sykes, Zach Gaffin and Jon-Marc Foreman.
“I thought they did a good job of staying home and keying on their reads with the triple option,” the Panthers’ coach said.
The Golden Hawks held a 247-203 edge in total yards, but the Panthers had the advantage the only place that mattered – the scoreboard.
Cheltenham (1-0) will travel to Frankford for a non-league game Thursday (7 p.m.), and Council Rock South (0-1) will host Central Bucks West on Friday (7 p.m.).
Cheltenham 6-7-13-10 36
Council Rock South 0-0-0-13 13
NORTH PENN 55, NESHAMINY 34
Khalani Eaton.
If fans didn’t know his name when they walked into Crawford Stadium Friday night, they certainly did when they left. The sophomore running back turned in an electrifying performance, finishing with 279 yards on 18 carries and scoring a pair of touchdowns.
The offensive line – with all new faces – was the big question mark on a Knight squad once again projected to be a district power. Fifty-five points and 549 total yards of offense – 402 on the ground - should alleviate those concerns somewhat.
The Knights’ line comprised of senior Nolan Verespy, junior John Derkits, senior Trey Evangelisto, junior Cam McQueen and sophomore Darren Miller as well as senior tight end Cory Keim more than held their own, wearing down the Redskins’ inexperienced defense with 28 second-half points after lighting up the scoreboard with 27 first-half points – 20 in the second quarter.
Senior quarterback Kolby Barrow was solid in his debut behind center for the Knights, throwing for 147 yards and a touchdown and running for 41 more.
The teams exchanged touchdowns in the opening quarter with Chris James – who had 130 yards on the ground – taking it in from 12 yards out and Evan Spann answering with an 11-yard run to knot the score.
Spann broke the 7-7 tie with a five-yard touchdown run with 4:38 remaining in the half. It marked the beginning of a wild stretch that saw the two teams combine for five scores.
For the Knights, who led 27-20 at the intermission, Kenny Grandy created some magic of his own, scoring twice – the first on a 69-yard strike from Barrow and the second on a 99-yard kick-off return. Brody McAndrew threw for a pair of Neshaminy TDs – a 40-yard touchdown to Ian Sheehan and a 27-yard touchdown pass to Mason Demi.
With 8:37 remaining in the third quarter, RJ Macnamara scored his first of two touchdowns, taking it in from six yards out to put the Knights on top 33-20. The Redskins would pull to within one score but would get no closer.
McAndrew and Sheehan turned in stellar performances of their own for the Redskins. McAndrew finished the night with 264 yards and three touchdowns with Sheehan on the receiving end of 216 yards and two touchdowns.
“We have four new starters in the secondary,” coach Dick Beck told WNPV’s Daryle Dobos in a postgame interview. “Kids need to understand the coverages and be able to change on the fly.
“If you get a good quarterback like this guy was and they had a nice receiver – they just kept throwing the ball deep to him. We have to tighten that up, we can’t let that happen, but I think helping us a little bit was the pass rush in the second half and stopping the running back (James) was a key part. Plus being able to score every time we got the ball was a huge plus.”
North Penn (1-0) will host La Salle in another marquee showdown on Friday at 7 p.m. Neshaminy (0-1) will host Pennridge on Friday at 7 p.m.
Neshaminy 7-13-7-7 34
North Penn 7-20-13-15 55
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 42, WILLIAM TENNENT 20
Wins haven’t come easily for the Colonials the past two seasons. Since capturing a share of the SOL American title in 2016, they won just one game in each of the last two seasons.
The Colonials are looking to turn things around this season, and as beginnings go, they’re off to a good start.
“This was absolutely huge, especially coming off our last two years we’ve struggled,” PW coach Dan Chang said. “These guys have been working so hard. It’s just been counting down their minutes until their opportunity.
“I’m just so proud of them for how they came out, executed and played together. I’m very happy with that.”
The Colonials scored early and often, putting 14 points on the board in the opening quarter. Phil Taormina scored from four yards out, and Brian Dresnin took it in from five yards out. Nick Choi – six-for-six on PATs – tacked on the extra points.
Tennent got on the scoreboard with a touchdown of its own when Thomas Santiago punched it in from two yards out, but senior quarterback Larry McLaughlin found Christian Pierce with back-to-back touchdown passes – the first from 24 yards out to send the Colonials into halftime with a 21-6 lead.
“It starts with our quarterback,” Chang said. “He’s the ringmaster of the offense. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for one, but more importantly, he puts us in the right spots and the right place.
“Christian Pierce caught a couple of touchdown passes. I think he’s pretty dangerous in space one-on-one. Our workhorse tonight was really Brian Dresnin at fullback.”
PW went on top 28-6 when McLaughlin hit Pierce with a 10-yard TD pass before Santiago scored his second TD to make it a 28-12 game. McLaughlin took it in from 15 yards out, and Dresin scored for the second time to put the Colonials on top 42-12 before quarterback Matthew Miller found Fernando Delgado for a TD to close out the scoring.
“It was great seeing the kids get their payoff for how hard they worked and how well they executed,” Chang said. “I think that was the best part – watching those guys really have fun on a Friday night again.”
Dresin led all ground gainers with 192 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
“He was carrying the ball a lot, and he’s tough,” Chang said. “He just pounds the ball inside, runs hard. He’s very reliable with the ball in his hands.”
Also earning accolades from the Colonials’ coach were players whose names won’t show up in the box score.
“Our offensive line as a whole played really well tonight,” Chang said. “William Tennent brings a lot of pressure, and they kept their cool, led by our seniors – Tim McNally, Jake Davis and Zach Davis. I thought they did a really good being physical and being smart.”
Jake Davis also was a force on the defensive side of the ball.
“I thought he was really good,” Chang said. “I thought our linebackers – Zach Trioli, Nate Kern, Danny Hannon, Mike Paciello – did a really nice job.
“Our corners – Vinnie Gillespie and Josh Lynch - played well on the outside limiting any big plays.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-0) will host Methacton on Friday (7 p.m.), and William Tennent (0-1) will host the Academy at Palumbo on Friday (7 p.m.).
Plymouth Whitemarsh 14-7-7-14 42
William Tennent 0-6-6-8 20
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 31, HATBORO-HORSHAM 17
The Hatters battled the Bucks to a 10-10 halftime tie, but a 55-yard kickoff return by Nick Olear to open the third quarter set up a two-yard touchdown run by Nick Tumolo. The Bucks had a lead they would not lose.
“That put us in a position to be able to capitalize on the big play and really start the half off on the right foot,” coach Rob Rowan said of Olear’s kick-off return. “That was huge.
“There were so many big momentum swinging plays in this game, and that’s kind of expected in the first week when you only have one scrimmage, and you’re still trying to tighten things up. That return was huge.”
Early on, it was the Hatters taking a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter when Colin O’Sullivan found Chrishon Avery with an eight-yard touchdown pass. A Bailey Moyer 21-yard field goal made it a 7-3 game, and the Bucks led 10-7 when Nick Tumulo scored on a four-yard run. In the final minute of the half, the Hatters had a first-and-goal on the Bucks’ five-yard line. They were forced to settle for a 21-yard Michael Brown field goal that knotted the score at halftime.
The second half belonged to the Bucks, who followed Tumolo’s go-ahead TD with an 18-yard yard touchdown run by Jack Neri on a quarterback keeper. The Hatters made it a one-possession game when O’Sullivan delivered his second TD pass of the game, this one to freshman Nyfise McIntyre.
Twenty-one seconds later, West’s Jack Fallon broke a 64-yard touchdown run to all but seal the Hatters’ fate.
Fallon was a workhorse for the Bucks, finishing with 128 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
“Nobody wants it more than he does,” Rowan said. “He takes so much pride in his work ethic and his preparation. He’s just a tremendous human being to have around. He’s just a great kid.
“I think in the second half the offensive line finally got going. The first half we came out a little hesitant, and I think they finally got going.”
Comprising the Bucks’ offensive line were right tackle Ryan McKenna, right guard Jackson Spradlin, center Michael Cuozzo, left guard Drew Weisman and left tackle Will Russell.
One of the game’s unsung heroes was soccer standout Bailey Moyer, who was a perfect 4-for-4 on extra points and also had a 21-yard field goal, but it was even more than that.
“Two touchdown-saving tackles, 4-for-4 on extra points and a field goal – in my opinion, he changed the dynamic of the game with his play,” Rowan said. “It was a tremendous effort from him. He’s a really good soccer player, so for him to throw himself out here like this – we’re just appreciative of him and his efforts.”
Rowan also lauded the play of cornerback Cole Young.
“He had a huge interception down there at the goal line,” Rowan said of a pick by the junior DB with the Bucks holding a 17-10 lead in the third quarter. “He was on a spot start today and wasn’t really anticipating playing.
“We had a couple of injuries, and I thought he played tremendous. He came up and made some really big hits.”
The Bucks coach also credited the play of defensive end Joe Trimbur.
“He played a really good game,” Rowan said. “We ask him to do a lot, and he showed up.
“Any win in this league is a great win, every game is competitive. They were an extremely well-coached team, which we knew coming in. To be able to start the season off 1-0 is tremendous. They’re going to be a good team, they’re going to win a lot of games.”
Central Bucks West (1-0) will be on the road at Council Rock South next Friday (7 p.m.), and Hatboro-Horsham (0-1) will host Central Bucks East on Friday at 7 p.m.
Central Bucks West 0-10-7-14 31
Hatboro-Horsham 0-10-0-7 17
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 27, QUAKERTOWN 13
Anthony Giordano and Will Silverman had some kind of connection going in Friday’s opener. The junior quarterback and junior wide receiver hooked up six times for 219 yards and three touchdowns. All told, Giordano threw for 330 yards and three TDs.
“We got a fast start,” Donnelly said. “We threw the ball well tonight. We thought we could get some matchups that were favorable and we did.”
In a preview of things to come, Gioardano found Silverman with a 71-yard scoring strike to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead after one quarter. A 24-yard field goal by Michael Smigley put the Patriots on top 10-0, but the Panthers made it a 10-6 game after Tyler Merwarth punched it in from one yard out. East took that four-point lead into halftime.
Another Smigley field goal – this one from 38 yards – and a Giordano to Silverman 15-yard TD strike put the Panthers on top 20-6. Josh McGovern scored from a yard out for Quakertown, but Giordano answered with his third TD pass to Silverman – this one for 68 yards.
The Patriots amassed close to 500 yards of total offense.
“I thought Andrew Cassidy played well on both sides of the football,” Donnelly said of his outside linebacker/tight end. “Pat Volko ran very hard tonight as did Drew Nimmo. I thought those guys did a really nice job in the run game.”
Volko and Nimmo combined for 125 yards with Nimmo accounting for 65 of those.
“We ran the ball well at times,” Donnelly said. “We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds – a lot of penalties, things we have to clean up.
“We dropped two pick six that would have been game changers too. We had four trips to the red zone and we came away with two field goals. We had another one where we had a bobbled snap on a field goal attempt. We have to get better in the red zone.
“Overall, it was a really, really good team win. Last year we lost a close one against Quakertown. Their kids always play very tough, and it was good to come out on the right end of it tonight.”
Merwarth ran for 67 yards to lead the Panthers. He threw for 53 more.
Central Bucks East (1-0) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham next Friday (7 p.m.), and Quakertown (0-1) will host Souderton on Friday at 7 p.m.
Central Bucks East 7-3-10-7 27
Quakertown 0-6-0-7 13
BENSALEM 16, FRANKFORD 13
The Owls are three-for-three when it comes to fantastic finishes in their openers against Frankford. On the heels of last year’s miraculous 28-27 win over the Pioneers in a game the Owls trailed by nine with 5:20 remaining, Bensalem did it again.
This time it was sophomore Cotrell Gilyard pulling a rabbit out of his hat for the Owls when he raced 17 yards for the go-ahead score with 30 seconds remaining.
“I don’t know – we were talking about it,” Bensalem coach Ed Cubbage said. “It’s our third year in a row playing Frankford in our first game, and all three games kind of ended the same way.
“We’ve been very fortunate to come out on top against a tough Frankford team all three years. We just got a little bit lucky I guess. That’s been our MO for whatever reason our last few years. We don’t do anything easy. We find ourselves in a hole, but we’ve been resilient enough to fight back We were able to hang around long enough, and we hit a couple of big plays and got a score at the end.”
The game was actually far from over after Gilyard’s TD run as the Pioneers came within a yard of winning it. The game ended with the ball on the Owls’ one-yard line.
“We got called for pass interference which moved the ball to the 15,” Cubbage said. “There were six seconds left, and their quarterback dropped back. We got pressure on him, and he took off running and got all the way down to the one and they were out of timeouts.
“That’s how it ended. I wasn’t sure from my angle – I saw all the Frankford kids jumping up and down, so I wasn’t sure if he scored or not. I saw the referee put his hand up, blow the whistle and signal the game was over, and they spotted the ball on the one-year line. I didn’t know until the referee put his hand up in the air and blew the whistle that we won.”
The win loomed large for an inexperienced Owls’ squad that received contributions from some new faces.
“What was crazy was – between offense and defense, we started eight sophomores today on both sides, so we had a lot of young guys on the field,” Cubbage said. “We had a couple of seniors who were real big for us today who had never played high school football until today.”
Two of those players came up huge.
“Justin Johnson played both sides of the ball on both offense and defense,” Cubbage said of the senior wide receiver/defensive back. “He had (82) yards receiving. Today was his very first varsity football game. He had not played high school football at all until this point. He also had an interception on defense. He did a great job.
“Kyle Houghton never played football in his life. He decided to try it as a senior. He had an interception for us today. He plays linebacker and wide receiver.”
Also coming up big was quarterback Richard Bardone, who raced 65 yards for a touchdown on the opening play of the game. He finished the game with 141 rushing yards.
“He had a heck of a day,” Cubbage said. “He’s a senior. He played before and was a jack-of-all trades.”
The Pioneers returned the Owls’ ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. It was that kind of game, but the Owls were resilient.
“The make-up of our team this year – we’re very, very young so it’s real important for the seniors we do have to teach that to these younger kids, and today was a great example of it,” Cubbage said.
Bensalem (1-0) will host Mastbaum in a non-league game Friday at 7 p.m.
Bensalem 6-0-3-7 16
Frankford 6-0-7-0 13
SOUDERTON 31, POTTSGROVE 18
The Indians took a 17-0 lead into halftime and never looked back on their way to a convincing win over the Falcons. They led 31-10 before their visitors scored a touchdown with one second remaining in the game.
“I thought we played a really solid first half,” coach Ed Gallagher said. “We came out and scored to go up 24-0 at one point.
“It was a pretty convincing win. I felt really good about the way our kids played and very optimistic moving forward.”
The Indians – who boast talent and depth at the skill positions – received contributions from numerous players. Nick Guthre had a big game on both sides of the ball, coming up with an interception as well as a 48-yard touchdown run. William Leyland nailed a 45-yard field goal in the first half. DeAndre Wakefield had a two-yard touchdown run and also a 55-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Andrew Vince. Ethan Smerecki also had a 23-yard reception from Vince, who had a pair of TD tosses.
“Andrew had a big game – I would guess he had close to 200 yards passing,” Gallagher said. “DeAndre had two touchdowns, but they really bottled him up running the ball. They were trying to key on him, so it opened things up for a lot of other guys, who I thought did a nice job.
“Nick Guthre had some good runs, including the last touchdown run that iced it. Jalen White really ran the ball well for us tonight. Ethan Smerecki and DeAndre Wakefield both had receiving touchdowns, so we had a pretty good mix of our skill guys touching the ball. We executed – not perfect – but pretty well.
“Pottsgrove is a very solid program, a proud program. They were 12-2 last year, so it’s a great start. I know they were missing their best lineman, which was unfortunate, but I’ll take it. We played pretty sound football for four quarters. I’ll definitely take the first win, and we’re already talking about Quakertown.”
Souderton (1-0) will travel to Quakertown for a non-league game Friday (7 p.m.).
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 34, SPRING-FORD 24
(Statistics provided by Rob Senior/PA Prep Live: http://papreplive.com/football/2019/08/23/central-bucks-south-turns-tables-on-spring-ford/ )
What a difference a year makes.
Last year, the Titans didn’t score their first points of the season until their third game. In Friday’s opener, they needed just over two minutes to get on the board when quarterback Josh Consoletti found Sean Smith with a 14-yard touchdown pass. The drive also included a 48-yard strike from Consoletti to Smith. They proved to be an all but unstoppable duo.
Consoletti finished with 268 yards and four touchdowns with Smith accounting for 208 yards and four TDs.
“We say all the time – playmakers have to make plays, and Josh Consoletti made plays with his arms and with his feet,” coach Tom Hetrick said. “Sean Smith was lights out, he was just unbelievable.
“Offensively, the playmakers made plays, and we just kept pushing it and pushing it. When you’re the underdogs and nobody is expecting it, you just have to pin your ears back – call the play and just execute the play. Spring-Ford is a heck of a football team, and we were able to do that.”
The Rams pulled to within 6-3 at the end of one quarter. A Consoletti to Cole Andrewlevich TD pass put the Titans on top 13-3. The Rams rallied to take a 13-10 lead late in the half, but with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter, Consoletti found Smith for his second touchdown, sending the Titans into halftime with a 20-17 lead.
Spring-Ford went back on top 24-20 in the third quarter and took that lead into the final frame. Another Consoletti to Smith TD pass gave the Titans a lead they would not lose with just over eight minutes remaining.
“We came out a little bit dead in the third quarter and had two three-and-outs,” Hetrick said. “Consoletti with his scrambling ability and being able to extend plays and find receivers – we had some receivers who were pretty savvy to find space when he was out of the pocket, and they just made plays. We all of a sudden started to score again.”
A botched punt set up the fourth Consoletti to Smith touchdown of the night. The big win was in the books.
“Defensively, we did what we needed to do,” Hetrick said. “When you’re up 10 with four minutes left in the game – it wasn’t necessarily a situation where it’s like, ‘Oh god, I hope we can hold on.’
“They kept making plays when they needed to make plays against a very good quarterback with a lot of weapons. They just kept fighting against a great team. I’m just so proud. It’s just a cool way to start the season.”
The Titans’ coach lauded the play of some of his team’s unsung heroes.
“Mike McCuen is one of our (defensive) tackles, and I think he was pressuring the quarterback a lot tonight,” Hetrick said. “Cole Andrewlevich is our safety, and he had a great game defensively.
“Our corners – Sean Smith and Chris Moore – were isolated every once in while against some good receivers. They’re throwing fade balls, and more often than not, we won the battle. When you’re going against a good quarterback and good receivers, you just hope that’s the case, and tonight they made plays. They made it hard for them.”
The win loomed large for a Titan squad with inexperience on both sides of the ball.
“Everybody had question marks over their heads,” Hetrick said. “We believed in them, and I think they believe in themselves, but it’s one of those things where at the start of the year you literally have no idea what kind of team you’re going to be when you don’t have a lot of guys that have been through the battles.
“These guys just battled. They absolutely battled.”
Central Bucks South (1-0) will host Downingtown West on Friday at 7 p.m.
PENNRIDGE 13, DELAWARE VALLEY 0
The Rams threw some serious defense at a Warriors squad that is coming off back-to-back PIAA state tournament appearances.
“A two-and-a-half-hour trip definitely feels better after a win,” coach Cody Muller said. “Overall, it was just a team effort.
“Our guys were prepared, they were confident, and they executed what we were trying to get throughout the whole week. They got the job done.”
There were contributors galore on the defensive side of the football for the Rams.
“You always have to start with Shane Hartzell,” Muller said of his all-everything linebacker. “He was all over the field tonight. He did a great job.
“Our D-line – Jack Ferguson and Travis Washington – a lot of guys contributed on that front seven. The whole defense – Austin Swartley, Joe Muntz, Jack Garner, CJ Shoemake, Steven George and Jake Tarburton.”
Taj Utsey scored the only touchdown the Rams would need in the second quarter, capping a long drive with a short TD run that sent Pennridge into halftime with a 6-0 lead.
In the third quarter, quarterback Bobby Croyle found Connor Pleibel with a long touchdown strike. That 13-0 lead stood until the final horn.
Pennridge (1-0) will be on the road at Neshaminy next Friday (7 p.m.).
Pennridge 0-6-7-0 13
Delaware Valley 0-0-0-0 0
UPPER DUBLIN 28, NORRISTOWN 13
Amazing what a 20-minute break can do.
The Flying Cardinals were clinging to an 8-0 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter of Friday’s opener when the lights went out in Cardinal Stadium. When the lights came back on 20 minutes later, the Cardinals scored 20 straight points to seize control of the game before the visiting Eagles scored 13 late points against the UD reserves.
“Somehow that woke us up,” coach Bret Stover said. “It was 8-0 at the half, and we had a touchdown called back.
“We’re young. Everyone says – ‘You’re good because you have (Mike) Slivka.’ Well, he can’t do it all. He needs help. We only bring back two starters on offense, and he’s one of them.”
Slivka certainly did his part – throwing for a pair of touchdowns and taking it in himself for two others. His first – an 18-yard TD pass to John Kohlbrenner – sent the Cardinals into halftime with an 8-0 lead. His second – a 10-yard slant to senior Bazel Brady – put the Cardinals on top 28-0 in the fourth quarter. He also punched it in from one yard out twice on quarterback sneaks.
“We have to do a better job protecting him because there were some other throws that could have been there if we had a little more time,” Stover said. “Bazel Brady is a basketball player who’s playing football for the first time. He had a nice catch over the middle on a slant.
“Jacob Rothman ran the ball really well for us at fullback, and Jacob Gondek also ran the ball well. We ran the ball really well in spots.”
Sophomore Khalif Kemp had a big game on the defensive side of the ball, coming up with an interception and delivering a fourth down sack.
“(Brian) McCarry had a touchdown interception called back (because of a penalty), so we should have had another touchdown,” Stover said. “Our first touchdown was actually called back, so we left points on the field.”
Friday’s showing, according to Stover, was a marked improvement from the team’s outing against Souderton in last week’s scrimmage.
“We got our butts handed to us by Souderton,” Stover said. “We basically challenged our kids – ‘Hey look, we’re at rock bottom. We have only one way to go,’ and we got better this week.
“We’re still not good, but we got better, which is what we asked the kids to do. That’s all part of the buy-in – get better every week. We don’t need to peak week one, we need to peak towards the end of the year when it’s important. That’s what we asked them to do, and that’s what they did, so I give my kids credit for that.
“We’re playing a lot of underclassmen. We’ve got sophomores on the field and juniors with a handful of kids that played last year trying to carry them along. We got better.”
Upper Dublin (1-0) will host Central in a non-league game Thursday (7 p.m.).
Norristown 0-0-0-13 13
Upper Dublin 8-0-7-13 28
HARRY S TRUMAN 29, OLNEY 8
The Tigers found themselves on the short end of an 8-7 score at the end of the first quarter. The final three quarters belonged to the Tigers, who scored 14 unanswered points in the second quarter to go into halftime on top 21-8. They outscored their visitors 22-0 over the final three frames, giving coach Ben Johnson a win in his debut at the helm.
Dajuan Harris and Terrence Rogers combined for close to 150 yards on the ground with Rogers – who had 61 yards – scoring three touchdowns. Harris had 82 yards and a TD.
Quarterbacks David Wilson and Terrell Delp combined for 134 passing yards. Jordan Fant was their favorite target, leading the Tigers with four catches for 81 yards.
Harry S Truman (1-0) will host Spring-Ford in a non-league game Friday (7 p.m.).
UPPER MORELAND 21, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0
Byron Hopkins and Jahaire Johnson were all but unstoppable on offense, and the Golden Bears defense was impenetrable, limiting the visiting Lions to just four first downs and less than 100 yards of total offense.
Hopkins connected on this first of three touchdown passes on the night in the first quarter, finding TJ Troxell from 27 yards out. Nick Prisco’s first of three PATs gave UM a 7-0 lead. The Golden Bears took that one-touchdown lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, Hopkins twice connected with Johnson – the first for a 97-yard touchdown and the second from 33 yards out for the 21-0 final.
Hopkins threw for 265 yards – 206 of those to Johnson. Cameryn Jackson surpassed the 100-yard mark on the ground as the Golden Bears accumulated close to 400 yards of total offense.
Upper Moreland (1-0) will travel to Pottstown for a non-league game Friday (7 p.m.).
New Hope-Solebury 0-0-0-0 0
Upper Moreland 7-0-14-0 21
KENSINGTON 34, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 28
The Spartans opened up a 14-0 lead only to watch Kensington reel off 28 unanswered points. Although the Spartans rallied to knot the score 28-28 at the end of three quarters, they could not get over the hump as their visitors scored a fourth quarter touch down to eke out the non-league win.
Things looked promising after quarterback Gabe Franczyck threw a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes – the first a 27-yarder to Cam Dennis and the second from two yards out to Keith Grantland. Evan Hincapie converted the point-after on both, and the Spartans led 14-0.
Kensington trimmed that lead to 14-8 after one quarter and then scored 20 straight points in the second quarter before Franczyck found Grantland with a 49-yard touchdown pass. His pass to Sean Plumley for the two-point conversion pulled the Spartans within eight at halftime, 28-20.
Springfield Township evened the score in the third quarter when Dennis hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass. Franczyck hooked up with Grantland for the successful two-point conversion, and the two teams were deadlocked heading into the final quarter. Kensington put up the lone points of the fourth quarter.
Springfield Township (0-1) will host Edison High School/Fareira Skills next Friday at 1 p.m.
Kensington 8-20-0-6 34
Springfield Township 14-6-8-0 28
WEST CHESTER EAST 41, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 7
Neither team scored in the first quarter, but the rest of the game belonged to the host Vikings, who scored 41 points over the final three quarters.
Council Rock North (0-1) will travel to Wissahickon for a non-league game on Friday (7 p.m.).
PENNCREST 16, WISSAHICKON 10
Jalen Small scored a rushing touchdown with 4:36 remaining in the opening half, breaking a scoreless tie. The Trojans’ lead turned out to be short lived as Penncrest closed out the half with 10 unanswered points.
Penncrest added a touchdown with four minutes remaining in the third quarter to go on top 16-7. The Trojans tacked on a field goal but would get no closer.
Wissahickon (0-1) will host Council Rock North Friday in a non-league game (7 p.m.).
ACADEMY PARK 13, PENNSBURY 0
The Falcons never could find their offensive stride, managing just less than 100 yards of offense in the first half while Academy Park – which led 13-0 – had 200 yards.
In the second half, the Falcons were moving the ball when quarterback Drew Hensor was forced to leave the game with an injury. The drive stalled, and although the Falcons’ veteran quarterback returned, Pennsbury never could get anything going.
Pennsbury (0-1) will host Penn Wood in a non-league game on Friday at 7 p.m.
NORTHEAST 34, ABINGTON 13
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