By Scott Huff
‘There’s no place like home.’
Dorothy (Wizard of Oz)
Cheltenham will host Academy Park for the PIAA Class 5A District One championship game on Friday – November 22, 2019 - at 7 pm.
The No. 1 seeded Panthers will be playing their seventh home game in the last eight weeks. And they were unbeaten in all six prior home contests that included three impressive victories in the playoffs.
The successful playoff run included a first-round rout of No. 16 Springfield-Delco (41-7), a quarterfinal victory over No.9 Unionville (35-21) and a 42-20 win over No. 4 Kennett last week.
Ironically, the only loss for Cheltenham during the entire 2019 season came in a 19-7 home loss to neighborhood rival – and 6A opponent – Abington.
The Ghosts finished the season as the Suburban One League National Conference champion and a No. 6 seed in the PIAA District One 5A playoffs.
The career journey for the Panther seniors has been an emotional one. The graduating class went from a disappointing 2-8 season as sophomores - to a respectable 7-3 season as juniors. And after a 9-1 regular season, along with three straight wins in the postseason, the 12-1 Panthers are now playing for a district title.
The last hope for a SOL team in the 2019 postseason will come as the Panthers will defend their precious home turf.
The Suburban One League hopes that an extremely hungry Cheltenham will still devour some tasty home cooking and claim a district championship.
PIAA DISTRICT ONE CLASS 5 A FINALS
No. 3 ACADEMY PARK KNIGHTS (11-2) @ CHELTENHAM PANTHERS (12-1)
FRIDAY – 7 PM
Last Week:
Academy Park advanced to the PIAA 5A championship game with a 21-20 victory over No. 7 West Chester Rustin. The Knights received another terrific game from quarterback Barry Brown. Brown passed for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns and also rushed for 108 yards.
Cheltenham advanced to the PIAA 5A championship game with a 42-20 victory over No. 4 Kennett. The Panthers received an outstanding game from quarterback Adonis Hunter who rushed for 3 touchdowns, while Nate Edwards scored on a fake punt play & on an interception return for a score.
Season Resume:
Academy Park was the co-champion of the Delaware Valley League.
Cheltenham was the champion of the Suburban One League American Conference.
Offense/Defense Point Per Game:
Academy Park has scored an average of 26.8 points per game. The Knights have allowed 14.9 points per game.
Cheltenham has scored an average of 35.9 points per game. The Panthers have allowed 14.7 points per game.
Signature Wins:
Academy Park has collected signature wins over No. 16 (6A) Pennsbury (13-0), No. 6 Penn Wood (21-6), No. 13 Chichester (48-20), No. 14 Oxford (26-0), No. 6 Penn Wood (8-6) & No. 7 West Chester Rustin (21-20).
Cheltenham has collected signature wins over No. 10 Upper Dublin (41-7), No. 11 (6A) Plymouth Whitemarsh (28-24), No. 16 Springfield-Delco (41-7), No. 9 Unionville (35-21) & No. 4 Kennett (42-20).
Losses:
Academy Park has lost games to (6A) Martinsburg (45-8) & (6A) Chester (18-14).
Cheltenham lost its only game of the season to No. 6 (6A) Abington (19-7).
Winner Gets:
The winner of the Cheltenham/Academy Park game will become the PIAA Class 5A District One champion and will play the winner of the Class 5A District 3 title game between Cedar Cliff and Cocalico in the state semifinals.
Bet the over…
No. 1 Downingtown West will host two-time defending champion No. 7 Coatesville in the PIAA District One Class 6A championship game.
The scoreboard has been exploding for both the Whippet & Red Raider offenses during the playoffs. Downingtown West has averaged a staggering 50.7 (not a typo) points per game in the playoffs. The Whippets raced to victories over No. 16 Pennsbury (63-35), No. 9 North Penn (40-31) & No. 12 Haverford (49-42).
Coatesville has averaged a staggering 46.0 (not a typo) points per game in the playoffs. The Red Raiders bludgeoned No. 10 Souderton (49-18), No. 2 Central Bucks West (42-7) & No. 3 Great Valley (48-27).
And it’s not like the Downingtown West and Coatesville defenses have been outstanding. The Whippets have allowed 36.0 points per game in the playoffs, while the Red Raiders have allowed 23.0 points per game in the postseason.
The all Ches-Mont National Conference final should be an exciting, high scoring, championship game.
Stay tuned!
Turkey Day Menu
The players and coaches from Pennridge, Quakertown, Hatboro-Horsham & Upper Moreland have been starving for some football action.
It has been 34 long days between games for the Rams, Panthers, & Hatters. The regular season ended for those three teams on Oct. 25 with the final game of the season on Thanksgiving morning.
It has been a 20 day wait for the Golden Bears. Upper Moreland lost in the semifinals of the PIAA Class 4A playoffs on Nov. 8.
The first game of the season was played way back on August 23 – two weeks before most schools opened. That’s 104 days between the first game being played and the last game.
Ouch!
Thanksgiving rivalry games are slowly dwindling in the area due to the length of the season and the gap between the regular season and Thanksgiving morning.
The good old days – and it really was the good old days – featured Turkey Day games between Central Bucks East and Central Bucks West @ War Memorial Field – often with titles on the line.
And there were other fiercely contested neighborhood rivalries on Thanksgiving – Cheltenham/Abington – Upper Dublin/Wissahickon – to name a few.
But those good old days for the most part are gone. The spirited pep rallies, the bonfires, and the community pride on Thanksgiving Day is slowly evaporating.
And that – in my humble opinion – is not a good thing.
QUAKERTOWN PANTHERS (3-7) @ PENNRIDGE RAMS (2-8)
THANKSGIVING MORNING 10:15 AM
PENNRIDGE LEADS SERIES 56-28-3
Last Thanksgiving Day win
Quakertown defeated Pennridge 28-21 in 2015.
Pennridge defeated Quakertown 37-6 in 2018.
Last 2019 Win:
Quakertown won its last game on October 4, 2019 when the Panthers edged Upper Dublin 14-13.
Pennridge won its last game on October 18, 2019 when the Rams defeated Harry S Truman 21-14.
Common Opponents:
Quakertown lost Central Bucks East (27-13), Souderton (24-10) & Central Bucks West (35-7).
Pennridge lost to Central Bucks East (28-6), Souderton (24-21) & Central Bucks West (35-0).
Offense/Defense Points Per Game
Quakertown has scored an average of 20.2 points per game. The Panthers have allowed 25.9 points per game.
Pennridge has scored an average of 11.7 points per game. The Rams have allowed 23.9 points per game.
Players To Watch:
Quakertown quarterback Will Steich has completed 96 passes for 1242 yards and 8 touchdowns. Tyler Merwarth is the leading rusher with 339 yards and 4 scores, while Ben Kave is the leading receiver with 520 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Pennridge quarterback Bobby Croyle has completed 76 passes for 865 yards and 7 touchdowns. Taj Utsey is the leading rusher with 465 yards and 2 scores, while Elias Dantzler is the leading receiver with 380 yards and 2 touchdowns.
HATBORO-HORSHAM HATTERS (1-8) @ UPPER MORELAND BEARS (6-6)
THANKSGIVING MORING 10:30 AM
HATBORO-HORSHAM LEADS SERIES 54-27-5
Last Thanksgiving Day win
Hatboro-Horsham defeated Upper Moreland 28-12 in 2018.
Upper Moreland defeated Hatboro-Horsham 34-19 in 2014.
Last 2019 Win:
Hatboro-Horsham won its last game on October 18, 2019 when the Hatters topped Quakertown 49-24.
Upper Moreland won its last game on November 2, 2019 when the Golden Bears defeated Springfield Township 37-14.
Regular Season Game:
Hatboro-Horsham lost its regular season game to Upper Moreland 38-26. Colin O’Sullivan completed 18 passes for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Hatters. Zehier Cheeze caught 7 passes for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns in the loss.
Upper Moreland won its regular season game against Hatboro-Horsham 38-26. TJ Troxell caught 2 touchdown passes from Byron Hopkins and also returned a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown. In addition to his 2 touchdown strikes, Hopkins rushed for a game-high 136 yards.
Offense/Defense Points Per Game
Hatboro-Horsham has scored an average of 21.4 points per game. The Hatters have allowed 38.2 points per game.
Upper Moreland has scored an average of 18.5 points per game. The Golden Bears have allowed 18.7 points per game.
Players To Watch:
Hatboro-Horsham quarterback Colin O’Sullivan has completed 98 passes for 1316 yards and 13 touchdowns. Jordan Collazo is the leading rusher with 488 yards and 5 touchdowns, while Christian Avery has caught 35 passes for 526 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Upper Moreland quarterback Byron Hopkins is both the leading passer and the leading rusher for the Golden Bears. Anthony Broderick is also a rushing threat, while the duo of Jahire Johnson and TJ Troxell lead the Purple & Gold receivers.
FOOTBALL FORECAST
PIAA CLASS 5A DISTRICT ONE CHAMPIONSHIP
CHELTENHAM PANTHERS 35 – ACADEMY PARK KNIGHTS 21
PIAA CLASS 6A DISTRICT ONE CHAMPIONSHIP
COATESVILLE RED RAIDERS 42 – DOWNINGTOWN WEST WHIPPETS 35
THANKSGIVING DAY
PENNRIDGE RAMS 21 – QUAKERTOWN PANTHERS 13
UPPER MORELAND GOLDEN BEARS 35 – HATBORO-HORSHAM HATTERS 21
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