Don Leypoldt

To Run in the November 1^stBucks County Herald

The Lions stay at the top of the food chain.

With Friday night’s no doubt 47-0 win at Morrisville, the New Hope-Solebury Lions (8-2, 5-0 BAL) clinched their third straight Bicentennial League title.  NH-S’ offense showed exceptional balance, gaining 205 yards in the air and 174 on the ground.

Morrisville (3-6, 1-3 BAL) had three three-and-outs and suffered a Mike Richards interception in their first eleven offensive plays.  The Lions first five drives ended in touchdowns.  Patrick Cooney’s 40-yard catch set up Patrick Tangradi’s nine-yard touchdown.

“It was a play action.  Phil (Weinseimer) carried out the fake well and the corner came down for run support,” Cooney described.  “I was wide open and (Phil) looked my way.”

John Flavin’s beautiful 33-yard grab at the pylon made it 14-0.

“The line held up forever and I just kept running,” Flavin said.  “The safety just came down and I was wide open.  Phil put it in a perfect spot and I scored.”

Cooney added a 20 yard touchdown reception while a Tom Raupp two yard run put the Lions up 27-0 early in the second quarter.

Cooney collected 54 yards on a screen pass, setting up Tim Leonard’s three-yard scoring run with 2:35 remaining.  It put NH-S up 34-0 at halftime.

“The screen was a well designed play,” said Cooney, who caught four passes for 122 yards. “The linemen got out and got on men.  I found the hole.”

The Lions started that drive after Leonard broke up a fourth-and-goal pass to end a Morrisville scoring threat.

“We were doing a rotation with the DBs tonight, so we were al fresh,” said Leonard, who ran for 69 yards on seven carries while adding an interception.  “It was a team effort.”

Michael Borys scored on an impressive 40-yard broken field run early in the third quarter. Leonard’s lunch pail six yard burrow capped the scoring.

A big lead “actually gets harder for us,” explained Lion head coach Jim DiTulio.  “That is where coaching comes in.  We want to sub guys but at the same time, we don’t want it to be a circus out there.  We want to put our young kids in good positions.”

Quarterback Weinseimer completed 10 of 15 passes, going over 100 completions and 1,400 passing yards on the season.

“The line has been really solid this year,” Cooney credited.  “It’s one of the best lines in the area and that gives Phil, who is a good young quarterback, time to throw.”

“Usually in New Hope it’s been a one receiver thing but this year, it’s everyone,” added Flavin, who caught three balls for 42 yards.  “Cooney has the most yards and touchdowns but everyone is contributing.”

Morrisville drove inside the NH-S five once in each half.  Bulldog quarterback Felix Feliciano was stopped at the Lion 1 on the game’s last play.

Morrisville moved the ball in Feliciano’s first series under center, but the Lions adjusted. “The first drive was not the quarterback we expected,” Leonard added.  “When (Feliciano) came in, he is who we studied on film.  We were ready to play.”

Friday night marked the 17^thstraight Bicentennial win for the Lions. They will likely travel to Royersford on Friday as the three seed in AAA District One playoffs.  Their foe, #2 Pope John Paul II, won at New Hope 39-27 on week two.

Tough upcoming game aside, the Lions could still celebrate another conference title on Friday.  “Winning the League title again is always one of our goals.  It’s always nice,” DiTulio reminded, “but it’s only one of our goals.”

To run in the October 25^thBucks County Herald

Harry S. Truman’s Morgan Stadium is Mr. Rodgers’ neighborhood.

Truman’s Terrence Rodgers rushed for 189 yards and two scores on Friday night as the hosts downed Pennridge 42-20.  The junior headlined a 358 rushing yard game from the Tigers.

“Things we went over in practice and talked to the kids about,” mused Pennridge coach Cody Muller, “we did right one play and then we weren’t playing gap responsibilities the next and they’d make a big play out of it.  Not to take any credit away from them.  Truman (8-1) has a heck of a team.  But we need to be better.”

The Tigers scored on the game’s opening drive and gave it right back on their next possession. Ram standout linebacker Shane Hartzell picked off Dylan Snelling’s pass and returned it 35 yards for a score to knot the game at 7.

“The quarterback dropped back, I saw the receiver coming across and I just jumped it,” Hartzell described.

Truman’s misdirections stymied Pennridge and the Tigers rattled off consecutive scoring drives of 61 and 78 yards.  Rodgers’ 16-yard touchdown run made the game 21-7.

Zak Kantor’s 43 yard pass to Cole Urich set up Ryan Garner’s four yard touchdown run two plays later.  Pennridge had momentum until FBS recruit Javeer Peterson intercepted a Kantor offering and returned it 57 yards to the Rams’ 14.  Truman scored three plays later, and took a 35-14 lead into halftime when Snelling hit Jahni Coleman on a 40 yard bomb.

Rodgers capped Truman’s scoring on the Tigers’ first second half play, racing 50 yards for a score.  Kantor connected with Connor Pleibel on a two-yard scoring toss with 7:51 remaining in the game. It capped a balanced 12 play, 70 yard drive.

Enzo Paulson added two touchdown runs for Truman, currently ranked fifth in the District One power rankings.  Deondre Winton picked up 87 rushing yards on just eight touches.  The win marked the sixth time in nine games that Truman scored at least 35 points.

Kantor completed 13 passes for 147 yards.  He connected with Pleibel five times for 55 yards.  While run yards were hard to come by, Kantor did not get sacked once in his 32 pass attempts.

Hartzell, who also averaged 37 yards on four punts, distinguished himself with ten solo tackles and seven assisted.  The Ram defense, anchored by linemen Austin Bishop and Phil Long, racked up seven tackles for loss.  Safety Cooper Chaikin killed two Truman drives with interceptions.

The Rams (4-5) brought a three game win streak into Bristol.  Their defense allowed just 37 points in their three victories against CB West, CB South and William Tennent

“I thought we were playing altogether.  We had eleven hats on the ball at all times.  Tonight, we just didn’t get that done,” Hartzell said.

Pennridge closes with a critical conference game at CB East (5-4) this Saturday.  The Rams are 18^thin the District One power rankings while the host Patriots are 16^th.  The winner likely clinches a last playoff spot.

Muller had a tough start to his coaching career as Pennridge opened 1-4.  Yet the postseason remains a possibility in the final week of regular season play.  “Kids buying in,” is how Muller credited the turnaround.  “A lot of teams start out 1-4 and a lot of people tank.  These kids are built a little differently and it’s why I love being here.”

“They fight,” Muller responded when asked what he wants to characterize his team.  “I tell these kids all of the time that you’re going to hit adversity some times.  Don’t look around and point fingers but attack it head on.  We’re getting there and it’s coming.”

To run in the September 27^thBucks County Herald

New Hope-Solebury completely controlled Friday night’s 48-6 Bicentennial League tilt with Valley Forge Military Academy…

As soon as both the offense and defense took their mulligan.

The Lion offense started with a three-and-out while the defense allowed a 44-yard Elliott Calloway touchdown run on VFMA’s (1-3, 1-1 BAL) opening drive.

But once Topher Taylor blocked the point after try, it was all NH-S.  The Trojans racked up just 82 yards the rest of the game. The Lions (3-2, 2-0 BAL) posted 12 tackles for loss, led by Taylor’s 4.5.

“The line as a whole was really quick off of the ball,” said senior lineman Charles Bray. “I think that opened a lot for us, to get by them, make the tackles and get guys in the backfield.”

“It was a wakeup call,” added linebacker Michael Borys.  “We beat them in the past and were expecting another win.  We put all of our might into it and stopped them for the rest of the game.”

“We wanted to come out and throw the football.  We have a quarterback who can throw and slant, and we have four or five receivers who can catch,” explained Lions coach Jim DiTulio.  “On film, they play a 50 front and they have some nice size so we wanted to establish the passing game and soften them up a bit. Something went wrong on that first series, but we made some adjustments and moved forward.”

The Lion offense responded with 48 unanswered points.  Borys returned the VFMA kickoff 34 yards; Tim Leonard scored on a five-yard run four plays later.

“It was a short kick.  I got to run up on it with full momentum.  I cut across the field and there was a lot of green grass and good blocking,” offered Borys who ran for 105 yards and made seven tackles.

A muffed punt gave the Lions outstanding field position.  Quarterback Phil Weinseimer raced 20 yards on a one play touchdown drive that put NH-S up 13-6 late in the first quarter.

Leonard scored from eight yards out, and Tom Raupp’s one-yard plunge give the hosts a 27-6 halftime lead.  Both drives were helped by nifty Borys runs; Borys needed only five carries to become the first Lion rusher with a 100 yard game in 2018.

A pride of Lions picked up 299 yards on the ground on just 26 carries.  “Tom is definitely the power back,” Borys said. “I’m more of an outside runner. Tim is a great player.  Same with Joey (Capriotti) and (Joey) Gegeckas.  All of those running backs are great players.”

“Raupp is a really hard runner.  With our heavy package, he always goes up the middle for good, strong runs,” Leonard offered. “Borys is a bit quicker than me so in the sweeps, he can really get out there.  I can get up the middle or do some outside.  I really like the system we have.  It gives us a nice break on offense since we all start on defense.”

Leonard and Raupp added short touchdown runs in the third period.  “All credit to the linemen,” Leonard deflected.  “They had some great drives down in the red zone.  It was really nice having the guys up front doing the blocking.”

“It was my right guard Zach (Griffiths) and me pulling around the edge with the tackle and guard on the left side locking it down and creating a wide open lane for Tim to run,” Bray added.

Capriotti’s 19-yard scamper closed the scoring.

Delco Christian’s season forfeiture forced the Lions to have an early Senior Night on week five.

In a word, NH-S has dominated the Bicentennial.  They have won 14 conference games in a row, with an average victory margin of 31 points.

A balanced offense and strong defense indicate that BAL success can continue in 2018.

Next Friday, the Lions travel to Jenkintown, followed by that unplanned bye week.

“Every game we come into, we try and set goals,” DiTulio concluded.  “The last two games we turned the ball over twice.  Good teams don’t do that.  We worked on that because that will kill you, especially as you get towards the end of the season and possibly playoffs.  We didn’t turn it over tonight.”

To run in the September 6^thBucks County Herald

Rob Rowan accurately summarized last Friday night.

“When you commit two turnovers, your odds of winning a football game goes down,” mused the first year CB West coach.  “It’s as simple as that.”

His Bucks outgained visiting CR South by nearly 100 yards.  But costly mistakes led to the Golden Hawks coming out of Doylestown with a 10-7 overtime win.

West had two interceptions to South’s zero.  Both hurt.  Matt Checchia snagged a pass that bounced off of a West receiver at the Hawks’ 10, killing a Bucks drive in the red zone.  Checchia struck again in West’s opening second half drive, returning an interception nearly 50 yards to the Bucks’ 26.  Chase Patterson plunged into the end zone from the one seven plays later.

“The only score of the game that we gave up was on a big, big turnover,” Rowan reminded.  “Our defense played pretty strong all night but at some point when you turn the ball over, especially inside your red zone, it’s going to come back and get you.”

Special teams also had breakdowns.  West had a field goal opportunity late in the fourth quarter and another in overtime.  The first kick- a potential game winner- was blocked.  The second was never attempted because of an errant snap.  When South kicker Adam Keylin hit a 20-yard field goal to win it, it caused Buck fans to wonder ‘what if?’

“We just didn’t execute.  We need to play better,” West’s Jake Ojert said simply.

“I think we were prepared, but we didn’t execute this week,” added Connor Levant.

Ojert had a tackle for loss and a drive ending tackle among his six stops.  Levant had important two third down quarterback hurries while adding 59 yards on six touches on offense.

For the second straight week, West’s defense played exceptionally.  West opened the season by shutting out Hatboro-Horsham 21-0 while limiting the Hatters to just 129 yards.  The Bucks held CR South to just 212 total yards, workhorse Patterson got over half of them- 117-on 26 tough carries.

“Sound fundamentals,” Rowan credited the defense.  “We communicate and make sure our eyes are in the right place and then obviously, physicality.  I’m proud of the way the guys played tonight, but we didn’t execute in crucial moments and they did.”

“I think everyone gives everything we got,” Ojert added, “repping in practice and giving 100% on every play.”

West scored with 9:38 left in the fourth, when Jack Neri found tight end Luke Benson for a four yard touchdown.  It capped a 12 play, 73 yard drive, highlighted when Levant converted a check down pass on fourth-and-two.  Garrett Hitchens, who led West with 87 yards on 12 carries, got 27 of them on a nifty run to open the drive.

On West’s final drive in regulation, Levant carried a huge pile of players during a 19 yard run.  “It comes down to everyone doing their part to make it happen,” Levant pointed out.  “Just because I ran the ball, I had a good line and a good push so it’s a nice team effort there.”

Friday’s match featured one of the few Bucks County games to pair off two Power 5 signees.  Syracuse-bound Benson, who caught four balls and rang up six tackles, is scheduled to face CR South tight end and Virginia Tech-commit Nick Gallo again in 2021 when the Orange to go Blacksburg.

Both West quarterbacks- Neri and Gavin Grondahl, completed five of their eight pass attempts.  “They both have special skill sets,” Rowan said.  “Obviously we try to craft game plans that put both guys in the right situations to make plays.  They both do really, really good things and we’ll continue to build off of that.

The Bucks will travel to Quakertown next Friday while the Golden Hawks host CB South.  “Coach says that the big thing we follow is to go 1-0 every day and every week,” Levant stated.  “We only focus on the upcoming game.”  CB West will have no problems shifting focus to a Panther team that has impressed in their first two wins.

To run in the November 23^rd Bucks County Herald

Triple option teams aren’t known for their “quick strike” capabilities.

But the host #3 Garnet Valley Jaguars hung 21 points in a 4:42 span early in the third quarter. The Jaguars held on to defeat #7 Pennridge 28-20 in Friday night’s District One 6A semifinal.

“That’s a great team,” praised Pennridge coach Jeff Hollenbach. “They are big, strong and tough to stop with that offense.”

The Jaguars (12-1) advance to host #4 Coatesville next Friday for the District One championship. Pennridge (10-3) is the third SOL Continental team that Garnet Valley beat in District play. Friday marked the Rams’ fifth District semi-final.

Pennridge attempted to replicate the triple option in practice but the Rams’ JV is not the same as Garnet Valley’s varsity. “With their speed and size,” Hollenback pointed out, “it’s a whole different ball game. I am totally proud of how my players played. We gave an incredible effort. Except for a couple of plays, it could be a whole different game.”

“We expected this,” said linebacker and running back Evan Exner. “We studied this whole entire offense. If I had to change one thing, it would be to fill the holes better.”

The Jags struck first on Cade Brennan’s 12-yard scoop and score after the defensive end recovered a Pennridge fumble. The Rams forced a punt and turned in a 16 play, 71-yard drive keyed when two Zak Kantor to Joey Devine receptions converted two third-and-longs.

“The quarterbacks and receivers are pretty comfortable with the cold,” Hollenbach said. “They have some secondary guys who shut us out at times but Zak found some open guys and Joey Devine had another good game.”

Kantor’s quarterback sneak tied it at 7 early in the second quarter.

Randy Bahnmueller recovered a Garnet Valley fumble on the Jaguars’ ensuing drive. Pennridge moved 58 yards on nine rushes with Kyle Schetter scoring on a five-yard touchdown. The Pennridge defense swallowed Garnet Valley quarterback Ryan Gallagher at the Ram four to end the half.

The Jaguars posted three 40+ yard plays in barely six minutes. Matt Lassik’s double dive resulted in a 40-yard touchdown run on the half’s fifth play. Ram punter Oliver Jervis pinned Garnet Valley deep after a Pennridge three-and-out but Danny Guy fielded the kick, raced across field, found the seal and took it 90 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 Garnet Valley lead.

After another Ram three-and-out, Lassik scored on a three-yard run, two plays after a 55-yard rush.

“Instead of using a football, we used a tennis ball so you couldn’t see it,” said Ram safety Cooper Chaikin on prepping for Garnet Valley’s option. “Every man had to wrap their guy. We did our best. There is nothing to cry about. We played for our brothers and balled out today.”

Chaikin cut the lead to 28-20 with his 30-yard touchdown reception at the game’s 2:00 mark. “It was hard to enough to learn safety as a sophomore to be honest,” Chaikin said, “so I hadn’t played offense much. We had to make a big play.” Garnet Valley recovered the onside kick attempt.

“A big part was Ryan Rapp getting hurt,” said Exner, who ran for 45 yards on five carries. “And not having Nick hurt us. But we gave everything we had.”

Defensive tackle Rapp, hurt in the second quarter, was a key loss to the Rams. Pennridge was also forced to play without star linebacker Nick Tarburton, although Shane Hartzell – just a freshman – filled in admirably. “Shane played a whale of a game,” Hollenbach commended.

The Pennridge defense posted consecutive shutouts to start District play, and was only responsible for 14 points on Friday. “We’re a family,” Exner declared. “We work together and worked really hard to get up here. I wouldn’t want to play for any other team.”

Chaikin did not play until week eight but had five interceptions in his five games. “It was great to come back,” he said. “I love the sport of football and when I wasn’t playing, it was almost like I was depressed. They’re my brothers: We do it as a team.”

Lassik’s 168 yards paced all players while Guy added 136 yards on 25 carries. Ryan Garner’s 80 yards on 17 carries led Pennridge. Kantor completed 12 of 19 passes for 140 yards. Devine’s six grabs for 68 yards led the Rams while Chaikin caught three balls for 47 yards. Garnet Valley outgained Pennridge by just 34 yards: 365 to 331.

The salve of Turkey Bowl soothed the sting of the loss. Pennridge can close their season with a win in the 88^th edition of their Thanksgiving rivalry with Quakertown (7-3). Pennridge shutout Quakertown 24-0 in the first round of District playoffs.

“For most playoff teams, they lose this and their done,” Hollenbach said. “For us to have another game is an awesome thing.”

To Run in the November 16^th Bucks County Herald

It was a fatal five minutes on a frozen Friday field.

Midway through the second quarter of a scoreless game, the #2 New Hope-Solebury Lions (9-2) advanced to the Conwell Egan-37. Although the #3 Eagles had the poorer seed in Friday night’s first round District 1/12 3A playoff game, Conwell Egan (5-6) handily gave the Lions their only loss in Week One.

But a Topher Taylor punt block and a Patrick Cooney interception snuffed out two Eagle drives. Momentum had swung the Lions’ way.

Then the fatal five. CEC recovered a Lion fumble and Terome Mitchell scored from the Lion-10 three plays later. CEC forced a three-and-out and on their first offensive series play, quarterback Alex Goldsby raced 48 yards to pay dirt on an option keeper. CEC recovered a muffed kickoff, and Patrick Garwo rushed 17 yards for a score.

A close game in a bitterly cold night- the halftime temperature was 26 degrees- quickly became a 21-0 CEC intermission lead.

“We were playing inspired football. We played the type of football that I know our team can play,” noted New Hope-Solebury head coach Jim DiTulio. “Unfortunately, those last four and half minutes were a blur because they scored 21 points. 14 of them were off turnovers. You can’t do that.

“They knew our plays so we were trying to run different stuff against them,” said Morgan Shadle, who rushed for ten touchdowns this year. “In the first quarter, we had them and we played well but then we made mistakes and the last six minutes killed us. I think we otherwise played a great game but those mistakes killed us.”

It was 28-0 after an opening NHS three-and-out was followed by Goldsby’s 13-yard score. The Lions then went “heavy”, using a full house backfield.

“Our kids went into halftime and re-grouped. We went into our heavy package and had success running the ball,” DiTulio said. “That was important to us: to continue to go out and fight. I give our kids credit. They never quit and I am extremely proud of them for what they put in.”

“It’s getting more bodies at the point of attack,” explained guard-turned-fullback John Mangan. “I’m not a fullback but I’m the size of a fullback so I get to light somebody up and they run off me! It was a great job by Jesse (Capriotti) and everyone else. I love this team and they played their hearts out.”

“They were stacking the box so it was good going heavy,” Shadle added. “All of our guys were being physical and getting on a block. With Jesse’s speed and our good blockers, he could get by them every time.”

Capriotti rushed 16 yards for a touchdown to trim the lead to 28-6. CEC’s DaJuan Harris responded immediately with a 52-yard score, but the Lions counterattacked, marching 52 yards in 11 plays. Mangan burrowed into the end zone from the two and Shadle added the conversion on a Statue of Liberty play.

Mitchell’s 50-yard punt return with 8:30 left ended the scoring. CEC advances to play the winner of Saturday’s Lansdale Catholic-School of the Future game.

Garwo, the Philadelphia Catholic League Blue Division MVP and FBS recruit, ran for 92 yards on 11 carries. Goalsby added 86 yards on eight totes. “The plan was to contain them and hit them hard early,” Mangan explained. “I thought we did early. (Garwo’s) talent shines eventually and shout out to them: they played a great game.”

The weather did not let New Hope-Solebury showcase it’s sophisticated passing game, thought to be an advantage over CEC, who plays in the run heavy Catholic League.

“We put a lot of tweaks in. We have an audible system in place to try and outman them. We put in a lot of gadget plays which unfortunately, we weren’t able to use because of the tempo of the game. We tightened a lot of things up defensively. I thought we played pretty well in the first half. We got beat deep on a couple of plays where Garwo just burned us. And we struggle with the triple option,” DiTulio commented.

Capriotti’s 190 yards on 30 carries led all players. He ends a brilliant New Hope-Solebury season as their all-time leading rusher, having racked up over 2,400 yards in 2017.

“His heart,” Mangan credited. “His last couple of runs, you think he is down in the backfield and he is breaking off in the sideline gaining another five yards. It’s unbelievable.”

The game wraps up the second straight season where New Hope-Solebury ran the table in the Bicentennial League and their third straight with at least nine wins. NHS has not lost to a public school since 2014. Every win in 2017 was by 21 or more points.

“It’s a bunch of factors,” Mangan felt. “We’re a heck of a team on offense and our defense played very well. Our leadership with Jesse and (quarterback) Nick Garritano was great. I think we’ll have time to reflect on what we did wrong, and come back next year.”

“Our expectations are higher now,” Shadle feels. “Now, we’re known for winning the BAL but I feel we need to win Districts. Jesse came in last year behind Brendan (Shadle) and Jack (McKenna) so he didn’t get a chance. I think that inspired him. I think we knew coming in that we were going to have a good season with Jesse’s speed, losing only one starter on the line and having a four year starter in Nick.”

“What you see right here: a lot of guys are shedding tears because of everything they put into this program since late January. You see the hugging and everyone is crying because they know we put our heart and soul into it and that’s why we’ve been successful,” DiTulio pointed out. “There is nothing to hang their head over. And I’m proud that all of these kids are from New Hope.”

Week 12 Summary

Friday was a rematch and virtual identical result of Week 3 where Pennridge (10-2) pasted Perkiomen Valley (10-2) 29-0. The #7 Rams pitched another shutout, a 25-0 beat down of the #2 Vikings in the second round of 6A District One playoffs. It is Pennridge’s second straight playoff shutout. Ryan Garner ran for 105 yards on 18 carries. Pennridge travels to #3 Garnet Valley (11-1), who shocked #6 North Penn 36-35 after trailing by 21. South Hunterdon (2-8) ended their season with a 52-21 Thursday loss to Palmyra (5-4) in an NJSIAA Regional Crossover game. The Eagles closed the year winning two of their final five games after a sluggish start to 2017.

To run in the November 9^th Bucks County Herald

Special teams can win- or lose- games when teams are evenly matched.

Halfway through the second quarter of a defensive stalemate against visiting #10 Quakertown on Friday night, Pennridge’s Oliver Jervis blocked a punt and returned it to the Panther-15.

“We practiced that all week,” said the 6’6” Jervis. “We knew they punted a little funny. We worked on my coming off of the edge and driving them back.”

“When you have a 6’6” kid, I think everyone can figure that out!” chuckled Pennridge coach Jeff Hollenbach. “We’re trying to get Oliver to do some things in the punt game.”

Three plays later, Kyle Schetter pounded it into the end zone, giving the #7 Rams a 6-0 lead. Pennridge (9-2) pulled away to top their ancient rival 24-0 in the first round of District One AAAAAA playoff action.

“We made too many mistakes against a quality team who didn’t make mistakes, and they were able to capitalize,” said Quakertown coach George Banas. “I thought our defense played very well. We just needed to find a way to punch it in.”

Pennridge blocked a second punt and started their next drive at the Panther-17. Christian Morano wrapped up Schetter for a first down loss and the Panther defense turned away Pennridge on fourth down.

But poor field position- Quakertown (8-2) started three drives inside their 7- plagued the Panthers. Pennridge tightened the screws after halftime and yielded just 38 total second half yards.

“We had a lot of checks going into the game and we kind of faded away from that,” Jervis explained. “We went back to our normal defense.”

Fullback Nick Tarburton’s 23-yard rumble keyed Pennridge’s opening second half drive that ended on a Zak Kantor 20-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Chaikin. Pennridge recovered a muffed kickoff- a big special teams play- and Kantor found Joey Devine on a 41-yard bomb. Tarburton scored from five yards out and in 20 seconds, the Rams increased their lead to 18-0.

“I saw the receivers beating them deep so I put the ball out there,” Kantor said. “They made some really good plays and the line gave me enough time to do it. It was a called play with some options, but we felt confident out receivers would get open.”

Schetter’s 14 yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter ended the scoring.

The Rams rushed for 348 yards on 54 carries, yet no run went for longer than 31. Tarburton’s 111 yards on 14 carries led all rushers; Schetter added 97 on 15 totes. Evan Exner ran for 66 yards on eight carries, emblematic of Pennridge’s running back by committee. Josh Pinkney leads the team in rushing yet both Schletter and Ryan Garner trail him by less than 45 yards.

“It’s great,” Kantor noted. “It keeps defenses on their toes because they don’t know what to expect. We have some speed and some power. They’re all good backs.”

Friday marked the seventh time this season that Pennridge yielded a dozen or fewer points. “Cooper Chaikin coming in at safety,” explained Hollenbach. “You wouldn’t expect a sophomore secondary guy to make that difference but we’ve had 12 interceptions in three games and Cooper is a big part of our coverage. The defensive front can create issues and now the quarterback has to make a quick decision, and the secondary has been capitalizing on that.”

Kantor had insights into Pennridge’s current six game win streak. “The defense is doing a great job and on offense, everyone is doing their job,” said the quarterback.

Christian Patrick led Quakertown with 84 yards on 15 carries. Patrick needs just 56 yards to reach 1,000 for the season.

He’ll get the chance. These teams meet again in less than three weeks for the 88^th edition of the Thanksgiving game. Despite the rivalry, both coaches felt their teams were on an even keel entering Friday.

“I think we were locked in,” Banas felt. “I’m ecstatic that we’ve made District playoffs three of four years.”

The Rams’ playoff journey continues on Friday when they travel to #2 Perkiomen Valley (10-1). Pennridge handed the Vikings their only loss, a 29-0 throttling, in Week Three.

“Our team has a vision,” Jervis concluded. “We want to go one at a time. If we get too high heads, we’ll do something stupid. So we just kept it level. Now it’s on to next week.”

To Run in the November 2^nd Bucks County Herald

Palisades’ 33-6 home Friday night rout of Saucon Valley added so many points to the Pirates’ glittering 2017 resume.

The win gave Palisades (10-0) a perfect regular season. It clinched their first outright Colonial League football championship as well as the number one seed in the District 11 AAA playoffs.

It marked a win on Senior Night…against the defending League champions. And it was the first time since 2009 that the Pirates could hoist the Bicentennial Trophy, given to the winner of the Palisades-Saucon Valley series.

“It’s a lot to process right now,” said running back Jared Colletti. “We had never beaten Saucon in my career. It’s great to go 10-0 but also to beat teams that have beaten us before. I remember when they came down here two years ago and demolished us.”

“It’s their work ethic,” credited Palisades coach Kevin Ronalds. “They’re very talented but their day to day work ethic…they don’t have let downs. We don’t have to motivate them.”

Ronalds’ business as usual approach last week paid enormous dividends. “We practiced this week the same as last week and the same as the week before,” Ronalds continued. “It’s amazing. It could have been (emotional) but it really wasn’t. Some people could easily get distracted because of what was at stake. They didn’t.”

“We were definitely a little bit ahead of ourselves,” admitted linebacker and fullback Kyler Newton. “It was a big week for us. We had never been in this position but we got used to it, got ready and we won.”

Colletti and fellow tailback Trey Gretzinger both ran for over 100 yards and both scored a pair of touchdowns. Colletti’s 25-yard field goal late in the first quarter put Palisades up 3-0. Quarterback Ethan Brader keyed the 57-yard drive when he bootlegged and found tight end Andrew Nickles for a 26-yard completion on 4^th and seven.

Gretzinger’s 27-yard scissors play touchdown made the game 9-0 with 1:11 elapsed in the second quarter. The drive was set up by the Pirate defense forcing a second straight three-and-out.

“We try to fly around,” said Newton, who had six tackles. “We want to be the most physical team on the field. That’s what we did.”

“We dominated the O-line completely,” said defensive lineman Michael Parciak, who had 3 ½ tackles for loss or no gain. “We put in the work in the offseason. I don’t know if anyone in the League works harder than us. We got there quick and handled business.”

The Palisades defense’s only blemish came with 2:24 left in the half. Saucon Valley (6-4) dual-threat quarterback Alstan Wolfe scored on a two-yard run. But Palisades swatted away the point after attempt, Matt McGrath returned the kickoff to the Panther-49 and Brader promptly hit Colletti on a touchdown bomb. Palisades led 16-6 at halftime.

“The bomb right after they scored was big,” said Colletti. “Their spirits were up so it’s always nice to score right after they score. It was a check play. Ethan saw the one-on-one coverage and knew that we could beat them deep.”

Colletti struck again with a 50-yard touchdown scamper on Palisades’ second play of the second half. “There was a hole and Wolfe, who is a great safety, came down to make the play,” Colletti recalled. “I was able to jump cut right and go out left and I was open. Pat Lodwig laid a nice block down the field.”

Colletti’s 20-yard field goal made the game 26-6. Gretzinger’s 23-yard touchdown dash with 9:46 left in the game capped the scoring.

“We got off to a little slow start but we tried to pound the ball,” offered Newton, who carried four times for 23 yards. “That’s our way of playing football.” Gretzinger’s 143 yards on 14 carries paced Palisades. Colletti added 168 yards on 18 touches.

Brader efficiently completed five of eight passes for 120 yards. “We threw on purpose the last few weeks to work at it,” Ronalds said. “The O line had some protection issues that they’ve worked hard on. Ethan and the receivers have worked hard making a connection.”

On the other side of the ball, a Panther team that averaged over 300 rushing yards a game was limited to just 109.

“From the get go, we decided we were going to give everything,” Parciak stated.

Wolfe’s 51 yards on 16 carries led the Panthers. He is closing in on throwing for 1,000 yards to match the 1,000+ he already has on the ground.

If there was just one downside to the celebration at Rohrer Stadium, it was the absence of Tom Poynton. The beloved Palisades assistant coach unexpectedly passed away in the summer of 2016, but references to “TP” saturated the field.

“We dedicated this whole season to him. That man gave everything to this team,” Parciak concluded. “I’m so happy. My senior year, I got to give it to him and I couldn’t be happier.”

To Run in the October 26^th Bucks County Herald

Devine Intervention.

Pennridge wide out Joe Devine’s fourth down, 19-yard touchdown reception put the host Rams up 14-0 against CB South. It was the eventual winning score in the Rams’ 21-7 win.

More importantly, Devine picked off a Titan pass on the game’s third play. Pennridge snagged five interceptions Friday night- a huge turnaround for a defense that gave up significant passing yards to William Tennent the week before.

“My coaches were on me all week and I was on me all week,” Devine admitted. “The whole backfield knew we had to step up. We had hours of 7-on-7 getting the scheme right. We came out tonight and performed. I’m proud of my guys.”

“I have total respect for what South does and the athletes they have so I’m really pleased we’re sitting with the win,” added Ram coach Jeff Hollenbach, who chalked up the plethora of picks to “player’s heart. We’ve seen a lot of offenses already and the kids were determined to win this game.”

After the Devine pick, Pennridge star Nick Tarburton caught a batted 4^th and eight pass for eight yards and an inch, giving the Rams new life. The Rams capped their nine play, 50-yard drive with a Ryan Garner 13 yard touchdown juke.

“It was very well blocked,” said Garner, whose 118 yards on 17 carries led all rushers. “I saw a lane outside, a read, and I took it.”

South (6-3, 3-2 SOL Continental) punted and Pennridge (7-2, 4-1 Continental) moved 80 yards in 13 plays. Devine’s touchdown catch capped the drive.

“He was giving me the inside and I made a move,” Devine described. “(Quarterback) Zak (Kantor) put it on the money like he does and I came down with it.”

“Zak made some great decisions,” Hollenbach commended. “The touchdown pass with Joey: we had trips formation on the right and good patterns there. I said on the sideline that we might get single coverage with Joey on the post. (Zak) went right to it, took it and made a great play.”

“I have to give credit to (South’s) Matt Morris and Noah Collachi,” said starting right tackle Stephen Dadio. “They’re both great players. Our backs made great plays. Sometimes we had nothing but our backs took it into something.

“The second half didn’t work as well; they brought more guys. But in the first half we were aggressive,” Dadio concluded, “and hit harder than them.”

After a Titan three-and-out, the Ram offense refused to leave the playing field. Kyle Schetter’s one-yard touchdown was the fifth third down that Pennridge converted on their 15 play, 61 yard drive. Pennridge took a 21-0 lead with 4:06 left in the half.

And with that, the offenses were done for the night. South scored early in the third quarter when Sean Charpentier pounced on an errant Pennridge snap in the end zone.

The Rams picked up just 91 yards on 38 second half plays. South twice stopped the Rams on fourth down inside the Titan-25.

CB South racked up just 118 yards all game. Their biggest scoring threat was snuffed midway in the third quarter when Nick Tarburton wrapped up tailback Ryan Watson for a two-yard, fourth down loss at the Ram-41.

Kantor completed 14 of 23 passes for 120 yards. Devine’s 45 receiving yards and Josh Pinkney’s five catches paced Pennridge. South counterpart Ryan Schoch- the third Titan forced to start at quarterback this season as injuries took their toll- threw for 45 yards on 10 completions. Schoch led the Titans with 49 rushing yards.

Cooper Chaikin, playing his first 2017 game, had two interceptions for Pennridge. South linebackers Matt Norris and Matt Tobey had superlative games. The two combined for 11 ½ tackles for loss.

“They’re very, very tough kids with good instincts,” said South head coach Tom Hetrick. “Their linebackers coach, Pat Smith, does an unbelievable job with them. They’re fearless and they play downhill. They eat space, they play the box and they can play from hash to hash.”

Two weeks ago, South lost to Neshaminy in overtime. Last week, South blocked a point after try with one second left to defeat archrival CB West 21-20.

“For the second year running, we have a pretty intense gauntlet,” Hetrick pointed out. “You have to re-juice yourself. Clearly we came out in the first half and didn’t play like we’re capable of playing. The way we’re capable of playing is how we played in the second half. That was the character check and we have to build off of that.”

Pennridge entered Friday night ranked 8^th in the District 1 6A power rankings; CB South ranked ninth. If the Rams can beat a strong CB East team next Friday, they should host a playoff game.

“The game plan was to just be ready and play with confidence,” Garner shared.

Dadio, a bass, sang the National Anthem with the Pennridge choir. Afterwards, he led his team in singing their alma mater.

“I’m one of only two players who know it,” he said

On Friday, Dadio helped to lead his team in more ways than one.

To Run in the October 19^th Bucks County Herald

Jesse Capriotti re-writes the record books every time he totes the football.

Senior Capriotti already holds the Lions’ career and single season rushing marks. His 283 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries helped NH-S (7-1) gash Springfield Montco (2-5) 49-0 on Friday night at the Lions’ Homecoming.

Capriotti recorded his sixth 200-yard game this season. He stands at 1,730 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2017.

“I love the game. Every time I have the ball, I’m aiming to score a touchdown,” said Capriotti, who mixes great speed with a refusal to be tackled.

Capriotti’s 40-yard touchdown sweep on the Lions’ fourth offensive play gave the hosts a 7-0 lead. The Spartans then marched to the NHS-7, when Lion cornerback Pat Tangradi pounced on a first-and-goal fumble.

“We have a different mentality when we get into the Red Zone: that no one gets in,” Tangradi offered. “I think the whole team thinks that and when we get together and get pressure, we’re hard to stop.”

New Hope roared 90 yards in six plays. Morgan Shadle muscled in from the 2 and put NH-S up 13-0 late in the first quarter.

Springfield had success between the 20s; the Spartans racked up 148 total first half yards. “They had some weird routes- some stop and gos- but I thought we did pretty well overall,” said Lion defensive back John Flavin, who killed a drive with an interception. “They had a lot of turnovers in the red zone but we kept them out of the end zone.”

“They came out throwing,” added Tangradi, who made several tackles defending the Spartans’ pass heavy offense. “We worked on open field tackling in practice so I was ready for it when it came. (Defensive coordinator) Coach Goodman said they would throw the little screen and to just sit on it, wait and get the open field tackle.

“I saw a lot of slants and we covered that pretty well,” Tangradi concluded. “We had a lot of pressure from our linebackers, which helped a lot.”

Max Ader recovered another Springfield fumble deep in Lion territory; Capriotti ripped off consecutive 30-yard runs. Shadle capped the 5 play, 79 yard drive with a 10 yard touchdown run on a Statue of Liberty play. Nick Garritano’s conversion pass to Capriotti put the game at 21-0 with 1:40 remaining.

“Joe Goodman does a great job of adjusting on the fly. We gave up a lot of short passes- rocket screens and things like that,” noted New Hope coach Jim DiTulio. “I give (Springfield) credit too. They played hard and they fought. They scouted us well and knew everything we were running.”

The Lions needed just their first six second half plays to score three touchdowns. Garritano’s 57-yard bootleg, Capriotti’s six-yard run and a Capriotti 84-yard counter all found pay dirt. Joey Capriotti’s 26-yard touchdown with 1:46 left ended the scoring.

Shadle had 35 yards on five touches while the Lion “D” racked up nine tackles for loss. Springfield quarterback Max Perry completed 15 of 30 passes for 157 yards, but the Lions yielded just 60 run yards on 30 Spartan carries.

The Lions close by traveling to Lower Moreland and hosting Morrisville, both Bicentennial League games. They’ll be favored to run the BAL table just like they did last season.

“It’s the same thing every game,” Capriotti said. “Everyone is playing really well. The holes are wide open due to the O line.”

Ironically, football might not even be Jesse Capriotti’s best sport. He is a nationally recognized rugby wing. “I think both sports help me with each one. They complement each other,” Capriotti pointed out.

Just as New Hope’s running and passing game complement each other. Shadle, Garritano and all other New Hope rushers not named “Jesse” average six yards a carry. Garritano and backup quarterback Phil Weinseimer are closing in on 1,000 yards passing; Flavin’s 15 catches pace New Hope-Solebury.

“(Jesse) is a special back but we’re a cohesive unit and it all starts with the guys up front. We work really hard in the off season to make sure we have all of our blocking assignments on the inside and outside run game,” DiTulio explained. “They know how to pick up blitzes and more importantly, Jesse and our other backs know how to be patient. Then when he hits that burst, it’s pretty special.”

To Run in the October 12^th Bucks County Herald

Call it a shutout* for Pennridge?

In the game’s opening play, CB West quarterback Josh Crecca hit wideout Ricardo Washington on a 71-yard touchdown bomb to give the host Bucks a 6-0 lead against Pennridge on Friday.

Ram Kyle Schetter responded by blocking the point after try and making one of Pennridge’s nine tackles for loss on West’s second play. It set the tone for the rest of the game.

“That first play shouldn’t have happened,” Schetter said. “We knew right from then that we had to fix what we had to do, get turnovers and three-and-outs and get our offense down the field. We corrected from there.”

“It’s all about effort, giving yourself up every play and working hard,” said star linebacker Nick Tarburton. “That’s what we did.”

The Rams yielded just 100 yards the rest of the way in their 26-6 win. They held West to -11 rushing yards.

“Mike Barainyak, our defensive coordinator, did a great job game planning,” said Pennridge coach Jeff Hollenbach. “He threw a ton of blitzes at them. We were not a vanilla defense. That puts pressure on the secondary, who have to cover some good receivers. But inside backers Nick and Chris Feralio, and our combination of our defensive line shut them down defensively except for that first play.”

“I think we have a good D line and ‘backers,” Schetter said. “We fill the holes and stop them.”

“Something we have to work on as linebackers is to keep dropping (in coverage),” added Tarburton, a Penn State verbal commit who had four tackles for loss. “But except for that first play our coverage was pretty good.”

West went three-and-out in their second drive; Pennridge then moved 40 yards in five plays. Zak Kantor’s 28-yard misdirection pass to Ryan Garner got the ball to the West-2. Schetter burrowed into the end zone.

“The line helped us out a lot tonight. They blocked well and opened holes,” Schetter said.

Kantor found freshman Shane Hartzell for a three-yard touchdown toss early in the second quarter, ending a 44-yard, 7-play drive that featured six runs. A wide open Garner hauled in a Kantor offering and raced 59 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter. Pennridge took a 20-6 lead into halftime.

West started 5-1 on the strength of their defense: the one that yielded just 83 points in those first half dozen games. Standout linebacker Jake Reichwein stopped Schetter on fourth and goal and the one early in the fourth quarter.

“Jake is great competition. I’ve played with him since CYO football,” Tarburton said.

“I think they’re a really good team defensively,” Hollenbach praised. “Jake is a player and Ryan Hieber is a tough kid.”

“Our defense has been playing well,” noted West coach Chas Cathers. “We’ve been pretty opportunistic on defense and one of the things we’ve really focused on is taking the ball away. But you keep a defense on the field that long, you’re bound to have some problems.”

Pennridge turned in yet another three-and-out and got great field position. Kantor efficiently flipped a third down shovel pass to Tarburton, who crashed 20 yards for a touchdown.

“We’ve been practicing that,” said Tarburton, who has verballed to Penn State. “I love the play. It messes with the defense a little bit. I found a hole and hit it.”

Josh Pinkney’s 58 yards on 13 carries paced the Rams. Garner had 153 yards on 16 touches. “Our line did really well tonight,” Garner praised. “All credit to them. All of the backs ran tough. We didn’t break any runs but we ran hard and I’m happy with it.”

Pinkney leads the ground oriented Rams with just 424 rushing yards. The trio of Pinkney, Garner and Schetter went over 1,000 yards on Friday. “Schetter is a real downhill runner and Josh is really fast.   I guess I’m in between,” Garner scouted.

Kantor completed 7 of 10 passes for 133 yards. Pennridge did not turn the ball over and only had one play for negative yards.

Crecca completed 10 of 24 passes for 182 yards. Washington hauled in three balls for 96 yards; Rohan McDonald had a pair of grabs for 54 yards.

Someone was going to get a quality win in Doylestown. Both teams left the contest at 5-2, with Pennridge (3-1 Continental) holding a one game lead over West in the conference.

Both teams hit the road next Friday. West travels to rival CB South, who is coming off of an overtime loss to a potent Neshaminy squad.

“One of the pivotal moments this year was North Penn and how we responded after that loss,” Cathers shared. “I think this is an opportunity for our guys to understand that their response to this loss is going to determine the outcome for the season. We do need to get on the same page offensively.”

Pennridge will be favored at William Tennent, who is seeking their first win. The Rams host CB South on October 20^th in a critical game for playoff seeding.

“We came out pretty flat against CR South and that is not happening again,” Hollenbach stated. “They know they can’t afford any more flat games. I told them that we will come out against Tennent the same way we came out tonight.”

Friday night’s PCL Blue Division clash at Conwell-Egan boiled down to one stat:

Lansdale Catholic had 51 carries and no lost fumbles.

CEC lost five fumbles on 37 carries.

The Crusaders took advantage of the Eagles’ not taking care of the football, scoring 24 points off of the five fumbles in a come from behind 31-21 road win.

“Mr. Inside”- Matt Casee- scored three touchdowns while “Mr. Outside”- Danny Dutkiewicz added the fourth score. Both finished with over 100 yards on the ground, with Dutkiewcz’s 136 on 20 carries pacing all players.

CEC struck first; multi-offer tailback Patrick Garwo went inside for a five-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter.

The Crusaders gained just 17 yards on their first two series, but Alex Arnow recovered a Conwell-Egan fumble at his own 25. Two plays later, Casee raced 62 yards for a tying touchdown. Garwo scored again early in the second quarter on a six-yard touchdown run set up by teammate Chuck Layton’s interception return. It was Garwo’s 12^th touchdown of the season.

But fumbleitis plagued CEC at an inopportune time. LC downed a punt at the half-yard line and recovered a fumble at the CEC-9. Casee banged into the end zone two plays later, knotting the game at the halftime score of 14-14.

CEC took the lead three and a half minutes into the third quarter when quarterback Alex Goldsby connected with DaJuan Harris on a 50 yard touchdown aerial. And the Eagles kept momentum on the next series when defensive lineman Quameer Francis, who had a standout game, wrapped up a rare LC third down pass attempt for a five-yard loss.

But while the Crusaders’ passing game was sputtering, their veer option was starting to click. Getting the ball back over on downs, LC marched 75 yards in 12 plays, ending the drive with another Casee one-yard touchdown plunge. The game was tied at 21 with 10 minutes remaining.

CEC would lose a fumble twice near midfield on their next four plays and both cost them dearly; LC’s Kevin Gianoni and Brady Walsh scooped up the balls. Brendan Menges ended the first drive by nailing a 22-yard field goal with 4:20 left to put the Crusaders up 24-21. Dutkiewicz took an option pitch around a boxed in defense and raced 39 yards to paydirt with 1:13 remaining to cap the scoring.

Lansdale Catholic improved to 2-3 and 2-1 in the PCL Blue. Conwell Egan fell to 2-4- one of those losses a 39-38 overtime heartbreak to Red Division Archbishop Carroll- and 0-2 in the Blue. Garwo, who entered the game averaging over 9 yards a carry and with 620 yards on the season, was held to just 58 yards on 16 carries.

By Don Leypoldt

To Run in the October 5^th Bucks County Herald

31. 42. 25.

That’s not an audible call. It’s the CB South yard line where the host North Penn Knights (4-2, 3-0 Continental) started three straight second quarter drives. All three drives resulted in touchdowns in the Knights’ 40-9 Thursday win.

“Clearly North Penn is a very good football team,” said CB South coach Tom Hetrick, whose Titans (5-1, 2-1 Continental) suffered their first loss of the year. “They have legitimate athletes who when put in space and given the ball can make special plays. In the first half, we handed them really good field position on a couple of occasions. That didn’t help.

“Our guys fought and it wasn’t a lack of effort,” Hetrick continued.

North Penn converted a third-and-nine and two fourth downs on their opening drive. Steve Depaul hit Joey Beck on a beautiful bootleg for a 19-yard touchdown that gave the Knights a 6-0 lead. The lead doubled to 12-0 at 8:30 in the second quarter on Anthony Andrews’ 21-yard touchdown run.

South responded with a 14-play drive that ended at the Knight-11. 5’6” tailback Ryan Watson showcased his speed on the edge and his toughness in running inside.

“We had a nice outside run game,” Watson said. “We stuck with it. They had a lot of blitzes and we got banged up a couple of times but we kept with it.”

Ryan Shoch’s 28-yard field goal put the Titans on the board, but Depaul threw a touchdown pass to Justis Henley on the next drive. A South fumble gave North Penn the ball back with 53 seconds left and Depaul needed just four plays for another scoring aerial. The Knights took a 26-3 lead into halftime.

South’s Jason Horvath snuffed out North Penn’s opening second half drive with an interception in the end zone. It was his third this fall. Horvath also scored South’s lone touchdown, grabbing a nine-yard Josh Consoletti offering early in the fourth quarter to make the game 33-9.

“It was a fade,” Horvath said. “We tried to get something going.”

Touchdown runs by K.J. Cartwright and Henley completed the scoring for North Penn. Cartwright’s 124 yards led all rushers; over half of those came on his scoring carry.

Watson gained 94 yards on 22 carries while Consoletti added 43 on ten lugs; the Titans’ 193 rushing yards were just 15 fewer than North Penn’s. “We thought we could run the ball against these guys from watching film,” Watson stated. “We didn’t like the outcome but there is some good stuff that can come out of this.”

Sophomore Consoletti was making just his second career start in place of the injured Jack Johns. Johns caught a 32-yard pass and punted effectively. Consoletti handled himself well against one of the State’s traditional powerhouses.

“If we start tweaking or cutting pieces of the playbook,” Hetrick noted, “that’s us saying we don’t have confidence. And we legitimately do. We have confidence that (Josh) is going to get better every game. I appreciate how he has handled the last couple of weeks.”

“We had to move on from Jack,” Horvath added. “We had a good start and we need to keep it rolling.”

South’s win streak was predicated on the strength of their defense, who allowed just 48 points in their first five games.

“It starts with our front four,” Hetrick explained. “We have some strong and athletic kids up front. It should be that your inside linebackers (Matt Norris and Matt Tobey) make all of your tackles. And it is that way because our front four are disruptive and keep people off of our linebackers. Our linebackers are very good football players.”

Football is a family affair for South. Leading tackler Norris’ brother Nate plays for Lehigh. Leading sacker Noah Collachi’s father Adam played for West Chester and was the head coach at Council Rock North. Johns’ brother Mike started at quarterback for Virginia.

“You take notes from their posture and how they handle the game,” said Watson, whose brother Tyler plays for East Stroudsburg. “You’re going to lose in football. Last year, (Tyler) kept our heads up and that is what I’m going to try to do with this team.”

South hosts another 5-1 team this Friday in Neshaminy. The Redskins, who escaped with a narrow win at Abington on Thursday, might have been caught looking ahead to the Titans.

“We need to play better as a team,” Horvath said. “But we’re a good team. We need to go back and watch the film. There were things we messed up on but we’ll come back next week.”

“This one should hurt,” Hetrick told his charges post-game. Then he shifted direction. “But 5-1 isn’t shabby either.”

To run in the September 28^th Bucks County Herald

Different style, same result.

Palisades quarterback Ethan Brader completed six of seven pass attempts for 141 yards and three touchdowns as the Pirates (5-0) cruised to a 35-14 win at Catasauqua on Friday night.

Palisades scored touchdowns on all five of their first half drives and took a 35-0 lead into halftime. It made the second half largely academic.

The Pirates (5-0) have taken four straight from the Rough Riders (2-3) and stayed perfect on the year. Palisades’ win was not the headline. The headline is how: it was, by far, the best passing game that the run-oriented Pirates posted in 2017.

“Ethan made throws like we know Ethan can make throws,” said Palisades coach Kevin Ronalds. “We hadn’t seen that the past couple of weeks. The pass protection was there, which wasn’t there last week. That was a goal. He made a throw today that was the best throw I’ve seen all season.”

“We kept talking about how we want to open up and get things going,” Brader added. “Today was the day. It all clicked. Before this game, we had an off day but we worked on timing and patterns. We took our off day and actually worked on our passing game. I think that helped us out a lot here.”

Palisades moved 85 yards in 10 plays on their first drive, capped when Brader hit quicksilver tailback Jared Colletti in the flat. Colletti raced 43 yards for a touchdown, giving Palisades a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

It was 21-0 midway in the second quarter. Running back Trey Gretzinger scored twice on “yo-yo”: once bursting for a 48 yard score and the second touchdown coming from the Catty-11.

“Drew Nickles goes in motion, comes down hard and hits a kid,” Gretzinger explained. “T.J. (Rakowsky) hit their outside linebacker real hard. I saw daylight and I just went. The second touchdown was how we ran it in practice: a cutback. I trusted it, hit it hard broke the tackle and went into the end zone.”

After Rakowsky recovered a fumble at midfield, the next drive was all Brader. He needed just 40 seconds to complete four passes, including a 34 yard zig-zagging score to Colletti. With 1:10 left in the half, Brader hit co-captain Nickles on a perfectly thrown 41-yard touchdown bomb. Colletti’s PAT made the game 35-0.

“The short fields helped,” Ronalds said. “When we’re running the ball, it should set up the pass and we hadn’t until tonight. We need to be able to take advantage of that.”

Catty scored on the last play of the third quarter when Andrew Brett connected with Miguel Hernandez on a five yard fade pattern. Derrick Rodriguez’s 13 yard touchdown run with 7:01 remaining in the game completed the scoring.

Big things were expected of Palisades, an 8-4 team last season who returned virtually all of their starters.   “We always work really hard in practice and make sure that we’re doing everything right,” said left tackle Ben Scoggin. “We have great offensive line coaches. Last week, we had a rough game against Southern Lehigh as a unit. We saw all of our problems and fixed them.

“We have guys who already knew, worked with each other and had that chemistry,” Scoggin continued. “It’s awesome having everyone back and on the same page.”

“We have 11 returning starters on D so it’s the same chemistry and that really helps,” echoed defensive end Zac Geehring. “We all know what we’re doing. Do your assignment. If all 11 guys do their thing, we’re going to be good.”

The offense achieved most of its success on the ground; entering the Catty game, the trio of Colletti, Gretzinger and Rakowsky combined for over 1,100 yards rushing and averaged 10 yards per carry.

“It’s awesome blocking for these guys,” said Scoggin. “You give them a crack and they’ll run for 90 yards.”

“I like to hit kids,” Gretzinger grinned. “Jared is more of a move guy, spinning off people.”

Offense is half the story. Palisades’ defense posted its sixth touchdown-free half this Fall. Catty opened the game with an impressive drive, but on 3^rd and 4 at the Pirate 15, the defense snuffed out a Rough Rider draw for no gain and forced a fourth down incompletion.

“When our linebackers came in, they threw a screen,” said Geehring, who had two tackles for loss or no gain. “When our linebackers went out, the screen shut down. Our D ends had the quarterback while the linebackers had the option outside. Drew (Nickles) and I would crack down on the draw and they had nowhere to go.”

“We made a little adjustment to take the screens away and it worked,” Ronalds added. “We were a little sluggish getting off the bus and sluggish in the first drive- I’m not making excuses. That was the best drive against us this year.”

Gretzinger’s 76 yards on five carries led Palisades. Colletti had four catches for 92 yards and another 31 yards on six rushes.

Brett completed 16 of 24 passes for 131 yards; Hernandez’s eight grabs for 40 yards paced Catasauqua. Rodriguez added 64 yards on 11 carries.

British submarines return to port flying the Jolly Roger after every successful patrol. The Pirate bus to Kintnersville could have done the same

To Run in the September 7^th Bucks County Herald

Senior running back Jesse Capriotti needed just 11 carries to run for 217 yards and four scores as the host New Hope-Solebury Lions (2-0) pulled away from their interstate rival South Hunterdon Eagles (0-1) 41-7 on Friday night.

“Jesse is a tough kid. He has great vision. I told him going into this year that he could be our single season leading rusher,” New Hope coach Jim DiTulio complimented.

Classmate and backfield-mate Morgan Shadle added a pair of touchdowns.

The game, which doubled as the Lions’ home opener, gave New Hope-Solebury a 4-3 edge in the Battle of the Bridges. The first six Battles were played on Thanksgiving.

The Lions opened with an impressive 11 play, 71 yard drive, capped when freshman quarterback Phil Weinseimer, subbing for an injured Nick Garritano, hit Shadle on an 18-yard touchdown. Weinseimer connected with three receivers on the drive.

“Phil is going to be a dynamic player for us,” DiTulio predicted. “He hasn’t even started ninth grade yet and I thought he came in, started off well and then got a little antsy. He did a nice job managing our team and I’m proud of him.”

Capriotti forced and recovered a fumble on the kickoff, then scored on an 18-yard rush one play later to put the Lions up 14-0. On New Hope’s next series, Capriotti scored on a 17-yard sweep and the Lions took a 21-0 lead into halftime.

“Everyone did their part,” said Capriotti, who is a standout rugby player. “The O line blocked. The fullback blocked. The wide receivers took out the corners. We go inside and outside. We go everywhere with the run game.”

The Lions fell to Conwell-Egan Catholic in their opener; CEC’s Patrick Garwo is one of the most sought after running backs in the state. Friday was time for Capriotti, who scored on a 64-yard run against CEC, to turn in his own superlative performance.

“We looked at the film and I thought we played well in the first half against Egan,” DiTulio noted. “Garwo is a great back but I love playing against better competition. It’s only going to make us better as the season goes on.”

“After a loss like that,” said Capriotti, “we wanted to smack someone around and get a win.”

The Eagles moved 50 yards on 15 plays in their first possession, and 38 yards on eight plays on their second. Lion junior linebacker Dan Khouri ended the first drive with a fourth down pass breakup, and the second with an interception- one of his two on the night.

“When they rolled out, we knew when the quarterback was going to throw the ball. When he dropped back to pass, I covered my man and hoped to get lucky,” Khouri said. “I could tell when he was going so I dropped back in my zone and got two picks.” The Lions limited the Eagles to 28 yards passing on 14 attempts.

Capriotti sandwiched Shadle’s four-yard touchdown plunge with a 34- yard scoring run three minutes into the second half, and a 68 yard scoring scamper with 11:08 remaining in the game. That gallop gave the Lions a 41-0 lead. Shadle had 55 yards on nine touches.

“Morgan is a player that I can put anywhere on the field: tight end, X, Z, fullback and tailback,” DiTulio said.

South Hunterdon, who ran 60 plays to New Hope-Solebury’s 36, amassed 253 yards on the ground. Junior tailback Mekhi Beckett rushed for 180 yards on 26 carries; quarterback Justin Torres ran for 39 on 12 lugs. Beckett’s 34-yard run set up Brian Torres’ 11-yard touchdown rush to put the Eagles on the scoreboard.

“We have designed plays for how I like to run,” said Beckett. “I like to run inside to get outside and get outside between the 7 hole and 8 hole. Coach wants us to get five yards every play.”

“(Beckett) is one of our veteran guys on offense,” said South Hunterdon coach Toby Jefferis, “so for us to be successful we need to rely on him to do what he does. He makes people miss.”

“We did compete but we could have done better. We made mental mistakes and that killed us,” Beckett concluded.

“We moved the ball. Our offense is predicated on that,” Jefferis explained. “We’ll move the ball hopefully three or four yards a pop and then break one for ten. But we can’t make any mistakes. What comes later is the passing game. We moved the ball but we stalled out.”

New Hope-Solebury won last year’s Battle handily. But 3-7 South Hunterdon almost upset 12-win New Hope in 2015 in Pennsylvania. Jefferis was realistic, but positive about his young program’s 2017 debut.

South Hunterdon travels to Roselle Park (1-0) on Friday. The Eagles open with three road games before flying home for three straight.

New Hope-Solebury visits Academy of the New Church (0-1) on Saturday, a game the Lions won 9-0 in 2015 during their last meeting. It’s a safe bet the 2017 Lions will blow past that point total.

To Run in the December 1^st Bucks County Herald

In a first half that saw both offenses overeat, Pennridge claimed the 87^th version of their Thanksgiving Day classic at Quakertown. The Rams never trailed in their 55-28 standing room only win.

The victory snapped a three-game losing streak to the Panthers. Pennridge leads the series 54-28-5.

Quakertown’s opening three-and-out gave no indication of the first half about to follow. The teams combined for 55 points and 440 yards in the first two quarters.

The Rams capped their opening 35-yard drive with a Joe Robinson two-yard touchdown run. Austin Clarke’s 75-yard touchdown pitch and catch to Tim Shevlin two plays later knotted the score at 7. Pennridge reclaimed the lead four plays later with Josh Pinkney’s 40-yard touchdown sweep.

“Where they hurt is where I didn’t think they’d hurt us,” admitted Quakertown coach George Banas. “I thought they would line up and just chip away at us. I really didn’t see the big play explosion hurting us today. They made a bunch of plays. Credit goes to their players.”

Pennridge’s lead extended to 21-7 late in the first quarter when Jagger Hartshorn raced 38 yards on a scoop and score.

“Jackson Henry hit him and I thought he was going to get the ball but it came out, I popped up and I ran it back,” Hartshorn said. “I give all credit to Jackson since he was the one who made the play happen.”

Quakertown responded. Noah Wood raced 60 yards up the middle for a touchdown, which cut the lead to 21-13. When Nick Lefkoski pounced on a Pennridge fumble at the Quakertown-7, momentum was with the Panthers.

Ryan Cuthbert’s interception snuffed out the drive and quarterback Oliver Jervis connected with Anthony Kelly on a 29-yard touchdown pass. After swapping three-and-outs, the Panthers finally got the ball with good field position. Quakertown’s average start on their 25, versus the Rams’ average start on their 42, influenced the game.

But Cuthbert struck again, snagging an interception in his own end zone.

“We knew they were going to go to Shevlin’s side so Joey Devine, our cornerback, tried to take away the slant,” Cuthbert described. “I was playing inside. They tried to run a corner route but Joey was all over it. We got good pressure on the quarterback and flushed him out of the pocket. It was right there for me.”

Quakertown’s Jacob Barndt took a page from Cuthbert’s book, picking off a Jervis pass two plays later and returning it to the Pennridge-3. When Wood burrowed into the end zone one play later, the late was trimmed to 28-20 with 1:12 remaining in the half.

Pennridge calmly moved 61 yards on seven plays; Jervis hit Cuthbert in the corner for an 11-yard touchdown pass on the half’s penultimate play. Pennridge took a 35-20 lead into halftime.

The Ram offense gelled in the second half. “Once we found out how to work with each other, nothing could stop us,” Hartshorn said.

Cuthbert’s 60-yard catch set up Robinson’s three-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half. Quakertown’s Christian Morano blocked the point after try.

“We started out with runs and kind of getting what we wanted,” Cuthbert said, “so (Quakertown) had to play to that. It was man on man on the outside and the quarterback threw some great balls.”

Robinson intercepted a Panther screen pass four plays later, giving the Rams a short field. Austin Herrlinger capitalized with a four-yard touchdown run. Pennridge forced a punt, and Hartshorn hit Herrlinger on an 11-yard scoring pass to make the game 55-20 with 3:28 left in the third quarter.

“In the first half, we gave them way too many penalties and way too many first downs that we shouldn’t have,” said Robinson, arguably the game’s defense MVP at linebacker. “We figured it out going into the second half. We were really confident in our game plan today and it worked out well.”

“The D-linemen were getting a little too deep in their penetration,” Pennridge coach Jeff Hollenbach explained. “They were kicking us out and getting up inside of us so we made that little adjustment where the defensive line was playing on the line. Once we did that, we took away their pulls.”

Wood capped his outstanding Quakertown career with his third touchdown of the game on a seven-yard run midway through the fourth quarter. The game’s leading rusher, he picked up 157 yards on 20 carries. Wood, one of the Panthers’ all-time leading tacklers at linebacker, went over 1,000 yards on the season.

Hartshorn, who already eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark, led Pennridge with 110 yards on 13 carries. Herrlinger picked up 78 yards on nine touches. Jervis completed four of ten passes for 137 yards.

Both teams end their year at 6-6. Quakertown started off 1-5, yet assembled a five-game win streak. Their signature victory was a 26-17 win over SOL American champ Plymouth-Whitemarsh.

“I think it was that senior group, that leadership,” Banas credited. “They said ‘We’re not going to let it go to 1-10’. I told them that they did not want this to be the memory. They came to work every day and kept pounding away to get that five-game winning streak. You get one or two, and then you get momentum and you feel positive.

“To be 1-5, and be able to say that they didn’t have a losing senior season speaks volumes to the type of kids we have,” Banas continued. “They’ve been classy throughout and that’s what I’m super happy about. In terms of how they play football, how they work in school both academically and behavior-wise, I couldn’t be more proud of the way they are turning out. They are going to do great things beyond football. “

Pennridge carried a three-game losing streak into the contest, although all six Ram losses were against the top 9 6A seeds in District One.

“Going into this game was really tough,” Robinson admitted. “There was a lot of emotion because of three losses here and they’re on a five-game win streak. But that doesn’t mean much now. We’re really happy.”

“Neshaminy was a bitter defeat for us because we had them on the ropes and couldn’t finish it,” Hollenbach said. “I’m so glad we had this game because otherwise we end on that loss. To redeem the emotions and redeem the fact that we’re a really good football team…I’m really thrilled of how these guys played.”

Postscript: Last Thanksgiving, Pennridge’s Iziah Lewis made several tackles and returned a punt in the Quakertown classic.

This Thanksgiving, Lewis’ family is still in mourning after his murder in late October.

Other sources can provide the details of the homicide. This column focuses on teenaged Pennridge Rams, dealing with the loss of a former teammate who worked, laughed and sweated with them.

“The team paid their respects at the viewing for Iziah on Nov. 4,” Hollenbach emailed prior to the Quakertown game. “We also had a team meeting later that day to discuss different stages of grief. This was a difficult situation for not only the team, but the whole community. My hope is that lessons about making appropriate life choices can be learned from this tragic incident.”

The situation reminds us that we can give thanks in all circumstances. Abraham Lincoln issued the first Thanksgiving Proclamation just three months after the horrors of Gettysburg. Martin Rickert wrote the classic hymn “Now Thank We All Our God” as the Thirty Years War ravaged his native Germany.

“These are respectful, competitive players who have worked hard and represent Pennridge well,” commented Hollenbach, a man who could give positive thinking lessons to Norman Vincent Peale. “I was especially proud of them at the Neshaminy game. They played with great energy and focus the same day they attended a funeral of a former teammate, which is not an easy thing to do. They demonstrated to many the kind of character this team has. We also bring a former player in on Thanksgiving morning to address the importance of the day. That will be another situation where we will reflect together on how much we have to be thankful for.”

To Run in the November 11 Bucks County Herald

 The Garnet Valley Jaguars are known for their run game. But it was Nick Juliano’s 11-yard touchdown fade to Colin Davis with 15 seconds left in the game that gave the 10-seed Jaguars a 21-14 win over the host CB South Titans in Friday night District 1 AAAAAA first round playoff action.

The Titans end their year at 8-3; the 9-2 Jaguars advance to play #2 Neshaminy next Friday.

CB South had a perfect start to the game, moving 40 yards in their first five plays. Garnet Valley bit on a fake sweep to Tyler Watson, giving quarterback Sam Thompson a hole that he could have steered the USS Nimitz through. Thompson ran 20 yards for a touchdown, putting the Titans up 7-0. When Watson picked off a Juliano offering on Garnet Valley’s third play, it looked like the rout was on.

But the Jaguar defense cranked it in gear, holding South to just two first downs in their next four possessions. Garnet Valley sacked Thompson on third down at the GV-38, forcing a punt during a key sequence.

South’s excellent defense matched their foes but the Jaguars’ option finally popped on their fourth drive. Jacob Buttermore opened with a 56-yard run.

“Our school of thought is that you assign people to each part of the option and deny people the ball through the options. Hopefully they head to the sidelines,” said CB South coach Tom Hetrick. “Overall, I thought we did a nice job but at inopportune times they were able to bust one and that hurt us.”

Seven plays later Juliano, on a fake belly play, ran for a nine-yard touchdown on fourth down with 7:50 left in the half. A 42-yard Jaguar field goal attempt that went wide left kept the 7-all tie at halftime.

The Titans opened the second half as successfully as the first: they held Garnet Valley to a three-and-out and then the offense went three-and-in: Thompson hit Jack Gardy on a 32-yard touchdown aerial on South’s third offensive play. South’s defense caused three-and-outs on the Jaguars’ first three possessions, followed by a series when defensive lineman Pat Fleisch blew up a fourth down play to give the Titans the ball at the GV-38.

“I was thinking I had to go all out for my team. It’s all about my team,” emphasized Fleisch. “My team got their assignments, I got mine and we made the play.”

An errant snap on South’s 32-yard field goal attempt gave the Jaguars the ball. Buttermore broke off a 53-yard run and Juliano connected with Davis on a 15-yard fourth down fade for a touchdown. That tied the game at 14 with 3:40 remaining.

Buttermore’s 183 yards on 18 carries led all rushers. Garnet Valley ran for 146 yards on 44 attempts when two big runs are removed. “We told the D-line at our team meeting that this game was going to be based on what they did,” Hetrick predicted. “They might not get the accolades but everyone knows what they did. They did a nice job. Garnet Valley is a very physical football team and they’re very well coached. The line stepped up.”

“Our scout team helped us out a lot,” said Fleisch, who entered the game with 6.5 tackles for loss on the year. “Our coaches set up a good scheme for us and we executed assignment football.”

“It was us working together as a team,” said an emotional John Madara. “We practiced hard all week. The scout team helped us to do what we did and it all came together. Sadly, it came to a loss but man, we tried our best and everyone here give it their all.”

Juliano completed just four of ten passes. Thompson’s 81 yards on 23 carries led South. He also completed 12 of 23 pass attempts for 178 yards. Casey Sloms’ five catches for 72 yards paced South.

Watson, who picked off his sixth pass of the year, went over 1,000 rushing and receiving yards. Thompson caps a season where he threw for over 800 yards, rushed for nearly 600, caught 10 balls as a receiver and even averaged 34 yards a punt as the team’s punter.

“(Sam) is a great athlete who can do some special things,” said Hetrick. “He made some great plays with his feet and with his arm tonight. He’s had a great football career here at South.”

South held their opponents to 14 points or less in eight games this Fall. Senior lineman Madara credited the scout team in practice for their success. “They always tried and made it possible to get the best look and always got us ready for game time,” he said.

“They key was the connection and the mojo we were having,” Fleisch said. “We’re all friends. All of our coaches are great. We have great schemes and scouting reports. But it was all about the coaches and the team.”

To Run in the November 3rd Bucks County Herald

New Hope-Solebury touchdown. Delco Christian fumble.

New Hope-Solebury touchdown. Delco Christian fumble.

New Hope-Solebury touchdown. Delco Christian fumble.

New Hope-Solebury touchdown.

That lead will never win a literary prize, but it was the perfect synopsis of Friday’s second half. The New Hope-Solebury Lions (8-1, 6-0 Bicentennial) scored on all four second half possessions in their 42-14 Senior Night win against Delco Christian. The last three Lion touchdowns came off of Knight (3-6, 2-4 Bicentennial) fumbles.

It was the Lions, however, who coughed the ball up on their first two possessions. Jalen Mitchell’s 12-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter gave the Knights a 6-0 lead.

“We started slow,” admitted New Hope-Solebury coach Jim DiTulio. “I told the guys to shake it off.

New Hope-Solebury answered on an eight play, 52-yard drive that ended on Jack McKenna’s four-yard touchdown run. The Lions struck again late in the second quarter when quarterback Nick Garritano hit Morgan Shadle on a 60-yard touchdown bomb.

“We definitely spread the ball and got our receivers open,” said wide receiver and cornerback Andrew Whelan, who was one of six Lions to catch a pass. “We locked on the edge. I always go in motion and chip the guy. It opens up the post and lets receivers make a big play.”

“We knew we’d be able to throw the ball tonight,” DiTulio said. “We noticed some matchup problems. They were keying on McKenna, who is having a heck of a year, so when we went to rollouts, the underneath stuff was there. We started to pick away at that and springing Nick out is when we hit Morgan Shadle.”

Garritano completed 11-of-14 passes for 206 yards, and went over 1,000 yards passing on the season.

The Lions got the ball to start the second half; Jesse Capriotti’s 23-yard sweep made the game 21-6. Lion lineman Matt Fest pounced on a loose Delco Christian ball on the Knights’ third play of the half. It was the first of three straight Knight drives that ended in New Hope-Solebury fumble recoveries.

“During practice, we didn’t look for the ball at all,” said defensive end Marcus Hems, who forced a fumble. “You just tackle the man who you are supposed to tackle. You play assignments and disciplined defense. That’s what we did in the second quarter onward.”

New Hope-Solebury held the Knights’ complicated wing-T in check. Delco Christian ran for just 3.6 yards per carry, and none of their 52 rushes went for over 21 yards.

“Towards the middle of the second quarter, we had the D tackles take out their guard and tackle,” said Fest. “The nose was one on one with the center and middle linebacker Brendan Shadle was able to come up and make plays without getting down blocked.”

With the ball back, McKenna raced 65 yards for a touchdown, on a broken field run where he covered 90 yards. “We stopped playing terribly,” assessed McKenna, whose 105 yards on eight carries led all rushers. “We stopped getting penalties, I stopped fumbling and after that, we felt they couldn’t stop us.”

The run put New Hope-Solebury up 28-6, a lead extended to 35-6 two and half minutes later when Garritano hit Shadle on a 30-yard fourth down crossing pattern for a touchdown.

Early in the fourth quarter, New Hope-Solebury capped their scoring when Fest scored from 15 yards out on a tackle eligible. Delco Christian’s Na-im Robinson scored on a one yard touchdown run in the game’s final minute.

Mitchell’s 69 yards on 14 carries paced Delco Christian. Garritano added 65 yards on the ground.

The conference champion Lions outscored their Bicentennial opponents 234-67 this year. New Hope-Solebury feted their seniors- McKenna, Fest, Hems, Whelan and Brendan Shadle-at halftime in a game in which the Lions outpointed even Mother Nature, and her 38 degree temperature at game’s end.

The win also avenged 2015 when Delco Christian’s 41-17 win gave the Knights the Bicentennial title and ruined New Hope-Solebury’s undefeated season.

“Defensively, we didn’t execute last year,” assessed Brendan Shadle. “This year, we knew what to do and took advantage of it.”

The Lions will like play District 12’s Delaware Valley Charter on November 11, with the winner qualifying for the 3A state playoffs.

“We’re going to get healthy,” said DiTulio. “We’re going to work hard, practice and work on our academics as well. We’ll be ready to go. We’ll be prepared.”

But first, Friday was a night for the Lion seniors to savor. “This means a lot,” said Brendan Shadle. “I didn’t do that much but my brother did a lot for the team. If I’m not performing like I should, the others around me are. It was a memorable night.”

To Run in the October 27 Bucks County Herald

Both CB West’s (4-5, 1-4 SOL Continental) and CB East’s defenses stonewalled routine plays all throughout Friday night.

“We’ve been practicing all week reading the guards and fullback. We kind of knew what they were going to run before they ran it,” commented East linebacker Mike Glauber, who finished with three tackles for loss or no gain. “Everything opened up and it was perfect. I hit my gaps.”

But the difference in this defensive duel? East (7-2, 3-2 Continental) could score on non-routine plays.

The Patriots got a dozen points on a safety, Barney Amor’s 50-yard field goal and a 70-yard touchdown bomb from Matt Szczypiorski to Wes Verbit in their 23-6 win at a standing room only War Memorial Field.

After a shutout first quarter that produced just 58 total yards, CB East struck first with Amor’s 50-yard howitzer two plays into the second quarter. Their lead soon extended to 5-0: linebacker Nick Ventresca blew up a West third down screen pass, forcing the Bucks to punt from deep in their own territory. The errant snap went out of the end zone.

Patriot cornerback Evan Dorsey later killed a West drive with a jump ball interception. “To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to get it,” admitted Dorsey. “Their kid ran a hitch then went across the field. I just got in front of it, jumped up and caught the ball.”

West’s previously bottlenecked offense finally broke out midway through the second quarter, starting with Josh Crecca’s nifty option pitch that Griffin Shields took for 23 yards. It was the start of a 14 play, 74-yard drive, that featured a 4^th and 14 conversion, and ended on Jake Reichwein’s touchdown plunge from the one with 8 seconds before halftime. East blocked the point after try.

East adjusted in the second half. Chad Guzzi raced 62 yards on the opening play, setting up Amor’s 20-yard field goal which gave the Patriots an 8-6 lead. On the Patriots’ next drive, Verbit hauled in Szczypiorski’s 3^rd down pass and raced 70 yards for a touchdown.

“We got loose. Wes is a dynamic player and Chad is a downhill, hard runner,” noted East coach John Donnelly. “We made adjustments, came out double tight and hit a quick one on them.”

“It went towards me. I just did my job, shook the cornerback and caught the ball in the air,” said Verbit, who has 776 receiving yards on the season.

East forced the ball over on downs and the offense took advantage, marching 42 yards on nine plays. Jake Ventresca swept two yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion made it 23-6.

West showed life on their next possession, when Nick Ferrentino caught a 36-yard pass on 4^th and 17. The Bucks advanced to the East-15 but Ryan Plack’s fourth down sack put the game away.

The Patriots held the Bucks to 60 rushing yards, and CB West averaged just four yards per passing attempt.

“We adjusted at halftime so I got in on inside blitzes. They were having some trouble picking it up and I got in on the quarterback,” said Glauber, East’s leading tackler this season.

“We played our defense,” Dorsey added. “We did what we were supposed to do and what we practiced this week.”

It was the sixth time this season that East has held an opponent to 13 points or less. “They’ve had a lot of tremendous games,” Donnelly praised his defense. “I’m not surprised. I think our defensive staff did a great job of putting guys in position. But at the end of the day, it’s the players who have to go out there and play. We had checks to certain formations.”

Guzzi’s 108 yards on 13 carries led all rushers. Jake Ventresca rushed for 54 and Verbit snagged four balls for 101 yards. Ferrentino caught four passes for 66 yards.

West has held five opponents to 14 points or less and the Buck defense can hold its head high. They surrendered just 168 total yards outside of Verbit’s and Guzzi’s big plays. West closes their season Friday at Souderton.

Next Saturday’s regular season finale with East and Pennridge takes on extra importance. Pennridge is fighting for their playoff lives; the Patriots are fighting just as hard to host a first-round game. Talented seniors like Verbit, Glauber and Plack would relish just one more game at Patriot Field to show their skills.

Here’s to you, Mr. Robinson.

When visiting CB West faced first-and-goal at the Pennridge-6 late in the first quarter, all Ram captain Joe Robinson did was register a tackle for loss, then a sack, and then another sack.

The Bucks, who had had the ball as deep as the Ram 1, were instead forced to try a 42-yard field goal attempt, which missed.

“When they got the ball down to the one-yard line, I wasn’t happy about it obviously,” said Robinson as his Rams (4-3; 2-1 SOL Continental) topped CB West (4-3; 1-2) 30-21 on Friday night. “I saw a hole open up to the quarterback and got a couple of sacks. It got our defense all pumped up and off the field.

“To have goal line stands is amazing for our defense,” Robinson concluded. “Our guys prepared all week.”

“We stunted a lot more and brought Robinson,” noted Pennridge coach Jeff Hollenbach. “He and Nick Tarburton. Those two are some of the better linebackers in the area.”

It was the second straight drive that Robinson and the Ram defense stood stout. CB West gained 68 yards in their opening five plays, and 27 yards the rest of the first half. Robinson’s sack on 4^th and goal killed the Bucks’ first drive.

“The whole team felt that we need to dominate the rest of the season and win the next three games,” said defensive lineman Alex Schmidt, who registered two tackles for loss and recovered a fumble. “That motivated everyone to keep fighting.”

The Rams got on the board with Matt Mauer’s 41-yard field goal early in the second quarter. A Pennridge three-and-out and Ryan Cuthbert’s 21-yard punt return gave the Rams the ball at the West-12. Fullback Tarburton scored on a one-yard run.

With 1:38 in the second quarter, Pennridge quarterback Jagger Hartshorn found Austin Herrlinger in stride for a 48-yard touchdown pass to build a 17-0 halftime lead for the Rams.

“There was a guy who wasn’t on me, Jagger saw me and threw it,” said Herrlinger, whose two receptions went for 74 yards. “I knew I had to catch it. I got the touchdown. The line set it up. They’re a big part of our offense and I wouldn’t be able to do anything without them.”

CB West scored in their opening second half possession; quarterback Ryan Moylan found wideout Kevin O’Hanlon on a 10-yard fade route to cap a nine play drive. Pennridge responded with a 12-play scoring march of their own; Hartshorn rolled left on fourth down and connected with Anthony Kelly for a 27-yard scoring strike.

After a Schmidt fumble recovery snuffed out a West drive, Hartshorn bolted up the middle on a fake sweep for a 21-yard touchdown, giving Pennridge a 30-7 lead.

CB West struck late. Corey Cepeda’s blocked punt gave the Bucks a short field to set up Max Ojert’s one-yard touchdown plunge. After kicker Kenny Doak recovered the onside kick, and three Buck passes moved down to the Pennridge-4, Jake Reichwein pounded into the end zone from two yards to make the score 30-21.

Pennridge entered the game tied for the 16^th and last playoff spot in Division One. The win over 11^th ranked CB West will help their playoff positioning. Both schools still have to play highly ranked CB South and CB East, making for must see TV in the SOL Continental.

The Rams have also grown from their gauntlet of a schedule: the combined records of the three teams to defeat Pennridge are 21-0.

“It teaches us mental toughness and how to get through things,” said Robinson. “For us to roll into our League schedule after that is perfect, but this is only step two of step five (games).”

Both teams were held to roughly half of their per game rushing averages. Hartshorn’s 59 yards on 10 carries led all runners.

“I thought we played physical football on defense and that was one thing we wanted to do: to play a physical football game,” said CB West coach Chas Cathers. “We had some assignment breakdowns which hurt us. We have to capitalize when we have an opportunity in the red zone. We had some mental mistakes which really hurt us.”

Both teams also found success through the air. Moylan completed 5 of 6 passes for 113 yards; teammate Josh Crecca tossed for 102 yards on 11 completions, with O’Hanlon grabbing seven balls for 100 yards.

“We worked all week to know which quarterback is more passing or running. We understood what to do to stop them and,” added Schmidt, a Division I recruit, “evidently it worked.”

Hollenbach was impressed with the fleet Hartshorn’s performance in the pocket: he went 7-of-16 for 147 yards and no interceptions.

“Jagger came to play tonight,” assessed Hollenbach. “He threw better tonight. I’ve been trying to get him to stand in the pocket more and read the defense, since defenses are trying to take away the run. He did that and that really helped.”

A strong Ram defense and a balanced offense means that Hartshorn may have an extra game or two- in the post season- to work on his pocket presence.

Point After: Friday was Pennridge’s Pink Out. Hundreds of fans at Helman Stadium donned pink to support cancer victims. “We have a couple hundred kids up there…I just love what they’re doing,” Hollenbach said. “It translates to the team but it is also just a good, positive high school experience. I’m thrilled. My family has had cancer so it’s very meaningful to me.”

To run in the October 6^th Bucks County Herald

On a misty Friday evening, CB South proudly re-opened Titan Stadium after the completion of their $1.6 million turf installation.

But the North Penn Knights ruined the party, and showed why they are a state title contender. Behind Reece Udinski’s 377 passing yards, North Penn remained unbeaten (6-0, 3-0 SOL Continental) in their 42-13 convincing win over previously undefeated CB South. The Titans fell to 5-1, 2-1 in conference.

“North Penn is a good football team,” said CB South coach Tom Hetrick. “There were some things where we showed that we could compete. But they obviously have athletes who made some athletic plays. I’m proud of our guys.”

The Knights have won four straight game by at least 24 points.

“We were able to make some splash plays and build a little momentum midway through the first half,” Hetrick continued, “but against a team like this, you can’t make some of the mistakes we made. You have to make the important plays: getting them off the field and we didn’t do that consistently enough. But that’s a credit to them.”

The Knights struck first, marching 70 yards in eight plays, on a drive that ended on a Ricky Johns’ touchdown reception. They added to that lead on CB South’s next drive when Jon Haynes raced 61 yards on a pick-six.

But defense has been the Titans’ calling card all year- CB South surrendered just 31 points in their first five games- and they responded in kind. Tyler Watson picked off Udinski at the Titans’ 18, the first of three straight North Penn drives that ended in picks in CB South territory. On the next play, Watson raced 82 yards for a Titans’ score.

“My linemen opened the hole for me,” Watson said. “I just had to run through it and I showed off my speed and got into the end zone.”

A Noah Collachi pick killed the next Knight drive. South signal caller Jack Johns then hit Watson on a 46-yard bomb, to set up Sean Charpentier’s three-yard wheel route touchdown catch. The point after try missed, but North Penn clung to 14-13 lead midway in the second quarter.

“I saw the screen coming and we were taught on the short side to watch the running back,” said Titan defensive end Sean Gaida, who had the third interception as well as a tackle for loss on the evening. “I saw the running back and he threw it right to me.”

“We were expecting to get a lot of picks and we did get some turnovers,” added Watson, “but they made a lot of big plays and that hurt us.”

With 2:18 left in the first half, Udinski rolled left and hit Johns on a 41-yard touchdown pass. The back breaker came on the penultimate play of the half when Udinski connected with Jake Hubler on a 37-yard scoring bomb. It gave the Knights a 28-13 lead.

North Penn added touchdown runs by Dan Drop and Xzavier Gorski in the fourth quarter. Justis Henley personally killed three Titan second half drives with interceptions.

While the Knights commanded the game from late in the second quarter onward, South takes away some positives. Jack Johns attempted 28 passes and was not sacked. “We’re coached to step up, make the throw and let it go,” noted the 6’6” Johns.

Johns also connected with three different receivers on long passes of 38 yards or more. “The offense is a little hard to learn, but once you get the hang of it, it’s good,” he said. “We’re very complex, which is nice. They played a lot of man-to-man, which kind of helped us. We had the one wheel route and a couple of deep balls that I managed to hit.”

South’s defense also held North Penn to 66 rushing yards on 20 carries through the third quarter.

“We had good coaching. We had a lot of good B gap plays to set us up,” said Gaida, who averages a tackle for loss per game. “Our linebackers made plays.”

Watson gained 169 yards on nine carries and a catch for CB South. Udinski completed 22 of 41 pass attempts for 377 yards. West Virginia-commit Ricky Johns had 7 receptions for 165 yards; Hubler added 152 yards on nine touches.

“They have so many formations and looks and (Udinski) can buy a lot of time, so you can’t truly prepare for what all they can do,” Hetrick feels. “It gets down to you playing your position, going through your read progression and putting yourself in the position that that scheme tells you to be in. Then when the ball is in the air, you have to make a play.”

The one consensus winner was the new field.

“I love it. I love playing on the turf and it feels great,” Watson said.

“It’s awesome, especially on a night like this where the only thing that is a factor is the wind and not the field,” Hetrick pointed out. “It’s great to have a facility to play these types of games.”

Point After: The Titans named Michael Riotto, the father of Titan senior Theo Riotto, as the year’s honorary captain. Michael has battled multiple myeloma and will lead the Titans in the Light the Night fundraiser on October 8 in Doylestown. CB South wore red wristbands as a show of solidarity to the Riotto fam

To run in the 9/29 Bucks County Herald

Two late interceptions were too much to overcome on Friday night as the host CB West Bucks fell to the Bensalem Owls 28-21. Although the Bucks rallied from a 21-0 halftime deficit to knot the game at 21 with 9:36 left in the fourth quarter, the Owls scored a go ahead touchdown and snuffed out two potential game tying drives. Both teams exited with 3-2 records.

“You have to play four quarters,” CB West coach Chas Cathers said. “Bensalem, right now, is playing hungry and the team that plays the hardest for four quarters is going to win. We came out very flat in the first half and you can’t do that.”

It was an odd night for the CB West defense. Bensalem had six plays of 29 or more yards, yet the Bucks held Bensalem to just 114 yards on their other 44 plays.

The Owls struck first late in the first quarter. Drasaun Moore connected with wide receiver Isaiah Murray on a 10-yard touchdown pass, on a drive set up by Moore’s 62-yard run. A 51-yard halfback option pass to Moore, followed by Keith Parrish’s 30-yard sweep brought the ball to the CB West 7 on Bensalem’s next drive. Moore scrambled in for a touchdown.

Moore called his number and raced in from 30 yards out with 14 seconds left in the first half to spot the Owls a 21-0 lead at intermission.

“I thought we got back on the right track in the second half,” Cathers felt, “but at that point, we were playing from behind and it was too late.”

CB West came out firing in the second half, marching 64 yards on nine plays in their opening drive and ending with Jake Reichwein’s three-yard touchdown plunge. After the West defense then forced their first three-and-out of the game, set up with Reichwein’s huge third down sack of Moore, the Bucks struck again. Quarterback Josh Crecca hit wideout Kevin O’Hanlon on a 30-yard touchdown fade.

“They were pressing so we put on a fade,” O’Hanlon described. “We stacked them and I tried to get over top. It was a perfect throw.”

The Bucks tied it two series later: linebacker Luke Benson broke up a fake punt to force a fumble that teammate T.J. Rakowsky pounced on.

“I saw the ball on the ground and started running. I thought I missed the tackle,” Benson admitted, “but I forced the ball out so I got a little lucky on that one. My teammates recovered it, we came out on offense and did our thing.”

Crecca found O’Hanlon for a 13-yard completion on third-and-13 to extend the drive, which running back Griffin Shields ended with a 15-yard touchdown run at 9:36 left in the game, tying the match at 21.

“We went into the locker room with the mentality that if they can put up 21 points, then so can we,” Benson said. “We came out really wanting to win and do anything that we could. We just didn’t come out on top.”

Bensalem was held to just 99 yards in the second half, but they had one more drive left. With three minutes remaining, Moore hit Murray deep in the end zone with a 24-yard completion, giving Bensalem a 28-21 lead.

Moore’s 131 yards on 18 carries led all rushers while Parrish also went over the century mark. The defensive MVP was Bensalem’s defensive end Saleem Martin, who recorded five tackles for loss and helped to hold CB West to 89 rushing yards. O’Hanlon grabbed seven balls for 135 yards as Crecca completed 9-of-16 passes.

“We were hitting the short pass game. Our quarterbacks were trying to get the ball out quick,” O’Hanlon noted. “The line was blocking and we were trying to hit them underneath and over the middle.”

Crecca got more snaps under center yet Ryan Moylan is also an important part of the CB West quarterback rotation. “Both are great aspects,” O’Hanlon praised. “They can both run and both throw the ball. We’re just trying to work them both in and see who can keep going.”

CB West also has a stable of four running backs who have rushed for over 100 yards on the season. “T.J. Rakowski is a really hard downhill runner. Griffin too- they were both hitting the holes tonight,” Cathers observed. “Luka Munari showed really good effort last week against North Penn so we wanted to give him a chance.” Munari led CB West with 35 yards on 11 carries.

The Bucks hope to return to the team that opened 2016 with three straight wins. “I think we’re still that team,” Cathers concluded.

West Trying to Kick Cancer: Senior kicker Kenny Doak gives West a special teams weapon. Doak drilled three kickoffs for touchbacks against Bensalem, and he is a perfect 14-for-14 on extra point attempts this season. “It’s kicks, a lot of squats and power lifts,” explained Doak on how he builds his leg strength.

But this season, Doak and kicker Clarke Bittner are using their talents for an outstanding cause. “We teamed up with kick-it.org, which is a program to raise money for kids with cancer,” Doak explained. People donate for every point the kickers score and “for every point, the money goes to charity,” Doak continued. “We have a website. It’s a big thing because one of our coaches’ Dads has cancer and we wanted to give back. We’ve already raised close to $1500 and we want to get to $2,000.”

For more information or to donate, please visit:

http://www.kick-it.org/games/2016/08/cb-west-football-kick-it-for-cancer-fundraiser

To Run in the 9/22 Bucks County Herald

Behind Jack McKenna’s 271 rushing and receiving yards, the New Hope-Solebury Lions (3-0) topped the Jenkintown Drakes (1-1) 35-12 on Saturday. It was the Bicentennial League opener for both teams.

“We run Power I one play and five receivers the next play,” McKenna smiled. “It’s the most fun offense I’ve played in.”

New Hope-Solebury took a commanding 28-6 lead into halftime; the second half featured more parity.

“We wanted to run the ball and the first series we were very lackluster. We weren’t getting a push from our line,” said NH-S coach Jim DiTulio. “We settled down the line, made the right calls and were effective with our inside run game.

“We had to make some adjustments since they were blitzing our A and B gaps, so we bounced it outside and had some success,” DiTulio concluded.

The Lions offense opened with a three-and-out but recovered on their second series when they marched 85 yards in eight plays. Quarterback Nick Garritano raced 40 yards on a fake sweep and scored on a sneak four plays later.

“I went over to coach and told him that would have been wide open,” Garritano said. “We ran that play previously where I tossed. We executed it really well- the O line and wide receivers did a great job blocking.”

McKenna’s 37-yard sweep set up Brendan Shadle’s one-yard touchdown plunge with 7:37 left in the second quarter. Garritano hit McKenna on a 53-yard touchdown bomb on New Hope-Solebury’s next offensive play to put the Lions up 21-0.

“(Jenkintown) was overpursing,” McKenna said. “Brendan and I were finding the cut back lanes. Once we got outside, they had a hard time stopping since our line is so athletic when they pull.”

Jenkintown did not get a first down until their fourth possession but they cut the lead to 21-6 late in the second quarter when Jake McGrath hit receiver Patrick Morrin for a 29-yard touchdown. It looked bleak for New Hope-Solebury when Jenkintown’s Albert Koniers recovered the fumbled kickoff at the Lion 30.

The Lions got the ball back on downs when Charles Bray and Joey Gegeckas combined for a big sack and Andrew Wheelan made a textbook pass breakup, one of his two on the day.

“That snapped us out of sleeping,” said Wheelan, who had a big first half tackle for loss. “When I made that big play and hit that receiver hard, it definitely shifted momentum.”

Four straight Garritano passes ended with Morgan Shadle’s beautiful diving touchdown catch of a 19-yard aerial with 15 seconds left in the half. The Lions led 28-6 at the break,

“I saw the ball in the air, I dove for it and got it,” Shadle added.

Patrick Tangradi starred defensively for New Hope-Solebury in the second half, recording an interception and a fumble recovery. Jenkintown scored a second touchdown with 3:33 left in the game on Steven Charlemagne’s one-yard catch. McKenna answered four plays later with a 38-yard touchdown run. Logan Waterson’s fifth point after conversion put the score at 35-12.

“They were a lot more talented and physical then the first teams we played,” McKenna observed. “It feels good to come in here and get the win.”

The Lions, who were coming off of their bye week, outscored their first two opponents 94-12.

“We lost a huge amount in our linebacker corps and we’re building on that,” Wheelan said. “But our secondary is really clicking. Pat Tangradi was balling today. He made that great interception.”

“(Gegeckas) is a sophomore and we’re getting more and more confidence in him,” DiTulio noted on his new linebacking corps. “We like what we see in him. You can’t replace what we lost, but we’re working each and every day to get better.”

Garritano completed 8 of 16 passes for 136 yards. McKenna recorded 178 yards on 15 carries while catching two passes for 93 yards. Brendan Shadle gained 88 yards on eleven carries.

The Lions travel to archrival Bristol this Friday night. “We weren’t sharp,” DiTulio reminded. “If we play like this next week, we’re not going to be in a good position to remain undefeated.”

But Wheelan, a member of the District One AA title team last year, is up for it. “In the offseason, we trained a lot harder,” he reminded. “We had a lot to live up to and there was definitely a lot of pressure. It’s good to live up to that and have a challenge.”

To Run in the 9/22 Bucks County Herald

In Norris-town, opposing offenses get treated rudely.

The CB South Titans held an opponent to six points for the third week this season on Friday. It is a big reason why South is 4-0, after topping previously unbeaten CB East 27-6 (3-1) in both team’s SOL Continental opener.

“We’re all great friends,” said leading tackler Nate Norris. “We’re all on each other’s backs in practice making sure we’re having a good practice. No one is selfish on their team and everyone does their job.”

Keying the linebackers, and Titan defense, are the Norris brothers. Senior Nate and sophomore Matt unofficially combined on eight tackles for loss or no gain in the rivalry win.

“We have chemistry and always have,” said Matt. “We’re going out there and trying to give 100% on every play to get the best for our team and get the win.”

“During the offseason, we both work out together and push each other. During the season, you don’t want your brother to beat you,” Nate reminded, “so you try and get more tackles and have a better game. But once the game is over, we’re both happy with how the other plays.”

“They get it. They get how to play the game,” praised CB South coach Tom Hetrick. “We tell them that they are box guys until they spill and when they spill, they figure out a way to get there.”

Barney Amor ended a seven play, 37-yard drive by hitting a 33-yard field goal and giving CB East a 3-0 lead with 3:00 left in the first quarter. The Patriots, boasting an excellent defense of their own, forced a three-and-out but punter Sam Thompson, who averaged nearly 44 yards per boot, pinned the Patriots to their 20.

South’s John Madara recovered a second down fumble on the East 15 and Nate Norris bulldozed his way into the end zone from four yards out to give South a 6-3 lead early in the second quarter. It was the Titans’ turn to force a three-and-out and Thompson, South’s quarterback, threw a first play bullet to Jason Horvath that went for a 41-yard touchdown.

Wes Verbit’s nifty 32-yard catch and broken field scamper set up a second Amar field goal with 3:00 remaining in the second quarter, cutting the Titan lead to 12-6 at halftime.

Thompson hit running back Tyler Watson on a screen pass on South’s opening second half drive that yielded one of the few poor plays for the Patriots’ defense. Watson broke three tackles and raced 52 yards for a touchdown; the conversion put the lead at 20-6.

“I thought the defense played really well. They’re a mammoth offensive line and I thought we did a great job,” noted CB East coach John Donnelly. “They had the one big play on the screen where we had (Watson) for a tackle for loss and then missed a ton of tackles. Their kid made a good play.”

East’s quarterback Matt Szczypiorski answered two series later, completing six straight pass attempts at one point before turning the ball over on downs. South iced the game late in the fourth when big Titan defensive tackle Noah Collachi picked off an East pass and rumbled 55 yards for a late score.

The Patriots outgained the Titans 244-204. East’s defense yielded just 19 points all season coming into the game; South was held to nearly half their average yardage.

“Everyone is flying to the ball and working at practice. Everyone is hawking the ball,” explained East senior defensive end Ryan Plack. “Eleven hats on the ball is what we preach. I think it’s good form and everyone knowing their job.”

Plack contributed to three tackles for loss. “I think it was our defensive scheme and angling,” he explained. “We play a 4-2-5 so it’s easy to read. We go against their kind of offense all of the time so I think we were ready for it. There were a couple of big plays- that one screen pass where we couldn’t make a tackle. But besides that, I think we’ll be all right.”

The four Patriot turnovers were too much to overcome.

“I’m proud of the grit of our team and we’re still a good football team,” Donnelly feels. “We did a lot of good things and it’s a game of mistakes and whoever makes the fewest mistakes is going to win. But I thought we moved the ball well tonight. The three fumbles were killers because every time we were moving the ball. That first score, we gave them a short field and they capitalized on it.”

Szczypiorski completed 18-of-30 passes for 166 yards. Verbit snagged six balls for 88 yards while Jack Elias gained 52 yards on 13 touches for East.

“(East) is going to show you all kinds of things and looks,” said Hetrick, “but when all is said and done, we have our base alignment so that you need to be able to make it easy enough to understand and have adjustments to get people to the position where you are balanced up and defend the entire field. That’s what they do: on any given play they make you defend the entire field.”

Thompson completed 7-of-11 passes for 118 yards. Nate Norris, although the defensive MVP, doubled as the game’s leading ground gainer with 42 yards on 10 rushes.

Nate says playing both platoons “has definitely gotten better throughout the season. As we play more games, we get better acclimated to it and the weather cools down,” he explained. “At the end of the game, I felt pretty good and my legs were still fresh.”

But Nate’s calling card is defense. The Titans have surrendered just 31 points in four games to SOL opponents. “We have eleven guys who have a pretty good football IQ,” said Hetrick. “Our defensive backfield has made major strides. We have good cover guys that we trust which allow us to do things in the box and have those two linebackers play the box. We think we have a defensive front four that are stout, smart and active. As a group of eleven people, I couldn’t have been more proud of them.”

Emotions ran high as Wilson quarterback Cameron Clark’s pass hung in the air near midfield.

They were somewhat high since host Palisades was clinging to a 14-13 lead with 1:30 left, yet Wilson (0-2) had the ball and started to drive.

They were higher still since both teams were honoring the memory of Palisades line coach Tom Poynton, a Wilson grad who was tragically killed in an electrical accident on July 26. Poynton was just 32.

Poynton would want his players to not quit, and Pirate defensive back Ethan Brader did not, snagging Clark’s pass to ice an emotional win. Palisades improved to 1-1 with the victory.

“I’ve got to do this for him up there. He is watching us,” thought Brader. “I had to do it for (Poynton).”

A young Palisades team that has just one senior did make mistakes, posting a -3 turnover margin and committing eight penalties. “Hopefully it gives them some confidence and something to build with. In the second half we did some good things but man did we do a lot of bone head things,” assessed coach Kevin Ronalds. “We gave up contain. I don’t know where all of the holds have come from the last two weeks, but they are drive killers.”

The Pirate defense stood stout, using a key tackle for loss in each of their first three drives to keep Wilson off the board.

“We trust each other and believe in each other,” said lineman Drew Nickles. “We did our job and it all added up to good defense.” Palisades ran 20 more plays than Wilson.

But Warrior Job Goodman (18 touches, 153 yards) inflicted suffering of his own, recovering a Palisades fumble at the Palisades 29 and racing in for a touchdown one play later to stake Wilson to a 7-0 lead with 5:17 remaining in the first half.

Wilson’s Ethan Asiatico recovered the fumbled kickoff and three plays later, Clark found Goodman over the middle for a 55-yard touchdown pass. The point after try missed, and Palisades was down 13-0 late in the second.

The Pirates calmly pieced together an 11 play, 73-yard drive that ended when Jared Colletti made a beautiful diving touchdown catch on a 13-yard Brader aerial. Wilson took a 13-7 lead into the half.

“Ethan Brader said from the start that he was throwing my way,” said Colletti, a track star who ran for 163 yards against Notre Dame the week prior. “I saw the ball thrown and went to it.”

“Jared has a speed and he faced a linebacker so I knew my guy had this,” added Brader. “He ran the route perfectly and it happened to be a touchdown.”

Palisades opened the second half with an impressive march, that ended at the Wilson-6; Jarin Kozemchak recovered the fourth lost Pirate fumble of the game. The Pirate defense forced a three-and-out which set up Colletti finding Matt McGrath on a 51-yard touchdown halfback option pass nine seconds into the fourth quarter. The PAT gave the Pirates a 14-13 lead.

“We practice that a lot. That was cool,” grinned Colletti. “I was just trying to get it up and over the (line’s) hands. Matt saw the ball and got the ball. He said that if he dropped it, it was on him! But he did a good job stalk blocking.”

McGrath, as defender, would be the hero three series later. It looked like Wilson’s Ethan Aquino would score on a long pass; McGrath caught him at the Palisades 20 and punched the ball through the end zone, turning a likely Wilson touchdown into a Palisades touchback.

Colletti’s 96 yards on 21 carries led all rushers. Brader ran for 87 yards on 20 carries and completed 6-of-8 pass attempts for 72 yards.

“We don’t give up,” said Brader. “We have some of the biggest heart in this League. I thank the linemen for doing their jobs today. It was an all-around great effort from the offense.”

“At Notre Dame, we didn’t play to our capability,” Nickles assessed. “But we’re starting to get there. We’re building up and need to get on a roll for the rest of the season. We ought to use this momentum.”

“We needed to win, coming out 0-1. We couldn’t go 0-2,” Colletti pointed out. “The win is a big win on this night. People supporting us and supporting Coach Poynton means the world to us.”

As exciting as the game was, there was still a feeling that it was secondary to honoring Poynton. Both schools wore white in a tribute to their late mutual comrade. Nickles and Kozemchak received the first Thomas Poynton 110% Awards after the game.

“It means the world,” said Nickles. “Coach Poynton was such an influence on everyone who came to this game and me individually. It was incredible to receive it. It was an honor.”

“It was difficult. I can’t get over how everybody responded,” said Ronalds tearing up. “Unbelievable and it was very emotional for us all. (Palisades) were awesome. Since this happened, they can’t do enough. I know the Poyntons have been overwhelmed with Palisades and the way they’ve responded.

Ronalds pointed to the Pen Argyl football team who came to support the effort while wearing their whites. “There is not another league where that would happen,” he said. “(Pen Argyl) just felt it was important to be here. They’re not getting anything out of being here. They already played Wilson and they don’t play us for another two months. That kind of stuff is overwhelming.”

The t-shirts that were sold to benefit a scholarship in Poynton’s name summarized it best: Two Teams. One Brother.

Call it Cloak and Jagger.

Pennridge senior quarterback Jagger Hartshorn ran for 208 yards and five touchdowns- in the first half alone- as the Rams routed the host Norristown Eagles 49-20 on Saturday.

“You don’t think so much about a quarterback being a threat inside and you have to defend our speed because we have good speed on the edge,” pointed out Pennridge coach Jeff Hollenbach. “When they go to defend that, they are opening up the middle where the quarterback has some speed. (Jagger) really did an awesome job.”

“It feels good to be back with this team,” said Hartshorn, who made his first start. “I grew up with these guys.”

It was the season opener for both teams. It was also the debut of Norristown as a Pioneer Athletic Conference member, after years in the Suburban One.

Pennridge, who out rushed their hosts 351 yards to negative 8, needed only the game’s opening eight plays to establish dominance in all three phases of football.

Hartshorn started the game with a 42-yard keeper and scored three players later. Kicker Matt Mauer converted all seven point after tries, and pinned Norristown on the ensuing kickoff with his first of three touchbacks.

“The first play, I saw a huge hole and hit it. It really set the tone for the whole team,” Hartshorn noted. “We all got excited and built off of there.”

“I had a torn meniscus this summer so I wasn’t able to do too much, but I was able to get back into camp and work with my coaches,” said Mauer, an All-League incumbent. “I did field goals from all of the hashes. I did anything crazy that I could. I was a little sore at first but now I’m fine.”

Defensively, Ram senior linebacker and co-captain Joe Robinson’s opening tackle resulted in 2-and-19 and ultimately, a Norristown three-and-out. The Rams recorded seven first half tackles for loss.

“It was great coming on the field and taking them off right away,” said Robinson. “We just want to win. We let up some big plays that we’re going to correct this week before Neshaminy and we’re preparing right now.

“I think our defense is well connected. We had some communication issues a little bit but we’re going to get there,” he predicted.

Hartshorn scored on a 17-yard keeper and followed it with a 26-yard touchdown scramble to stake Pennridge to a 21-0 lead just 6:39 into the game. Hartshorn had lots of success on inside runs when it looked like the Rams would run a sweep.

“The holes were huge. We worked as a team,” said Hartshorn. “We competed as a team.”

Norristown responded when Joe Gionnone snagged a screen pass on third-and-22 and raced 93 yards for a touchdown. Pennridge answered with a 25-yard Josh Pinckney touchdown run, and then Hartshorn’s roaring 56 yards for a score to put the Rams up 35-6.

Norristown again struck through the air. Izaiah Webb found Boubacar Diawara on a 68-yard slant and the two-point conversion to put the score 35-14. But when Hartshorn kept and ran 28 yards for a score, it not only marked the third touchdown in five plays, but it tied a Rams’ record. Hartshorn joined Jason Rhodes and former Buffalo Bill Louis Riddick with five touchdowns in a game.

Austin Herrlinger ended a seven play, 66-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run, putting the game at 49-14 with 1:07 left in the first half and enabling a running clock in the second.

The Rams ran for nearly 200 yards per game last season yet it was running back by committee. Six different Rams had over 25 carries and their leading rusher, Judens Desrosiers, didn’t get 500 yards.

“It probably will be the same because we have a number of running backs with really good speed,” Hollenbach shared. “In seven-on-seven this summer, all we do is throw and Jagger really opened a lot of eyes throwing the ball.”

Pinkney carried six times for 44 yards and Herrlinger had five touches for 30 yards. Webb completed nine-of-fifteen passes for 126 yards for Norristown.

The finale of the 2015 season did not treat Pennridge kindly. They were the first team to miss the District One playoffs…and did so by the tiniest of power point margins. On Thanksgiving, they took a 21-0 lead into halftime at home only to see nemesis Quakertown storm back to win 28-21.

“The upperclassmen remember walking off the field on the Thanksgiving and how horrible it felt,” Hollenbach reminded. “I told them it was time to turn it around. We were ready to play. With the heat the way it was, it may not have seemed like that much energy, but they were really ready to play.”

On a 90 degree Saturday more suited for baseball than football, Pennridge served notice that those November ghosts were purged.

“The heat was terrible. Honestly, the first half felt like it was a year,” Robinson stated. “But those are the things you have to overcome. It’s just an obstacle that you have to get over.”

Pennridge overcame those obstacles in impressive style.

By Don Leypoldt

To run in the December 3^rd Bucks County Herald

The 2010 West Catholic Burrs won the 2A state title.

The 2015 Burr apple has not fallen far from the tree.

District 12 champion West (9-4) took a 41-0 lead into halftime on Saturday’s first round PIAA playoff game and cruised to a 55-14 win over District 1 champion New Hope-Solebury. The Lions close the year at 12-2.

“Mr. Jones…you’re gonna be a big star,” Counting Crows prophetically sang and that was West’s story. Senior Craig Jones ran for a 31-yard touchdown on the Burrs’ second play from scrimmage, and followed it one drive later with a 42 yard reception. Calil Wortham’s five-yard run two plays later put the Burrs up 14-0.

The Lion defense roared a series later when senior linebacker Russell Abernethy pressured West’s quarterback Joshua Evans. Abernethy forced Evans, who ranks in the City League’s top three in both yards and touchdown passes, to fire a pass into the arms of big junior Lion Matt Fest, who ran it to the Burr-13.

But one play later, Jones picked off an NH-S pass and raced 89 yards for a touchdown, putting West up 20-0 with 3:14 left in the first.

The Lions lost the ball on sophomore Rovny DiSilva’s third down strip sack, but Abernethy broke up an Evans’ fourth down pass to end that threat.

But a Burr team with one Rutgers commit and several other likely D1 signees would not be denied. Supreme Kemp’s 23 yard touchdown run capped an eight play drive. After forcing a three-and-out, Evans hit Jameer Bryson on a 20 yard swing pass for a touchdown that ended a 68-yard march and put the Burrs up 35-0.

After another Lion three-and-out, NH-S senior Matt Kolen boomed one of his four punts of over 35 yards; Lion linebacker Tommy Capriotti made a beautiful open field tackle on Jones for a five yard loss.

“I was coming down on the left side and sat there because I thought he might reverse it around,” Capriotti said. “When he came up, I made the tackle.”

But Jones struck yet again, catching a 49 yard pass to set up Ociele Miller’s 12 yard touchdown run with 30 seconds left in the half.

And two plays into the second half, West extended the lead to 49-0; Ahmad Kent caught a long pass from backup quarterback Josh Holsopple and raced 71 yards for a score.

Here, the Lion offense came to life. Junior running back Brendan Shadle gained 18 yards on a third-and-nine. Abernethy picked up a blitzing Burr who outweighed him by 30 pounds, three plays later enabling sophomore quarterback Nick Garritano to connect with junior running back Jack McKenna on a 39-yard bomb.

“Being undersized in almost every game,” noted Abernethy, “we teach a lot of technique and getting low. If you have the right leverage, you can pretty much block anybody who is bigger or more aggressive than you.”

The 12 play drive ended when Garritano hit senior wideout Blake Hildebrandt on a nine-yard fade pattern for a touchdown late in the third quarter.

Burr Jacir Savoy scored on a five-yard sweep one drive later, but the Lions closed the year on a high note. McKenna carried seven times on the team’s final drive, going over 1,000 yards for the season in the process. Shadle’s one yard plunge with 1:51 in the game made the score 55-14.

West will play District 2 champion Dunmore in a state quarterfinal match up next weekend.

West’s four losses were to excellent AAA and AAAA teams; the Burrs played mighty North Penn more than respectably in a 40-24 loss on week two and are 7-0 against AA teams this season. The Burrs met the Lions in the post-season once before, defeating them 26-7 in the 2013 District 1/12 semifinal.

Evans completed 6-of-13 passes for 148 yards. Jones picked up 122 yards on three touches. Miller’s 44 yards on five carries led a West attack that rushed for 249 yards. For New Hope-Solebury, McKenna picked up 108 yards on 20 touches while Shadle added 31 yards on nine carries.

The game concluded a wild eight days for NH-S, who 65 hours before kickoff were engaged in a battle royal with their Thanksgiving rival, a South Hunterdon foe “who brought their A+ game,” per NH-S coaches.

“They really embraced it,” said Lion head coach Jim DiTulio, “and it didn’t have any bearing on us today. If we had two weeks to prepare for West Catholic, it wouldn’t have made a difference. We were outmatched today. Speedwise, they had too much for us.”

The loss in no way undermines the best year in New Hope-Solebury’s young history. The Lions’ defense yielded just 70 points in their 12 wins. Three of the “W”s were shutouts. Five opponents suffered their lowest point total of the year against NH-S’ defense.

Everyone has to play their part to craft a successful defense, but the play of senior co-captains and linebackers Franco Mannino, Abernethy and Capriotti stood out all Fall.

“It’s like a family,” said Mannino. “We have each other’s backs. We never fight with each other. We always come out every play knowing our brother is going to make the play.”

NH-S set a program wins record and claimed the District title. “We built upon the old team and kept the winning tradition going,” Capriotti reflected.

“I feel like when I came in, we were the underdog,” said Abernethy, who started his high school career at Archbishop Wood, “and I feel like next year and in years to come, New Hope won’t be as much of an underdog going into some of our bigger games.”

“I think we’re leaving NH-S with a winning tradition behind,” Mannino feels, “one that inspires future classes to reach the goals we’ve achieved this year and possibly go farther through that work that needs to be accomplished.”

Can a game like this be a learning experience for the returning Lions? “No doubt about it,” DiTulio responded. “Having our underclassmen see and experience a caliber of team like West Catholic can only drive and motivate us to get back in the weight room and set the bar even higher next year. They’re a great program.

“The kids battled for 48 minutes and never quit,” DiTulio commended. “When you’re down 41-0 at half, you play for pride and they did.”

There is one date left on the NH-S calendar: the banquet on December 13^th where DiTulio’s Pride can celebrate a proud season of Lion football.

Don Leypoldt’s book Keystones and Wishbones: Faith, Values and Football in the Delaware Valley is now available on Amazon! The book features interviews with over a dozen NFL veterans, all with Delaware Valley ties. Click here to order:

By Don Leypoldt

To run in the December 3^rd Bucks County Herald

Quakertown has battled neighboring Pennridge on each of the last 86 Thanksgivings.

Few of those clashes saw as furious of a comeback as the 2015 edition.

Down by three touchdowns at intermission, the Panthers (10-3) used 28 unanswered second half points to stun host Pennridge 28-21. Thursday marked the first ever Thanksgiving classic held at the Rams’ (8-4) Helman Field.

“They had a really good scheme going where they weren’t giving us a whole lot in the passing game,” noted Quakertown coach George Banas, whose charges were held to just 72 total yards in the first half.

As a 21-0 halftime score would indicate, the first act was all Pennridge. Ram senior cornerback Dan Hockman leveled a huge third down sack on Panther signal caller Tom Garlick to end a series. The Rams then marched 43 yards in six plays. Senior fullback Judens Desrosiers’ four-yard touchdown plunge capped the drive.

That was the pattern for the next two cycles. Pennridge sacks killed the next two Quakertown drives. Desrosiers ended the next two Ram drives with touchdown runs. Desrosiers slammed in from six yards to end a penalty aided 68 yard march, and followed it with a one yard touchdown plunge late in the second quarter to put Pennridge up 21-0.

Senior quarterback DeVon Balmer keyed Pennridge’s third scoring drive by hitting classmate Connor Hansen on a 27 yard pass to set up first and goal.

“Offensively, we were coming off of the ball and playing power football,” assessed Ram coach Jeff Hollenbach on the first half. “There wasn’t too much trick stuff. Defensively, we were playing tough football too.”

But did anyone in the standing room only crowd think Quakertown would just roll over in their rivalry game?

“This isn’t the way we want to go out,” thought Panther senior cornerback and running back Jon Potynski. “This isn’t how we want to end it. We got a talking to at halftime.”

“I went on a little bit of a tirade, I’ll be honest,” confessed Quakertown coach George Banas. “I think that woke some kids up. I told them that they can pack it up on the bus and go home right now, or they can start to play Quakertown football.

“After that, we went outside and game planned as coaches, and decided what we had to do to stop the edge and what we could do offensively to get our guys rolling.”

The Panthers opened the second half with two momentum changing plays. Senior lineman Dom Melso belted Desrosiers for a five yard loss and then Panther defensive back Jack Chenoweth picked off a Balmer pass. Fullback Nick Bonomo’s 39 yard gash set up a three yard Rob Burns’ touchdown run and the Panthers were on the board.

“I think when you get into these momentum games- and this was a momentum game- it is really hard to get that momentum back. That’s what happened to us,” Hollenbach believes.

Garlick, who completed 13 of 21 passes for 89 yards, hit senior receiver Aaron Besch for a 15 yard gain on Quakertown’s next possession. Besch, whose four grabs for 39 yards led the game, returned the favor on the next play, connecting with a wide open Garlick on a reverse 42 yard flea flicker for a touchdown.

“It was the momentum change after Jack’s pick,” felt Besch. “From the get-go, we scored and then the quick score from the reverse pass put us down by just one touchdown. It became a game.”

“I did play quarterback in 10^th grade on JV,” reported Besch. “I was Tom’s backup. We had a trick play this week and we knew it was going to work.”

Pennridge seemed to gain some momentum after recovering a fumble, but Potynski picked off a pass two plays after the recovery.

“When your defensive line is getting pressure and getting into the quarterback’s face,” deflected Potynski, who also had 47 yards on six touches, “it’s easier to come up with a play.   Extending the play for us makes it easier to get to the ball. They played great up front.”

“We went back to a couple of seniors at defensive end and told them they had a chance to right a wrong in the first half,” Banas explained. “They stepped up in the second half. We went to a base and were able to bring a little more pressure to confuse them. Our secondary played a heckuva game picking them off.”

Senior Burns picked up 22 yards on a misdirection and rushed 20 yards in the end zone on a sweep one play later to tie the contest at 21.

Lightning doesn’t strike twice but Potynski did, picking off another Ram pass two plays later. The Panthers moved 24 yards in seven plays. Burns’ three yard scoring run with 4:10 remaining in the game was the 52^nd and final touchdown of this remarkable Panthers’ career. Burns led all rushers with 140 yards on 23 carries. His nearly 3800 career rushing yards rank among Quakertown’s all time greats.

Pennridge still had time for one march, but a James Palush sack on third down forced a Hail Mary, which fell harmless.

“Out of the half, I very calmly asked them to fight every single play and to give the heart and effort that Quakertown football players had every game this season,” Banas continued.

“It’s probably the best feeling in the world now,” said Potynski.

Desrosiers’ 50 yards on 13 carries led the eight different Rams carried the ball. Hansen added 65 yards on three runs and a catch.

“We have several different sets that different running backs play in,” said Hansen prior to the game. “We have a Big Man offense which is three fullbacks and power football. The one that I’m on is the Wing-T, where we go to the outside and play misdirection football. We have a slot formation where it’s more of a pass first.”

More than just another running back, Hansen also embodies why this rivalry is so special.

“My grandfather played for Pennridge. So did my Dad, who graduated in 1981,” Hansen stated. “He still talks about his football career and how big of a day it was for him to play Quakertown on Thanksgiving Day. I think it’s amazing that, even today, we’re still celebrating this day and how great of a day it is for all of us to still be playing on Thanksgiving.

“I think we all realize it. This year, I think the same thing is going to happen- how everyone knows that this is a huge game and a huge tradition,” Hansen concluded.

Hollenbach could still remain in the Thanksgiving spirit despite a difficult loss. “I personally am thankful for this team,” said the coach who signs his emails ‘Have an Awesome Day.’ “They played their hearts out all season. They really believed and I really appreciate that.”

The Panther seniors, who have assembled consecutive 10+ win seasons, leave the program knowing that they’ve built something special.

Pennridge has the series edge, but this win marks Quakertown’s third straight “W” against their larger rival. Banas seems to have found the recipe for a winning Turkey Bowl: Add defense to some Garlick. It’s okay if it Burns.

Don Leypoldt’s book Keystones and Wishbones: Faith, Values and Football in the Delaware Valley is now available on Amazon! The book features interviews with over a dozen NFL veterans, all with Delaware Valley ties. Click here to order:

To run in the November 25^th Bucks County Herald

On a crisp night in Doylestown, the New Hope-Solebury Lions (11-1) got stronger in all three phases- offense, defense and special teams- to outslug Springfield (Montco) 14-7 and win the District One AA Championship.

The night could not have ended any better.

“I can’t even talk right now,” said ecstatic senior Matt Kolen. “I’m at a loss for words. It’s so emotional right now.”

“I came here two years ago,” stated raspy senior linebacker and captain Russell Abernathy, who started his career at Archbishop Wood. “And my number one goal was to win Districts with my new team. We finally got it done today.”

Never mind that the night could not have started any worse.

The Lions faced a 7-0 hole ten seconds into the game when Springfield’s Ben Fisher raced 78 yards for a touchdown on the opening play from scrimmage. New Hope’s offense followed that with an inauspicious three-and-out.

“We got caught off guard and called strength to the wrong side of the field,” said NH-S head coach Jim DiTulio. “There was a big hole.”

Don’t let Springfield’s 4-7 record fool you. The Spartans play in the Suburban One League against much bigger competition. The Spartans and Lions had two common foes this Fall- Bristol and Lower Moreland. Both District One Finalists won their games against Bristol and LM by similar scores.

The Spartans moved, racking up 166 yards in their first three possessions. But on a fourth down inside the Lion 10, Springfield tried their first pass of the game. NH-S cornerback Blake Hildebrant picked it off in his end zone early in the second quarter.

Now it was New Hope’s turn to march and they did, going 80 yards in eight plays, capped with junior running back Jack McKenna’s 54 yard touchdown run. McKenna picked up 139 yards on 12 touches.

“It was a fantastic block,” credit McKenna. “Kolen and the wide receiver made a huge hole. I just hit the hole and there was no one there.”

With the game knotted at seven, both teams settled into a stalemate. The Lion defense yielded just 124 yards in the final two and a half quarters.

“The captains took the guys aside and said we have to bounce back,” recalled Abernathy, who killed a second half drive with a third down tackle for no gain. “Coach drew a big heart on the board and said this is what we’re going to use to win the game of two evenly matched teams. Anyone could have won the game, but we just had a little more heart in the second half.”

Field position was critical in a defensive battle and it looked like Springfield would win the battle in the third quarter after pinning NH-S at their own two and forcing a three-and-out. Enter an unlikely weapon.

Known as a tight end, punter Kolen unleashed a 46 yard net punt to pin Springfield back. The Lion defense held and when Springfield forced another three-and-out, Kolen unleashed another bomb, a 55 yard punt, to pin Springfield back even deeper.

“Those were my two biggest punts, backed on up the goal line,” noted Kolen. “I told my center ‘Get the ball back to me and I’ll do my thing.’”

It was now the Lions’ turn to force a punt and getting the ball back at their own 42, New Hope marched 58 yards in eight plays. Sophomore quarterback Nick Garritano scored the go-ahead touchdown on a sneak with 4:21 left, but it was McKenna’s 28 yard counter on third down that keyed the drive.

“Again, it was great blocking. The pulling guard laid someone out and I just tried to make a play,” McKenna described. “I was happy there was a seam and I tried to hit it as hard as I could.”

Lion junior running back Brendan Shadle added 61 yards on 11 carries. “They were locked up on Hildebrant a lot playing press coverage,” DiTulio noted on his run oriented game plan. “We were having success running the ball inside. I like to throw the ball but if we’re having success, you have to stick to what is working.”

The New Hope defense has yielded double digit points just twice all season. When McKenna tripped up slippery Springfield quarterback Justin Hill for a five yard loss in the game’s final minute, it cemented New Hope’s second District One title.

“We’ve been a great defensive team all year and they came out and hit us in the mouth,” McKenna credited. “They had a few close drives but we bent and didn’t break. They weren’t getting into the end zone for the rest of the game.”

Fisher ended up with 163 yards on 23 carries. Hill picked up 86 yards on 16 rushes. On several broken plays, the elusive Hill looked more like an eel than a high school student, breaking multiple tackles and making gains out of certain losses.

The Lions face an interesting week, playing traditional Thanksgiving rival South Hunterdon at home on Wednesday night and then the West Catholic/Del Val Charter winner on Saturday in the first round of states.

“Every year, we set goals for our team. We knew going into camp that we had a special group,” said DiTulio, “and if we worked hard we could achieve these goals.”

“We’ve been putting it all together since January,” said Kolen. “We weren’t going to let Springfield steal it from us.” After Friday, that District One championship trophy is secure in New Hope-Solebury.

Don Leypoldt’s book Keystones and Wishbones: Faith, Values and Football in the Delaware Valley is now available on Amazon! The book features interviews with over a dozen NFL veterans, all with Delaware Valley ties. Click here to order:

By Don Leypoldt

To run in the November 19^th Bucks County Herald

Three straight East passes. Three straight Quakertown picks.

There were plenty of defensive highlights from which to choose on Saturday, as the #12 Quakertown Panthers (9-2) “upset” the host and #5 CB East Patriots 7-6 in District One AAAA first round playoff action.

But junior defensive back Jack Chenowith’s interception with 1:48 left, sandwiched by senior Kyle Baskin’s two big picks salted the game away for the Panthers.

“The interceptions by Kyle, definitely,” said Panther senior lineman Chris Curry on the key moment of the game.

“I’d have to give it to Jack Chenowith because his was so clutch,” Baskin disagreed. “(East) was getting some momentum and he picked it off and it gave us some lift.”

The game didn’t appear to be a defensive standoff at first. After forcing a three-and-out, the Panthers took their opening drive 53 yards in 10 plays. Senior running back Rob Burns banged into the end zone from the CBE-5 on fourth and four, giving the Panthers a 7-0 lead.

From then on, points would be scarce. The East defense surrendered just 120 yards for the rest of the contest. Quakertown averages over 400 yards of offense per game.

“Quakertown runs power and counter very well,” said East head coach John Donnelly. “We were tuned up to defend it. We felt we did a great job, as the score indicates, from a defensive standpoint.”

Yet the Panthers forced five turnovers and held East to just 22 passing yards on 11 attempts.

“We game planned and went to a different front with different personnel,” explained Quakertown head coach George Banas.

“The key was, last week, they beat us a lot on the ends. We had to bottle them up and we did that well this week,” said Baskin.

“They brought me into D End and I felt we had good contain on the edges,” added Curry, who had several big tackles for loss. “Our linebackers really stepped up when they plugged the holes. The corners had picks and it was just a good game all around.”

Jake Bovard’s punt pinned East at their own 4 early in the second quarter. When Baskin pounced on a fumble at the CBE-16, it seemed like Quakertown would be in business.

But the Patriot defense yielded just four yards, highlighted by linebacker Jack Lamb swatting a third down pass attempt. Quakertown’s 29 yard field goal attempt missed left in the blustery day.

Lamb burst for a 62 yard run on the Patriots’ opening second half drive, but Quakertown forced and recovered a fumble at their own 8.

After East forced a punt, Lamb connected with wide out Logan Nelsen for a beautiful 17 yard grab on third down. Senior running back Alex Gibson than ran off rushes of 11, 12 and finally a 25 yard touchdown gallop to get East on the board early in the fourth quarter. Gibson led all rushers with 146 yards on 22 carries; Lamb added 92 yards on ten runs.

But a fateful high snap on the point after try forced Lamb to throw a pass, which fell incomplete.

Baskin’s first interception killed a Patriot drive with 7:00 left. “I saw my man. He threw it out there both times and both times I was able to get it,” said the 6’4” Baskin.

And the Panther offense responded by generating life for the first time since their opening drive. They moved the ball to the East-11 when Patriot end Ryan Plack pounced on a Quakertown fumble.

East tried a gadget pass, which Chenowith intercepted one play later. When the Patriots did get the ball back with 1:02 left, they tried a third straight pass, which the 6’4” Baskin grabbed and put away the game.

These teams met in the SOL Continental season finale eight days prior. CB East emerged with a 24-23 win at Quakertown.

“We dropped another safety back and took out a lineman,” said Curry on Quakertown’s defensive adjustments. “The film was the same but we had to change everything up and start fresh.”

“Offensively, we realized that some plays just didn’t work and we added some variations,” Baskin added.

It ends a special year for East who opened a long awaited beautiful stadium. All three Patriot losses were by less than a touchdown.

“I told them that this stings horribly right now but when they get time to reflect, they will realize the huge strides that they made as a group and for the program,” Donnelly said. “That was my sole message to them after the game.”

Quakertown not only avenges a tough loss from week 10, but they also get to host #13 Neshaminy (8-3) on Friday after the Redskins beat Spring-Ford 31-16.

“This is one of the best feelings of my high school career,” a jubilant Baskin said minutes after the game. Maybe that feeling will continue this Friday night.

Don Leypoldt’s book Keystones and Wishbones: Faith, Values and Football in the Delaware Valley is now available on Amazon! The book features interviews with over a dozen NFL veterans, all with Delaware Valley ties. Click here to order:

By Don Leypoldt

To run in the November 19^th Bucks County Herald

Behind senior wide receiver Blake Hildebrandt’s career night, the host and #1-seed New Hope-Solebury Lions defeated the #4-seed Lower Moreland Lions 27-0 last Friday in the District One AA semi-finals.

Hildebrant caught seven balls for 155 yards on a blustery night, none more impressive or important than his 16 yard circus catch touchdown that put NH-S up 20-0 midway through the second quarter.

“I saw Nick (Garritano) scrambling back and forth and I tried to make a play. I saw the ball hit my hands and then I just tried to get me feet in as quick as I could,” said Hildebrant, who extended high to corral the pass. “Thank heavens I was in.”

The win gives NH-S (10-1) a spot in Friday’s District One AA title game against #2-seed Springfield Montco at War Memorial Stadium.

But despite the win, coach Jim DiTulio knows there is a lot of work to do.

“I made it pretty clear tonight that I was not happy with the second half and the execution on the football field,” said DiTulio. “That is not who we are.”

“Everyone played hard nosed,” observed junior lineman Matt Fest. “But (Lower Moreland) definitely played better than last time and we definitely didn’t play the toughest game that we could have.”

The NH-S Lions dominated Lower Moreland (2-9) 55-8 in week seven, a game where New Hope ran for 288 yards and forced five turnovers. A stouter LM held NH-S to 226 rushing yards while producing a +1 turnover margin.

“They went unbalanced more and caught us off guard a little bit,” DiTulio pointed out. “And they had (fullback Matt) Gallagher back. That definitely made a difference, since he was out.”

Gallagher rushed for 55 yards on 15 carries. Lower Moreland was paced by senior Pat Giordano’s 62 yards on 14 rushes.

NH-S scored on their first two drives, both covering eight plays. Quarterback Garritano, who completed 10-of-16 passes for 189 yards, hit tight end Matt Kolen on a bootleg for a 15-yard scoring strike to put NH-S up 7-0. NH-S used four Garritano completions to move 89 yards on their second drive.

“We knew what we were going against and we executed,” said Garritano, who added that he was not bothered by the wind. Junior running back Jack McKenna capped the second drive with a six yard jitterbug for a touchdown.

A 35 yard Garritano to Hildebrant bomb on third down was the keyed NH-S’ opening drive in the second half. “Nick has been throwing great balls all year and it’s been great to have that many targets,” said Hildebrant. “I just have to keep making plays for him.”

Junior running back Brendan Shadle punched it in from the one to put NH-S up 27-0. Shadle rushed for 89 yards on 15 carries. McKenna added 61 yards on 10 rushes.

“We keep the blocking scheme the same for whoever is running the ball. They’ve gotten it done all year,” commented Fest.

While the visiting Lions averaged four yards a carry, NH-S limited the visitors to just 27 yards passing on 10 attempts. Defensive back Andrew Wheelan snuffed out LM’s most impressive drive with an interception at the NH-S 35.

“They don’t play with a lot of wide receivers. We played them before so we already knew their scheme. That really helped out as well,” said Hildebrandt, who doubles as a defensive back.

The Lions were coming off of a difficult 41-17 loss at Delco Christian in the Bicentennial League title game.

“We made it clear on the bus ride home that we had to put that in the backseat. But we had a good week of practice,” DiTulio felt.

The win sets up an intriguing Friday final with the Spartans, 26-12 winners over #3-seed Bristol. Don’t let Springfield’s 4-7 record fool you. Both Springfield and NH-S beat Bristol and Lower Moreland by similar scores; two of Springfield’s wins are against AAA or AAAA teams.

“We have to clean up a lot of things. Our backs weren’t hitting the hole like I know they can,” DiTulio said. “Defensively, we gave up a lot of yards on the ground tonight and that is not typical of our style of defense.

“We’ll tighten it up, we’ll have a great week of practice,” the coach predicted, “and we’ll be ready to go next week.”

Don Leypoldt’s book Keystones and Wishbones: Faith, Values and Football in the Delaware Valley is now available on Amazon! The book features interviews with over a dozen NFL veterans, all with Delaware Valley ties. Click here to order:

To run in the October 30^th Bucks County Herald

One drive lasted one play. One drive took 16 plays. But Pennridge (5-3) used both scoring drives- plus a third- to hang 21 unanswered second half points on CB South (3-5) en route to a 28-17 win on Senior Night.

It was the second week in a row that the Rams entered the half trailing by at least two scores. They nearly overcame a 24 point deficit on October 16^th to upset one-loss Pennsbury.

“Our coach told us that if we played ball like we did in the second half against Pennsbury, that we can play with anyone,” said senior Pennridge senior quarterback DeVon Balmer. “We really believed that. In the locker room, we said ‘We didn’t come out like we wanted to. But let’s pick it up, fire off the ball and make plays.’ We got it done in the second half.”

Stephen Iannuzzi’s 51 yard punt forced Pennridge to start their opening drive at the South-17. The Rams marched, with Balmer scrambling for 17 yards on third-and-eleven, then hitting classmate Dan Hockman deep on a 36 yard touchdown bomb two plays later to cap a ten play drive.

“We knew that their safety didn’t float with our crossing pattern,” noted Balmer, who completed 7 of 11 passes for 85 yards. “If I had to step up in the pocket, the backside post would be there. Dan found it and luckily made a great play on it.”

But the Titan defense toughened… and Iannuzzi was determine to do more than just punt. After swapping three-and-outs, South junior quarterback Sam Thompson hit Iannuzzi on a long pass that the punter/wideout took 81 yards to the house. It tied the game at 7 with 45 seconds left in the first quarter.

Titan defensive back Tyler Watson made a nifty open field tackle on a Balmer screen pass, forcing no gain and triggering a three-and-out. South then marched 68 yards in 11 plays, capped with big fullback Nate Norris rumbling eight yards to pay dirt and a 14-7 South lead.

Pennridge almost scored on their next drive- Balmer overthrew receiver Iziah Lewis by inches on a long pass in the end zone- but the Titans held. Thompson used two effective option runs, one keeper and one pitch to Norris, to help drive down to the Ram 17. Iannuzzi punched a 35-yard field goal through with five seconds left and the Titans took a 17-7 lead into the half.

“It was obviously a tale of two halves,” remarked South coach Tom Hetrick. “Offensively, in the first half, we were able to do the things we were hoping to do and do them pretty consistently. We were able to run the ball on a couple of timely plays. The big ball for a touchdown was nice.

“Defensively,” he continued, “they have some athletes. They’re a tough football team and we made some stops that we weren’t making on a consistent basis during the course of the season. We had a great vibe coming out. We knew we were going to have to fight. But just as many plays as we made in the first half, we didn’t in the second. (Pennridge) did and I give them a lot of credit.”

Absent the scoring bombs, the two defenses held their rivals to just 178 combined total yards in the first half.

Pennridge struck quickly out of the break. Hockman picked off a Jack Johns’ pass to give Pennridge the ball at the Titan 28. Balmer hit Connor Hansen one play later on a touchdown strike.

“We made some minor adjustments offensively and did some different things with formations,” said Pennridge coach Jeff Hollenbach.

Though there were still seven minutes left in the quarter, there was a feeling the game might be at stake when South went for it on fourth down at Pennridge’s 46. The Ram defense held, and the offense took advantage. Hockman and Ryan Gordon angrily took two carries for 18 yards, and then Balmer, seeing no one open, took off and catapulted against the pylon for a score. The Rams took a 21-17 lead.

“The dive got people pretty excited and that was a big help to give us momentum,” Balmer commented.

South would not go quietly. Watson took the Ram kickoff to his own 49. Sophomore Nick Tarburton entered the game as Pennridge’s leading tackler. He made his presence felt, blowing up a reverse. It forced another fourth down and when Lewis broke up the South pass attempt, Pennridge averted another threat.

“We wanted to play together. We know we’re a second half team,” said senior linebacker Judens Desrosier. “We came off slow off the ball in the first half. But we knew what we had to do and we did it.”

Penalties and a Ken Hussein sack moved the Rams back and gave the Titans a short field. Thompson’s 26 yard scramble on the last play of the third quarter set up first-and-goal. But on third and goal, Desrosier pounced on an errant pitch and regained possession for Pennridge.

Balmer made two critical third-and-long conversions: with his arm on a 14 yard completion to the Rams’ leading receiver Ryan Cuthbert, and with his legs on a 14 yard scramble. And his surging 15 yard quarterback sneak- you read that right- on fourth and one kept the drive alive. Pennridge ended their 16 play drive when Desrosier smashed into the end zone from twelve yards out with under two minutes left.

“Once we got that last first down, I knew that this is the spot where they like to give me the ball,” said the 215 pound Desrosier, who feels confident “inside the ten.”

South was coming off of a nine point win against Abington in which they had three different backs rush for over 100 yards each. Tonight, Norris led the Titans with 63 yards on 17 carries; Thompson added 58 on 11 rushes.

“My heart goes out to my guys,” confessed Hetrick. “It’s never a question of effort. They give pure effort all of the time.”

Balmer’s 96 yards on 13 carries led all rushers and continued a trend: despite averaging over 200 yards per game on the ground this year, Pennridge still has not had a 100 yard runner in 2015. Balmer is one of five Rams to lead his team in rushing yards in a game. Gordon added 55 yards on eight carries. Hockman rang up 65 yards on 11 touches.

“(DeVon) showed his scrambling ability tonight,” Hollenbach commended. “He has been throwing the ball well all year but to know when to pull and run the football, and to take care of the football…for him to make 15 yards on the quarterback sneak was amazing.”

“When all is said and done, (Pennridge) wants to run the ball,” Hetrick observed. “But they have the ability to do two things. They have the ability to bring formations in and pound the ball but they obviously have the ability to open things up. The quarterback is gifted with his fit and they have guys on the edges who are pretty good so you have to sort of treat them as two different teams.”

Pennridge is on the playoff bubble but this win helped their chances. “What I really did,” Hollenbach emphasized, “was to say to the seniors that on Senior Night, you cannot lose. This is about the seniors. Are you going to come together and lead us to victory? That was my challenge. And I think they stepped up. I’m really proud of the way they played the second half against a really good South team.”

Don Leypoldt’s book Keystones and Wishbones: Faith, Values and Football in the Delaware Valley is now available on Amazon! The book features interviews with over a dozen NFL veterans, all with Delaware Valley ties. Click here to order:

With 2:07 elapsed on Sunday’s game, it was Cardinal O’Hara 3 and Archbishop Wood 0.

Unfortunately for the visiting Lions (1-6), that was the number of offensive plays run.

Two enormous special teams plays- an 82 yard opening kickoff return for touchdown by junior Raheem Blackshear and a 59 yard punt return for score by senior Bobby Heck following an O’Hara three-and-out gave Wood a 14-0 lead before the Vikings’ offense even took the field. Wood (6-0) cruised to a 50-7 win, producing their third mercy rule victory in their last four contests.

When Wood did take the field, the Vikings marched 75 yards in nine plays. Rutgers commit Anthony Russo connected with junior Jalen Reynolds on a hitch route for 25 yards, then found senior Jordan Johnson over the middle six plays later for an 18 yard touchdown.

O’Hara responded. Three times on their next drive, junior quarterback Tommy O’Hara called his own number and converted a third down. But a big Anthony Diodato sack at the Wood-17 helped to set up a fourth and long.

Wood’s defense took over on downs at their own 12. After four straight completions, Blackshear raced 56 yards to the end zone out of the Wildcat to stake the Vikings to a 28-0 lead with 8:13 left in the half.

The Lions then seemed to have answers for Russo, who is arguably the best quarterback in the state. Senior linebacker Kyle Godsey picked off Russo on the second play of Wood’s next drive, and classmate Alvin Ebururah intercepted a Wood pass at his own four to kill the next drive. Russo seemed to have enough green in front of him to pick up the first down, yet he attempted the throw.

But the pick may have been a blessing in disguise for Wood. A three-and-out set up excellent starting field position at the O’Hara-30. Four Johnson touches, culminating with a seven yard swing pass for a score, marched the 30 yards and gave Wood a 35-0 lead entering halftime.

Russo completed 14-of-19 passes for 138 yards in the first half. Johnson, using a lot of hitches and slants, had eight grabs for 84 yards to pace Wood. The Vikings defense yielded just 64 total yards on 31 plays.

The Vikings- who will be heavy favorites in their final two PCL games- continued to show why they are frequently mentioned in the AAA PIAA state title conversation.

Don Leypoldt’s book Keystones and Wishbones: Faith, Values and Football in the Delaware Valley is now available on Amazon! The book features interviews with over a dozen NFL veterans, all with Delaware Valley ties. Click here to order:

To run in the October 22nd Bucks County Herald

CB West honored their 2015 Hall of Fame class at halftime of Friday night’s Quakertown game. Three of the inductees played on undefeated Buck football teams.

The 2015 Quakertown Panthers are mimicking those unbeaten squads well.

Using great defense and a steady diet of senior running back Rob Burns, Quakertown (7-0) emerged with a hard fought 28-7 win against the host Bucks (2-5). Burns rushed for 229 yards and three scores on 27 carries, putting him at nearly 1,200 yards on the year.

“He is truly a complete back at this point,” said Quakertown coach George Banas. “I think the knock last year might have been that he didn’t have the power and he really took that to heart in the offseason. He has the wiggle, he has the speed to take it to the house and now this year, he has added that power dimension.”

Burns ended Quakertown’s opening drive- which covered 86 yards- by scampering 14 yards to paydirt on a fake sweep. That play also put Burns over 1,000 yards on the season. A similar play broke Burns free for a 23 yard run later in the second quarter.

“We knew coming into the game that they had some big boys up front and we tried to hit the outside on them,” said Burns. “We had success with it so we kept going back to it. Luckily, we have speed on the outside and guys who can make plays.”

West sophomore running back T.J Rakowsky broke off a nifty 32 yard run on the next possession. But one play later, junior linebacker Noah Wood belted quarterback Eddie Shields for a seven yard loss, effectively killing the drive.

“Our coaches put us in some really good formations and we ran a blitz off of the backside,” said Wood, who entered the game as Quakertown’s leader in tackles for loss. “I was able to make the play and that gave us some momentum on the drive to turn things around.”

Burns added a touchdown on a seven yard run with 4:23 left in the first half. And Burns’ seven yard dash up the middle to put the Panthers up 21-0 started the second half. Quakertown marched 80 yards on 13 plays in the opening drive, keyed when senior quarterback Tom Garlick hit classmate Aaron Besch on 4^th and 11 to set up first and goal.

West got their score early in the fourth quarter. A Jake Reichwein 29 yard run and a pass interference call moved West to the Q-19. The Panthers pushed West backwards on two straight running plays, but Shields hit Reichwein over the middle for a 25 yard touchdown pass.

Quakertown answered, recovering the onside kick and moving 50 yards in eight plays. Senior Nick Bonomo took it in from the nine to make the game 28-7.

Senior running back Jon Potynski (12 touches for 66 yards) did an excellent job of spelling Burns. Garlick completed 11 of 15 passes for 105 yards. His counterpart Shields completed 7 of 16 aerials for 89 yards.

The Panthers have outscored their opponents 296 to 46 this season. They have yielded more than seven points just once. “We know that the guy next to us is going to do their responsibilities,” said Wood, “and when they do their responsibilities we’re going to be okay. Everybody wants to make plays but we’re all out there as one team. That is what makes the core of our defense strong. We’re deep and that helps us. If someone goes down, we know the next guy in is going to do his job just as well as the first one.”

West turned in a strong performance on the heels of a difficult loss to Council Rock South. Prior to that, the Bucks strung together consecutive wins against Norristown and at Harry Truman.

A balanced offense, CB West entered the game with almost a 50/50 split in passing and rushing yards.   “We break down film,” said Banas on preparing for West. “Their triple option is something you don’t see but once a year. You try and come up with a good scheme, get a backup plan and a third backup plan.”

Skill players like Rakowsky (10 carries for 38 yards), Reichwein (7 touches for 73 yards) and leading receiver Kevin O’Hanlon are all undergrads.

“Rakowsky did a great job last week and we gave him the opportunity to run the ball,” said West coach Chas Cathers. “We use Reichwein when he can give us a breather at halfback. They both did a nice job.

“We wanted to battle a good Quakertown team into the fourth quarter and I think we did that,” Cathers assessed. “With the amount of injuries that we had defensively, I was really happy with the guys who stepped up and continued to battle throughout the game.”

Quakertown now faces the toughest part of their schedule. Their remaining opponents are 12-7. “Coming into tonight, we couldn’t have a let down,” says Banas. “We couldn’t be looking forward. I think we had a workman’s mentality and we got the result that we needed.”

“We get realistic here,” echoed Burns. “These next three games are going to test us, so we’ve got to see what we have.”

But this Friday, a Panther team that had never won on War Memorial under Banas’ otherwise successful tenure, could share in that unbeaten feeling.

Don Leypoldt’s book Keystones and Wishbones: Faith, Values and Football in the Delaware Valley is now available on Amazon! The book features interviews with over a dozen NFL veterans, all with Delaware Valley ties. Click here to order

To run in the October 8^th Bucks County Herald

 Five games. Five wins. Five stellar performances by the New Hope-Solebury Lions (5-0) who defeated their Bicentennial League nemesis, the Bristol Warriors 25-8 on Monday night.

Bristol’s feature backs of Eric Bell and Daryl Mehn ran for nearly 300 yards in last week’s win over Calvary Christian. But the Lion D held Bristol- a team who started a 330 pound lineman- to just 65 total yards.

“They’re big, but we were faster. I like to think we were more disciplined,” said junior defensive end Marcus Hems, who had 4 ½ tackles for loss in the first half. “They can be as big as they want, but if they aren’t blocking like they are supposed to, we’re going to get through.”

“Early on, we were getting the edge so we were able to get outside, whether it was a speed sweep or a toss,” reported NH-S head coach Jim DiTulio. “We had some success and (Jack) McKenna had some really nice runs. Later on in the game, they loaded the box and started blitzing the A gaps. Sizewise, we’ll never be the bigger team but offensively, we saw some matchups that we liked.”

The game- postponed from Friday due to Hurricane Joaquin- couldn’t have started better for the Lions. In the game’s opening drive, Hems stuffed Bell for a four yard loss on third down.

On NH-S’ first offensive play, junior running back McKenna took a jet sweep 51 yards for a touchdown. McKenna scored on a similar play from 27 yards out with 5:04 left in the half to give the Lions’ a 12-0 lead.

“It was the same play and they knew what it was,” said McKenna, who finished with 87 yards on nine carries. “The line did a great job on the first touchdown. I didn’t get touched.

“On the second, I cut back and broke some tackles. The line did a nice job backside of holding them and giving me a lane.”

Bristol’s first potent threat came on the next drive, when the Warriors faced third and two at the NHS-26. Lion senior linebacker Tommy Capriotti recorded a sack, and then hit Mehn for a loss on fourth down.

The Lions went to the air to open the second half. Sophomore quarterback Nick Garritano connected with senior wide out Blake Hildebrandt on a 33 yard bomb to set up a McKenna one yard touchdown plunge. Garritano completed eight passes for 122 yards.

NH-S took advantage of a short field via a Matthew Smith punt block to post a three play scoring march one drive later. Brendan Shadle’s 10 yard run gave New Hope-Solebury a 25-0 advantage. Bell’s 18-yard run three plays later, and Mehn’s conversion, put the score at 25-8.

It’s the fifth outstanding performance for the Lions’ defense, who has yielded eight or fewer points in all five games.

“They’re working. It’s a cohesive unit and they’ve been together for a few years,” DiTulio commented. “Our defense once again played well tonight.”

“We’ve had a lot of guys come back. We know our job,” Hems echoed. “Everybody is doing what they’re supposed to.”

It is also the fourth game where the Lions scored 25 or more points. Garritano’s passing and a stable of running backs like Shadle, McKenna and Jesse Capriotti give DiTulio multiple weapons.

“Brendan is a bigger back. When he gets inside the tackles, he is great,” lauded McKenna. “Jesse is a jitterbug who can make a move, get outside and go. It keeps us fresh, having so many backs.”

To be sure, there will be things to correct as the Lions face a short week. The coaching staff was not happy with a dozen penalties and some mistakes on offense.

“We had some opportunities and didn’t capitalize,” DiTulio pointed out.

The road to the Bicentennial League title went through Bristol. The Warriors advanced to the District 1/12 title game in each of the last three years. But after Monday, the Lions remained the only unbeaten team in the BAL and that road now looks like Route 32 or Bridge Street.

“We’re really happy about a commanding victory, no disrespect to Bristol,” Hems noted about the team who felled NH-S 42-0 last year.

And it gave his Lions a commanding lead in the Bicentennial race.

Don Leypoldt’s book Keystones and Wishbones: Faith, Values and Football in the Delaware Valley is now available on Amazon! The book features interviews with over a dozen NFL veterans, all with Delaware Valley ties.

Click here to order:

To run in the September 17^th Bucks County Herald

The secondary was the primary issue.

In the season opener, Southern Lehigh was able to pass early on Palisades; the big lead the Spartans staked resulted in a 42-21 win over the Pirates.

But the Pirates showed spunk and played an extremely competitive second half.

For the second straight week, Palisades had to face an elite passing game. Salisbury quarterback, 6’6” Tevon Weber, is the incumbent District 11 2A javelin champion. He would test the Pirates’ secondary early and often.

“We knew we had to work on our passing game, with letting up so many yards last week,” said Palisades senior linebacker Tyler Marsh. “We had a game plan and we stuck to it but obviously they got the best of us this week.” Marsh had two tackles for loss and a pass break up.

And in their home opener, Palisades (0-2) fell 41-2 to Salisbury (1-1) in a game where the defense played better than the score indicated. Salisbury’s five scoring drives all started no deeper than midfield. A sixth touchdown came on special teams.

“I thought we were holding up pretty well. The whole first half seemed to be played within our 20 yard line, and they only had 14 points,” reminded Palisades coach Kevin Ronalds. “We had a couple of good stops and they couldn’t run on us. I wasn’t down on how we played defensively in the first half.

“The third quarter, we kind of came unglued. We are a lot better football team than what we showed tonight,” he continued. “I have to take blame myself and we all have to do things better.”

Salisbury cornerback CJ Wittman’s started the scoring when he returned a first quarter interception to the Pirate 14. One play later, Weber hit running back Devin Irwin over the middle for a touchdown, and the game’s first points.

The Pirates answered the touchdown with two first downs. But one play after Salisbury recovered a fumbled punt snap, Weber connected with wide out Mason Donaldson down the left sideline for a 19 yard score.

Palisades got their first points when the defense forced a three-and-out. An errant punt snap went over Donaldson’s head into the end zone for a safety with 9:00 left in the second.

Four times in the first half, Salisbury racked up a critical tackle for loss to stall or end a Pirate drive. But the Pirate engine showed signs of life throughout the first half. With less than a minute left, a Matt McGrath 21 yard punt return and a personal foul gave Palisades starting field position at the Salisbury 26. Wide receiver Blake Cassalia’s 16 yard reception got the ball as deep as the 10 but Palisades closed the half with a missed field goal.

The play of McGrath, and fellow sophomore running back Pat Lodwig, was a bright spot for Palisades. McGrath carried nine times for 27 tough yards. Last week, Lodwig lugged 63 yards on nine carries against Southern Lehigh.

They embody a young, but talented, Pirates’ ballclub. “We’ve got more than two,” Ronalds replied. “Pat goes 150 miles an hour all of the time- which is good and bad. Matt is more patient, but then Pat has all of the straight away speed. They are a little bit different and they give us some different looks to throw at people.”

Salisbury opened the second half with a bang: Irwin caught the kickoff over his shoulder and took it 96 yards up the left sideline for a touchdown to make the game 20-2. Wilson hit tight end and fellow 78 incher Kyle Hartzell on a one yard, fourth down slant half way through the third to extend the Falcon lead to 27-2.

At that point, Palisades put together their best drive of the night- marching 36 yards in six plays before Salisbury’s Eric Frankenfield pounced on a fumble at midfield. Weber capped the drive by tossing a 23 yard scoring strike over the middle to Irwin.

And the Irwin show was just beginning. He picked off a pass and took a sweep 41 yards to the one, and swept into the end zone on the next play with 32 seconds in the quarter. Donaldson’s booming PAT gave Salisbury a 41-2 lead; Donaldson also booted five touchbacks on kickoffs, forcing Palisades to start from deep in their own territory for most of the game.

But Palisades punter Marsh also put the “special” in special teams. He nailed three punts of 35 yards or more, and pinned a fourth punt inside the Salisbury 20.

“This is my first year punting,” Marsh said. “One practice, I sent a couple down and Coach liked it. That’s how I became a punter.”

Irwin gained 112 yards on his five catches or runs. Weber was held to just 114 yards passing on 29 attempts.

The Pirates gained about half of the 314 total yards that they hung on Southern Lehigh in a very balanced attack during their opener. Many of the young Pirates were able to get game reps tonight.

“That it all matters and you have to do things right,” replied Ronalds when asked what his team would take away from tonight. “Young kids played better last week. This week, a lot of the technique and drills that we do went out the window. I promised them right here that we are going to take care of that this week.”

But as Ronalds reminded his team in the post-game huddle, “We’re still a good football team. And we’re going to clean this up.”

Note: Palisades football is conducting a food drive at all home games. Please bring canned goods if you attend a Pirate match.

Don Leypoldt’s book Keystones and Wishbones: Faith, Values and Football in the Delaware Valley is now available on Amazon! The book features interviews with over a dozen NFL veterans, all with Delaware Valley ties. Click here to order:

Click here

To run in the September 10^th Bucks County Herald

Bechta bookends.

CB South (1-0) senior running back Joe Bechta took the opening kickoff 91 yards to the house, and scored on a seven yard sweep late in the fourth quarter as his Titans beat the visiting CB West Bucks 40-14 (0-1) on Friday’s opening night. The game marked Chas Cathers’ debut as West’s head coach.

In between, three more Titans scored four first half touchdowns .

“We want to spread the ball because we think we have some playmakers,” said South coach Tom Hetrick.

Junior quarterback Sam Thompson ended South’s second drive by calling his own number at 4^th and 1 at the West 23, taking the ball up the middle, breaking a tackle and running into the end zone. A textbook 40 yard screen to senior fullback Matt Helmsley started the drive, which began at the South 15.

Barely two minutes later, fullback Nate Norris rushed up the gut and streaked down the left sideline for a 60 yard touchdown, giving the Titans a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

After forcing another West three-and-out, Thompson coolly flicked the ball to Addison Grant on a third down crossing route; Grant raced 52 yards for the score.

“Just a lot of reps in practice,” is how Thompson developed chemistry with so many weapons.

South recovered a West fumble on third down, giving the Titans first and goal on the 10. Two plays later, Norris pounded it in from the one.

West blocked their second straight PAT, a lone first half bright spot when facing a 33-0 deficit. West had 24 total yards in the first half, a validation of an outstanding defensive effort from South.

“We were all about our assignments. We play gap assignment football,” said Titan senior nose tackle Dan Marks, who had several tackles for loss. “We’d go in there, do our thing and clean up.”

He continued, “Everyone contributed. We’re all a unit. We all work our butts off in practice and go out there twice a day.”

“We were pretty confident coming in that we had a pretty good defensive front,” echoed Hetrick. “I think we have a lot of active people who can circulate through. We like to keep them fresh and on the move.”

West did come to life after intermission. The Bucks scored Cathers’ first touchdown with 1:05 left in the third. Junior wide out Kevin O’Hanlon made a beautiful diving 35 yard catch, followed by a 39 yard grab on a fade one play later to set up senior quarterback Eddie Shields’ one yard scoring plunge.

“I think the kickoff return got us down to begin with, but it’s a testament to our character,” said Cathers. “They came out and continued to fight. They didn’t give up on each other.”

Cathers continued, “We’re looking for guys to give 100% effort. It’s a game of tackling and blocking, and the effort part is something that sets you differently. Effort is what we’re trying to instill in these kids and I think it showed in the second half.”

Thanks to a recovered onside kick on the heels of a South unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Shields hit O’Hanlon on a 5 yard out route one play later, and O’Hanlon took it the 15 extra yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 33-14. West pressure also later stopped Thompson on a fourth down deep in Bucks’ territory.

O’Hanlon had eight catches for 119 yards. Cathers also had to be pleased with sophomore running back TJ Rakowsky, who showed quickness despite a South front that yielded just six yards rushing.

Shields completed 12 of 23 passes for 147 yards. Thompson rushed for 63 yards on 10 carries and completed 13 of 30 passes for 188 yards. He was hurt by several dropped passes. Bechta carried nine times for 45 yards.

“There is leeway,” explained Thompson. “We have many options within one play. The line will pass block but we can still do a quarterback draw. The line does a great job with that. Receivers do well run blocking.”

There is still plenty for both teams to clean up. The two teams combined for 19 penalties. But the game puts to bed questions about South’s offense in a post Josh Adams world. Their star running back last year is now at Notre Dame.

“The big question this year is: What is CB South’s offense going to be like,” said Hetrick. “Since January, we said that we would put the defense in a position to have to defend the whole field and truly be in a position where you never know where we’re going to hit you.”

And for West, who would like to forget their 2014 season, tonight marked a chance to get back on the playing field.

“They’ve been working hard in the offseason,” Cathers praised. “They’re excited to get on the field and start playing again and they’re definitely excited about continuing the season, fighting the hard and winning some games.”

Don Leypoldt’s book Keystones and Wishbones: Faith, Values and Football in the Delaware Valley is now available on Amazon! The book features interviews with over a dozen NFL veterans, all with Delaware Valley ties.

Click here to order