Owen McCue

Bonner’s Saalem Frink runs the ball Friday against Southern Lehigh. (Owen McCue/EasternPA Football)

DOYLESTOWN — Bonner-Prendergast’s first offensive play on Friday night? Not so good as Southern Lehigh’s Sean Steckert jumped a short pass for an interception.

UWCHLAN — When Tom Kline took the reins from Mike Milano at Downingtown West this offseason, he made sure to ask his seniors what their goals were.

After a decade as an assistant for the Whippets’ only head coach in the school’s 21-year history (Milano), Kline inherited a group whose mission was to ‘finish’ after falling in the district title game last season.

“I said alright, I’m going to hold you accountable in everything we do,” Kline said. “We’re going to practice harder. We’re going to work harder in the weight room. We’re going to do everything harder and we’ll see how it ends up.”

A soaking wet Kline addressed his team Friday night near the end zone where the scoreboard read Whippets 35, Guest 16 behind him — a sign of a job that was ‘finished’. Kline’s No. 2 Downingtown West squad dominated the fourth quarter to take down No. 4 North Penn for the program’s first District 1-6A title since 2019.

“This is amazing,” said senior defensive lineman Andrew Brown, who’s defensive touchdown may have been the play of the game. “Last year, we obviously got so close and our message all year coming into this was finish, finish, finish and the scoreboard tells it for itself. We finished this year and I couldn’t be prouder for my guys.”

Downingtown West junior quarterback Cole Bricker completed 10-of-17 passes for 165 yards and two scores.to lead the Whippets offense. He found senior receiver/defensive back Darian Smith twice for scores, connecting on a 21-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter before hooking up again on an eight-yard touchdown pass with 7:42 left in the third that put the Whippets ahead 21-10 on the opening drive of the second half.

“All offseason, the motto was to finish, finish what we didn’t do last year,” Smith said. “All this week, we were just watching (last year’s championship game) to just motivate us, remember that terrible feeling we had in our mouths last year.”

North Penn senior running back Matt Pownall rushed for 103 yards and two scores and also led his team with four catches for 42 yards. He answered both of Smith’s touchdowns with scores of his own after Whippets turnovers gave the Knights short fields.

A strip sack by Azarias Fortson set up the first-quarter score and a muffed punt set up the second, which pulled North Penn within five, 21-16, with 1:15 left in the third.

Downingtown West finally created an opportunity of its own with 6:55 left in the game. With North Penn on its own nine-yard line and trailing by just one score, Brown laid a big hit to pop the ball free on a sack and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown, extending the Whippets’ lead to 28-16.

“ I give all credit to my boys Isaac Russell and nose guard Brian Carter,” Brown said. “They opened that gap wide open for me and I just did what else was supposed to be done.”

Brown and Russell both had two sacks apiece and senior Jackson Kobus added another.

“Those boys are ferocious,” Smith said.

North Penn fumbled on its next drive and Downingtown West took advantage again as senior back Spencer Dunn put the game on ice with a 21-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 19 with 4:09 left. It was reverse fortunes for the Knights, who forced four second-half turnovers in their semifinal win over Central Bucks South last week.

Dunn rushed for 74 yards and a score. Senior Tommy Miller added 37 yards and a touchdown on the ground and picked off a pass on defense.

“The defining trait was probably effort and everyone believing,” said Bricker, who took over as the team’s starting quarterback this season. “No one had high expectations for us this year except for our coaches, our teammates. We all believed and that was the outcome. … We knew we had what it takes since game one, practice one.”

The Whippets will look to embrace that underdog mentality that’s carried them through the season in the PIAA semifinals next week when they face District 12 champion St. Joe’s Prep — the two-time defending state champions and winners of five of the last six PIAA large classification titles.

“We’ve got St. Joe’s Prep, a big private school, and everybody’s going to be doubting us, but we wouldn’t want to have it any other way,” Brown said.

Scoring Summary:
North Penn 7 3 6 0-16
D-Town West 7 7 7 14-35

Individual Scoring
First Quarter
DW: Darian Smith 21 pass from Cole Bricker 6:38
NP: Matt Pownall 4 run (Ryan Bocklet kick) 1:52
Second Quarter
NP: Ryan Bocklet 35 FG 3:44
DW: Tommy Miller 9 run (Mason Sharp kick) 0:54
Third Quarter
DW: Darian Smith 8 pass from Cole Bricker (Mason Sharp kick) 7:42
NP: Matt Pownall 2 run (Pass fail) 1:15
Fourth Quarter
DW: Andrew Brown fumble recovery (Mason Sharp kick) 6:55
DW: Spencer Dunn 21 run (Mason Sharp kick) 4:09

Team Statistics
……………………….NP………………DW
1st downs………..13…………………19
rush-yds……….36-69……….35-134
comp-att-int….12-22-1…………..10-17-0
pass yds……….94………………165
total yds…………217……………….269
fumb-lost……..4-2………………2-2
pen-yds…………2-25…………..7-60

Individual Statistics
Rushing- North Penn:Matt Pownall25-103, 2 TDs; Josiah Coleman 6-1; Matt Bucksar 5-(-35).
D-Town West:Spencer Dunn 16-74, TD; Tommy Miller 8-37, TD; Darian Smith 2-14; Mike
Taraschi 3-0; Amari Cannon 2-2; Cole Bricker 4-(-2).
Passing- North Penn: Matt Bucksar 11-20-1, 93 yards; Matt Pownall 1-1-0, 1 yard.
D-Town West: Cole Bricker 10-17-0, 165 yards, 2 TDs.
Receiving- North Penn: Matt Pownall 4-42; Mason Franek 4-29; Josiah Coleman 1-8; Aidan Eves 1-7; Jack Staugaitis 1-7; Matt Bucksar 1-1.
D-Town West: Tommy Miller 4-69; JD Weller 2-29; Darian Smith 2-29; Brendon Goode-Kimble 1-23; Mike Taraschi 1-15.
Interceptions: Downingtown West: Tommy Miller.
Sacks: North Penn: Christian Johns-Wallace, Azarias Fortson; D-Town West: Andrew Brown 2, Isaac Russell 2, Jackson Kobus.

PHOTO: North Penn wide receiver Matt Pownall goes up for one his two touchdown catches in Friday’s win over CB South. (Owen McCue/For EasternPAFootball)

WARRINGTON — In a one-possession loss to Central Bucks South in early October, North Penn never found its spark.

The Knights were bottled up by the Titans, scoring just six points in their first loss of the season.

As No. 4 North Penn trailed No. 1 CB South at the start of the second half of Friday’s rematch in the District 1-6A semifinals, the Knights finally found what they were looking for.

While North Penn couldn’t immediately capitalize on the big play, a strip sack by junior Jack Silvers was the first of four second-half turnovers forced by the Knights that helped them get revenge with a 21-19 win over the top-seeded and reigning champion Titans.

The victory sends them to their first district title game since 2018, where they will face No. 2 Downingtown West — a 28-23 winner over Central Bucks West.

“The first game was a little off, obviously we started slow and we kind of didn’t really build a lot of momentum,” said North Penn senior Aidan Eves, who was involved in three of the turnovers. “We were kind of in that same position. It was a real close score. We were down one possession again and Jack Silvers forced that strip sack, and we just built that momentum off there.”

CB South (12-1) running back Jim Wade broke off a 25-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to put the Titans up 6-0. North Penn (11-2) didn’t respond until Matt Pownall caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Matt Bucksar with 3:46 left in the second quarter — a blocked extra point the difference as the Knights led 7-6.

The Titans retook control of the game when quarterback Owen Pinkerton ran in a four-yard touchdown with 30 seconds to go in the first half for a 13-7 lead. They were driving after the break, then Silvers hit Pinkerton as he prepared to throw, popping the ball out and right into Eves’ hands. The play seemed to give the Knights’ defense an appetite for the ball.

Silvers’ strip sack was the first of four fumbles on four straight possessions for CB South. The Titans’ defense held strong on the first two to carry their six-point lead into the fourth, but Eves and Cole D’Ambrosio combined on a tackle that popped the ball free for a North Penn recovery on the third CB South drive of the half.

The Knights took advantage this time, driving down to the three-yard line before Bucksar tossed a touchdown pass to Eves on fourth-and-goal that put North Penn ahead 14-13 with 7:51 to play.

“I definitely think this year more than last year they have more confidence in me, which I’ve worked my ass off the entire offseason to gain that,” Bucksar said of his coach’s putting the ball in his hands for the go-ahead score. “It’s all the coaching throughout the entire season is the reason we’re here. It’s all the hard work we’ve put in.”

CB South’s fourth turnover came on the ensuing kickoff. Two plays later Bucksar tossed a 27-yard dime to Pownall in the back corner of the end zone to make it 21-13 North Penn with 6:52 left in the fourth quarter.

Bucksar completed 8-of-13 passes for 150 yards and three scores. Pownall hauled in six of those for 132 yards and two scores to go along with a team-high 54 yards on the ground.

“Really we just knew we had to set up the pass game,” Pownall said of the difference between the first game against CB South. “Props to Bucks, a helluva player, great QB. And just film, hours of film getting ready for the game.”

CB South outgained North Penn 363-217 and had 22 first downs compared to 11. CB South quarterback Owen Pinkerton led his team’s offense with 24 carries for 153 yards and a score to go along with 78 yards passing.

Pinkerton drove the Titans 80 yards in eight plays before Braylen Cape ran in a score with 3:13 to play to make it 21-19 North Penn. Their two-point pass play to tie was broken up — the early blocked extra point looming large.

Despite a failed onside kick, Central Bucks got the ball back on its own 27-yard line with 1:06 to play. Pinkerton pushed his team to midfield with about a half a minute to go.

Pinkerton tossed a 39-yard Hail Mary to beat CB West earlier this season, but he never got a chance to heave toward the end zone as three straight incompletions, the last broken up by North Penn sophomore defensive back Rylei Gray, spoiled the Titans’ comeback attempt.

“I was thinking that the whole time,” Eves said. “They’re driving down the field and I’m like, ‘Please don’t let them get in Hail Mary range.’”

Eves and Bucksar both complimented the team’s offensive line, which played with a “chip on their shoulders” after CB South won the battle up front in the first meeting of the season.

North Penn won’t get a chance to avenge its only other loss of the season to CB West, but the Knights will face the reigning district runner-ups.

The Knights lost to Coatesville in their most recent district title game appearance in 2018. They will enter next Friday seeking their eighth District 1 championship (2002, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2016) with the last coming eight years ago.

“This is a good win, but we’ve gotta stay locked in, work hard throughout the week, get better every day, and then just go play when the time comes” Bucksar said.

Let the celebration begin!!

FINAL: @NorthPennKnight 21, @CBSouthFootball 19. … North Penn heading to District 1-6A title game.@EPAFootball pic.twitter.com/MfLMnKm1Sy

— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) November 16, 2024

North Penn 0 7 0 14-21
CB South 6 7 0 6-19
Individual Scoring
First Quarter
CBS: Jim Wade 25 run (kick blocked) 4:15
Second Quarter
NP: Matt Pownall 31 pass from Matt Bucksar (Ryan Bocklet kick) 3:46
CBS: Owen Pinkerton 4 run (Adis Formelio kick) 0:30
Third Quarter
None
Fourth Quarter
NP: Aidan Eves 3 pass from Matt Bucksar (Ryan Bocklet kick) 7:51
NP: Matt Pownall 27 pass from (Ryan Bocklet kick) 6:52
CBS: Braylen Cape x run (Pass fail) 3:13

Team Statistics
……………………….BS………………CBS
1st downs………..10…………………22
rush-yds……….32-67……….42-283
comp-att-int….8-13-0…………..5-11-0
pass yds……….150………………80
total yds…………217……………….363
fumb-lost……..1-0………………4-4
pen-yds…………5-45…………..4-34

Individual Statistics
Rushing- North Penn: Matt Pownall 18-54; Josiah Coleman 9-22; Christian Johns-Wallace 1-(-4); Matt Bucksar 4-(-5).
CB South: Owen Pinkerton 24-153, TD; Jim Wade 10-80, TD; Braylen Cape 8-50, TD.
Passing- North Penn: Matt Bucksar 8-13-0, 150 yards, 3 TDs.
CB South: Owen Pinkerton 5-10-0, 80 yards.
Receiving- North Penn: Matt Pownall 6-132, 2 TDs; Jackson Schurmann 1-15; Aidan Eves 1-3, TD.
CB South: Matt Harmon 2-47; Danny Gies 2-21; Braylen Cape 1-12.
Interceptions: None.
Sacks: North Penn: Jack Silvers; CB South: Eddie Bowen, Jim Wade.

 

The Wester Chester Rustin defense forces a Chester fumble in Friday’s District 1-5A quarterfinal game at Rustin. (Photo: Owen McCue/For Eastern PA Football)

WESTTOWN  — West Chester Rustin knew the formidable foe it had in front of it Friday night. A season-ending loss to Chester in last year’s district semifinals was hard to forget.

The No. 7 Clippers traveled to the No. 2 Golden Knights for a District 1-5A quarterfinal fight that pitted two powerful defenses and potent offenses against each other in a playoff rematch.

Aided by the sting from last season’s, Rustin rode a three-touchdown day from senior Chase Hatton and took advantage of a multitude of miscues by Chester to cruise to a 45-16 victory and advance to next week’s semifinal against No. 6 Upper Dublin.

“I know everybody else it didn’t sit well with them,” Hatton said of last season’s season-ending defeat. “We were working all offseason for this moment. Personally, I was disappointed in myself because I thought I could have gone a little bit more than I had. So this year I promised myself to give everything I had every second of every game.”

Chester (10-2) took down Rustin 26-20 last season and came in on an absolute tear having scored 40-or-more points in eight straight games, while allowing a total of 27 points in its last six. The Golden Knights (11-1) were averaging more than 45 points per game, while holding opponents to just a touchdown per game in their four contests heading into Friday.

Through a quarter of play the lock-down defenses kept the high-powered offenses in check with a scoreless 12 minutes of play. However, after a fourth-down stop at midfield, Rustin scored the game’s first points on a 12-yard run by Hatton with 9:28 left in the second quarter and that seemed to break the game loose.

A Chester fumble two plays later helped set Hatton up for his second score of the game — this time from three yards out. The Clippers’ next drive lasted just two plays as well as the Golden Knights turned another Chester fumble into another Hatton score, going up 21-0 with 1:46 left in the first half. Hatton ran the ball 17 times for 98 yards.

“It’s amazing when the defense goes out and gets the ball for us,” Rustin offensive lineman Charlie Covington said. “We can’t ask for any more and they stopped a great team like that to 16 points.”

Chester ended its final three offensive drives of the first half with fumbles. The Clippers lost four fumbles in the first half and finished the game with seven fumbles, losing five of them. Another fumble almost spoiled the Clippers’ first offensive drive of the second half, but quarterback Jalen Harris was able to recover it and find Shamar Williams for a 47-yard pass play.

The offensive burst was short lived for the Clippers, who were halted by the Golden Knights defense at the Rustin 31 on a 4th-down try. Hatton ripped off a 47-yard run of his own to set up a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback David McClain to Luke Matthias that extended the lead to 28-0 with five minutes left in the third.

Hatton’s big run was one of just two Golden Knights plays that broke for more than 20 yards in the game. Behind Covington, who Hatton described as a “dog” and a “great leader”, and fellow linemen Nicky Santangelo, Jackson Wolfe, Nick Hornbach and Andrw Shallo, the Rustin backfield was content to grind the ball down the field, toward the goal line and keep the Chester offense off the field.

“Coaches teach us to do eight minute drives and that’s what we do,” Covington said. “That’s what we did.”

Rustin scored the game’s first 38 points — adding a 37-yard field goal from Freddie Adler and an eight-yard touchdown pass from McClain to tight end Billy Tigue — before Chester finally got on the board on a 75-yard kickoff return by Jerrell Palmer with 7:24 left in the game.

Outside of a 47-yard pass play and a 74-yard touchdown pass Harris to Williams against Rustin’s backup defense, Chester was held to just 54 yards from scrimmage.

“Both our offensive and defensive scout team, they did a phenomenal job to get us playing up to that standard,” Rustin coach Mike St. Clair said.

“They had a couple turnovers that really hurt them,” he added. “We learned a lot from playing them last year down there, what to expect defensively. We just repped it all week and we executed very well tonight. We didn’t turn the ball over.”

Ryan Loper ran 15 times for 72 yards and a touchdown for Rustin. McClain completed three of his four pass, including a pair of touchdowns to his tight ends, who were rewarded for their blocking up front. Williams caught two passes for 124 yards and a touchdown to highlight Chester’s offensive night.

Prior to last season’s semifinal loss to Chester, the Golden Knights finished as District 1-5A runner-ups in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Rustin won a district title in 2008. Also lost a 4th finals in 2018

Rustin has now reached at least the district semifinal round for the seventh straight season. The Golden Knights have reached the title game four times during that stretch — though they are still chasing an elusive district crown.

The team that has stood in Rustin’s way in three of those title games is Upper Dublin. The Cardinals have won four of the five postseason games the teams have played since 2014 heading into next Friday’s matchup.

The key for the Golden Knights?

“Same thing we’ve been doing,” Hatton said of what it will take to get past the semifinal round.  “If it aint’ broke don’t fix it. We keep winning. We’ve got a game plan. We celebrate tonight but tomorrow it’s back to work.”

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Twp. football team embraces the underdog mentality.

Even with the higher-ranked number next to their name, the Spartans came into Friday night’s District 1 Class 4A semifinal against Bishop Shanahan with a chip on its shoulder that was palpable in their play.

All-league snubs for a few of coach Chris Shelly’s “Dudes” added even more motivation to a gritty squad that was trying to keep a special season alive.

The result was No. 2 Springfield Twp. powering past No. 3 Bishop Shanahan, 42-21, to reach the program’s first district title game since 2015, where reigning champion and top seed Pope John Paul II awaits

“I’m kind of speechless,” senior wide receiver and defensive back Bobby Hartman said. “We put so much work in, especially this week with all that disrespect and I’m just proud of everyone on our team.”

The Spartans (9-2) stuck to a strategy that has helped them pile up the program’s most wins since 2011. That is getting the ball into the hands of CJ Johnson and letting him run behind the likes of seniors Bryce McManus, Peyton Marcino, Nick Formoso and Dom Devers and junior Tommy Ryan up front. They’ve been doing that since sharing the JV field together and even before.

Springfield ran for 362 yards and six touchdowns. Johnson toted the rock 26 times for 250 yards and four scores, while senior quarterback Jack McGuckin pitched in with 18 carries for 90 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“We just ran the ball down their throats like we always do,” said Johnson, one of 19 seniors on the team. “It’s definitely our M-O.”

“If that wasn’t clear already,” McGuckin added.

Springfield opened the game with an onside kick but couldn’t turn the momentum play into points. Instead Shanahan (8-3) struck first when Anthony Aquila tossed an 89-yard touchdown pass to Aidan Civitella with 8:09 left in the first quarter.

The Spartans defense kept the Eagles quiet after the big play, letting the offense, particularly Johnson take over. He rushed 14 times for 120 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone, leading Springfield to 21 unanswered points after the early Shanahan score.

Johnson punched in a one-yard TD run to tie the game 7-7 with 4:22 left in the first. A seven-yard score gave Springfield a 14-7 lead with 10:48 left in the second quarter and scored a 23-yard touchdown with 5:28 left in the half.

“It’s the running game,” Bishop Shanahan coach Paul Meyers said of the momentum shift in the game. “We knew they were gonna come right at us and our coaches made some adjustments, but it just wasn’t enough.”

The Spartans appeared to have a stranglehold on the game when they picked off a pass on Shanahan’s ensuing drive and then converted a fourth down in their own end. But the Eagles forced a punt and a 38-yard touchdown run from Julian Haylock with 1:51 left in the half made it 21-13 heading into the break.

After breaking off a big run, Johnson fumbled on Springfield’s opening drive of the second half, cracking open the door even wider for a potential Eagles comeback. McGuckin shut that door quickly though, picking up his teammate with an interception on the ensuing drive and running in a four-yard score to extend the lead back to two touchdowns, 28-13, with 7:39 left in the third.

Hartman added another pick, one of two for him in the game, to help set up a Johnson 32-yard touchdown run with 4:05 left and extend the lead to 35-13. Shanahan turned the ball over four times in the game compared to just the early fumble for Springfield.

“Knowing who they wanted to go to was helping us out,” McGuckin said of creating turnovers.

Haylock was able to get Shanahan back on the board with a 19-yard touchdown before the end of the third. He finished with 17 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns.

The big defensive plays by McGuckin and Hartman, however, proved too much to overcome. A Johnson 53-yard run followed by McGuckin’s second touchdown run put the final nail in the coffin with 6:35 to play.

Friday night’s loss ended a historic season for Shanahan. The Eagles won their first Chess-Mont championship, finishing atop the North Division with wins over powers Downingtown West and Coatesville. They’ll miss their seven seniors, who Meyers said helped bring the younger players along for a banner year.

“We made history,” Meyers said. “We beat some of those schools that we play, they’re all 6As, win the Ches-Mont title for the first time in school history. I told them, keep their heads up. They have a lot to be proud of.”

Shelly had teams win titles in 2011 and 2014. He knew before the season he had a group capable of joining those elite ranks — and they’re almost there.

Standing in the Spartans’ way of a District 1-4A championship is a familiar opponent in reigning champion Pope John Paul II.

Shelly’s team dropped a 34-27 defeat to the Golden Panthers in their season opener — a contest that proved to a team that went 3-6 last year that they could hang with the best of the best.

Another matchup with PJP has been on their minds since.

“First game, first week, we lost to that team by a touchdown, and we want it back,” Johnson said. “We definitely want it back.”

Bishop Shanahan 7 6 8 0-21
Springfield Twp. 7 14 14 7-42

Individual Scoring
First Quarter
BS: Aidan Civitella 88 pass from Anthony Aquila (Sal Debellis kick)
SF: CJ Johnson 1 run (Bobby Hartman kick) 2:28
Second Quarter
SF: CJ Johnson 7 run (Bobby Hartman kick) 10:48
SF: CJ Johnson 23 run (Bobby Hartman kick) 5:28
BS: Julian Haylock 38 run (Kick blocked) 1:51
Third Quarter
SF: Jack McGuckin 4 run (Bobby Hartman kick) 7:39
SF: CJ Johnson 32 run (Bobby Hartman kick) 4:05
BS: Julian Haylock 19 run (Anthony Aquila run) 1:06
Fourth Quarter
SF: Jack McGuckin 2 run (Bobby Hartman kick) 6:35

Team Statistics
……………………….BS………………SF
1st downs………..9…………………23
rush-yds……….32-178……….49-362
comp-att-int….4-11-3…………..10-14-0
pass yds……….114………………96
total yds…………292……………….458
fumb-lost……..2-1………………1-1
pen-yds…………3-15…………..11-60

Individual Statistics
Rushing- Bishop Shanahan: Julian Haylock 17-116, 2 TDs; Anthony Aquila 11-54; Nate Bracken 2-10; Donald Belfie 1-(-5).
Springfield: CJ Johnson 26-250, 4 TDs; Jack McGuckin 18-90, 2 TDs; Theo Ferragame 3-13; Mekhi Paschall 1-5; Bobby Hartman 1-4.
Passing- Bishop Shanahan: Anthony Aquila 4-10-3, 114 yards, TD.
Springfield: Jack McGuckin 10-13-0, 96 yards.
Receiving- Bishop Shanahan: Aidan Civitella 2-101, TD; Nate Bracken 1-10; Sam Conte 1-3.
SpringField: Bobby Hartman 3-43; CJ Johnson 4-35; Mekhi Paschal 3-18.
Interceptions: Springfield: Jack McGuckin, Bobby Hartman 2.
Sacks: Bishop Shanahan: Chase Riccardo; Springfield: CJ Johnson.

Downingtown West quarterback Cole Bricker jumps to complete a pass Friday against Coatesville.

(Photo: Owen McCue/For EasternPA Football)

DOWNINGTOWN — Coming off its first loss of the season last week, Downingtown West didn’t have much time to lick its wounds.
The Whippets had a matchup with perennial power Coatesville on Friday night and needed a win to keep their Ches-Mont title dreams alive — as if a matchup with the Red Raiders needed any extra motivation.

“We love the rivalry, we love the competition. We love what it brings out of us,” Downingtown West senior running Spencer Dunn said.

The Whippets’ offense spotted the team an early lead and the Whippets defense held Coatesville scoreless for the first 43 minutes of play as Downingtown West bounced back in a big way with a 14-7 win over the Red Raiders.
Dunn led the ground attack with 126 yards rushing, while junior quarterback Cole Bricker completed 11-of-18 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown to go along with a rushing score in the win.

“After last week, bad loss, but we came came out, we had a great practice all week and we really brought it to them,” junior quarterback Cole Bricker said. “That’s why we won the game.”

The Whippets (8-1, 1-1 Ches-Mont) went 80 yards in 10 plays on their second drive, taking a 7-0 lead with 1:54 left in the first quarter when Bricker powered his way into the end zone from six yards out.

Downingtown West spoiled two other first-half opportunities with a dropped touchdown pass and a fumble in the red zone. But the Whippets’ defense held the Red Raiders (5-3, 1-1 Ches-Mont) to just 39 total yards in the first half and got an interception from senior Darian Smith that helped them keep a touchdown lead heading into the break.

After halting Coatesville near midfield on the opening drive of the second half, Downingtown West powered its way down to the Red Raiders’ three-yard line. Coatesville’s defense came up with a stand to keep its deficit at seven entering the fourth.

The Red Raiders came up with a first down on the ensuing drive, but back-to-back sacks by Whippets senior Andrew Brown helped give Downingtown West the ball back with good field position.

“We knew it was a big drive, so we put our heads down and we worked together,” Brown said. “Our coaches worked their tails off too all week and put together a defensive scheme and we perfected it.”

It looked like the Whippets may have landed the putaway punch a few moments later when Bricker hit junior JD Weller for a 25-yard touchdown pass on 3rd-and-15 with 6:26 left in the fourth.

“I liked my matchup, tall guy vs a shorter guy. I gave JD a chance and he came down with it,” Ricker said of the score.
Coatesville finished with 134 total yards in the game. The Raiders’ 12 penalties for 90 yards didn’t help the matter. After getting bottled up all day, Coatesivlle finally broke free when junior Matt Ortega Jr. completed a 38-yard pass to Anthony Kelly, setting up a one-yard, fourht-down touchdown run for Ortega Jr. with 4:30 left to make it 14-7.

“We lost our team captain, center (Tommy McAnally) first play of the game,” Coatesville coach Matt Ortega said. “The one thing we knew this season was our lack of depth up front on both sides of the ball. That kind of got things in a tailspin for us because we really wanted to come in and run the football, but the guys battled back.”

Downingtown West didn’t give the Raiders a chance to tie. Dunn, Bricker and senior Tommy Miller (nine rushes, 33 yards) helped run the clock down. The Whippets ran for four first downs on their final drive before taking a knee to finish off the win with Dunn and Miller finishing off the game with some powerful running.

“We work on keeping our shoulders down and just running through people, so it feels good,” said Dunn, whose 13-yard run sealed the game.

“Tommy can play everything,” he added. “He’s a dog. He puts his heart into practice and our team. We give him the ball in clutch moments and he delivers.”

Coatesville came in at No. 13 in the District 1-6A power rankings, knowing a victory could solidify their district playoff position (16 teams). The Raiders ended the night at No. 15, likely needing a win over Bishop Shanahan (7-2) next week to play their way into the postseason

“We’ll get back to the drawing boards on Monday and try to sneak in the playoffs and get a second season,” Ortega said.
“These guys have stayed together the whole time, and they’ll stay together and we’ll move forward.”

Downingtown West looked the part of a District 1 favorite in Friday’s win. Despite the one score difference, the Whippets had 11 more first downs (23-12) and more than doubled Coatesville’s yardage total (307-137).

The victory bumped the Whippets, last season’s district runner-up, to the No. 2 spot in the District 1-6A power rankings behind undefeated Central Bucks South, last year’s champion.

West had its unblemished mark ruined by a 28-22 loss to Bishop Shanahan last Friday, which marked the start of Ches-Mont League play. But after the Eagles fell to Downingtown East 63-28 on Friday, the Whippets will have a chance to capture a Ches-Mont League North Division title with a win next week against the rival Cougars before heading into district play.

“We’re hoping to win Ches-Monts,” Brown said. “That was our goal at the beginning of the year and that’s our goal still. We know we had a little mishap last week, and we got better. The boys just got better and we put our heads down and worked even harder. Our goal is the same. It’s been the same since Week 1 in the summer. We just want to win Ches-Monts and win districts.”
~~~
Coatesville 0 0 0 7-7
Downingtown West 7 0 0 7-14
Individual Scoring
First Quarter
DW: Cole Bricker 6 run (Mason Sharp kick) 1:54
Second Quarter
None.
Third Quarter
None.
Fourth Quarter
DW: (Mason Sharp kick) 6:26
C: Matt Ortega Jr. 1 run (TJ Sinkus) 4:30

Team Statistics
………………………..C………………DW
1st downs………..12…………………23
rush-yds……….30-43……….48-196
comp-att-int….9-17-1…………..11-18-0
pass yds……….94………………111
total yds…………137……………….307
fumb-lost……..3-1………………1-1
pen-yds…………12-90…………..8-90

Individual Statistics
Rushing- Coatesville: Nasir Jordan 15-44; Matiss Clouser 7-14; Josh VanOrden 1-3; Matt Ortega Jr. 7-(-18), TD.
Downingtown West: 23-129; Tommy Miller 9-33; Mike Taraschi 6-16; Cole Bricker 7-13, TD; Darian Smith 3-5.
Passing- Coatesville: 9-17-1, 94 yards.
Downingtown West: 11-18-0, 111 yards, TD.
Receiving- Coatesville: Anthony Kelly 1-38; Josh VanOrden 3-33; Elias Hanson 3-20; Nasir Jordan 1-2; Lawrence Beckett 1-(-2).
Downingtown West: JD Weller 4-55, TD; Brendon Goode-Kimble 3-31; Tommy Miller 1-7; Mike Taraschi 1-7; Spencer Dunn 1-6; Darian Smith 1-5.
Interceptions: Downingtown West: Darian Smith.
Sacks: Coatesville: Magnuss Clouser; Downingtown West: Andrew Brown 2, Brian Carter, Max Wolfington (0.5), Isaac Russell (0.5)

Plymouth Whitemarsh senior quarterback Caiden Leszczynski fires a pass on Thursday night against Springfield Twp. (Photo: Owen McCue/For EasternPAFootball)

PLYMOUTH MEETING — The Plymouth Whitemarsh football team rode its ground attack in its first three Suburban One League American Division games.

Behind the dominant offensive line of senior Jared Thomas-Payne, senior Shi-Nobi Morffiah, senior Max Vizza, junior Cole Ashbridge and senior Eddie Moyett, the Colonials ran for more than 300 yards in three straight wins to start conference play.

In a battle of the Suburban One League American Division’s top two teams on Thursday night against Springfield Twp., the Colonials showed they can get it done through the air as well.

Senior quarterback Caiden Leszczynski completed 6-of-11 throws for 155 yards and a quartet of touchdowns to lead an explosive aerial attack that also got some help from a big-lay defense in a 42-0 victory that kept PW at the top of the SOL American standings.

“They were really focused on defending the run, so we were able to launch it,” PW senior quarterback Caiden Leszczynski said. “Now, next week, the team is probably going to play a little bit further off and we’ll be able to run again. It’s just what teams see on film, how they defend us, we can do both.”

During last week’s win over Wissahickon, Plymouthe Whitemarsh (6-2, 3-0 SOL American( senior running back Everett Baker rushed for four touchdowns to spearhead a 400-yard rushing day for the offense. Baker was effective again with nine carries for 86 yards, but with Springfield Twp. (6-2, 2-1) focused on taking him away, the passing game was open.

The Colonials’ first score was a Leszczynski 11-yard touchdown pass to Chase Rarrick with 1:03 left in the first quarter. Not long after Leszczynski connected with Chase Smith for a 55-yard bomb that made it 14-0 with 10:22 left in the second quarter.

“He trusts us,” Smith said. “We practice that route all the time. Every single route we practice before practice, during practice and after practice.”

With both defenses stepping up, it remained a two-touchdown game until late in the second quarter. Immediately following an interception from Leszczynski by Springfield quarterback and defensive back Jack McGuckin, PW junior Michael Bongard picked off a McGuckin pass and took it 55 yards to the house to put the Colonials ahead 20-0 with 2:30 left in the half.

PW got the ball back and Leszczynski continued to pull his team away when he tossed a 54-yard touchdown to Marcus Laffredo, who he has been throwing balls to since elementary school.

“It’s a big momentum booster getting a defensive touchdown,” Leszczynski said. “Getting a touchdown when the offense doesn’t have to touch the field is great.”

Springfield Twp. came into Thursday with a potent offense of its own, scoring 35-or-more points in five of six games during a six-game win streak after a Week 1 loss to PJP. McGuckin completed 15-of-28 passes for 136 yards with Bobby Hartman the top target (five catches, 67 yards), but the Colonials defensive front kept the Spartans from breaking off any big plays on the ground.

They also kep McGuckin under pressure throughout with the likes of senior Jadon Joseph (sack), senior Shi-Nobi Morffiah (sack), senior Kevin Hegarty (sack, forced fumble), senior junior Amir Butler (sack) and Andrew Iannozi (0.5 sacks) some of the main culprits chasing him around the pocket.

“It’s always fun to rush the QB and make him run around,” said junior defensive lineman Jaydon Lockhart, who helped bring down McGuckin one time himself.

Christian Diciurcio caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Leszczynski to finish off the PW offense’s scoring in the third quarter. Butler scooped a strip sack by Hegarty for a 51-yard touchdown return to give the Colonials defense its second score of the game in the fourth.

Springfield Twp. has games against William Tennent (3-5) and Wissahickon (4-4) to regain its footing before the District 1-4A playoffs.

Plymouth Whitemarsh finishes against Upper Moreland (7-1) and Tennent. A win over Upper Moreland next week would give the Colonials their fourth straight SOL division championship.

“It’s really a team effort really,” Smith said. “We couldn’t do anything without our quarterback, our receivers, especially our linemen really. We came out early. … We thought it was gonna be a dog fight, but we executed.”

The Colonials tested themselves in the non-conference and came out of the first four weeks of their season with a 2-2 mark. But Leszczynski said a 20-18 loss against Manheim Twp. (7-0) gave PW confidence that it has been riding in four straight wins since and hopes to continue to carry toward a league title and into a deep playoff run. The Colonials currently sit at No. 9 in the District 1-6A power rankings.

“I think that’s when we kind of realized as a team the potential that we had,” Leszczynski said of the Manheim Twp. game. “Since then, we’ve really just been working incredibly hard, pushing through and being incredibly focused.”

Springfield Twp. 0 0 0 0-0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7 21 7 7-42
Individual Scoring
First Quarter
PW: Chase Rarrick 11 pass from Caiden Leszczynski (Max Peterson kick) 1:03
Second Quarter
PW: Chase Smith 55 pass from Caiden Leszczynski (Max Peterson kick) 10:22
PW: Michael Bongard 55 INT return (pass fail) 2:30
PW: Marcus Laffredo 54 pass from Caiden Leszczynski (Chase Rarrick pass from Caiden Leszczynski) 0:24
Third Quarter
PW: Christian Diciurcio 9 pass from Caiden Leszczynski (Max Peterson kick) 4:40
Fourth Quarter
PW: Amir Butler 51 fumble return (Max Peterson kick)

Team Statistics
………………………..SF………………PW
1st downs………..10…………………11
rush-yds……….25-13……….22-136
comp-att-int….16-29-1…………..6-11-1
pass yds……….133………………155
total yds…………146……………….291
fumb-lost……..4-1………………1-0
pen-yds…………5-56…………..1-5
Individual Statistics
Rushing- Springfield: Logan White 3-17, Theo Ferragame 7-14, CJ Johnson 4-11, Caden Bronson 1-(-4), Jack McGuckin 10-(-25).
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Everett Baker 9-86, Devin Spruill 1-25, Christian Diciurcio 3-10, Andrew Iannozzi 2-8, Caiden Leszczynski 3-5, Edward Coleman 1-2, Donald Boone 1-2, Cole Reilly 2-(-2).
Passing- Springfield: Jack McGuckin 15-28, 136 yards; Logan White 1-1-0, -3 yards.
Plymouth Whtiemarsh: Caiden Leszczynski 6-11-1, 155 yards, 4 TDs.
Receiving- Lower Moreland: Braden Campbell 2-36; Thomas Maloney 1-18; David Rietzen 1-8.
SpringField: Bobby Hartman 5-67, Mekhi Paschal 3-27, CJ Johnson 5-22, Zymir Small 2-20, Ronan Moran 1-(-3).
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Marcus Laffredo 2-79, TD; Chase Smith 1-55, TD; Chase Rarrick 1-11, TD; Christian Diciurcio 1-9, TD; Michael Bongard 1-1.
Interceptions: Springfield: Jack McGuckin; Plymouth Whitemarsh: Michael Bongard.
Sacks: Plymouth Whitemarsh: Andrew Iannozzi, Amir Butler, Kevin Hegarty, Jadon Joseph (0.5), Jaydon Lockhart (0.5)

SPRINGFIELD TWP. — Springfield Twp. freshman Mekhi Paschall knew heading into Friday night’s game his coach had a play dialed up for him.

He was ready. On Chris Shelly’s team, if you’re a playmaker you better be.

Paschall caught a 61-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jack McGuckin on the Spartans’ first play of the game that paved the way for a 35-0 romp over Lower Moreland.

“It’s a shot play,” Paschall said. “Coach (Chris) Shelly. He definitely always tries to get me the ball as much as he can. I just do what I do.”

“I’m in attack mode all the time,” Shelly added. “If I got dudes, we’re gonna attack. We felt like we had the right play call and we both knew it’s over when we get the matchup we want.

Paschall’s touchdown spotted the Spartans (4-1) a 7-0 lead 14 seconds into the game. Sophomore running back Zymir Small added a 12-yard TD run before Paschall picked off a pass and ran it back to the one-yard line to set up senior CJ Johnson for the first of his three scores.

Springfield led previously undefeated Lower Moreland (4-1) 21-0 with two and a half minutes left in the first quarter.

Johnson added touchdown catches of 85 and 23 yards in the second quarter to make it 35-0 heading into half. The first came on a pop pass from McGuckin as he came in motion and the second one came on a pass from McGuckin as he sprinted out wide.

“Honestly, I just do what I do. If I get the ball I’m gonna score,” said Johnson, who totaled 122 yards and three touchdowns on his six touches in the game.

Springfield built up a 21-0 lead on Elizabethtown last week before needing a field goal with nine seconds left to sneak out with a 24-21 win. There was no need for dramatics this week as the clock continued to run throughout the second half.

After a perfect strike to Paschall to start the game, McGuckin finished 4-of-6 for 176 yards and three touchdowns (with plenty of help from his playmakers) before handing the ball over to sophomore Gus May in the second half.

Lower Moreland senior running back Guilherme Santiago highlighted the Lions’ offensive performers with 14 carries for 56 yards. It was a tough day for Lower Moreland as Springfield’s defensive front wreaked havoc in the Lions’ backfield.

Senior defensive back Amari Williams had his name called on the loudspeaker multiple times for tackles for loss. Senior defensive lineman Ryan Vernick, senior linebacker Nick Ebner and junior safety Mike Capoferri were a few of the other ones helping lead the dominant defensive effort. It was the third shutout this season for the Spartans’ defense.

“Our whole defense, we challenged them. … We knew coming out we were going to go after them for four quarters,” Shelly said.

The loss spoiled the best start in a long time for Lower Moreland. The Lions haven’t won more than four games in a season since 2014. They host Academy New Church next Friday afternoon looking to change that.

Shelly’s squad looks much improved from last season’s 3-6 squad. The Spartans have 19 seniors and some talented youngsters, including an impressive freshman class highlighted by Paschall.

They’ve won four in a row since losing to reigning District 1-4A champion Pope John Paul II, 34-27, and feel they’re capable of making some noise in the second half of the season.

“I talk all the time about our 2011 team, which beat Imhotep,” Shelly said. “That was probably one of our best teams, but I’d put these guys up with them. We gotta get to that point, but they know.”

“This team, and I’ve been around awhile, has a special togetherness, tightness about it,” he added. “It’s special, a family. We’re excited to see how far. We’re not even there yet. We’re halfway there but we can go a long way with some more cleaning up some stuff.”

Next up on the schedule is Upper Moreland, which took down the Spartans 24-7 last season.

“We’re actually looking really good right now,” Johnson said. “I like how we started off. Like right now, we’re easy, we’re cool, we’re chillin. 4-1. We’re going against Upper Moreland next week. Big game for us for sure, and we just gotta take it to them.”

Springfield Twp. 35, Lower Moreland 0
Lower Moreland 0 0 7 0-0
Springfield Twp. 21 14 0 0-35
Individual Scoring
First Quarter
SF: Mekhi Paschall 61 pass from Jack McGuckin (Bobby Hartman kick) 11:46
SF: Zymir Small 12 run (Bobby Hartman kick) 3:19
SF: CJ Johnson 1 run (Bobby Hartman kick) 2:28
Second Quarter
SF: CJ Johnson 85 pass from Jack McGuckin (Bobby Hartman kick) 6:15
SF: CJ Johnson 23 pass from Jack McGuckin (Bobby Hartman kick) 3:27
Third Quarter
None.
Fourth Quarter
None.

Team Statistics
………………………..LM………………SF
1st downs………..10…………………8
rush-yds……….25-34……….17-67
comp-att-int….4-12-1…………..7-9-0
pass yds……….62………………182
total yds…………96……………….249
fumb-lost……..0-0………………2-1
pen-yds…………4-34…………..8-91

Individual Statistics
Rushing- Lower Moreland: Guilherme Santiago 14-56; Kevin Fay 5-(-5); Thomas Maloney 2-(-7); Trent Stahl 4-(-10);
Springfield: Zymir Small 2-32, TD; Bobby Hartman 1-9; CJ Johnson 3-7, TD; Jude Nosal 2-7; Jack McGuckin 4-5; Caden Bronson 2-5; Phoenix Ferragame 2-2; Gus May 1-0.
Passing- Lower Moreland: Kevin Fay 4-9-0, 62 yards; Thomas Maloney 0-3-1, 0 yards.
Springfield: Jack McGuckin 4-6-0, 176 yards, 3 TDs; Gus May 3-3-0, 6 yards.
Receiving- Lower Moreland: Braden Campbell 2-36; Thomas Maloney 1-18; David Rietzen 1-8.
SpringField: CJ Johnson 3-115, 2 TDs; Mekhi Paschal 1-61, TD; Caden Bronson 3-6.
Interceptions: Springfield: Mekhi Paschall.
Sacks: Lower Moreland: Santino Vassalotti; Springfield: Bobby Hartman, Amari Williams, Patrick Mulqueeny.

North Penn senior Aidan Eves makes a catch Friday against Neshaminy. (Owen McCue/For Eastern PA Football)

LANSDALE — North Penn senior Aidan Eves got a taste of the North Penn football pedigree as a freshman backup three years ago on a Knights team that rattled off 11 straight wins to start its season.

Eves and the Knights haven’t reached those lofty standards in the two years since — winning six games in each of the last two seasons.

The goal this offseason was to get back.

North Penn continued on that trajectory Friday night with a 37-7 victory over Neshaminy. The win helped the Knights open up Suburban One National Division play with a W and improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2021.

“The past two years were a little disappointing, especially with the amount of talent we had,” Eves said. “This year, we knew we had that talent, it was about the players. The coaches are phenomenal every year, especially Coach Beck. We really just capitalize on the leadership in the room.”

North Penn (4-0) and Neshaminy (3-1) both entered Friday night unblemished with the Redskins eyeing their best start since 2016-17. It didn’t take long to figure out which side would keep its perfect record intact.

Neshaminy’s opening drive stalled after five plays. Though the Redskins pinned the Knights deep, North Penn drove 90 yards in 11 plays on its first drive, which was capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Christian Johns-Wallace.

The North Penn ground game churned out 288 yards in the contest, including 18 attempts for 173 yards in the first half. Eves shouted out sophomore right tackle Charles Ashley with seniors Dylan Webb-Dennis and Vinnie Montmore and juniors Dominic Tranzilli and Mason Charles drawing additional praise from junior quarterback Matt Bucksar.

“It starts with the O-Line every game,” Eves said. “Our O-Line’s phenomenal. We keep pushing them every week and we still haven’t peaked yet.”

Knights senior defensive lineman Cole D’Ambrosio recovered a fumble two plays into Neshaminy’s ensuing drive. After taking over at the Redskins 31, North Penn quickly made jt a 14-0 game with a 21-yard touchdown run by junior Matt Bownall almost exactly two minutes after the first Knights’ score.

Neshaminy went for it on 4th-and-3 at the Redskins own 27 on their next possession. Aidan Eves stuffed the attempt to give the Knights another short field. They capitalized again as Eves finished off the drive with a one-yard score to make it 21-0 with eight minutes left in the half.

“That play was awesome,” Eves said of the fourth-down stop. “ I was pretty hyped up after that. Stopping them on 4th down on like their 30-yard line. We just kept the momentum rolling.”

“The only team that’s gonna beat us when we got momentum is ourselves,” he added.

Senior running back Josiah Coleman (13 rushes for 137 yards) went 89 yards for a touchdown with five minutes left in the second quarter to keep the Knights rolling. When Neshaminy finally halted a North Penn drive late in the first half, senior Ryan Bocklet booted a 49-yard field goal to add onto the lead.

Meanwhile the Knights’ defense held Neshaminy to under 100 total yards and just five first downs in the first half.

“The defense has been showing out great,” Bucksar said. “They’ve been playing great the entire season. For them to do this it’s awesome. It just set the tone for the rest of the season.

A fumble spoiled another strong North Penn drive to start the second half. Neshaminy junior quarterback Michale Eckart broke the shutout with 6:02 left in the third, but North Penn answered right back with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Bucksar to Pownall. Both teams started subbing in their reserves soon after.

Bucksar completed 9-of-13 passes for 147 yards and a score.

“It feels great,” Bucksar said. “We came into the season with a different mindset knowing this is what we can do if we just push ourselves, grind in the offseason. The feeling of being 4-0, winning our first league game, it’s great.”

Neshaminy hosts Abington (1-3) next week looking to refind itself in what’s been an upstart year for the Redskins, who are already one win away from matching their win total in each of the previous two campaigns.

North Penn stays at home next Friday to put its undefeated mark on the line against Pennridge (3-1).

“We have a great group of seniors, especially our captains who help us lead everyday,” Eves said. “Me, Christian Johns-Wallace, Vinnie Montmore, Bubba (Dylan Webb-Dennis) and Ryan Bocklet, we’ve been here for a while and we really want to set that culture this year.”

Neshaminy 0 0 7 0-7
North Penn 14 17 6 0-37
Individual Scoring
First Quarter
NP: Christian Johns-Wallace 1 run (Ryan Bocklet kick) 3:27
NP: Matt Pownall 21 run (Ryan Bocklet kick) 1:24
Second Quarter
NP: Aidan Eves 1 run (Ryan Bocklet kick) 8:02
NP: Josiah Coleman 89 run (Ryan Bocklet kick) 5:01
NP: Ryan Bocklet 49 yard field goal 1:04
Third Quarter
NE: Michael Eckart 76 run (Kaden Nicastro kick) 6:02
NP: Matt Pownall 13 pass from Matt Bucksar (try fail) 3:56
Fourth Quarter
None.
Team Statistics
………………………..NE………………NP
1st downs………..13…………………19
rush-yds……….30-202……….38-288
comp-att-int….10-14-1…………..9-14-0
pass yds……….78………………147
total yds…………280……………….435
fumb-lost……..1-1………………3-2
pen-yds…………4-30…………..1-15

Individual Statistics
Rushing
Neshaminy: Michael Eckart 1-76, TD; Cayden Weaver 8-42; Nahsir Moore 9-38; Jason Wilmot 6-21; Amir Gray 3-19; Brock WIlliams 3-6.
North Penn: Josiah Coleman 13-137, TD; Matt Pownall 8-63, TD; Brayden Cassel 5-63; Cameron Mainor 3-13; Aidan Eves 3-3, TD; Christian Johns-Wallace 3-3, TD; Mason Franek 2-3.
Passing:
Neshaminy: Michael Eckart 10-14-1, 78 yards.
North Penn: Matt Bucksar 9-13-0, 147 yards, TD; London Evans 0-1-0.
Receiving:
Neshaminy: Lucas Stewart 3-36; Connor Frederick 4-27; Michael Sassano 1-11; Jason Gilardi 1-4.
North Penn: Aidan Eves 3-81; Matt Pownall 2-25, TD; Mason Franek 2-22; Cameron Mainor 1-10; Jackson Schurmann 1-9.
Interceptions: North Penn: Mason Franek.
Sacks: None.

PHOTO: Strath Haven’s Jahi Curtis, left, pressures Ridley quarterback Ryan Carroll in Friday’s game at Ridley.

FOLSOM — Strath Haven’s offensive front was a question mark heading into the 2024 season.
The Panthers had to essentially replace the entire starting line from last year’s District 1 Class 5A championship team.

A unit that includes seniors Phil Collins, Mike Flannery, Cooper Murley, Sean O’Neil and junior Nick Farabaugh — along with some big help from senior tight end Jahi Curtis — gave a glimpse at what they’re capable of in a dominant 28-7 victory over Ridley.

The Panthers rushed for more than 300 yards and scored all four of their touchdowns on the ground in the win.
“I think they’re definitely starting to click a lot,” senior running back Shane Green said. “A lot of people doubted them at the beginning of the year. I know they can definitely move. They’re fast guys. They’re strong guys too. I felt like I had expectations for them, and I feel like they’re living up to it.”
Green had himself a day too, rushing 16 times for 157 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Ben Milligan approached the century mark as well with 12 carries for 93 yards and also added a late interception on the defensive end.
Green punctuated Strath Haven’s (3-0) first drive of the game with a 41-yard touchdown run to give the Panthers an early 7-0 lead with 8:27 left in the first quarter.

After seeing its first offensive drive stall in Strath Haven territory, Ridley (2-1) forced a three-and-out and evened the score 7-7 with 10:56 left in the second quarter on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Carroll to Connor Kelly. Kelly paced the Ridley offense with seven carries for 82 yards. Kirkland Plummer added 16 carries for 56 yards.

The Strath Haven offense failed to get going on the ensuing drive, but the Panthers came up with a huge stop on 4th-and-1 at the Raiders’ 30-yard line. That’s when the tide of the game changed.

“It was definitely very big,” said Green, who also stars as a linebacker for Strath Haven. “I don’t know how the game would have gone if we didn’t make that play. … I think we all just got in there.”

The defensive stand gave Strath Haven great field position and set up a three-yard touchdown run from James Fisher with 5:46 left in the half. He carried nine times for 48 yards and a score.

Green started to break the game open when he turned another run up the middle into a 61-yard touchdown at the 3:15 mark.

Strath Haven took a 21-7 lead into half then grabbed complete control — 28-7 with 6:27 left in the third — when Green powered in an eight-yard touchdown run to cap an eight-play, 54-yard drive on the Panthers’ first offensive possession of the second half.

“That’s one of our main goals,” Curtis said. “We just keep practicing the same plays. We just make sure we’re blocking 11-step blocks and making sure our rushers just keep going, keep getting four yards, four yards and keep being able to push the ball down the field.”

Along with aiding the Panthers’ ground game, Curtis was part of a ferocious defensive front for Strath Haven that played a large role in keeping a Ridley offense that scored 51 points last week against Lower Merion scoreless in the last 41 minutes on Friday.

Farabaugh, senior Alexei Gustafson and junior Paul Oblek were among those to tally sacks with Curtis and several others making their presence felt in the Raiders’ offensive backfield throughout the game, particularly on the downs when it mattered most.

Oblek came up with a big sack on Ridley’s first offensive possession of the game to stall a 12-play, 67-yard drive. Strath Haven held Ridley to 3-for-13 on third down and 1-for-5 on fourth down in the game.
“They drove the field a couple of times, but we were able to stop them on big plays. We were able to make a lot of big plays,” Curtis said.

“It starts with everybody,” he added. “Our corners are able to jam the receivers and give us a lot of time to get there and we just practice effort. We go 100 percent, 110 miles per hour. All game, we were just able to get there.”

Ridley follows up its first loss of the season with a road trip to Conestoga next week. Strath Haven has its first home game of the season against Radnor next week before a huge matchup with Garnet Valley on Sept. 20.
“It all started in practice,” Green said. “ A lot of us weren’t really that satisfied. Something we say on this team is, ‘Never stay satisfied. So we all just went back to work and we had a good week of practice, good defensive practice, and it showed on the field.”

They hope to continue that formula throughout the season.

“A lot of people doubted us,” Curtis said. “They didn’t know how good we were gonna be this season.”
~~~
Strath Haven 7 14 7 0-28
Ridley 0 7 0 0-7
Individual Scoring
First Quarter
SH: Shane Green 41 run (Matt Styer kick) 8:27
Second Quarter
R: Connor Kelly 13 pass from Ryan Carroll (Jason Reali kick) 10:56
SH: James Fisher 3 run (Matt Styer kick) 5:46
SH: Shane Green 61 run (Matt Styer kick) 3:15
Third Quarter
SH: Shane Green 8 run (Matt Styer kick) 6:27
Fourth Quarter
None.
Team Statistics
………………………..SH………………R
1st downs………..18…………………15
rush-yds……….40-302……….30-135
comp-att-int….2-8-0…………..14-24-1
pass yds……….52………………104
total yds…………354……………….239
fumb-lost……..1-0………………1-0
pen-yds…………7-56…………..4-26

Individual Statistics
Rushing:
Strath Haven: Shane Green 16-157, 3 TDs; Ben Milligan 12-93; James Fisher 9-48, TD; Caden Shuster 3-4.
Ridley: Connor Kelly 7-82; Kirkland Plummer 16-56; Jackson Solomon 3-6; Ryan Carroll 4-(–9).

Passing:
Strath Haven: Caden Shuster 1-7-0, 26 yards; Luke Mulhern 1-1-0, 26 yards.
Ridley: Ryan Carroll 14-24-1, 104 yards, TD.

Receiving:
Strath Haven: Shane Green 1-26; Jahi Curtis 1-26.
Ridley: Jayden Brown 6-45; Connor Kelly 3-22, TD; Gene D’Amico 2-22; Sean Manley 2-8; Logan Bubb 1-7.

 

COLLEGEVILLE — Governor Mifflin coach Mick Vecchio put it succinctly after Friday night’s loss to Perkiomen Valley.

“I thought they were pretty good, but they’re really good,” Vecchio said of the Vikings.

Vecchio’s Mustangs had some moments but PV asserted itself on both sides of the ball in a  31-14 victory over Mifflin.

Juniors Colin Sturges and Carter McCabe ran for two scores apiece as the Vikings rushed for nearly 200 yards behind Jacob Reedy, Eddie Smith, Cole Euker, Gavin

Fisher and Andrew Keenan in a bounce back from last week’s 19-14 loss to Chester.

“There was like a hole every play,” Sturges said. “Always guys blocking downfield. It was really nice.”

Senior Dimitri Toman set the tone for the Vikings (1-1) when he picked off a pass on Governor Mifflin’s (1-1) first drive, taking it all the way back to the 6-yard line.

McCabe scored from six yards out on PV’s first offensive play to spot the Vikings a 7-0 lead with 9:12 left in the first. He ran nine times for 90 yards and added four catches for 26 yards, refusing to go down each time he touched the ball.

“I just try to run hard and get through there and don’t let them tackle me,” McCabe said. “I don’t like getting tackled.

The Vikings fumbled on the one-yard line late in the second quarter but still managed to add to their lead with a Sturges 19-yard touchdown run with 1:15 left in the period. Juliun Corropolese booted a 22-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half to put PV up 17-0.

Things got interesting after the break when Governor Mifflin senior running back Grady Garner (147 total yards, 2 TDs) ran in a nine-yard touchdown two and a half minutes into the third quarter for the Mustangs’ first points of the game following a PV fumble.

Mifflin recovered an onside kick on the ensuing play, but the Vikings’ defense forced a three-and-out to halt Mifflin’s brewing momentum.

A terrific interception by Mifflin senior Reese Hohl halted PV’s next drive at the two-yard line, but another three-and-out by the defense gave the Vikings the ball right back.

“We got some things going, but not enough. I’m disappointed the score shows what it shows because I thought we played them pretty tough,” Vecchio said. “But that’s all it is, any given Friday night.”

Sturges, who ran seven times for 39 yards, punched in a score from two yards out to put the Vikings up 24-7 with 6.8 seconds left in the third.

“I think we’re good at responding when we need to,” Sturges said. “We respond well when we’re faced with adversity.

Mifflin senior quarterback Javien Pletz tossed to Garner for a 48-yard touchdown to answer the PV score and put the deficit back to 10 with 11:14 left in the first.

The Mustangs got the ball back looking to make it a one-possession game.

PV’s defense had an answer and swarmed once again, coming up big each time the team needed them. The Vikings allowed just five first downs in the second half, holding them to 1-for-5 on third-down conversions.

“The way they play their defense and the way we run our offense, with the kids they have, they pretty much overpowered us, which that’s not gonna happen too much,” Vecchio said. “I don’t expect that to happen the rest of the regular season.”

Some of the stalwarts in the defensive front for PV were seniors Wyatt Kolb and Cole Euker and juniors Mike Conley, Jr., and Brady Supplee

Senior linebackers Carter Euker and Nathan Reedy and junior Richie Strano swarmed behind them.

“We had to (bounce back) after that loss (to Chester),” Carter Euker said. “We had to come out firing. They were hyping themselves … we had to play, physical, aggressive.”

“All three of our linebackers, our whole D-line did well, our corners kept contain, so the whole defense contributed,” Euker said.

McCabe capped the game’s scoring with a one-yard touchdown run with 4:17 to play. PV senior quarterback Patrick MacDonald was 15-for-21 for 129 yards and added 61 yards on the ground. Junior Jon Boyd caught six passes for 72 yards.

The Vikings travel to Downingtown West next week as they continue a daunting non-conference stretch that finishes with Coatesville a week later. Mifflin will look to respond to the loss on the road against Hempfield next week.

Euker and his brother Cole have been part of the PV program since they were six years old watching their brother Grant (Kutztown) suit up for the Vikings. The second oldest Gavin (IUP) continued the line with Cole and Carter (the “runt” and only Euker not to play on the PV offensive line) hoping Friday’s win can help them build toward a special senior season.

“This is my last year, so I hope to break a couple of records, I hope our team goes far, and I hope to do the best we can,” Carter Euker said.

~~

Governor Mifflin 0 0 7 7-14
Perkiomern Valley 7 10 7 7-31

Individual Scoring
First Quarter
PV: Carter McCabe 6 run (Juliun Corropolese kick) 9:12

Second Quarter
PV: Colin Sturges 9 run (Juliun Corropolese kick) 1:33
Juliun Corropolese 22 FG :06

Third Quarter
GM: Grady Garner 9 run (Lance Koenig kick) 9:27
PV: Colin Sturges 2 run (Juliun Corropolese kick) :06

Fourth Quarter
GM: Grady Garner 48 pass from Javien Pletz (Lance Koenig kick) 11:14
PV: Carter Mccabe 1 run (Juliun Corropolese kick) 4:17

Team Statistics
………………………..GM………………PV
1st downs………..12…………………24
rush-yds……….40-157……….37-195
comp-att-int….4-14-1…………..15-22-1
pass yds……….71………………129
total yds…………228……………….324
fumb-lost……..0-0………………3-2
pen-yds…………9-68…………..6-48

Individual Statistics
Rushing: Gov. Mifflin: Grady Garner 21-85, TD; Lebron Leaf 2-25, Reese Hohl 7-18; Travis Jenkins 5-12; No. 89 1-10; Javien Pletz 4-7.
Perk Valley: Carter McCabe 9-90, 2 TDs;  Patrick MacDonald 18-61; Colin Sturges 7-39, 2 TDs; Nathan Reedy 3-5.

Passing: Gov. Mifflin: Javien Pletz 4-14-1, 71 yards, TD.
Perk Valley: Patrick MacDonald 15-21-1, 129 yards; Carter McCabe 0-1-0, 0 yards.

Receiving: Gov Mifflin: Grady Garner 2-62, TD; Lebron Leaf 1-13; Travis Jenkins 1-(-4).

Perk Valley: Job Boyd 6-72; Carter McCabe 4-26; Will Stein 3-21; Colin Hollingsworth 2-10.

FORT WASHINGTON — A two-touchdown cushion started feeling a little less cushy late in the third quarter of Central Bucks West’s road game at Upper Dublin on Friday night.

After Upper Dublin made a goal-line stand, the Cardinals sensed momentum building as they marched the ball down toward the other end of the field.

In an instant CB West senior Vance Morelli halted that momentum in its tracks.

Morelli was in the right place at the right time and made it count. A pass glanced off the hands of a UD receiver and into Morelli’s to start a 51-yard interception return touchdown that sent CB West on its way to a 35-14 victory.

“It bounced off the receiver’s hands I think, and into my hands, and I just took off,” Morelli said. “I don’t even remember. I just ran.”

“It was definitely a momentum shifter. I was getting beat a lot. It definitely helped me mentally to make that play.”

CB West senior running back Ryan Clemens starred for the Bucks in the victory, running 19 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns and adding three catches for 108 yards and a score. He started the game with a 10-yard rushing touchdown and added a 75-yard touchdown catch from senior quarterback Noah Miller after UD’s Kevin Etkins and Ryan O’Sullivan connected for a 20-yard score.

The Bucks (2-0) led 14-6 after a quarter of play and Miller added a 76-yard bomb to Morelli to expand the lead to 21-6 with 11:03 left in the first half. That’s where the score stood at the break.

“We gave a couple of big plays away, and that was really our focus this offseason was not to give up those kinds of plays,” Upper Dublin coach Bret Stover said. “We’ve done it in the last two weeks. We’ve gotta stop it. … But we can move the ball.”

Upper Dublin’s (1-1) goal line stand came after CB West drove 62 yards on seven plays on its first offensive possession of the second half. The Cardinals stopped the Bucks on all four fourth-down tries in the game.

Etkins (20-for-35, 209 yards, 2 TDs) got UD out of its own end with three straight completions, including a 37-yard pass to Ronald Shepherd. It looked like he might have had another before the ball took an unfortunate bounce into Morelli’s hands.

“That was pretty big,” Clemens said. “We got in the red zone a few times and we couldn’t execute, couldn’t find a way to score. Tipped ball, he caught it in the air, and I knew he was gonna bring it to the house right after that.”

After converting a fourth down on a pass to O’Sullivan (10 catches, 116 yards TD), Etkins found Gavin Lapa for a one-yard score with 8:59 to play to give the Cardinals some late life. A quick defensive stop opened the doors for another UD comeback bid.

Instead, sophomore Owen Pudlo came up with back-to-back sacks to chase the Cardinals back off the field.  His two sacks were part of five for CB West in the game with juniors Jeffrey Cappa, Matt Berman, and Gavin Todd all adding to the total.

“We lost two of our starting linebackers from last year, Aedan Donnely and Jake Ambuster and we have a next-man-up mentality,” Morelli said. Owen steps in and he’s filling that role perfectly.”

Clemens ran in a seven-yard touchdown run behind senior offensive tackle Finn McGowan with 1:25 to play to cap off a terrific outing. He gave the nod to McGowan, senior Cole Patterson, senior Christian Pudlo, junior Giovanni Pellegrino, and junior Santiago Bustelo up front, who helped the Bucks run for 238 yards on the ground.

He is a three-year starter, who ran 197 times for 1,370 yards and 11 TDs last season, adding three catches for 39 yards and a TD. He also went 44-for-47 on PAT attempts. He is looking to raise the bar higher in his senior campaign.

“I’m trying to stay on my blocks and run the ball,” Clemens said. “I’m trying to get breakaway speed. That’s one thing I need to work on.”

After falling to CB West on Thursday night, Upper Dublin faces the squad that beat the Bucks in the semifinals in 2023, playing reigning District 1-6A champion Central Bucks South on the road next Friday night.

“When you’re playing the two defending District 1-6A champions from the last two years, that really doesn’t do you any favors, but it’s gonna help us down the road — and we got out healthy,” Stover said.

CB West has another huge test next week against Souderton — and still plenty to prove.

“We made a lot of mistakes and were still able to pull out a win. That’s a good thing,” Morelli said. “We just have to minimize those mistakes and we’ll be good.”

~~~

CB West 14 7 7 7-35
Upper Dublin 6 0 0 8-14

Individual Scoring
First Quarter
CBW: Ryan Clemens 10 run 3:39
UD: Ryan O’Sullivan 20 pass from Kevin Etkins (kick blocked) 3:13
CBW: Ryan Clemens 75 pass from Noah Miller (Ryan Clemens) 2:20

Second Quarter
CBW: Vance Morelli 76 pass from Noah Miller (Ryan Clemens kick) 1:03

Third Quarter
CBW: Vance Morelli 51 INT return (Ryan Clemens kick) 4:19.

Fourth Quarter
UD: Gavin Lapa 1 pass from Kevin Etkins (Ronald Shepherd pass from Kevin Etkins) 8:59
CBW-Ryan Clemens 7 run (Ryan Clemens kick) 1:25

Team Statistics
………………………..CBW………………UD
1st downs………..16…………………15
rush-yds……….42-238……….21-15
comp-att-int….6-8-0…………..23-45-1
pass yds……….199………………252
total yds…………437……………….267
fumb-lost……..1-0………………0-0
pen-yds…………4-44…………..6-52

Individual Statistics
Rushing- CB West: Ryan Clemens 19-137, 2 TDs; Noah Miller 16-82; Vance Morelli 3-15; Nick Miletto 4-4.
Upper Dublin: Ronald Shepherd 13-51; Jordan Fields 1-(-4); Kevin Etkins 7-(-32).

Passing- CB West: Noah Miller 6-8-0, 199, 2 TDs.
Upper Dublin: Kevin Etkins: 20-35-1, 216, 2 TDs; Lawson Tyler 4-9-0, 39.

Receiving- CB West: 3-108, TD; Vance Morelli 2-83, TD; Jackson Lindenmuth 1-8.
Upper Dublin: Ryan O’Sullivan 10-116, TD; Eric Bernan 4-64; MJ Stokes 3-31; Ronald Shepherd 2-17; Gavin Lapa 3-15, TD; Mikal Tindal 1-9.