Reed Hennessy

“It was just two evenly matched teams playing each other to the best of their ability. It really came down to special teams, and we lost that battle,” said Neshaminy varsity football head coach Michael Frederick on the 13 to 17 loss against North Penn. The loss will certainly make it much more difficult for Neshaminy to secure a spot in the District One Class AAAA football playoffs.

The game started off with Neshaminy winning the coin toss and starting at the Neshaminy 20 yard line. For the majority of the first quarter Neshaminy and North Penn were going back and forth with possessions. While Neshaminy looked to be working their way downfield on their first drive, it quickly ended after Neshaminy sophomore quarterback Mason Jones was sacked for a loss.

After punting the ball away, North Penn returned the ball to the Neshaminy 25 yard line, but North Penn was unable to capitalize on the situation as Neshaminy junior defensive back Denzel Hughes intercepted the ball. Unfortunately, Neshaminy was also unable to capitalize on the turnover and was forced to punt.

When Neshaminy senior punter Kevin Goetz reared back to punt the ball, a North Penn defender was able to get in front of Goetz and block the punt. North Penn returned the ball for a touchdown and the point after was good, the first quarter would end, North Penn 7, Neshaminy 0.

“It was a rivalry game. We knew their plays and they knew ours,” Frederick said. The second quarter, up until the five minute mark, was more of the same. North Penn and Neshaminy were simply matching each other play for play and drive for drive.

However, after Neshaminy returned the punt to about mid-field, Neshaminy senior running back D’Andre Pollard received the first hand-off of the drive and ran 52 yards into North Penn territory to score a touchdown. The first half would end Neshaminy 7, North Penn 7.

The second half began with North Penn starting on their 38-yard line after a decent return. However, North Penn was forced to punt the ball to Neshaminy after a short, three and out drive. Following yet another Neshaminy punt, North Penn was able to make it downfield within field goal range and by the end of the third quarter North Penn was up, 10 to 7.

The fourth quarter proved to be the most exciting of the game, after Jones completed a huge pass to Hughes, putting Neshaminy at the six yard line, Pollard received the snap and ran the ball in. Unfortunately for Neshaminy, the point after was blocked and the score was close, Neshaminy 13, North Penn 10.

The Neshaminy defense was unable to hold North Penn for the remainder of the fourth quarter, North Penn worked the ball downfield with about a minute left in the game and eventually ran it in from the one-yard line. The game ended with North Penn victorious, 17 to 13.

“You guys earned it, we had a couple of tough breaks tonight but we worked through them and won,” Neshaminy Head Coach Michael Frederick said to his team after their win against Abington on Sept. 19. The final score was Neshaminy 21, Abington 18, and although the score was close, Neshaminy remained in control the entire game.

The first touchdown of the game came shortly after Abington received the opening kickoff. Abington quarterback David Kretschman completed a 15-yard pass to Daron Boone. This would be the only time in the game when Abington was ahead of Neshaminy.

In less than half the time it took for Abington to work the ball downfield, Neshaminy running back D’Andre Pollard was able to string together a series of successful running plays that ended in an incredible 35-yard touchdown. Abington, looking to answer right back, would turnover the ball when Neshaminy cornerback Boniface Stevens intercepted a pass attempt. Stevens ran the ball back for a touchdown. The score was Neshaminy 14, Abington 7 at the end of the first quarter.

After switching sides the Abington offense was effectively neutralized by the Neshaminy defense. The only successful moments came when running back Juawine Sowell had the ball handed off to him, but short running gains were not enough to jump-start the Abington offense. Forced to punt to Neshaminy late in the second quarter, Neshaminy was able to capitalize on multiple defensive blunders by Abington.

Flagged for off-sides and underestimating Neshaminy’s sophomore quarterback Mason Jones, the Abington defense gave too much room to Jones by focusing on Pollard. Neshaminy’s third drive of the game culminated in a touchdown on a running play to senior Dan Dogba on second and goal.

Abington was just able to squeeze in a field goal before the end of the half, ending the first half of the game Neshaminy 21, Abington 10. The third quarter started and ended uneventfully. The rest of the game became a stalemate, save for the late fourth quarter touchdown and two-point conversion by Abington, the game became a back and fort defensive battle.

“Tonight was one of those games where we just had to come out and play the best we could and we did,” Pollard said. At the end of the game the score was Neshaminy 21, Abington 18. Frederick is truly changing the way Neshaminy football is played. Creating a better, well-rounded team by focusing on the passing game more and more, will eventually help Neshaminy become a major contender. This upcoming Friday Neshaminy will be away at Pennridge, who is just coming off a 47 to 22 loss against North Penn.

Neshaminy entered last Friday’s game with a 0-2 record, but left with their first win of the season. Taking on the Council Rock South high school squad, the game would end with a score of 49 to 15 with Neshaminy decimating their opponents.

“It just feels great to get the win, it was tough the first couple of weeks,” Head Coach Michael Frederick said on his first win as Head Coach at Neshaminy.

Signs of Neshaminy’s ultimate domination came early on, when on the first play Council Rock South high school’s quarterback Shaun Stackhouse threw an interception to Neshaminy cornerback Boniface Stevens. The subsequent drive by Neshaminy would result in the first touchdown of the game for Neshaminy after running back D’Andre Pollard ran for a 12-yard touchdown at the end of a short drive.

After receiving the kickoff again shortly after the opening kickoff, Council Rock South running back Brendan Patterson pumped some life into Council Rock South’s offense. But the success was short lived after Council Rock South turned the ball over on downs.

One thing that stood out in this game was the more present passing game, rather than the running game with Pollard. Quaterback Mason Jones and wide receiver Denzel Hughes for the past two games, have been moving the ball downfield, and accumulating more and more yards each game.

After a series of completions to Hughes, Jones was able to give a short pass to Pollard on first and goal for the second touchdown of the game. Yet again after receiving the kickoff, Council Rock South would turn the ball over on a fumble, again on the first play after returning the kickoff. The first quarter ended shortly after, Neshaminy 14 and Council Rock South 0.

The first play of the second quarter would result in Jones being on the wrong end of a Council Rock South blitz, making it second and long. Neshaminy would go for it on fourth down after a couple failed running attempts. Surprisingly, Neshaminy wide receiver Trevor Lay would score a touchdown on a Jones completion to make the score Neshaminy 21, Council Rock South 0.

Council Rock South would finally score their first touchdown of the game after retaining possession of the ball for two minutes. This was the longest drive of the game, and eventually Patterson made a 10-yard touchdown.

Answering right back on the kickoff, Neshaminy’s Matt Magdelinskas returned the ball 70 yards for a touchdown to close out the half. By the end of the second quarter the score was Neshaminy 35, Council Rock South 7.

Receiving the kickoff, Neshaminy started out the second half with the ball. Jones and Hughes worked their way down field, Hughes would receive a 15-yard touchdown pass to start off the second half with a score of 42 to 7.

Council Rock South, had they played like the same in the first half as they did in the second half may have won the game. Patterson made short work of the Neshaminy defense working the ball downfield on three consecutive first down runs. Council Rock South quarterback would then hand the ball off to running back Vincent Alimenti who would not only score their second and last touchdown, but the two-point conversion that came after.

Although the game was all but over, Neshaminy scored yet again before the game would end. After the reserves were brought in for the final drive of the game, Jones would make a long completion to wide receiver Will Dogba for a 30 plus yard touchdown to close out the game.

“We knew that passing was really one of our soft points and so we took advantage of that,” Jones said. Neshaminy, who has in past years focused on their running game, may be shifting their offensive strategy to a more balanced pattern of passing and running. This is no coincidence, under Frederick Neshaminy will certainly flourish this year and in upcoming seasons as Neshaminy is becoming a better well-rounded team.

Neshaminy High School has named a new head football coach, Michael Frederick, a member of the graduating class of 1990 who also was drafted in the third round of the NFL draft. Frederick also was All-State and attended the Big 33 football classic in which top high-school football players from around Pennsylvania play one another.

“I played for 3 teams in the NFL from 1995-2000. I was a defensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns in1995, the Baltimore Ravens from 1996 to 98’ and the Tennessee Titans from 1999 to 2000’.”

Frederick will be replacing Neshaminy’s all-time wins leader Mark Schmidt, a record of 161-66, but Frederick is up to the task. With years of experience playing the game, and a former assistant coach at The Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland. “I was offered a handful of collegiate level jobs over the years, but have tried to transition to business,” Frederick said.

Frederick, a Neshaminy native, has a great feel for the community and football program at Neshaminy High School. “The community and the family feel of our football program and our school was what drew us players in and kept us on the field working to achieve a common goal,” Frederick said.

“I first began playing football at Neshaminy Middle under Coach Bob Emery,” Frederick said. Not only has Frederick been successful in the game he loves, during his time at Neshaminy the team enjoyed great success.

In his junior season, fall 1988, Neshaminy went 11-0 in the regular season and was one of four teams selected to compete in the first-ever Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament. Fredrick’s positions on the football team were outside linebacker, defensive and tight end, and throughout his four seasons at Neshaminy the team’s record was 35 wins and 10 losses. Fredrick’s former head coach was John Chaump, and his former position coach was Tom Magdelinskas.

While there were several candidates being considered to replace Schmidt, when Frederick had inquired about the position the trigger was pulled immediately. “I had heard about the opening but didn’t really consider it until sometime passed and it seemed the administration was still looking, and that is when I inquired as to where things stood in the process.”Overall, the Neshaminy community is pleased with the decision that was made and it seems that a bright future is ahead for the Neshaminy football program.

The District One Class AAAA quarterfinals ended Friday night in a Neshaminy victory, the score, Neshaminy 56, Spring-Ford 27. The Neshaminy defensive unit certainly showed up to play, forcing a total of six turnovers. Neshaminy is now the highest seeded team remaining in the district playoffs.

Working their way down field, junior running back D’Andre Pollard, and senior running back Denny Lord outdid the Spring-Ford defense. Lord would bulldoze his way into the end zone on a short rushing touchdown, the point after would be blocked. The first quarter would Neshaminy 6, Spring-Ford 0.

The beginning of the second quarter would mark the only time Spring-Ford had the upper hand over Neshaminy. After receiving the kickoff at the end of the first, the Rams conversed on fourth down, it paid off. Junior quarter back Matt Daywalt completed a 12 yard pass to senior wide receiver Gary Hopkins, the point after was good.

Neshaminy’s next possession would be short lived, as they fumbled it on their own 28 yard line, Spring-Ford would capitalize. Senior running back Jarred Jones ran for a 28 yard touchdown, the point after went through the uprights making the score Spring-Ford 14, Neshaminy 6. After the kickoff, senior quarter back Tyler Wombough threw an interception directly into the arms of a Spring-Ford defensive back.

“I was watching the quarter back, the ball went up, the receiver tipped it to me and I was on top of it,” said senior defensive back Devon Brown on intercepting Daywalt’s first pass immediately after the turnover. Following the two consecutive turnovers, Pollard would go to work, scoring on an eight yard run. Head coach Mark Schmidt would keep the offense on the field for a two point conversion, a successful pass from Wombough to senior tight end Luke Carrezola would bring the score to an even Neshaminy 14, Spring-Ford 14.

On the kick return, the Spring-Ford kick returner fumbled the catch; Brown would recover it putting Neshaminy deep in Spring-Ford territory. Neshaminy would not waste the opportunity to jump ahead. Pollard’s three yard run put Neshaminy in the lead by a touchdown. The second quarter would end Neshaminy 21, Spring Ford 14.

The beginning of the second half would start with Spring-Ford having possession, and shortly thereafter punting. On their next possession, sophomore defensive back Denzel Hughes would intercept a pass. Wombough, after completing 45 yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Hamiid Pack, would hand the ball off to Pollard for a 10 yard rushing touchdown.

Yet again, Spring-Ford would turn over the ball on the next drive; senior line backer Trokon Buesmail recovered the fumble bringing the ball to midfield. Pollard would eventually run the ball into the end zone for a 31 yard rushing touchdown. On the next possession Daywalt would complete a nine yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Tyliek Freeman, however the point after would miss wide right.

The third quarter would end Neshaminy 35, Spring-Ford 20. The third quarter would be the nail-in-the-coffin for Spring-Ford. Working their way downfield the Neshaminy offensive unit dominated at the beginning of the third quarter. Senior full back Blake Sullivan cleared his own path on a 20 yard touchdown run.

“When Devon got that interception I knew we had it,” said Wombough. The highlight of the game would happen on Spring-Ford’s first drive of the third quarter. Brown would yet again intercept a pass, this time, returning it for a 50 yard touchdown.

The Spring-Ford Rams morale clearly took a hard blow; the next drive would be a repeat. Junior defensive back Matt Magdelinskas intercepted the ball and returned it for a 35 yard touchdown. Showing great determination, Jones would run the ball 35 yard into the end zone.

However, the fourth quarter was nearly over, too late to stage a comeback. Neshaminy would take no chance; Schmidt sent in the reserves and ran the clock out. The game ended Neshaminy 56, Spring-Ford 27.

“Tonight I am really proud of everybody, Tyler did a great job tonight,” Schmidt said. Neshaminy will be playing the Abington Galloping Ghosts on Nov. 22, Neshaminy beat the Ghosts during the regular season 31 to 14, however this is the playoffs and anything can happen.

The first round of the District One PIAA playoffs ended with a Neshaminy victory. Friday night’s game ended with a score of Neshaminy 41, Unionville 7, and while it may seem that Neshaminy completely dominated the whole game, this is not the case.

Both Unionville and Neshaminy put on a great display of their defensive capabilities during the first quarter. Unionville was able to keep junior running back D’Andre Pollard under control, while Neshaminy was keeping junior Unionville quarterback Alex Pechin in check with pressure from the defensive line.

When the first quarter came to a close, the score was Neshaminy zero, Unionville zero. While the first quarter proved to be uneventful, both teams were clearly worn out from a full quarter of tough, solid, heavy-duty football.

After switching sides, Neshaminy would start out with the ball after forcing Unionville to turn over on downs. The second quarter began to look like a play-by-play-copy of the first quarter, however with about three minutes left in the game Pollard ran for a six yard touchdown. Minutes later, Unionville would similarly run the ball into the end zone for a seven yard touchdown.

The first half would end Neshaminy 7, Unionville 7. At this point, it looked as if the game would come down to the last play, or possibly overtime. “At the half, we got with each of our coaches, got our individual assignments down and executed them,” Pollard said.

Neshaminy kicked off to Unionville, whom they forced to punt after a series of short runs and incomplete passes. The half over, the Neshaminy offense came out an entirely different team. Pollard would run for consecutive touchdowns in less than one minute.

The first touchdown was a short 11 yard run after, however after the kickoff Neshaminy would recover a Unionville fumble and senior quarter back Tyler Wombough handed the ball off to Pollard who again scored a touchdown.

Before the quarter was out, Unionville would turn the ball over again with an interception by junior defensive back Boniface Stevens who brought it to Unionville’s 15 yard line. After an unsuccessful run by Pollard, Wombough handed the ball off to senior running back Denny Lord for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter.

“We really became a football team in the second half of the game, everyone settled down at the end of the half,” head coach Mark Schmidt said.

The third quarter would end with a score of 28 to 7; Neshaminy had taken a definitive lead. At the beginning of the fourth quarter Unionville was obviously de-moralized, but had not yet given up hope.

Successfully containing the Neshaminy offense for the bulk of the fourth quarter the Unionville defense eventually let up mid-way through the fourth quarter. Pollard would strike again with yet another touchdown run. The point after went through the uprights, Neshaminy kicked off, Unionville returned and consequently punted.

The game was essentially over for Unionville; however before the game was officially over senior running back Trokon Buesmaill would score the final touchdown of the game on a 37 yard run.

“Tonight was the tale of two half’s, they came out and executed better, number 21 (Pollard) did what he does best and my hat’s off to him,” Unionville head coach Pat Clark said. Pollard would finish the game with four touchdowns and 219 total rushing yards.

Neshaminy’s second round opponent will be the Spring-Ford Rams; the second round game will be hosted by Neshaminy on Nov. 15.

Friday night’s game resulted in yet another Neshaminy win, ending 49-7. This extends Neshaminy’s record to an incredible undefeated record of 8-0, with the regular season coming to a close, Neshaminy’s playoff chances are becoming more and more of a reality.

While scoring seven touchdowns may seem like a huge margin of victory obtained over the whole game, six of those seven were scored before the half. “The Defense played really well. We started off sloppy allowing that one touchdown, but we got it together. Also the offensive line and D’Andre Pollard did very well,” senior captain of Luke Carrezola said.

Neshaminy certainly did not take their sweet time scoring.On the very first play, of the very first possession, running back D’Andre Pollard ran for a 50 yard touchdown completely breaking away from the Bensalem defense. Pollard would end the game with an outstanding 282 yards and scoring three of the seven touchdowns scored by Neshaminy. After a short Bensalem drive that only lasted for four downs and would lead to Bensalem’s only touchdown after a booted punt return by Cole Craton, Pollard  again ran on the first play for a touchdown, totaling 80 yards.

The Neshaminy defense managed to keep Bensalem from scoring the rest of the game. “We gave up that first touchdown, but we managed to answer them right back, and Coach French and Weidenbaugh made adjustments and each individual player carried out their jobs much better,” Outside Linebackers Coach Dave Ferrara said.

By the end of the first quarter, the score was 28-7, and senior quarter back Tyler Wombough managed a touchdown pass to wide receiver Hamiid Pack.  Denny Lord barreled  his way into the end zone on second and goal straight through the Bensalem defensive line.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Wombough completed a 20 yard pass to Denzel Hughes, who consequently, ran it in for another touchdown bringing the score to 35-7. The second quarter for Bensalem proved to be even more uneventful as they were addled with incomplete passes and short gains. It seemed as though the Owls couldn’t get anything going.

Just as the second quarter was coming to a close, Pollard ran for a 46 yard touchdown ending the half 42-7. Neshaminy had sealed their victory beyond a doubt.  Bensalem came out of the half and entered with a completely different attitude, de-moralized. The running game was ineffective as the Neshaminy defensive line stopped the running back before any major gain.

The third quarter proved to be the most uneventful of the game. The only touchdown was a 50 yard run into the end zone. By the end of the third quarter Head Coach Mark Schmidt had brought in the backups to finish the game out. The fourth quarter, essentially, coasted along quickly and the game ended abruptly.

“Friday’s game was great, but the next two weeks are really important. We need to take it one game at a time. Now we are looking to go out and play our best against Abington,” Schmidt said. Neshaminy will be looking to extend their undefeated record to 9-0 next week at Abington.

Head Coach Mark Schmidt extended his undefeated record against Council Rock North Friday night to six wins and no losses. “I think that our coaching staff and players have been showing up ready and knowing that we are going to win,” Schmidt said. The Skins` certainly did show up to win, ending the game with a score of 42 to 20.

D’Andre Pollard rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns, proving himself to be a deadly asset on the field. The Council Rock North defense could just not contain Pollard, stopping him for a loss only four times the whole game, each for no more than 3 yards.

“The offensive line has really been picking up the blocks and the receivers on the corners have been doing their job great the whole season,” Pollard said.

Neshaminy would start off with the ball Friday night, and they took advantage by striking early. After Pollard worked his way down the field to first and goal, Denny Lord took it into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game.

Council Rock’s possessions in the first quarter would be short, due to the Neshaminy defense. On Neshaminy’s last possession of the first quarter Tyler Wombough, quarter back, would move the ball downfield with a series of completions. On first and goal Wombough handed it off the Blake Sullivan for a 6 yard touchdown run.

The first quarter would end Neshaminy 14 and Council Rock North 0. However, this game proved to be the biggest challenge for Neshaminy so far this season. Council Rock North Quarter back Brandon Mcllwain completed a 27 yard pass to Devon Bibbens at the beginning of the second quarter for a touchdown , however the point after would be blocked.

Following the kickoff Pollard would run the ball for a series of short first down runs. Eventually getting to first and goal Pollard would run for a 9 yard touchdown. Then, on the Indians possession, number 44 Kevin Brown intercepted a pass giving the Skins` the ball back immediately.

Neshaminy would not waste this opportunity, Wombough complete a touchdown pass to Denzel Hughes ending the half with a score of Neshaminy 28, Council Rock North 6. The third quarter would prove to be the killer blow to Council Rock North. Wombough would complete a 25 yard touchdown pass to Hamiid Pack.

Council Rock North’s offense and defense’s morale was at its lowest point in the third quarter. The offense could not get anything started, while the defense was letting Wombough and Pollard downfield. After several more completions by Wombough, Pollard would again run it in for a touchdown, ending the third quarter Neshaminy 42, Council Rock North 6.

The fourth quarter would be the most productive quarter for the Indians. Scoring two touchdowns and converting for two points on the first the score came to 42 to 20. However there was simply not enough time to come back. Schmidt put in the backups, quarter back kneeled, and the game ended 42 to 20.

“That was a great football team we just played, that team is as good as advertised. We may have lost but we battled for 48 minutes, scored more against Neshaminy than any other team and I am proud of that,” Council Rock North Head Coach Adam Collachi said.

Next on the agenda for the Skins` is an away game at Council Rock South, were Schmidt and his Neshaminy Skins` are looking to continue their winning streak.

Yet again Neshaminy defeats their opponent bringing their record to 5 and 0. Friday night’s game against Harry S. Truman ended 35 to 7.  The season so far for Neshaminy has been going extremely well, with only two touchdowns having been scored on them this season so far.

“We’ve been smart with the ball so far this season and we’ve managed to come out on top, we just come out ready to go,” Neshaminy Head Coach Mark Schmidt said after Friday night’s game.

The game started with a defensive display by Neshaminy. While Truman was able to come out with a couple successful runs and completions by quarter back Jake Zolna, soon enough Neshaminy found the holes in Truman’s offensive line forcing the special teams onto the field to punt throughout the whole game.

Clearly standing out on Friday nights game was the Skins’ running back, number 21, D’Andre Pollard. Running, yet again, for over 100 yards in a single game, and also scoring three of the five touchdowns for the Skins’.  Signs were shown early of Pollard’s unstoppable running game, with a 47 yard touchdown on the Skins’ second play from scrimmage.

At the end of the first quarter the score was 14 to 0, Skins’. The second quarter proved to be just as successful for the Skins’. After a failed series of runs, Truman was forced to punt at the beginning of the second quarter.

Fortunately for Truman, the Tigers were able to hold the Neshaminy offense behind mid-field with fourth and ten to go. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Head Coach Mark Schmidt had his offense stay on the field, and number 12, quarter back Tyler Wombough, would complete a pass to D’Andre Pollard putting the Skins’ at first and goal on the Tiger’s one yard line.

Immediately succeeding this fourth down conversion was a one yard touchdown run by number 10 Denny Lord. At the end of the half the score was 21 to 0, Neshaminy. At the beginning of the half, Truman kicked off to Neshaminy, receiving the kickoff was number 2 Hamiid Pack. Pack then proceeded to take the ball all the way downfield for a kickoff return touchdown.

Truman, trying to stop the momentum Neshaminy had at this point, made several failed play action passes and runs. Truman would have to punt to Neshaminy after having the ball four three downs.

Pollard, on second and ten following Truman’s punt, would run the ball into the end zone for a 54 yard touchdown. The third quarter would end Neshaminy 35, Truman 0. The fourth quarter would start with Truman’s only touchdown of the game, after taking over on downs, the Tigers would run it in to make the score 35 to 7, Neshaminy.

The rest of the game would be marked by Neshaminy keeping the ball for as long as possible, killing the clock with short running plays for first downs. “Neshaminy is a very good team, they’re a team that makes you pay for your mistakes, overall this was a team loss for us,” Truman Head Coach Ed Cubbage said after the game.

After a short series of home games Neshaminy will be hitting the road against Council Rock North. “This was a nice Homecoming win, it’s very nice to have a good home win before going on the road, we’ve still got to improve and we are going to,” said Assistant Coach David Ferrara. With a 5 and 0 record Neshaminy looks to continue their winning streak, showing no signs of slowing down.