The fifth week of the season is already upon on us and in the survival pool of undefeated teams we still have several without a loss. Pennsbury, Coatesville, Conestoga and Quakertown fit the bill in AAAA. In addition we have Great Valley, Bishop Shanahan and Springfield (Delco) at 4-0 at the AAA level.
The number of squads in this elite group will surely be reduced this weekend as a few of the undefeated face each other. There are also some big challenges to the rest of the unbeaten teams.
Last weekend saw a couple of the previously undefeated fall and that trend seems likely again this week. The last eight years the prognostication record stands at 375-161 while going 11-4 for this season. North Penn, Springfield (Delco) and Archbishop Wood all won as predicted with Downingtown East’s win over West Chester Rustin and West Chester Henderson’s win over Downingtown West as the failed picks. Only top competitive games have been chosen for this fearless forecast.
This weekend we have several showdowns between these undefeated squads. The first game features the Coatesville Red Raiders hosting the Bishop Shanahan Eagles. The Red Raiders have run the table with victories over Martin Luther King, Central Bucks South, Roman Catholic and Avon Grove. The Eagles are flying high with wins over Germantown Academy, Penn Wood, Olney and West Chester East. Coatesville is led by QB Jordan Young who has shown the ability to run, pass and play under pressure against top defenses in the first four games. Shanahan has found the pass & catch combination of QB Danny Murphy to Pat Corcoran to be helpful in their four wins. Coatesville has too much speed, size in depth to be threatened at home.
Coatesville 38 Bishop Shanahan 21
The never ending list of great games continues with the Great Valley Patriots hosting West Chester Rustin. The Patriots have overwhelmed their first four opponents on both sides of the ball. QB Zach Ludwig has followed Coach Dan Ellis’s game plan to almost pure perfection. The Golden Knights of Rustin suffered their first loss of the season and will be in no mood to be on the losing end two weeks in a row. Rustin’s offense led by QB Evan Wlock and receiver Mike McKnight will be fired up this week to get back on their winning ways.
West Chester Rustin 27 Great Valley 21
The Springfield Cougars are having their best season in years and would like nothing better but to knock off Central League rival Conestoga. Springfield’s defense has been stellar allowing just seven points per game. Pat Smyth, Mike Fleagle, Brian Layden and Ricky Sterling have all made major contributions while QB Brian Allen has made the offense move so far this season. The Pioneers will not be an easy victim as Coach John Vogan has the team running like a smooth machine. Count on the Cougars home field advantage to pull this one out.
Springfield 30 Conestoga 24
The rest of the fearless forecast:
North Penn 31 Central Bucks South 27
Neshaminy 28 Pennridge 17
