Well, another year is in the books.  We can’t say we saw any great state championship games, but we did see some great teams and players.  Some of those warriors may be playing professional football one day and many will definitely be playing some college ball, including at least a couple dozen at the FBS level.  We’ll do a short synopsis of each game and follow that up a couple of comments.Jeannette vs. Homer-Center (Single A) – The Wildcats actually led 6-3 at the end of the first quarter, but after that it was the Robert ‘Poogie’ Kennedy show.  Kennedy ran for two scores and threw for two more in leading the Jayhawks to a 42-12 triumph.  Yes, the Jayhawk defense played very well with an adjustment or two after Homer-Center’s first drive, but it was Kennedy who thrilled with his running (114 yards) and passing (143 yards on 5 completions).  He even caught a pass for 46 yards.  Losing coach Greg Page acknowledged an observation made in the press box that, “There were times when he was at quarterback we had guys watching him and you can’t do that.”  On those occasions when the d-backs kept their eyes on Kennedy thinking he might run, his receivers got separation for touchdowns or long gains.  Jeannette is now 5^th all-time in PA with 736 wins!

One other interesting note is that Junior Seth Howard of Jeannette, who plays QB when Kennedy plays RB or WR and plays WR or RB when Kennedy is at QB, had not played football since 8^th grade.  He didn’t join the team until the third week, but gave the Jayhawks’ offense more flexibility and was a big contributor.  He ran for 54 yards and scored a touchdown, threw for 64 yards, and caught a pass for 44 yards in Hershey.  “I definitely see the dog in Seth that I see in me.  Ever since we were kids, he always made big plays in big games,” stated Kennedy.

Erie Cathedral Prep vs. Imhotep (4A) – It was Prep versus Tep III as someone put it.  This was the third straight year these two met with Tep winning in 2015 and Prep winning last year.  The boys from Erie came on strong after getting off to a sluggish start and scored 24 consecutive points over the middle two quarters after Imhotep had taken a 13-7 lead half way through the second quarter.  From there the Ramblers cruised to a 38-28 victory over the Panthers.  The key to the game may have been the daring on-sides kick by Cathedral Prep’s Anthony Lupo that was recovered by Skyler Neely to begin the second half.  The Ramblers only led 17-13 at the time, so the Panthers would’ve had a chance to take the lead.

Lucas admitted, “Sometimes we just play better in the second half.”  That, sports fans usually comes from coaching.  Prep’s coach, Mike Mischler, is 110-15 since coming back nine years ago.  He has been the man in charge in all four of the Ramblers’ state titles and has guided them to 28 straight wins including back to back championships.  His son, Joe, set District 10 career records for quarterbacks in yardage (7,719) and touchdowns (98).Wilmington vs. Southern Columbia (Double A) – Even though these two were undefeated, SCA was far better on this day in all facets of the game as they overwhelmed the ‘Hounds 48-0.  The scary thing is that most of the Tigers’ marquee players are underclassmen.  Coach Jim Roth won his 8^th state title in 16 appearances.  He also won his 412^th game which is good enough for third place in the state of Pennsylvania behind George Curry (455) and Jack Henzes (435).

Two things happened that had a big impact on the game.  On Wilmington’s opening drive, Robert Pontius hit Colton Marett with a pass and it looked like Marett might score when Julian Fleming caught him from behind and forced a fumble recovered by SCA at their 25.  Secondly, Roth decided to punt from the Greyhounds’ 38 late in the first half with his team only up 17-0.  The Tigers downed the punt at the one-yard line, called their three time-outs, got the ball back and scored when Gaige Garcia pulled in a Stone Hollenbach pass and while fighting off would be tacklers, willed his way into the end zone with a few ticks left on the clock.

So. Columbia senior place kicker, Elijah Hoffman, fell 5 points short of a national kicking record in a single season with his 143 (106 PATs and 13 FGs).  But that is good enough for a new PA record.  Fleming made an unbelievable block on Garcia’s 57-yard TD jaunt.  Lining up on the wide side of the field, he angled all the way across the field and near the 20 made the last block to enable Garcia to score.  “You can’t teach someone to do that,” Coach Roth said proudly.  Finally, Tiger offensive lineman, Oak Six, was standing beside a pile of players when the pigskin squirted out of the pile and into his hands.  Six then plummeted forward for another yard.

Gateway vs. Archbishop Wood (5A) – Wood is like a machine.  The Gators had no answer to simple running plays off tackle by Nasir Peoples.  The blocking by the Vikings was mostly to perfection.  Wood scored 42 points in the first half and led by the biggest margin ever in a PA championship game at the break (42-0) en route to their 49-14 pasting of Gateway.  Peoples, a Viginia Tech commit, was exciting to watch as he ran for 266 yards and 4 TDs.  Big 6’6” 240 lb. Kyle Pitts, the Florida Gator recruit, did Gator chomps when he scored a touchdown and on his 2 interceptions.

The Vikings have now been in seven title games, winning five including the last two.  They have appeared in six of the last seven, losing only to Cathedral Prep in 2012.  Coach Devlin of Archbishop Wood said, “Connor Bishop is one of the best linemen in PA.  Connor, Tommy Walsh, and Albert Glasgow are tough as nails.”  This was Gateway’s first ever state final appearance.  Brady Walker of Gateway is PA’s all-time leading passer for a single season with an amazing 4,621 yards.  He threw for 46 TDs with 23 of them going to WR Courtney Jackson.

Quaker Valley vs. Middletown – Once again the 3A contest was disappointing as the Blue Raiders couldn’t match up with a District 7 squad.  (They lost to Beaver Falls in last year’s championship tilt.)  After Middletown’s Tre’ Leach tied the game with a nice 55-yard punt return half way through the 2nd quarter, Quaker Valley took control scoring three times in 3:43 to put the game out of reach by half time.  The final nail was Andrew Seymour’s 40-yard pick six on a screen pass with 1:04 left in the half.  In addition, the QV defense took on one of the better AAA offenses in the state and held them in check most of the game.  “They were quicker than any defense we’ve played,” stated Blue Raider RB Brady Fox.

QB Ricky Guss threw for 104 yards and two scores, plus he ran for 97 more and a TD.  Guss also audibled when he saw no one covering Ethan Moore, throwing an easy TD pass.  “You’re a magician,” stated his coach, Jerry Veshio.  RB Jordan Taylor had a couple of touchdown runs and accounted for 147 yards on the ground.  Moore snagged 5 passes for 98 yards and two TDs.  But, it was Coach Veshio who needs to be applauded.  He came out of the announcer’s booth at home games to coach for one year when the previous coach quit just days before the season began.  “Who’s going to write my movie script,” he joked.  Veshio said he knew they were a special group of kids, but he never thought they would do this when he took the reins at the beginning of the year.  No one had the Quakers on their radar when the season began and the preseason polls came out.  Isn’t it exciting to see teams like Quaker Valley come out of nowhere and make, not only a serious run, but win it all?

Pine-Richland vs. St. Joes Prep (6A) – This was the game everyone wanted to see.  It pitted two of the nation’s best teams in P-R (#24) and St. Joes (#8).  It was a close game for a half with St. Joes probably being slightly better in the first two quarters.  But, the Rams’ late score to go up 14-7 at the intermission propelled their confidence into the second half where they took control and won the big one, their first, by a score of 41-21.Phil Jurkovec, Notre Dame’s future quarterback, led the way with 4 rushing TDs and passing for another.  He finished the night with 200 yards passing and 88 rushing.  During the year, one opposing coach said he’d been coaching for many years and Jurkovec wasn’t only the best high school quarterback he ever saw, but he was the best high school player he ever saw.  As one reporter put it, it’s the Phil the Thrill show.  “Just being able to win on this field with the guys I’ve grown up with and worked so hard with is something I can’t really describe”, said Jurkovec.

Jordan Crawford had 245 all-purpose yards for the Rams.  For the Hawks, RB Kolbe Burrell had 158 yards on only 13 totes plus a score.  QB Marquez McCray threw for 121 yards and a TD.  Coach Eric Kasperowicz of Pine-Richland won PIAA gold with North Hills back in the 90s.  He too was a quarterback.  He says Pine-Richland is possibly the best team ever from the WPIAL.  He went on to say, “One thing is for sure, I know we have the best quarterback in the country, hands down!”

Let’s ponder the point Kasperowicz makes, that if P-R is the best team to come out of D-7, then with that offense and a pretty darn good defense, are they the best of all-time?  What about the C.B. West teams of the late 90s or Central Catholic’s 2004 and 2007 teams or fill in one of many other undefeated teams in the upper classifications?  Good conversation starter indeed.

Has there been a band as good as Pine-Richland’s the past few years?  This old codger’s all-time favorite is still Bethlehem Liberty’s with the bagpipes, but the Ram Band was stupendous!  Also, Homer-Center’s ‘Phantom of the Opera’ presentation was great with their 50 members.  Jeannette had 50 members too and played brilliantly.  It’s nice to see small schools that have large bands like that.  We thoroughly enjoyed Southern Columbia’s band’s tribute to the rock group Chicago and Quaker Valley’s movie theme medley.

The @PRRamsFootball band is smokin hot pic.twitter.com/WLe5OxikkP

— WPAFootball (@WPAFootball) December 10, 2017

It was good to renew old acquaintances and we ran into ‘J’ who has chalked up over 160 high school games in various states the past two years.  Texas and Indiana are his two favorite venues for state championships.  We bumped into the D-5 people at the Parkside and exchanged some stories.  Many thanks to my cousin who took me out to breakfast at the Country Table.  The biggest and best pancakes around, plus the bakery is to die for!  Much to do and see in and around the Hershey area.  If you stayed home this year, plan on coming to Hershey next year.  Look us up.  It’s always good to hear from fans and listen to their stories and learn from their insights.  Be safe and have a good winter everyone!

PHOTOS BY OUR MATT TOPPER

CLICK MONTAGE FOR ENTIRE ALBUM

It took a little time, but after feeling each other out one team decided it wanted to win the PIAA Class 6A title just a little more than the other. That team was the Pine-Richland Rams. Coming out of halftime with a slim 14-7 lead, Notre Dame bound quarterback Phil Jurkovec helped score three touchdowns in the third quarter to lead the Rams to a 41-21 win to claim the 2017 6A Championship. Jurkovec accounted for 288 of Pine-Richland’s 400 total yards and 5 of the 6 touchdowns in his curtain call that saw the prolific quarterback account for nearly 11,000 yards and 39 touchdowns.

This game started out like a heavy weight boxing match with each team throwing punches. The Rams got off to a quick start taking the opening kick off and marching 69 yards in three plays, highlighted by Jordan Crawford’s 62 yard return to the Prep 31. Crawford would run 15 yards to the one after a pass interference penalty, then Jurkovec finished the drive calling his own number. Vittorio Orsini made the kick and that fast it was 7-0 Rams.

The score remained that way, but the Rams held on to the lead thanks to a couple big plays and some luck. On the third drive of the night for the Hawks, quarterback Marquez McCray led his team on two separate drives that nearly ended with scores. The first was a huge bullet dodged when McCray found receiver James Cherry on a short pass at the 20. Cherry sprinted to the endzone but a big hit by Raymond Falcone jarred the ball loose at the one and Tyler King recovered in the end zone for the Rams.

After holding the Rams, St. Joe’s running back Kolbe Burrell showed his spectacular speed busting loose for several big gains as did Marques Mason, but when the Hawks reached the Ram 11 the drive stalled and Pine-Richland took over. The Hawks wouldn’t be denied after holding the Rams again, and it was both Burrell and McCray who helped the Hawk’s tie the score at 7. McCray got the ball to the 5 where Mason capped the drive. With 8:05 left in the half, we had a ball game.

Each team threw punches, the Rams forcing a fumble and the Hawks intercepting Jurkovec to stop drives, but it was after that interception with 1:20 left to play in the half that the Rams took control. Forcing the Hawks to punt, Crawford once again fielded a kick and gave his team great field position, returning the punt 26 yards to the Hawks 25. On the third play, Jurkovec went around the right side, shaking off would be tacklers to put his team up 14-7 after the Orsini Kick. Pine-Richland never looked back. “We just, at halftime we said if we’re going to do this, we need to do this now. It’s our last 24 minutes of football, let’s get it done” said lineman Andrew Kristofic.

Both teams battled for field position for a few series in the third, but it was Anthony Cerminara who got things rolling for the Rams by forcing yet another fumble by Cherry with a big hit that Luke Meckler recovered at the 24. Jurkovec scored from 13 yards out, shake defenders off on the way to the goal to make it 21-7 at the 6:07 mark in the third. One their next drive Jurkovec found Crawford for 46 yards and the future Irish qb ran in from 6 making it 28-7.

Kolbe Burrell took off for a 56 yard score on the next series making it 28-14, but the Pine-Richland offense had found the gas pedal and pushed it to the floor. The Rams struck back immediately with a 4 play drive culminated by a Jurkovec to Ben Jochem 25 yard td pass. A few minutes later in the game, McCray was strip sacked by Crawford and Jared Marfisi recovered at the 12. Crawford then finished the Rams scoring on the next play.

St. Joseph’s scored one more time on a McCray 16 yard pass to Brandon Sanders. For the Hawks, Kolbe Burrell finished with 158 yards on the ground on 13 carries, Mason had 72 yards. McCray was 12-35 for 121 yards and the score.

Pine-Richland’s Crawford finished with 85 on the ground and 66 in the air. He also had 98 kick return yards for 245 total all purpose.  Falcone had 70 receiving yards and Jochem 59, both with four catches.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:

Quote Worthy

Jordan Crawford:

We knew that this was going to be a tough battle and we went in the locker room we just knew we had only 24 minutes left and that was the last 24 minutes we would have to play with each other.

The feeling in indescribable. We’ve worked so hard together for this moment and we finally got it done.

Andrew Kristofic:

If feels great, we worked so hard, this is what we wanted. When we saw Coatesville was winning, no offense to Coatesville but we were hoping St Joes would pull it out. They’ve been the best team all year, they beat us in ’14 so this is what we thought we had to do to get the respect we deserve. 

We just kept doing what we do in the second half. They seemed to get tired and we didn’t

Phil and i last year during basketball said let’s get it done this year and we did

Marques Mason:

All the hard work, it paid off. We ran on them we just came up short. 

We’re going to use this, come out next week and work on being stronger

Gabe Infante:

We’re very disciplined so we never talked about rankings. It had nothing to do with this. We want to go 1-0, 1-0, 1-0

I feel bad, you never want the kids to have to deal with making mistakes and thats what we did. 

One moment won’t define them. We’ll move on.

Jurkovec beats you with his legs. He’s a big strong kid. That’s how he beats you.

Games like this are chess matches. You make adjustments all game long. They made the adjusments that won the game. 

Ben Jochem:

Just do anything for these guys. I just go out and do what coach tells me to do.

We have weapons all over the field. You can’t keep us all down

I’ve been playing football for 11 years and this is the best feeling ever

Eric Kasperowicz:

I couldn’t be more proud of the seniors and team.

I talk to our team back in January, we go 1-0 every week to reach our three goals. Win the Conference, the Wpial and the State Title.

Phil’s the best player in the country. Whatever the awards are, I don’t know what they are, he should get them. Notre Dame is getting a heck of a player.

Coach Todd Jochem son, Bens a great player.

Our team has team mentality. There’s no me me me, they work together.

Phil Jurkovec:

It’s just a big stage so I knew I had to give it may all so I did.

Us seniors said this is the last few minutes to play together, lets get it done.

This is incredible, I will always remember this one, the WPIAL title and beating our rivals

The Imhotep Panthers trailed by 1 point, 14-13, with just 48 seconds left in the first half. Starting at their own 20 after Cathedral Prep scored the go ahead touchdown on a Joe Mischler to Terry Roberts 17 yard td, the Panthers began a fast paced drive that led them to the Prep 35. Quarterback Jalen Sutton-Christian dropped back and was sacked 10 yards deep. During the play the ball came loose and Matthew Bauer pounced on the loose football at the Imhotep 45. Several plays later a Panther holding penalty set up a 37 yard field goal as time expired in the half giving the Ramblers a 17-13 lead. They never looked back and rolled on to a 38-28 win to capture their 2nd PIAA Class 4A State Title. “It was huge. I thought the second quarter we started to get control of things. Obviously they were moving the ball real well on us but coming out in the second half we decided we were going to do it (the onside kick), Lupo made a perfect kick and we were able to recover the ball and score” said Prep Head Coach Mike Mischler.

And it’s good! @PrepRamblers with the FG on an un timed down to end the first half. Ramblers 17 @Imhotepfootball 13 @EPAFootball @HSFBamerica @END2008 pic.twitter.com/hbLWZAINsB

— WPAFootball (@WPAFootball) December 8, 2017

Anthony Lupos 37 yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

Imhotep actually out gained the Ramblers 369 yards to 333, but it was the mistake category that hurt them. Losing 2 fumbles at key points in the game and racking up 14 penalties for 126 yards, Head Coach Nick Lincoln said: We kept shooting ourselves in the foot to frequently. We fumbled in the red zone twice. They took over the field position. 

Imhotep began the game in just that fashion. Forcing the Ramblers to punt on the first drive of the game, the Panthers Tykee Smith carried four straight times getting to the Prep 14, but three penalties moved them back to the 27. The drive stalled on three straight incompletions at the 25.

Two plays later Mischler made his first of five connections with Terry Roberts, this one a short pass that Roberts turned in to a 64 yard gain. Billy Lucas finished the 5 play drive with a 2 yard td run and Lupo made it 7-0 with 4:05 left in the first quarter.

The Panthers responded, first going on a 14 play, 50 yard drive capped off with a 13 yard Tykee Smith run that looked to be stopped for a loss, but Smith changed direction and went untouched into the end zone. Anthony Gordon tied the game at 7 with 7:20 left in the half. On the ensuing kick, Lucas missed the rolling short kick and Myles Nicholson recovered for Imhotep at the Prep 24. 3 plays later Carl Jones went in from 5 yards out. The kick after missed but Imhotep had a 13-7 lead with 6:23 left in the second.

Carl Jones and @Imhotepfootball made that look easy. Up now 13-7 over @PrepRamblers 6:23 till half @WPAFootball @HSFBamerica @END2008 pic.twitter.com/YNtmVo9Tee

— EasternPAFootball (@EPAFootball) December 8, 2017

Jones 5 yard td makes it 13-7

Prep responded before the half ended on a 7 play drive highlighted by a Mischler 19 yard run to put the ball at the Imhotep 17. On the next play Mischler found Roberts in the corner of the endzone. Roberts made a spectacular catch coming down just inside the line on the edge. Lupo’s kick made it 14-13, and the field goal before the half gave the Ramblers a 17-13 lead.

Prep lined up to kick off in the second half and Lupo tapped the ball to the right side where the Ramblers recovered the onside kick at the Imhotep 44. Four plays later Lucas, who had 99 yards on 17 carries with 3 touchdowns, put the Cathedral prep up 24-13 with a 14 yard run. “Ten point difference. That field goal and the onside kick, that’s credit to them. That was the difference in the game” said Panther Head Coach Nick Lincoln.

It was the next drive that may have broke the Imhotep players spirit. Traveling 65 yards in 10 plays to the Prep two yard line thanks to some creative play calling, Tykee Smith lined up in the wildcat to take the ball. He never got control and Kareem Carson recovered for Prep at the three. Mischler hit Tyler Oedekoven in stride for a 74 yard gain to the Panther 7. Mischler finished the drive from 4 yards out to put the Ramblers up 31-13 with 3:44 left in the third quarter. “I always had confidence in our team. Getting that onside kick in the second half, that was a huge confidence boost for our team and we just felt like we could score after that” said Billy Lucas.

Imhotep would score in the fourth quarter on a Sutton-Christian 21 yard td pass to Yusuf Terry making it Prep 31-21, but the Ramblers felt the momentum and struck right back on a Lucas 6 yard run. Suton-Christian connected on a 50 yard td with Terry to finish out the scoring.

Cathedral Prep claimed the “rubber match” and leads this 3 year championship series 2-1.

For Imhotep, Tykee Smith had 89 yards on 19 carries. Yusuf Terry finished with 162 yards receiving on 9 catches and 2 tds.

Cathedral Preps Joe Mischler finished with 199 yards passing and 1 td on an 8-13 effort.

HIGHLIGHT REEL

Quote Worthy:

Nick Lincoln:

We got 8 returning defensive starters and 9 offensive guys returning next year. We were just like are we going to keep battling or are we going to fold?

Tykee Smith is one of the best players in the state. He just keeps going.

We put ourselves in the situation were the mistakes and penalties cost us.

It’s not going to be fun collecting equipment, we just have to get right back at it. It’s tough cause we had a great season and we don’t win this game the kids feel like the season is ruined

Yusuf Terry:

We’re just going to come back harder and better.

Penalties killed us. We just made too many mistakes. We can’t worry about the past, we just have to go do the work

Tykee Smith:

I just, like, they didn’t want to tackle at first. I was able to get free on his good night running the ball.

Billy Lucas:

This feels great man, it’s awesome to win 2 in a row

Mike Mischler:

They have great players.They’re going to be successful. They stumbled in week one but the are a machine.

Night and day the chemistry between Joe and Terry Roberts. They worked hard in the off season and they were clicking from week one.

They were taking away certain things, they changed their defense around from what we saw on tape. You just keep doing what you do. We just made the adjustments.

The stop on the 2 and they’re going in to score to make it a 4 point game but we go in and score on a 92 yard drive to make it a 18 point game. They was a back breaker for them I thought.

Juice Scruggs:

I feel like after they scored that second touchdown early, we buckled down as a team. The offensive line stepped up.

All these fans, this is just unbvelievable. Defense wins championships and that was what happened there.

Joe Mischler:

On being injured for last years game: It’s nice coming out this year, finally had my legs under me. Offensive line did a great job giving me time.

He’s not just my coach, he’s not just my dad, he’s my best friend. I don’t think people realize how close we are. To be able to do this, win the title twice with him it’s something I’ll cherish forever.

Matt Bauer:

It feels great. We definitely paid our dues, losing D10 and then losing states and then winning two in a row, I’m just so happy for the brotherhood we have and my team mates.

By Brian Ptashinski @BPtashinski on Twitter.

SLATiNGTON- Archbishop Wood coach Steve Devlin heard all week about his team not matching up to the offensive line of District 2 5A champion Wyoming Valley West. He challenged his kids all week in techniques and being fundamentally sound.

His team seemed to take that strategy to heart. They executed it perfectly Saturday afternoon at Northern Lehigh Bulldog Stadium in a convincing 41-14 victory, to advance to 5A stare semifinal against Unionville next weekend at a site and time TBD.

The Spartans received the opening kickoff and took possession on their 26. Three plays resulted in a punt to the Wood 25. On the first play, Jack Colyer’s pass was picked off at the Spartan 45 by Darrien Tyson. The Vikings managed to return the favor as Valley West’s Rob Dwyer intercepted a pass at the Wood 37.

Five plays later Nasir Peoples took it in from 16 yards out with 6:43 left in the quarter.

Valley West was able to start at their 49 yard line on their next possession and drove to the Wood 21, however, a 39 yard field goal attempt was blocked and Wood took over at their 20. On the first play of the second quarter Adrian Lambert took it in from 20 yards out to make the score 14-0.

Wood made it 21-0 with 22 seconds left before half after recovering a fumble at midfield. Colyer connected with Kyle Pitts from 37 yards. Wood had 198 yards of total offense in first half. Peoples had 119 yards. Wood also had 43 yards in penalties compared to the Spartans 83 yards, 3 first downs, and 50 penalty yards.

Peoples pushed the lead to 28-0 with a 49-yard dash with about ten minutes to play in the third quarter. Lambert put the game into mercy rule at 6:43 mark on a 30-yard run.

With Wood resting their starters, backup quarterback Tom Cattolico sneaked a one-yard run in with 11:06 left in the contest.

Valley West avoided the shutout by adding two late scores. Rob Dwyer had a 22-yard run with 5:16 left. Jake Blaski was on the receiving end of a 47-yard pass with 46 seconds left.

“We practiced hard all week. We knew they had the size advantage. We came up with a scheme to neutralize that advantage. Our kids did a great job today,” Coach Devlin stated.

SHAMOKIN – The margin for error can be so very thin in the postseason in any sport. Football is no different and in a game where there were five combined missed PATs or two-point conversions and any one being made could have affected the game’s trajectory at any time, Friday’s Class 4A state quarterfinal between Bethlehem Catholic and Selinsgrove came down to a two-point conversion with :11 left in the game.

Selinsgrove quarterback Logan Leiby’s pass was batted away at the last second and after BECCA recovered the ensuing onside kick, the Hawks held on for a 33-32 win over the Seals. The win advanced BECCA to the state semifinals next week, where the Hawks will get a rematch with Imhotep Charter, which it lost to in the semifinals last year.

“We dug deep, we knew what we had to do and we got it done,” said BECCA coach Joe Henrich. “There just wasn’t something there tonight as far as our edge. It was just a different feel but they found a way to battle back and never hung their heads.”

The outcome was very much in doubt up until the Hawks recovered the onside kick in the final :10. That was because both teams answered the other’s scores for much of the night. Although both defenses had success earlier in the game in stopping the other team’s strength, the fourth quarter featured both teams doing what they do best – BECCA running the ball and Selinsgrove passing, specifically the Leiby-Jarrett Inch connection. Leiby threw for 321 yards to go over 9,800 career passing yards in his final game, while Inch hauled in eight catches for 243 yards and four touchdowns.

“Their quarterback put it on the money every time – that was where we had problems,” said Henrich. “That kid is a heck of a player and we knew that coming in but I think he was better than I even thought he was. Some of the balls he put on people were dead perfect, in stride, over the shoulder, and that’s hard to defend.”

BECCA played a press coverage for much of the game, taking away short and underneath routes from the Seals and had success doing so, except for when the Seals burned them with long passes.

“We tried to do some things to confuse Leiby but he did a good job of adjusting,” said Henrich.

Leiby, who ends his standout career as District 4’s all-time leading passer in both yards and touchdowns, hit Inch for a 54-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter to put the Seals up 7-6 after Selinsgrove had blocked BECCA’s PAT after its first touchdown.

BECCA went up 12-7 on a 13-yard run by Javon Clements early in the second quarter but failed on the two-point conversion. The Seals would take the lead with 5:46 left in the second on the second Leiby-Inch touchdown connection, this one on a nice pump-and-go route in which Leiby faked a wide receiver screen pass and got the BECA secondary to bite, then found Inch in stride down the left sideline for a 66-yard touchdown.

“Their cornerbacks did a nice job when they were playing press-man and they were tough. They got their hands on our guys and were able to run with them but our kids adjusted and made a few plays, hit a few home run balls and really settled in as the game went on,” said Selinsgrove coach Derek Hicks.

The Hawks were the recipient of the game’s only turnover late in the first half when Nicholas Lucien picked off Leiby at the BECCA 3-yard line, killing a Seals’ drive that was on the doorstep of scoring again, a play that given the game’s final result ended up being a big one.

Selinsgrove’s defense, which had given up just 10 points in its first three playoff games, held BECCA, which entered the game with over 3,000 rushing yards on the season, to just 140 rushing yards in the first half. The Seals took the lead into the fourth quarter as their defense continued its strong play and held the Hawks to just 47 rushing yards in the third quarter and made four tackles for loss in the third while forcing punts on all three of BECA’s third quarter possessions.

Selinsgrove scored just before the end of the third with :33 remaining when Inch hauled in his third of four touchdown catches on the night, this one a 35-yard reception, which came after Leiby made a nice fake handoff on play action. The PAT was wide left, however, giving the Seals just as seven-point lead instead of eight after they had taken a 13-12 lead into halftime.

That would later prove to be costly, as on the ensuing BECCA drive, the Hawks began to assert their size advantage on the line and put together what would be the first of three straight scoring drives. This one lasted eight plays and went 70 yards and was capped by Tavion Banks’ 31-yard touchdown run, his second of the night, that tied the game following a successful PAT. Banks led the Hawks with 174 rushing yards on just 10 carries, and he also had a 42-yard touchdown run in the first half, which opened the scoring. Overall, Banks finished with 229 all purpose yards.

Seven of the eight plays on that drive were runs, and the Hawks would not throw the ball for the remainder of the contest, as they would rack up 197 rushing yards in the fourth quarter alone, more than doubling their rushing total from the first three quarters.

“We knew coming in that they were huge across the front and our quickness paid off early on, when we’re were cutting through and making plays,” said Hicks. “As the second half went on, their size wore us down. The big guys just kept leaning on our guys and we rotated when we could but they wore us down, so credit to them for being able to capitalize at that point. Their offensive line just took over and they made some nice plays.”

“I think it was just a mentality. We just said we were going to run it right at them and we’re just going to keep going and keep going,” said Henrich. “Games just go that way sometimes but it just kicked in and we made it count.”

Following a three-and-out by the Seals, the Hawks got the ball back at their own 28 and this time went 72 yards in eight plays, capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Matt Bisko to go up 26-19 with 5:45 remaining, and setting the stage for a frantic finish.

Selinsgrove got good starting field position after a 27-yard kickoff return on its next possession and began on its own 43. Just four player, including a pair of Leiby completions for first downs, Joe Kahn got loose up the middle for a 22-yard touchdown run, which tied the game again, 26-26 with 4:17 left.

BECCA started its next drive at its own 39 and this time needed just seven plays and just over two minutes to retake the lead on Bisko’s second touchdown of the night, this one from three yards out. It came on his 26th and final carry of the night, which he finished with 145 yards.

With one change left, the Seals went to work beginning from their own 27 and managed to get to the BECA 30 with about :15 left. Following them taking their final timeout of the game before a third-and-16, Leiby found Inch in the back left corner of the end zone, as Inch hauled in Leiby’s pass in double coverage for his fourth touchdown of the game to pull the Seals with a point.

That looked like it was going to be incomplete and our guys were in perfect coverage – it was just a perfect pass and that happens sometimes, but fortunately we came out on the right side,” said Henrich.

That came after the two-point conversion fell just short, as Leiby’s pass intended for Ricky Cope was low and batted away at the last second. With the success that BECCA’s offense was having with its running game and pushing the Seals back in the fourth quarter, Hicks had already made the decision to go for two long before Selinsgrove scored to pull within one.

“I knew if we were able to score, that we were going for two because we were wearing down. They had some one-way guys and were a bit fresher and we didn’t want to look at overtime with them,” said Hicks.

Bethlehem Catholic 33, Selinsgrove 32
Bethlehem Catholic (12-2) 6 6 0 21 – 33
Selinsgrove (11-3) 7 6 6 13 – 32

First quarter
3:32 – (B) Tavion Banks 42-yard run (kick blocked), 1-42, :11
:15 – (S) Jarrett Inch 54-yard pass from Logan Leiby (Tyler Klose kick), 7-84, 3:06

Second quarter
10:21 – (B) Javon Clements 13-yard run (run failed), 8-75, 1:54
5:46 – (S) Jarrett Inch 66-yard pass from Logan Leiby (kick blocked), 1-66, :11

Third quarter
:33 – (S) Jarrett Inch 35-yard pass from Logan Leiby (kick failed), 5-79, 2:05

Fourth quarter
9:39 – (B) Tavion Banks 31-yard run (Anthony DaSilva kick), 8-70, 2:54
5:45 – (B) Matt Bisko 1-yard run (DaSilva kick), 8-72, 2:08
4:17 – (S) Joe Kahn 22-yard run (Kyle Ruhl kick), 4-57, 1:28
2:10 – (B) Matt Bisko 3-yard run (DaSilva kick), 7-61, 2:07
:11 – (S) Jarrett Inch 30-yard pass from Logan Leiby (pass failed), 9-73, 1:59

Statistics
B S
First downs 26 17
Rushes-net yards 56-384 32-123
Passing yardage 38 321
Passing 6-12-0-0 13-23-4-1
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-0
Penalties-yards 6-67 9-54

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Bethlehem Catholic: Matt Bisko (26-145-2), Tavion Banks (10-174-2), Javon Clements (10-8-1), Zahir Seabrooks (9-58), TEAM (1-(-1)); Selinsgrove: Logan Leiby (19-61), Joe Kahn (13-62-1)
PASSING: Bethlehem Catholic: Javon Clements (6-12-38-0-0); Selinsgrove: Logan Leiby (13-23-321-4-1)
RECEIVING: Bethlehem Catholic: Tavion Banks (5-35), Christan Drayton III (1-3); Selinsgrove: Jarrett Inch (8-243-4), Ricky Cope (3-55), Joe Kahn (2-23)

Trailing 7-0 at halftime came as a bit of a surprise to Little Lion Head Coach Matt Lintal. “It was interesting. The bubble burst for a second there, the heads were down but they popped back up again real quickly.  We had some great leadership there in the locker room, getting the energy back up” said Lintal.

But when Delaware Valley running back Ryan Obiso tore off a 70 yard touchdown on the first play of the second half, the entire State College crowd was fully surprised. “One play drive, they banged out the counter and hit it for the score” Lintal said. Facing a 14-0 deficit, the Little Lions rebounded. And they did it in a big way scoring 21 points in the next 2 minutes to pull out a 21-14 win over previously 12-0 Delaware Valley. “Our kids did a great job of recovering” said Lintal.

The Little Lions started the game by driving right down the field to the Warriors 18, but Tommy Friberg was intercepted by Tyler Magee ending the drive. It was the first of 4 first half interceptions he would give up, three of them to Magee. The Little Lions held and once again drove straight toward the endzone, only to be thwarted at the 5 yard line. “Credit to Del Val, coach Keith Olsommer does a great job. We wanted to get some points on the board early and credit to them. They did some things we weren’t ready for.”

On the first play of the second-half Obiso goes 70 yards. @dvwarriorfb 14-0. pic.twitter.com/R6eO3dqyoU

— WPAFootball (@WPAFootball) November 18, 2017

For the most part, State College held Obiso in check the entire first half. With a first down at the Warrior 34, Friberg was picked off again, this time by James Secor at the 16. Five plays later Obiso ripped off a 66 yard run to the Little Lion one yard line. Ryan Yencik carried the ball over the goal line and the kick made it 7-0 with just 34 seconds remaining in the half. “I just told the guys on the line what they were doing defensively and they went out and made the holes for me” said Obiso.

After Orbison beaks off 66 yard run to the 1 yencik goes in. 7-0 @dvwarriorfb 32 seconds in half pic.twitter.com/0NQmhRazFh

— WPAFootball (@WPAFootball) November 18, 2017

After the Obiso score to make it 14-0, the Little Lions offense exploded. Starting at their 33, Friberg found his stride. He twice ran for 8 yards, then found his favorite receiver, Brandon Clark for the first of 5 straight connections between the two that went for 84 yards and two scores. The first two tallied 35 yards, the third was an 18 yard td pass to cut the deficit to 14-7 with 7:10 left in the third. Matt Lintals crew then dialed up an onside kick that the Little Lions recovered at the 50.  On the very next play State College dialed up a one play drive of their own as Friberg threw a pass to the right side of the field that went through Cohen Russells hands and into Clarks, who went 49 yards to tie the score at 14 with 5:45 left in the third.

State College on sidekick they recover. Freiberg throws the ball goes off Russell hands and Clark takes it 49 yards score is tied at 14 pic.twitter.com/56MhEypDRv

— WPAFootball (@WPAFootball) November 18, 2017

Before you could blink an eye, the Little Lions again capitalized on a turnover when the snap from center to Nick Reilly hit the ground that Jeremy Bullock landed on. Friberg then found Cohen Russell over the middle and 33 yards later it was 21-14 in favor of State College. “I just honestly can’t explain the feeling. We’re just happy to be on the winning side of it. We knew coming out of halftime we had to do something big to win and our team found out how to do that” said Clark of the second half performance.

“The difference was they scored off turnovers and we didn’t. That onside kick, we saw them do that against Erie and we practiced and practiced. They get the onside kick, then they get the td off the fumble. That stretch in the third quarter, we just could stop their momentum” said Olsommer.

State College will move on to play the winner of the Pine-Richland/Central Catholic District 7 championship.

HIGHLIGHT REEL:

To Run in the November 16^th Bucks County Herald

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Week 12 Summary

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

On their first possession, North Schuylkill turned the ball over. The next play, Notre Dame-GP QB Cole DeFranco found Dan O’Hare down the middle for a 56-yard touchdown.

It was big plays like this which decided the District XI AAA Quarterfinal in Fountain Springs, where Notre Dame-Green Pond defeated North Schuylkill 28-6.

Even when the Spartans controlled the line of scrimmage and the clock, the Crusaders struck quickly.

Late in the first, DeFranco found David Sanders Jr. for another touchdown, this time a 32-yard strike. Notre Dame-GP led 14-0 at the end of one.

There was no quit from North Schuylkill, as the Spartans pulled within eight in the second quarter. Justin DeAngelo finished off a long drive with a 1-yard run, but the extra point missed.

That was the only time the Spartans would find the end zone. The two teams battled through the scoreless third quarter, exchanging punts throughout. Notre Dame-GP led 14-6 heading into the fourth.

Early in the fourth, DeFranco set up Gerald Grube on a screen that went for an 18-yard touchdown, extending the Crusader lead to 21-6.

Fighting to stay in the game, North Schuylkill drove into Notre Dame territory but could not convert on a 4^th down with six minutes to go. The Crusaders took the ball back and finished off their final drive with a 5-yard rushing score.

Notre Dame-GP will advance to the District XI AAA Semifinals to meet undefeated Colonial League champion Palisades next Saturday. The teams played in Week 1, and Palisades won a 22-17 nail biter.

North Schuylkill finishes 8-3 on the season. Their losses came against three fourths of the AAA semifinals, as they dropped league games to Jim Thorpe and Lehighton.

To run in the November 9^th Bucks County Herald

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To Run in the November 2^nd Bucks County Herald

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To Run in the October 26^th Bucks County Herald

Devine Intervention.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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