CB West’s Finn McGowan (74) and Hayden Milligan (54).
DOYLESTOWN, PA — They know. They know to their teammates, coaches, and Central Bucks West fans that they mean more than numbers on the field. They know that they are the unsung foundation of a Central Bucks West team on a historic course this season.
Bucks’ left tackle Hayden Mulligan, left guard Gio Pellegrino, center Cole Patterson, right guard Christian Pudlo, right tackle Finn McGowan, and tight end Shane Dillon created gaping holes and huge causeways for the Central Bucks West offense to churn out 316 yards rushing in a 40-29 victory over previously unbeaten Central Bucks South Friday night at West’s legendary War Memorial Field.
The West victory secured first place in the Suburban One League National Conference.
It is the first time the rivals faced each other at 8-0, and with the victory, West moves to 9-0 for what is believed to be the first time since 2000—before any of the current West players were born.
Right now, what is certain is that CB West is the team to beat in PIAA District 1 Class 6A.
Bucks’ coach Rob Rowan, who has built a winning culture in six years, was not about to openly admit that. His players were not about to, either. But they were rightfully feeling confident after stopping a South team that had been holding opponents to eight points a game while averaging around 35 points a game.
“We knew if we keep grinding, working hard every day in practice, we could do what we want,” said Mulligan, a senior. “(South) never saw anyone like us. We knew what we were coming into, and we knew what we had to do. We just had to execute.
“We have a lot of confidence right now. We stay on the same line. Not too high, not too low. We keep in line. Coach Rowan says it all the time. If you shake a bottle of water and you open it, nothing happens. If you shake a bottle of soda and open it, it pops. We are a bottle of water.”
A bottle of water that has been exploding on teams. For the fifth straight week, West has scored 28 points or better. The 40 the Bucks dropped on South equals a season-high.
“The first quarter we came out and dominated, and the third quarter we repeated what we did in the first quarter,” McGowan said. “They could not keep up with our rush offense. No team has been able to so far this year.”
Rowan wants his team to follow a steady path. He expected his offensive line to be this cohesive. He says the team puts a lot on the offensive front.
“We challenge the offensive line, we challenge them every week that we are going to put the game on their backs and they respond,” Rowan said. “There is no doubt that the offensive line is the unsung hero of this team. They absolutely are. This clinches the Suburban One League National Conference. I’ll allow you (media) guys to decide (whether West is the team to beat in District 1).”
West had to combat South junior quarterback Owen Pinkerton. Regardless of the score, he kept scratching and crawling until the end, rushing for a game-high 216 yards on 22 carries, including two touchdowns.
West’s Conor McFadden put the game out of reach with his second touchdown, an 11-yard run with 9:36 to play, which put the Bucks up 40-21. Pinkerton, however, was not willing to surrender.
He rallied the Titans to a late score, and when South scooped up an onside kick with just over two minutes to play, it gave South faint hope of a comeback. That, however, was quickly squashed with a stubborn Bucks’ defensive stand and the faint promise of a comeback was dashed.
McFadden finished with 111 yards on just eight carries, while his backfield mate Ryan Clemens rushed for a team-high 159 yards on 20 carries.
Early on, the game was taking the shape of a blowout, when the Bucks scored on their first four possessions, taking a 27-7 with 10:58 left in the half.
It was primarily the groundwork that chewed up the South defense, as Mulligan, Pellegrino, Patterson, Pudlo, McGowan and Dillon opened gaping holes for Bucks’ McFadden and Clemens.
After one quarter, Clemens had rushed for 70 yards, including a 41-yard run that set up one score, and the speedy McFadden had rushed for 80 yards on five carries, which included a 16-yard touchdown run.
After one quarter, West had rushed for 155 yards on 14 carries, averaging 11 yards a carry. The Bucks had pounded the South for 202 yards of total offense in one quarter, and by halftime, that total had reached 282 yards.
South, however, kept clawing back. The Titans made two key fourth-down stops, converting one into a 35-yard touchdown pass from Pinkerton to Sean Moskowitz with 4:23 left in the first half, drawing to within 27-14 by halftime.
By halftime, Clemens had rushed for 125 yards and McFadden had 100.
Scoring Summary
Central Bucks South (8-1) 7 7 7 8-29
Central Bucks West (9-0) 21 6 7 6-40
1st Quarter
CBW – Devin McGowan 47 pass from Cooper Taylor (Ryan Clemens kick), 10:05
CBW – Conor McFadden 16 run (Clemens kick), 6:12
CBS – Anthony Leonardi 58 pass from Owen Pinkerton (Brendan Hazell kick), 4:39
CBW – Jack Williams 1 run (Clemens kick), :48
2nd Quarter
CBW – Taylor 4 run (Clemens kick), 10:58
CBS – Sean Moskowitz 35 pass from Pinkerton (Hazell kick), 4:23
3rd Quarter
CBS – Pinkerton 17 run (Hazell kick), 5:29
CBW – Williams 1 run (Clemens kick), 1:58
4th Quarter
CBW – McFadden 11 run (run failed), 9:36
CBS – Pinkerton 33 run (Jack Mauz run), 2:09
Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.
