It's now the top 3 teams in the league remaining in the District 1 quarterfinals. I was a bit surprised by the Neshaminy score last week, but when you throw that many picks, that's what you get. North Penn handled Ridley without too much trouble, they got some bounces go their way and Ridley didn't get their scores until late in the game. South was the most predictable outcome, and West's defense put up their best effort of the year to blank Pennsbury.
CB South vs Plymouth Whitemarsh - This one seems to be on a lot of people's upset watchlist. Coach Chang is a bit of a mad genius and I'm sure he'll have some wrinkles offensively that give South issues. They are pretty big upfront, have some nice athletes and played a tough schedule. South hasn't been putting up a lot of points against good teams, and if the PW defense can keep this one close... who knows?
North Penn vs Haverford - To me, this is a nightmare matchup for North Penn. They've had a history as of late of giving up some huge rushing numbers in the playoffs, being knocked out in 2021 and 2022 with 330+ yard games from the opposing running back. Liam Taylor is already over 2000 yards (actually almost 2500) and they'll have a steady diet of him right up the middle. First rule of defending an option attack is to stop the dive back. Quakertown seemed to forget about that last week... can North Penn not make the same mistake?
CB West vs Downingtown East - Not sure of the last time these two met, but it's been a long time and should be a very good matchup. West is without their second leading tackler and top LB, Gavin Todd, who was declared ineligible after transferring last January. He's been fantastic defensively and gave them a spark on offense at times too. There were a couple of other injuries last week that looked serious, so we'll see who is suiting up for West at game time. I think at this point the injuries to the OL are all season ending, so they'll roll with the 4 backups that have played together for the past 4-5 weeks. Credit to the OL coaches for still racking up big rushing numbers. A healthy West team would be a big favorite in this one, but I expect it to be tight under the current circumstances. You'd expect all eyes on Clemens as usual, so West will need a big game from the QB Miller and Vance Morelli at the other RB spot. Devin McGowan has given them a spark with his return to the slot receiver spot, but he's been week to week all year with a shoulder injury. D East is a good enough team that West won't squeak by with a poor effort. They can mix it up offensively and have been stellar defensively as of late.
Looks like we've got a perfect night for football!
