shocked that there's not much chatter about one of the best games I've seen in awhile. Driving home i thought Wood was the better team and controlled much of the game but turning the ball over in critical situations was their demise. If Wood scores at end of third quarter game over ! Instead fumbles reverse and Imhotep picks it up and runs it back which was the play go the game. Then Wood driving in 4th and Russo throws int which seals it for Imhotep.Great crowd and Imhotep sure has a lot of athletes. Best of luck to them in state playoffs

way to go

Pretty much everyone saw it coming since before the season and now it's here. I haven't seen any posts yet but this should be a great game. Aaron Carter ran a Twitter poll with 58% predicting an Imhotep win (his preview article is here - http://dlvr.it/CqFr49). Curious to hear other thoughts/predictions.

It was a pleasure talking to you and SHFOOT at the game last night. Outside of SHFOOT and WCBURRS, whom I've known for a while, it felt great talking to a real HS junkie like me. I'm sure most of the other people here are as passionate as you are regarding this game in this state. You are a major player in the underground PaPreps scene.

Underway with NP winning the toss but deferring. The Knights tried an onsides or short kick but 'Skins recovered in a good spot around mid-field. The 'Skins picked up a first and then stalled. Jack Spingler had a great punt putting NP inside their five. On the first try from there the ball came loose and Neshaminy fell on it.

From there it was four straight shots and the Redskins were stopped short as NP then took over at the one.

We don't like that.

NP picked up a first or two and stalled. Forced to punt 'Skins take over once again near mid-field. It's the third time they have the ball at a nice spot and they go three and out and have to punt again. Spingler nails it and it's downed at the Knights' one-yard line with under two minutes on the first-quarter clock. Then Boom Mr. West busts one to Neshaminy's thirty on a 70 plus yard jaunt. Another NP run puts them around the 20 yard line and the first-quarter ends.

Anyone know why.

Explorers on their way

#2 Parkland (11-1) at #1 Wyoming Valley West (12-0)

Starters
Parkland
QB: Devante Cross (Sr. 6’2 185): 149-240, 2,153, 20-7 / 180-1,055-15
RB: Erik DiGiralomo (Sr. 5’9 185) 139-938-19
WR: Kenny Yeboah (Sr. 6’6 220): 54-857-11
WR: Nolan Ridgway (Sr. 6’2 185): 31-508-4
WR: Zack Bross (Jr. 6’4 195): 30-294-1
WR: Carrick Panella (Jr. 5’7 165): 21-277-1
LT: Noel Brouse (Sr. 6’6 270)
LG: Patrick Ferry (Jr. 6’3 315)
C: Alex Van Woert (Jr. 5’11 210)
RG: Andrew Parry (Jr. 6’0 230)
RT: Steven Feher (Sr. 6’5 265)

DE: DJ Hohman (Jr. 5’11 195): 46 tackles, 10.5 sacks
DT: Noel Brouse (Sr. 6’5 270): 43 tackles, 7 TFL, 5 sacks
DT: Jahan Worth (So. 5’11 220): 44 tackles, 11 TFL
DE: Palmer Kerch (Jr. 6'0 200): 57 tackles, 14 TFL, 6 sacks
WLB: Erik DiGiralomo (Sr. 5’9 185): 70 tackles, 5 sacks
MLB: Mario Dellis (Sr. 5’10 200): 107 tackles, 5 sacks
SLB: Frank Guida (Jr. 5’9 175): 53 tackles,
CB: Devante Cross (Sr. 6’2 185)
CB: Nolan Ridgway (Sr. 6’2 185)
S: Kenny Yeboah (Sr. 6’6 220): 4 INTs
S: Zack Bross (Jr. 6’4 195)

Wyoming Valley West
QB: Aaron Austin (Jr. 6’0 170): 119-184, 1,927, 27-11 / 116-656-6
RB: Sean Judge (Jr. 5’9 165): 127-1,349-18 / 22-379-4
FB: Bill Davidson (Sr. 6’1 215): 58-432-8 / 11-137-3
WR: Devon Weidman (Sr. 6’1 180): 40-696-10 / 20-360-5
WR: Jake Shermo (Jr. 6’0 170): (Jr. 6’0 170): 3-58-0
TE: LJ Wesneski (Sr. 6’4 235): 37-498-9
TE: Chris Reese (Sr. 6’3 230): 6-59-0
LT: Chris Bleich (So. 6’6 310)
LG: Brydon Rukstalis (Jr. 6’1 230)
C: Keith Wolfe (Sr. 6’1 240)
RG: Brian Hoffman (Sr. 6’0 260)
RT: Jason Wall (Sr. 6’0 270)

DE: LJ Wesneski (Sr. 6’4 235): 69 tackles, 14 TFL, 7 sacks
DT: Brydon Rukstalis (Jr. 6’1 230): 75 tackles, 3 TFL, 5 sacks
DT: Keith Wolfe (Sr. 6’1 240): 65 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 sacks
DE: Chris Reese (Sr. 6'3 230): 67 tackles, 6 TFL, 9 sacks
LB: Bill Davidson (Sr. 6’1 215): 117 tackles, 6 TFL, 1 sack, 2 INT
LB: Zack Davies (So. 5’9 180): 134 tackles, 11 TFL, 3 sacks
LB: Nick Mooney (Jr. 5’8 160): 76 tackles, 5 TFL, 6 sacks
LB: James Sokoloski (Sr. 5’10 200): 91 tackles,
DB: Deovn Weidman (Sr. 6’1 180): 45 tackles, 4 INT
DB: Sean Judge (Jr. 5’9 165): 55 tackles, 5 INT
DB: Jake Shermo (Jr. 6’0 170): 76 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 INT

The Last Time They Met
This is the first meeting between the two schools. This is Parkland’s 11th appearance in the district/subregional finals and they are the first team since Bethlehem Catholic form 1999-2002 to make four straight finals. Parkland is 7-3 in championship games, and riding a three game winning finals winning streak. They are 2-0 against D2 teams in subregional championship games, in a pair of classics. In 2012, Parkland beat Delaware Valley in Milford 49-41 behind 226 yards and 3 TDs by Jarel Elder, and in 2007, Parkland blocked a 27 yard field goal as time expired to beat Hazleton 16-14, despite a 188 yard effort from Nate Eachus. This is Wyoming Valley West’s first subregional final since the D2/11/4 merger in 2004. Previously, their last District championship came in 1997.

Parkland Last Week
The Trojans looked like three time defending subregional champions, throttling Easton 37-0 in Orefield. After a scoreless first quarter, Devante Cross and Kenny Yeboah connected on a 67 yard touchdown pass, where Yeboah out jumped a defender, then raced 30 yards into the end zone. After forcing a three and out, Cross took a QB power 45 yards to the house to start the rout. Cross and Yeboah would hook up 5 times for 163 yards and TDs of 67, 17, and 64 yards. Cross ran for 118 yards and threw for 202, making him the fourth quarterback in Lehigh Valley history to throw for 2,000 yards and pass for 1,000 yards in a single season. He also added an acrobatic interception to set up their third TD drive. Defensively, Parkland was lights out. They gave up a 54 yards on the opening drive of the game, but bulled their neck at their own 21 and forced a stop. From there on, they yielded just 52 yards the rest of the game, led by defensive tackle Noel Brouse, who was in the backfield on every play, and finished with two sacks and four tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Easton tailback Nysir Minney-Gratz could only muster 47 yards on 15 carries and was held out of the end zone for only the second time all year, both by Parkland.

Wyoming Valley West Last Week
The Spartans got in a shoot out with Liberty and advanced 55-35. After giving up just 8 points per game during the regular season, WVW has given up 69 points in two playoff games. But their offense has been up to the task. Sean Judge was brilliant once again, rushing for 116 yards and three TDs on 23 carries, catching five passes for 123 yards and a TD, and adding an interception on defense. Their defense harassed Doug Erney into four interceptions and six turnovers overall. But it was not all pretty, as Gunner Anglovech gashed their rush defense for 293 yards and three TDs and Liberty totaled 518 yards of offense in the loss.

When Parkland Has the Ball
The Parkand offensive line and the Wyoming Valley West defensive line should be one of the best match ups of the seasons. The Trojans are huge up front and pass block as well as any team I can remember. The Spartans also have a ton of size on the line, and two of the best pass rushers in the subregional in Chris Reese and LJ Wesneski. Their battles with Brouse and Feher on the outside will be worth the price of admission if you’re in to line play. Beyond that, Parkland will want to put the ball in the air. Kenny Yeboah had his biggest game of the year last week, torching Easton on jump balls and deep routes. WVW is small in the secondary, and they need to figure out a way to cover Yeboah. But Parkland has been running a lot of four verts with him, so that you can’t just bracket him with a safety because two other receivers are streaking down the middle of the field. WVW also likes to play a 4-4, which they cannot do against Parkland's spread sets, they'll need to take a linebacker off of the field, or use one of their linebackers as a hybrid safety. In the run game, Parkland has found their groove with designed quarterback runs, using tailback/bowling ball Erik DiGiralomo as a lead blocker and pounding the ball over Brouse and Patrick Ferry on the left side of the line. When Ferry stays low and gets his hands inside, he’s a devastating run blocker, and his consistency has played a big role in their improved running game over the last few weeks. DiGiralomo also has come into his own, and he’s a body blow back that they’ll need to salt away games if they’re going to go far. There's not a lot of wiggle, but he relishes contact and hits holes quickly. Cross is shiftier, and has big time straight line speed, so if he gets into the secondary, not many people can catch him. And for as big as the Spartans defensive line is, only Bill Davidson has elite size in the back seven.

When Wyoming Valley West Has the Ball
Since a bizarre 41-34 loss to Liberty, the Trojans are giving up 6.5 points per game. They’re giving up under 100 rushing yards per game in that stretch, and no back has gained more than 87 yards (state leading rusher Kyle Boney, in his only sub 100 yard game of the season). So the Spartans have their work cut out for them. Like Liberty, they have size on the offensive line that can match the brute strength of the Parkland front four. They also are the most balanced team Parkland has seen since the Hurricanes, which gave the Trojans fits. WVW will move Sean Judge around and get him the ball in a variety of ways, be it option runs, pistol hand offs, pop passes, jet sweeps, screens, etc. Play action and option plays will be plentiful, and critical. The Spartans also have physicality at the wideout position with Wesneski and Devon Weidman. I’d imagine Yeboah will be tasked with stopping Wesneski, and he’s perfect to stop big, athletic tight ends, because he’s the best athlete at his size in eastern Pennsylvania. The interior of the WVW line will need to play well, because Brouse and Jahan Worth have been playing on another level at defensive tackle. Moving Worth from inside linebacker to DT has been a great move (unfortunately forced by injury), and the 220 pound sophomore has a speed and athleticism advantage over most guards, and like any elite wrestler, really can use his hands in battles in the trenches. And both Parkland defensive end are classic Parkland, undersized high motor ends who benefit from the attention their tackles get on the inside. If those two can blow up the WVW spread from the inside, Parkland will be in business.

The Pick
All year I’ve been touting that this Wyoming Valley West team is for real. They’re one of the best teams in D2 since the subregional started, they’re the most balanced team in the subregional, and they’ve got the size and strength on the line to contend with the Lehigh Valley schools. But Parkland has flipped a switch since lackluster midseason performances against Whitehall and Liberty. The defense has shown itself to be a real strength, and offensively they have a better sense of identity. And, at the end of the day, they are snapping the ball to the best player on the field. Devante Cross has been fabulous for the last three year, but he’s playing better now than he has at any point in his career. And on Friday, he’ll become the first D11 4A quarterback to lead his team to three straight state playoff appearances.

Parkland 35-17

wow, wasn't expecting that

post scores here

Upper Dublin has now beaten decisively two schools with enrollmenst almost twice theirs. In district one quadA large enrollment teams nominate, UD has made it to the district finals. NP is certainly an up hill battle but it would be nice to see UD win and then play LaSalle. We already know NP can't beat LaSalle.

Week 12 Stats
Played - 4
Eliminated - 0
Survived - 4


Picks
Neshaminy - 2
Simon Gratz - 1
Wyoming Valley West - 1


Eliminated


Survivors/Teams Used
16th&Georgetown - LaSalle, Neshaminy
Joe_Kane - Wyoming Valley West, Simon Gratz
newman107 - Simon Gratz, Neshaminy
Relayer - LaSalle, Wyoming Valley West

Use this thread to make your picks for Week 13. I will take LaSalle.

NP v Neshaminy
Ud v Pennsbury
AP v Upper Merion

I believe this is the first time that the PCL will have an A representative in the state playoffs. I could be mistaken; Huck will let me know.

At any rate, good luck to the boys as they take on D11 and to Coaches Manzi and Gordon.

Good luck also to WC, AW and LS as they kick off their quests for a trip to Hershey with D12 championship games.

Halftime. Haverford 35- Upoer Darby 21

Skins played the Knights tough a few weeks ago, but the buzz on the street is that NP is a few scores better than Neshaminy. I'd like to see the Skins open it up a little more with 1 and 16 to help out the running game. Quakertown's front seven outplayed the Skins on multiple short yardage situations. Do the Skins ever throw to the TE?

Waiting with bated breath from last year huh? It's another year but still struggling with schedule difficulty, a real issue with 3 of the 4 games in the East; UD-PSB, Wyo-Park and LS-SG. Finally realized after some time denying it that passing (not balance) means little in terms of forecasting in HS and college while meaning everything at the Pro level. Good luck and health to all the teams.

District 1
North Penn-Neshaminy. 19.93 North Penn
Upper Dublin vs Pennsbury. 26.53 Upper Dublin
District 11
Wyoming Valley West vs Parkland. 2.62 WVW
District 12
LaSalle vs Simon Gratz. 9.02 LaSalle. 9.23 LaSalle

Sun Valley 20, Chichester 7
Roman Catholic 49, Roxborough 6
Neumann-Goretti 26, South Philadelphia 24
Overbrook 22, West Philadelphia 14
Northeast 48, Philadelphia Central 20
Frankford 26, Prep Charter 21
Easton Area 26, Phillipsburg (NJ) 0
Quakertown Community 28, Pennridge 21
Owen J. Roberts 41, Pottstown Area 13
Cheltenham 41, Abington 36
Ridley 12, Interboro 0
Upper Merion 33, Norristown 21
Northampton 40, Catasauqua 26
Father Judge 35, Abraham Lincoln 14
Harry S. Truman 18, Conwell Egan Catholic 17
Archbishop Ryan 35, George Washington 7
Benjamin Franklin 13, Dobbins Randolph Vo-Tech 8

From the PA Football News. It certainly has a different look.

http://pafootballnews.com/news/hypothetical-rankings-with-six-classifications/

Leaning towards Neshaminy-North Penn Friday night, although Pennsbury-Upper Dublin is intriguing.

Saturday will be Imhotep-Wood. I've always enjoyed going to games at Charles Martin Stadium. Like Quakertown, the off street parking is an easy in and out.

Good luck to all the teams playing tomorrow and this weekend.

Good luck to all the players today and this weekend!!!

Week 12 rankings

1. Upper Dublin 12-0, #3. Upper Dublin jumped all over Upper Darby barely three minutes into the game when Stacey Gardner broke off a 20-yarder, followed by a 18-yarder for scores before tight end Jack Rapine hauled in a 6-yard pass from Ryan Stover to bust this one open early. A 21-0 first quarter lead grew to 35-6 by halftime as the Cardinals cruised to an easy 45-14 win. The stats reflected the score with the Cards holding a 504 to 218 total yard advantage. Upper Darby’s major weapon, running back Isaiah Bruce was held to 53 yards after the first quarter where he got loose for a 61-yd score. And with no passing (7 of 19 for 70yds), the Cardinals D-Line pinned their ears against the larger Royals, holding them to 148 yards rushing. Running back Gardner (5-11, 220, sr, last year’s center) finished with 116 yards while Danny Boggs (5-10, 165, sr) pulled in four receptions for 134 yards. As usual Ryan Stover torn up another secondary, completing 14 of 22 passes for 274 yards and three scores. The win gets them to the district semifinal for the second straight year against the team that eliminated them, 15th seeded Pennsbury, who won 25-14. Pennsbury had the 2nd seed last year (UD-6th, 11-2) finishing out as the district champ at 13-2, before losing to St, Joseph’s Prep (10-4), 37-7. They also had Charles Snorweah who rushed for 299 yards on 48 carries for 4 scores and the home field. They have none of those this year while Upper Dublin returns most of last year’s significantly improved team. Maybe this is the game where people will fully appreciate their sound technique, athleticism, surprising speed, senior leadership and a few players who can take it to the house on any play. Ryan Stover is a game breaker at quarterback, with receivers that jump through the roof, and there is depth everywhere. They don’t mug you but they do wear you down.

2. Parkland 11-1, #2. Parkland knocked off Easton last week 37-0 to position themselves for an unprecedented fourth consecutive District 2/4/11 sub-regional championship. Fourth! Last year’s game was the complete opposite where the Rovers took them to overtime before losing 13-10. Easton approached last week’s game with a single dimension that played into Parkland’s strength, run defense. With Trey Durrah extremely limited and replaced by Ben Nemeh, the offense was diminished. And it showed, rushing for 88 yards and passing for 26. Trojan quarterback Devante Cross had more than that on his own, running 18 times for 118 yards and passing for another 212 passing yards on a 10 of 20 outing. Kenny Yeboah had receptions of 17, 64 and 68 yards (5 for 165) for scores while Erik DiGirolamo kept them honest with 64 yards on 14 totes. Parkland has been obviously better than almost everyone this year, at least so far beating all but Liberty (41-34), while scoring 36ppg on average and allowing 13. Interestingly Liberty was crushed in the semifinal last week by Wyoming Valley West, 55-35, the team Parkland plays in the final Friday night in Plymouth. This one will get real interesting with Parkland facing a team that has at least as many weapons as they do….plus size. They won’t be overpowered like Easton was.

3. LaSalle 7-3, There were a few upsets across the Commonwealth last week but none more significant that LaSalle beating the two time defending PCL-AAAA and state champion St. Joseph’s Prep 29-28. Out in District 7, Penn Trafford pulled a mild one beating last year’s silver medalist Pine Richland 39-34. In District 3, Central Dauphin East (playing some nice D now)reversed a regular season 38-0 loss to 2nd seeded Wilson by downing the Bulldogs 20-14 in overtime. But all those pale in comparison to LaSalle beating St. Joe’s since almost everyone was expecting the Hawks to get past this one, take Districts and make another deep run in States. That is almost everyone except the LaSalle faithful. They scored about everyway a team can score including touchdown passes by Joe Ferguson (13-23/194) of 26 and 24 yards to Charles Headen and Nick Rinella, a 21-yd field goal by Matt Savage, a 49 yard pick-6 by Jared Walls and a 3 yard run by Syaire Madden (26/78). As exciting as the action was on that side of the ball, it was just as fun on the other, shutting down super back D’Andre Swift to 22 rush yards and the entire Hawk team to 144 yards rushing. Us D guys loved that (!)….stuffing Swift….and the pick-6. GET SOME! There were flaws for sure. St Joe’s is St. Joe’s and they didn’t go quietly, scoring on Benny Walls runs of 44 and 55 yards, a 1 yard run by Swift and a 95 yard pick-6 by Richard Carr. It doesn’t get much better than St. Joe’s and LaSalle but at the end of the day, hats off to the Explorers, never folding despite the 28-17 deficit in the 3rd quarter before the comeback that featured two 4th quarter scores, capped by senior Nick Rinella’s 24 yard reception and score with under a minute to play. All this in Coach John Steinmetz’s first year. LaSalle now moves on to the District-12 title game against talented Simon Gratz.

4. St. Joseph’s Prep 7-3. You can bet this one was heard across the state and beyond as two time defending PIAA-AAAA State Champion St. Joseph’s Prep were eliminated by arch rival LaSalle 29-28 in the PCL Final. In a lot of ways the score was as surprising, at least to some of us, as the first game won by St. Joe’s 49-24. After a disappointing loss of this magnitude it might be well to remember some of the challenges St. Joseph’s faced at the start of the year, namely, breaking in the third starting quarterback in as many years for Coach Infante. The line returned three in Ed Mooney, Charles Holsopple and Joe Dumond. The backfield was loaded with D’Andre Swift and Benny Walls. Add in a few experienced receivers and four to the defense to see the cupboard wasn’t bare, but it was a serious rebuild with a lot of youth. No one’s feeling sorry for the Hawks, and all in all beating Evangel (9-2), St. Ignatius (5-4), St. Joseph’s Regional (8-3) and LaSalle (7-3) on a rebuild is good stuff. Incidentally Evangel is in the Louisiana (LHSAA) Div-1 semifinal against Catholic High (8-3, Baton Rouge), with the winner playing Curtis (8-2) if they get past Archbishop Rummel (11-1). Rommel’s only loss is a 10-3 decision to Don Bosco Prep of Ramsey. St. Joseph Regional is also doing well, getting to the Non Public-Group 4 final against Don Bosco (8-3) after beating Bergen Catholic. 7-3 against that crowd is a good year.

5. North Penn 10-2, #9. North Penn beat top seeded and previously undefeated Downingtown East at Downingtown in a revenge rematch with surprising ease, winning 27-14. The score may not have shown it but a 505 total yardage performance is remarkable enough against a high seed in this district but especially against an undefeated top seed on their home turf. Add to that Nyfease West rushing for 248 of those yards, quarterback Reece Udinski throwing for 228 yards primarily to wide out Ricky Johns catching 7 for 162 yards to see the totality of the outcome. The Knights brought pressure throughout the game sacking quarterback Saunders Healy four times with Keith Earle getting three of those, while stopping them cold in the run department, holding them to 52 yards rushing. So here they are in a nine game winning streak and another district playoff rematch against conference rival Neshaminy, a team they beat 22-17 a few weeks ago. That makes the Knights the hottest team in the district save undefeated Upper Dublin.

6. Wyoming Valley West 12-0, #1. The Spartans traded points with Liberty for a quarter then got busy scoring 28 second quarter points to take an insurmountable 42-21 lead at the half on the way to a 55-35 drubbing in the D-2/4/11 semifinal. Both teams have so many weapons but the Spartans have more, headed by quarterback Aaron Austin who was on the money completing 14 of 18 throws for 246 yards and 3 scores. Tailback Sean Judge was a one man wrecking crew rushing for 114 yards on 23 carries and catching 5 passes for 124 yards. Across the field running back Gunner Anglovich had 296 yards rushing (!?) for Liberty who held a 514 to 474 total yardage advantage. 35 points on the scoreboard plus 514 yards looks like a win until you factor in 10 penalties for 112 yards and 7 turnovers. That limited the offense to a meager 14.68 yards per point as compared to Valley West’s 8.6ypp! The Spartans shield wall was there when needed keeping the Canes out of the end zone. It will need to be that and more this weekend against Parkland. The district has a 7-18 record against D-11 teams since the D2/4/11 format was created in 2006. No surprise there knowing the quality of D-11 teams sent to the playoffs in that period. Parkland has another fine team but this is the best team to come out of District-2 in many years; senior laden, playoff experienced with diverse weapons and more than enough size and speed to play with D-11 teams.

Stats from various sites including online newspapers: Quarterback Aaron Austin (6-0, 175, jr) completed 119 of 184 passes for 1823 yards and has a 23 to 9 Td to Pick ratio. He’s a dual threat, rushing for 658 yards with seven touchdowns. His primary targets are Devon Weidman (6-1, 185, sr ) with 39 receptions for 684 yards and 20 carries for 359 yards while tight end LJ Wesnski (6-3, 235, sr) has 496 yards on 37 catches. Shifty running back Sean Judge (5-9, 170, jr) is the featured back rushing for 1343 yards along with 584 yards in receptions on 22 receptions. Bill Davison (6-1, 215, sr) pounds it for 432 yards on 58 carries. Defensively, they have book ends on the flanks with Chris Reece (6-3, 235, sr, 66 tackles, 9 sacks) and Wesneski with 69 tackles, 10TFL and 7 sacks. Soph linebacker Zach Davis (5-10, 180) leads the team in tackles with 134. Nick Mooney (5-9, 165, jr) and Davison are key at the backer spots with 99 and 117 tackles respectively. Spartans verses Trojans!


7. Neshaminy 9-3, #13. Neshaminy continues their climb in the ranking after another impressive road win in the playoffs. As mentioned last week they really are a road warrior. Winning 7 of 8 road games including two in the postseason should remove any doubts about their legitimacy at this point in the season. Two of their three losses came at home, to Downingtown West and Pennridge. This time they went to Quakertown coming away with a convincing 31-17 win. But the Panthers got it going at the outset in an explosive 1st quarter with a Tom Garlick toss and run for scores giving them a 14-0 lead. Bad start for the Skins until Denzel snagged a 60 yarder for 6 then returned a punt 78 yards, also in the 1st quarter to even things up. If that didn’t break Quakertown’s will it went a long way to disheartening them being outscored 31-3 thereon. Running back Will Dogba had another strong showing rushing for 144 yards on 28 carries generating 2 touchdowns as did Mason Jones completing 10 of 17 passes for 144 yards. On defense, linebacker Jack Spangler also broke things open with 3 interceptions and a fumble recovery. Quakertown really shot themselves in the foot with 5 turnovers. 5! Next up is North Penn. These two met four weeks ago in Lansdale with the Knights prevailing 22-17.


8. Pennsbury 9-3, #15. Defending district champ (lest we forget!) Pennsbury may have the 15th seed but proved otherwise going to Perkioman Valley to play the 10th seed and come away with a 41-28 victory. What a game that was knotted up at 21 all at the half only to see the weight of the Pennsbury attack roll it up in the 2nd half, outscoring Perk Val 20-7. Three second half turnovers helped. The Falcons spread it out old school, not through the air but on the ground with three backs doing damage beginning with quarterback Mike Alley who rushed for three scores and 84 yards while keeping the Vikings on their heels at times with 86 pass yards. Nice! Powerful Chris Rupprecht rushed for 74 yards while Robert Daly got 71. Perk Val’s outstanding quarterback Stephen Sturm was nearly unstoppable barring the three interceptions in throwing for almost 300 yards. But the ground game was non existent at 50 yards. Total yardage favored the Vikings 324 to 310 but it’s still about points and defense where Pennsbury prevailed. They move on to play 3rd seeded Upper Dublin, a team they beat in last year’s semifinal 25-14.


9. Downingtown East 11-1. The curtains came down on the Cougars fine season losing at home in the quarterfinals to North Penn 27-14. Quarterback Saunders Healy was held to 9 completions in 22 attempts for 202 yards while Cary Angeline caught only 4 passes for 104 yards. North Penn brought it in this one sacking Healy four times while shutting down the running game. By Downingtown standards the offense was nothing special, scoring 33ppg. But it was a tremendous upgrade over last year and the year before where they averaged 28 and 21ppg. Defensively, they fielded one of their best units at 14ppg, the best since 2007’s 8-3 team that allowed 13. And finally, the 11-1 record was their best record ever since the split in 2003.


10. Easton 8-4. The Rovers lost to Parkland 37-0 in the D-2/4/11semifinal but have one more to go in their annual Thanksgiving Day game with rival Phillipsburg, NJ. Once again at 9-1 the Stateliners have another strong group, almost comparable to last year’s 11-1 team that beat the Rovers 19-15 and went on to win their second straight North 2-Group 4, Division 5, Region 7, Zone IV, District-J, Sub-Sector-9, title. Something like that. At 9-1, this year’s team has the ability to throw the ball tho they are primarily a run first team. Following the Easton game they’ll play Middleton South (10-0) December 5th. Regardless of this outcome, you’ve got to hand it to the Easton staff and players who entered the season depleted at the skill positions having graduated a team many felt was ready for a deep run in States.

11.Perkiomen Valley 10-2. Lost to Pennsbury 41-28 but what a year for them and the PAC-10. Gone are the days where the PAC was an automatic “W” for everyone. A peek at the demography of the area says this may be the tip of the iceberg. One of the bright lights in the program is junior quarterback Stephen Sturm who had a monster year, setting the PAC single season record throwing for 3088 yards and 31 touchdowns. Against Pennsbury, he completed 22 of 35 passes for 278 yards, showing he, his line and receivers can and did accomplish as much against quality comp, not just the also-rans so many assume when thinking PAC. His favorite receiver, Justin Jaworski also set a single season PAC record with 1195 yards in receptions, catching 7 for 146 yards against Pennsbury. Ronnie Arch had 9 carries for 72 yards. We’ll likely be seeing a lot of this year over the coming years.


12. Upper Darby 10-2. The Royals ran into a buzz saw called Upper Dublin who held star running back Isaiah Bruce to 114 rushing yards and the team to 218 as the Cardinals dominated, winning 45-14. The Royals entered the game averaging 33ppg, allowing 19 and winning their last eight games. Their forte this year was winning big games at home, beating Ridley 32-29, Conestoga 25-22 and Garnet Valley 41-34. But when they played teams that could match their athleticism and or size, they faltered, losing to State College (8-3) 28-0 who had both, and Upper Dublin who had more weapons, athletes and depth. Arch rival Haverford is next in a Thanksgiving Day game at Havertown that will decide the Central League title.


13. Liberty 8-4.Tailback Gunner Anglovich hammered Valley West for nearly 300 yards on the ground himself, scoring three touchdowns all to no avail in a 55-35 loss to Wyoming Valley West. For a team with a enough talent to beat Parkland, Bethlehem Catholic, Allentown Central Catholic, Stoudsburg and Emmaus, while jumping out to a 6-1 start, they could have unbelievable defensive lapses that in part defined their 2-3 finish where they allowed 193 points in four of their last five games. That’s a 48ppg average and that’s why they’re not still playing and have four losses.


14. Quakertown 9-3. Despite rushing for 183 yards and having the home field advantage, the Panthers lost in the quarterfinals to Neshaminy 31-17. They could never establish the balance they often found in the regular season with quarterback Tom Garlick pressed and bottled up, completing only 11 of 20 passes for a meager 122 yards. Four of his passes were momentum sapping interceptions with two leading to Redskin scores. Things have really gone south for them after a great start winning their first eight games before losing back to back home games and ultimately three of their last four. But they can turn that around Thursday in their annual Turkey Day game where they’ll tangle with red hot Pennridge who won their last four games.


15. Downingtown West 9-2. The Whippets garnered their most wins since 2009’s 10-2 team that beat Conestoga in the 1st round then lost in the 2nd to fellow Ches Mont-National member Avon Grove (11-2). Remember your Greek Mythology and Cerberus, the ferocious three headed dog who guarded the Gates of Hades? Me neither, but it’s probably one of the coolest Greek gods and stories. The Hound from Hell….Ha! Check him out. Anyway, the Red Devils had three running backs that tore through Chester county like few since, each with over 1000 yards rushing; Brendan McLaughlin with 1268 yards, Brandon Monk with 1154 and John Harris with 1018 yards. Avon Grove was the only team to beat them that year.


16. Coatesville 7-3. You know things are ok in a program where 7-3 is unacceptable and your worst record since the first year Coach Ortega took over in 2009 when the Red Raiders went 5-5. They’ll be back next year but you know they’ll sorely miss quarterback Jordan Young.


17. Pennridge 8-3. The Rams are gunning for their ninth win of the season Thanksgiving Day against their old rival Quakertown. Last year witnessed a strange ending when as the 13th seed they lost to 4th seeded Quakertown 14-10 in the opening round of the playoffs….and again two weeks later in the annual game, 8-7 after Quakertown lost to Downingtown East 21-0 in the playoffs. Bottom line, you know the Rams are looking forward to some pay back in this one and as luck would have it, they are well prepared for the occasion. Two weeks ago saw them travel to Ridley for a quickly put together game and win 17-14. Nice, tight game with some serious hitting going against Ridley’s D that played their hearts out. And then last week, they were off but likely helped added to the SRO crowd at Quakertown getting a good look at the Panthers vs Neshaminy so they’ll be ready. As things stand right now, an argument could be made that this Ram team is better than last year’s. They’re averaging more points per game, 26 to 28, and allowing less, dropping from 21 to 18ppg. If the Rams get their 9th win, it will only be the second time in eleven years they’ve won that many games.


18. Spring Ford 10-1. How well is Wilson’s former offensive coordinator Chad Brubaker doing at Spring Ford since taking over in 2010? How about 58-15 plus all those playoff appearances and wins against “name” teams, PAC titles and four double-digit win season since 2010. Coach has built a program that will likely be around as long as he is.


19. Freedom 9-2. Here’s another program moving in the right direction with back to back nine win seasons (9-3, 9-2) coming on the heels of a 4-6 season in 2012 and a 2-8 outing in 2013. This year saw the Patriots win their first football title (shared with Parkland) since the school’s inception in 1967.


20. Plymouth Whitemarsh 8-3. Oops! Maybe the SOL-American isn’t as down or weak as many have been saying seeing how Upper Dublin is advancing in AAAA along with Upper Moreland in the AAA semifinal and how this team put the fear of you know who in Downingtown East, taking them to the edge before losing 35-28 at Kottmeyer. A 40-13 won-loss the last five years isn’t bad either, in any conference. Pass some crow along with that turkey and congrats to the Colonials for proving a lot of us wrong.

21. Simon Gratz 10-2. Gratz won the Philadelphia Public League-AAAA title beating Northeast with surprising ease, 54-18. And now they get a chance to show if all that talent has developed since the beginning of the season. It was not evident early on against Imhotep Charter and Archbishop Wood where they were swamped. Right, those are two of the best if not best Triple-A teams in the state. About the Bulldogs, they are not only talented but also have a veteran, senior laden team. Unless they evolve into a “player” along the lines of Imhotep and Wood, it will not likely get any better than this year’s team. Winning a District title that typically means beating LaSalle or St. Joseph’s Prep would go a long way to establishing that. They play LaSalle Saturday at Charlie Martin.


22. Emmaus 7-5. The Green Hornets won the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference-AAAA championship, beating Williamsport (6-5), of the Wyoming Valley Conference Division-One 61-22 in the semifinal then Reading (6-6) of the Berks Inter County Conference-Section One in the final, 56-13. Coach Randy Cuthbert since announced his resignation following a three year stint after compiling a 19-16 record (6-5, 6-6, 7-5). Prior to that he spent eight years at Pennridge where he amassed a 55-43 record.


23. Delaware Valley 7-4. Eleven winning season in the last twelve years and a five year run of 42-16 is pretty good stuff.


24. Council Rock North 7-4. Thought they’d be more with Brandan McIlwain but they won the SOL-Continental and except for the 44-43 overtime loss at Norristown, they would have been undefeated in conference games.


25. Central Bucks East 8-3. This season marked the first time the Patriots experienced a winning season since 2007! They had a few other positives with this being their best defense at 17ppg since 2005’s great 10-2 team that allowed 10ppg. At 28ppg season ending average per game, the offense was their most productive in 19 years.


26. Haverford 9-2. Haverford had the week off prepping for rival Upper Darby who was playing and losing to Upper Dublin 45-14 in the quarterfinals. This is no place for a letdown with Upper Darby coming in off a playoff loss….compounded by a short week. It’s just the opposite for the Fords, staying in game shape with the Perkiomen Valley playoff loss two weeks ago and having last week off to prep and watch Upper Darby at Upper Dublin. The Royals athleticism in the secondary (and legs) will be tested in this one since the Fords strength is their senior quarterback Jack Donaghy. All he did was rewrite the record books, breaking Steve Joachim’s single season records, throwing for 2399 yards this year and over 4900 yards in his career. He’s currently 7th in the state, behind Eric Harris of Carlisle who has 3635 yards. The O is impressive at 29ppg, with Danaghy throwing to Bob McClure with 633 yards in receptions and Chris Trainor at 583. As fine a year as he’s having, the defense has also shined, allowing 16ppg.

A win here gives them their first 10 win season since (?); beyond the last 16 years.


27. Unionville 8-3. The Indians got rocked in the first round by North Penn 48-7 but still managed to win the Ches Mont-American title, essentially winning it on Rustin’s home field where they beat the Knights October 2nd in their first road game of the year, 28-21. Their five year won-loss is 39-15.


28. Rustin 7-3. 2015 marks the first year the Golden Knights missed the playoffs since the school’s inception in 2006.


29. Council Rock South 6-4. I know I overstated it but what happened to the team that began the season losing to Pennsbury 13-6 and Neshaminy two weeks later 27-25? Where did that team go? Their Dr. Jekyll - Mr. Hyde season ended on a low note losing two of three to Quakertown and CR North by identical 35-14 scores. Where did the team go that lost to Pennsbury and Neshaminy by a combined 9 points!?


30. Nazareth 5-5. Naz and CR South must be soul mates, both beginning the season with close call losses, and in the Eagles case with good enough wins to get your attention more than just a little while beating Stroudsburg 49-47 in Stroudsburg, losing at home to Freedom 31-27, beating Liberty at home 37-35 then winning in Emmaus 49-36. They ended the year losing bad to Whitehall 38-20 (?), Parkland 28-7 and Easton 56-41. The Blue Eagles made it interesting!