Week 14 rankings
1. Upper Dublin 14-0. The Cardinals once again demonstrated why they’ve been the top rated team in the East for the last four weeks after pounding North Penn in the PIAA quarterfinals 46-21. Beginning the year at # 7, they’ve progressed through the ranks with one blow-out after another, winning the regular season games by an average score of 46-6. Through four playoff games, only Pennsbury gave them anything close to a competitive game, losing 24-14 while being overmatched statistically. Upper Dublin’s average score through those games was 38-13. Last week saw North Penn gave them a game for a half building a 21-17 lead largely on the strength of Nyfease West who ended the game with 120 yards rushing on 22 carries with 2 scores. The 21-17 lead came after the Knights fell behind 14-0. So while it was a nice comeback, the Cardinals were just getting warmed up. Running back Stacey Gardner, tight end Jack Rapine and quarterback Ryan Stover were too much for North Penn’s defense that allowed 29 second half points, 20 in the 3rd quarter, to blow the lid off this one. Gardner finished with 76 yards on 12 carries and 4 scores with Rapine catching 5 balls for 112 yards and one touchdown. Ryan Stover directed another balanced attack completing 15 of 24 passes for 248 yards, rushing for 64 more. There was good distribution with Stover throwing to six different receivers. Kaleif Lee added 38 yards on 14 carries. All totaled, they accumulated 419 total yards of offense, averaging 9.1 yards per point against a defense that held their previous three opponents, Unionville, Downingtown East and Neshamny to 7, 14 and 7 points respectively. The score and stats indicate a big night for the Cardinal defense as well who allowed no big plays (3,4,6-yd runs-scores) in the first half then shutting the Knights out in the second half, allowing a total of 256 yards. Along the way they passed last year’s 11-win record season and won their first district title.
This week’s opponent is at a level above the Knights. Team speed, size and D1 quality at quarterback, wide receiver and the offensive line make for one tough opponent. Third year starting All-Everything quarterback Devante Cross (6-2, 185, sr) is Parkland’s all-time leading passer. Through last week’s game he has thrown for 2439 yards and 23 touchdowns, while rushing for 1348 yards and 19 more touchdowns. Wide receiver Kenny Yeboah (6-5, 220, sr, Temple) has 960 yards on 48 receptions. Cross and Yeboah form one of the most dangerous tandems in the East that help make this the most dynamic offense in the playoffs. They, along with a quality corps of receivers in Nolan Ridgway, Zach Bross and Carrick Panella will look to get downfield. As an spread, Cross is the main threat but will look for hitches, screens, although the Cards are disciplined and slants to counter any blitzes; mostly short stuff. Anything deep is a bonus but they’ll likely attempt this with their size at receiver. Another option is running back Erik DiGirolamo (also stars at linebacker), who has 20 touchdowns on 1076 yards rushing behind one of the top lines in the state, anchored by Noel Brouse (6-6, 270, sr, Syracuse). Add to that a quick defense, perhaps now quicker with the addition of Jahan Worth (5-11, 220) their standout sophomore linebacker moved to DT replacing the injured Billy Danko (6-3, 240, OG/DT, sr)….allowing just 14ppg to understand the challenge awaiting the Cardinals.
2. Parkland 13-1. After three consecutive losses in the quarterfinals at the hands of a Philadelphia Catholic League team, Parkland finally shook off their old nemesis by defeating the LaSalle Explorers in a memorable contest. But nothing comes easy when tackling a PCL rep as the Trojans found out getting extended to overtime before eking out a 16-13 win on Devante Cross’s 4-yard run in the only overtime period. The defense stepped up a moment earlier in LaSalle’s possession, holding them to a field goal. As the score indicates, this was a defensive battle, with half the scores coming by way of field goals. Matt Savage made a 26-yarder with just under five minutes left to play only to see Parkland work their way downfield setting up Donovan Berger with 40 seconds left to nail a 20-yarder. 18 year olds! Let’s hear it! Despite two interceptions, quarterback Devante Cross got the job done, completing 14 of 24 passes for 144 yards while rushing for 110 yards on 22 carries where he had two touchdowns. Both sides struggled moving the ball with Parkland amassing 306 total yards to LaSalle’s 255. Erik DiGirolamo had 44 yards on 22 carries with Kenny Yeboah leading in receptions with 5 for 62 yards. Few teams ran well against Parkland’s front which has been an team strength all year. It was no different here. The absence of DL Danko was not apparent, holding Sy Madden to 54 yards on 20 attempts while allowing a total of 83 yards rushing.
Although both sides spread the ball around, only four players were involved in scoring. Cross scoring 12, Berger at 4, then Nick Rinella with 6 and Savage 7 for LaSalle. With the defenses prevailing, offensive production was way down; Parkland averaging 19.12 yards per point and LaSalle at 19.61ypp.
The problem for Parkland this week will be defending the multiple weapons of Upper Dublin, including a quarterback who shares many of the characteristics of their own in Ryan Stover. Like Cross, Stover is multi-talented, throwing for 2298 yards (65%, 2-year starter) and 26 scores while running for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns. Then there’s the two backs that can get the tough yards inside or out in Kaleif Lee (5-10, 200, sr) with 992 yards (11-227py) and Stacey Gardner (5-11, 215, sr) with 454 yards. Tight end Jack Rapine (6-1, 205, sr) is the primary with 25 catches for 396 yards supported by Danny Boggs (5-8, 165, sr) with 20 for 366 and Cole Swinger (5-10, 185, sr) with 18 catches for 278 yards. Four others have at least 10 receptions making the Cardinals the most complex team (Liberty?) Parkland has faced this year. The Cardinals can and will stretch and spread a defense with a good corps of receivers and running quarterback that will present Parkland with major challenges.
3. LaSalle 8-4. LaSalle battled long and hard, going into overtime before losing to Parkland in the PIAA-AAAA quarterfinals at Northeast High (Charlie Martin Memorial Stadium-Philadelphia), 16-13. Both sides played outstanding defense but Parkland’s was more, holding running back Syaire Madden to 54 yards and picking off Chris Ferguson twice. Nick Rinella had the lone touchdown of the game for LaSalle catching a 26 yard toss from Ferguson in the first quarter to take the early lead. The Trojans countered in the second on an 8 yard run by Devante Cross. Thereon it was all field goals before Cross scored in overtime. Rinella finished with 5 receptions for 78 yards while Ferguson completed 12 of 25 passes for 172 yards. The defense played well, with at least two red-zone stops in the first half, two interceptions and multiple critical stops in the second half. Holding Parkland’s multi-faceted attack to 10 points (regulation) was a major accomplishment. It’s hard softening the blow from a game like this but you can’t deny it was a heck of a ride for the players and coach John Steinmetz in his first year. There are a lot of teams sitting out there wishing they could look back on a season like this one, relishing wins against North Penn, Pennsbury, Malvern Prep then St. Joseph’s Prep in the conference playoff to win the Philadelphia Catholic League-AAAA crown. That’s good stuff in any year. Then beating Gratz to win Districts, followed by the showdown against Parkland where a play here or call there makes it a whole new ball game is no small change.
4. St. Joseph’s Prep 7-3.
5. North Penn 11-3. Like LaSalle, the players and staff brought a lot of excitement to the North Penn faithful and others, advancing to the PIAA-quarterfinal where it all fell apart, losing to Upper Dublin 46-21. But this was a war, early. Nyfease West was tearing things up looking unstoppable against a heretofore stiff defense, allowing them to jump out to a 21-17 halftime lead. That’s pretty much what many felt would happen, the Knights easing forward then finishing things in the second half. But that’s not what happened. The talented and wildly underrated Cardinals (not here!) regrouped, adjusted (there’s a concept) and came out swinging in the second half to the tune of 29 unanswered points. 29-points! How often does that happen? West ended with 122 yards on 22 carries and 2 scores. Quarterback Reece Udinski (back next year) completed 7 of 15 for a meager 72 yards and that hurt although the ground game was there, gaining 184 yards. All and all, an 11 win season with an appearance in the district final was an accomplishment remembering the entire offensive line and tight end graduated. And they were breaking in a new quarterback in Udinski. That didn’t allow for a fast start but they eventually melded into a force. After beginning the year 1-2 losing to LaSalle and Downingtown East and beating West Catholic, they went on a 10 game winning streak, beating Pennsridge, Pennsbury, Neshaminy, Unionville then Downingtown East and Neshaminy in the rematches during the playoffs. They ended the year with their best offense since 2010 (13-2) at 35ppg and won another SOL-national title.
6. Wyoming Valley West 12-1. Wyoming Valley-1 Conference champ.
7. Neshaminy 9-4.
8. Pennsbury 9-4.
9. Downingtown East 11-1. Ches Mont-National champ.
10. Easton 9-4.
1. Upper Dublin 14-0. The Cardinals once again demonstrated why they’ve been the top rated team in the East for the last four weeks after pounding North Penn in the PIAA quarterfinals 46-21. Beginning the year at # 7, they’ve progressed through the ranks with one blow-out after another, winning the regular season games by an average score of 46-6. Through four playoff games, only Pennsbury gave them anything close to a competitive game, losing 24-14 while being overmatched statistically. Upper Dublin’s average score through those games was 38-13. Last week saw North Penn gave them a game for a half building a 21-17 lead largely on the strength of Nyfease West who ended the game with 120 yards rushing on 22 carries with 2 scores. The 21-17 lead came after the Knights fell behind 14-0. So while it was a nice comeback, the Cardinals were just getting warmed up. Running back Stacey Gardner, tight end Jack Rapine and quarterback Ryan Stover were too much for North Penn’s defense that allowed 29 second half points, 20 in the 3rd quarter, to blow the lid off this one. Gardner finished with 76 yards on 12 carries and 4 scores with Rapine catching 5 balls for 112 yards and one touchdown. Ryan Stover directed another balanced attack completing 15 of 24 passes for 248 yards, rushing for 64 more. There was good distribution with Stover throwing to six different receivers. Kaleif Lee added 38 yards on 14 carries. All totaled, they accumulated 419 total yards of offense, averaging 9.1 yards per point against a defense that held their previous three opponents, Unionville, Downingtown East and Neshamny to 7, 14 and 7 points respectively. The score and stats indicate a big night for the Cardinal defense as well who allowed no big plays (3,4,6-yd runs-scores) in the first half then shutting the Knights out in the second half, allowing a total of 256 yards. Along the way they passed last year’s 11-win record season and won their first district title.
This week’s opponent is at a level above the Knights. Team speed, size and D1 quality at quarterback, wide receiver and the offensive line make for one tough opponent. Third year starting All-Everything quarterback Devante Cross (6-2, 185, sr) is Parkland’s all-time leading passer. Through last week’s game he has thrown for 2439 yards and 23 touchdowns, while rushing for 1348 yards and 19 more touchdowns. Wide receiver Kenny Yeboah (6-5, 220, sr, Temple) has 960 yards on 48 receptions. Cross and Yeboah form one of the most dangerous tandems in the East that help make this the most dynamic offense in the playoffs. They, along with a quality corps of receivers in Nolan Ridgway, Zach Bross and Carrick Panella will look to get downfield. As an spread, Cross is the main threat but will look for hitches, screens, although the Cards are disciplined and slants to counter any blitzes; mostly short stuff. Anything deep is a bonus but they’ll likely attempt this with their size at receiver. Another option is running back Erik DiGirolamo (also stars at linebacker), who has 20 touchdowns on 1076 yards rushing behind one of the top lines in the state, anchored by Noel Brouse (6-6, 270, sr, Syracuse). Add to that a quick defense, perhaps now quicker with the addition of Jahan Worth (5-11, 220) their standout sophomore linebacker moved to DT replacing the injured Billy Danko (6-3, 240, OG/DT, sr)….allowing just 14ppg to understand the challenge awaiting the Cardinals.
2. Parkland 13-1. After three consecutive losses in the quarterfinals at the hands of a Philadelphia Catholic League team, Parkland finally shook off their old nemesis by defeating the LaSalle Explorers in a memorable contest. But nothing comes easy when tackling a PCL rep as the Trojans found out getting extended to overtime before eking out a 16-13 win on Devante Cross’s 4-yard run in the only overtime period. The defense stepped up a moment earlier in LaSalle’s possession, holding them to a field goal. As the score indicates, this was a defensive battle, with half the scores coming by way of field goals. Matt Savage made a 26-yarder with just under five minutes left to play only to see Parkland work their way downfield setting up Donovan Berger with 40 seconds left to nail a 20-yarder. 18 year olds! Let’s hear it! Despite two interceptions, quarterback Devante Cross got the job done, completing 14 of 24 passes for 144 yards while rushing for 110 yards on 22 carries where he had two touchdowns. Both sides struggled moving the ball with Parkland amassing 306 total yards to LaSalle’s 255. Erik DiGirolamo had 44 yards on 22 carries with Kenny Yeboah leading in receptions with 5 for 62 yards. Few teams ran well against Parkland’s front which has been an team strength all year. It was no different here. The absence of DL Danko was not apparent, holding Sy Madden to 54 yards on 20 attempts while allowing a total of 83 yards rushing.
Although both sides spread the ball around, only four players were involved in scoring. Cross scoring 12, Berger at 4, then Nick Rinella with 6 and Savage 7 for LaSalle. With the defenses prevailing, offensive production was way down; Parkland averaging 19.12 yards per point and LaSalle at 19.61ypp.
The problem for Parkland this week will be defending the multiple weapons of Upper Dublin, including a quarterback who shares many of the characteristics of their own in Ryan Stover. Like Cross, Stover is multi-talented, throwing for 2298 yards (65%, 2-year starter) and 26 scores while running for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns. Then there’s the two backs that can get the tough yards inside or out in Kaleif Lee (5-10, 200, sr) with 992 yards (11-227py) and Stacey Gardner (5-11, 215, sr) with 454 yards. Tight end Jack Rapine (6-1, 205, sr) is the primary with 25 catches for 396 yards supported by Danny Boggs (5-8, 165, sr) with 20 for 366 and Cole Swinger (5-10, 185, sr) with 18 catches for 278 yards. Four others have at least 10 receptions making the Cardinals the most complex team (Liberty?) Parkland has faced this year. The Cardinals can and will stretch and spread a defense with a good corps of receivers and running quarterback that will present Parkland with major challenges.
3. LaSalle 8-4. LaSalle battled long and hard, going into overtime before losing to Parkland in the PIAA-AAAA quarterfinals at Northeast High (Charlie Martin Memorial Stadium-Philadelphia), 16-13. Both sides played outstanding defense but Parkland’s was more, holding running back Syaire Madden to 54 yards and picking off Chris Ferguson twice. Nick Rinella had the lone touchdown of the game for LaSalle catching a 26 yard toss from Ferguson in the first quarter to take the early lead. The Trojans countered in the second on an 8 yard run by Devante Cross. Thereon it was all field goals before Cross scored in overtime. Rinella finished with 5 receptions for 78 yards while Ferguson completed 12 of 25 passes for 172 yards. The defense played well, with at least two red-zone stops in the first half, two interceptions and multiple critical stops in the second half. Holding Parkland’s multi-faceted attack to 10 points (regulation) was a major accomplishment. It’s hard softening the blow from a game like this but you can’t deny it was a heck of a ride for the players and coach John Steinmetz in his first year. There are a lot of teams sitting out there wishing they could look back on a season like this one, relishing wins against North Penn, Pennsbury, Malvern Prep then St. Joseph’s Prep in the conference playoff to win the Philadelphia Catholic League-AAAA crown. That’s good stuff in any year. Then beating Gratz to win Districts, followed by the showdown against Parkland where a play here or call there makes it a whole new ball game is no small change.
4. St. Joseph’s Prep 7-3.
5. North Penn 11-3. Like LaSalle, the players and staff brought a lot of excitement to the North Penn faithful and others, advancing to the PIAA-quarterfinal where it all fell apart, losing to Upper Dublin 46-21. But this was a war, early. Nyfease West was tearing things up looking unstoppable against a heretofore stiff defense, allowing them to jump out to a 21-17 halftime lead. That’s pretty much what many felt would happen, the Knights easing forward then finishing things in the second half. But that’s not what happened. The talented and wildly underrated Cardinals (not here!) regrouped, adjusted (there’s a concept) and came out swinging in the second half to the tune of 29 unanswered points. 29-points! How often does that happen? West ended with 122 yards on 22 carries and 2 scores. Quarterback Reece Udinski (back next year) completed 7 of 15 for a meager 72 yards and that hurt although the ground game was there, gaining 184 yards. All and all, an 11 win season with an appearance in the district final was an accomplishment remembering the entire offensive line and tight end graduated. And they were breaking in a new quarterback in Udinski. That didn’t allow for a fast start but they eventually melded into a force. After beginning the year 1-2 losing to LaSalle and Downingtown East and beating West Catholic, they went on a 10 game winning streak, beating Pennsridge, Pennsbury, Neshaminy, Unionville then Downingtown East and Neshaminy in the rematches during the playoffs. They ended the year with their best offense since 2010 (13-2) at 35ppg and won another SOL-national title.
6. Wyoming Valley West 12-1. Wyoming Valley-1 Conference champ.
7. Neshaminy 9-4.
8. Pennsbury 9-4.
9. Downingtown East 11-1. Ches Mont-National champ.
10. Easton 9-4.
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