2015; Week 3 rankings
11. North Penn 1-2. How far can you drop a team going on the road as the 11th ranked team in the East to play the 7th ranked team on their field, coming away with a narrow 28-24 loss? It was a great game with a number of momentum swings but for the most part it hinged on turnovers and penalties. What’s new! Two led to North Penn’s 14-0 lead. The other, a pick with time running out in the fourth quarter prevented a last minute comeback win by the Knights following a touchdown negating penalty! North Penn’s running backs shined with Nyfeese West gaining 192 yards and a touchdown while Justin Ostopowicz had 67 yards on seven carries and catching three passes for 30 yards. Add in Nick Isabella to see what a great group of running backs they have. Quarterback Reece Udinski completed 9 of 23 for 114 yards. Up next is a tough opponent in Pennridge whose only loss was in overtime to undefeated Central Bucks East 16-10. What a war this should be with North Penn facing a typically difficult schedule situation that has them in their third straight road game. A win here means they’ll likely win the next three with Central Bucks South, Souderton and Bensalem on deck, putting them at 5-2 before closing out with Pennsbury, Neshaminy and Abington, the latter two at home.
12. Quakertown 3-0. This veteran group seems on cruise control averaging 40ppg while allowing 8. That theme could continue in the SOL-Continental opener against surprising Tennett (3-0). Like the Panthers, Tennett hasn’t been tested. But the Panthers are a veteran group while Tennett tries to snap a streak of ten consecutive losing seasons. Quakertown escaped with a 21-14 win last year so we’ll see. Unlike last year where the challenges were far and few between, this year sees at least three teams capable of beating them, Norristown, Council Rock North and Central Bucks East.
13. Perkiomen Valley 3-0. The PAC-10 just got a lot clearer with Perkiomen Valley brushing aside one of two challengers by defeating Pottsgrove last week 34-21. Anything can happen over the course of the next few weeks but the big one appears to be the season finale in Royersford against another powerful edition at Spring Ford. Owen J. Roberts (1-2) is next, coming off their first win of the year against Pope John Paul II 43-22. Before that they were blown out by Conestoga and Great Valley. Perk Val won 41-0 last year.
14. Freedom 3-0. Freedom had no trouble with Emmaus’ one dimensional attack (22 pass yards) beating the Green Hornets 28-7. Like Durrah at Easton, quarterback Joe Young for the Pats had a great outing, rushing for 108 yards while completing 11 of 16 passes for 176 yards. Depending on the extent of running back Robert Diez’s lower leg injury, you may be seeing more of that from Young. Otherwise, it was a sharp performance by the balanced and sizeable Patriot attack, rushing for 210 yards and passing for 176. The run should continue next week against 1-2 Northampton. This is probably a bad place to go in cocky knowing the K-Kids last two opponents were Parkland and Easton.
15. Spring Ford 3-0. The Rams moved up from 17th to 15th. Big surprise, Coach Brubaker put another quality product on the field! Facetious for sure but what a great rebuild job was evidently done with the lines and other areas. They are for real knowing the skill they return (see preseason review) and seeing the margins of their wins, beating Phoenixville 58-7 and Upper Perkiomen 53-7 following the season opening 28-25 win against State College. Big offense with a supporting passing attack is a Brubaker hallmark. Since his arrival in 2010, the team’s year ending offensive average is 27, 37, 33, 34, 41ppg. This year’s edition is averaging 46. 1-2 Boyertown is next followed by Methacton before the big one against Pottsgrove.
16. Central Bucks East 3-0. Up from 19 to 16 with a perfect slate and some impressive wins blowing out Cheltenham 54-14, edging Pennridge in overtime 16-10 then beating Central Bucks South last week 40-27. Council Rock North (1-2) is next and always a threat with quarterback Brandon McIlwain under center. North won last year 21-0. Central Bucks East is looking good but the schedule is not favorable with Council Rock South, Norristown and Quakertown all on the road. Remember East ended last year on a 4-1 run, fueled in part by the return of running back Alex Gibson in week six after missing four games and quarterback Jack Lamb getting the nod when Connor O’Keefe when down the fourth week of the season.
17. Pennridge 2-1. Up from 20th to 17. All that separates them from a 3-0 mark was an overtime loss to Central Bucks East in week two. Their other wins were Hatboro Horsham 55-29 and Central Bucks West 34-0 last week. But their biggest test is this week at home for the fourth straight week against North Penn. Expect an all out from the Knights who are already fighting for their playoff lives with a 1-2 record. North Penn won last year 47-22 and they’ll get a pile of points with their schedule but this is a must win situation for them, a game with major ramifications for both.
18. Nazareth 2-1. The Eagles rose from the ranks of the unranked to 18th following consistent performances that preceded the win against Liberty last week. Winning at Stroudsburg 49-47 in the opener then home to Freedom where they lost 31-27 followed by last week’s rebound win against Liberty 37-35 speaks to their competitiveness, maturity over last year and talent at the skill positions as neither Freedom or Liberty could shut them down. Jahan Dotson returned a kickoff 85 yards for six in the third quarter. It wasn’t a balanced attack rushing for a mere 91 yards but they tore up the air lanes, with quarterback Travis Stefanik completing 24 of 36 passes (67%) for 281 yards. Julian Liaci was on the receiving end for nearly half of those snagging 11 for 152 yards including 16-yd and 65-yd touchdowns. Struggling Emmaus (1-2) is next, a team that beat Naz last year 34-27.
19. Liberty 2-1. Liberty was dropped in the polls from 15th to 19th following a hard fought but losing effort on the road at Nazareth, 37-35. Not that there weren’t good things to talk about such as their 305 yards rushing. That alone usually secures a win but not when you have numerous penalties on top of special teams failures, one resulting in a 85-yd kickoff returned for a touchdown, or a secondary so porous (pass rush?) as to allow 281 yards passing. And when you churn out 429 total yards of offense you’re supposed to win the game and do better than 12.25 yards per point. So it’s back to the drawing board especially for the anemic passing attack that saw Doug Erney complete only 12 of 31 passes for 124 yards and pass defense that allowed 281. Scary thinking what Whitehall’s quarterback Gianni Sinatore might do this week against that secondary….IF….his new OL gives him time.
20. Council Rock South 1-2. This has to be one of the best two loss teams in the East with heartbreaking losses to Pennsbury in the opener 13-6 then the two point loss to Neshaminy last week, 27-25. If they make it to the postseason this will be of the teams we all talk about wanting to avoid. Playing in the SOL-Continental, they could not have drawn a tougher slate of non conference SOL opponents unless North Penn was in the mix. The next three weeks could make or break them with home games against Truman, Central Bucks East and Central Bucks West. Wins there put them at 4-2 and right back in the playoff picture. They may not get there but will definitely influence who does!
Honorable Mention:
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3-0. Beat Norristown 20-16, at Upper Merion 2-1
Norristown 2-1. Lost to Whitemarsh 20-16, at 0-3 CB West
Souderton 2-1. Beat Wis 29-7, at Pennsbury
Ridley 2-1. Lost to G-Val 28-10, big game at Upper Darby 2-1
Garnet Valley 2-1. Strong road win at Ridley 28-10; home to Lower Merion 1-2
Wyoming Valley West 3-0. Beat Pittston 62-13, at Berwick 3-0
Williamsport 3-0. Beat Abington Heights 36-14, at Hazelton 1-2
Unionville 2-1. Beat Avon Grove 27-17, at Rustin 2-1
11. North Penn 1-2. How far can you drop a team going on the road as the 11th ranked team in the East to play the 7th ranked team on their field, coming away with a narrow 28-24 loss? It was a great game with a number of momentum swings but for the most part it hinged on turnovers and penalties. What’s new! Two led to North Penn’s 14-0 lead. The other, a pick with time running out in the fourth quarter prevented a last minute comeback win by the Knights following a touchdown negating penalty! North Penn’s running backs shined with Nyfeese West gaining 192 yards and a touchdown while Justin Ostopowicz had 67 yards on seven carries and catching three passes for 30 yards. Add in Nick Isabella to see what a great group of running backs they have. Quarterback Reece Udinski completed 9 of 23 for 114 yards. Up next is a tough opponent in Pennridge whose only loss was in overtime to undefeated Central Bucks East 16-10. What a war this should be with North Penn facing a typically difficult schedule situation that has them in their third straight road game. A win here means they’ll likely win the next three with Central Bucks South, Souderton and Bensalem on deck, putting them at 5-2 before closing out with Pennsbury, Neshaminy and Abington, the latter two at home.
12. Quakertown 3-0. This veteran group seems on cruise control averaging 40ppg while allowing 8. That theme could continue in the SOL-Continental opener against surprising Tennett (3-0). Like the Panthers, Tennett hasn’t been tested. But the Panthers are a veteran group while Tennett tries to snap a streak of ten consecutive losing seasons. Quakertown escaped with a 21-14 win last year so we’ll see. Unlike last year where the challenges were far and few between, this year sees at least three teams capable of beating them, Norristown, Council Rock North and Central Bucks East.
13. Perkiomen Valley 3-0. The PAC-10 just got a lot clearer with Perkiomen Valley brushing aside one of two challengers by defeating Pottsgrove last week 34-21. Anything can happen over the course of the next few weeks but the big one appears to be the season finale in Royersford against another powerful edition at Spring Ford. Owen J. Roberts (1-2) is next, coming off their first win of the year against Pope John Paul II 43-22. Before that they were blown out by Conestoga and Great Valley. Perk Val won 41-0 last year.
14. Freedom 3-0. Freedom had no trouble with Emmaus’ one dimensional attack (22 pass yards) beating the Green Hornets 28-7. Like Durrah at Easton, quarterback Joe Young for the Pats had a great outing, rushing for 108 yards while completing 11 of 16 passes for 176 yards. Depending on the extent of running back Robert Diez’s lower leg injury, you may be seeing more of that from Young. Otherwise, it was a sharp performance by the balanced and sizeable Patriot attack, rushing for 210 yards and passing for 176. The run should continue next week against 1-2 Northampton. This is probably a bad place to go in cocky knowing the K-Kids last two opponents were Parkland and Easton.
15. Spring Ford 3-0. The Rams moved up from 17th to 15th. Big surprise, Coach Brubaker put another quality product on the field! Facetious for sure but what a great rebuild job was evidently done with the lines and other areas. They are for real knowing the skill they return (see preseason review) and seeing the margins of their wins, beating Phoenixville 58-7 and Upper Perkiomen 53-7 following the season opening 28-25 win against State College. Big offense with a supporting passing attack is a Brubaker hallmark. Since his arrival in 2010, the team’s year ending offensive average is 27, 37, 33, 34, 41ppg. This year’s edition is averaging 46. 1-2 Boyertown is next followed by Methacton before the big one against Pottsgrove.
16. Central Bucks East 3-0. Up from 19 to 16 with a perfect slate and some impressive wins blowing out Cheltenham 54-14, edging Pennridge in overtime 16-10 then beating Central Bucks South last week 40-27. Council Rock North (1-2) is next and always a threat with quarterback Brandon McIlwain under center. North won last year 21-0. Central Bucks East is looking good but the schedule is not favorable with Council Rock South, Norristown and Quakertown all on the road. Remember East ended last year on a 4-1 run, fueled in part by the return of running back Alex Gibson in week six after missing four games and quarterback Jack Lamb getting the nod when Connor O’Keefe when down the fourth week of the season.
17. Pennridge 2-1. Up from 20th to 17. All that separates them from a 3-0 mark was an overtime loss to Central Bucks East in week two. Their other wins were Hatboro Horsham 55-29 and Central Bucks West 34-0 last week. But their biggest test is this week at home for the fourth straight week against North Penn. Expect an all out from the Knights who are already fighting for their playoff lives with a 1-2 record. North Penn won last year 47-22 and they’ll get a pile of points with their schedule but this is a must win situation for them, a game with major ramifications for both.
18. Nazareth 2-1. The Eagles rose from the ranks of the unranked to 18th following consistent performances that preceded the win against Liberty last week. Winning at Stroudsburg 49-47 in the opener then home to Freedom where they lost 31-27 followed by last week’s rebound win against Liberty 37-35 speaks to their competitiveness, maturity over last year and talent at the skill positions as neither Freedom or Liberty could shut them down. Jahan Dotson returned a kickoff 85 yards for six in the third quarter. It wasn’t a balanced attack rushing for a mere 91 yards but they tore up the air lanes, with quarterback Travis Stefanik completing 24 of 36 passes (67%) for 281 yards. Julian Liaci was on the receiving end for nearly half of those snagging 11 for 152 yards including 16-yd and 65-yd touchdowns. Struggling Emmaus (1-2) is next, a team that beat Naz last year 34-27.
19. Liberty 2-1. Liberty was dropped in the polls from 15th to 19th following a hard fought but losing effort on the road at Nazareth, 37-35. Not that there weren’t good things to talk about such as their 305 yards rushing. That alone usually secures a win but not when you have numerous penalties on top of special teams failures, one resulting in a 85-yd kickoff returned for a touchdown, or a secondary so porous (pass rush?) as to allow 281 yards passing. And when you churn out 429 total yards of offense you’re supposed to win the game and do better than 12.25 yards per point. So it’s back to the drawing board especially for the anemic passing attack that saw Doug Erney complete only 12 of 31 passes for 124 yards and pass defense that allowed 281. Scary thinking what Whitehall’s quarterback Gianni Sinatore might do this week against that secondary….IF….his new OL gives him time.
20. Council Rock South 1-2. This has to be one of the best two loss teams in the East with heartbreaking losses to Pennsbury in the opener 13-6 then the two point loss to Neshaminy last week, 27-25. If they make it to the postseason this will be of the teams we all talk about wanting to avoid. Playing in the SOL-Continental, they could not have drawn a tougher slate of non conference SOL opponents unless North Penn was in the mix. The next three weeks could make or break them with home games against Truman, Central Bucks East and Central Bucks West. Wins there put them at 4-2 and right back in the playoff picture. They may not get there but will definitely influence who does!
Honorable Mention:
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3-0. Beat Norristown 20-16, at Upper Merion 2-1
Norristown 2-1. Lost to Whitemarsh 20-16, at 0-3 CB West
Souderton 2-1. Beat Wis 29-7, at Pennsbury
Ridley 2-1. Lost to G-Val 28-10, big game at Upper Darby 2-1
Garnet Valley 2-1. Strong road win at Ridley 28-10; home to Lower Merion 1-2
Wyoming Valley West 3-0. Beat Pittston 62-13, at Berwick 3-0
Williamsport 3-0. Beat Abington Heights 36-14, at Hazelton 1-2
Unionville 2-1. Beat Avon Grove 27-17, at Rustin 2-1