6. North Penn 9-2, #9. North Penn made it look way to easy going to 8th seeded Unionville for a 48-7 win. The Indians shouldn’t feel too bad with the Knights winning their previous seven by an average score of 40-17. So make that eight in a row for the red hot Knights who visit Downingtown East for a rematch of a game played way back on the 18th of September, won by East 28-24. With all the talent on the field this will be one of the best games in the Commonwealth. The Knights can throw three quality backs at you in Nyfease West, Justin Ostopowicz and powerful Nick Isabella. Add to that a towering presence in quarterback Reece Udinski at 6-4, who is more of a threat now than in the first game to see the Knights are and will be a real tough out.
7. Easton 8-3, #6. The Rovers reversed the 19-13 overtime loss of two weeks ago to 3rd seeded Freedom by defeating the Patriots 20-3. Things got off to a exhilarating start for the Rovers when Greg Albertson returned the kickoff 86 yards for the score. Otherwise this was a night where defense ruled with Easton holding them to 119 total yards. Easton only got 208 but that was more than enough with the opening score and Nysir Minney-Gratz (nicked) holding up for 86 rush yards. The win advances them to the semifinal for another rematch, taking on 2nd seeded Parkland. Parkland won the first game on October 16th at Easton in a good one where their physicality trumped Easton’s heart, winning 21-3. Quarterback Trey Durrah is out for the year so we’ll see what Ben Nimeh can do.
8. Wyoming Valley West 11-0, #1. Valley West got a wake-up call from 8th seeded Nazareth, trailing 14-10 at halftime before rallying in the second half to secure their first sub-regional win against a District-11 team. Sean Judge’s 75-yard kick-off return to open the second half ignited a 41-point outburst as they thumped the Blue Eagles 51-34. Quarterback Aaron Austin was sharp, completing 9 of 13 for 118 yards and three scores. Running backs Devon Weidman and Judge had 118 and 106 yards rushing a piece as the Trojans had 462 yards of offense, 346 rushing. Naz put a scare into them and did the same against a few teams this year, beating Liberty 37-35 and Emmaus 49-36, losing to Freedom 31-27. They found some soft spots passing for 248 yards and four scores but only rushing for 145 yards. The Spartans threw it to keep things balanced but controlled things on the ground with those 342 rush yards. They move on in the playoffs against Liberty. Both are loaded offensively with the Spartans having a few more weapons, more size along the lines and comparable team speed. Liberty’s only road loss is at Nazareth.
9. Pennsbury 8-3, #15. Pennsbury pulled the biggest upset of the postseason to date going into Downingtown West and beating the Whippets 35-28 in overtime. You might say it was tough spot for the Whippets, following the rivalry game with Downingtown East. But the Falcons were coming off an equally draining game, losing to rival Neshaminy the week before to cancel that out. The Whippets had no answer for Pennsbury’s “ground and pound” Wing-T that churned out 334 yards rushing. SOL teams must have an affinity for Kottmeyer’s field with Plymouth Whitemarsh rushing for 204 yards for a total of 538 yards rushing between the two teams! Quarterback Mike Alley rushed for 130, fullback Chris Rupprecht for 109 and Robert Daly for 94 yards. They move on to play the 10th seed Perkiomen Valley who survived their own ordeal at Haverford.
10. Neshaminy 8-3, #13. Road Warrior Neshaminy took a trip to Royersford Friday where they came away LARGE, beating previously undefeated Spring Ford 31-16. Surprised? Maybe a little but don’t forget they were fresh off a road win in Fairless Hills and have a 5-1 road record. Impressive stuff winning back to back games against those two. Their only road loss was a well contested game at North Penn, 22-17 late in the season. The Skins offense hasn’t been as consistent as North Penn’s but they’re on something of a roll. And, they just found a passing game against Spring Ford that was the difference in the game with Mason Jones completing 12 of 19 for 204 yards, mostly to Denzel Hughes who caught 6 for 80 yards. Joe Pirrone ran for 112 yards. With the defense holding Spring Ford to 54 yards rushing (!) it was a total effort, not just the suddenly found passing game. They move on to the 2nd round Friday at 12th seeded Quakertown.
7. Easton 8-3, #6. The Rovers reversed the 19-13 overtime loss of two weeks ago to 3rd seeded Freedom by defeating the Patriots 20-3. Things got off to a exhilarating start for the Rovers when Greg Albertson returned the kickoff 86 yards for the score. Otherwise this was a night where defense ruled with Easton holding them to 119 total yards. Easton only got 208 but that was more than enough with the opening score and Nysir Minney-Gratz (nicked) holding up for 86 rush yards. The win advances them to the semifinal for another rematch, taking on 2nd seeded Parkland. Parkland won the first game on October 16th at Easton in a good one where their physicality trumped Easton’s heart, winning 21-3. Quarterback Trey Durrah is out for the year so we’ll see what Ben Nimeh can do.
8. Wyoming Valley West 11-0, #1. Valley West got a wake-up call from 8th seeded Nazareth, trailing 14-10 at halftime before rallying in the second half to secure their first sub-regional win against a District-11 team. Sean Judge’s 75-yard kick-off return to open the second half ignited a 41-point outburst as they thumped the Blue Eagles 51-34. Quarterback Aaron Austin was sharp, completing 9 of 13 for 118 yards and three scores. Running backs Devon Weidman and Judge had 118 and 106 yards rushing a piece as the Trojans had 462 yards of offense, 346 rushing. Naz put a scare into them and did the same against a few teams this year, beating Liberty 37-35 and Emmaus 49-36, losing to Freedom 31-27. They found some soft spots passing for 248 yards and four scores but only rushing for 145 yards. The Spartans threw it to keep things balanced but controlled things on the ground with those 342 rush yards. They move on in the playoffs against Liberty. Both are loaded offensively with the Spartans having a few more weapons, more size along the lines and comparable team speed. Liberty’s only road loss is at Nazareth.
9. Pennsbury 8-3, #15. Pennsbury pulled the biggest upset of the postseason to date going into Downingtown West and beating the Whippets 35-28 in overtime. You might say it was tough spot for the Whippets, following the rivalry game with Downingtown East. But the Falcons were coming off an equally draining game, losing to rival Neshaminy the week before to cancel that out. The Whippets had no answer for Pennsbury’s “ground and pound” Wing-T that churned out 334 yards rushing. SOL teams must have an affinity for Kottmeyer’s field with Plymouth Whitemarsh rushing for 204 yards for a total of 538 yards rushing between the two teams! Quarterback Mike Alley rushed for 130, fullback Chris Rupprecht for 109 and Robert Daly for 94 yards. They move on to play the 10th seed Perkiomen Valley who survived their own ordeal at Haverford.
10. Neshaminy 8-3, #13. Road Warrior Neshaminy took a trip to Royersford Friday where they came away LARGE, beating previously undefeated Spring Ford 31-16. Surprised? Maybe a little but don’t forget they were fresh off a road win in Fairless Hills and have a 5-1 road record. Impressive stuff winning back to back games against those two. Their only road loss was a well contested game at North Penn, 22-17 late in the season. The Skins offense hasn’t been as consistent as North Penn’s but they’re on something of a roll. And, they just found a passing game against Spring Ford that was the difference in the game with Mason Jones completing 12 of 19 for 204 yards, mostly to Denzel Hughes who caught 6 for 80 yards. Joe Pirrone ran for 112 yards. With the defense holding Spring Ford to 54 yards rushing (!) it was a total effort, not just the suddenly found passing game. They move on to the 2nd round Friday at 12th seeded Quakertown.