Back for its 16th season, the popular Intelligencer/Bucks County Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football’ features football beat writer Drew Markol. To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the Intelligencer (http://www.theintell.com/sports/high-school/) and Courier Times (http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/high-school/) web sites
SuburbanOneSports.com: North Penn defeated Souderton in a district quarterfinal game. Your comments about the game you covered.
Drew Markol: “You look at the quarterfinals last week. You had Souderton taking on North Penn, and it was Souderton scoring first and taking a 7-0 lead, but after that, North Penn - just as they've been doing - kind of kicked it into gear and started scoring, and especially to start the third quarter, they scored on their first four possessions and just put the game away.
“Matt Pownall, the senior running back, and Rylei Gray, the junior running back, combined for four rushing touchdowns, and Gray threw a touchdown pass out of a halfback option to Pownall, a 31-yard beautiful throw in the back of the end zone. It couldn't have been done any better. They just really turned it on.
“I mean, Souderton’s pretty good. Souderton came in at 9-2 and had only lost to CB West and Council Rock South, two playoff teams. North Penn just kind of took them apart, especially in the second half. They were a little bit too physical for them. North Penn's offensive line has been playing really well as of late. They've won seven in a row since losing to Pennridge.
“I asked Dick Beck, the North Penn coach, about that - how big was that loss to Pennridge as far as waking his team up, and he said it did. They realized they had to change some things and get better in a lot of ways, and that's what they've done. So, you look at North Penn now - their only losses on the season are to Pennridge and Neshaminy, two teams that are still alive in the district semifinals along with them and Coatesville. So, North Penn's losses have been not bad ones either.
“To me, North Penn looks like the best team in the district. I've been saying that for a while. They're playing a Neshaminy team that beat them 18-14 the first time they played, and Neshaminy’s been playing really well, too. I just have a feeling that North Penn has figured it out. It’s just been showing with the way they've been playing week after week since getting blown out by Pennridge in the second half of that game, which was a 34-10 Pennridge win. But they just really look good. And when you have Matt Bucksar throwing passes and is a really good, experienced quarterback, and Mason Franek is a really good receiver. Then you have Pownall, whose going to the Navy to play. So, he's a Division I kid. And Rylei Gray looks like he's a year away from that, but he'll be going somewhere good to college to play.
“North Penn just has weapons all over the place, and they went to the district final last year, too, so it's not like we're not going out on a limb here saying - this is North Penn, and this is what they do.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Neshaminy defeated Owen J Roberts in a battle of two teams that pulled off opening round upsets. Your thoughts.
Drew Markol: “Look at Neshaminy. As far as them getting a higher seed in the tournament, they were the 11th seed because they got hurt by their loss to Cheltenham early in the season, but they caught a break when third-seeded Downingtown West lost to Owen J. Roberts, who was the 14th seed. That gave Neshaminy, as 11th seed, a quarterfinal game at home, which is great for them, and they took advantage of it, although they fell behind. They were down 21-7 halfway through the second quarter, and you're thinking, ‘All right, they're in big trouble.’ Well, no they weren't because Owen J. Roberts didn't score again, and Neshaminy scored six more touchdowns after that.
“Their quarterback, Michael Eckart, has been just fabulous all season. He's running for touchdowns, throwing for touchdowns. He threw for three touchdowns in the win, and he ran for 100 yards and another touchdown. You have Carter Clee, who got hurt and missed a good chunk of last year, but he's been back and has been really good.
“Neshaminy flipped a switch midway through the second quarter and said, ‘Okay, now it's time to get our offense going,’ and they did. And then you go back to Eckart - he has the Sassano twins to throw to. Brock Williams had a big game. I think he had five catches for almost 80 yards.
“They're kind of similar to North Penn. They have weapons. They've got a running quarterback like North Penn does in Matt Bucksar. North Penn has two really good running backs. Neshaminy has Carter Clee, who's really good, and they both have good receivers. It just shows you that like anything - if you can attack a defense in multiple ways, you're going to have more luck against them, and that's what these two teams have. And the fact that they're in the district semifinals – again, Neshaminy is an 11th seed, but they beat CB West twice. They beat North Penn during the season. They're legit. They had one hiccup against Cheltenham, or they probably would have been a six seed or something like that.
“These two have a long history in the playoffs, and Friday will be interesting. They meet in the semis. I think North Penn has a slight edge, but Neshaminy does have the win over them during the regular season. So, there's a confidence factor there, too, that – ‘Hey, they didn't beat us. They didn't blow us out. We can play with them’ and that whole thing. This is what it’s supposed to be. Both semifinals - they’re supposed to be good.”
SuburbanOneSports.com: Pennridge defeated Downingtown East and will face fourth seeded Coatesville in the other district semifinal. Your comments.
Drew Markol: “You look at Pennridge and Coatesville. Pennridge is the top seed. Coatesville is the fourth seed, so that side of the bracket played out like it's supposed to by the seedings. What Pennridge has been doing - they've been fabulous. Like Neshaminy, Pennridge fell behind against Downingtown East in their home game last Friday night. They're down 3-0, but then Ryan Rowe, who was the hero of their win over Plymouth Whitemarsh and has been just a steady linebacker and running back all season - he scored, and then Noah Keating, the senior quarterback who's broken just about every passing record at the school, had a rushing touchdown. That made it 14-3 at the half. And then Pennridge tacked on another touchdown in the second half, and they win 21-9. There's not a lot of flash with Pennridge. Will Dougherty, another running back, had a team high 68 yards on the ground, and Rowe had 57 yards on the ground. They like to keep possession of the ball, and they throw it a bit. Keating only threw for about 85 yards, but a lot of it depends on when you get those yards. They hang onto the ball. They try to wear you down with those running backs. And the defense, led by Rowe at linebacker – it’s a combination that's working.
“The thing about Pennridge - unlike like a Neshaminy or a North Penn that can score pretty quickly because they can throw it - Pennridge isn't really that quick strike offense, but if you’re playing from ahead, you don't have to worry about that. They’ve just been good. Now they play a Coatesville team that I have not seen play this year. In their quarterfinal, they shut out Council Rock South 14-0. Coatesville has a big lineman, Max Hiller, who's a junior and is one of the top recruits in the country. He'll go wherever he wants, and they just try to run it down your throat, although the quarterback, Matt Ortega, Jr, the coach’s son, is a savvy player. But to Pennridge’s credit, you heard the name Downingtown East, and you're thinking, ‘Okay, that could be trouble.’ Pennridge beats them. Now you hear Coatesville, and ‘Okay, that could be trouble, but I don't think they worry about that. They beat up on North Penn, they beat Neshaminy, they beat Downingtown East.
“People remember a couple years ago - I think it was during COVID, Coatesville came up in the semifinals. There weren't as many teams playing, but Pennridge beat them. And then the next week, Souderton beat Pennridge for the district title.
“I give a slight edge to Pennridge. They don't have to make the long ride again on a Friday. That is no fun. We talked about that last week with Downingtown East having to make the long ride all the way up to Pennridge. That team is just full of confidence. And I think it goes back to the first-round win over Plymouth Whitemarsh when they were on the ropes and Ryan Rowe scored a touchdown in the final minute, and they went for two and got it when Rowe scored again.
“I think that woke them up a little bit. They took care of Downingtown East, hold them to nine points, and now they're in the semifinals with a shot. If they can beat Coatesville, it won't be easy, but if they can, they're hosting a district final because the district final's played at the site of the higher seed, and Pennridge is number one. What else can you say? They've backed up their 9-1 regular season, and now they're a step away from the district final.”
Drew's picks
(Winners in bold)
Coatesville @ Pennridge
Neshaminy @ North Penn
- Log in to post comments
