Football Forecast
Volume 1
By Scott Huff
Tick tock…
The countdown to the 2026 Suburban One League football season is approaching and ready or not – here it comes.
It’s The Same Old Song…
The 2026 Pennsylvania scholastic football season will end in the same unfair manner as it did last season – with just a single crowned champion in each classification.
The grinding gears on the legislation in Harrisburg to have separate private and public high school football champions has been stalled since May 1, 2026, in the Senate Education Committee.
Pennsylvania state representative Scott Conklin (Democrat – 77th District) put a bill on the floor in late April, 2026, that would allow the PIAA to create both private and public schools football champions in every classification.
Below is part of Conklin’s House Bill 41:
“The existing playoff system forces athletes from public schools, which are limited to recruiting from within district boundaries, to compete against athletes from private schools, which can recruit from anywhere and amass larger, stronger teams. The result is unfair, lopsided competitions that leave public school students on a dangerously unlevel playing field, subjecting them to added physical risks and even depriving them of scholarship and recruiting opportunities.
“School sports are supposed to be about building confidence and teaching lessons in fair play, but the current system is teaching all the wrong lessons.
“My bill would provide a way to end these increasingly dangerous competitions by allowing the PIAA to establish separate playoffs and championships for boundary and non-boundary schools.”
House Bill 41 passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives by an extremely strong bipartisan vote of 178-23.
Pennsylvania state senator Marty Flynn (Democrat 113th District) has put together Senate Bill 1253 which is a companion legislation to House Bill 41. Flynn feels that the Senate would pass the bill If the bill was ever brought to the floor for a vote.
So for now – the House Bill 41remains on someone’s desk in the Senate Education Committee – awaiting “ongoing discussion.”
And most likely collecting dust – a lot of dust.
**FYI** The District One 6A champion (public) is currently matched in the playoff bracket against the District 12 champion (private) in the PIAA Eastern Semifinals.
A snapshot of the non-competitive results of just the last five seasons has been lopsided scores in favor of the private schools.
In 2025 La Salle blasted North Penn, 49-14. * In 2024 St. Joe Prep routed Downingtown West, 46-7. * In 2003 SJP whitewashed Central Bucks South, 49-0. * In 2022 SJP trounced Garnet Valley, 48-7. * And in 2021 the Prep overpowered Garnet Valley, 49-13.
Hey, but what about Souderton vs. St. Joe Prep in 2020?
The final score was a SJP victory, 51-43, but the score at halftime was a decisive 44-7 Hawk lead. And the second half was played with the mercy-rule and a running clock.
The overwhelming thrill of victory by winning a District One football championship trophy is followed the following week with the unbearable agony of a crushing defeat against District 12.
It just doesn’t seem fair – and it isn’t.
Thumbs Up…Thumbs Down..
Members of the Suburban One League schools that included athletic directors, principals, and league administrators revised the conference alignment for the upcoming 2026 football season.
The criteria for the movement were based partly on both school enrollment & competitive balance.
Thumbs Up…
Plymouth Whitemarsh is the five-time defending Suburban One League American Conference champion, and head coach Dan Chang and his victorious Colonials will move ‘up’ to the SOL Continental Conference for the 2026 football season.
Plymouth Whitemarsh was a perfect 26-0 in the American Conference (100%) over those five championship seasons and was an impressive 45-14 overall (76.3%).
The Colonials will join Souderton, Council Rock South, Council Rock North, Bensalem, Quakertown, and Upper Dublin in the ‘new’ 2026 SOL Continental Conference.
Thumbs Up…
Harry S Truman has struggled competitively in the Suburban One League Continental Conference the last four seasons and will move ‘down’ to the SOL American Conference for the 2026 football season.
The Tigers were a less than impressive 2-23 in the conference over those years (8.6%) winning record that included a forfeit victory (over Cheltenham) and was just 5-34 overall (14.7%).
Truman will join William Tennent, Wissahickon, Hatboro-Horsham, Upper Moreland and Springfield-Montco in the ‘new’ 2026 SOL American Conference.
Thumbs Down…
While ‘the powers that be’ in the Suburban One League could accommodate the obvious need for improvement in ‘competitive balance’ for both Plymouth Whitemarsh and Harry S Truman – a blind eye was turned to both Abington & Souderton.
Abington will have not won a Suburban One League National Conference game in an incredible 1,884 calendar days (if my math is correct) when the Ghosts take the field on September 18, 2026, at Titan Field against Central Bucks South.
The last conference victory for Abington came way back on October 22, 2021 when the Ghosts defeated Pennsbury, 36-35 – and the Abington winless conference streak is at an astonishing 29 games.
The winning percentage for the Maroon & White in the SOL National Conference over the last four years has been a disastrous 0-28 (0%) and a dismal 5-35 overall (14.3%).
In the SOL National Conference the last four years, the Ghosts have been outscored cumulatively by Pennridge (152-8), North Penn (173-59), Central Bucks South (167-33), Central Bucks East (165-13), Central Bucks West (157-35), Pennsbury (153-20) & Neshaminy (149-48) – an excruciating losing margin of 32.2 point per game.
Do you see any competitive balance with those numbers?
It's not clear to me why a move ‘down’ to the Suburban One League Continental Conference would not create at least an attempt at a more competitive schedule for Abington.
* * * * * * * * * *
It also doesn’t make sense to me why a move ‘up’ to the Suburban One National Conference would not create a more competitive schedule for Souderton.
The Indians have dominated the SOL Continental Conference in football the last six seasons winning both a PIAA District One championship (2000) and three conference championships over that time period.
Souderton is a remarkable 33-5 (86.8%) the last six seasons in conference and a terrific 50-17 (74.6%) overall.
Souderton Area High School would also move ‘up’ into a National Conference that is more aligned with the majority of schools with its male enrollment.
The Indians (891 male students) had an unmistakable male student enrollment advantage in the SOL Continental Conference the last few seasons over CR South (716), CR North (636), Quakertown (635), Plymouth Whitemarsh (614) and Upper Dublin (469) – with the lone exception being a struggling Bensalem (966) football program.
A revised SOL National Conference with the inclusion of Souderton this season would have shown male enrollment totals that would included North Penn (1755), Neshaminy (1210), Pennsbury (1194), Souderton (891 if realigned), Central Bucks South (855), Pennridge (812), Central Bucks East (791) and Central Bucks West (720).
And a tremendous perk for the Souderton football fans would be that the Indians would compete on a year-to-year basis with fierce neighborhood rivals Pennridge & North Penn.
The Friday Night Lights would be ablaze @ Souderton’s Indian Field, @ Pennridge’s Helman Field and @ North Penn’s Crawford Stadium, and the fans in those neighboring schools would be in all their collective glory.
****FYI ****Souderton boys compete in the same SOL Colonial Division with both Pennridge & North Penn – along with CB East, CB West & CB South - in the higher profile sports that include soccer, basketball, baseball – and in fact - every other male sport (wrestling, lacrosse, tennis, volleyball & ice hockey) with the exception of football.
And over the last three seasons the Indian boys’ basketball team has won the last two Colonial Division titles and while the soccer team finished second in 2024 and the baseball team finished second in 2024. ****
But the powers that be just did not see a competitive balance move ‘down’ for the floundering Abington football program to the SOL Continental Conference and a move ‘up’ for the thriving Souderton football program to the SOL National Conference.
Thumbs down…and in my humble opinion…way down.
Everything Old is New Again…
Welcome Back…
Council Rock North & William Tennent are both attempting to revitalize their respective football programs by bringing back a couple of ‘oldies but goodies’ to their sidelines.
The ’new’ head coach at CR North is none other than Vince Bedesem. Bedesem started the football program at Council Rock South in 2002 and coached the Golden Hawks until 2021 after collecting an impressive 100 career victories. Bedesem replaces John Greiner as head coach of the Indians.
The ‘new’ head coach at William Tennent is none other than Biz Keeny. Keeny previously coached at WT for 12 seasons from 2001-2012 and collected 51 wins – including the last winning season for Tennent in 2006. Keeny replaces Colin Leach as head coach of the Panthers.
On the move…
Pennsbury & Bensalem welcome a pair of new head coaches that coached last season in some capacity with hopes of showing improvement for their new respective programs.
The new head coach at Pennsbury is John Greiner. Greiner is a 1993 graduate of Pennsbury and was the head coach at Council Rock North for five years (2019-23). Prior to his stint at CR North, Greiner owned a 31-18 record at Bristol. Greiner – an assistant at Bristol for the past two years since leaving Rock North - replaces a Falcon legend in Galen Synder who coached the Orange & Black for a total of 17 seasons.
The new head coach at Bensalem is Mitch Cohen. Cohen has coached for over two decades and was the defensive coordinator at Neshaminy last year. Cohen had an impressive resume at Morrisville where he led the Bulldogs to back-to-back District One Class A championships in 2023 and 2024. Cohen replaces Alex Houston as head coach of the Owls.
We Are Family…
Central Bucks South will be guided in a unique coaching manner this 2026 season.
Head coach Tom Hetrick will not be on the South sidelines this season as he steps away to focus on his wife’s health issue. Hetrick has led the Titans for 12 seasons and has a remarkable 82-50 record and coached CB South to a District One title in 2023.A duo of current Titan coordinators will be co-head coaches at Central Bucks South this season.
Bart Szarko is the South offensive coordinator and will handle those offensive duties for the 2026 Titans. Szarko was the head coach at CB South from 2004-2009.
John Cataldo is the South defensive coordinator and will handle those duties for the 2026 Titans. Cataldo has been the CB South defensive coordinator since 2021.
Hetrick will surely be missed this season at Central Bucks South, but his Titan football family of Szarko and Cataldo will most certainly step up and do an outstanding job.
Panthers caged for 2026…
The 2026 Cheltenham varsity and junior varsity football teams will not compete in the Suburban One League – Continental Conference this season.
A grand jury investigation is under way concerning a 2025 hazing and assault that appears to have taken place in the Panther locker room.
The incident resulted in criminal charges against four former coaches and six players.
Awfully sad news for the entire Cheltenham community – school, parents, players & fans.
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