Check out the recaps for SOL football teams in action Friday. North Penn/Central York photos courtesy of Brad Jenkins, and Pennsbury/Easton photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. CB West/Wilson photos courtesy of Marge Bullock (https://photos.margebullock.com/f362939777 )
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 35, WILSON WEST LAWN 23
Game info courtesy of Ed Morlock X: @emor009. To read Morlock’s complete game story: https://www.thereporteronline.com/2026/09/05/football-turnovers-lead-central-bucks-west-to-win-over-wilson/ )
Central Bucks West – on the heels of a 36-7 romp over Easton – was on its way to another rout. Or at least so it seemed when the Bucks opened up a 28-2 lead late in the second quarter after an 11-yard touchdown run by Louie Cipollo.
But just as quickly as they’d taken a lead, the Bucks saw it slip away and found themselves clinging to a 28-23 advantage midway through the third quarter.
That’s when Cipollo – who had a pair of TD runs and two interceptions in the opening half – came up with his third interception of the game.
“That was huge,” CB West coach Rob Rowan said. “It’s a momentum changer, absolutely. He was elite tonight, and that’s an understatement. He was phenomenal in every phase of the game.
“It just blows my mind that he still doesn’t have an offer to play at the college level. He is a football player, and he put that on full display.”
The Bucks capitalized on Cipollo’s interception when Nick Miletto scored his third touchdown of the game – this one from two yards out to give the Bucks a 35-23 lead and that all but slammed the door on Wilson’s comeback attempt.
“Nick had a phenomenal night too on both sides of the ball, and he’s just a warrior,” Rowan said. “Defensively, he’s an absolute stud. He’s just a beast in the middle of the field and the middle of the defense. What a gutsy effort by him.”
Early on, the Bucks led 7-0 after a seven-yard run by Miletto. It was a 7-2 game after Wilson earned a safety, but a 46-yard touchdown run by Miletto put the Bucks on top 14-2. They upped that lead to 21-2 after quarterback Josh George connected with Cipollo for a 35-yard TD, and the Bucks weren’t finished yet.
The Bucks took what seemed to be an insurmountable 28-2 lead on Cipollo’s second touchdown run of the half, but a Wilson score in the closing moments of the half trimmed West’s lead to 28-9 and, more importantly, gave the Bulldogs life. By the middle of the third quarter, that lead was trimmed to five. That’s when Cipollo delivered the defensive play of the game to turn the tide.
“We got off to a great start, and obviously, we’re building momentum,” Rowan said. “Right before the half, we had a series of events where things kind of went against us.
“We had an offsides on the kickoff that went through the end zone, and that kind of changed how we handled the next situation.
“We missed a couple of tackles, and we ended up letting them in the end zone right before the half. So it was 28-2, and then all of a sudden, it’s 28-9, and they’ve got some momentum, and they’re believing a little bit.
“Wilson is traditionally a really strong program, and we knew they weren’t going to quit. We didn’t come out the way we needed to, and we didn’t execute. They came out ready to go, and within a quick five-minute window, we gave up a score, then the next drive we turned it over, and shortly after that, we gave up another score, and now you’re looking up, and it’s a five-point game.”
It was the Bucks’ response to their sudden change of fortunes that impressed their coach the most.
“First of all, it was just an incredible effort by both teams,” Rowan said. “It’s really what the spirit of high school football is.
“I’m proud of our guys because they had everything working against them in that moment (in the second half). Momentum, energy – everything was against them. It was such a physical game, and our guys – what an incredible response. To be able to fight through that, to be able to will themselves to a victory was just some pretty incredible high school football.”
In a game that saw Cipollo and Miletto steal the spotlight, Rowan also had high praise for the efforts of defensive ends Liam Laphen and Ryan Zadroga
“Our D-ends always play exceptionally well,” the West coach said. “They’re kind of all over the field. We had a rotation of defensive tackles working in this week.
“Mason (Darrows) was phenomenal again on special teams, but it was just an all-around team effort.”
Up next: Central Bucks West will travel to Souderton for a non-league SOL crossover game on Thursday.
Wilson 0-9-14-0 23
Central Bucks West 7-21-0-7 35
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 35, LIBERTY 26
It was a special night for Central Bucks East football.
The Patriots not only made history when they notched the program’s 300th win but, more importantly, played for a cause bigger than the game. Friday’s game was East’s Childhood Awareness game and a fundraiser for the Connor Initiative at CHOP. The Connor Initiative is named for former CB East football player Connor Boyle, a 2022 graduate, who passed away in August of that same year, losing his battle with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer.
“Connor’s father, Matt Boyle, came and delivered the pregame speech for the guys,” East coach John Donnelly said. “It was very fiery, and it was very inspirational.
“Connor’s word was always perseverance, and that’s what we did tonight. It wasn’t pretty, but we persevered.”
The program’s 300th win was a point of pride for the Patriots.
“That’s a big milestone win for all the guys who came before, and we stand on their shoulders,” Donnelly said. “We have a lot of guys on the staff that are former players. I think we’ve got about seven coaches, maybe eight that played at East, so it’s great for them and our players to be part of that and also for everybody that came beforehand.
“One of our coaches – his dad and uncles played at East, and they were in the stands today, so knowing they were part of those 300 was pretty neat.”
The Patriots opened the game with an inspired touchdown drive that included a whole lot of Mike Price, who ran it in from the six. Cole Wojnicki kicked the extra point, and the Patriots led 7-0.
“We got some guys back this week,” Donnelly said. “This is the healthiest we’ve been since the preseason, so it was good to get some people back in the mix that were really impact guys.
“To go down and score on the first possession – we tell the guys all the time that every possession is precious, and they’ve got to treat it as such. In an average high school football game, you’re looking at nine to 10 possessions a game, so to score on the first one was great.”
East’s lead lasted all of two minutes as Liberty answered quickly, completing a 30-yard touchdown pass. That 7-7 score stood until halftime.
“We were sloppy in the first half,” Donnelly said. “We had a ton of penalties, which is really uncharacteristic. We are typically very disciplined, and that put us in bad down distances.”
Liberty was forced to punt on its opening drive of the second half, and East took over on their own 29 and marched 71 yards for the go-ahead score – a 30-yard touchdown run by Price gave East a 14-7 lead with 8:17 remaining in the third quarter.
“We came out in the second half, and we get a three-and-out,” Donnelly said. “I thought the guys up front – we really won in the trenches, and there was great surge up front.”
Tommy Seiler came up with an interception for East, but Liberty – after recovering an East fumble – once again knotted the score.
“Liberty has a lot of dynamic players,” Donnelly said. “Their quarterback, and they’ve got several receivers that can get it done, and we knew they would be tough to handle just because of their explosiveness and their ability to extend plays.”
The Patriots didn’t hang their heads, taking a 21-14 lead when Liam Hoey took it 64 yards to the house for a TD with four minutes remaining in the third.
Liberty misfired on a 22-yard field goal attempt, and the Patriots made it a 28-14 game early in the fourth quarter when Price punched it in from one yard out. Hoey had a huge run on the 80-yard drive
Liberty scored with 7:32 remaining but missed the extra point, and it was a 28-20 game. Again, the Patriots answered. A long run by Price set up a Hunter Pulford to Hoey 10-yard touchdown pass that put the Patriots on top 35-20 with 3:34 remaining.
Liberty tacked on a touchdown with 2:27 showing on the scoreboard clock but failed on the two-point conversion, and the first win of the young season was in the books for the Patriots.
“I liked the way we responded every time they responded,” Donnelly said. “We were able to outlast them and wear them down in the end.”
The East coach went on to credit some of his team’s catalysts.
“In terms of running the ball, Mike Price and Liam Hoey both had really big nights, they ran hard,” Donnelly said. “Chase Ingram and Asher Green didn’t have as many touches as those guys, but they made an impact when they got in the game.
“But none of that happens for any of those four guys if the line isn’t doing their job, so I really think the offensive line and our two tight ends really did a good job. The film will tell a story of our improvement from last week, but we’ve got mountains to climb, but I give credit to those guys in particular.
“The wide receivers didn’t get a lot of balls thrown their way, and that’s not always going to be the case, but they do a great job of stalk blocking, and that’s really important. That’s what allows a 10-yard run to become an explosive run of 20-plus.”
Comprising East’s offensive line were left tackle Dan Kirk, left guard Jackson Lambrecht, center Damien DeRosa, right guard Alex Henry and right tack Crew McFerson. Crew’s only a sophomore, and he graded out highest last week for us and will probably do the same this week. He’s doing a good job.”
Contributing at tight end were Owen Grotz and Owen Metzger.
Up next: Central Bucks East will travel to Bensalem for a non-league SOL crossover game Thursday.
Liberty 7-0-7-12 26
Central Bucks East 7-0-21-0 28
SPRINGFIELD TWP 40, OVERBROOK 0
(Check back for a game recap)
CENTRAL YORK 42, NORTH PENN 33
For one half, North Penn and Central York exchanged best shots, and the two squads went into halftime deadlocked at 21 apiece.
In what turned out to be a preview of things to come, the visiting Panthers scored on their opening drive and then capitalized on an interception to go on top 14-0. The Knights cut that lead in half when London Evans connected with Rylei Gray on a four-yard touchdown pass.
Ziyon Smith returned a punt 59 yards for a touchdown that knotted the score. Central York upped its lead to 21-14, but the Knights evened the score when Gray capped an 80-yard drive with a 15-yard TD run.
Central York took control of the game in the second half, reeling off 21 straight points on its way to the win.
Panthers' quarterback Jamin Ilgenfritz was all but unstoppable, throwing for six touchdowns.
Up next: North Penn will be on the road at Upper Dublin for a non-league SOL crossover game.
Central York 14-7-21-0 42
North Penn 7-14-0-12 33
EASTON 32, PENNSBURY 7
The Falcons fell behind 12-0 early but battled back when – after Pennsbury recovered a fumble at the Red Rovers 23 - quarterback Jack Arndt avoided an onrushing Easton squad and took it to the house on the first play from scrimmage.
It was still a 12-7 game at halftime, but Easton put the game out of reach in the second half.
Up next: Pennsbury will host Archbishop Ryan in a non-league game Thursday.
Pennsbury 0-7-0-0 7
Easton 6-6-14-6 32
MANHEIM TOWNSHIP 35, NESHAMINY 14
For one quarter, the visiting Redskins hung with Manheim Township, but the District 3 powerhouse took control of the game in the second quarter on its way to the win.
Manheim scored on the first drive of the second quarter, benefitting from a 17-yard punt return to take a 7-0 lead. The Redskins answered with back-to-back big runs – a 44-yard run by Brock Williams, and Elisha Dayrell followed with a 36-yard touchdown run to even the score 7-7. Just 18 seconds separated the two TDs.
Manheim answered with three straight touchdowns to go into halftime with a 28-7 lead on its way to the non-league win. Williams raced 82 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, but that was the extent of the Redskins’ offence.
Up next: Neshaminy will be on the road at Quakertown for a non-league SOL crossover game Thursday.
Neshaminy 0-7-7-0 14
Manheim Twp 0-28-0-7 35
DOWNINGTOWN WEST 28, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 20
(Game info courtesy of Andrew Robinson X: @ADRobinson3. Official game stats courtesy of CB South football)
CB South was in Friday night’s game to the end but came up just short.
The Whippets got on the board with a first-quarter touchdown, but the Titans evened the score with four minutes remaining in the second when Gavin Graham scored from 13 yards out. A touchdown in the closing minute of the quarter sent the Whippets into halftime with a 14-7 advantage.
Graham delivered his second touchdown run – this one from 10 yards – to pull the Titans to within one in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. A missed extra point allowed the Whippets to maintain a one-point lead (14-13).
Downingtown West answered with a touchdown less than a minute later to go on top 21-13 and then upped its lead to 28-13. A 30-yard touchdown run by Colin White made it a 28-20 game, but that’s as close as the Titans would get.
Graham had a big night running the football, finishing with 161 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
Amari Cannon was a one-man wrecking crew, leading the Whippets with 223 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. He also had three receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.
The Whippets held a 425-301 advantage in total yards of offense.
Up next: Central Bucks South will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh for a non-league SOL crossover game Thursday.
Downingtown West 0-7-6-7 20
Central Bucks South 7-7-14-0 28
OWEN J ROBERTS 21, QUAKERTOWN 14
The Panthers hung tough but never could get over the hump in Friday’s non-league road game at OJR.
“We played a good opponent tough,” Quakertown coach George Banas said. “We improved from last week but still had too many mistakes and missed opportunities.”
The Panthers – who trailed 7-0 at halftime - got on the board on an Elliott Martin pick six in the third quarter. Damon Lowande Richardson hauled in a touchdown pass from Carter Tucholski in the fourth quarter. Ben Maugle added both PATs.
Underscoring the Panthers’ youth is the fact that Martin is a freshman and Lowande Richardson is only a sophomore.
Up next: Quakertown will host Neshaminy in Thursday’s non-league SOL crossover contest.
WEST CHESTER HENDERSON 38, HATBORO-HORSHAM 20
(Game info courtesy of Nate Heckenberger X: @nheckenberger)
The Hatters found themselves in a three-touchdown hole after one quarter, but they battled back in the second quarter, scoring a pair of touchdowns to make it a 28-14 game at halftime.
Brendan Heaphy connected with Joey Biermaas for the Hatters’ opening score, and Thomas Gartland took a kickoff to the house in the closing seconds of the half. Heaphy added a second TD, but the Hatters never could make up the ground they lost in the opening quarter.
Up next: Hatboro-Horsham will be on the road at Penn Wood for a non-league game Thursday.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-14-6-0 20
WC Henderson 21-7-3-7 38
PENN MANOR 28, UPPER DUBLIN 14
Up next: Upper Dublin will host North Penn in a non-league SOL crossover game Thursday.
Thursday, Sept. 3
HARRY S TRUMAN 42, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 7
(Koko Johnson numbers courtesy of Tom Waring/Bucks County Herald. To read his complete game story, click on the following link: https://www.buckscountyherald.com/sports/koko-johnson-runs-wild-in-truman-win/article_f4743b6c-568b-485d-9293-a6330473d4a9.html
Koko Johnson had himself a night.
The Truman junior torched the Indians’ defense for five touchdowns – four in a spectacular first half, and by the time the night was finished, Johnson had 294 yards on 20 carries.
“He’s very explosive,” Truman coach Frank McArdle said. “He was able to make plays happen.”
The Tigers’ coach was also quick to credit the offensive line comprised of Brennan Gadson (center), Dontreal Lovelace (right tackle), Zamir Moore (right guard), Christian Willis (left tackle) and Makhi Kimble (left guard). Danny Cominski also saw action at guard.
“Our offensive line did a great job,” McArdle said. “They were physical, they were moving, and we were pulling guys. They were getting on defenders, and they opened up a lot of holes.”
A recap of the game would show that Rock North scored a touchdown on its first possession.
“We had them in third-and-nine, and they’re a wishbone team,” McArdle said. “They threw a pass, and our safety and our corner had their eyes in the wrong spot, and their kid ran by us. They made a great throw and scored a touchdown.”
The Tigers erased that early deficit when Johnson raced 35 yards for the touchdown. They turned a botched PAT attempt into a two-point conversion and led 8-7. The Tigers never looked back, and a 20-point second quarter – which included three Johnson TD runs - all but put the game out of reach.
So what changed in the second quarter?
“The biggest adjustment we made was our chin straps,” said McArdle. “The first possession of the game – on defense, we weren’t playing great, and they woke up and started playing. We started being physical, and that changed the game.
“I’ve been preaching to them – we have a good team. So for them to go out and see their hard work finally come to fruition a little bit – I think that’s huge for our confidence going forward.”
By halftime, Johnson had four touchdowns, and the Tigers led 28-7. In limited playing time in the second half, he added another. Sahyou Cole scored the game’s final TD in the fourth quarter.
Not to be overlooked was the standout effort of the Tigers’ defense, which did not allow a point after Rock North scored on its opening drive.
Our linebacker – Evan Pack – had a real good game,” McArdle said. “Damarion Melvin had a great game.
“TJ Talawalol had an interception, and Taheem Watts had a huge game – he had a bunch of catches and a couple of punt returns. They weren’t touchdowns, but he was huge on both sides of the ball.”
Up next: Harry S Truman will host West Philadelphia in a non-league game Thursday.
Council Rock North 7-0-0-0 7
Harry S Truman 8-20-7-7 42
UPPER MORELAND 20, BENSALEM 7
Three interceptions – two for pick sixes – highlighted a standout defensive effort for the Golden Bears, and in the end, it was second half interceptions by Nick Milendez and Ben Holcomb returned for TDs that were the difference in the game that was deadlocked 7-7 at halftime.
“Our defense really, really executed because we talked about the fundamentals all week and getting better at that,” UM coach Adam Beach said. “But we really got after it defensively. We were able to get some pressure on them up front, and we were able to get some negative plays against the run and some pressure for the pass. When the quarterback’s under duress, he made some throws that we were able to pick off and then we had the daylight in front of us and were able to capitalize, so that was good.”
With 5:39 remaining in the opening quarter, David Adamski connected with Brody Hughes for a 33-yard touchdown, and Craig Tucker converted the PAT to give the Bears a 7-0 lead.
UM’s defense forced the Owls to turn the ball over on downs on the final play of the opening quarter.
With 4:17 remaining in the second quarter, the Owls evened the score with a touchdown by (Brennan Farnsworth) and regained possession after a defensive stop. The Bears averted any damage when DJ Chambers came up with an interception with 43 seconds remaining in the half, and the two teams went into halftime deadlocked 7-7.
UM took a lead it would not lose when – with 8:32 remaining in the third quarter - Julian Melendez picked off a pass and ran it in for an eight-yard touchdown, giving UM a 14-7 lead.
The Bears were forced to punt, and once again, UM’s defense came up with a big play. This time it was Ben Holcombe coming up with an interception that he returned 13 yards for a TD with 2:14 remaining in the third.
“After that, it was basically a defensive struggle,” Beach said. “Both teams were having a hard time moving the ball, and then Sean Coulter forced a fumble that was recovered by Connor Lennox.
“We didn’t score again, but basically, we just ran the ball, controlled the ball, and they weren’t able to do anything, and we ended up winning.”
The UM coach credited Coulter and Lennox for their defensive play.
“Another guy is Ethan Starr,” Beach said. “He’s doing all the grunt work in the middle of the line, and he did a great job. The other guy on the D-line is Donnie Dinkins, They’re the guys that were causing all the disruptions and allowing guys to make plays on the other end, so they did a great job. It was a good defensive effort.”
With the win, the Bears are 2-0 on the young season.
“I thought our offense did enough when we needed to score points and move the ball and run the clock,” Beach said. “It was a hot, highly contested high school football game. It was just who’s going to hold on and win this.
“I think the message to our team was just doing what you’ve been taught, focus on your fundamentals and doing the right things that we coach you to do. When they did that, they got the success of the interceptions or the pick or the play in the backfield. It was just what you want as a coaching staff.”
Beach also gave credit to the Owls.
“They’re a big, physical football team,” he said. “They gave us everything we could handle, so credit to them, they did a nice job.
“Number 2 (Farnsworth) did a nice job running the ball. He got loose on us, but we made enough plays to win, so that was good.”
Up next: Upper Moreland will host Springfield Twp in Thursday’s SOL opener, and Bensalem will host Central Bucks East in its SOL opener Thursday.
Upper Moreland 7-0-13-0 20
Bensalem 0-7-0-0 7
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