Football Forecast – Volume 4
By Scott Huff
The slate of Suburban One League football games this week features crossover games between the National & Continental Conferences.
Last season the SOL National & Continental had two weeks of cros-over games, however, this season the only cross-over games between the two conferences will be this week.
The SOL National owned an 11-5 record against the SOL Continental a year ago.
The National Conference has the same 2025 configuration this year, however, the 2025 Continental Conference has changed.
The 2026 Continental Conference has added Plymouth Whitemarsh (moved from the SOL American) and subtracted Harry S Truman (moved to the SOL American) & Cheltenham (cancelled the 2026 season).
In 2025 the SOL National teams that included Pennridge, North Penn, Central Bucks West & Central Bucks East were all 2-0 against the SOL Continental.
The Rams defeated both Bensalem (36-33) & Harry S Truman (41-12) * the Knights defeated both CR South (21-14) & Quakertown (42-7) * the Bucks defeated both Upper Dublin (24-7) & Souderton (13-0) & the Patriots defeated both Cheltenham (17-14) & Council Rock North (50-7).
In 2025 the SOL National teams that included Neshaminy, Central Bucks South & Abington were 1-1 against the SOL Continental.
The Redskins defeated Rock North (41-0) & lost to Cheltenham (38-29) * the Galloping Ghosts defeated Truman (42-7) & lost to Bensalem (24-11) * the Titans defeated Upper Dublin (21-0) & lost to Souderton (19-7).
SOL National Conference member Pennsbury lost both crossover games with the Continental Conference a year ago. The Falcons lost to both Quakertown (14-7) & Council Rock South (20-6).
After this week the 8-team SOL National Conference will only play conference games the remainder of the regular season.
The 7-team SOL Continental Conference this year was forced (with the removal of Cheltenham due to a criminal investigation) to fill in an open date to compete in a 10-game regular season schedule.
Council Rock North will be on the road against Abington (9/10) * Upper Dublin will host Hatboro Horsham (9/18) * Bensalem will host Dobbins Vo Tech (10/9) * Souderton will be on the road against Appoquinimink (DE) – (10/16) * & Quakertown will host William Penn (10/31).
Plymouth Whitemarsh & Council Rock South have not filled the open date on its schedule and will be ‘judged’ by District One of the PIAA on a 9-game schedule. The Colonials will have a ‘bye’ week on September 25th, while the Golden Hawks will have a ‘bye’ week on October 2nd.
The 6-team SOL American Conference will begin its conference schedule on October 2nd with no conference open dates and each team playing a 10-game regular season schedule.
Back In A Day…
If you are old enough…and I’m sure most of you are not…in 1952 Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes breakfast cereal featured a character called “Tony The Tiger” and he would cry out “They’re gr- r -reat!!!!”
Harry S Truman had a ‘gr-r-reat’ performance of its own last week as the Tigers devoured Council Rock North, 42-7.
Koko Johnson had a fantastic outing scoring 5 touchdowns and rushed for an astonishing 294 yards on 20 carries. The electrifying junior scored on runs of 61, 31, 17, 4 & 3 yards.
The victory was the first of the year for Truman and matched its on-field win total of a year ago. HST was awarded a forfeit win over Cheltenham when the Panthers were forced to suspend their season.
Next up the Tigers will host the winless West Philadelphia Speedboys – and another ‘gr-r-reat’ performance by ‘Koko The Tiger?’ could present Truman with a much-needed early season winning (2-1) record.
Stay Tuned.
If you are old enough…and I’m really sure most of you are not…in 1931 the legendary ‘Galloping Ghost’ Red Grange came to speak at Abington Senior High School. And in his honor, the school changed its mascot from the “Maroons” to the Galloping Ghosts.
The 2026 Abington football team may not have produced the next Galloping Ghost, but quarterback Caleb Smith is hopefully going to lead the Ghosts to a winning record this season.
Smith may not have the blinding speed & elusive open field running of Grange, but he did both throw a touchdown pass and rushed for a score as Abington won its first game of the season over Norristown, 13-0, and matched its win total in 2025.
Next up for the Galloping Ghosts will be a home game against winless Council Rock North. And a somewhat mythical performance by Smith could present these Ghosts with a much-needed early season winning (2-1) season.
Stay tuned.
And the beat goes on…
******Note** All Suburban One League football games will be played on Thursday – September 10th – in observance of Rosh Hashanah.*****
SOL National/Continental Conference
Crossover Games
Pennridge Rams (2-0) @ CR South Golden Hawks (2-0)
Last Year:
Did Not Play
Last Week:
Pennridge remained unbeaten with a 28-11 non-league victory over neighborhood rival Souderton. Quarterback Aiden Tetowski fired a pair of touchdown passes for the Rams – one to Nate Derstine (43 yards) – and one to Ryan Flood (11 yards). The Green & White also tallied a pair of rushing touchdowns – one by Trevor Picciotti (3 yards & 100+ yards rushing) – and one by Sean Leuthe (24 yards).
Council Rock South remained unbeaten with a tough 13-10 non-league victory over Perkiomen Valley. A key play came early when a PV field goal attempt was blocked by Cross Cerveller and returned for a touchdown by Brody Walker. Walker also scored on a 69-yard touchdown pass from Cannon Benzio.
Prediction:
Guest Forecaster: Amelia V. Moyer
Pennridge Rams 21 – Council Rock South Golden Hawks 17
Central Bucks West Bucks (2-0) @ Souderton Indians (0-2)
Last Year:
Central Bucks West 13 – Souderton 0
Last Week:
Central Bucks West remained unbeaten with a 35-23 non-league victory over Wilson (West Lawn). The Bucks led 28-2 early in the game, however, the Bulldogs closed to within 28-23 late in the game. Louie Cipollo highlighted the defensive effort with 3 interceptions and scored offensively on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Josh George. Nick Miletto was outstanding & scored on touchdown runs of 46, 42 & 7 yards.
Souderton rallied back from a 14-point deficit to close to within 3 @ 14-11 at the close of the third quarter, but the Indians failed to come up with the big plays late in a 28-11 loss to neighborhood rival Pennridge. Brett Pollack scored on a 1-yard run, while Charlie Pisoni kicked a 19-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.
Prediction:
Central Bucks West Bucks 31 – Souderton Indians 17
Neshaminy Redskins (1-1) @ Quakertown Panthers (0-2)
Last Year:
Did Not Play
Last Week:
Neshaminy went on the road to compete against a very talented Manheim Township in a non-league game and came out on the short end of 35-14 score. The game was scoreless after the first quarter, however, the Blue Streaks led 28-0 @ the close of the half. The Redskins scored a pair of rushing touchdowns as Brock Williams (82 yards) & Elisha Dayrell (36 yards) each found paydirt.
Quakertown was competitive with host Owen J Roberts but lost to the Wildcats, 21-14. The scored was tied 7-7 early in the game. Elliott Martin sparked the defensive performance with a pick-6 – Carter Tuchloski threw a touchdown pass to Lowande Richardson to highlight the offense – and Ben Maugle was perfect on both of his extra point attempts to lead the special teams.
Prediction:
Neshaminy Redskins 24 * Quakertown Panthers 17
Central Bucks South (0-2) @ Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (2-0)
Last Year:
Did Not Play
Last Week:
Central Bucks South fell behind early and chased host Downingtown West the remainder of the game in a 28-20 non-league loss to the Whippets. Gavin Graham scored a pair of touchdowns for the Titans on runs of 13 & 10 yards. Colin White rushed for 170 yards and scored on a 30-yard run.
Plymouth Whitemarsh exploded for 55 points in a 55-28 non-league victory over Kennett. Quarterback Cole Reilly fired 3 touchdown passes – 2 to Max Peterson (10 & 43 yards) – and one to Aiden Orensky (32 yards). Orensky also scored on a 17-yard run. Mike Giangiulo had a terrific night as he scored 3 touchdowns on runs of 72, 4 & 3 yards.
Prediction:
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials 38 * Central Bucks South Titans 28
North Penn Knights (1-1) @ Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals (0-2)
Last Year:
Did Not Play
Last Week:
North Penn accepted a huge challenge hosting District 3 power Central York. The Knights were competitive in the first half on the scoreboard as the two teams were deadlocked @ 21-21, however, the Panthers pulled away in a 42-33 win. The offensive highlights for North Penn included a 59-yard punt return by Ziyon Smith and a pair of touchdowns by Rylei Gray. Gray scored on a 15-yard run & on a touchdown reception from quarterback London Evans.
Upper Dublin remained winless for the 2026 season as the Flying Cardinals were grounded by Penn Manor in a 28-14 non-league game. Upper Dublin got off to a slow start and trailed the Comets 21-0 in the first half.
Prediction:
North Penn Knights 45 * Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals 14
Central Bucks East Patriots (1-1) @ Bensalem Owls (0-2)
Last Year:
Did Not Play
Last Week:
Central Bucks East captured a non-league victory as the Patriots marched to a 35-26 win over visiting Bethlehem Liberty. The game was tied 7-7 @ the close of the first half. Mike Price was outstanding as he scored 3 touchdowns for the winners on runs of 30, 6 & 1 yards. Liam Hoey scored on a 10-yard TD pass from Hunter Pulford and ran for a 64-yard touchdown.
Bensalem showed marked improvement from Week One (54-7 loss to Upper Darby), however, the Owls were still on the losing end of a 20-7 score against Upper Moreland. The score was tied 7-7 @ the close of the first half. The lone touchdown for Bensalem came on a long touchdown run by Brennan Farnsworth.
Prediction:
Central Bucks East Patriots 24 * Bensalem Owls 16
Council Rock North Indians (0-2) @ Abington Galloping Ghosts (1-1)
Last Year:
Did Not Play
Last Week:
Council Rock North has now lost 17 straight games as the Indians fell to Harry S Truman, 42-7. The good news for Rock North was a 7-0 lead early in the game. The last win for the Indians came on September of 2020 in a 16-13 win over Truman.
Abington captured its first victory of the season as the Galloping Ghosts shut out Norristown, 13-0. Caleb Smith fired a touchdown pass to Kai Taylor, while Smith also scored on a 1-yard run.
Prediction:
Abington Galloping Ghosts 21 * Council Rock North Indians 8
Suburban One League Non-League Games
Archbishop Carroll Patriots (2-0) @ Wissahickon Trojans (2-0)
Last Year:
Wissahickon 38 – Archbishop Carroll 14
Last Week:
Archbishop Carroll remained unbeaten with a 51-17 non-league victory over Bristol. The Patriots opened the season with a 23-7 win over Marple-Newtown.
Wissahickon remained unbeaten with a dominating 47-0 non-league victory over Upper Merion. Quasir Sampson was spectacular with a 4-touchdown performance. Sampson scored 3 rushing touchdowns and caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Evan Dixon. Tyree Chambers & Will Warren also scored for the Trojans.
Prediction:
Wissahickon Trojans 38 * Archbishop Carroll Patriots 24
Lower Moreland Lions (2-0) @ Upper Moreland Golden Bears (2-0)
Last Year:
Upper Moreland 47 – Lower Moreland 0
Last Week:
Lower Moreland remained unbeaten as the Lions defeated Samuel Fels of the Philadelphia Public League, 32-6. Lower Moreland opened the season with a 51-22 victory over Vaux.
Upper Moreland remained unbeaten with a 20-7 non-league victory over Bensalem. The Golden Bears returned 2 interceptions back for touchdowns – one by Nick Milendez & and one by Ben Holcomb. Quarterback David Adamski fired a 33-yard touchdown pass to Brody Hughes.
Prediction:
Upper Moreland Golden Bears 31 * Lower Moreland Lions 13
West Philadelphia Speedboys (0-2) @ Harry S Truman Tigers (1-1)
Last Year:
Did Not Play
Last Week:
West Philadelphia remained winless as the Speedboys lost to Sussex Central, 28-24. West Philadelphia lost its season opener to Owen J Roberts, 35-26.
Harry S Truman captured its first win of the season as the Tigers clawed Council Rock North, 42-7. Koko Johnson had himself a night with a 5-touchdown effort. Johnson raced for 294 yards on 20 carries. Sahyou added a rushing touchdown late in the game.
Prediction:
Harry S Truman Tigers 20 – West Philadelphia Speedboys 13
Springfield Township Spartans (1-1) @ Trinity Shamrocks (0-2)
Last Year:
Did Not Play
Last Week:
Springfield captured its first win of the season with a 40-0 rout of Overbrook. The Spartans are a PIAA Class 4A school.
Trinity remained winless this 2026 season as the Shamrocks were defeated by Scranton Prep, 45-7. Trinity is a PIAA Class 3A school.
Prediction:
Springfield Spartans 35 – Trinity Shamrocks 13
Chichester Eagles (2-0) @ William Tennent Panthers (1-1)
Last Year:
Chichester 48 – William Tennent 14
Last Week:
Chichester remained unbeaten as the Eagles defeated Audenried, 13-0. The Eagles opened the season with a 27-7 victory over Radnor.
William Tennent saw its one-game win streak come to an end in a 42-0 non-league loss to Methacton. The Panthers had defeated Council Rock North 20-7 in the opening week of the season.
Prediction:
Chichester Eagles 28 * William Tennent Panthers 10
Hatboro Horsham Hatters (0-2) @ Penn Wood Patriots (1-1)
Last Year:
Did Not Play
Last Week:
Hatboro Horsham remained winless as the Hatters lost a non-league game to West Chester Henderson, 38-20. Quarterback Brendan Heaphy threw a touchdown pass to Joey Biermaas and rushed for a score. Thomas Garland returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Penn Wood lost a non-league game to Maret (Washington DC), 14-8. The Patriots opened the season with a 26-0 victory over Boys Latin Charter.
Prediction:
Penn Wood Patriots 21 – Hatboro Horsham Hatters 20
Archbishop Ryan Raiders (0-2) @ Pennsbury Falcons (1-1)
Last Year:
Did Not Play
Last Week:
Archbishop Ryan lost a non-league game to MBAPC, 29-0. The Raiders lost their opening game of the year to Father Judge, 16-13.
Pennsbury led Easton 7-0 early on a 23-yard touchdown run by Jack Arndt and trailed the District-11 power Red Rovers by a slim 12-7 lead at half. However, Easton scored 20 unanswered points in the second half and defeated the Falcons, 32-7.
Prediction:
Pennsbury Falcons 17 – Archbishop Ryan Raiders 14
-30-
- Log in to post comments
