C.B. South 26 - Neshaminy 21

When you think of the best of crisp, chilly Bucks County weather and the best of Bucks County high school football, Friday night's game at Titan Stadium located in Warrington was a showcase for both. And with two Suburban One League championship contenders and statewide top ten teams in the Redskins and the Titans - each sporting 6-0 records coming into this contest behind the strength of their respective best-in-area running backs - it sure doesn't get much better. And living up to the hype in a less-than-expected ways, it was a battle to the final gun.

With the 'Skins receiving the opening kickoff (returned by Gary Renson to the Titans' 45-yard line), all eyes were focused on their 40-plus point a game offense. Unfortunately, their initial three-and-out didn't look so great (but after the punt and the Titans fumble that was recovered by Neshaminy, neither did CB South). Deciding not to waste any more time at that juncture, a quick air strike by Justin Kinney to Kevin Steinberg was good for a bunch and took the ball down near the home team's goal line. Shortly thereafter it was Greg Martell who was on the receiving end of a 5-yard Kinney toss that was good for 6. And with the PAT good too, it was 7-0 for the Tribe.

The Titans then took the kickoff and picked up a few first downs before grinding to a halt and being forced to punt. Obvious to all, the 'Skins were none to happy to get the ball back and start another drive. Mixing up the air and ground attack nicely, this march also featured a fake punt by the Creek Kids that was good for the first down near mid-field. And just a few plays later - set up by Dan Lyons' bolt for 25 plus yards - it was Jason Ulmer on a 31-yard jaunt that put 6 more on the board. With the PAT good again, the second-period opened with the Moleskinners on top, 14-0.

The second stanza, though, saw the two teams then settle into a mini-version of "All Quiet on The Western Front" as neither seemed quite capable of conquering the other group's land. Although in fairness to the Titans, they would have taken the blue ribbon for best effort, and total yards, as they got close twice and actually controlled the ball almost the entire quarter. On the other hand, stopping two Titan drives on fourth down in their own red zone - and keeping the Giants off the board entirely - merits style points for the Blue and Red as well. So as the gun ended the first-half with goose-eggs for both clubs in the second 12 minutes of play, it was Neshaminy that took the 14-point lead into the locker room.

With the Titans receiving the second-half kickoff, it didn't take too long to show they had come to play too. And it wasn't a run that drew blood but a 57-yard pass from Titans' quarterback Rob Turchick to a streaking Titan Colin Donnelly that made it 14-7 after the conversion. Then as if mirroring the 'Skins play in the first-quarter, the home boys got the ball back after a three and out by Neshaminy and quickly scored again to make it 14-14 late in the third period. Following with their own determined drive, the 'Skins then drove down to the CB South 5 before a Neshaminy fumble ended that effort. Showing he was ready for duty, the Titans' star running back, Eric Reynolds, then took off on a 95-yarder for a score. As the PAT was foiled, the hosts were now on top, 20-14, as the third-period closed out.

After the kickoff, and reaching for their bootstraps, the Redskins decided to get back in the game. With Kinney throwing pin-point strikes, he found Renson on a critical 4th and 3 for a first and then followed that up with a missile to Steinberg for a 34-yard air force score. With Seth Jeffries' PATs seemingly automatic, the scoreboard spun to read 21-20 for the Playwicky Eleven. Returning the favor, the Titans marched right back down the field and the score soon read 26-21 for CB South as they failed to convert after the touchdown.

Getting the ball back with just about 5 minutes to go in the game, the 'Skins couldn't quite get on track for one more score. With the Titans playing strong on defense, the Redskins seemed pressured throughout their last possession. Finally, with their backs to the wall, Neshaminy's last hope was snuffed out on a fourth down pass that was picked off with under a minute to play. Game to Titans.

Now at 6 and 1 on the year, and with three match ups left, Neshaminy's season is far from over despite this tough loss to a very good CB South team. And with North Penn in town next week, there is still plenty of football left to be played.

See you at the game.

Redskins lose battle of unbeatens

By KEVIN COONEY
Bucks County Courier Times
 

At the other end of the field, there were an endless parade of hugs and wide-eyed smiles from a school that is getting its first taste of high-level success.

But none of the Neshaminy players stopped to take a good look. They have experienced that exhilaration before. They didn’t need to see another squad experiencing that right now.

“This one hurts,” Redskins quarterback Justin Kinney said. “We thought we had a good chance, and we just let it get away.”

Neshaminy lost its grip on a share of the Suburban One League National Conference lead, squandering a 14-0 lead en route to a 26-21 loss to Central Bucks South Friday night before a packed house in Warrington.

The Titans —7-0 overall and 4-0 in the SOL National — amazingly begin the day alone in first place in the conference in only their fourth year of existence. In the previous three seasons, CB South was 6-24.

Meanwhile, Neshaminy (6-1, 3-1) will have a week to get ready for its Homecoming game against North Penn next Saturday afternoon at Heartbreak Ridge. A win will put the Redskins right back in the conference title hunt. A loss would effectively knock them out of that race and could place them in danger of having to begin the District One playoffs on the road in two weeks

“We can’t dwell on this game,” said Kinney, who was responsible for 113 yards of total offense and two touchdowns. “We’ve got to get ready for North Penn. It’s really important for us to come out and win next week.”

To do that, the offense will have to get on track after three quarters of slumber against the Titans.

After averaging 40.7 points a game through the first six weeks of the season — the second-best mark out of 71 teams in District One — the Redskins offense fell silent after jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, compiling only seven first downs and turning the ball over twice.

“They tightened things up and we just didn’t execute the way we should,” Neshaminy coach Mark Schmidt said. “We got caught playing sloppy football and CB South played marvelous football. But mistakes in big games will come back to haunt you.”

Neshaminy had the ball for five plays in the second quarter, compared to the Titans’ 20 plays from scrimmage. Somehow, the Redskin defense managed to hold the line twice inside their own 15-yard line to keep a two-touchdown lead going into intermission.

“You have to give a lot of credit to our defense at that point, because they really battled,” Schmidt said. “They were doing a great job considering they were on the field a lot.”

But the defense’s fatigue became apparent during a wild third quarter. With Neshaminy stacking the line of scrimmage against running back Eric Reynolds, the Titans went up top for a 57-yard touchdown pass from Rob Turchick to Colin Donnelly to cut the Redskins lead to 14-7.

After Neshaminy went three-and-out, CB South tied the game on its next possession courtesy of Mike Fitzgerald’s 1- yard touchdown run.

“We had been such a good second-half team, I think we all expected that we would kick it into another gear,” Kinney said. “But we never got it going.”

The Redskins appeared to get it going on its next drive, as Kinney broke two long runs and hit Paul Carrezola for an 18-yard pass to get into the red zone. But Jason Ulmer was stripped of the football at the 10-yard line. After a wild scramble, CB South recovered it at the 5 to end the threat.

On the next play, Reynolds — a highly- touted NCAA Division I recruit who rushed for 220 yards on 28 carries — finally broke loose for a 95-yard touchdown run for a 20-14 lead.

“I thought that we did a good job keeping him under control until that play,” Schmidt said. “But he’s the type of guy that’s going to break one.” Neshaminy re-gained the lead early in the fourth quarter, when Kinney found Kevin Steinberg for a 34-yard touchdown pass.

But the Titans rallied right back. With Reynolds accounting for 39 yards by himself on the drive to get down to the 1, rotating quarterback Tom Johns snuck in from a yard out with 5:21 to play for the game-winning score.

Kevin Cooney can be reached at kcooney@phillyBurbs.com.