Ed Thomas Report

Don’t look now but we are at the mid point of the season already. So, forgive me if thoughts turn occasionally to the playoffs both locally and across the state as we head into another weekend of high school football. Last week provided us with a number of interesting match ups and as mentioned a few weeks ago, the great thing about this year’s grouping of Top 10 teams is that many of them play each other to decide the thing on the field. Many of the featured games could have gone either way between Top 10 teams. Does it get any better than St. Joseph’s and LaSalle going down to the wire, Abington weathering a fierce comeback by Neshaminy or Garnet Valley shocking us with a 27-26 win at Penncrest? I don’t think so. Who knows what this week holds in store for us but you know with St. Joe’s at Father Judge and Hatboro Horsham at Quakertown, it’s going to be good.

1. North Penn (4-0) No one expected winless Central Bucks South to come out swinging against the Knights last week but that’s what they did in the first half to take a 7-7 tie into the locker room. Wow! Imagine what might have happened had their opening drive not stalled on North Penn’s 10 yard line. Even so, this might be the game that turns East around. It may also have served as a wake up call for North Penn. If so, look out. After holding East out of the end zone, the Knights responded with an 80-yard drive and score as quarterback Todd Smolinsky connected with Ralph Reeves for a 45 yard scoring strike. Just before the end of the first half, Titan sophomore quarterback Matt Johns hit Cris Eberz for a 38-yard touchdown to knot the score at 7 a piece. The Knights took the lead for good to open the second-half on a text book 12-play, 80-yard drive that used up nearly 6 minutes of the third-quarter. In the end, the Knights were way too much for CB South and pulled away for a 27-7 win. Quarterback Todd Smolinsky is looking sharper every game while running back Craig Needhammer continues to impress. Todd completed 14 of 20 passes for 206 yards and 2 scores while Craig scored twice, one a 63-yard dash for 6. He finished the night with 111 yards rushing on 10 carries. Gerald Wendowski also snagged a 5-yard pass for the score. After two straight road games, the Knights return to Lansdale for a home conference game against winless Central Bucks East.

2. Pennsbury (4-0) Pennsbury took advantage of LaSalle and Neshaminy losing to move up two spots in the rankings by pounding previously undefeated Council Rock South, 30-7. It wasn’t quite as easy as the final score suggests with South taking their opening drive 66 yards in 12 plays and scoring when quarterback Billy Preston snuck it in from a yard out for a 7-0 lead. The Falcons countered with tailback Joe Brown scooting 23-yards in the first-quarter for the score. The 2-point conversion attempt failed. Nearing the end of the half, Pennsbury’s Corte Rumph trotted onto the field to blast a 39-yard field goal giving them a 9-7 half time lead. In the second half, their “ground and pound” attack evidently wore the Hawks down as they scored 21 unanswered points. Dante Devine scored twice while rushing for 122 yards. Quarterback Brandon Pepper had a strong game, completing 5 of 8 passes for 114 yards while rushing for 71 yards. Tailback Joe Brown was also strong, rushing for 67 yards on 7 attempts and scoring twice. That was a nice win for the Falcon’s who showed a competent passing game. They won’t be able to “ground and pound” every team, especially if they expect to advance deep into the post season. National Conference actions continues Friday in their fifth straight home game of the year. The opponent is Council Rock North (3-1) which is on a three game winning streak. The Indians are probably the most talented offensive team Pennsbury has faced. Quarterback Tyler Hamilton can burn you with his skills and those of his receivers, Adam Yborra, and Tyler Bostain. Lee Marvel is a powerful back. Now, if they can improve the defense, they’d be a complete team because the skill players are there. Yielding over 200 yards rushing to Tennent is not a good sign. But if they get a lead on the Falcons, forcing them out of their comfort zone, it could get interesting.

3. Abington (3-0) Two of the best teams east of the Susquehanna River met in Abington Friday night for what promised to be a classic. It did not disappoint, but it did surprise when the Galloping Ghosts bolted out to a 28-10 lead. Neshaminy could do little right. At the same time, it seemed everything Abington did worked. With just under 10 minutes left in the game, Kevin Deal picked off a Charlie Marterella pass and returned it 20 yards, giving them their greatest lead at 28-10. Many teams would have folded right there, but this is Neshaminy. The score seemed to incense them. The Tribe’s quarterback, Brian Titus, led the team on a strong drive where Bryan Dean took it in from 2-yards out, closing the gap to 28-18 on a successful 2-point conversion attempt. A few minutes later, the slumbering Neshaminy’s defense awoke, pressuring Abington quarterback Sam Kind into an errant pass that was picked off by Corey Majors with 5 minutes left on the scoreboard. On the very next play, Brian connected with Frank Csaszar for a 22-yard touchdown making it a whole new ball game at 28-24 Abington. But that’s where it would stay. With both teams turning the ball over on fumbles, time finally ran out and Abington came away with a solid win. Make no mistake about it, Abington won this game -- Neshaminy didn’t lose it. And whoever said Abington can’t play defense should check out this group who held the Skins to 9 first downs and picked off two passes. Neshaminy’s defense was exposed in this one. For most of the game they had no answer for quarterback Sam Kind who picked them apart completing 22 of 33 passes for 237 yards and 2 scores. They got to him late but the damage was done. Nor could they defend wide out Anthony Hensley who caught 15 passes for 190 yards. Same with running back Julien Ireland who ran over and through the Neshaminy defense for 146 yards on 29 carries. This is a great win for Abington, the kind that can launch a program on to the next level in terms of program building. They’ve been knocking on the door the last few years and I believe just blew it wide open. If they can stay hungry and not be satisfied with this win, who knows how far they can go with all the talented skill players they possess. National Conference competition continues Friday at Tennent (1-3).

4. Ridley (4-0) Ridley’s big offensive machine rolled against Strath Haven Friday night in Wallingford to come away with a surprisingly easy 36-7 victory. Although the Green Raiders are known throughout the state for their passing attack, they often have an excellent ground game. That was the case in this one as they pounded out 284 yards rushing. Leading the way was Sam Dixon-Dougan who rushed for 108 yards on 14 carries. Sam has emerged as a real threat out of the back field. Quarterback Colin Masterson had a great outing, completing 8 of 11 passes for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. He rushed for a third score. As always, Ridley has a strong receiver corps led by Dion Shaw, Norm Donkin and Alex Nicolino. With a quarterback like Colin Masterson completing 36 of 57 passes on the year, they are the entire package offensively. The defense is rounding into one of their best. Harriton is next and they are struggling with a 1-3 record coming in off a 22-0 loss to Lower Merion. The Raiders won last year’s game 43-0 and will clear the bench early in this one.

5. Neshaminy (3-1) The Redskins tumbled in the ranking from second to fifth following the 28-24 road loss at Abington. How far can you drop a team that loses by 4 points on the road against a ranked opponent? Still, the Abington loss raised issues about the defense. When you allow 17 first downs and 398 total yards of offense it’s time to return to the drawing board. The bright spots of the game besides the comeback were Ricky Domico’s 35-yard field goal, Frank Csaszar seizing his opportunity and snagging a touchdown pass and the performance of quarterback Brian Titus. All things considered, including the lone interception, he had a good game, completing 11 of 20 passes for 124-yards and a TD toss to help lead the charge. And Bryan Dean was strong as usual with over a hundred yards rushing and two scores. That will give opposing defenses something to continue thinking about, starting with Truman Friday night in Langhorne.

6. St. Joseph’s Prep (3-1) The Hawk’s climbed in the rankings from eighth to sixth with a gut check come-from-behind 24-17 win against previously undefeated LaSalle. It didn’t come easy. In fact, at first it appeared LaSalle had this one in the bag as they stormed out to a 17-6 lead late in the second quarter. Knowing they had St. Joe’s reeling and going for the kill (why not?), quarterback Drew Loughery was picked off by Steve O’Hara who returned it 50 yards to LaSalle’s 8 yard line. Three plays later on third and 11, quarterback Skylar Mornhinweg threw a laser to Desmon Peoples, drawing them within 5 points at 17-12. The 2-point conversion attempt failed but the Hawk’s entered the locker room and second half with tremendous momentum. From thereon it was all St. Joe’s as they shutdown the Explorers potent attack. The shutdown actually began once LaSalle’s lead got to 17-6 since, from that point on, they were outscored 18-0. But it still came down to the wire with 1:30 left in the game where Mornhinweg (7/19/99/2 Tds) connected with wide out Bobby D’Orazio on an 18 yard scoring strike making the score 18-17. LaSalle fumbled away their next possession at their own 14 yard line. Talk about self-destructing. The Hawk’s made them pay two plays later when Mike Labor banged in from 10-yards out. Facing a 24-17 deficit, LaSalle drove down field to the Hawk’s 19 yards line where on fourth and 10, Loughery was hit on the release and it was over. What a great and needed win for the Hawk’s coming on the heels of last week’s loss to North Penn. Their brutal schedule (toughest in area) continues Friday against undefeated Father Judge. The Hawk’s won last year in a struggle, 22-18. Judge has a veteran skill group back including quarterback Tony Smith who has completed 39 of 66 passes for 561yds. Running back Curt Wortham is one of the best. To date, he has 102 carries for 599 yards. Through 4 games they are averaging 36 points a game and represent a real threat to the Hawks.

7. LaSalle (3-1) LaSalle took a tumble in the rankings, falling from third to seventh after losing to St. Joseph’s Prep 24-17. For the second straight week, Jamal Abdur-Rahman was out, nursing a bruised knee. But they didn’t skip a beat in that department with sophomore Tim Wade stepping in for another quality performance, this time rushing for 157 yards on 24 carries. Well done! More good news sees that wide receiver Sam Feleccia has returned from injury and caught 5 passes for 46 yards. Quarterback Drew Loughery had a tough outing in the rain, completing 15 of 34 passes for 189 yards and 1 touchdown. He threw 1 interception that set the Hawks up for a momentum changing score at the end of the first half, drawing them to 17-12. The interception was a bobbled reception that bounced off one player into the hands of Stephen O’Hara who returned it 50 yards to set the Hawks up. Despite losing, LaSalle is one impressive offense that cranked out 380 yards of total offense. If they can stay healthy, it’s scary thinking how good they can become. They are at Archbishop Ryan Friday.

8. Downingtown West (4-0) Downingtown West was again without the services of quarterback Bret Gillespie who is still out with a shoulder injury. Nevertheless, they’ve continued to win behind junior Ben Vanderslice (6-0, 190) who stepped in to give another commendable performance, completing 4 of 6 passes for 85 yards. Running back Kessan Christopher also had a strong outing, rushing for 130 yards as the Whippets raced out to a 21-0 half time lead and cruised to a 27-14 win. The score would have been much more if not for 3 Downingtown fumbles of which 2 were lost and 7 penalties for 65-yards. That’s uncharacteristic for D-town and will cause real focus for this week’s opponent West Chester East. Just what East High needs! Things have not been the same since the 10-2 campaign of 2006. The following year saw them go 0-10. Imagine going 0-10 after a 10-2 season. The year after that they went 2-9 and are 0-4 this year with losses to Oxford, Owen J. Roberts, Rustin and Henderson meaning the Whippets can name the score here.

9. Father Judge (4-0) The Crusader’s are making their first appearance in the Top 10 after opening strong against an interesting schedule. They opened with a solid 35-21 win at home against Council Rock North, who hasn’t lost since then. Subsequent wins were against Philadelphia Northeast 28-6, Pocono Mountain West 43-20 and last week against Archbishop Ryan, 38-6. They graduated special talent from last year’s team but return a good core of skill players this year. Returning senior quarterback Tony Smith (6-3, 200) threw for 1,583 yards last year and is off to strong start this year, completing 39 of 66 passes for 561 yards. He threw 13 touchdowns last year and has thrown 7 this season. The other real talent in the backfield is running back Curt Wortham, a 5-6, 155 pound senior. Curt put up some good numbers last year rushing 254 times for 1562 yards, so he’s durable despite his size. His totals this year show 599 yards gained on 102 carries. The new receiver corps is getting it done through tight end Kevin Leneghan (6-1, 210, sr, 5/133yds), Kevin Toner (5-10, 150, sr, 7/50yds) and Matt Gies (6-2, 180, jr, 12/209yds). The new line has good size and like the receiver corps, is getting it done as evidenced by good production at quarterback and running back. Nice team! They are scoring 35 a game on average and allowing 13 making them a tough customer. Tough enough to take down the Hawks this week if they come in with a hangover from the LaSalle win.

10. Quakertown (4-0) Quakertown survived a letdown against Plymouth-Whitemarsh and the absence of quarterback Ryan Tincknell who was injured last week against Cheltenham to sneak out of Plymouth Meeting with a 27-14 win. Kurtis Roberts filled in well at quarterback completing 9 of 17 passes for 123 yards. Running back Tony Latronica had another good performance, with 3 touchdowns and 114 yards rushing. A win is always a win but this was ugly for the Quakertown faithful playing to a 14-14 tie at the half. Give Plymouth-Whitemarsh credit for getting in the Panther’s face. The Colonials got 14 first downs, 142 yards rushing and 246 total yards to Q-town’s 343 total yards. You have to admit whatever the Colonials’ shortcomings, the killer schedule would knock a lot of teams down. Their opponents to date are LaSalle, Abington, Pennridge and Quakertown. They are going to win some games if they stay at the level reached for the Panthers. For Quakertown, whose schedule has been just the opposite of Whitemarsh’s with games against Methacton, Upper Merion, Cheltenham and Whitemarsh, they need to tighten up big time if they plan on getting past this week’s opponent, Hatboro Horsham. The 2-2 Hatters are a few points removed from undefeated and have played a much harder schedule than Quakertown. Plus, head coach Dave Sanderson returned to Hatboro this year, replacing Tom Butts, who took over for Sanderson for the 2008 season. With their former coach back in place, they will minimally be fundamentally sound. The Hatters won last year, 23-22.

Honorable Mention (Grouped by conference or classification, otherwise random)

Cardinal O'Hara (4-0)
West Catholic (3-1)
Norristown (4-0)
Downingtown East (3-1)
Rustin (AAA, 4-0)
Henderson (4-0)
Pottsgrove (AAA, 4-0)
Garnet Valley (3-1)
Penncrest (2-2)
Chestnut Hill Academy (3-0)

STATE Top 10 High School Football Rankings
September 28, 2009

Wasn’t that a great weekend of football with top ranked Bishop McDevitt traveling to Central Dauphin, Pittsburgh Central Catholic doing the same against Upper Saint Clair, Bethel Park visiting Woodland Hills and our own local powers St. Joseph’s, LaSalle, Abington and Neshaminy being as good as advertised. A lower ranked team won in all the above games except for McDevitt which crushed Central Dauphin and Woodland Hills with its tight win over Bethel Park. The other games were super tight affairs. And how about Ridley having no trouble with Strath Haven. Other action saw McKeesport get to 3-1 with a 16-14 win against McDowell. Penn Hills’ woes continued as North Allegheny got to 3-1 with a 24-7 win. The Indians drop to 1-3. Up in the Lehigh Valley, it looks like the best team may be AAA Allentown Central Catholic, not Easton, Parkland, Freedom and others. Did someone say Liberty? They are now 1-3 after beating Allen last week, 42-0.

1. Bishop McDevitt (4-0) If you think high school football is popular in the famed WPIAL, the Lehigh Valley and here in Southeastern Pennsylvania, you’d be right. What you might not realize is just how popular it is in south central Pennsylvania, particularly the Harrisburg area where, believe it or not, they have traditions that run as deep and proud as Ridley’s and Mount Carmel’s to name a few. So when there is a headline game like last week’s between Harrisburg’s undefeated Bishop McDevitt and Central Dauphin High, also 3-0, it is a major happening with businesses closing down and sidewalks rolling up to attend the event. When you get city teams going at it, it will often attract a throng, especially when it’s a suburban team playing an inner city team. This one attracted a huge, standing room only crowd of over 8,000 fans. It stared as you might expect with both teams coming out a little tight. McDevitt’s Jameel Poteat got the scoring going on a 12-yard run followed by Central Dauphin’s quarterback Lewis Correale connecting with Marcus Simpson on a beautiful 61-yard touchdown toss. The extra point was missed giving McDevitt a 7-6 lead at the end of the first-quarter. In a game that held such promises of being a classic struggle between two powerhouse teams, that would be the last time the Rams offense crossed the goal line as McDevitt rolled to a unexpectedly easy win. The scary thing about this one is, CD is a good football team that was coming off a 24-22 win against State College. Hangover? Not really because this McDevitt teams is just that good. They have D1 weapons at every skill position and a very strong, athletic defense. After warming up in the first-quarter, McDevitt quarterback Matt Johnson found Salath Williams twice in the second for 7- and 15-yard scoring strikes. In between, Jameel Poteat got his second rushing touchdown on a 36-yard dash as McD blew out to a 27-6 half time lead. The second half opened with Correale throwing an ill advised pass deep in their own territory that was picked and returned 36 yards for 6. Defensively, they weren’t allowing the Rams a thing. It was a total shutdown except for always active Marcus Simpson picking off a Matt Johnson pass and returning it 44 yards for the score. McDevitt’s Dawan Smith countered immediately, returning the kick-off 90 yards for a touchdown. Not sure why prized receiver Salath Williams (6-4, 185, sr) was still in to notch the final score on a 22-yarder from Johnson with 6 minutes left to play. That would ice it for the Crusaders who rolled to a 48-13 win. Running back Jameel Poteat scored twice, ending the night with 214 yards rushing on 30 carries. Quarterback Matt Johnson completed 13 of 21 passes for 228 yards. He threw for 3 scores. Salath Williams had 4 receptions of which 3 were touchdowns for 73 yards. All totaled, McDevitt had 439 total yards of offense to Central Dauphin’s 237 yards. The Rams were held under 3.0 yards per carry, netting a meager 82 yards rushing on 32 attempts. What an overall team performance by McDevitt who, rather than providing a classic with Central Dauphin, gave us a clinic. Lower Dauphin is up next, Friday night in Hummelstown.

2. Gateway (4-0) If there is one team out west that clearly looks strong enough to challenge Bishop McDevitt, it has to be these Gators who look unbeatable! We all know anything can happen on any given night but wow, do these guys look good. They have speed to burn, more speed than they’ve ever had according to Coach Terry Smith and that is saying something. Whatever they have done the last two years in the WPIAL final, anyone who saw them had to be impressed with not only their team speed, but of course the speed they bring to their skill positions. Add in a four-year starting quarterback to see the potential of this year’s edition. Robbie Kalkstein was as always, on fire, completing 9 of 12 passes for 212 yards and 2 scores. Their hot shot transfer Brendon Felder from St. John’s in Danvers, Mass, showed why he’s soon to be playing for UNC by returning the opening kick-off 79-yards for a touchdown. While still in the first-quarter, he returned a punt 88-yards for another score as they opened up a 24-0 first-quarter lead on Penn Trafford. The fireworks continued in the second-quarter with Kalkstein connecting on a 29-yard strike to Dayonne Nunley who also scored on a 15-yard sprint later in the quarter. In the closing seconds of the first half, Kalkstein led the Gators on a 65-yard drive culminating in a 30-yard strike to wide out Steve Vranka as time expired. The score at the half was 45-7. Everyone played in the second half as Gateway cruised to a 51-14 win. Norwin is next in Monroeville Friday night.

3. North Penn (4-0) See Southeastern PA rankings

4.Woodland Hills (3-1) Woodland Hills passed a major test Friday when they beat the defending WPIAL AAAA champ Bethel Park, 21-17. Bethel Park has reloaded from last year’s great season where they beat Wilson, 38-35, in 3 overtimes in the West final before losing to Liberty, 28-21, also in overtime. They came into this one looking to take the Wolverines down and almost did when they opened up a 14-7 lead they took to the locker room. Coming into the Wolverena is difficult enough but to take a lead on them was making a big statement. Imagine their locker room and how utterly opposite things were in the other. But the Wolverines responded, tying the game in the third-quarter when Lafayette Pitts raced 29-yards to tie the score at 14-14. Except for a few series, this was a defensive struggle between two contenders for the WPIAL title. It wasn’t until the four minute mark of the fourth-quarter when Bethel Park lined up for and converted a 22-yard field goal by Anthony Paglia for a 17-14 lead. Talk about cool under pressure, the Wolverines sucked it up and drove down field to the Blackhawks’ 35-yard line where quarterback John Yezovich found running back Lafayette Pitts streaking down the sideline for the winning score with just under three minutes left in the game. But Bethel Park wasn’t done yet. With 2:30 left to play, starting on their 30 yard line, the Hawks drove to the Woody’s 18 yard line with just under two minutes left in the game. Three plays later they were knocking at the door with a first and goal at the five-yard line. But at this point they self-destructed, being thrown for a loss and suffering a holding penalty to face a fourth and goal with nine-seconds left to play. The fourth down pass was tipped away in the end zone by Lafayette Pitts who did it all that night. Star running back Dom Timbers did his thing, allowing the Wolverines to hold onto the ball for long stretches of time by rushing for a quiet 116 yards on 18 carries. Bethel Park’s junior running back Bre Ford rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown. They’re at Mount Lebanon next week while Woodland Hills opens Big East action at 9th ranked Pittsburgh Central Catholic. The results of this one will go a long way in determining the pecking order in the district and is essentially the Big East title game.

5. Pennsbury (4-0) See Southeastern PA rankings

6. Abington (3-0) See Southeastern PA rankings

7. Ridley (4-0) See Southeastern PA rankings

8. Neshaminy (3-1) See Southeastern PA rankings

9. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (3-1) The Vikings really shook things up last week in a win that reverberated across they state when they routed previously unbeaten Upper Saint Clair. It is a rare enough event when Upper Saint Clair gets beat handily, especially at home. Because they also happen to be a good football team, it was particularly shocking seeing the margin in this one. That Central won is not a shocker. They are a fine team. Knowing they won 31-7 at Upper Saint Clair is still hard to digest as it speaks to Central’s dominance at the line of scrimmage and USC’s inability to compete in any phase of the game. Emotionally, maybe ... just maybe, the Panther’s were recovering from a rough road win at North Allegheny (3-1) the week before. For Central Catholic, you know they were chomping at the bit to get at someone after being embarrassed at home (at home!) to Mount Lebanon (2-2), 36-21. USC only put together one sustained drive the entire game and were plagued by turnovers throughout the night. Running back Jacob Siwicki (238 yds coming in) was held to 27 total yards. CC wasn’t allowing anything through, shutting down the Upper Saint Clair attack to 66 yards rushing. Nice. USC had no answer for the WPIAL’s leading rusher as sophomore Damion Jones-Moore dented their defense for 199 yards on 32 carries. He scored 3 touchdowns to raise his rushing total to 728 yards. Now that non-conference games are over it’s time to get down to the Big East wars. What better way to begin than to play Woodland Hills at home on a Friday night.

10. St. Joseph’s Prep (3-1) See Southeastern PA rankings

Honorable Mention

Upper Saint Clair (3-1)
North Allegheny (3-1)
McDowell (3-1)
McKeesport (3-1)
Bethel Park (3-1)
Pittsburgh Central Catholic (3-1)
State College (3-1)
Downingtown West (3-0)
LaSalle (3-1)
Wilson (2-1)