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Mayhem’s Game of the Week (Week 10)

Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News

| October 27, 2022


I want to thank Mike Apice for allowing me to use his action shot of Stephen & Kim Supko for the use of her action shot of Luke. Please click on their names to see more of their awesome work. I personally think Photos are the greatest gifts especially with the holidays quickly approaching.

 

The Game:

Plymouth-Whitemarsh Colonials @ Upper Moreland Golden Bears

Friday, October 28, 2022

Kickoff: 7pm

2900 Terwood Rd, Willow Grove, Pa 19090

 

The Details:

Plymouth-Whitemarsh Colonials

Head Coach: Dan Chang

Last Season: (10-2) overall (6-0) Conference

League: Suburban One League-American Conference (5A)

This Season: (7-2) overall (4-0) Conference

Last Week: 56-6 Win against Wissahickon (1-8)  

 Colonials Notables: Heading into what is now the conference championship game, the Colonials are on a 6-game winning streak. They have wins over Methacton (35-0), Quakertown (49-0), J.P. McCaskey (46-0), Cheltenham (37-6), William Tennent (57-7), Springfield (42-13), & Wissahickon (56-6).  Their two losses are to 6A opponents Central Bucks South (21-6) & Ridley (35-13).  PW has put up some impressive numbers through 9 games.  On offense they have scored 341 points which averages out to 37.9 points per game. Astonishingly their defense has only surrendered 88 points, which is under 10 points a game at 9.8 per! The Colonials offensive attack is spearheaded by true dual threat SR-QB Aiden O’Brien who has completed 36 of 66 Passes (54%) for 734 yards & 11 TDs & 74 Carries for 704 yards and 9 TDs on the ground.  JR-RB Luke Winterbottom leads the rushing attack with 716 yards on 61 carries & 10 TDs as well as 4 catches for 94 yards and 1 Rec TD.  Other key contributors of this potent rushing attack are JR-RB Nazye Boggs (41-369-3 TDs/ 7-145-2 TDs) & SR-RB Tommy Hannon (33-343-8TDs/3-32-1TD). O’Brien’s favorite target through the air is SR-WR Seve Spruill who has 9 catches for 332 yards & 4 TDs. Defensively look for the Colonials SR-DE Joe Foy (6 TFL, 4 Sacks), SR-DE Jared Kolsun (5 TFL, 5 Sacks), SR-LB Tommy Hannon (13 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 INT), & SO-LB Kevin Hegarty (7 TFL, 1 INT) to all make a huge impact. I’m definitely keeping an eye on those DE’s and the impact they have on the Bears offensive game plan.  I caught up with Junior  running back Luke Winterbottom in between his intense homework schedule (he is currently taking 3 Honors classes & 2 AP classes) to see if this game being for a title changed the way the team approached their preparations and this is what he had to say, “We are approaching this week’s game just like every other, we are fully focused no matter the opponent, but of course we all know what’s at stake and I feel it has added to the intensity of the practices.” Speaking of what’s at stake again, in order for them to be successful against this strong Bears team he said, “To be successful this week we need to stick to the game plan and execute on offense, we are hard to defend because of all our weapons.  On the other side of the ball, we need to win the battle in the trenches and find a way to stop their dangerous run game.”

 

Upper Moreland Golden Bears

Head Coach: Adam Beach

Last Season: (7-4) overall (4-2) Conference

League: Suburban One-Continental Conference (5A)

This Season: (8-1) overall (4-0) Conference

Last Week: 14-12 Win over Springfield Township (4-4) 

Bears Notables: Just like their opponent, the Golden Bears are riding a 6-game winning streak. The first/last time the Bears lost was in the first week of September on 9/9 when they were whooped 37-7 by non-league opponent Interboro (7-2).  The Bears 8 wins have come against Hatboro-Horsham (41-0), Archbishop Carroll (41-13), Executive Education (42-19), New Hope-Solebury (35-13), William Tennent (42-14), Wissahickon (42-14), Cheltenham (14-10), & Springfield Township (14-12).   They are averaging 30.9 points per game, as they have scored 278 points through 9 games.  Defensively the Bears are allowing a respectable 14.7 points per game. The Bears offensive attack is centered around SR-RB Stephen Broderick who has rushed for 1,316 yards on 155 attempts (8.5 YPC) with 19 TDs. Stephen also leads his team in receiving yards with 8 catches for 185 yards & 1 TD. SR-QB Shawn Herbert leads the Bears passing attack with 580 yards & 5 TDs on 36 of 76 (47%) passing attempts. He also has another 156 yards on 41 carries & 6 TDs.  SR-RB Hassan Johnson is second on the team in rushing with 159 yards on 43 carries & 5 TDs. Defensively SR-DT Joseph Hardee (47 tackles, 5 TFL, & 2 sacks), SR-LB Hassan Johnson (45 tackles, 6 TFL, 1 Sack, & 1 INT) SR-FS Paul Meyers (39 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 INT), & SR-DE Haleem Muhammad (37 Tackles, 14 TFL, 10 Sacks, 2 FF, & 2 FR) have all had a big impact to this point. I expect Haleem Muhammad to live in the backfield and Hassan Johnson to make some hard hits.  Stephen Broderick and I had a moment to sit down and talk a little ball. I asked him if this game being for the championship if it impacted how he and his team prepared for the game or if it was business as usual and He replied, “As much as I want to say we treat every game the same, this being for the league title and after they beat us for it last year, there is just a laser focus at practice all week and just extra work because we know what PW can bring to the table and that it won’t be easy.” I also asked him what he thought his team had to do to be successful against this dangerous, well-rounded squad and he said, “They are a really good team and very consistent, so we just need everybody to do their jobs and be mentally ready for everything. I believe if our players step up and everyone brings to the table what they are capable of, we will be victorious.”

 

Mayhem’s Prediction: Last time these two met, PW walked away victorious 31-28 (2021) in a hard-fought battle. The year before, Upper Moreland won 63-35 (2020). This game has the potential to be a shootout as both teams are averaging over 30 points per. My hang up for me is both have solid defenses who are averaging 9.8 (PW) & 14.7 (UM) respectively. The numbers say PW but given this is Senior night, Homecoming, A White-Out, & has title implications on the line…I’m going with home field advantage making the difference. UM wins 24-21.  

Sal Monella’s Prediction: Plymouth-Whitemarsh 35 Upper Moreland 21. While I’m tempted like my dude Mayhem to go with the home team, I can’t ignore that offensive output and PW’s crazy good defense.

Big Will’s Prediction: The Colonials and Bears meet in Willow Grove this weekend in what could be a classic. Winner of this game has an inside track to host at least 1 home playoff game which can be huge. Both teams have great head coaches in Dan Chang and Adam Beach. Big Will could easily see this game being one of two matchups this year and is a real coin flip.But my Crystal ball says PW 24 Upper Moreland 21 on a field goal at the buzzer.

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