Willies World: Breaking down the PIAA District 1 5A Playoffs

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Willie McGonigle | November 3, 2021

Breaking down the PIAA District 1 5A Playoffs

After 2020 saw only 4 teams make the District 1 5A playoffs last season due to Covid the field returns back to its 16 team format. Three of the four teams from last season’s playoffs (West Chester Rustin, Kennett and the defending Champions Upper Dublin) make return trips to the post season. Now let’s take a look at the matchups

(1) West Chester Rustin (8-1) vs (16) Interboro (3-7) Friday 7pm

The Knights and the Bucs meet again this season in a rematch from week 5 which saw the Knights take down the Bucs 42-14

(1) West Chester Rustin: The Golden Knights are the number one seed despite only playing nine games due to taking a second scrimmage this season. The Golden Knights are one of the several strong contenders to take the district crown. They enter post season on a roll having won 8 consecutive games since they dropped their opener to Unionville 21-7. They are led by Running back Dayshawn Jacobs who is close to the 2000 yard mark this season.

(16) Interboro Bucs: The Bucs needed a win on Saturday to secure the 16th and final playoff spot and they did so with a 35-6 victory over Penn Wood. Under the direction of Dennis Lux the Bucs have gone back to their traditional ground and pound offense led by Abu Kamara who has rushed for over 1100 yards and 17 touchdowns along with Robert Forbes.

3 Things to Watch

1)      Who can stop the run? Both the Golden Knights and Bucs are like to pound the ball the question whose going to win the battle up front and likely the game.

2)      After their 28 point defeat in the teams previous match up what changes to do the Bucs make to their game plan and how will it change things.

3)      What team will have more success through the air when needed because that be the deciding factor in the game.

Prediction: West Chester Rustin 35- Interboro 21

(8) Chester (7-3) vs. (9)Kennett(7-3)  Saturday 1pm at Chester High Athletic Complex

(8) Chester: For the first time in school history the Chester are in the District playoffs. After starting the season with 7 consecutive wins, Coach LaDontay Bell’s Clippers enter the post season looking to end a three game losing streak having lost to Coatesville,Chichester and Academy Park but make no mistake the Clippers have the talent to make their first post-season run a long one. Offensively the Clippers are led by Dual Threat QB Isiah Freeman who has thrown for over 1300 yards and 13 touchdowns to go along with over 500 yards rushing and additional 8 touchdowns. Multipurpose threats Noble Thompson and Will Smith provide defenses with even more to worry about. Defensively Thompson and Colin Ferrell are the teams leading tacklers.

(9) Kennett: The Blue Demons make another trip to the district playoffs a common occurrence for them under the direction of head coach Lance Fraier. The Blue Demons are led by QB Kalen Frazier, RB Connor Jung.

3 Things to Watch

1)      How will both teams respond? Chester coming off three consecutive lost and Kennett coming off a surprising lost to West Chester East last weekend?

2)      How will Chester handle the pressure of being in the postseason for the first time in school history?

3)      How will Kennett stop Dual Threat Isiah Freeman who has the ability to beat teams with both his arm and legs?

Prediction: Chester 24 -Kennett 21

(4) Upper Dublin (8-2) vs (13) West Chester Henderson (4-6)Friday 7pm at Wissahickon High School

(4) Upper Dublin: The defending 5A champions look like strong contenders to repeat as champions. The Cardinals finished 8-2, but their only two losses came against North Penn and Quakertown, both of whom are undefeated, top five teams from 6A. Upper Dublin did pick up a late season 10-7 win against defending 6A champions Souderton. The Cardinals are led by Junior Quarterback Colin O’Sullivan, who is great at completing the intermediate throws, but does have the ability to go deep. Upper Dublin likes to run the ball, using Nyfise Mcyntyre as the main running back with Tawfiq Bartlet coming in on short yardage situations. Upper Dublin’s defense is strong, pitching shutouts on four separate occasions this season.

(13) West Chester Henderson: It was a weird season for the Warriors, in which they never had a winning streak, but they never had a losing streak more than two games. Henderson won the games they needed to, to get into the playoffs, beating rival West Chester East 41-20 late in the season. They also beat Sun Valley 21-14, but suffered big defeats against Coatesville and West Chester Rustin. Henderson is led by quarterback Eddie Smink and on the defensive side of things Brett Patton is a playmaker for the Warriors.

3 Things to Watch

(1) Colin O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan led the Cardinals to a District championship last year in his first year as a starter after transferring from Hatboro Horsham. O’Sullivan is passing the ball a lot more this year, he’s accurate and poised in the pocket. If given time, he will pick the Henderson Defense apart.

(2) Upper Dublin’s Defense. Defensive coordinator Dave Sowers always has his unit ready to play and they’ve been stellar at the back end of the season. In their last four games the Cardinals defense is averaging 4 points allowed per game.

(3) Will West Chester show up in a big game? The Warriors have struggled against good teams this year, and Upper Dublin presents a big challenge to them.

Prediction: Upper Dublin 31 West Chester Henderson 13

(5) Plymouth Whitemarsh(8-1) vs (12) Cheltenham (5-5) Friday 7 pm

(5) Plymouth Whitemarsh: P.W presents a challenge for any team in the 5A classification because of their triple option look on offense and their ability to run the ball. The Suburban One American League champions won eight straight games to end the season after dropping their first game of the season to C.B South. The Colonials are led by Junior Quarterback Aidan O’Brien and Senior Running Back Zion East. P.W had two key wins this season, one of them coming on the road against Upper Moreland which sealed at least a share of the league title. They also beat their first round opponent Cheltenham 21-13 in a very tight game during the regular season.

(12) Cheltenham: It was only a couple seasons ago that Cheltenham was the District Champion in 5A and playing in the state championship, coming up one play short against Archbishop Wood. Under first year head coach Troy Gore, the Panthers have had an up and down season, going 5-5. Cheltenham lost it’s first three games of the season all by double digits, but they found their feet towards the end of the year. A signature win came against Upper Moreland, scoring 32 unanswered points after trailing 21 in the first half. Kamden Wyatt is the main weapon for the Panthers on offense, doing it all, receiving, rushing, and even returning kicks.

3 Things to watch:

(1) Who can stop the run? Both teams love to run the ball and eat a lot of clock, so it’ll be interesting to see who can have more success.

(2) Does Chelteham learn from their first defeat? The Panthers came close to beating the Colonials a few weeks ago, can they make the correct adjustments to pull off the upset?

(3) If Cheltenham gets a lead does P.W panic? Plymouth Whitemarsh’s style is made to play from ahead and not behind. If Cheltenham scores first, or even gets up by two possessions, how will P.W respond?

Prediction: Plymouth Whitemarsh 24 Cheltenham 20

(2) Strath Haven (9-1) vs (15) Upper Merion Friday 7 Pm

(2) Strath Haven: The Panthers are once again in the postseason under the direction of legendary head coach Kevin Clancy who this season became the all-time winningest coach in district 1 history. The Panthers must be considered a favorite to win the district title. The Panthers lone loss of the season came at the hands of the 6A power Garnet Valley. Chase Barlow and Matt Shuler are the main threats in the Panthers Wing-T style offense. Barlow is also getting it done for the Panthers on the defensive side of the ball leading the team in tackles back in the playoffs after missing out last season. The Vikings are led offensively by Zayd Etheridge Brayden Marino Alzere Thomas.

3 Things to Watch

1)      There very few bands that have the size of the Strath Haven how do the Vikings handle the added noise of the Panther marching band?

2)      How can the Vikings slow down Chase Barlow and the Panthers Wing T attack?

3)      Can the Vikings defense get off the field and prevent the Panthers from going on time consuming drives.

Prediction: Strath Haven 28-Upper Merion 7

(7) Marple-Newtown (7-3) vs (10) Phoenixville (5-4) 7 pm at

(7) Marple Newtown: After missing out the district playoffs a year ago because of the Central League not participating in the district playoffs the Tigers are back. All three of the Tiger’s loss came at hands of fellow district playoff teams Garnet Valley, Strath Haven and Conestoga. The Tigers possess what arguably maybe one of the most dangerous players in the district in RB Charlie Box. Last week Box became the schools all time leading rusher and has amassed 1600 multipurpose yards this season.

(10) Phoenixville:  The Phantoms enter the playoffs riding a four-game winning streak. Offensively the Phantoms are lead by QB Ty Romance, and RB Own Koch who has rushed for over 1000 this season and 11 touchdowns.

3 Things to watch

(1)   How many different ways will the Tigers get the ball into the hands of Charlie Box? Will the Phantoms be able to contain him?

(2)   Can the Tigers contain Koch who is averaging 7.5 yards per carry

(3)   If the game comes down to a field goal the Tigers Ty Can has connected on 6 of 7 field goal attempts and have the leg strength to hit from yards out.

Prediction: Marple 31-Phoenville 21

(4)   Unionville (9-1) vs (14) Springfield (4-6) Friday 7pm

(5)   Unionville: The Longhorns are going to be a tough out for anybody in the bracket. They have handed the number 1 seed West Chester Rustin their lone lost while the Longhorns lone lost came at the hands of Downingtown East. The Longhorns are led by QB Matt McCloskey RB Ethan Bennink.

(14) Springfield: Yes the Cougars enter the post season with 6 loses but all of those were to teams that qualified for either the 6A or 5A playoffs. The Cougars are led by their QB Jake Roma who has thrown for 1741 yards and 16 touchdowns

3 Things to Watch

1: Can the Cougars defense slowdown the high-powered Longhorn offense that is averaging over 31 points per game.

2: How will the Longhorns stop the dangerous tandem of Robby Longo, Zach Tropiano, Mike O’Donnell and Aiden Kreydt? All three of these Cougars receivers possess the ability to score at any point

3: Is third time the Charm for the Cougars? This is third time the Cougars and Longhorns have met in the playoffs including the 2017 District Championship

(6) Academy Park (7-2) vs (11) Oxford (5-5) Saturday 1 pm

(6) Academy Park: The Knights started off the season hot, winning their first four games of the season. They then dropped two straight to Avon Grove and a highly ranked 6A Downingtown East team 25-20. AP finished off the season with three straight wins, including a big 14-8 win against Chester in the last game of the season, which helped them seal at least a share of the Del Val League Championship for the third straight year. Ibrahim Sanago is the player to watch for the Knights, he’s a playmaker on both sides of the ball as a running back and as a linebacker.

(11) Oxford: After going 5-5 in the regular season Oxford made their way into the playoffs. The team from the Chesmont league has some momentum coming into the playoffs, defeating West Chester Henderson 18-0 in the last week of the season. Led by Junior Quarterback Dustin Long, who is a very mobile QB and can create something out of nothing for the Wildcats.

3 Things to Watch

(1) Ibrahim Sanogo’s playmaking ability. Sanago is 6-2 and 215 pounds and is tough to bring down as a runner and tough to block on defense. He’s going to be a big focus of Oxford’s game plan and how they stop him will be key

(2) Justin Long’s legs. The Oxford quarterback’s legs were huge in their last game of the season. Can he pick up big yardage on designed runs and extend pass plays with his legs.

(3) Does playing the game during the day factor in? High School football games are meant to have great atmospheres, especially Playoff games. There’s nothing like Friday Night Lights, but this game won’t be played under the lights. Because of an incident at an AP game earlier in the season, the game will be played during the day Saturday. Will the potential lack of atmosphere help Oxford’s cause?

Prediction: Academy Park 30 Oxford 14

Reporter Zak Wolf Contributed to this report.

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