District 1-6A Playoff Preview: Round 1

Tagged under: District 1, News, pfn, Playoffs

Michael Pietrangelo | November 1, 2024

We’ve reached the end of the regular season in District One, and our field of 16 is set. Who will represent the districts in the State Playoffs on the way to Chapman Stadium? My fellow writers Willie McGonigle, Marcus Sic, and I compiled a preview of our eight matchups heading into tonight. The Titans of Central Bucks South are the current 6A Champion and head into the Playoffs as the only undefeated squad in the field.  Will they repeat as Champions or does someone else emerge? Stay tuned as the action unfolds!

The Matchups

#16 Spring-Ford @ #1 Central Bucks South Titans

#1 Central Bucks South (10-0, 7-0)

About the Titans: The reigning District One Champion heads into the Playoffs undefeated and the number one seed. The potent Titan offense is currently averaging 30.3 points per game. The offensive attack is led by none other than senior quarterback Owen Pinkerton. The dual-threat quarterback has completed 58% of his passes for 1,117 yards and 13 touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions. He also leads the backfield with 140 carries for 960 yards and ten rushing touchdowns. Sophomore Braylen Cape (71-439-8 TDs) and Senior Kaden Kube (65-333-2 TDs) share time in the Titan backfield and round out the rushing attack. A trio of seniors leads the receiving corps: Danny Gies (26-598-8 TDs), Matt Harmon (14-285-2 TDs), and Dan McCusker (10-132-2 TDs). The defense, which is only yielding 7.1 points per game, is led by Senior defensive end Eddie Bowen, who leads all tacklers with 61. He also leads the team in sacks with seven and tackles for loss with 9.5. Junior linebacker Jack Bartolillo is second on the team with 60 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss. Senior Matt Harmon leads the secondary with three interceptions. 

#16 Spring-Ford (4-6, 3-2)

About the Rams: The Rams enter the playoffs with a record 4-6 they have been without Missouri commit Matt Zollers since late in the week 4 matchup with Downingtown West. Sophomore Trent Yoder has stepped up in Zoller’s absence and has thrown for 848 yards and 6 touchdowns. Jamal Lewis leads the team in rushing with 976 yards and 14 touchdowns.  Jordan Marsillio is the team’s leading receiver with 34 catches for 479 yards and three touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Nick Garzaella leads the Rams with 54 tackles including 13 TFLs. Bryce Roberts leads the Rams with 4 sacks. Jack Stzeminski, Blake Turner, and Owen Layman are all tied for the team lead in interceptions with 1 apiece.

#15 Coatesville Red Raiders @ #2 Downingtown West Whippets

#2 Downingtown West (9-1, 2-1)

About the Whippets:

West’s first year Head Coach Tom Kline comes into his first District One tournament winning his last two games after a loss to Bishop Shanahan. The Whippets’ offense is led by QB Cole Bricker, his favorite receiver has been JW Weller, along with Brendon Goode-Kimble. The strength of the Whippet offense is its running game, Mike Taraschi, Bricker and Spencer Dunn, all get carries. West uses a combination of misdirection and speed to keep its opponents off balance.

The Whippet defense is a fast-moving, run to the ball group that is solid in the backend. West beat Coatesville two weeks ago in a tight 14-7 regular season game.

#15 Coatesville (5-4, 0-2)

About the Red Raiders:

Coatesville comes into the tournament on a two-game losing streak, finishing last in the ChesMont North, that does mean they cannot be a dangerous team and a tough out. They played the Whippets just two short weeks ago. Head Coach Matt Ortega’s Red Raiders are led by his son Buggy Ortega at QB and massive tackle Max Hiller. Running back Nasir Jordan has taken over as the feature back, with Josh Van Orden and Anthony Kelly the main receiving targets for Ortega.

The Coatesville defense has been very good all year, the defensive charge has been spearheaded by Magnuss Clouser, Josh Van Orden and Terry Wiggins.

#14 Pennsbury Falcons @ #3 Central Bucks West Bucks

#3 Central Bucks West (8-2, 6-1)

About the Bucks:The Bucks are the third seed and head into the playoffs on a 5-game winning streak after falling to CB South 22-17 on a last-second hail Mary.  The Bucks’ offensive attack is averaging 26.2 points per game, while their defense is yielding 11.8 points per game. The offense is led by the one-two combo punch of Senior quarterback Noah Miller and senior running back Ryan Clemens.  Miller has combined for 1,521 yards (826 rushing) and (695 passing) and 18 total touchdowns (9 rushing & 9 passing). Clemens is averaging 7.1 yards per carry while rushing for 1,313 yards and ten touchdowns. He is also Miller’s favorite passing target, as he has hauled in 283 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Clemens leads all tacklers with 72 tackles.  Junior Gavin Todd is second on the team with 64 total tackles. Jeff Cappa leads all defenders with seven sacks. Senior Vance Morelli and sophomore Lou Cipollo lead all defenders with two interceptions.

#14 Pennsbury (5-5, 3-4)

About the Falcons: The Falcons finished the season 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the SOL-National Conference. They won against Quakertown, CR South, CB East, Abington, and Neshaminy.  Their losses came to non-conference Northampton and conference foes Pennridge, CB South, CB West, & North Penn.  Week seven saw these two teams face off, and West got the upper hand in a 27-6 victory. The Pennsbury offense is averaging 16.3 points per game, while the defense yields an average of 16 points per game.

#13 Ridley Green Raiders @ #4 North Penn Knights

#4 North Penn (8-2, 5-2)

About the Knights: The fourth-seeded Knights out of SOL-National finished 8-2 in the regular season. Their two losses were to conference foes CB South (14-6) and CB West (17-14) to finish third. The Knights average 29.3 points per game while yielding a respectable 12.3 points per game to opposing offenses.  The knights’ offensive attack is led by Junior quarterback Matt Bucksar who has completed 60% of his passes for 1,277 yards, additionally he has 396 yards on the ground.  Bucksar’s favorite targets are senior TE Aiden Eves 20-370-2 TDs, Junior Mason Franek 17-265-3 TDs, and senior Jackson Schurmann 14-270-3 TDs.  Junior Matt Pownall has carried the rock 88 times for 421 yards and 1 score. He hauled in an additional 352 yards on 19 catches and 2 TDs. Senior Josiah Coleman has carried the ball 81 times for a team-high 620 yards and 7 touchdowns.  On the defensive side of the ball, senior Christian Johns-Wallace leads all defenders with 69 total tackles. Senior Cole D’Ambrosio is second on the team with 62 tackles and junior Nate Schepian follows with 40.

#13 Ridley (6-4,5-2)

About the Green Raiders:

The Green Raiders enter the playoffs with a 6-4 record. Offensively the Green Raiders are led by their QB Ryan Carroll who has thrown for 1434 yards this season and 15 touchdowns. Carroll is the school record holder for most passing yards in a career. Connor Kelly 92 carries for 626 yards and 8 touchdowns and Kirkland Plummer 135-786-5 are a potent 1-2 punch in the Green Raiders backfield. Kelly has also turned in 24 receptions for 265 and three receiving touchdowns is a threat out of the backfield. Sean Manley 32 receptions for 396 yards and 4 touchdowns, J. Brown 24-335-4 and Gene D’Amoico 20-185 are Carroll’s top targets. Jacob Bowell has 7 receptions for 71 yards and two touchdowns from the TE position. Defensively  Kelly has been a menace to opposing teams offenses registering 92 tackles (37 solo, 12 TFL) at LB. Kevin Farley has 62 tackles. Bowell leads the team with 2 interceptions while Gene D’Amico also has an interception for the Green Raiders.

#12 Quakertown Panthers @ #5 Haverford Fords

#5 Haverford Fords (9-1,7-1)

About the Fords: One year after going 1-9 the Fords have flipped their record going 9-1 in 2024 they enter District 1 playoffs red hot having won eight consecutive games since dropping a 35-20 decision to Garnet back on August 30. A Huge part of the Fords’ success this season has been the play of the offensive line consisting of Brendan Walker, Sean Leahy Alex Klee Quinn McGloin, and Emmett Gillespie. They have paved the way for Liam Taylor to rush for 2,286 yards and 26 touchdowns. Jimmy Fusaro is the Ford’s leading receiver with 3 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown.

#12 Quakertown (6-4, 5-1)

About the Panthers: The Panthers finished the regular season 7-3 and tied for first in the SOL-Continental with 6A Souderton and 5A Upper Dublin after they all finished 6-1. They also started the season 0-3 after losses to Southern Lehigh, Pennsbury, & North Penn.  Their only other loss the rest of the way was against Upper Dublin. Quakertown’s potent offensive attack is averaging 28.9 points per game while yielding 22.4 points per game on the defensive side of the ball.  Junior Quarterback Brady Martin has completed 56% of his passes for 1,837 yards. He has thrown for 19 touchdowns while also throwing 10 interceptions. Martin also chipped in 124 yards on the ground and 4 more scores. Senior Gavin Carroll has carried the rock 113 times for 676 yards and 10 touchdowns. Senior Aiden Burgy has hauled in 45 balls for 865 yards and 14 touchdowns which is a school-season record at Quakertown. Senior Matt Thomas has caught 42 passes for 559 yards and three scores. Junior Jackson Connelly leads all defenders with 62 total tackles, followed by Gavin Carroll (59) and Owen Wynne with 56. Carroll leads the defense with 14 tackles for loss. Juniors William Bowen and Jackson Connelly are tied for first on the team with 4 sacks a piece. Brady Martin leads the secondary with four interceptions.

#11 Downingtown East Cougars @ #6 Perkiomen Valley Vikings

#6 Perkiomen Valley (7-3, 5-0)

About the Vikings: The Vikings enter the playoffs as the PAC Liberty Champions with a record of 7-3. Last week they fell to PJP in the PAC championship game 28-19. Offensively the Vikings are led by dual-threat QB Patrick MacDonald. The senior QB has thrown for 1268 yards and 9 touchdowns in addition to rushing for 558 yards and 9 more touchdowns on the ground. Carter McCabe and Colin Sturges provide a 1-2 punch in the backfield. Sturges has carried the ball 83 times for 408 yards and 4 touchdowns while McCabe has rushed 62 times for 420 yards and six touchdowns. Freshman Will Stein has burst onto the scene and has become the Vikings leading receiver with 15 receptions for 233 yards and a touchdown. Defensively Carter Euker leads the team with 94 tackles. Anthony Rodriguez leads the team with 2.5 sacks and Dimitri Toman has been a ballhawk in the secondary leading the team with 4 interceptions.

#11 Downingtown East (5-4, 1-1)
About the Cougars: Coming off an undefeated regular season last year and a deep playoff run the Cougars’ Head Coach Michael Matta returned only one starter on each side of the ball. Granted they are to very good ones, Jackson Griffiths a fierce linebacker who is Downingtown’s all-time leading tackler and flashy fullback Michael Brown. Downingtown is known for it’s bruising lines, returning no player on either line with any varsity experience and a brutal schedule, the O and D lines would have to gel on the fly. Over the last few games they have come together as units, with that the Cougars have begun to win and are as dangerous as any #11 seed in the tournament.

Mason Ippolito has taken over as QB, he not only has a cannon for an arm he also is a slick power running QB, something the Cougars have not had for years. Ippolito’s targets include Brown, Nick Keenan, Zach Lindsey and Brian Fuchs. After back-to-back All State running backs, the Cougars started out rotating backs and have settled in on Alex Rios. The undisputed leader of the defense is Griffiths, he is joined by the Morin brothers safety Joe and outside linebacker John, along with strong safety Connor Kiebort, line backers Caleb Aiken and Logan Litwinko. Corners Luther Sehwah and Ben Petrillo have been very stingy and a rotating crew of six lineman buoy the defense.

#10 Neshaminy Redskins @ #7 Owen J. Roberts Wildcats

#7 Owen J. Roberts (8-2, 4-1)

About the Wildcats: For the second consecutive season and third time since 2019 the Wildcats enter the postseason having won 8 games this season they get to host a home playoff game. Offensively the Wildcats are led by their dangerous playmaker in RB Mekhi Graham who has garnered Division 1 interest. When opposing defenses take away Graham in the running game QB Corey Schock has the ability to make them pay in the passing game with one of his favorite targets being Matt Gregory. Defensively the Wildcats enter the playoffs allowing an average of 12.5 points per game but have also shown the ability to shut opponents out having posted 3 of them thus far this season.

#10 Neshaminy Redskins (6-4, 3-4)

About the Redskins: The Skins finished the regular season 6-4. Their losses came from North Penn (37-7), CB West (21-10), CB South (35-7), and Pennsbury (22-21). The Skins are averaging 21.9 points per game on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, they are giving up 17.5 points per game to opposing offenses. Junior Michael Eckart has completed 56% of his passes for 1,140 yards and nine touchdowns while tossing only three interceptions. Eckart has also chipped in 341 yards on the ground and six scores. Sophomore Nahsir Moore led the backfield in yards with 352 yards on 67 carries and three touchdowns. Junior Carter Clee led the backfield in carries with 81 for 312 yards and two touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Carson Schneider leads the team in tackles with 56, followed by Chris Long (48) Sophomore Luke Powell (45), and Owen Swartz (41). Swartz leads the team in tackles for loss with 10. He also leads the team in sacks with five. Junior Nick Sassano leads the team with four interceptions.

#9 Souderton @ #8 Plymouth Whitemarsh

#8 Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-2, 4-0)
About the Colonials: They finished 8-2 overall and undefeated (5-0) for the fourth year in a row, out of the SOL-American conference.  The Colonial’s two losses came at the hands of two 9-1 teams: Wilson West Lawn and Manheim Township, both out of the Lancaster-Lebanon Conference.   The Colonial’s offensive attack is averaging 34 points per game and is led by senior quarterback Caiden Leszczynski, who has completed 57% of his passes for 959 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has only thrown two interceptions on the season and has rushed for 142 yards and two more scores. Senior Everett Baker leads all rushers with 1,085 yards on 126 attempts and 20 touchdowns. Senior Christian Diciurcio is second on the team with 484 yards on 63 carries and two touchdowns. Senior Marcus Laffredo leads all receivers with 19 balls for 312 yards and four scores. Senior Chase Smith is second on the team with 10 catches for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Michael Bongard and Chase Rarrick have each hauled in 9-156-2 TDs & 6-89-2 TDs. Kevin Hegarty leads the defense with 60 total tackles and 10 tackles for loss. Senior Jadon Joseph leads the team in sacks with 5.5. Junior Amir Butler is second on the team with 3.5. Junior Bongard leads all defenders with 3 interceptions. The Colonials defense is currently giving up 12.6 points per game to opposing offenses.

#9 Souderton Indians (7-3, 5-1)
About the Indians: The Indians fished the regular season with only three losses. They were against Spring-ford (31-14), CB South (21-6), and Quakertown (35-34). The Indians shared the SOL-Continental conference title with Quakertown and Upper Dublin. Junior Ben Walsh has completed 65% of his passes for 1,728 yards and 20 touchdowns while only throwing three interceptions. Senior back Houston Marshall leads all rushers with 654 yards on only 80 attempts and six touchdowns. Junior Michael McCormick is second on the team with 69 carries for 305 yards & three touchdowns. Juniors Hunter Smeltz (53-743-4 TDs) and Elijah Hampton (43-571-7 TDs) lead the air attack. During the regular season, the Indians averaged 33.2 points per game while yielding 15.3 points per game on the defensive side of the ball. The defense is led by senior Houston Marshall, who has a team-leading 64 total tackles.  Timmy Meehan (58), Julian Adorno (56), and Jayden Bergey (51) follow. Senior Jack Potson leads all defenders with 11 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Seven players are currently tied for the lead in interceptions with one each.

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