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Hittin’ The Road With Travelin’ Matt – Week 6 (Patriots, Titans, Redskins & Explorers)

Tagged under: District 1, District 11, District 12, pfn

| October 7, 2024


Each week Travelin’ Matt traverses Pennsylvania attending the hottest high school football games and best matchups in the Commonwealth.  Follow his exploits each week as he documents his journey from Week Zero to the Pennsylvania State Football Finals!

Thursday, October 3

6A #6 Bethlehem Freedom (6-0) vs. 4A Bethlehem Catholic (4-2)

 

Friday, October 4

6A #7 Central Bucks South (6-0) vs. 6A HM North Penn (6-0)

 

Saturday, October 5

6A Neshaminy (4-2) vs. Pennridge (4-2)

6A #1 St. Joe’s Prep (3-1) vs. 6A #2 LaSalle (6-0)

 

ROUNDTRIP – 452 MILES

 

Thursday, October 3

After a lighter than normal schedule of games last week I jumped back on the horse and found myself at my standard quadruple-header of contests this week.

First up was a District 11 contest pitting undefeated and 6A state ranked #6 Bethlehem Freedom challenging Bethlehem Catholic.  For me, this was the second time I’ve seen both teams this season but the limited number of Thursday games don’t leave for many options within an hour or two driving distance so the matchup fit the bill this week.

Bethlehem Freedom features a potent offense led by signal caller and East Stroudsburg commit Chase Walker who accounted for 145 yards passing and a passing touchdown on the night.  Running back Aaron Beete racked up 175 yards on the ground with two touchdowns to pace the offense.  On defense, Freedom forcee five turnovers and scored a safety en route to a convincing 24-3 victory for the visiting Patriots.

Check out a few highlights from the Freedom vs. Bethlehem Catholic game…

Read the game story from Freedom vs. Bethlehem Catholic…

Check out the photo gallery from Freedom vs. Bethlehem Catholic…

 

Something you don’t see every day at a high school football game (or any game for that matter) is a kicking tee fetching dog but Freedom has one and his name is Shadow.  Check out Shadow doing what he does best!

 

Friday, October 4

For the 4th time this season I traveled back to District 1 for a battle of unbeatens featuring 6A #7 Central Bucks South (6-0) vs. 6A HM North Penn (6-0).  Another jam-packed crowd came out for the contest and while the scoring wasn’t at a torrid pace they saw a smashmouth defensive battle won by the home team Titans 14-6 to keep them undefeated in the Suburban One League.

 

Check out some highlights from CB South vs. North Penn…

 

Read the CB South vs. North Penn game story below…

 

Saturday, October 5

The first game of my Saturday double-dip took me to Pennridge High School where the Rams hosted District 1 Suburban League foe Neshaminy on a stunning sunny afternoon.  Highlighting the day was a “Pink Out” for Breast Cancer Awareness with most players and fans wearing pink to support the cause.  A touching pre-game ceremony highlighted a local fan currently undergoing treatment for cancer and she was honored with a rousing standing ovation on the field prior to the game escorted by two Rams players (see photo below).

 

 

As for the game, the visiting Redskins wasted no time putting points on the board as QB Michael Eckart raced 77 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage.  By halftime it was 17-3 Neshaminy and they didn’t take their foot off the gas all day en route to a 38-3 torching of Pennridge.

 

Check out some highlights from Pennridge vs. Neshaminy…

 

Read the Pennridge vs. Neshaminy game story below…

 

The second half of my Saturday doubleheader was a highly anticipated District 12 battle between 6A #1 and perennial power St. Joe’s Prep and 6A #2 state ranked LaSalle.  All week the game had been dubbed the top matchup in the state and the two Philly squads did not disappoint the several thousand fans on hand as they battled through four quarters and four overtime periods before LaSalle prevailed 35-34 in an epic instant classic.

The first half was a defensive struggle with the teams heading to halftime locked in a 0-0 affair.  What the offenses didn’t supply in the first half they delivered en masse combining for 69 points in the second half.  The back and forth contest seemed to be decided when St. Joe’s Prep stood on the doorstep of the LaSalle end zone in the 4th quarter with just seconds remaining.  Instead of kicking a game-winning field goal on 4th down from just 20 yards out Prep opted for running a play which resulted in a LaSalle interception and the clash headed to extra frames.  The two teams equaled each other for three periods before LaSalle made the decision to go for the two point conversion after their touchdown and the tally was true sending the Explorer players and fans into a frenzy!

 

Check out some highlights from the St. Joe’s Prep vs. LaSalle donnybrook…

 

Read the St. Joe’s Prep vs. Southern LaSalle game story below…

A full weekend of PA high school football games complete I wrapped up my seventh week and headed home to plan for next week’s schedule of contests.

Follow along next week as Travelin’ Matt takes you on another PA High School Football journey.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
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