PFN’s Willie is Cookin’ In Philly Week of September 17
Tagged under: District 1, District 12, News, pfn
Willie McGonigle | September 17, 2025
Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of PFN’s Willie is Cookin’ In Philly. Since the last column, the Philadelphia sports scene remains hot, with the Phillies clinching the National League East and the Eagles defending their Super Bowl Championship by getting off to a 2-0 start. But you know what else is heating up in Big Willie’s kitchen? The high school football season. Hard to believe this weekend will be the fifth course of football for the year.Hope you still have your appetite for high school football because now it’s time to look at What’s Cookin’ In Philly.
Historic Start: The Dean Owens era at West Chester East is off to a perfect 4-0 start. The last time the Vikings started the season 4-0 was 42 years ago, in 1983. Chase Szollose leads the team in rushing with 426 yards on 69 carries and a total of 7 touchdowns in addition to being 15-17 on PATs. Caden Chisholm leads the team with 40 tackles, while Caleb Komorowski is the leader in sacks with 2. Szollose and Chris Costa are tied for the team lead with 2 interceptions. The Vikings will put their perfect record on the line this week when they host Coatesville Friday night at 7 pm.
Milestone for Kolka: Friday Night’s 42-19 victory over Avon Grove marked the 100th victory at Owen J Roberts for Head Coach Rich Kolka. Kolka took over the Wildcats program in 2015.
Haverford to Host Annual Fords Fight For Life: When the Haverford Fords host Radnor on October 17 the Fords will host their annual Fords Fight for Life event. The Fords will wear special Gold jerseys for the night. The purpose of the event is to bring the entire Haverford community together to honor and remember those who are fighting or have fought an illness or disability. Following the game, players, coaches, sponsors, and honorees will walk across the field together.
Ponder Shining Bright for Edison: The Thomas Edison Owls are off to an impressive 4-0 start. One of the big reasons why is the play of Ahmir Ponder, according to Maxpreps. Ponder is currently third in the state in rushing with 717 yards on 62 carries and has scored 9 touchdowns.
Pair of Catholic League Coaches Honored: Every week that the Philadelphia Eagles host a home game, they honor one coach from their area to be their high school coach of the week. When the Eagles hosted the Cowboys, they honored Bonner Head Coach Jack Muldoon. This week, they are going back to the Catholic League, naming LaSalle head Brett Gordon as this week’s honoree. At the end of the season, the Eagles will take one of their winners and name him their Coach of the Year and nominee for the NFL’s Don Shula Coach of the Year.
Where is PFN This Weekend: For updates on the following games, here’s who to follow on X:
North Penn at Pennridge Friday 7 pm @lsvsports
Pottstown at Upper Merion Friday, 7 pm @JBNMedia_
Strath Haven at Haverford Friday, 7 pm @nickmash2010
Thomas Edison at Vaux Thursday 3 pm @Afrankl3
Boys Latin at Central Friday, 3 pm @Afrankl3
Seton Hill University at West Chester University Saturday 2 pm @williepafn
Big Will’s Signature Dishes (Best Games of the Week)
Strath Haven at Haverford, Friday 7 pm: Expect a lot of running in this one
Kennett at West Chester Rustin, Friday 7 pm: Big-time Chest-Mont cross over game between two teams expecting to make noise come District playoff time
Coatesville at West Chester East, Friday 7 pm: Another big Chest-Mont Cross over is a battle of unbeatens
Unionville at Bishop Shanahan, Friday, 7 pm
Owen J Roberts at Perkiomen Valley, Friday, 7 pm: The winner of this one has to be the favorite to represent the Liberty Division in the PAC Championship game later this season.
North Penn at Pennridge, Friday, 7 pm
Marple Newtown at Garnet Valley, Friday 7 pm
Bonner at Haverford School, Friday 4 pm: A great Friday afternoon matinee
That’s it for this week, folks. As always, if you have something you feel should be featured in this notes column, send a pm on X @williepafn or email me williepafootballnews@gmail.com
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