PIAA District 1 Playoff Preview: 6A

Tagged under: District 1, News, pfn, Playoffs

Michael Pietrangelo | November 2, 2023

The Matchups

#16 Cheltenham Panthers @ #1 Central Bucks West Bucks

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

About the Bucks: The Bucks are the #1 seed in the district & finished the regular season undefeated. They finished first in their Conference & captured a SOL-National Title. They have impressive wins against #8 Garnet Valley(17-13) & #5 CB South (40-29). On offense, the Bucks are averaging 31.4 points per game. Defensively they are yielding 10.0 points per. Junior Ryan Clemens leads the Bucks’ backfield with 1,122 yards & 9 TDs. Senior QB Cooper Taylor has completed 50% of his passes for 500 yards & 6 TDs. He is second on the team in rushing with 1,016 yards & 11 TDs. On the Defensive side of the ball, Aedan Donnelly leads the Bucks in total Tackles with 57. AJ Gerace is second on the team with 48. Senior Jack Williams leads the team in sacks with 4.5 & Gerace is second with 3.0.

#16 Cheltenham (5-5, 4-1)

About the Panthers: The Panthers finished second in the SOL-American behind 5A Plymouth Whitemarsh. The Panthers started out the year 1-5 & are now on a 4-game winning streak heading into the district playoffs. Senior QB Jonathan Ingram has completed 56% of his passes for 893 yards & 7 TDs.  Additionally, he has rushed for 444 yards & 4 scores.  Senior running back Tre Mcleod paces the backfield with 741 yards on 63 carries (11.8 yds per carry) with 9 TDs. Senior WR Zaire Williams leads all receivers with 21 catches for 278 yards & 3 scores. Junior WR Micheal Dunn is second on the team with 16 catches for 205 yards & 3 scores. The Panther offense is averaging 22.4 points per contest and the defense is giving up an average of 23.9 points per contest.

#15 Wissahickon Trojans @ #2 Downingtown East Cougars

#2 Downingtown East (9-0,4-0)

About the Cougars: Michael Matta’s Cougars are coming off of their third undefeated regular season, first outright ChesMont championship since 2015 and are the 5th ranked team in the PAFootballNews statewide 6A rankings. Downingtown’s defense has allowed a paltry 33 points all season, while recording 6 shutouts. Free safety Mike Leo is the Cougars defensive leader and signal caller, along with strong safety Owen Lammy, they have shut down their opponents offenses holding them to less than 100 yards total offense a game. Senior J.J. Helverson is the triggerman for the potent Cougar offense, after missing last season to an injury Helverson has become one of the most efficient passers in District 1. The Cougar’s will go as far as their offensive line will take them, the veteran group of 6 seniors has protected Helverson, giving him time to connect with his receivers while opening up holes for the running backs. Ayden Harris leads the Cougars in rushing with over 1,200 yards.

#15 Wissahickon (6-4,2-3)

About the Trojans: Wissahickon comes into the game with a 6-4 record hoping to relive the 2012 playoff game against Downingtown, when the Trojans upset the number one ranked in the state Cougars on a field goal, as time expired.  Coach Rory Graver hopes to keep the Cougar defense off balance with a combination of running and their spread offense passing game. Super frosh running back Quasir Sampson, leads the Trojans attack and pulls double duty as middle linebacker on defense. QB Nolan Pounds can make all of the throws, connecting with wideouts Jaden McLean and Amari Nash.

#14 Pennsbury Falcons @ #3 Souderton Indians

#3 Souderton (10-0,6-0)

About the Indians: The Indians completed their first-ever undefeated regular season in school history this season. They were also the SOL-Continental Champions. The Indians are averaging an impressive 31.7 points per game on offense and are allowing an average of 12.1 points per game on defense. Sophomore Ben Walsh has completed 71% of his passes for 1,079 yards & 6 TDs.  Ben’s favorite target is Senior wide receiver Danny Dyches who has hauled in 51 passes for 767 yards & 2 TDs. Senior running back Ryan Sadowski is averaging 7.3 yards per carry on 166 attempts for 1,212 yards & 16 TDs. Defensively Junior Julian Adorno leads the Indians in total tackles with 66.

#14 Pennsbury (6-4,2-3)

About the Falcons: The Falcons enter the playoffs as the 14th seed at 5-5 overall. They finished 4th in a very dominant SOL-National behind the likes of CB West (10-0), CB South (9-1), & North Penn (6-4). The Falcons are averaging 21.6 points per game on offense and are allowing an average of 18.3 points per game defensively. The Falcons rushing attack is spearheaded by Senior’s  RB Jordan Czerniak (153-832 Yards-8 TDs) &  QB Nathan Beighley (121-821-9 TDs). The falcon’s defense is anchored by Junior  LB Walker Murray (98 Tackles, 17.5 TFL’s, 1.5 Sacks, 1 INT) & Senior LB Ben Primich (96 Tackles, 20 TFL’s, 5 Sacks).

#13 North Penn Knights @ #4 Spring-Ford Rams

#4 Spring-Ford (8-2,5-0)

About the Rams: Spring-Ford, they look to undo last week’s error where they lost 28-27 to a 10-0 Pope John Paul. Coming in at 8-2 with a point differential of 383-183, their biggest win being against the 6-4 Cumberland Valley where they won 63-17. Spring-Ford comes in with a balanced offense, throwing the ball 253 times and running the ball 226 times. They have thrown for 2534 yards with 33 touchdowns and ran for 1365 yards with 20 touchdowns. Junior QB Matt Zollers has completed 158 attempts in his 247 passes for 2527 yards and 32 touchdowns. The Junior has only two interceptions on the year with a QBR of 134.2. Safe to say Spring-Ford feels confident with Zollers heading into the playoffs.

#13 North Penn (6-4,5-2)

About the Knights: North Penn enters at 6-4 and on a four-game win streak. While NP has allowed more points (233) than scored (202), they don’t play like it. Two outlier games against two great teams with a combined record of 19-1 make their point differential seem worse than how they play. Their biggest win of the year came against a 6-4 Upper Dublin where North Penn won 42-7. They enter the playoffs looking for a second straight upset year where they upset Pennsbury as the 14 seed winning 22-21 in the 2022 playoffs. They fell to a CB West losing 44-35 in the next round but this North Penn team could change that.

#12 Coatesville Red Raiders @ #5 Central Bucks South Titans

#5 Central Bucks South (9-1,6-1)

About the Titans: For CB South, they only have one loss at 9-1 coming against the number one seed CB West where they lost 40-29. CB South will have an issue against almost no one. South has run the ball 394 times compared to their 59 passing attempts. They have run for almost 3,000 yards with 2943 yards and 37 touchdowns. The trio of Anthony Leonardi (132), Corey Moore (101), and Owen Pinkerton (100) have run the ball 333 times of the 394. The three have totaled 2642 of the 2943 yards for CB South. Those three will be the main reason for a win.

#12 Coatesville (7-3,2-2)

About the Red Raiders: Coatesville comes into the game at 7-3. Their three losses came from Downingtown West, Downingtown East, and Central Dauphin High School. In those three losses, Coatesville has been outscored 77-27. In their seven wins, they have outscored their opponents 288-39 with three straight games of allowing no scores. Coatesville’s defense has reigned supreme when faced with challenges.

#11 Council Rock South Golden Hawks @ #6 Downingtown West Whippets

#6 Downingtown West (8-2,3-1)
About the Whippets:The Whippets are coming off a regular season record of 8-2 finishing second in the ChesMont league, wideout/safety Sr. Jake Kucera. Kucera is a dynamic receiver who is also the heart of the Whippet defense. QB Quinn Hencile has had an outstanding year as West’s signal caller, hooking up regularly with Kucera and Dean Hangey, while operating the Whippet’s intricate offense. Their defense has given up just 15 points a game, is led by defensive end Isaac Russell and linebacker Drew Shoemker.

#11 Council Rocks South (7-3,5-2)
About the Golden Hawks: Enter the game coming off a 7-3 season, finishing in second place in the SOL Continental Conference. CJ Szydlik’s Hawks Senior signal caller Chase Ennis will try to attack the Whippets with a combination of passing and running by RBs Chase Myers and Shane Myers. The Hawks have averaged 25 points a game, while only surrendering 12.5  points a game on defense.

#10 Quakertown Panthers @ #7 Perkiomen Valley Vikings

#7 Perkiomen Valley (8-2,4-1)

About the Vikings: The Vikings finished the regular season at 8-2 overall and 4-1 in the PAC-Liberty behind 6A Spring-Ford. The Vikings are averaging 28.3 points per game on offense & yielding 15.1 points per game on the defensive side of the ball. Junior QB Patrick MacDonald leads the team in passing with 822 yards & 5 TDs. On the ground, he has rushed for an additional 273 yards & 6 TDs. Sophomore running back Nathan Reedy leads the Vikes backfield with 584 yards & 3 TDs. Senior Xavier Nunez is second with 544 yards & a team-leading 8 TDs. On the defensive side of the ball, Senior Sam Koehler leads his team in total tackles with 77. Junior Anthony Rodriguez leads the team with 4 INTs.

#10 Quakertown (6-4,4-2)

About the Panthers: The Panthers finished third in the SOL-Continental behind Souderton & Council Rock South. Overall, they finished 6-4 while averaging 28.9 points per game on offense and allowing 17.8 points on defense. Senior gunslinger Vince Micucci has completed 60% of his passes for 1,443 yards with 13 TDs. On the ground, he has rushed for 294 yards & 7 TDs.  SR Ed Bittner (88-358-8 TDs) & Junior Gavin Carroll (64-328-2TDs) have combined for 686 yards & 10 TDs. Junior Aiden Burgy (19-452-6TDs) leads the Wide receiver group followed by SR’s Max Morris & Tanner Clancy (23-346-3TDs). The defense is anchored by Gavin Carroll who leads the team in total tackles (66) & TFL (14) & Anthony Ferrugio who leads the team in sacks (7) & is second in TFL (13).

#9 Owen J. Roberts Wildcats @ #8 Garnet Valley Jaguars

#8 Garnet Valley (8-2,7-1)
About the Jaguars: The two-time defending District 1 6A champions are back looking to three-peat as District Champions, and enter the playoffs as the 8^th seed with an 8-2 record. Offensively Coach Eric Van Wyk offense is led by Quarterback Tyler Lassik who after missing four games and part of a  fifth game is healthy and has the Jaguars’ offense rolling at the right time. Lassik is joined in the backfield by Ronnie Leraris, and Luke Vaughn. Kai Lopex is the team’s leading receiver with 414 yards and Dante DeVuono leads the receivers with four touchdowns. Defensively Nick Romaniello leads the team with 75 tackles, followed closely by Nolan Carroll (70) and Chase Britton (64). Lassik leads the team in takeaways with two interceptions and three fumble recoveries

#9 Owen J. Roberts (8-2,3-2)
About the Wildcats: The Wildcats enter the postseason with an 8-2 record and just missed out on hosting a home playoff game for the first time in school history. Offensively the Wildcats are led by dual threat QB Derek Hinrichs who has thrown for over 1200 yards this season and 17 touchdowns. Hinrichs is also the Wildcats leading rusher having rushed for 461 yards and another 6 touchdowns. While just a freshman Mekhi Graham is the team’s leading receiver hauling in 41 passes for 675 yards and 9 touchdowns. Lorenzo Satiro leads the Wildcat defense.

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