Indians could not afford another loss in the SOL
Though still relatively early in the season, most teams have started to feel a sense of urgency. Council Rock North’s football team certainly numbers itself among this group.
The Rock started the year off with back to back losses, the second being a 58-21 drubbing by Central Bucks South. Obviously, the North coaching braintrust was not happy. A big 37-0 win over Hatboro-Horsham helped calm their nerves a bit but a follow-up heartbreaking 19-17 loss to Abington gave cause for concern.
Entering last Friday‘s match-up with William Tennent, the Indians knew there was little margin for error. Taking on a team that had just upset Neshaminy was tough enough. Lose another league contest and they would fall behind in the race for some SOL gold.
John Devine, senior safety for North, knew the importance of a good showing in the Indians’ home opener.
“It was huge. We had come out slow and were 1-3. We needed to turn around the season. We knew we had to stop them on defense. They had a big win against Neshaminy which gave them confidence. We knew they would be a tough team to beat.”
The week before, the Panthers stunned the Redskins when quarterback Joe Lutz orchestrated a last-ditch 72-yard march. He ran the spread offense to perfection, capping off the drive with an 18-yard scoring pass to Jim Lewicki with only 1.2 seconds left on the clock.
Obviously, containing such a high-riding offense would be key to any Council Rock hope for victory.
“We did our best against the spread offense. We had trouble with that in the previous game against CB South. We knew they had an option draw and a passing game. We knew they had a couple threats on offense. Their quarterback and slot receiver, and running back — number two — were all pretty good players. We knew if we stopped them, we’d have a chance.”
The cardinal rule for the defense was to play disciplined football. “We played a lot of man and blitz a whole lot. We knew we had to work against an option and stay home and watch for the counter-back.”
The scheme worked as the Rock held Tennent to only 124 yards of total offense. In the second quarter alone, the Indians forced the visitors into third-and-44 and third-and-33 on consecutive possessions. The Panthers could claw out only 24 rushing yards for the game.
From his safety spot, John had a great vantage point to see the entire Rock defense. “Our front four did a great job. They got pressure on the quarterback. When Tennent ran the sweep, they knocked them all the way back.”
With the stingy defense providing good field position, the offense was able to manage enough of an assault to give CR a 14-0 halftime lead. Freshman quarterback Brandon Mcllwain provided the biggest sparks, rushing 17 yards for the Indians initial tally and then firing a 30-yard scoring strike to senior Brandon hnotts.
The transfer from California would finish the evening with S2 yards rushing and another 124 through the air. His performance earned his new teammates’ praise. In John’s estimation, “Brandon’s doing great. He’s a team leader and runs our offense. He’s great at both passing and running the ball. I’m really proud of him on and off the field. He’s just a great kid.”
The Indians iced the victory when Max Pedinoff connected on a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. The team was happy but also realistic.
“After the game, we were ecstatic. We were so pumped. The coaches told us we did a great job. We
didn’t make all the right plays. We had some missed tackles. We could have stopped them below a hundred yards. We weren’t perfect but pretty close.”
With tough games against Neshaminy, Pennsbury and CR South in the near future, the Indians certainly cannot rest on their laurels. “For the rest of the season, we can’t take anyone lightly. Every team is a threat. Being 2-3, we can’t lose any more games. Neshaminy is a great team but I think they are beatable.”
The victory over Tennent should give the Indians the confidence boost they need when they take on Neshaminy this Friday night at Harry Franks Stadium.