Owls still searching for winning formula
BENSALEM, PA. >> Ed Cubbage, a man known for trying to rescue distressed high school football programs, walked into what amounted to a recovery mission at Bensalem in 2015.
The Owls had lost 18 games in a row entering the season, then proceeded to lose 10 more without a victory. So with the 2016 season about to begin, the question is, what has Bensalem done to get back into the win column?
“We’re cautiously optimistic. We have roughly 62 kids in uniform. Fifty are varsity or junior varsity players. We have more bodies, at least 15 kids in each class, which was one of our early goals in rebuilding. We had to build up the numbers,” Cubbage said.
The Owls have a lot of experience, too, courtesy of last year’s thin roster.
“We didn’t have a JV team last year, so we really considered everyone a varsity player. Pretty much everyone who’s going to step on the field this year has varsity experience. We are a very veteran team,” Cubbage said.
Experience helps, but it’s still no substitute for talent. The coach sees overall team speed and skill-position depth as team strengths, although Bensalem may struggle to match up with other Suburban One League National Conference teams on the lines.
“We think we have pretty good talent. Maybe we don’t have quite enough to drive the Suburban One National crazy, but we think we have enough to be competitive throughout the whole season,” Cubbage said.
Like most Lower Bucks County teams, Bensalem will face some new league opponents due to realignment in the Suburban One. Perennial powerhouse North Penn is in another conference now, as are usually playoff-caliber foes Pennridge, Central Bucks South and Souderton. Council Rock North, Council Rock South and Truman have re-joined the National Conference, which now includes all six PIAA Class 6A teams, plus Abington.
“It doesn’t change much for us,” Cubbage said. “Last year, two of our non-league games were against Council Rock South and Truman. We saw everyone that we’re going to see this year. It goes back to closer rivalries now. I am glad we don’t have to drive up to play Pennridge.”
Speaking of Class 6A, the PIAA’s conversion from a four-class structure to a six-class structure for football is expected to have little impact on Bensalem or the other SOL National schools. Seven regular season wins probably earn a playoff berth. Snapping The Skid Bensalem’s quest for that first win will begin at home on Aug. 26 against Penn Wood, which went 3-7 last year. The Owls last tasted victory in beating CR South, 42-35, on Sept. 21, 2013.
Cubbage and his staff will prioritize defense, keeping scores close in hope that the offense will pop up with some big plays in crunch time. Eight players have significant varsity experience offensively.
“We’re going to put most of our skill kids on defense and rotate them in and out on offense,” the coach said. “At the skill spots, we have two or three kids that we’ll rotate.”
Defensively, the Owls will line up in a 3-5 to maximize team speed.
“We have pretty much three big guys on the field and everybody else is a linebacker or D-back,” Cubbage said. “We spend a lot of time in practice on pursuit drills and angles. We want to get as many hats to the ball as fast as possible. Our contain guys are our linemen, some of whom had a lot of experience last year.”