Neshaminy, Truman face road tests in playoff quarterfinals
For the most part it was a successful start to the postseason for Lower Bucks County football last week with four of its six qualifying teams recording opening-round district victories.
This showing was even more positive when you consider one of those six was guaranteed to lose because Council Rock South and Truman played each other in Class 6A action. As it turned out, Truman won by a couple of touchdowns to post its first playoff victory in program history.
Also prevailing last week were Neshaminy in Class 6A, Conwell-Egan in Class 3A and Bristol in Class A.
As is the nature of playoffs, this week will get tougher with Neshaminy and Truman on the road against two heavyweights in the quarterfinal round.
Neshaminy will be at undefeated North Penn, which beat the Redskins in the opening week and is the top seed with an 11-0 record. Truman will be at a Downingtown West team (10-1) that has lost only to district favorite and defending champion Coatesville.
As for the other two, Conwell-Egan will again be a big favorite when it hosts New Hope, and Bristol faces a huge upstate challenge at once-beaten Lackawanna Trail. NESHAMINY (8-3) AT NORTH PENN (11-0) AT WISSAHICKON, FRIDAY, 7 P.M. >> Although eighth-seeded Neshaminy lost to North Penn back in August, keep in mind it was in double overtime when the Redskins went for the win with a two-point conversion and were stopped inches from the goal line. Neshaminy is on a real roll since falling to Truman and has given up just 28 points during its current six-game winning streak. Look for another game that could go either way. Although North Penn is undefeated, it has had some close calls. The fact North Penn hasn’t lost is a real testament to the coaching ability of Dick Beck because the longtime powerhouse has certainly had more talented than this. Forget about the seeding. A Neshaminy victory would not be regarded as much of an upset and a victory would put it in the semifinals against the winner of the TrumanDowningtown West game. TRUMAN (10-1) AT DOWNINGTOWN WEST (10-1), FRIDAY, 7 P.M. >> After avenging its lone loss by beating Council Rock South in the rain, Truman is going to have to play its best game of the year to advance. The two have one common opponent. Truman beat Neshaminy, 27-26, and Downingtown West beat Neshaminy, 35-14. The Whippets like to throw the ball and they throw it very well. Junior Will Howard is one of the top quarterbacks in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Downingtown West also has good size and really gets after it on defense. For Truman to win it needs to control the clock with its Wing-T running game and keep Howard off the field for long stretches at a time. After shattering the school record for wins in a season and capturing its first league championship, the Tigers go into this game with nothing to lose. NEW HOPE (9-2) AT CONWELL-EGAN (11-0) AT TRUMAN, FRIDAY, 6 P.M. >> After losing two of its first three, New Hope has rebounded to win eight in a row and is coming off a 42-34 win over Pope John Paul II. Keep in mind, however, New Hope is a Class 3A team that plays a lot of Class A teams and its schedule isn’t even remotely on the level Conwell-Egan plays. The highpowered Eagles go into this game ranked No. 1 in the state, so look for another offensive explosion in a record-setting year on all kinds of fronts. Boston College-bound running back Pat Garwo leads Southeastern Pennsylvania with 1,750 rushing yards, is averaging over eight yards per carry and has scored 24 touchdowns. BRISTOL (6-4) AT LACKAWANNA TRAIL (10-1), FRIDAY, 7 P.M. >> The two Class A teams have something in common in that they both avenged a regular-season loss last week. In Bristol’s case, it hammered Jenkintown, 31-0, in its best showing of the year following a 24-21 loss to the Drakes in early October. Lackawanna Trail, meanwhile, reversed its lone loss by beating Old Forge, 29-12. This is a difficult assignment for John Greiner’s team. For starters, Bristol is looking at a brutal bus trip of 147 miles and nearly three hours to Factoryville, which is located north of Scranton. State-ranked Lackawanna Trail can also play. It has outscored its 11 opponents, 350-125, and has a capable quarterback in Nate Rolka. Even if it loses, Bristol can still finish on a positive note against Morrisville on Thanksgiving.