Picks, previews as playoff races heat up
It will be all on the line Friday night when the Pennsbury High football team travels to Abington in the biggest game of the year in the Suburban One National League.
Should Abington (7-1) prevail, it will nail down the title outright before heading to undefeated Central Bucks West in a major collision for the No. 2 spot in the 16-team District 1 Class 6A playoff bracket.
The No. 2 or 3 spot is particularly huge this year because nobody is looking forward to possibly playing undefeated powerhouse Downingtown West and its Kansas State University-bound quarterback Will Howard until the district final.
Should Pennsbury (5-3) come out on top, the Falcons will nail down at least a share of the league title and could then claim sole ownership of the championship if it navigates its way past visiting Neshaminy in the final regular season game.
A Pennsbury victory would give it six straight wins and also result in mammoth power points that would probably lock up a playoff berth for the Falcons no matter what happens against Neshaminy.
As it currently stands, only Pennsbury is in the 16-team field. This stands in stark contrast to a year ago when Lower Bucks had four qualifiers in Pennsbury, Neshaminy, Council Rock South and Truman.
This goes hand in hand in a tough year overall for the nine Lower Bucks teams in The Trentonian coverage area with only Pennsbury currently owning a winning record.
Pennsbury (5-3) at Abington (7-1), Friday, 7 p.m. — It’s going to clearly require Pennsbury’s best effort of the year to take down what is easily one of Abington’s best teams of the 21st Century. The Galloping Ghosts have a big offensive line, a mobile quarterback in Tamier Bethau and a real burner with running back Andrick Wesh. Abington also tends to play very well at home, and has everything to play for with a league championship and high playoff seed at stake. A winner of five in a row, Pennsbury also has plenty of momentum. The Falcons will need to get their running game going against a pretty tough defense to keep Abington’s high-powered attack off the field. Obviously, Pennsbury’s defense will also need to prevent big plays. If ever the Falcons could have used injured speed back and ball-hawking safety Drew Hensor on the field, this game is it. Pennsbury can win this game, but will probably need to win the turnover battle and catch a couple of breaks.
TRUMAN (4-4) AT PENNRIDGE (1-7), FRIDAY, 7 P.M. >> The Tigers have struggled mightily on defense in home losses the last two weeks against Pennsbury and Abington. This looks like a good chance to get back on track and keep its playoff hopes alive. Pennridge is better than its record — witness a three-point loss to Souderton — but the Tigers will have a big edge in the speed department. A loss here and Truman’s season would be regarded as a disappointment.
BENSALEM (2-6) AT COUNCIL ROCK NORTH (1-7), FRIDAY, 7 P.M. >> Something has to give between two teams that have not won a game since August. Yes, you read that right, August. The Owls have been a little bit more competitive in some of their games, but not by much.
BRISTOL (2-5) AT NATIVITY BVM (4-4), FRIDAY, 7 P.M. >> Just when it looked like the Warriors might be headed for a really long season, they came to life last week with a big win over Jenkintown. It’s hard to get a reading on Nativity BVM out of Pottsville. It has had some ups and downs, but does play a pretty good schedule. Common sense says go with the home team in a game like this. GEORGE SCHOOL (1-3) AT MORRISVILLE (44), FRIDAY, 7 P.M. >> On paper this might look like a big night for Mo’ville, but it had better be careful. The George School, for instance, gave Jenkintown a much tougher game that Morrisville did and it owns a victory over Bristol. Providing extra incentive for the Dawgies is their quest for a playoff berth. District 1 Class A teams get two playoff berths and Morrisville currently sits in the second spot. BISHOP MCDEVITT (3-5) AT CONWELL-EGAN (2-6), FRIDAY, 7 P.M. >> This would appear to be Conwell-Egan’s best chance to win over the past six weeks, but it had better play better than it has of late. Last Saturday Conwell-Egan lost to West Catholic, 38-14. The week before McDevitt beat West Catholic, 16-8. It’s unclear how many District 12 Class A teams will make the playoffs because the district website says it’s still to be determined. NESHAMINY (4-4) AT COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH (1-7), SATURDAY, 2:30 P.M. >> Rock South continued to show it’s improving by holding Pennsbury to three touchdowns last week. If it can play like that again, it might just give Neshaminy a real fight. Obviously, Neshaminy needs this to keep its playoff hopes alive and if it beats Pennsbury next week it might very well get in as a low seed in the 16-team field.
PIAA District 1 Power Points CLASS 6A
1. Downingtown West (8-0) 182
2. Central Bucks West (8-0) 168
3. Abington (7-1) 153
4. North Penn (6-2), Downingtown East (7-1) 150 each 6. Garnet Valley 147
7. Souderton (7-1) 145
8. Spring-Ford (6-2) 143
9. Plymouth-Whitemarsh (6-1), Coatesville (6-1) 142 each 11. Perkiomen Valley (6-2) 140
12. Ridley (6-2) 138
13. Owen J. Roberts(6-2) 130
14. Central Bucks South (5-3) 128, Haverford (6-2)128 16. Pennsbury (5-3) 125
18. Truman (4-4) 115
19. Neshaminy (4-4) 110
29. Council Rock South (1-7) 72
30. Bensalem (2-6) 71
31. Council Rock North (1-7) 61
CLASS 3A
1. Neumann-Goretti (8-0) 181 2. Pope John Paul II (7-1) 173 3. Lansdale Catholic (5-3) 131 4. School of the Future (4-4) 130 5. New Hope (3-5) 102 6. Conwell-Egan (2-6) 98
CLASS A
1. Jenkintown (5-2) 138 2. Morrisville (4-4) 118 3. Bristol (2-5) 81