Neshaminy blanks CR South
NEWTOWN, PA. » The stage is now officially set for a winner-take-all showdown for the Suburban National League championship between the Pennsbury and Neshaminy football teams next week in front of what’s sure to be a huge crowd at Falcon Field.
Neshaminy did its part by posting a 28-0 victory at Council Rock South Friday night to up its record to 8-1.
After falling in an early two-touchdown hole, Pennsbury also improved to 8-1 by storming back with 42 unanswered points en route to a 42-28 victory at Abington.
The 28-point margin of victory for Neshaminy is not really indicative of what type of game it was because the score was only 7-0 entering the fourth quarter after Rock South had twice driven well into Redskin territory in the third quarter in an attempt to tie the score.
Although Neshaminy’s offense did do some good things, the unit that really set the tone was its defense. This is huge for Neshaminy because it had been able to win seven of its first eight games in large part because of an explosive attack that had churned out all kinds of yardage and points.
The way the game started it didn’t appear a big defensive effort would be needed as Redskin sophomore quarterback Brody McAndrew came out winging the ball and marched his team right down the field on a 14play, 73-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes of the clock.
The drive was capped by a 10-yard run by senior running back Joel Stills and it looked like business as usual for Neshaminy’s high-powered attack.
Although it is now 3-6, Vince Bedesem’s Rock South squad has played some tough football this year and it was more of the same against the Redskins. As a result, Neshaminy didn’t score again until the fourth quarter.
McAndrew did finish 14-for-20 for 152 yards, but Neshaminy never really got its running game against the physical Golden Hawks.
Led by the running of quarterback Christian Jabbar, Rock South reached the Neshaminy 25 yard line midway through the third quarter, only to turn it over on downs when Luke Hatcher recorded the first of his two sacks on fourth down.
After forcing a punt, Rock South made it to the Neshaminy 27 yard line before a desperation fourthdown pass was intercepted by Stills.
It was at this point where Rock South’s defense understandably began to sag and Neshaminy was finally able to put away the home team.
Neshaminy’s fourthquarter started with a 70yard drive in which McAndrew threw a 2-yard TD pass to a wide open Stills on a third-down play after the Hawks had twice stuff Oleh Manczyk inside the 5 yard line.
After Rock South was unable to covert a fourthdown play deep in its own territory, the lead was shortly up to 21-1 when the hard-running Manzyk scored on a 6-yard run. As is nearly always the case, Manzyk was also a terror on defense from his middle linebacker position.
Neshminy’s last touchdown came when linebacker Mike Garlick intercepted a pass and returned it 45 yards into the end zone with less than two minutes remaining.
Neshaminy (8-1) 28 CR South (3-6) 0 First Quarter N— Fourth Quarter N—
Stills 2 pass from McAndrew (Leonhauser kick)
Manzyk 6 run (Leonhauser kick) Garlick 45 interception return (Leonhauser kick)
N— N— 7 0 0 0 0 0 21 — 0 —
Stills 10 run (Leonhauser kick)