Neshaminy pulls away to topple Spring-Ford
LANGHORNE, PA. » Topseeded Neshaminy advanced in the District 1 Class 6A Tournament, though they sure did not make it look easy facing 16th-seeded Spring-Ford. Until the second half. That’s when the Skins took control, latching onto a pair turnovers by the visiting Rams including a key interception that junior Cory Joyce snared at the 10 yard line as Spring-Ford attempted to close to within a touchdown with 6:20 left in the fourth quarter.
Neshaminy got a pair of touchdown runs in the second half from senior Joel Stills – he had three in the game — and a 33yard TD catch by Joyce that helped seal a 4221 triumph that puts the Skins in round two next week versus Pennsbury.
In the first half, SpringFord senior running back Justin DiFrancesco raced for 125 yards and a pair of TDs as the Rams hung close, down just eight points at the intermission.
The Neshaminy defense seemed to solve DiFrancesco in the second half, limiting the Rams senior back to just 30 yards and one TD on 10 carries.
For the game, Stills notched 238 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 29 carries.
Up 21-13 at the half, Neshaminy marched down the field on its first possession of the second half, capping a seven-play 66yard scoring drive with a 32-yard TD scamper by Stills.
Spring-Ford answered with a 12-play 80-yard scoring drive that the visitors capped off with a 7-yard TD burst by DiFrancesco, his third trip to the end zone in this game.
From there, it took the Skins just two plays to get the ball back into the end zone again and one of them was a kick return by junior Ryan O’Connor all the way to the Rams 33 yard line.
Neshaminy needed just one play — a 33-yard TD pass from QB Brody McAndrew to Joyce – to go up 35-21 with 4:11 still to play in the third quarter.
A key defensive play in the game was an interception by Joyce on SpringFord’s first possession of the second quarter. Joyce snatched the ball at the Rams’ 40 yard line and returned it 17 yards to the 23 yard line.
Three plays later, senior Mike Crescenzo put the Skins up 21-7 on an 11yard TD burst up the middle with 2:35 left in the first half.
DiFrancesco raced for125 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries in the first half. His biggest run was a fourth-and two play he converted into a 36-yard scoring sprint that turned what could have been a runaway into a horse race.
Coming with 58 seconds left in the first half, it sent Neshaminy into the locker room up by just eight points — 21-13 — instead of two touchdowns. If not for a block by Stills on the extra point attempt, the Rams would have gone into the intermission trailing only by seven.
Spring-Ford (6-5)7 Neshaminy (10-1)7 First Quarter SF— N— Second Quarter N— N—
DiFrancesco 5 run (Smith kick) Stills 21 run (Leonhauser kick)
Manzyk 1 run (Leonhauser kick) Crescenzo 11 run (Leonhauser kick)
DiFrancesco 36 run (Smith kick)
SF— Third Quarter N— SF— N—
Stills 32 run (Leonhauser kick) DiFrancesco 7 run (Pergine run) Joyce 33 pass from McAndrw (Leonhauser kick)
Fourth Quarter N— 6 14 8 14 0 — 7 —
Stills 28 run (Leonhauser kick)
21 42