2013 in review

SOL Continental

North Penn took its lumps in its non-conference schedule – going 0-3 to La Salle, Archbishop Wood and St. Joseph’s Prep – but found the Knights found their stride in Continental play and reached the District 1-AAAA championship game for the fifth time in six years.

A chance to reach the state semis, however, was stopped by Neshaminy, who handed Dick Beck’s team a 42-7 defeat at Souderton.

Sophomore Nyfease West emerged as a playmaking running back as North Penn reeling off 10 straight victories. West led the team with 1,631 and 12 touchdowns on 220 carries, while Luke Berry added another 950 yards and 13 scores. Quarterback Austin Shearer threw for 1,391 yards and 12 touchdowns, including a 9-of-13 for 175 yards and one score performance in the district semifinal win over Pennsbury.

A high-powered offense helped Central Bucks West end a two-season postseason drought. The Bucks – who won seven straight after opening 2013 with a loss to Upper Dublin – averaged 31.2 points per contest thanks to explosive senior running back Marvin Todd and senior quarterback John Fitz (1,501 yards passing, 16 touchdowns).

Todd compiled 1,341 yard and 22 touchdowns on the ground, 230 yards and six scores coming in West’s 50-26 district first-round win over Plymouth Whitemarsh.

Pennridge opened 2013 with four straight wins, but the Rams’ chance to return to districts and repeat as conference champs ended when they lost three of their next four.

Senior Mike Class set the school career rushing mark in the September win over Bensalem and ended the year with 1,754 yards and 20 touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Micah Stutzman, meanwhile, caught almost half of the Rams’ passes - hauling in 48 for 813 yards and nine scores.

Quakertown made a six-game improvement, with a 7-5 finish the program’s first winning season since 2009.

The Panthers won three, lost four then put together a four-game win streak, but were denied victory No. 8 by Pennridge on Thanksgiving – Q’town fifth straight loss in the rivalry.

Central Bucks East found a gamebreaker in running back Alex Gibson, as the sophomore racked 1,221 yards and 15 touchdowns as the Patriots went 4-5 for a second straight year.

Gibson went over 200 yards in consecutive weeks – putting up 240 and three TDs in the win over Hatboro-Horsham, then ran for 294 yards and four score in the loss to CB West.

Souderton’s season took a bad turn before it even began when lineman Rick Young – a Villanova commit – was lost for the year due to a training camp leg injury. Big Red dropped its first five games before knocking off Pennridge, with a Week 9 win over Hatboro-Horsham the only other victory in a 2-8 year. Senior Manny Nieves had 41 of Souderton’s 71 receptions for 687 yards and five touchdowns.

Central Bucks South got out to a 4-1 start – the lone loss to state finalist Coatesville in Week 2 – but the Titans’ season went south when talented junior running back Josh Adams went out with an ACL injury in the Week 6 loss to North Penn. CB South lost the next four to finish 4-6, its first sub-.500 year in two seasons.

Paul Weeks was one of four South players to catch at least 20 passes, the senior wide receiver leading the team with 42 catches for 472 yards and four touchdowns.

Mike Kapusta’s first season as head coach at Hatboro-Horsham ended with the Hatters going 4-8, three victories better than its 2012 campaign. Junior wide receiver John O’Malley hauled in an impressive 57 catches for 1,112 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Pioneer Athletic Conference

Pottsgrove (9-0, 11-1) ran the table in league play to bring home its second straight PAC-10 crown. Behind a senior-laden defense led by linebackers Jeff Adams and Tyrone Parker, the Falcons won their first 11 games before falling 27-26 to Academy Park in the District 1-AAA semifinals.

Marquis Barefield was a playmaker on both sides of the ball, racking up 1,578 rushing yards and sharing the league interception title with five. Junior Mike Fowler provided shutdown coverage in the secondary and scored touchdowns on nine of his 16 receptions.

Spring-Ford (8-1, 10-3) continued to be a player at the District 1-AAAA level in a campaign highlighted by a 43-21 first-round district playoff win over Downingtown West.

Feature back Jarred Jones amassed area-best totals of 1,861 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, while defensive linemen Mason Romano and Robby Varner spearheaded the defensive charge as the Rams notched their third consecutive double-digit victory total.

Perkiomen Valley (7-2, 10-3) enjoyed arguably its best season in program history, culminating in a trip to the District 1-AAAA semifinals.

The Vikings, led by star quarterback Rasaan Stewart (a Big 33 selection and Villanova recruit), knocked off second seed Bayard Rustin 26-6 in the first round of districts before laying a 60-20 quarterfinal beating on traditional power Central Bucks West.

Stewart, who threw for area-bests of 2,068 yards and 26 touchdowns and ran for 1,204 yards and 17 more scores, was named All-Area Player of the Year. Clay Domine (44 receptions, 723 yards, 11 TDs) and Dakota Clanagan (39 receptions, 628 yards, 12 touchdowns) composed a standout corps of wide receivers and running back Mark Bonomo rushed for 1,047 yards and 11 TDs in a potent no-huddle offense. Linebacker Danny Light was a big key on a defense that allowed an area-low 10.0 points per game.

Methacton (6-3, 7-4) recorded its third straight winning season for the first time since 1992. The Warriors piled up a school-record 343 points (smashing the previous mark of 265 set in 2000) thanks to an offense led by junior quarterback Conner Derrickson, senior fullback Mike Cassidy, senior wideouts Dillon Alderfer and Kyle Lowery, and junior slotback Akeem Walcott, while Walcott shared the area interception title with five picks.

Boyertown (5-4, 7-4) ran a record 647 plays in its nine league games behind a hurry-up offense led by workhorse senior back Cody Richmond (area-high 302 carries, 1,625 rushing yards, 15 TDs), senior quarterback Griffin Pasik, senior running back Eric Heller and senior receiver Nick Brough. The Bears averaged an area-best 415 total yards per game.

Phoenixville (4-5, 4-9) opened 3-0 in league play before a rash of injuries contributed to the Phantoms losing seven of their final eight games.

Senior Justin McDougal rushed for a team-high 668 yards and junior defensive back Damien Davido had four interceptions, while kicker Alex Wertman became the first female in the PAC-10 to convert a field goal with a 22-yarder in a 21-10 Week 12 loss to Quakertown.

Owen J. Roberts (3-6, 3-9) lost eight of its first nine games before finishing on a positive note with two victories in its final three contests - including a 21-6 win over Pottstown in the traditional Thanksgiving Day battle.

Senior tailback Wyatt Scott rushed for a team-best 1,365 yards and 14 touchdowns behind a line led by senior Steve Myers.

Pope John Paul II (1-8, 1-9) lost its final seven games after a 24-0 Week 3 victory over Pottstown. Senior Nick Howarth ran for 536 yards and two touchdowns and Johnnie Bildstein caught 21 balls for 218 yards and one score.

Pottstown (1-8, 1-11) began the season with seven straight victories before topping Upper Perkiomen 28-14 in Week 8 for first-year coach Don Grinstead’s first victory. Junior quarterback Gary Wise ran for 507 yards and eight touchdowns while also throwing for eight touchdowns. Senior wide receiver John Charles had 30 catches for 459 yards and three scores.

Upper Perkiomen (1-8, 1-9) topped Pope John Paul II 37-14 in Week 4, thanks to a 392-yard, six-touchdown rushing performance from senior tailback Aidan Schaffer. Schaffer went on to run for 1,051 yards and 14 touchdowns, while senior wideout Travis Kline led the PAC-10 with 46 receptions and 855 receiving yards.

Berks League Section 1

Daniel Boone (3-4, 4-6) rallied from a 1-4 start to win three times in a four-game span. The Blazers saw senior running back Kyle Myers rush for 1,172 yards and 14 touchdown, while juniors Darius Hinton, Jon Passifone and Chris Ford led a defense that held its opposition under 200 total yards for three straight games during the second half of the season.

Mid-Atlantic Prep League

Hill School (1-4, 1-7) featured a dynamic air attack led by the final-year combo of QB Matt Foltz (1,864 passing yards, 10 TDs) and WR Grant Smith, who recorded area-bests of 66 catches and 1,078 yards. Smith hauled in 13 receptions in two different games, and collected 207 receiving yards in Week 6 against Blair Academy.

Independent

Perkiomen School (4-4) won its final two games, including a season-ending 35-12 win over St. Andrew’s. Tom Aaron led the Panthers with 430 rushing yards and five touchdowns.