Friday Night Highlights: Scores, stats, recaps & photos from Week 1 football
It's been a long wait, but football is finally back. Here's how teams fared in their season openers, plus standout performers.
Week 1
Friday, August 25
Souderton 21, Haverford 17
Ryan Sadowski scored three touchdowns to lead Souderton to the win on opening night. Haverford scored first and led 3-0 at the end of the first quarter in an exciting back-and-forth game that came down to the wire. Ben Walsh threw a 15-yard TD pass to Sadowski for the Big Red’s first score of the season, with Haverford responding with a TD pass to take a 10-7 lead. But Sadowski rumbled for 35 yards into the end zone, and followed that with a 58-yard TD reception. The Fords threatened late, converting a crucial fourth down, but back-to-back sacks by Joey Nase and an interception by Timmy Meehan secured the win.
La Salle 34, North Penn 3
Sophomore Gavin Sidwar threw three touchdown passes in the first half as the Explorers dominated in their season opener against North Penn. Sidwar, who impressed as a freshman before being sidelined with an injury, showed no signs of rust from the layoff. Sidwar connected with Desmond Ortiz on an 82-yard strike in the first quarter, and hit Julian McFadden twice for scores of 51 and 59 yards. Jimmy Dolan had the first TD of the game, while Stevie Davis ran one in from 73 yards in the third quarter. Ryan Bocklet booted a 44-yard field goal for the Knights to prevent the shutout.
Neshaminy 44, Kensington 0
Neshaminy celebrated the opening of its renovated stadium by rolling to a 44-0 season-opening victory over Kensington. Sophomore Colton Clee (1-yard run), junior Anthony Gross (14-yard pass from senior Colin Baker), junior Cole Tarapchak (14-yard run), sophomore Tristan Rivera (16-yard blocked punt return), senior Travis Lavaleah (1-yard run) and sophomore David Liberty (9-yard pass from sophomore Nick Sassano) all found the end zone for Neshaminy, as the home team took a 38-0 halftime lead. Junior Kaden Nicastro added a 20-yard field goal and converted all five PATs he attempted. The Neshaminy defense allowed just two first downs.
Council Rock South 27, William Tennent 3
Chase Myers racked up 130 rushing yards, along with 20 on the receiving end, and a touchdown in the first half, and quarterback Chase Ennis threw a pair of TD passes as the Golden Hawks took a 21-0 lead into halftime. Shane Myers added a 14-yard rushing TD as the Golden Hawks secured a comfortable season-opening win. Ennis finished with 115 passing yards, completing 9-of-15 pass attempts, with his first TD of the game going to Nick Haurin for 37 yards.
Central Bucks West 17, Garnet Valley 13
After losing to Garnet Valley in the playoffs two years in a row, the Bucks were ready for a statement-making win on opening night. Making it even more impressive is that the Bucks were without three-year starting QB Ganz Cooper, who suffered a torn ACL in the preseason. Stepping in for Cooper was Cooper Taylor, who had an impressive 62-yard TD run to open the scoring, and finished with 176 rushing yards. Ryan Clemens added 111 rushing yards for the Bucks. Vance Morelli picked off a Garnet Valley pass in the final minute to secure the win. Check out the photo gallery too!
Coatesville 29, Pennsbury 7
For the second season in a row, Pennsbury had to deal with a tough Coatesville squad. And the outcome was nearly the same, with the Falcons falling 28-6 last year. But that would be the only loss of the regular season for the Falcons, who hope to repeat the pattern this year. Senior cornerback Noah Rice put the Falcons on the board with an interception returned for a TD in the fourth quarter. See photos from the game here.
Wissahickon 48, Council Rock North 28
Senior running back Will Scibona hauled in two TD passes, including a 17-yard reception in the third quarter that cut CR North’s deficit to 28-14. But that was the closest CR North would get, as the Trojans continued to pile on the points to win their first season-opener since 2017. Senior Logan Atkinson added a 3-yard rushing TD and junior Giovanni Cozza scored from 1-yard out for the Indians.
Hatboro-Horsham 16, Upper Moreland 7
The Hatters made Tom Butts a winner in his debut as head coach against the rival Golden Bears. Senior fullback Jaxson Bumpus scored from 1 yard out and then junior fullback Kayden Collazo ran for the two-point conversion to make it 8-0. After the Golden Bears scored on a 70-yard pass play from junior quarterback Alex Foley to senior receiver Zion Akimbo, Collazo went in from the 5-yard line. UM sophomore Luke Sword averaged 54 yards per punt and had a 70-yarder, while senior linebacker Francesco Maglio contributed 12 tackles.
New Hope-Solebury 16, Morrisville 0
After winning two games last season, the Lions were eager to start the new season on a winning note. Senior running back Colin Fudala ensured that would happen, rushing for a pair of touchdowns (9 yards, 35 yards). Heath Miller pulled down an interception to keep the Lions’ shutout intact.
Belmont Charter 14, Bristol 12
Bristol had a chance to tie the game with one remaining but couldn't convert a two-point conversion. Senior running back Kendell Cottrell led the Warriors with 13 carries for 142 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore quarterback Cole Guy added 12 rushes for 67 yards and a score. Senior linebacker Jordan Colon and sophomore linebacker Braylen Williams contributed seven tackles apiece for Bristol, which was the District One Class AA champion a year ago.
Central Bucks East 42, Harry S. Truman 0
It was all Patriots in this one. Senior Dean Blackwell was the star of the game with three rushing TDs, with sophomore Joey Craig and senior Dan Voglesong both finding the end zone as well. Voglesong also had a passing touchdown, hauled in by senior all-state tight end Jack Donnelly.
Southern Lehigh 28, Quakertown 21
Senior Vince Miccuci’s two touchdowns in the first half gave the Panthers a 14-7 lead, but Southern Lehigh launched a successful comeback in the second half in the non-league contest. Junior Gavin Carroll scored a late rushing TD for the Panthers to make it close, but a 21-point third quarter by SoLehi was the difference maker.
Central Bucks South 13, Father Judge 10
Corey Moore scored the Titan's first TD with an 8-yard run to put the Titans on the board after being shutout in the first half of the tough non-league matchup. Anthony Leonardi gave the Titans the win with an 82-yard rushing score late in the fourth quarter, and finished with an impressive 196 yards.
Archbishop Wood 37, Archbishop Ryan 34
Joe Scarpello led the way for a Vikings’ win over PCL rival Archbishop Ryan. The senior wide receiver scored three touchdowns and finished with 190 yards in the high-scoring contest.
Archbishop Ryan quarterback Frankie Mawson broke the PCL’s single-game passing record, throwing for 447 yards, and set the single-game completion record with 29 completed passes.
Bangor 36, Palisades 8
Downingtown East 43, Pennridge 0
Cheltenham at Abington-postponed
Friday night's game, being played at Abington, was suspended with 1:49 remaining in the third quarter. A statement from Cheltenham superintendent Dr. Brian Scriven, shared on Twitter/X, noted that ‘an attendee was in possession of a firearm and taken into police custody.’ Cheltenham led 14-7 at the time. The game will be resumed at a later date.
More: Teen arrested with loaded ghost gun at Abington HS football game. What are ghost guns?
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Saturday, August 26
Lower Merion 6, Bensalem 0
It was a gritty defensive battle that remained scoreless until the final seconds. In those 10 last seconds until overtime, Lower Merion successfully executed a flea flicker to score the winning TD. The young Owls, with mainly sophomore starters, showed plenty of promise, with sophomore RB Aiden Mayfield rushing for 90 yards, and sophomore safety Myles Annan nabbing an interception.
Lansdale Catholic 36, School of the Future 14
Sophomore Jacahi Streeter scored three touchdowns as the Crusaders opened their season with a resounding victory. The versatile Streeter scored on a four-yard reception, a 44-yard run, and a 75-yard fumble recovery TD, finishing with 95 rushing yards and 50 receiving. QB Cole Meehan completed 12 of his 14 pass attempts for 165 yards and threw three TD passes, with Yaboa Cobbold and James Webb catching one apiece. The Crusaders scored 20 unanswered points to start the game.
Sunday, August 27
Holy Spirit (NJ) 24, Conwell-Egan 7
The Eagles couldn’t overtake the Jersey boys of Holy Spirit in Sunday’s Battle at the Beach in Ocean City. Senior standout and Syracuse-commit Sam Cooper scored for the Eagles on an impressive 95-yard play.
More: Clear your calendars: These are 10 high school football games you won't want to miss
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: High school football scores, stats, recaps SOL, PCL in Bucks County
