Rick O'Brien: North Penn pushes title quest
The Knights will play Neshaminy this weekend, one of many playoff games.
There are 21 football playoff contests on tap this weekend. We'll provide game-by-game predictions tomorrow, including selections in three championship games: Public League Class AAAA and AAA, and Catholic League AAA.
Today, we peer into the crystal ball and tell you how the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA and AAA tournaments will play out. At the AA and A levels, we break down the District 1-12 subregional playoffs.
CLEM MURRAY / Staff Photographer
Ridley quarterback Colin Masterson scrambled away from Penncrest defensive tackle John Young before completing a long pass last month.
Also, we pick a winner in the four-team Catholic League Division AAAA tournament.
Contact staff writer Rick O'Brien at 610-313-8019 or robrien@phillynews.com.
Here goes:
District 1 Class AAAA
In the opening round, top seed North Penn, second seed Pennsbury, third seed Garnet Valley, fourth seed Downingtown West, fifth seed Avon Grove, seventh seed Ridley, eighth seed Neshaminy, and 11th seed Downingtown East advance.So, we expect only one upset in the first round. Downingtown East, behind workhorse running back Drew Harris (258 carries for 1,444 yards and 21 touchdowns) and quarterback Trey Lauletta (82 for 171 passing, 1,498 yards, 15 TDs), knocks off No. 6 seed Norristown at Roosevelt Field.
Two first-round tilts, Penncrest against Garnet Valley and Abington against Neshaminy, should be thrillers, with the higher seed winning in each.
In the quarterfinals, North Penn proves too much for Neshaminy; Downingtown West avenges a 35-21 loss to No. 5 seed Avon Grove; Ridley, mixing the run and pass well, beats Pennsbury in overtime at Falcon Field; and Downingtown East, proving the No. 11 seed it was handed was too low, shocks Garnet Valley.
In the semifinals, North Penn, with a vaunted ground attack sparked by Craig Needhammer, eliminates Downingtown West for the second straight year, and Ridley, spurred by the return of injured tailback Sam Dixon-Dugan, expected to miss tomorrow's opener against Council Rock South, ends Downingtown East's Cinderella run.
The AAAA champion?
In a physical tussle that leaves both sides bruised, North Penn's quick-to-the ball defenders thwart QB Colin Masterson and the Green Raiders at every turn and claim the program's second straight district crown and fifth overall.
District 1 Class AAA
In first-round action, top seed Pottsgrove, second seed Interboro, third seed Owen J. Roberts, and fourth seed West Chester Rustin move on.In one semifinal, Rustin's Rondell White, a 1,633-yard rusher with 27 total TDs, squares off against Pottsgrove's Maika Polamalu and Terrell Chestnut, who have combined for 1,825 rushing yards and 30 TDs.
West Chester Rustin triumphed, 21-13, in the same round last year. We like the Golden Knights to win again, largely because of a defense that has yielded only 5.4 points per outing and has the ability to slow down Polamalu, Chestnut, and company.
In the other semifinal, Ryan Brumfield, a 2,013-yard rusher with 32 total TDs, leads Owen J. Roberts past previously undefeated Interboro.
When the dust settles from the Rustin-Roberts final, Rustin, a fourth-year varsity program, will have its second straight championship.
District 1-12 Class AA Subregional
Not surprisingly, third seed West Catholic beats second seed Bishop McDevitt for the third time in four weeks, and top seed Bok improves to 11-0 with a convincing victory over 4 seed and District 1 representative Lower Moreland.West Catholic takes on Bok for the right to take on District 2's champion, probably Dunmore. It won't be 55-0, the score of last year's first-round encounter, but the Burrs will repeat.
District 1-12 Class A Subregional
We anticipate semifinal wins by second seed St. Pius X (over third seed Delaware Valley Charter) and fourth seed High School of the Future (over top seed Calvary Christian).In the A title game, St. Pius X keeps Del-Val's Markeese Walker under wraps and advances to play the survivor of the District 2-4 subregional.
Catholic League AAAA
We predict that the semis will go as expected, with regular-season champ St. Joseph's Prep and second-place La Salle beating Roman Catholic and Cardinal O'Hara, respectively.In the championship, La Salle, this time with tailback Jamal Abdur-Rahman in the lineup, gets revenge for a 24-17 loss to the Prep in Week 4.
Contact staff writer Rick O'Brien at 610-313-8019 or robrien@phillynews.com.
