Neshaminy knocks off Spring-Ford in District 1-AAAA first round

ROYERSFORD >> Two years ago it was Neshaminy’s ground game that ousted Spring-Ford from the District 1-AAAA playoffs.

This year, however, chalk this victory up to the aerial attack as Mason Jones threw for 202 yards while Zach Tredway hauled in a game-high six passes for 88 yards as Neshaminy again ousted the Rams, 31-16, in the District 1-AAAA opening round Friday at Coach McNelly Stadium.

The Redskins’ win marks the second time in three years that the team has ended the Rams’ run in the district playoffs. D’Andre Pollard was the catalyst to the team’s victory in the second round in 2013, rushing for 177 yards in a 56-27 victory.

This year, a fresh cast yielded the same result. To go along with the efforts of Jones and Tredway, Joe Pirrone did a valiant job in spelling a battered Will Dogba, rushing for 113 yards on 28 carries. Denzel Hughes added 83 yards on four receptions as the Redskins recorded 350 yards of total offense.

The Redskins will play the winner of No. 5 Central Bucks East and No. 12 Quakertown at a date and time to be determined.

“The key for us tonight was starting off strong,” Jones said. “All week we prepared to come out strong offensively and defensively. We came out and executed from the start and we were able to maintain that effort throughout the game to get that ‘W.’”

Spring-Ford sees its season come to a close after winning its first PAC-10 championship since 2011. Ricky Venuto closed out his senior season by throwing for 215 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Quinn McKenna recorded six receptions for 75 yards and two scores as the Rams fell behind 24-0 midway through the third.

The Rams finished with at least 10 wins for the fourth time in five seasons.

“I’m talking to them in there and I’m struggling to not smile,” Spring-Ford head coach Chad Brubaker said. “Even though it’s disappointing and the kids are upset, I told them that you can’t hang your heads. There were a lot of opportunities tonight that they could have packed it in, but they didn’t. They kept fighting and we finally got it together on a couple drives but it was a little late.

“Neshaminy is a strong football team. Their philosophy is to keep running it at you until you break, and I didn’t think our kids broke. I just feel like we didn’t execute and play our best game.”

Defensively, the Rams received strong efforts across the board in the first half, forcing an early punt before recovering a fumble at their own 3-yard line on the next possession.

They just didn’t have time to catch their breath.

The Rams offense was out of sync early, going three and out on their first two possessions before a Tredway interception was the catalyst to the Redskins’ second touchdown that made it 14-0 midway through the second.

The defense’s fatigue showed early in the second half as the Redskins scored on their first two possessions, their first coming off a Jones 15-yard keeper to make it 24-0 before Hughes answered a Rams touchdown, breaking free down the middle of the field for a 55-yard touchdown reception that effectively put the capper on it.

“We gave them short fields and we had a couple three-and-outs to start the game but our defense kept us in that game,” Brubaker said. “I can’t say enough about them. That’s a big strong team. We were outsized but those guys kept fighting and I’m real proud of them. They hung in there well.”

NOTES >> Spring-Ford finished with 264 yards of total offense and was only penalized once. … The Rams fumbled the ball three times, losing one. … Dylan McDonald hit a 30-yard field goal to close out the second half and give Neshaminy a 17-0 lead. … Tanner Romano recorded a sack for Spring-Ford.