Defenses key as Upper Dublin, Unionville clash in District 1-5A semifinals

Upper Dublin will look to get back to a district championship game for the first time since 2015 when it takes on Unionville Saturday afternoon at Cardinals Stadium on the campus of Upper Dublin High School.

Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m.

The District 1 Class 5A semifinal matchup pits the No. 2 Cardinals against the No. 11 Indians. Both teams have been strong on the defensive side of the ball this year.

Upper Dublin enters the game 10-1 and is riding a seven-game winning streak. During that stretch the Cardinals have allowed just 67 points — an average of 9.5 per game. The Cardinals held Upper Moreland to six points in the season regular season finale, Phoenixville to 12 points in the playoff opener and shut out Cheltenham in last week’s quarterfinal.

Unionville, the defending district champion, enter the semifinals with a 6-6 record and has won three straight games. The Indians defense has been strong, too. The three-game winning streak includes a 42-7 victory over Sun Valley, 9-0 triumph against Springfield and 28-7 conquest of Radnor — an average of 4.6 points against.

Upper Dublin appears equipped to handle a strong defense. The 27-point performance against Cheltenham last week was the Cardinals lowest in the last month.

Most of the offense earned Suburban One League American Conference All-Conference honors this season. Quarterback Mike Slivka, running backs Lucas Roselli and Mason Novak, wide receivers Selvin Haynes and Jason Scott, tight end Brody Balasa and offensive linemen Quinton Derr, CJ Stehli, Connor English and Bryan Derr were all recognized for their strong seasons.

The Cardinals defense — featuring Slivka and Haynes in the secondary and Novak and Dylan Zlotnikoff up front — will need to focus on shutting down Unionville’s rushing attack. The Indians rushed for 268 yards last week on 63 carries against Radnor. Running back Connor Schilling led the way with 30 rushes for 174 yards and quarterback Nick Schnaars added 83 yards on 21 carries. At one point in the game, the Indians put together a 15-play touchdown drive — all runs — covering 74 yards.

Schnaars attempted just seven passes in the game.

Upper Dublin has had success stopping the run lately. Last week, Cheltenham was held to 66 yards on 16 carries. The week before, Phoenixville carried 32 times for 82 yards. In the regular season finale, Upper Moreland ran 35 times for 86 yards.

The winner will face the winner of No. 1 Penn Wood and No. 5 West Chester Rustin in the championship next Friday.