Reporter/Times Herald Week 9 Football: CB West tries to capture SOL Continental title at Souderton

Central Bucks West will be looking to clinch the Suburban One League Continental Conference title when the Bucks travel to rival Souderton Area Friday night in a battle of District 1-6A powers.

Kickoff time is at 7 p.m.

The Bucks come into this one a perfect 8-0 and are 5-0 in the conference after last week’s thrilling 27-26 win over North Penn. Souderton Area is 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the Continental. Big Red blanked non-conference foe Council Rock North last week, 41-0.

The Bucks can clinch the conference crown with a win while Souderton, with a win, could set up a three-way tie for first with the Bucks, Big Red and the Knights.

Souderton’s offense finished last week’s game on a hot streak.

“We executed much better as the game went on,” Indians coach Ed Gallagher said. “We punted a couple times in the first quarter – just sloppy execution. We did hit a couple things early but just not enough. We just weren’t very consistent. In the second quarter, we hit a couple things, scored twice and then got into field-goal range. In the second half, we executed much better so I was very pleased with the effort.

“We had a good plan to slow down (CR North’s Wing-T) so it was kind of a nice test run because we’ll be playing a really good Wing-T team in CB West.”

Nick Guthre continues to be a force in all three areas for the Indians, contributing on defense, running the ball hard on offense and returning punts on special teams. The Bucks, meanwhile, have Jack Fallon to intercept passes (his INT finished the game last week) and break long runs on the offensive side of things.

The game not only has conference implications but also district-playoff implications as well. The Bucks enter the contest ranked second in District 1-6A while Souderton is seventh (eight teams get home games).

The game will be broadcast live on WNPV, 98.5 FM and 1440 AM, and can be followed live on Twitter @mpcabrey.

The following is a game-by-game preview of the area for Week Nine.

Pope John Paul II at Upper Merion
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Upper Merion.
Records: The Golden Panthers are 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the PAC Frontier. The Vikings are 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the PAC Frontier.
Last Week: PJP blanked Pottstown 28-0. Upper Merion lost 14-0 to Pottsgrove.
Players to Watch: Quarterback Kamal Gray was key with his arm and legs last week for PJP. Ty Lobban showed his breakaway speed last week for Upper Merion.
Prediction: Pope John Paul II 20, Upper Merion 14.

Methacton at Owen J. Roberts
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Owen J. Roberts.
Records: The Warriors are 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the PAC Liberty. The Wildcats are 6-2 overall and 2-2 in the PAC Liberty.
Last Week: Methacton won 21-12 over Norristown. OJR lost 35-21 to Spring-Ford.
Players to Watch: Quarterback Mike Merola is coming on strong for the Warriors. Quarterback Cooper Chamberlain was a versatile scoring threat for OJR last week.
Prediction: Owen J. Roberts 15, Methacton 10.

Boyertown at Norristown
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Norristown.
On Twitter: @emor09.
Records: The Bears are 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the PAC Liberty. The Eagles are 0-8 overall and 0-4 in the PAC Liberty.
Last Week: Boyertown lost 48-6 to Perk Valley. Norristown fell 21-12 to Methacton.
Players to Watch: Zachary Davis rushed for nearly a hundred yards last week for Boyertown. Quarterback Nick DiNolfi is a confident passer for the Eagles.
Prediction: Boyertown 21, Norristown 14.

Spring-Ford at Perkiomen Valley
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Perk Valley.
Records: The Rams are 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the PAC Liberty. The Vikings are 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the PAC Liberty.
Last Week: Spring-Ford won 35-21 over Owen J. Roberts. Perk Valley rolled 48-6 over Boyertown.
Players to Watch: The Rams have an elite signal caller in Ryan Engro. Ethan Kohler threw three touchdown passes for the Vikes last week.
Prediction: Spring-Ford 33, Perk Valley 31.

Germantown Academy at Haverford School
Time/Place: Saturday, 1 p.m., at Haverford School.
Records: GA is 4-1 overall and 0-1 in the InterAC. Haverford is 3-3 overall and 0-1 in the InterAC.
Last Week: The Patriots lost to Malvern Prep 33-21. Haverford lost to Springside-Chestnut Hill 33-21.
Players to Watch: Jordan Longino hit some key passes for the Pats last week. Jake Spencer is a versatile wide receiver for Haverford.
Prediction: Germantown Academy 35, Haverford School 22.

La Salle at Archbishop Wood
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at William Tennent.
On Twitter: @ADRobinson3.
Records: The Explorers are 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the PCL Red. Wood is 4-3 overall and 1-2 in the PCL Red.
Last Week: La Salle won 49-0 over Archbishop Ryan. The Vikings lost 42-21 to St. Joe’s Prep.
Players to Watch: Sam Brown gets it done as a runner and receiver for La Salle. Ryan DiVergilis is a tough runner for the Vikes.
Prediction: La Salle 40, Wood 28.

Lansdale Catholic at Archbishop Carroll
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Conshohocken A Field
Records: The Crusaders are 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the PCL Blue. The Patriots are 4-4 overall and 3-2 in the PCL Blue.
Last Week: LC won 23-20 over Bishop McDevitt. Carroll lost 12-7 to Bonner-Prendie.
Players to Watch: Danny Dutkiewicz scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground last week for LC. The Patriots have a solid quarterback in Nick Lamey.
Prediction: Lansdale Catholic 22, Carroll 17.

North Penn at Central Bucks South
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Central Bucks South.
On Twitter: @khunter10.
Records: The Knights are 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the SOL Continental. The Titans are 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the SOL Continental.
Last Week: North Penn lost to CB West 27-26. South lost 16-14 to CB East.
Players to Watch: R.J. Macnamara is a tremendous runner and receiver for North Penn. Joe McSweeney is a contributor at running back and linebacker for the Titans.
Prediction: North Penn 38, Central Bucks South 24.

Central Bucks West at Souderton
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Souderton.
On the Air: The game will be broadcast live on WNPV, 98.5 FM.
On Twitter: @mpcabrey.
Records: The Bucks are 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the SOL Continental. The Indians are 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the SOL Continental.
Last Week: West edged North Penn 27-26. Souderton beat Council Rock North 41-0.
Players to Watch: Jack Fallon is big in the secondary for the Bucks and a breakaway runner in the ground game. Souderton’s Nick Guthre contributed on offense, defense and special teams as a returner last week in the win over Rock North.
Prediction: Central Bucks West 28, Souderton 20.

Truman at Pennridge
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Pennridge.
Records: The Tigers are 4-4 overall and 3-2 in the SOL National. The Rams are 1-7 overall and 0-5 in the SOL Continental.
Last Week: Truman lost 51-27 to Abington. Pennridge lost 29-22 to William Tennent.
Players to Watch: Roman Tkach is a hard-hitting linebacker for the Tigers. The Rams’ Taj Utsey rushed for almost a hundred yards last week.
Prediction: Truman 35, Pennridge 28.

Plymouth Whitemarsh at Upper Dublin
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Upper Dublin.
Records: PW is 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the SOL American. Upper Dublin is 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the SOL American.
Last Week: The Colonials rolled 42-14 over Quakertown. The Cardinals won 28-19 over Wissahickon.
Players to Watch: Michael Paciello rumbled for over a hundred yards last week for PW. John Kohlbrenner did some productive running last week for the Cardinals.
Prediction: Plymouth Whitemarsh 30, Upper Dublin 21.

Eastern York at Wissahickon
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Wissahickon.
Records: Eastern York is 3-5 overall and 1-4 in York Adams Division 2. Wissahickon is 1-7 overall and 1-4 in the SOL American.
Last Week: Eastern York lost 42-20 to Susquehannock. Wiss lost 28-19 to Upper Dublin.
Players to Watch: Brayden Dedrick is a speedy wide receiver for Eastern York. Running back Kyle Lehman scored as a runner and receiver for the Trojans last week.
Prediction: Wissahickon 19, Eastern York 12.