Reporter/Times Herald Football Notes: Pope John Paul II dominates all phases; Souderton still perfect at 4-0

Pope John Paul II dominated all aspects of the game Friday in its 50-14 Pioneer Athletic Conference win over Upper Merion at Upper Merion Area High School.

Offensively, quarterback Rocco DiRico got it done through the air, completing 17-of-21 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown. Justin Kormos accounted for seven receptions, 119 yards and the score while Boyd Skarbek reeled in a 53-yard grab.

Five different Golden Panthers (2-0, 1-0 PAC) scored rushing touchdowns. Josh Little, Chris Bruder, Skarbek, John Beach and Steele DePetrillo all reached the endzone on the ground. Derek Skarbeck added six carries for 57 yards.

Defensively, PJP didn’t allow any points over the final 26:32 of the game. After Upper Merion took a 14-12 lead late in the second quarter, the Golden Panthers took a 20-14 lead into halftime and won the second half, 30-0, to score the final 38 points of the game.

Special teams also got involved, with Kese Williams returning a kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown.

Souderton stays perfect >> The Indians improved to 4-0 Friday night when they beat Hatboro-Horsham, 36-13.

Jalen White ran for three touchdowns, scoring from 48, 34 and 31 yards away. Braydon Porter also ran for a touchdown from 19 yards out and Elijah Goods returned a fumble for a score.

The Indians led 36-0 at halftime.

Souderton secured at least a share of the Suburban One League Continental Conference championship with the win. Big Red can claim the outright title with a win over 0-4 Bensalem in the regular season finale Friday at 7 p.m.

Wood gets defensive >> Archbishop Wood recovered three fumbles — two of which were returned for touchdowns — and grabbed an interception in Saturday’s 28-7 Philadelphia Catholic League Red Division win over Roman Catholic.

The Vikings (2-0) built a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. Luke Shaeffer connected with Ryan Woertz for a five-yard touchdown to get the scoring started. After a fumble was returned for a touchdown, Shaeffer ran for a one-yard score to extend the lead to 21-0.

Roman scored to make it 21-7 in the second quarter, but that’s as close as the Cahillites would get. The 14-point lead would last until the fourth quarter, when Wood’s Rob Jackson returned a fumble more than 90 yards for a touchdown to extend the advantage back to 21, 28-7.

Upper Moreland’s SOL American title chase >> Upper Moreland looks primed to win the SOL American Conference after starting the season 4-0. The Golden Bears have two games left on their schedule — a non-league game against Quakertown and an SOL American showdown with Wissahickon, which is 2-0 in league play.

“At this point I feel like all these games from now on are like redemption games that we lost last year,” Upper Moreland quarterback Byron Hopkins said after Friday’s 63-35 win over Plymouth Whitemarsh. “My mindset coming into these games from now on is just get them back for last year.

“We’re in great shape. I don’t feel like there is a team that can stand with us as long as we come to practice every day and work hard.”

The Golden Bears finished fifth in the league in 2019 with a 2-4 record.