ROYERSFORD >> Even if you know what’s coming, you don’t know who’s bringing it.
Central Bucks South doesn’t want to catch you by surprise. They don’t have many wrinkles in their offense. The Titans simply want to…
“Run the ball down people’s mouths,” said running back Corey Moore, who carried for three touchdowns in No. 5 CB South’s 35-19 win over No. 4 Spring-Ford in Friday night’s District 1-6A quarterfinal at Coach McNelly Stadium. “They know what’s coming, but they can’t do anything to stop it.”
Execution was the name of the game for the Titans on Friday, who ran the ball 58 times for exactly 350 yards. In all, the Titans had six possessions – four touchdowns, an interception at the end of the first half, and running out the clock to end the contest.
Anthony Leonardi and Moore had 22 carries a piece, with Leonardi outgaining Moore 146-121 but Moore finishing three drives with one-yard scoring runs. Quarterback Owen Pinkerton was no slouch himself, carrying 14 times for 83 yards and a touchdown.
“It’s the whole team – guys on this offensive line, running backs, our quarterback – every player on this team has that edge to them,” said offensive tackle Collin Goetter. “That’s what makes the run game work.”
As if they needed it, the Titans had some good fortune to open the game when Spring-Ford’s attempt at a cross-field lateral went awry, with Jack Mauz corralling the ball at the four-yard line and carrying in it for a 7-0 CB South lead just nine seconds into the contest.
Aside from the dominant running game, the CB South defense was able to limit the explosive Spring-Ford passing game to 129 yards. All-Area quarterback Matt Zollers was harassed throughout the game as the Titans clearly focused on containing Zollers and PAC-leading receiver Mason Scott.
Sebastian Pacchione had safety help on many snaps, but Scott had only two catches for 60 yards. The Titans’ game plan was clear when Spring-Ford set up a double pass to free Scott down the seam – but no fewer than four CB South defenders followed the two-sport star.
“We game planned for him. We knew he was a great player going into the game,” said linebacker Jim Wade, who had two tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
“We knew our players could do it.”
Wade has played with a cast on one hand since week five and had surgery on the other hand for an additional injury. He hasn’t missed any time.
“We gotta fight,” he said. “We’re not ready to give up.”
After the opening kickoff mishap, Spring-Ford moved the ball early using an effective read game between quarterback Zollers and running back Jamal Lewis to move the ball quickly into the CB South red zone.
But the Titans stiffened on first and goal, creating consecutive tackles for loss and an incompletion as the Rams settled for a 25-yard Liam McGarvey field goal.
The teams exchanged long, ground-based drives that ate up most of the first half.
CB South went first with a 14-play, 73-yard drive that ate up five minutes and ended with a Moore 1-yard TD run seconds before the first quarter ended.
Spring-Ford responded with an identically long drive, mixing the running game with a clutch pass from Zollers to Belal Abdelrahman on third and 17 to move into the red zone.
The Titans nearly turned SF away once more, but Zollers wouldn’t be denied on his second sneak attempt, bringing the Rams back within four by the break.
The second half was all CB South, however, as the Titans embarked on three almost identical scoring drives of 61, 60, and 63 yards, two of them ending with short, one-yard plunges by Moore and the other culminating in a 29-yard Pinkerton keeper after Goetter opened up the edge.
“I think we all trust our line to make holes for us,” said Moore. “It’s our job to find those holes.
“It’s pretty satisfying when you can run the ball like that.”
CB South (11-1) moves to next week’s District 1-6A semifinal, where they’ll visit their rivals from Central Bucks West, winners over Garnet Valley in another quarterfinal Friday.
CB West handed the Titans their lone loss, 40-29, four weeks ago.
“We get our rematch now,” said Moore. “Hopefully we come out and do what we did (tonight).”
For Spring-Ford, the 2023 season comes to an end at a mark of 9-3. The Rams regained control of the PAC’s Liberty Division in a season highlighted by record-setting offensive performances from junior QB Zollers and WR Mason Scott, each of whom set numerous single-season and career school records.
The duo was held largely in check Friday night, but provided a few more highlights to their sterling seasons, as Zollers launched a picture-perfect bomb to Scott for a 54-yard gain in the fourth quarter. Three plays later, the junior quarterback found Belal Abdelrahman for a 15-yard score – his 37th touchdown pass of the season.
Jamal Lewis led Spring-Ford with 74 yards rushing, while McGarvey was 2-for-2 on field goals of 25 and 35 yards respectively.
In the end, the Rams just couldn’t get off the field against a CB South offense that converted nine of 11 third downs and picked up the conversion on fourth down on the other two occasions.
“We just didn’t get that third stop,” said Spring-Ford coach Chad Brubaker. “We were able to get them in some second and long, even third and long, and we just couldn’t finish.
“Give CB South credit. They come off the ball, they go downhill. So many times, I thought we had them and they churn out three, four yards.”
Zollers returns for one more year in the fall, but for Scott and 14 other Spring-Ford players, Friday was their final game in the Spring-Ford uniform.
“They’re kids of character,” Brubaker said. “They want to be coached, coached hard, they come from quality families. They’ve done everything we’ve asked, and a lot of things we didn’t ask.”
It’s the third time in four years that Spring-Ford’s advanced to at least the quarterfinal round of District 1-6A. In this, Brubaker’s 14th season at the helm, the coach addressed the topic of being a team that’s consistently in the conversation for the District title but hasn’t reached that pinnacle yet.
“Those guys are hurting in there,” he said. “But there are a lot of teams that don’t get to play in games like tonight.”
For CB South, that same journey continues next week against their neighbors from CB West – a team that knows the Titans better than anyone.
But as Friday night showed, knowing the Titans doesn’t mean stopping them.
Central Bucks South 35, Spring-Ford 19
Central Bucks South 14 0 7 14 — 35
Spring-Ford 3 7 3 6 — 19
SCORING
CBS — Mauz 4 fumble recovery (Hazell kick)SF — McGarvey 25 FGCBS — Moore 1 run (Hazell kick)SF — Zollers 1 run (McGarvey kick)CBS — Moore 1 run (Hazell kick)SF — McGarvey 25 FGCBS — Pinkerton 29 run (Hazell kick)CBS — Moore 1 run (Hazell kick)SF — Abdelrahman 15 pass from Zollers (pass failed)
TEAM STATISTICS
CBS SFFirst Downs 23 14
Rushing Yards 350 135
Passing Yards 0 122
Total Yards 350 257
Passes C-A-I 0-1-1 9-22-0
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 3-1
Penalties-Yards 5-54 5-41
Punts-Avg. 0 1-34
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Central Bucks South – Leonardi 22-146, Moore 22-121; 3 TD; Pinkerton 14-83; TD.
Spring-Ford – Zollers 13-63; TD, Lewis 9-74, Bendowski 3-7, Team 1-(minus-9).
Passing
Central Bucks South – Pinkerton 0-1, INT.
Spring-Ford – Zollers 9-22, 129 yards, TD.
Receiving
Spring-Ford – Abdelrahman 3-46; TD, Scott 2-60, Kerchner 2-14, Marsilio 2-9.
Sacks: Spring-Ford – Schulz.
Interceptions: Spring-Ford – Turner.
