Pennsbury football fends off Council Rock South for win No. 7

FAIRLESS HILLS – It says a lot about top-ranked Pennsbury that it can more or less go into cruise control for an entire half and still improve to 7-1 against an underrated and physical football team.

Playing in front of a mammoth Falcon Field home crowd on Athletic Hall of Fame night, Pennsbury beat Council Rock South, 25-14, to remain undefeated in the Suburban One National League.

Vince Bedesem’s Rock South team actually led at one point in the first quarter and outplayed Pennsbury in the second half, but in the end, it wasn’t nearly enough because of what the Falcons were able to accomplish in the second quarter.

Namely, a 19-point explosion in which quarterback Zach Denarchis continued to enjoy an outstanding senior season.

Coming off a game in which he ran for five touchdowns and passed for another, Demarchis ran for two more touchdowns in this one and also threw his 13th touchdown pass of the year. In the first half alone, he ran for 157 yards on 13 carries and completed seven of 12 passes for 128 yards to easily go over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

“He (Demarchis) really does look like a good athlete,” said Jackson Fagan, who was among the hall of fame inductees and was the standout running back on the 2006 Pennsbury district championship team that lost in the state semifinal in quadruple overtime. “They really spread you out.”

Often lining up with five receivers to open up the field up for Demarchis in head coach Dan McShane’s spread offense, Pennsbury opened the scoring when Demarchis capped off the game’s fist possession with a 51-yard run.

Despite its 3-5 record, Rock South has played some quality teams tough. Sure enough, the Golden Hawks came right back and took the lead when quarterback Christian Jabbar threw a 46-yard TD pass on a crossing pattern to Andrew Vera and then successfully kicked the extra point after Pennsbury had missed its conversion.

The touchdown seemed to get the Falcons’ attention and what followed was Pennsbury’s best stretch of the game.

With its defense now allowing nothing, the Falcons regained the lead when Demarchis threw a 34-yard TD pass to David Burke early in the second quarter. It was the fifth TD reception of the year for Burke, who got wide open down the middle of the field on a post pattern.

From there, Pennsbury also scored in the second quarter on a 7-yard run by Demarchis and a 13-yard bolt by good-looking sophomore running back Jay’Von McNeil. The third TD of the quarter followed an interception by Ryan Knauth on a pass that was tipped 10 yards down field.

The Falcons did very little offensively in the second half. They did drive to South’s 1-yard line in the fourth quarter, but were turned back by a goal-line stand. The Hawks, meanwhile, were able to hang in there when it scored on a 59-yard bomb by Jabbar to Vera in the third quarter.

With the game winding down in the fourth quarter, CR South drove into Pennsbury territory, only to get intercepted when linebacker Andrew Basalya jumped a slant pattern and returned it across midfield.

The Falcons then ran out the clock and could begin focusing on what will be a test at Abington next week before the regular-season ending showdown against Neshaminy in which they will play for at least a share of the league title.

NOTES: Honored at halftime during Pennsbury’s Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony were former Falcons Jackson Fagan (Class of 2007 – football & track), Marianne Monaco-Cicalese (1975 – gymnastics), Martin Sierocinski (1976 – football, basketball, track), Robert Epperson (1975 – football) along with coaches Kike Kondyra (golf) and Distinguished Service award winner Joseph Lelinski (wrestling, soccer).

Pennsbury 25, Council Rock South 14

(Oct. 13 at Pennsbury)

CR SOUTH (3-4)                7              0              7              0              —           14

PENNSBURY (7-1)            6              19           0              0              —           25

First Quarter

P — Demarchis 51 run (kick failed)

CRS — Vera 46 pass from Jabbar (Witten kick)

Second Quarter

P — Burke 34 pass from Demarchis (Knop kick)

P — Demarchis 7 run (kick blocked)

P — McNeil 13 run (pass failed)

Third Quarter

CRS — Vera 59 pass from Jabbar (Witten kick)