Reporter/Times Herald Week 5 Football: Souderton looks to stay unbeaten vs. Pennridge

Souderton and Pennridge hit head-on at the midway point of the season, as Big Red meets the Rams in a key Suburban One League Continental Conference clash Friday night at Souderton.

Kickoff time is at 7 p.m.

Big Red looks to stay unbeaten and move to 5-0 for the first time since 2006 while the Rams try to snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 2-3.

Souderton opened up its conference schedule with a 17-7 victory over William Tennent last week while Pennridge fell to North Penn, 37-14.

DeAndre Wakefield continues to be a force at running back for the Indians, displaying tough running as well as his breakaway speed. Taj Utsey is emerging as a strong, reliable runner for the Rams. He found the end zone last week.

“He did a real good job,” Rams coach Cody Muller said. “He’s a kid that has stayed the course throughout. He’s a senior now and I told him, ‘just trust it. Keep going,’ and he finally did it. He looked good (Friday).”

In one of the oldest rivalries around, the two teams again went down to the wire last season.

Big Red would hold on for a wild 38-33 victory over the Rams. The healthy rivalry has grown even deeper the last two seasons, as Muller is one of Big Red coach Ed Gallagher’s former players.

Said Gallagher after last year’s clash: “(Cody) has them believing. Their kids really like him and I think it’s gonna go well.”

Muller said: “I love Coach Gallagher. We talk every week almost. He said it best: he’ll help me 358 out of 365 days a year.”

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

The following is a game-by-game preview for Week Five.

Hatboro-Horsham at Wissahickon
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Wissahickon.
Records: The Hatters are 0-4 overall and 0-1 in the SOL American. The Trojans are 0-4 overall and 0-1 in the SOL American.
Last Week: Hatboro lost 40-13 to Upper Dublin. Wiss fell 57-7 to PW.
Players to Watch: Pat Chapman did some rolid running last week for the Hatters. Jalen Smalls is a speedy runner for Wiss.
Prediction: Hatboro-Horsham 28, Wissahickon 21.

Methacton at Boyertown
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Boyertown.
Records: The Warriors are 2-2 overall and 0-0 in the PAC Liberty. The Bears are 1-3 overall and 0-0 in the PAC Liberty.
Last Week: Methacton lost 14-0 to Pottstown. Boyertown lost 49-13 to Berks Catholic.
Players to Watch: Mike Torcini will look to burst through the running lanes for Methacton. Jamison Moccia helps man the secondary for the Bears.
Prediction: Methacton 24, Boyertown 16.

Norristown at Spring-Ford
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Spring-Ford.
Records: The Eagles are 0-4 overall and 0-0 in the PAC Liberty. The Rams are 2-2 overall and 0-0 in the PAC Liberty.
Last Week: Norristown lost 48-14 to Cheltenham. Spring-Ford won 24-7 over Exeter.
Players to Watch: Zion Malone ran for over a hundred yards last week for the Eagles. Ryan Engro threw for over 300 yards last week in the win over Exeter.
Prediction: Spring-Ford 42, Norristown 21.

Peddie School (N.J.) at Archbishop Wood
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at William Tennent.
Records: Peddie is 1-0 overall. Wood is 3-0 overall and 0-0 in the Philadelphia Catholic League Red Division.
Last Week: Peddie romped Wyoming Seminary 47-0. Wood was idle.
Players to Watch: Jatarie Washington is a standout corner for Peddie. Ryan DiVergilis is a workhorse running back for Wood.
Prediction: Archbishop Wood 31, Peddie School 17.

Penn Charter at Upper Dublin
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Upper Dublin.
Records: Penn Charter is 3-0 overall and 0-0 in the InterAC. Upper Dublin is 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the SOL American.
Last Week: Penn Charter enjoyed a 44-8 win over Central. The Cardinals rolled 40-13 over Hatboro-Horsham.
Players to Watch: Kyle Jones threw for almost 200 yards last week for Penn Charter. The Cardinals’ Mike Slivka threw for over 200 yards last week and was a running threat as well.
Prediction: Upper Dublin 32, Penn Charter 23.

Pennridge at Souderton
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Souderton.
On the Air: The game will be broadcast live on WNPV, 1440 AM and 98.5 FM, and live online at wnpv1440.com.
On Twitter: @mpcabrey.
Records: Souderton is 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the SOL Continental. Pennridge is 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the SOL Continental.
Last Week: Big Red stayed unbeaten with a 17-7 win over William Tennent. Pennridge fell to North Penn, 37-14.
Players to Watch: DeAndre Wakefield has been getting to the end zone multiple times for Big Red in the Wing-T attack. Both Taj Utsey and Brayden Landherr found the end zone last week for the Rams.
Prediction: Souderton 28, Pennridge 20.

Pope John Paul II at Upper Perkiomen
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Upper Perk.
Records: PJP is 3-1 overall and 0-0 in the PAC Frontier. Upper Perk is 1-3 overall and 0-0 in the PAC Frontier.
Last Week: The Golden Panthers rolled 52-7 over Schuylkill Valley. Upper Perk lost 30-20 to Fleetwood.
Players to Watch: Kamal Gray had a prolific performance last week throwing the ball for PJP. Tanner Maddocks is a great target in the Upper Perk passing attack.
Prediction: Pope John Paul II 24, Upper Perkiomen 12.

Upper Merion at Phoenixville
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Phoenixville.
Records: Upper Merion is 2-2 overall and 0-0 in the PAC Frontier. Phoenixville is 1-3 overall and 0-0 in the PAC Frontier.
Last Week: Upper Merion lost 27-17 to Owen J. Roberts. Phoenixville lost 13-6 to Chichester.
Players to Watch: Dale Clayton heated up at quarterback for Upper Merion last week. Wide receiver Tre Davis found the end zone last week for the Phantoms.
Prediction: Upper Merion 26, Phoenixville 20.

Upper Moreland at Plymouth Whitemarsh
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Plymouth Whitemarsh.
On Twitter: @emor09.
Records: Upper Moreland is 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the SOL American. PW is 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the SOL American.
Last Week: The Bears were upended 31-6 by Quakertown. The Colonials routed Wissahickon 57-7.
Players to Watch: Jon Knight covers a lot of ground at linebacker for Upper Moreland. Christopher Pierce had a big night running the ball last week for PW.
Prediction: PW 33, Upper Moreland 20.

William Tennent at Central Bucks West
Time/Place: Friday, 7 p.m., at Central Bucks West.
On Twitter: @khunter10.
Records: The Panthers are 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the SOL Continental. The Bucks are 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the SOL Continental.
Last Week: Tennent fell 17-7 to Souderton Area. West was on the winning end of a 42-28 decision against CB South.
Players to Watch: Tom Santiago is a tough runner for Tennent. Jack Fallon racked up a whopping 261 rushing yards last week in the win over South.
Prediction: Central Bucks West 27, William Tennent 19.

North Penn at Central Bucks East
Time/Place: Saturday, 11 a.m., at CB East.
On Twitter: @khunter10.
Records: North Penn is 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the SOL Continental. East is 3-1 overall and 0-0 in the SOL Continental.
Last Week: The Knights won 37-14 over Pennridge. The Patriots lost 21-14 to Pennsbury.
Players to Watch: Khalani Eaton keeps scoring in bunches for North Penn in the ground game. Wide receiver Anthony Cassidy can get deep for East.
Prediction: North Penn 28, Central Bucks East 17.

West Catholic at Lansdale Catholic
Time/Place: Saturday, 5 p.m., at Wissahickon.
On Twitter: @khunter10.
Records: West Catholic is 1-3 overall and 0-0 in the PCL Blue. Lansdale Catholic is 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the PCL Blue.
Last Week: West Catholic lost 29-14 to Archbishop Carroll. The Crusaders won 14-9 over Conwell-Egan.
Players to Watch: Jalen Dunn brings speed at wide receiver and free safety for West Catholic. L.J. Phillips could have a big passing day for LC.
Prediction: Lansdale Catholic 24, West Catholic 19.