Top 20 High School Football Rankings

Southeastern Pennsylvania Football

Featuring District 1, 12, the Philadelphia Catholic League and the Inter Ac

September 17, 2007                  

Scores and results from across the Commonwealth (4A and 3A teams)

Let’s start out West this week in district seven where one of the big stories is Upper St. Clair, the defending 4A champ, getting off to a perfect 3-0 start after graduating the entire offense, the kicker and 8 starters from the defense. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year! Another story is Penn Hills getting their first win of the season by beating a tough North Hills (1-2) team 18-15. Penn Hills (1-2) was one of the preseason favorites to represent the West. Another outstanding program, Woodland Hills, who has won 82 of their last 102 games is winless, mired in a 3 game losing streak after losing last week to undefeated North Allegheny 47-0. They lost to North Allegheny to close out last season in the playoffs so make that a 4 game losing streak. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (3-0) is in a good groove, looking stronger by the week after handling Mt. Lebanon (2-1) 35-7. And it looks like Gateway (2-1) is back on track after beating Baldwin 35-7. Mckeesport (2-1) beat Penn Trafford 19-9, Shaler (3-0) took Plum 15-13 and Bethel Park (2-1) beat Norwin 19-10. Seneca Valley (2-1) got some attention by beating Kiski (2-1) 19-0. Erie’s McDowell stayed undefeated at 3-0 by beating always tough 3A power Strong Vincent 22-0, also from Erie. Vincent falls to 2-1. Cathedral Prep (2-1) snapped back from the Central Catholic loss by beating Hempfield (1-2), who gave them a strong game before falling 28-21.

After graduating two division one linemen, William Penn, or York High as it’s called in district three is surprising everyone by winning their first three games. The Bearcats beat Susquehannock last week 35-0. Both play in the York-Adams League. In the Lancaster-Lebanon League, another surprise saw Elizabethtown taking Manheim Township 20-10. Been a while since E-Town (3-0) made noise and Township (2-1) is no cake walk. Staying in the L-L, West Lawn’s Wilson (2-1) beat Exeter 38-0 while 2-1 Governor Mifflin took apart Reading 48-15. In the Berks Inter-County Conference, 4A Muhlenberg waffled 2A Wyomissing 50-14 to go 3-0. Wyomissing falls to 2-1.  Also in the Berks, Conrad Weiser beat 1A Reading Holy Name 42-14. In the Mid Penn Conference, Central Dauphin went to State College and came away with a nice 17-14 win, their first of the season. State drops to 2-1. Two undefeated powers put on quite a show with Mechanicsburg’s Cumberland Valley (3-0) taking down Altoona (2-1) in two overtime periods 17-10. And in the annual City Series clash, Harrisburg shocked Bishop McDevitt by scoring two touchdowns with just under 6 minutes left in the game to pull out a 20-16 win.  

Looking at 3A finds district six’s undefeated Hollidaysburg at 3-0 just getting past district nine’s Clearfield (1-2) 42-35. In district ten, General McLane (2-1) bounced back from last week’s loss to McDowell by taking it out on Erie Central, 64-0. A strong team from Titusville (3-0) overpowered Oil City 41-0.

A look at district seven shows most of the majors winning with Blackhawk (2-1), Pine-Richland (3-0) and Thomas Jefferson (3-0) winning easily. TJ defeated Elizabeth Forward 73-7, Pine-Richland dropping Franklin 37-0 and Blackhawk beat Belle-Vernon 27-7. A few other games stand out. Trinity (2-1) edged Hampton (1-2) 21-14, while powerful Hopewell got to 3-0 by giving Ambridge (2-1) a dose of reality, winning at Ambridge 32-7. Chartiers Valley (2-1) responded to the Montour loss by destroying Peters Twp 42-6. Montour is a nice surprise at 3-0, beating West Allegheny last week 28-21. The proud program that is West Allegheny is still looking for their first win after opening with Pine-Richland, Thomas Jefferson and Montour, who are a combined 9-0. And finally, New Castle (3-0) is shaking things up with three straight road wins after last week’s win over Moon, 43-37.  

The East’s 4A teams find Liberty at 3-0 after beating a good Whitehall team 49-9. It didn’t help that Whitehall’s quarterback was knocked out of the game in the first quarter. Easton remains undefeated with their 34-6 win over Allen. A good looking Emmaus group got to 2-1 with a easy 39-7 win against Northampton who drops to 1-2. Parkland (3-0) continues to impress with a 20-3 win against Freedom. East Stroudsburg South (2-1) responded to last week’s loss by beating Scranton 26-17.

A big one in district two saw 4A Abington Heights (2-1) get past 2A power Lakeland 21-7. Lakeland falls to 2-1. Hazelton and Wyoming Valley West had easy wins against Stroudsburg, where Hazelton prevailed 41-4 and Pleasant Valley where Valley West’s Spartans won 34-14. Delaware Valley improved to 3-0 by routing Pocono Mountain East 40-7.

Staying in district two for a look at 3A teams finds West Scranton (2-1) losing to 2A Dunmore (3-0) 19-13 in overtime. There’s a statement! Berwick is 3-0 after beating Dallas 50-22. The other wins came against Williamsport and Stroudsburg. In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown Central Catholic moves to 2-1 with a 26-7 win against Nazareth.  Northwestern Lehigh (2-1) was surprised by 2A Palisades 35-21. Pottsville won their second straight after dropping the opener to Wyomissing 24-20. Since then, they beat Reading 14-7 at home, then went on the road last week to give Blue Mountain their first loss of the season, 12-7. Bethlehem Catholic got their first win by defeating Dieruff 54-7. With Parkland, Emmaus and Liberty dead ahead, things are not looking good for the Golden Hawks.  

And finally back to the Berks in district three where Daniel Boone won their third straight by routing Twin Valley 44-7. Don’t be surprised to see a powerful representative emerge from there and the Mid Penn’s Keystone Division, especially after undefeated Hershey showed they belong with Red Land and Gettysburg by beating Manheim Central in Manheim 14-13. Let’s see how they do at Gettysburg against the Warriors Friday night. Gettysburg downed Big Spring 38-7. Mechanicsburg and Susquehanna Township are also capable 2-1 teams although both lost last week. Mechanicsburg lost to always strong and undefeated 3A Northern (Mid Penn-Colonial, 3-0) 28-21, while Township was bombed by their hoops rival, undefeated Trinity, 45-0. Trinity (3-0) is one of the top 2A teams in the state. Red Land (3-0) stayed unbeaten but had to go overtime to beat Enola’s East Pennsboro 21-20.         

1. North Penn (3-0) The Knights continued to impress with a 24-0 win against previously undefeated and 8^th ranked Souderton who was held to 110 total yards of offense. Suburban One-National Conference play begins Thursday at home against the winless Pennridge Rams who put up a valiant struggle last year before losing at home 19-13.

2. Malvern Prep (2-0) The Friars moved up a rung after securing a tough 27-26 road win against a quality opponent in West Chester where Henderson roared back from a 27-7 deficit only to lose on a missed extra point. Malvern’s home opener is this weekend against McDonogh (2-1) who is coming off a 3-0 loss to Penn Charter last week.

3. St. Joseph’s Prep (1-2) St. Joseph’s Prep got their first win of the season last week against a struggling Paul VI team in Fairfax, Virginia. A win is a win and a 61-7 rout is a good tune up for the Catholic League Red Division opener Saturday at home against LaSalle. The Explorer’s were easy pickins last year in the regular season where they were routed 42-14. But they came back from that loss to win the Red final against St. Joe’s 14-7. They are currently in a two game slump with losses to Malvern Prep two weeks ago and West Catholic last week 24-14.

4. Roman Catholic (3-0) Roman is off to a huge start with road wins at West Catholic, Brooklyn Poly Prep and last week against Tennett, 40-10. With running back Balial Lewis Sloan El leading the way with 663 yards rushing in only 3 games, they’re beating people by an average score of 36-14. The next opponent may be the toughest yet with undefeated North Catholic dead ahead. Roman edged the Falcons last year 14-13.       

5. Downingtown West (3-0) Downingtown still isn’t firing on all cylinders but did manage a solid 26-2 win against Chester last week. Chester was held to 5 first downs and 34 yards rushing so the Whippets D played big. West got 147 yards on the ground in 37 carries and 215 through the air. They get one more tune up before starting Ches Mont play when 2-1 Penn Wood comes in Friday. The Patriots and West did not play last year but Penn Wood is coming off a 6-5 season and is 2-1 this year.  

6. Neshaminy (3-0) Neshaminy has three good wins under their belt against Coatesville, Hatboro Horsham and last week against Gremantown where they really got it going in a 49-0 win. They’re at Abington this week to open Suburban One, National Conference play. Last year’s game was tight at 27-21 favoring the Skins. This one should be just as close.  

7. Conestoga (3-0) Conestoga stayed perfect on the year and in Central League action (2-0) with the 35-12 win against Upper Darby who falls to 1-2. Ridley is up next and unless something drastic occurs, this could be the title game. Strath Haven (2-1, 1-1) will have something to say about that along with Marple Newtown (3-0, 2-0). Last year Ridley’s great team barely beat the Pioneers at home 7-0 so this should be a super game Thursday in Berwyn.  

8. Cardinal O’Hara (1-2) Cardinal O’Hara was dominated last week by one of the top teams in the county, Don Bosco Prep, playing out of Ramsey, New Jersey. The aptly named Ironmen jumped on the Lions early, scoring 14 in the first quarter, then adding another 21 in the second quarter. It got as bad as 49-0 before O’Hara scored. The final was 56-7. Quarterback Tom Savage sat out but is expected back this week. O’Hara was shut down to 113 yards rushing and 53 on top for a total of 166 yards. Don Bosco Prep garnered 344 total yards of offense, 196 on the ground, 148 in the air. How about freshmen quarterback Ryan Laughlin stepping up here for the injured Tom Savage? Well done!        

9. Ridley (2-0) That’s two games for first year starter and senior quarterback Steve Egee and things are looking good after completing 10 of 15 passes for 104 yards. The Raiders beat a winless but veteran Penncrest team last week, 19-3. But the big story was the theme that largely dominated all of last year, the defense. This year’s crop of quickness held the Lions to 5 first downs, 81 yards rushing and 28 yards passing. If that’s an off night after the huge Strath Haven win the week before, how bad can things get. Next up is undefeated Conestoga who has a big, veteran team playing at home. The game is Thursday and promises to be one of the top games of the year.

10. Henderson (2-1) Henderson demonstrated they can hang with the big boys in their heart breaking 27-26 loss to Malvern Prep last week. They even dug themselves out of a 27-7 hole. While all of that has positive elements to it, they need to ask how it was they got in a 27-7 hole, and understand that the ability to “hang with the big boys” in this case also reflects the inability to “close out” your opponent. And none of this translates to a W. Still, what a nice team these Warriors are with speed, size and a innovative quarterback who gets the job done with his feet or arm. They came up short against Malvern Prep on a missed extra point but this bunch can play. They are at West Chester East Friday then Shanahan the following week where they’ll likely get sizeable wins.   

11. Souderton (3-0) Playing without tailback Justin Powell and a lineman, Souderton was held to 75 yards rushing and 112 yards of total offense in their 24-0 loss to top ranked North Penn. Except for Souderton and their fans, few expected them to beat the Knights but it is good to see the rivalry revived. Now it’s on to conference play where they hope to defend their Continental title Thursday at home against Central Bucks West. They beat the Bucks last year 49-6.

12. Unionville (3A, 3-0) Unionville avenged last year’s upset to Avon Grove by beating the Red Devils 27-7. The following three weeks sees them playing Harriton, Oxford and Kennett before the showdown in Unionville against Garnet Valley. Harriton is up next with a team weakened by severe graduation losses. Last year’s team lost 37-7 in Unionville and it doesn’t look any better for them here. The game is Thursday.   

13. Downingtown East (3-0) The Cougars got to 3-0 with a solid road win in Landisville where they defeated a game Hempfield team 17-0. The Black Knights are snake bitten  after getting off to a good start at Conestoga Valley. Since then, they’ve been shutout by Bishop McDevitt and now Downingtown East, although they made the Cougars work for it. The Ches Mont opens Friday with Coatesville in off of two nice wins following a 6 point opening loss to Neshaminy. East won last year in Coatesville 30-12.     

14. Abington (2-1) Abington won their last two games since the double overtime loss at Central Bucks East in the opener. What’s different about the Ghosts this season is they are actually playing some defense! Discounting the overtime periods, they’ve allowed 42 points while scoring 91. That’s a big upgrade from last year. On Thursday we’ll see if it’s enough to get a win against Neshaminy at home in the National Conference opener. Neshaminy won last year 27-21.    

15. Strath Haven (3A, 2-1) You knew the next team on the schedule was likely to take one on the chin the way Strath Haven was embarrassed at home two weeks ago by Ridley. Poor Radnor, off to a 2-0 start then in comes the Panther’s with attitude. The score was 21-0 Strath Haven at the end of the first quarter. Mercy arrived in the form of two quick Panther scores making it 35-0 at the half. The final was 41-0 with the Panther’s cranking out 373 yards of total O to Radnor’s 94. Undefeated Haverford at 3-0 is up next. They ended last year on a positive note by beating Upper Darby and are off to the races this year scoring 104 points while allowing 7. That should suffice to prevent complacency here even tho the Panther’s won last year 45-0.     

16. Central Bucks South (3-0) Tailback Eric Reynolds scored 5 touchdowns as Central Bucks South got to 3-0 with a powerful 38-21 win at Central Bucks East last week. Wow! The Titans could see 5-0 if they can manage Pennsbury this week and Bensalem the next. Pennsbury struggled with South last year before winning 17-14 and this group is much more than that edition. And, Pennsbury while dangerous is struggling this year at 1-2 and coming off a physical encounter and loss to Glen Mills last week where the Bulls prevailed 26-25.

17. Garnet Valley (3A, 3-0) The Central League may want to rethink letting this bunch into the league next year. After graduating nearly everyone, they’re off to a 3-0 start. Granted, the schedule is questionable but you can’t hold that against them. To date they’ve defeated Penncrest 27-3, Academy Park 42-0 and Chichester last week, 47-0. They have an open week this week and will then continue the 5 game home stand against Great Valley.

18. North Catholic (3-0) North has another nice team that is rolling over everyone so far. You felt they had to be decent with some good linemen returning, a three year returning starter in Dennis Logue at QB and a good back in Terrell Oglesby to hopefully fill the void left by Daryl Robinsons’ graduation. But, few thought they’d be this good. They are just leveling teams with a D that has allowed 38 points supported by an offense that’s scored 107 points through three games. The opposition consisted of Neumann Goretti, Conwell Egan and Bishop McDevitt. They beat McDevitt 31-13. It’s a whole new world Saturday in the Red Division opener at home where they’ll play 4^th ranked Roman Catholic. We’ll get to see two of the best running backs in the area on the same field in this one with Balial Lewis Sloan El and Terrell Oglesby out there.  

19. Father Judge (3-0) Like North Catholic above, Father Judge has also routed all comers including Council Rock North, Northeast and last week Neumann Goretti, 45-0. The Crusaders are doing it with rock solid defense and a sizeable offense that is averaging 37 point per game. The D has allowed a total of 17 points. They return good numbers this year, QB Paul Volpe and 8 on defense. Running back Andrew McHale has been the man with 40 carries netting 382 yards or 9.6 yards per carry. In another early season Red Division showdown, Judge travels to Archbishop Ryan (2-1) Saturday where they’ll try to duplicate last year’s 20-3 win.

20. West Catholic (2-1) West Catholic returns to the Top 20 following back to back wins against Upper Moreland and LaSalle. They beat the Explorer’s 24-14. As a refresher from the Preseason write up; the Burrs lost some key people but return enough to be very good and defend their Catholic League Blue Division championship. Back is exciting quarterback Curtis Drake who started the final 7 games and led West through the playoffs and title game. He should get off to a great start with 2 receivers, running back Raymond Maples (54/368) and 4 linemen returning up front. RB Dennis Shaw graduated after rushing for 1322 yards last season. The D returns 2 on the line, 3 to the secondary and Marquese Sanders at LB. This is still a young team but the talent is there. So far this season, Drake has completed 25 of 54 passes for 416 yards. He’s a double threat too with 29 carries netting 261 yards. Raymond Maples has 157 yards rushing while Rob Holloman has contributed 124 yards. It seems everyone can catch on this team and the scoring is well distributed. They’re at Bishop McDevitt Saturday. They beat the Lancer’s 33-14 last year.

Honorable Mention

Coatesville (2-1)

Bayard Rustin (3-0)

Interboro (2-1)

Central Bucks East (2-1)

Archbishop Ryan (2-1)

Archbishop Wood (2-1)

Chestnut Hill Academy (2-0)

Lansdale Catholic (2A, 3-0)

Upper Perkiomen (3A, 2-1)

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