Central Bucks South pushes past Pennridge in second half – thereporteronline

EAST ROCKHILL — Bucks South Central’s inner drive to enter the playoffs the right way was epitomized by Jack Carver’s blistering runs.

“Jack Carver was incredible. He’s such a tough runner,” Titans coach Tom Hetrick said. “He’s serious when he gets the football in his hands. And I couldn’t be more proud of our front for what they were able to do in the fourth quarter.”

Carver rushed for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Titans advanced to the District 1-6A playoffs with a 32-23 win over rival Pennridge.

The Titans, who improved their record to 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the Suburban One League National Conference, were ranked No. 10 out of 16 teams entering Friday.

“We haven’t been stronger, but to get a win at the end of the day is a big deal for us,” Carver said of the Week 10 win. “A big confidence boost.”

The Titans amassed 273 yards on the ground and led to a pair of 100-yard rushers in Carver and Anthony Leonardi (126 yards).

“We have been staffed. Three yards immediately breaks for eight. Four yards here and then bursts for nine,” Hetrick aptly described South’s potent ground attack. “We’ve been doing that and this is the third week in a row where we’ve come out in the second half and said we’re going to control the ball and run it down their throats and see what happens.”

The South not only controlled the ball, but practically owned it, with the Titans holding a 66-35 edge in scrimmage games.

“We were just chewing the clock,” Carver said. “It was wonderful.”

The receiver-turned-running back is back at the position he loved in his early days.

Trailing 15-10 at the half, South came out in the third quarter and used a seven-play, 64-yard drive to take the lead for good.

Carver went seven, six and then broke free for a 17-yard touchdown to make it 16-15 South on a cold night at Helman Field. The Titans went for two, Brett Charcot (116 yards) threw to Owen Wheeler to extend the lead to 18-15.

The afternoon was just beginning.

The Titans’ next possession — a 15-play drive — ate up yards and gobbled up clock. Carver knocked in from a yard out to give the Titans a comfortable 25-15 lead with 2 minutes, 3 seconds to play.

“In the middle of the season, I just turned into a running back, so to get all those carries feels great,” Carver said.

South’s ground attack also featured the exploits of speedy Anthony Leonardi, who broke free for a 74-yard touchdown run to make it 32-15 with under a minute to play.

“It’s a pretty simple type of football,” Hetrick said. “It’s just a matter of A: execution and B: footwork and body movement. This is literally how football was created to be played. And we did a pretty good job in the second half tonight.”

The South defense threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter, one by Tommy Donnelly, the other by Owen Wheeler. Aiden Walrath swallowed up runners at the line of scrimmage and helped bolster the Titans’ defensive effort up front.

South needed to go deep in the second half to overcome the Rams.

“Pennridge has tough kids and we knew this was their senior night,” Hetrick said. “We knew they were going to come out ready to play.”

Pennridge scored first on a six-yard run by senior Brennan Fisher.

South responded with a 22-yard field goal from Charcot to Donnelly, breaking the deadlock at seven apiece in the second quarter.

The Rams (2-8, 1-6 SOL National) regained the lead when Noah Keating hit Nate Mossbrook 52 yards. A penalty against South for an extra point brought the ball closer and the Rams decided to go for two, scoring it on a rush by Fisher to make it 15-7.

The Titans went up on a 24-yard Nick Esterly field goal to make it 15-10 at halftime before South’s hard hitting ground attack carried over into the second half.

South limited the sensational Fisher to 16 yards on his first 10 carries, but he broke free with a 42-yard TD to add to the score (Keating threw to Holt for two).

“I saw a lot of energy in the kids. Record-wise, the year wasn’t what we wanted it to be, but tonight they came back and came out fired up, hung in there and gave it their all,” Rams coach Chuck Bergey said. “They did not stop fighting. I wish we had more games to send our seniors off, but we still have Thanksgiving (against rival Quakertown). And it will be a battle, like every year.”

Keating had some big throws for the Rams, going 9-19 for 125 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

“We put a lot on Noah Keating’s plate this year,” Bergey said. “He’s a true freshman and he’s up to the challenge. He’s a young guy, a young guy who’s learning a lot every week and improving every week. He is a leader. And the upperclassmen in that offense did everything they could tonight to make something happen.”

Central Bucks South 32, Pennridge 23

CB South 0 10 8 14 – 32

Pennridge 7 8 0 8 – 23

The first quarter

P – Brennan Fisher 6 (kick by Aidan Hatfield), 8:16.

The second quarter

CBS – Tommy Donnelly 22 pass from Brett Charcot (Nick Esterly kick), 8:43.

P – Nate Mossbrook, 52 pass from Noah Keating (Fisher run), 8:10.

CBS – Esterly 24, field goal, 1:32.

The third quarter

CBS – Jack Carver 17 drive (Owen Wheeler pass from Charcot), 2:35.

The fourth quarter

CBS – Carver 1 run (Esterly kick), 2:03.

CBS – Anthony Leonardi, 74 run (Esterly kick), 1:07.

P – Fisher 42 (Jake Holt pass from Keating), :45.

CBS P

First falls 20 7

Rashi-dwari 48-273 16-77

Passable (cai) 12-18-0 9-19-2

Passing yards 116,125

389,202 total yards

Panty 3 5

Fumble loss 3-2 1-1

Penalty yards 5-26 4-40

In a hurry

CBS: Corey Moore 1-2; Donnelly 1-4; Carver 24-150, 2 TD; Charcot 5-(-19); Leonardi 15-126, TD; Liam Goss 2-10.

P: Rybak 11-58, 2 TD; Tyler Wetzel 5-19.

Passage

CBS: Charcot 12-18-116-1-0.

P: Keating 9-19-125-1-2.

Receiving

CBS: Leonardi 1-7; Donnelly 7-82, TD; Gasnaya 1-7; Break 1-1; Hunting Petrich 2-19.

P: Jake Holt 2-14; Nick Swanson 3-27; Mossbrook 3-68, TD; Aidan Bell 1-16.

Interceptions

CBS: Donnelly, Owen Wheeler.