My oh my, what an energetic quarterfinal round we witnessed yesterday. On the left side of the bracket, the number One Seed, North Penn Lady Knights, left no doubt the second time around against conference foe Pennridge Lady Rams with a decisive 38-6 victory. I caught up with head coach Kevin Zebluim, who commented on his team’s win by saying, “Overall, we played our best game of the season.” He continued, “We had very few mistakes, caught the ball well, our quarterback delivered strikes all game, and defensively, we didn’t miss many flags.” He also pointed out individual performances by Jane Hallowell, who scored three touchdowns, and Tori Cavanaugh threw six touchdown passes. Tessa Wieloch, Bailee Charles, and Amani Keys scored a touchdown. Jane Hallowell has been selected as Suburban One Insider’s Player of the Game for an outstanding performance.
The second game on this side of the bracket was again a display of pure dominance. The Second-Seeded Plymouth-Whitemarsh Lady Colonials dispatched the Fourth-Seeded Council Rock North Lady Indians, 31-7. Head coach Dang Chang came away impressed with his team’s effort. Olivia Patete was outstanding on both sides of the ball. She had four interceptions, with one being a pick-six on the defensive side of the ball, and Coach Chang said, “She has great ball skills when the ball is in the air.” He continued, “She also threw some great balls and made some great decisions on offense. She has been getting better and better each week.” Other players contributing to the victory were Juliana Frustillo, who had 2 receiving TDs, Kenna Winland, who threw a touchdown, caught a conversion, and added an interception on the defensive side of the ball. Defensively, Coach Chang pointed out great performances by Marleigh Burton, Audrey Conroy, and Madyson Kay. Olivia Patete has been selected as Suburban One Insider’s Player of the Game for an astonishing two-way performance.
Moving to the right side of the bracket, we saw a close game and another lopsided affair. Our third matchup was our closest game of the quarterfinal round. The second-seeded Lady Patriots of Central Bucks East beat the National Conference Champion Lady Falcons of Pennsbury 19-14. Head coach Erik Pederson spoke highly of the newly formed Pennsbury team. While the program is in its infancy, he isn’t shocked by the early success. “They have world-class student-athletes, and Head Coach Frank Sciolla is an excellent coach. He hit the ground running, and they continue to progress each week. He has done an outstanding job with the development of his players and their program.” Coach Pederson spoke on his team’s overall performance and said, “We knew if we could limit their two world-class players, Maggie Burns and Corrine Capriotti, we could challenge them.” While the head coach mentioned Delaney Long and Cam Puhalla as two stars of the game, he brought to my attention that Sarah Bolland was the player of the game in his eyes. He proudly exclaimed, “She showed such maturity and growth in her game and the athlete that she has become. Earlier on, Sarah made a quick decision that had an undesired outcome, which left a bit of a chip on her shoulder. Fast forward to yesterday, and she opened up with the game with one that anyone would want back, an interception; however, this time she brushed it back and went near perfect the rest of the game.” Sarah Bolland has been selected as Suburban One Insider’s Player of the Game for showing such growth and maturity under pressure and outstanding performance overall.
Our final matchup of the quarterfinal round pitted the Number One seed Abington Lady Ghosts against runner-up in the National, Neshaminy Lady Redskins. Behind Madison Oldham’s illuminating performance, Abington cruised to a 25-6 victory. Co-Head Coach Melissa Brizzell had this to say about her squad’s effort: “Extremely proud of our girls. Every player showed up and did their part. There was not one player who specifically dominated, it was a true team effort. The girls were able to execute both our offensive and defensive plans to help gain yards to rack up the scoreboard and stop the opposing team from moving forward. The energy the crowd brought, and you could feel on the field, showed how we are “One Team: One Goal,” which is our motto for this season.” Our staff photographer, Dave Tucker, who was on hand for the game, selected Madison Oldham as a player who was, in his opinion, “Lights out and someone who stood out to him the most.” Co-Head Coach Francis Bowe confidently said, “Madison set the tone of the playoff game on offense and defense! Offensively, her large gains rushing the ball while making plays catching the ball put a ton of pressure on Neshaminy’s defense. As for defense, Madison constantly pressured Neshaminy’s QB with her speed on her blitz.” Madison Oldham has been selected as Suburban One Insider’s Player of the Game for her astonishing two-way play and for setting the tone for her team.
For More action shots of yesterday's game, please follow the link. Action shots are great gifts to mom and dad or that special someone.