Written by: Benjamin Goldstein
FAIRLESS HILLS, PA. — After three weeks, we have finally entered Suburban One League play. And for Pennsbury High School, they are not only playing a powerhouse of a Central Bucks West team but also returning home.
After over a year of construction, Falcon Field on Pennsbury’s campus is finally complete. They will play their first game on their new turf Thursday night.
Here are some storylines to take note of in a big SOL matchup:
Flying home
Falcon Field is finally complete and ready to be played in.
The new turf which can hold any event from football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and more is rolled out, the jumbotron (yeah, jumbotron) is up, and the bleachers are set to begin a new era of Pennsbury sports.
The multi-year project has been completed and will be unveiled on Thursday as the Falcons take on the Bucks.
Another neat event to help kick off the new stadium is that Pennsbury is honoring legendary former football coach Chuck Kane prior to its game. Kane, who died February 20 at the age of 85, coached Pennsbury to a 92-33-5 record and won six Lower Bucks County League championships, including four in a row (1972-75) during 12 seasons (1970-81) as the head coach.
“We’ve been waiting for this forever,” Jordan Czerniak said last week to advance to 2-1 on the season after their win at Council Rock South.
“We’re ready to take a dub on that field. I’m so excited.”
Ground and pound to victory
Last week the Falcons walked onto Council Rock South’s turf knowing they had themselves a big game ahead of them. South, at the time, was looking like a top team in the area with their flashy 2-0 record. The Falcons changed that very quickly, as they walked away victorious.
“We really were working this whole [last] week through this weather, this heat, the 90 degrees. It really brought us together as a team,” an ecstatic Czerniak said postgame.
Czerniak had a big 40-yard touchdown, aiding the 28-19 victory on the road.
Nate Beighley poised himself as a name to know in the area. The senior quarterback, who was thrown into the empty role for the first time, has proven himself that he can play the position at a very high level, even with Pennsbury’s ground-and-pound mentality.
“It is very strong,” Czerniak said when asked to describe his and Beighley’s relationship. “We’re always together, we’re always talking, we’re always looking over game film, talking on the phone, talking how we can better our game. [Our relationship] is really tight.”
Another running back that shined was Jaydyn Bright who had the most rushes he has had all season with fifteen, netting 133 yards. He was finding holes, getting blocks, and made great use of them. Darius Simmons also had a monster game with two interceptions, returning one 72 yards to the house.
Game of the season?
I wrote that header last week, but I think this will top it in Week 4.
Thursday night shapes up as a genuine battle between two teams that will hit the field with a lot of confidence.
Central Bucks West lost to Pennsbury last season before storming back and getting all the way to the District 1 Class 6A championship game.
The Bucks have a strong ground game led by senior quarterback Cooper Taylor and junior running back Ryan Clemens. The Falcons can counter that with a strong run defense as Council Rock South found out last week when they could not advance the ball on the ground at all.
This will be an excellent matchup with two mobile QBs. This game is going to be won up front and a turnover-free ballgame will be crucial for both teams. That will be the key to victory on Pennsbury’s brand-new turf.
General game information
- Kick-off: 7:00 pm ET
- At: Pennsbury High School
- Cash only
- Pennsbury student section theme: Whiteout
- Watch: wbcb1490.com or WBCB’s YouTube