CR South outlasts Perkiomen Valley in Week 2 high school football

NEWTOWN — Council Rock South relied on a pair of big plays and a bend-but-don’t-break defense to outlast Perkiomen Valley 13-10 in a non-league football game on Thursday night at Walt Snyder Stadium.

CR South senior Brody Walker scored both touchdowns, including one on a 79-yard return of a blocked field goal. Junior Cross Cervellero blocked the 26-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the first half, Walker scooped it up at the right hash mark and was off to the races for the first score of the evening.

“On our field goal (defense), I’m kind of our safety valve,” Walker said. “I saw the ball, I ran out and I was gone. I’m not the fastest guy on the team, (so) I thought I was going to get caught. I could hear everyone screaming – it was insane. Shoutout Cross (because) he came in with the block.”

Walker caught a pass over the middle from senior quarterback Cannon Benzio on the second play of the third quarter and did the rest for a 69-yard score and a 13-0 lead.

“We went back to it,” Walker said. “The first half I dropped it – I was wide open. We knew it was there. I knew the safety was going to come down hard on me so I had to plant my foot and get outside and that’s what I did and then I was off to the races.”

“Brody’s a special kid,” Szydlik said. “When he catches the ball, he’s going to make people miss and he did again and he came up huge.”

Perk Valley (0-2) was unable to get another play off inside the CR South 25-yard line after running the ball on second-and-10.

“Gut check is definitely the key (term),” Szydlik said. “That was a grind-out, rock ’em, sock ’em, tough football game. Both teams were hitting the crap out of each other.”

PV did not produce any points on three drives inside the Golden Hawks 30-yard line, including one inside the 10.

“Our team defense is probably the best in District One,” Walker said. “We barely let up any yards and we always play as a team and we never break down, no matter what.”

CR South, which went 10-2 and won the SOL Continental Conference in 2025, kicked off the season with a 42-0 victory over Hatboro-Horsham, while Perk Valley lost to Springfield-Delco 27-7 after going 6-5 a year ago.

In the opener, six Golden Hawks players scored touchdowns, and the defense limited the Hatters to fewer than 80 yards of offense.

What’s next for Perkiomen Valley?

Perk Valley (0-2) hosts Downingtown East on Sept. 10 (7 p.m.).

What’s next for Council Rock South?

The 2-0 Golden Hawks host 2-0 Pennridge on Sept. 10 (7 p.m.).

Key play

Junior linebacker Cross Cervellero blocked a field goal on the final play of the first half and senior Brody Walker returned it 79 yards for a touchdown to give CR South a 6-0 advantage.

By the numbers: Perkiomen Valley vs. CR South

2: First downs in the second half for CR South in the second half until getting three on its last offensive possession.

35: The number of offensive plays run by Perk Valley in the first half to 17 for Golden Hawks, though CR South led 6-0 at halftime. PV finished with 66 plays to CR South’s 42.

Game balls

CR South senior linebacker Ben Myers made a pair of big defensive plays for losses in the first half, including one in which he met the running back for a 3-yard loss just as he got the ball from the quarterback.

Golden Hawks senior running back Jerry Rogers rushed for 125 yards on 18 carries, including 63 on nine attempts on the final drive in which they took the clock down to 1:13 left.

They said it

“It’s a wakeup call,” said CR South senior Brody Walker. “They came in saying we aren’t a powerhouse team, and we took that to heart. We are here to stay. Last year we came up 9-1 (in the regular season). This year we’re going undefeated and we’re coming for that District One (6A) title.”

“To win a game like that is special for our program,” CR South head coach CJ Szydlik said.

Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly is a sports columnist for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: CR South outlasts Perkiomen Valley in Week 2 high school football