Neshaminy tops CB West in District One 6A football playoff opener in comeback win
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DOYLESTOWN — When Neshaminy needed him the most, Mike Eckart, as usual, delivered.
Eckart scored two rushing touchdowns and passed for two more to help Neshaminy overcome a 14-point deficit and down Central Bucks West 28-21 in the first round of the PIAA Class 6A District One playoffs on Friday night at War Memorial Field.
Neshaminy, the 11th seed, will host No. 14 Owen J. Roberts in the quarterfinals next Friday night.
“He’s a special player, man,” said Bucks head coach Rob Rowan. “(They have) a lot of very, very good high school football players and (Eckart’s) a tremendous, tremendous athlete and facilitator.”
A 15-yard TD run by Eckart on fourth and 7 put Neshaminy within 14-7 roughly 3½ minutes into the second quarter.
“The pocket collapsed and I went upfield,” said Eckart, a senior quarterback. “My guy Nick Sassano made a block and it was just the end zone from there.”
The senior quarterback’s 35-yard jaunt later in the period tied it at 14. A 10-yard TD pass to senior receiver Mike Sassano, Nick’s twin brother, put Neshaminy ahead for good just before halftime.
A 39-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Nick Sassano late in the third period made it 28-14.
“He put us on his back and made some plays,” said Neshaminy first-year head coach Nick Felus. “Once he got going, the energy of the whole team (increased).”
When the teams met in the regular season, Neshaminy prevailed 28-18 at Harry E. Franks Stadium with Eckart also contributing two touchdown runs and two TD passes.
CB West reached the district semifinals with two playoff victories in each of the previous two seasons, while Neshaminy won its first district playoff game since beating Haverford 35-7 in 2018.
What’s next for Neshaminy Football?
Eleventh-seeded Neshaminy (8-3) will host No. 14 Owen J. Roberts on Nov. 7. OJR upset defending district champ/No. 3 Downingtown West 10-7 in the first round. Neshaminy fell at OJR 38-24 in its playoff opener a year ago.
What’s next for CB West Football?
Sixth-seeded Central Bucks West’s season ended with a 7-4 record.
Key play
Senior quarterback Mike Eckart scored on a 15-yard run on fourth and 7 with Neshaminy trailing 14-0 in the second quarter.
By the numbers: Neshaminy-CB West
Neshaminy senior running back Carter Clee carried 15 times for 100 yards, giving him a team-high 1,050 rushing yards on 164 carries this season with seven TDs. He also had four catches for 52 yards on Friday.
“Carter Clee had a great game,” said senior receiver/defensive back Mike Sassano, who contributed five catches for 46 yards and a score. “When he gets in space, he does good things.”
The loss was CB West’s first at home this season after winning its first five at War Memorial Field.
Game balls
Neshaminy senior quarterback Mike Eckart ran for 122 yards on 22 carries and two TDs while going 19 for 24 passing for 203 yards and two scores. He has thrown for 28 touchdowns with just three interceptions this season. He also has a team-best nine rushing TDs.
Central Bucks West junior running back/linebacker Nick Miletto scored the Bucks’ first two touchdowns on 1- and 18-yard runs while rushing for 97 yards on 17 carries, in addition to having a terrific game on defense.
They said it
“Our kids (are so) resilient,” said Neshaminy head coach Nick Felus. “We knew there was going to be a lot of adversity tonight. We don’t flinch. We don’t hit the panic button.”
“We threw the first couple punches and they punched back,” said CB West head coach Rob Rowan. “I just felt like our youth showed up a little bit and we kind of fell flat in the second quarter.”
“We always bet on ourselves,” Eckart said. “We know what we’re capable of and we knew we weren’t going to just lay down (trailing 14-0) and let them give it to us. We knew we were going to fight back.”
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: Neshaminy over Central Bucks West PIAA District One 6A football playoff
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