Welcome to the 2002 Highlights and Stats page

            On a bitterly cold and wet first night of November, the CB West Bucks and North Penn Knights did battle at War Memorial Field.  On the line was a share of the league title and a possible playoff berth.  On their first possession, West put on a strong display of power football with an eight play 64-yard scoring drive.  Excellent blocking from the offensive line led by senior Steve Moll and a long run by fullback Doug Kniese highlighted the drive, which was punctuated with a 3-yard run by Chris McGinn. When Joe McMonagle added the extra point, West owned a 7-0 lead.   Foreshadowing what was to become a slugfest between two heavyweights, North Penn answered with a drive of their own.  The Knights finished off their long drive with at 4-yard run by running back Jim Casertano, and a PAT to even the score late in the first quarter.  After stopping the Bucks on their next possession, North Penn took the lead on a 14-yard run by quarterback Justin Wutti, but missed the PAT.  West threatened to take the lead late in the first half by moving inside the North Penn 5-yard line, but was unable to punch it in.  North Penn took over on downs and left the field with a 13-7 half time lead.

 The Knights received the second-half kickoff and set themselves up nicely with a 53-yard return into West territory.  On the second play from scrimmage, North Penn running back Jim Laky went off the left side for a 31-yard score.  North Penn went for and made the two-point conversion to take a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter.  When North Penn put the early score on the board the Bucks could have easily given up.  They chose, however, to fight back in much the same way they have all season long.  West came with back-to-back scoring drives to forge a tie in the fourth quarter.  Chris McGinn's 2-yard touchdown run finished off a 15 play drive to bring the Bucks to within 7-points following McMonagle's successful PAT.  After stopping the Knights on their next possession, West then used 8 plays to tie the score.  Anthony Edwards, who had 96 yards rushing on the night, ran 13 yards for the score.  McMonagle's PAT made the score 21-all, making it, as they say, a whole new ball game.

 This time it was Knights that answered the bell.  They were once again set up by a nice return by their return man.  Although the Bucks defense made them fight for every last yard, North Penn went on top 27-21 on a two yard score by Casertano.  The door remained open for another late West win when the Knights kicker missed his second PAT try of the evening.   Following the kickoff, West moved to mid-field where they faced a fourth and ten.  McMonagle fired a pass to tight end Tim Dunn who was hit early by the North Penn defensive back.  The official made no call on the play and the Knights took over on downs.  Needing a stand to stay in the game, the West defense responded affirmatively.  The Bucks did the job by stopping the Knights at the West 45 on fourth and short with 1:52 left in the game despite a very favorable spot.  On second down Edwards made a super leaping catch to move the Bucks to the North Penn 43 yard line.  The comeback fell short when McMonagle, on fourth and forever, threw a last ditch pass attempt into the Knights secondary.  The ball was deflected, and despite a desperate diving attempt by Andrew Ackley to make the catch, it fell to the ground for an incompletion.  North Penn ran out the clock to end the Bucks season at 6-4, while they gained a share of the Patriot crown and a spot in the playoffs.  Coach Cuthbert's quote in the local paper summed up the Bucks effort:  "Even after the no-call, we had a chance to win it, and that's a credit to our kids.  A lot of our seniors stepped up and played a great game.  I was proud of the effort we had against a very good team."  Good luck to the seniors that have now concluded their West careers.        

 

STATISTICS - C.B. WEST vs. North Penn
November 1, 2002

It had been 19 years of futility and frustration for the C.B. East Patriots as they raced into War Memorial Field Saturday evening for their annual showdown with arch rival C.B. West.  The Bucks would need a victory to assure themselves of at least a tie for the Suburban One League, Patriot Division championship and a berth in the PIAA quad-A sub-regional playoffs.  The Patriots took the opening kickoff and marched 63 yards only to be stopped cold by a fiery West defensive effort led by linemen Winn, Burke, Quedenfeld, Moll, and Bilsland.  The game had begun to assume the look of so many of the previous 33 East-West meetings.  It would turn out to be anything …but predictable.  The East defense proved to be just as tough as West’s with the Bucks unable to move the ball on their first possession.  Following a West punt, the Patriots began a scoring drive highlighted by sophomore quarterback, Bill McDonnell’s 43-yard pass to senior wideout Bryan Brutto, setting up a 1-yard touchdown plunge by senior tailback Brian Hogan.  The PAT gave the Blue and Red a 7-0 lead.  That margin increased early in the second quarter when East capitalized on a West fumble at the Bucks’ 36-yard line.  McDonnell, who rushed and passed exceptionally well all evening, hit senior split end Dan McKelvey with a 7-yard pass for the Patriots’ second touchdown.  Freshman kicker Bryan Trymbiski’s PAT made the score 14-0.  With less than 7 minutes left in the first half, West got on the scoreboard with a powerful 8-yard off-tackle run by senior fullback Chris McGinn, who ended up the evening rushing for 68 yards on 13 carries.  Sophomore quarterback/kicker, Joe McMonagle’s PAT brought the Bucks to within 7 points of East by halftime. 

Whatever momentum West had after the break soon disappeared when the Bucks fumbled the second half kickoff deep in their own territory.  The young Patriot quarterback McDonnell, showing remarkable maturity, quickly hit his favorite receiver McKelvey on a tough slant pattern for a critical first down and then threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Eric Derr.  It was Derr’s second reception of the season!  Trymbiski’s third PAT of the game made the score East 21-West 7.  The Bucks were now confronted with the nearly unprecedented situation of being down 14 points in the third quarter of an East-West game.  The Black and Gold responded by marching 61 yards for a score as McGinn plunged into the endzone from the 1-yard line for his much-needed second touchdown.  McMonagle’s PAT made the score 21-14 as the home stands erupted with a deafening roar!  The Patriots put a quick end to the celebration by putting together their best drive of the evening, covering 80 yards in 10 plays.  In that series, McDonnell ran for 22 yards and Brian Hogan scored on a well-designed 21-yard screen pass.  The PAT attempt was wide-right as the game entered the fourth quarter.  The Bucks trailed 27-14.  The East defense, aggressive and opportunistic throughout the game, now took control of the contest as West failed to effectively move the ball on its final three possessions.  As the final seconds counted down on the game clock, thousands of East students, parents, and alumni who had waited 19 years (6,911 days) raced on to War Memorial Field and began to celebrate the unimaginable!  The final score East 27-West 14.  Editor’s Note: No player on the field last night was alive on November 24, 1983 , when East edged West, 7-6 at Delaware Valley College on Thanksgiving Day.

  STATISTICS - C.B. WEST vs. C.B.East
October 26, 2002

The Black and Gold entered Harry E. Franks Stadium on a cold, blustery Saturday afternoon well aware that they had to defeat the defending quad-A state champion Neshaminy Redskins to remain in the hunt for this year’s playoffs.  No one could have foreseen just how dramatic this game would be!  C. B. West struck first on a solid 9-play drive midway through the second quarter, which featured the power running of senior fullback Mike Winn.  Sophomore quarterback Joe McMonagle ran the final five yards on a clever misdirection play and following the successful PAT, the Bucks led 7-0.  The Redskins answered right back when their outstanding tailback Rodney Davis took a lateral from senior quarterback Joe Crostarosa and raced 60 yards for a Neshaminy score.  Kicker Kevin Kelly added the PAT and the score was even at 7-7 as the teams left the field at halftime. 

            The second half would turn out to be one of the most gut wrenching and exhilarating in the long, proud history of C. B. West football.  But it certainly didn’t start out well!   As the third quarter ended, the Redskins’ Davis caught a pass in the flat and sprinted 56 yards, untouched, for a Neshaminy touchdown.  The PAT was wide left and the Redskins led 13-7, much to the delight of the homecoming crowd.  Neshaminy again scored on the next series of downs as Davis exploded around right end for his third touchdown of the day.  The Redskins failed to convert a 2-point pass attempt, but led 19-7 with little more than 7 minutes left in the game.  And then…things got interesting!  Facing a 3rd and 20 from his own 22-yard line and time running down, Bucks’ quarterback McMonagle launched a 60-yard spiral to senior wide receiver Andrew Ackley for a game saving first down.  From the Redskins’ 33-yard line McMonagle again found Ackley, this time in the end zone!  Following McMonagle’s successful PAT, the Bucks were trailing 19-14 with 4:12 left in the game.  West’s defensive unit now rose to the occasion.  Anchored by a “front four” of seniors Winn, Moll, Burke, and Dunn, the Bucks held Neshaminy to 3-and-out, forcing a punt on the West 41-yard line.  With little more than a minute remaining, McMonagle rolled to his left and threw a 35-yard strike, nearly intercepted, to junior wingback Tony DiBrino who quickly wove his way to the 1-yard line.  Two plays later, senior Chris McGinn took it in and West led 20-19.  A 2-point conversion pass to DiBrino made the score 22-19.  And then things got even more interesting!   The Redskins took the ensuing kickoff and with the help of two 15-yard Bucks’ penalties, moved to the West 28-yard line with 3 seconds left in the game.  The Neshaminy kicker, who had nailed a 50-yard field goal last season, now lined up the kick as both sides of Franks Stadium went silent - the tension was unbearable. The tying kick was up…and sailed wide right as the Bucks’ coaches and players raced onto the field.  The Bucks’ win avenged last season’s defeat to Neshaminy in the closing seconds.  It was their 6th straight win to improve their season record to 6 and 2, keeping their playoff hopes alive!

 
 STATISTICS - C.B. WEST vs. Neshaminy
October 19, 2002

Against the menacing backdrop of a cold gray October afternoon, C. B. West met Glen Mills in a much-anticipated showdown game at War Memorial Field.  The contest had been postponed from Friday evening when a torrential rainstorm swept through the region.  The Bucks’ unusual season continued along its path to salvation as West won its fifth consecutive game with an impressive 33-13 rout of the Battling Bulls.  West scored the first 19 points of the game with three impressive touchdown drives in the second quarter.  Senior tailback Chris McGinn, who rushed for 118 yards, two touchdowns and intercepted three passes from his free safety position, scored the Bucks’ first touchdown.  Sophomore quarterback Joe McMonagle then ran for a two-yard score and threw a 32-yard pass scoring strike to senior wingback Anthony Edwards for the third touchdown of the first half.  Glen Mills made things interesting by moving 55 yards in the final 43 seconds of the second quarter.  Bulls quarterback Henry Atkinson plunged in from the one-yard line to make the score 19-7 at the half.  And the rains came!  The second half was played in a cold driving rain as West continued to pound the ball at Glen Mills with a relentless running attack (led by senior fullback Mike Winn) reminiscent of West teams of the past.  The Bucks scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on a determined eight-yard run by McGinn and a 27-yard run by sophomore tailback Tyler Dinnis.  The Battling Bulls’ final score came as a result of a strange 80-yard fumble recovery in the final moments of the game.  For the game, Glen Mills committed 15 penalties for 124 yards.  Following their convincing 33-13 victory over Glen Mills, the vastly improved Bucks stand at 5-2 for the season with every reason to believe that they are capable of qualifying for the playoffs.  But, as senior center and captain Steve Moll correctly observed after the game, “We have a huge game next Saturday (Neshaminy at Langhorne) so we can’t just be satisfied with this win.” As he spoke, the storm clouds grew defiantly in the distance and the rain continued to fall

 STATISTICS - C.B. WEST vs. Glen Mills
October 12, 2002

The C. B. West Bucks traveled down to Pennsbury High School to play their first ever night game at fabled Falcon Field in Fairless Hills.  West, needing a victory in each of their remaining five games in order to guarantee a playoff spot in Suburban One, entered the game as prohibitive underdogs.  It would have been unheard of for any West team in the past two decades.  In addition to facing a “must-win” situation, the young Bucks faced Pennsbury without two key offensive starters, senior fullback Mike Winn and senior tailback Anthony Edwards –both out with injuries.  Pennsbury opened the first quarter by driving 67 yards in five plays which was capped off by a 15-yard touchdown by junior tailback Kevin Michaud.  The PAT gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead.  The Bucks, who displayed poise and character throughout the game, came right back and marched to the Falcons’ one-yard line where senior Chris McGinn, playing fullback for the first time this season, plunged into the end zone for a touchdown.  Sophomore quarterback/kicker Joe McMonagle’s PAT evened the score at 7-7.  Neither team was able to effectively move the ball or score until well into the fourth quarter when the Bucks finally mounted a sustained drive which resulted in a four-yard touchdown run by Chris McGinn with 4:47 remaining in the game.  McMonagle again nailed the PAT to give the Bucks a 14-7 lead.  West’s defense, which had taken away Pennsbury’s strong running game time after time throughout the game, was again called upon to shut down the Falcons one more time.  They did exactly that!  With less than a minute left in the game and West clinging to a precarious 7-point lead, the Falcons drove to the Bucks’ 20-yard line.  The Black and Gold defensive unit stopped Pennsbury cold on four consecutive incompletions on third and fourth downs.  When the game ended the Bucks had an impressive 14-7 victory over a tough and talented Pennsbury team.  Coach Randy Cuthbert noted enthusiastically after the game, “We didn’t beat ourselves.  It’s the first time all year where we really bonded as a team.”  Suddenly that young team sees possibilities!

  STATISTICS - C.B. WEST vs. Pennsbury
October 4, 2002

With the threat of tropical storm Isadore hanging ominously over War Memorial Field on Friday night, the Bucks of Central Bucks West took on the vastly improved Fighting Owls of Bensalem.  West managed to come away with yet another narrowest-of-narrow win…13-12.  The heart-stopping martin of victory turned out to be two missed PAT attempts by Bensalem…one inches wide-left, the other bounced back after hitting the upright!  The Bucks opened the game, as they have done recently, with a patented sustained drive capped off with a 3-yard touchdown plunge by senior fullback Mike Winn.  A new addition to the team, Aaron Foss, added the extra point (eventual game-winner!) and the Bucks led 7-0.  Bensalem countered immediately when their outstanding tailback, Drew Mitchell (22 carries, 158 yards) raced 49 yards for a touchdown.  The Fighting Owls failed to convert the PAT and the Bucks led by one point at the beginning of the second quarter.  Midway through the second quarter, sophomore Tyler Dinnis, who had several exciting punt and kickoff returns throughout the game, fielded an Owls punt and returned it in spectacular fashion to the Bensalem 17-yard line.  From there, the Bucks moved methodically to the opponent’s one-yard line where Mike Winn once again scored to give West its biggest lead of the game, 13-6.  The Bucks’ PAT was blocked and the score remained 13-6 at the half.

                   Bensalem came out in the second half determined to gain control of the scrimmage line and the game.  Throughout the third quarter and well into the final quarter, the Fighting Owls kept running the ball, moving the clock, and keeping the ball out of West’s hands.  Early in the fourth quarter, Drew Mitchell exploded off the right side for a 31-yard touchdown run to move Bensalem to within a point of the Bucks, 13-12.  Again Bensalem failed to convert the PAT and the score remained the same.  As the game moved deeper into the fourth quarter, the West defense began to stiffen.  Seniors Sean Burke and Chris Muller began to apply defensive pressure and made key stops on Bensalem runners late in the game.  The Bucks sacked the Bensalem quarterback Jeff Warnick twice to stall a late drive by the Fighting Owls.  The entire game came down to the final 1:27 when Bensalem took possession of the ball at the West 44 yard line.  On second down, senior defensive end Kyle Bilsland, used sparingly because of a back injury, crashed into the fighting Owls’ backfield and forced a fumble which was recovered by middle linebacker Chris Muller.  The Bucks had escaped once again with a narrow victory.  As the storm clouds and rain began to move in, Coach Randy Cuthbert aptly commented that, “That’s the way it’s going to be this year…but we need to get better if we want to compete with some of the teams coming up in our schedule.”  In the coming weeks: Pennsbury, Glen Mills,  Neshaminy, C.B. East, and North Penn!           

 STATISTICS - C.B. WEST vs. Bensalem
September 27, 2002

The “Black on Black” 2002 C. B. West football team came into Friday night’s game against William Tennent at War Memorial Field with an unimpressive 1 and 2 record and clearly needing a strong effort on both sides of the ball.  The coaching staff and team knew that time was running out for this year’s squad to gain back the confidence needed to begin playing “West Football.”  The Bucks’ opening drive should have helped restore some of the pride and confidence of dominating West teams in the past.   C. B. West took the opening kickoff and drove 70 yards in 10 plays (a textbook West drive) as senior fullback Mike Winn scored the first of his three touchdown runs of the game.  The PAT attempt hit the uprights and bounced back and the Bucks led 6-0 at the end of the first quarter.  The C. B. West offensive line of Tim Dunn, A.J. Plummer, Andy Wilkins, Craig Quedenfeld, Dan Brown, and anchored by senior center Steve Moll, seized control of the line-of-scrimmage and turned in its second consecutive impressive performance of the season.  As had been the case in earlier games, West failed to move the ball and take advantage of opportunities for the remainder of the first half and the score stood 6-0 at intermission.

William Tennent literally gave up any chance for victory when it fumbled away its first two offensive plays of the second half, thus giving Mike Winn and the suddenly opportunistic Bucks two touchdowns early in the third quarter.  A failed two-point passing attempt and a successful two-point running conversion by sophomore quarterback, Joe McMonagle, gave the Bucks a 20-0 lead at the end of the third quarter.  On West’s first possession of the final period, coach Randy Cuthbert reached deep into his old Steve Spurrier playbook (or was it Knute Rockne’s?) and pulled out the time-honored “flea-flicker” (reverse, lateral, pass) play which senior wide receiver, Andrew Ackley, turned into a 31 yard touchdown after an outstanding leaping catch in the end zone.  McMonagle kicked the PAT and the Bucks led 27-0.  Midway through the fourth quarter, West senior defensive back, Mike Caison, timed a pass by Tennent quarterback Eric DiLello perfectly and raced into the end zone for the final West touchdown of the game.  McMonagle added the extra point to make the score 34-0.  The entire Bucks’ defensive unit played an outstanding game, especially the “Front Seven” led by seniors Sean Burke, Tim Dunn, Steve Moll, Mike Winn, Chris Muller, Andrew Ackley, and Doug Kniese.  William Tennent was held scoreless until the Panthers scored a lone touchdown with a little more than a minute left in the game.  The final score, following Tennent kicker Mike Donnelly’s PAT, was C.B. West 34-William Tennent 7.  After the game, senior tailback Anthony Edwards spoke for all West fans, players, and coaches when he said, “We needed this game.  We need to keep the tradition of West football going!”

STATISTICS - C.B. WEST vs. William Tennent
September 20, 2002

The 2002 edition of Central Bucks West came into its opening home game of the season desperately needing a confidence-building win over a determined Council Rock North team.  Bucks coach Randy Cuthbert had made numerous lineup changes in an attempt to end a three-game losing streak dating back to the 2001 season finale.  Sophomore Joe McMonagle made his initial varsity start at quarterback.  McMonagle directed the Bucks to their only score of the evening when he directed a 12-play, 62-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to senior Chris McGinn with less than four minutes left in the first half.  McMonagle added what would turn out to be a critical extra point for a 7-0 Bucks lead.  A West personal foul on the ensuing kickoff gave the Indians the ball at midfield.  Rock-North then began a seven-play drive, which ended when Kyle Kotyk, who rushed for 139 yards, burst up the middle on a 20-yard run to score a Rock-North touchdown.  McGinn however preserved the West lead and eventual victory by blocking the PAT attempt.  The Bucks carried a precarious 7-6 lead into the second half and saw that lead threatened when Rock-North moved the ball to the West 20 yard line on their first drive of the third quarter, however, the Indians missed a 30-yard field goal wide left and the score remained 7-6.  The Indians weren’t finished and three times in the fourth quarter Rock-North drove deep into West territory.  Each time the Bucks responded with a key play or series of downs, which preserved the West victory.  Midway through the fourth quarter the Bucks defense stoned the Indians on three successive rushing plays from the 2-yard line.  Chris McGinn again saved the Bucks by partially blocking another Rock-North field goal attempt.  It was a magnificent goal-line stand, which made a definitive statement about West defense in the future.  The Bucks again stifled yet another Indian drive when P.J. Koob made a key fumble recovery, however, West went three and out and Rock-North had one more opportunity.  The Indians drove to the Bucks 25 yard line in nine plays, which left the Indians with a 42-yard field goal attempt to win the game.  Both sides of War Memorial stadium fell silent as the Indians’ kick arched toward the West end zone.  It sailed wide left … and the Bucks first celebration of the season began.  West quarterback Joe McMonagle summed up the feelings of the West fans everywhere when he said, “Hopefully it’s the start of a new season”.

STATISTICS - C.B. WEST vs. Council Rock North
September 13, 2002

The Bucks of C.B. West were decisively defeated by the Pennridge Rams 26-7 at the victors’ home field on Thursday evening, September 5^th.  The Bucks almost surely will have to win the remainder of their games to have a shot at the PIAA playoffs.  Pennridge opened the scoring with a 26 yard field goal by Erik Walck to give the Rams a 3-0 lead.  West answered right back with its best sustained drive of the young season which ended with senior Mike Winn’s one yard plunge into the end zone.  The entire West offensive line spearheaded the drive which gave the Bucks the lead for the only time in the evening.  Joe McMonagle added the PAT to make the score 7-3.  Midway through the second period Keith Fox of Pennridge blocked a West punt attempt and ran 30 yards for a Rams’ touchdown.  The two-point conversion gave the Rams a 14-7 lead.  An uncharacteristic series of West fumbles and mistakes led to two additional Pennridge touchdowns.  Following Erik Walck’s second field goal of the game, junior receiver Tom Cressman gave Pennridge a 20-6 half time lead when he caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Rams’ quarterback Blair Dameron.  Pennridge running back Ryan Shoultes ended the scoring with a short burst into the end zone in the middle of the third quarter.  A failed two-point conversion attempt left the final score Pennridge 26 – C.B. West 7.  West, which started the season as the region’s top-ranked team, fell to 0-2.  The Bucks are at home against the Indians of Council Rock North next Friday night at 7:30 pm.

STATISTICS - C.B. WEST vs. Pennridge
September 5, 2002

 On an uncharacteristically cool, windy August evening the C.B. West 2002 football season opened ominously against St. Joseph's Prep at Plymouth Whitemarsh field.  The Bucks struck first on a 19 yd TD pass from Kevin Dunn (10 for 21, 105 yds, 2 interceptions) to WR Andrew Ackley.  Prep answered quickly when Pat Kaiser, who gained 136 yds on 15 carries, raced 40 yds for a score late in the first quarter, then added a PAT to even the score at 7-7.  Two West drives stalled and midway through the second quarter, Hawks QB Matt Stefanski (who completed 6 of 10 passes in the first half for 143 yds) completed a 27 yd pass deep in Bucks territory.  On the next play, Kaiser ran a counter draw 25 yds for a second Prep TD.  A successful PAT made the score St. Joe’s 14 – West 7.  With barely seconds remaining in the half, Kaiser raced 20 yards for his third TD of the game.  The PAT made the halftime score St. Joe’s  21 – West 7.  The Bucks were able to move the ball on the ground during the third quarter, but each drive was stopped by a determined Prep defensive effort.  The West defense stiffened as well in the third quarter and held the Hawks scoreless while consistently pressuring QB Stefanski into numerous under thrown incomplete passes.  The Prep defense contributed to the Hawks final score when cornerback Dan Jones intercepted a pass and ran 61 yds for a fourth quarter score.  Following Steve Moll’s block of the attempted PAT the final score stood at Prep 27 – West 7. A relieved Prep coach Gil Brooks commented after the game, “This is such a big win because of how great the Bucks are.  They are the signature program in Pennsylvania.”

STATISTICS - C.B. WEST vs. ST. JOE'S PREP
August 31, 2002