DOYLESTOWN — It wasn't quite playoff weather, but Central Bucks West, regardless, looked like a team ready for the postseason on Friday night as it stifled visiting Pennsbury from start to finish in a PIAA District One Class 6A first-round matchup.

By limiting the Falcons to just 19 rushing yards, and scoring two rushing TDs of their own, the Bucks came away with a convincing 17-0 win to advance to next Friday's quarterfinals.

"We've been playing pretty good defense all year and tonight was really good," CB West senior defensive end A.J. Gerace said.

"Everybody stepped up and the coaches gave us a great game plan. We had played them before and knew some of the things they liked to do, but we were ready for everything."

The third-seeded Bucks, 9-2, who are looking for their first district title since 2000, will host 11th-seeded Downingtown East next Friday. The Cougars knocked off No. 6 Perkiomen Valley 17-10 in their first-round matchup.

The loss ended the season for Pennsbury, which finished 5-6.

"This is my seventh year and this will be the first time we've played Downingtown East," CB West head coach Rob Rowan said.

"We knew getting past Pennsbury wouldn't be easy because they're always tough, but I was very pleased with how we played."

The Falcons managed just two first downs, one in each half, and had 76 yards of total offense.

"It's playoff time and we knew that we had to raise our level," Gerace said. "We want to go as far as we can and we know we have to play well in every game."

The Bucks picked up all of the points they would need on their second possession as they put together an impressive 11-play, 80-yard drive, all on the ground and including a holding call against them. It culminated with a 2-yard touchdown run from senior Ryan Clemens near the end of the first quarter.

A Clemens 23-yard field goal on West's first possession of the second half made it 10-0 before senior Vance Morelli scored the game's final touchdown a few minutes later with a 1-yard burst just one play after he had gone for 12 yards.

"Clemens was just named the player of the year in our conference (Suburban One League National Conference) and he's really good," Pennsbury head coach Galen Snyder said. "And they have a nice running attack and really played well defensively."

Key play

The Bucks converting a third and 21 from midfield thanks to a 31-yard run by Morelli which set up the game's first score.

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Game balls

The entire CB West defense. To limit a Pennsbury team to 19 rushing yards is unheard of.

Ryan Clemens, CB West. He seemingly gets a game ball each time the Bucks play because he does so much. In this one, he rushed for 101 yards, scored a touchdown, kicked a field goal and made plenty of plays on defense from his linebacker spot.

Vance Morelli, CB West. He made the most of his eight carries by scoring a touchdown, setting up another with his key third-down rush, and finishing with 39 yards on the ground.

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They said it

"These guys, especially our seniors, have a lot to be proud of," Snyder said. "They've made the (district) playoffs three straight years, won a league title (in 2022) and beat their rival (Neshaminy) three straight times."

"Our defense played their butts off from start to finish," Rowan said. "They just kept after them all the way."

Drew Markol covers local sports for PhillyBurbs.com. Support our journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: High school football: CB West advances in playoffs with win over Pennsbury