Langhorne: Wow, is it football time already? It sure is and for us Neshaminy fans, it's our favorite time of the year as we get to watch our Redskins once again. And making this 2014 season kickoff game both exciting and important is that it will be the first contest since 1994 when we wont be watching legendary Head Coach Mark Schmidt pace the sidelines. Even though we'll miss him, stepping out on The Ridge tonight in his stead is former Redskin great, Mike Frederick. As his resume -- from Langhorne star to Virginia to the NFL -- is quite well known, we won't recount it here; however, we will wish him and his 2014 team the best of luck all season long.

Then making tonight's game even more exciting is another first for Neshaminy which is Gonzaga College High School as its opponent. Calling Washington, DC home, Gonzaga can trace its highly regarded academic status back to the early 19th century while the athletic skills of its teams, on display for a lesser time, are no less impressive. Featuring their own new coach in Randy Trivers, the 14 Eagles have received plenty of notice during the pre-season as they've been ranked in some polls as a national Top 25 club. Then with Neshaminy replacing quite a few of their stars from its highly regarded 2013 team, which posted a 13-2 record, this game should be a humdinger as a bunch of new names and talent get to roll out their stuff for the Blue & Red faithful.

Enough said? We agree so let's get down to the field.

Gonzaga took the coin toss and then the kickoff and after returning it to the 20 a quick pass gained 12 to the 32. The next play was a run that went the distance and just like that the Eagles grabbed a 7-0 lead following the point after.

Lined up deep for the Eagles kickoff that followed was Matt 'Hollywood' Magdelinskas who fielded the ball and then returned it to the 33. Mason Jones came out to lead Langhornes offense and from the Shotgun, it was Jones giving it to D'Andre Pollard who grabbed four. Jones then found Denzel Hughes up top who took it to the Eagle's 35. Four plays later, though, the ball went back to Gonzaga on downs. With the visitors making some headway, it was Magdelinskas making a big pick of an Eagle pass to give the ball back to Neshaminy at their 34. Getting it out to midfield from there, the 'Skins then stalled and Kevin Goetz punted it away. Nailing the kick, the fair catch gave the Eagles a first at their own 20.

Back on offense, Gonzaga picked up a quick first to the 31. From there another long run by an Eagle back put the DC club at Neshaminys 27. A heck of a lot of shoving and pushing saw some flags from the Zebras and after the dust settled, a pinpoint pass by the Gonzaga QB then made it 14-0 as the PAT didn't miss.

The following kickoff was fair caught by Magdelinskas at the 33. With Jones mixing it up to no avail, Goetz then punted it deep for Neshaminy. A Gonzaga returner made a fantastic return as he wasn't brought down until he reached the Redskins 11-yard line. One play later the visitors notched their third TD of the game and with the kick good, the scoreboard rolled to 21-0. As Gonzaga booted it back to Langhorne, it was Magdelinskas fielding the kick and making it to the 33 before he was stopped. Going to a 3rd and 6 on the series, the first-quarter then ended and the team swapped sides. With five wideouts to pick from the Jones pass still came up short and Goetz punted it out. After the roll it was Gonzaga at their 44 to start it up.

With the Eagles throwing and running, Gonzaga was moving well before a holding call put them back to Neshaminys 45. Shaking it off, the Eagles were back inside the redzone not much later. And with a pass finding its receiver in the endzone in short order, it was 28-0 after the PAT was good.

Booming the kickoff, it sailed out of back line for a touchback which gave Neshaminy the ball at their 20. With Jones throwing hard, the Blue & Red still put up a three-and-out as Goetz came in to punt yet again. After the ball rolled dead it was Gonzaga at the Neshaminy 45. Running with a No Huddle offense, two quick shots saw the Eagles gain 14 yards. Another bunch followed in a hurry with the Purple & White at the 11 before Kyle Smith had a big sack to push Gonzaga back to the 25. Seeming not to care, it was first and goal at the one after two nice pickups by the Eagles before they punched it in to make it 35-0.

With Neshaminy taking another kickoff, it was Pollard snagging some yards and then Jason nailing an aerial for a big gain. 'Hollywood' came in to help and made it to the 15 with Jones then finding Jack Spingler at the five-yard stripe for a first down with 28 seconds on the clock. But getting bungled up it went to third and goal from the ten after the final Redskins timeout. A Jones pass hit the dirt and a fourth down rolled around. Bringing on the kicking team, Dylan McDonald punched it through the uprights to make it 35-3. With the kick back to the visitors and one play that followed seeing the clock burn out, the two teams then retired for the break.

Taking the kickoff, Neshaminy looked sharp as Jones engineered as nice drive that saw them in the red zone with a first. But running out of gas at the ten the ball went over to Gonzaga on downs. Then the Eagles stitched together a few long plays to make it 42-3 after the PAT with six minutes gone in the third.

Booting it back to Neshaminy the offense was then back in business with Jones directing the action. A couple of nice runs were followed by a very pretty Jones pass to Hughes who came down at the mid-field stripe. From there it went to a fourth down at the 43 where Goetz came in to do the honors. A nice shot was fair caught at the 20 from where Gonzaga set up their offense once again.

With Gonzaga showing some new players on the field, their offense came up a cropper and they punted it to the Frederickmen. Hughes made the catch and was dropped immediately but holding on the Eagles had them punting again from their endzone. This time Hughes returned it to the 27 and Jones then had his group at a nice spot to start another 'Skins drive. With Boniface Stevens taking the first assignment he took it to the 22. Will Dogba then picked up 16 to the four-yard stripe. Getting the call again, Dogba was hit hard and separated from the pigskin as Gonzaga made the recovery at the three. With the clock showing 11 minutes in the fourth-quarter, the Eagles brought their offense back on the field.

Staying on the ground, Neshaminy forced another punt by the Purple & White as the Gonzaga kicker was near the back line. A short punt bounced out at the 33 where the Redskins had great field position once again. With Joe Abdo in for Jones the first give was to Hughes who picked up 13 down to the 20. Anthony Incelli was hit hard on the next try as Will Dogba gained a few on the next handoff. Running it himself, Abdo took it to the 19 where it went to fourth down. Trying a pass it was incomplete as the ball went back to the Eagles as but five minutes remained in the game.

A quick hit run earned Gonzaga some yardage as they went to their No Huddle offense once again. Moving it smartly, they were soon at the 35 but faced with a long first after a penalty. Not making much more from there, the Eagles punted and the ball went back to Neshaminy as Zach Tredway made the catch at the Neshaminy 33.

With Abdo back under center, a couple of runs by Neshaminy earned a few before the clock hit zero ending the game.

First, congratulations to the Eagles with their win tonight. Thanks for making the trip to Langhorne and good luck all year long. Then to our Redskins, although it may seem a tough opener it was a shakedown cruise for you guys. So shake off the blues and get after it in practice this week as Downingtown West on the road next Friday will be a tough out. And to Coach Frederick, welcome back to Heartbreak Ridge were glad you're here. Were expecting great things from you and your boys all season long and for many more years to come.

See you at the game!

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