Don't forget some pigskin with your turkey on Thursday. The Bulldogs will host Bristol at Robert Morris Field at 10:30 A.M.
THANKSGIVING DAY RIVALRY
Cookson spreading out success
The Morrisville sophomore has thrown for 1,161 yards in the Bulldogs’ spread offense. He said his team needs to be more consistent to defeat archrival Bristol Thursday.
By TOM WARING
Matt Cookson loves quarterbacking in the spread offense.
The Morrisville sophomore rarely lines up under center, almost always taking the ball from the shotgun. The Bulldogs have a single back and up to four wide receivers.
“The defense has to stay on their heels,” Cookson said. “We can run or pass.”
Cookson, a 6-foot-1, 175-pounder who played mostly special teams as a freshman, has had a pretty good season. The 10th-grader has thrown for 1,161 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Bulldogs, though, have mostly struggled. Cookson blames the team’s 2-8 record (0-3 in the Bicentennial Athletic League) on inconsistency.
“Football is four quarters, not just one or two,” he said.
Morrisville has a final chance to prove it can play four solid quarters of football Thursday against archrival Bristol. The teams will meet for the 80th time at 10:30 a.m. at Robert Morris Field.
A backup quarterback a year ago, Cookson will be playing in the most highly anticipated game of his young career. The Thanksgiving game brings out plenty of partisans on both sides.
“We should get a pretty big crowd, and we hope to please them,” he said.
Morrisville coach Jim Gober likes his quarterback’s athleticism, size and willingness to learn the spread offense that was implanted in the offseason.
“He has a nice mix of running ability and throwing ability, smarts and toughness,” the coach said.
Cookson plays some outside linebacker and safety, but Gober will limit his snaps on defense to keep him fresh and healthy for when the Bulldogs have the ball.
The 16-year-old quarterback knows his team is the underdog. Bristol owns a 41-35-3 advantage in the series, including eight wins in a row. The Warriors have earned shutouts the last three games.
Still, Morrisville is coming off a victory over St. George’s Tech (Del.). That game was played on Nov. 1, and Cookson acknowledges that the team hasn’t experienced much hard hitting in practice since then. Coaches have introduced new plays and made practice fun in the last three-plus weeks of game inactivity.
The quarterback is confident that running back Kyle Schnee, a speedy senior, will have a big game in his career finale. He added that the offensive line has improved during the season. Based on watching film of Bristol’s game against Academy of the New Church, he expects the Warriors to blitz a lot.
The Bulldogs can’t wait to get back on the football field.
“We’re all hyped up,” Cookson said. “It’s been cold, but we’re all pumped and excited for Bristol. It’s our rival.”
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Flashers and Heaters and Furniture Oh My!
From the BCCT.
Board approves new expenditures for new school
Posted in News on Monday, November 24th, 2008 at 3:16 pm by Joan Hellyer
The Bristol school board agreed Thursday night to let administrators buy $531,628.57 worth of furniture and equipment for the district’s soon to be completed pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade school.
The facility is under construction next to the district’s Warren Snyder-John Girotti Elementary School off Buckley Street.
The board also entered into an agreement with Gilmore & Associates to design and construct two 15 MPH school zone flashers for the project. Plus, board members approved temporary heaters at the school for construction workers.
The school is expected to be completed in 2009.
Board approves new expenditures for new school
Posted in News on Monday, November 24th, 2008 at 3:16 pm by Joan Hellyer
The Bristol school board agreed Thursday night to let administrators buy $531,628.57 worth of furniture and equipment for the district’s soon to be completed pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade school.
The facility is under construction next to the district’s Warren Snyder-John Girotti Elementary School off Buckley Street.
The board also entered into an agreement with Gilmore & Associates to design and construct two 15 MPH school zone flashers for the project. Plus, board members approved temporary heaters at the school for construction workers.
The school is expected to be completed in 2009.
Shakespeare Already?
"Pearls Before Swine" today, presented in honor of all those English teachers, past and present, who bring us Shakespeare and other "olde litterature" and the parents who get to relive those moments.
Gambling Money Comes Back to Towns
From the BCCT.
Authority awards $2.6 million in casino grants
Lower Southampton will get nearly $800,000. Bristol Township will receive $634,000. This year’s grants are a million more than last year.
By JAMES MCGINNIS
The Bucks County Redevelopment Authority on Monday awarded more than $2.6 million in casino impact grants while setting the stage for even more towns to apply for gambling money.
Bristol, which doesn’t directly border Bensalem or Philadelphia Park Casino, will nonetheless get $350,000 to pay for renovations to its police and fire departments next year.
The gaming act states that grants should go “to the municipalities which are contiguous to the municipality and which are located within the county in which the licensed facility is located.”
Still, Redevelopment Authority Director Bob White said the borough is eligible to receive funds as long as the application is submitted by the county.
“We checked with our solicitor on this and the county can apply for anyone that they want,” White said.
That might come as a shock to officials in Penndel who said the Redevelopment Authority told them they weren’t eligible.
There also was confusion at the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Monday about whether Bristol is eligible. Representatives said they need time to review the law on impact grants before any comment.
Meanwhile, White encouraged applications from Penndel and Langhorne, calling those towns the “doughnut holes” of Lower Bucks. “These towns are surrounded by Middletown and Bristol Township and they can apply,” he argued. “They can clearly argue that they’re affected” by the casino.
Being close to Bensalem certainly had the desired effect for Lower Southampton — the big winner among grant applicants this year. Lower Southampton can expect nearly $800,000 in revenues from the slot machines.
One grant of $192,000 will help pay for upgrades to the intersection of Street Road and Central Avenue while another for $185,000 will pay for equipment that clears intersections during emergency response calls.
Lower Southampton and Feasterville fire companies will receive a combined $240,000 for new generators. Tri-Hampton Rescue Squad will get $72,782 for global positioning communications equipment, and the fire marshal is slated to receive $40,000 for three hybrid vehicles.
There are no hybrids on Bristol Township’s list. Instead, the township is going to buy guns.
A $20,000 grant for Mayor Sam Fenton’s proposed firearms buyback program is just one of $634,000 in grants for the township.
The community is slated to receive $120,000 to fight flooding and another $140,000 to make the township building handicap accessible.
A combined $166,050 will go to renovating the Croydon and Edgely firehouses. Third District Fire Company will get $100,000 for new air packs. Another $88,000 is set aside for emergency generators and traffic signals.
With just one grant this year, Middletown will receive $478,977 to help pay for upgrades to the intersection of Route 213 and Business Route 1.
Nearby, Hulmeville will receive $300,000 for a new borough hall. The borough plans to renovate an old borough-owned school on Main Street into the new borough hall and police headquarters.
Bensalem is slated to receive $275,000 next year, with $150,000 to help clean up graffiti and another $125,000 to pay for extra shifts of ambulance crews. (As a casino host community, Bensalem also receives $10 million a year.)
The authority’s board of directors said it received 42 applications seeking a total of $7.2 million for Lower Bucks County. Last year $2.5 million was awarded in grants.
“It’s not easy choosing these grants,” he said. “We had a lot of really good requests this year. And none of this is going to a study. These are things that will start right away.”
Authority awards $2.6 million in casino grants
Lower Southampton will get nearly $800,000. Bristol Township will receive $634,000. This year’s grants are a million more than last year.
By JAMES MCGINNIS
The Bucks County Redevelopment Authority on Monday awarded more than $2.6 million in casino impact grants while setting the stage for even more towns to apply for gambling money.
Bristol, which doesn’t directly border Bensalem or Philadelphia Park Casino, will nonetheless get $350,000 to pay for renovations to its police and fire departments next year.
The gaming act states that grants should go “to the municipalities which are contiguous to the municipality and which are located within the county in which the licensed facility is located.”
Still, Redevelopment Authority Director Bob White said the borough is eligible to receive funds as long as the application is submitted by the county.
“We checked with our solicitor on this and the county can apply for anyone that they want,” White said.
That might come as a shock to officials in Penndel who said the Redevelopment Authority told them they weren’t eligible.
There also was confusion at the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Monday about whether Bristol is eligible. Representatives said they need time to review the law on impact grants before any comment.
Meanwhile, White encouraged applications from Penndel and Langhorne, calling those towns the “doughnut holes” of Lower Bucks. “These towns are surrounded by Middletown and Bristol Township and they can apply,” he argued. “They can clearly argue that they’re affected” by the casino.
Being close to Bensalem certainly had the desired effect for Lower Southampton — the big winner among grant applicants this year. Lower Southampton can expect nearly $800,000 in revenues from the slot machines.
One grant of $192,000 will help pay for upgrades to the intersection of Street Road and Central Avenue while another for $185,000 will pay for equipment that clears intersections during emergency response calls.
Lower Southampton and Feasterville fire companies will receive a combined $240,000 for new generators. Tri-Hampton Rescue Squad will get $72,782 for global positioning communications equipment, and the fire marshal is slated to receive $40,000 for three hybrid vehicles.
There are no hybrids on Bristol Township’s list. Instead, the township is going to buy guns.
A $20,000 grant for Mayor Sam Fenton’s proposed firearms buyback program is just one of $634,000 in grants for the township.
The community is slated to receive $120,000 to fight flooding and another $140,000 to make the township building handicap accessible.
A combined $166,050 will go to renovating the Croydon and Edgely firehouses. Third District Fire Company will get $100,000 for new air packs. Another $88,000 is set aside for emergency generators and traffic signals.
With just one grant this year, Middletown will receive $478,977 to help pay for upgrades to the intersection of Route 213 and Business Route 1.
Nearby, Hulmeville will receive $300,000 for a new borough hall. The borough plans to renovate an old borough-owned school on Main Street into the new borough hall and police headquarters.
Bensalem is slated to receive $275,000 next year, with $150,000 to help clean up graffiti and another $125,000 to pay for extra shifts of ambulance crews. (As a casino host community, Bensalem also receives $10 million a year.)
The authority’s board of directors said it received 42 applications seeking a total of $7.2 million for Lower Bucks County. Last year $2.5 million was awarded in grants.
“It’s not easy choosing these grants,” he said. “We had a lot of really good requests this year. And none of this is going to a study. These are things that will start right away.”
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