Home Care In Cheltenham, PA

The Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials overcame both unfavorable weather and a resilient Celtenham Panthers team to notch their fourth win of the year on the road this Friday. Coming off a big win in the week prior, the Colonials went into a hostile environment to match up with a divisional opponent who was still winless in the Panthers. Unfortunately for Cheltenham, they did not look prepared for a team of PW’s caliber, and they were battered in a grueling loss with a final score of 42-13.

From the first play of the game alone it was clear that Plymouth Whitemarsh had brought its A-game to the field, as star WR Nazye Boggs bounced off a tackle and took off for a 53 yard score to open the game up from the jump. But Cheltenham appeared to be up for the challenge. The Panthers offense strung together a rushing attack much like that of the Colonials, with three different ball carriers on the first drive alone. After a controversial late hit penalty boosted them into the red zone, Cheltenham capitalized on the opportunity and a beautiful 27 yard rushing touchdown would bring it even early on in the game. PW’s iconic triple option offense looked about as good as we have seen it perform this year in this game. Everett Baker would rush for 20 yards before Caiden Leszczynski would take his own QB keeper for 15 yards. All of this rushing set up another Nazye Boggs score, this time from ten yards out to give the Colonials the lead once again. Despite a well run first drive, two penalties on the Panthers would stall their responding drive short and the PW defense would force a turnover on downs. The explosiveness of Nazye Boggs would truly be on display again when he took off for his second 50+ yard touchdown and third total of the game from 65 yards out on the very first play of the next Colonials drive. Now needing points to keep themselves in the game, Cheltenham moved the ball well downfield to the red zone, but were cut short following an interception in the end zone that would end the first quarter.

Plymouth Whitemarsh would begin the second quarter by trying to improve the run game even more, and they found a bit of success with it. Everett Baker would pick up his second rush of over 20 yards but just two plays later he would fumble and give the ball away to Cheltenham. With great field position following the turnover it was looking like the Panthers were going to finally punch it in again, but two huge unsportsmanlike penalties following a scuffle on the field would push them back 30 yards to create a 1st and 40 from their own 45. After a couple of rushing attempts stalled out they brought on the punt unit, and the worst case scenario happened. Plymouth’s special teams unit blocked the punt and proceeded to complete a nearly 50 yard scoop and score to blow the game open midway through the second quarter. Neither team would look too impressive on their ensuing drives. Cheltenham would force another turnover after rainy conditions caused both the field and ball to become extremely slippery, but it would result in nothing but another turnover on downs. PW chose to take a 28-7 lead into the half with full confidence they could hold out to pickup the win.

Both teams opened the second half with scrappy and all out aggressive football. Not only that, but both teams also opened the half with unsportsmanlike penalties after more exchanges on the field between players. The Panthers put together a great 10 play drive but were stuffed on fourth down by a very tough PW defensive line. On the very next play once again Nazye Boggs would break off of a tackle and turn on the jets as he raced to the end zone for his fourth score of the game. Not only was it his fourth score, it was his third of 50 or more yards. A Cheltenham three and out would force a third turnover on downs and PW would refuse to lay off the gas. The Colonials running game wore down their divisional opponent, and Everett Baker finally got a touchdown of his own on a 20 yard rushing score. But even despite being down by a number of scores, Cheltenham took pride in refusing to go down easily by rattling off a long 13 play drive that resulted in a 17 yard touchdown through the air.

The fourth quarter really lacked much action this week, as the rain began to pour and the clock continued to tick away with long drives from both teams. One player who definitely stuck out from the PW second team offense was RB Michael Bongard. After scoring his first touchdown last week, he had a few carries where he was able to rack up close to thirty yards. With an impressive class of rushing talent graduating after this year, the PW coaching staff should be excited they have such a talented prospect ready for big carries. Nonetheless, Plymouth Whitemarsh did what it had to do and secured the important win in the heat of the season.

Although the challenge faced by the Colonials was not necessarily the most difficult, they still showed why they can be one of the best teams in their conference. For Cheltenham, they really have no choice but to keep their heads held high and move on to the next week as they drop to 0-5. They will face 3-2 Springfield in their next game. On the other side of this game we see a totally different situation for PW. In the two weeks following their shocking shutout loss to Quakertown, PW has outscored its opponents 90-27. They have also scored 40+ points in both weeks. Their offense is on fire right now and the team as a whole is starting to click. Next week will be an important marker to see how legit they really are as they face 2-4 William Tennent in their Homecoming game. If they can produce a similar result to these past weeks, it may be time to start talking about a division 3-peat again.

And we’re here, already the last week of the regular season. Coming into the game, both Wissahickon and Cheltenham had to win this game. With a win, both teams would most likely secure their chances in the playoffs. Cheltenham sitting just outside at the Eighteenth seed and Wissahickon on the edge at the Fourteenth seed. Cheltenham’s post-season drought has been going on since 2018. The last time they made the playoff they fell out in the second round losing 27-0 to Upper Dublin, but they look to rewrite that.

“We came in, definitly had to win. We didn’t want to put too much pressure on us, so we just took it play by play and we saw it getting out of hand so we knew we was doing good” Jonathan Ingram said.

“Feel great, we aint give up on each other, so that’s all” Tre McLeod said.

“We gone stick to what we doing, what we been doing, play as a team” Said McLeod.

Cheltenham’s rushing game was the focus point of the offense against Wiss. Charlotte Commit Tre McLeod went down early in pain but still came out and totaled 130 rushing yards on only 6 rushes and two touchdowns in only the first half. While he got no other carries in the second half, he made his impact early. A thirty-five and a sixty-seven-yard rushing touchdowns on his first three carries early in the game set the tone. While McLeod led the way with yards, Pharoah Brooks was the main runner. On fifteen carries for fifty-six yards Brooks broke down the Wiss defense. A combined 242 rushing yards between McLeod, Brooks, and QB Jonathan Ingram kept Wiss on their toes the entire game.

“Yea had to come out and snap, my team needed me, we respond, that’s why I love em'” Said Mcleod

“They linebackers, they wasnt filling the holes, they wasnt filling the holes and covering well” Said McLeod on Wissahickons biggest weakness.

“Definitly the linebackers, they like to bite and get greedy” Ingram said agreeing with Tre McLeod.

Tre McLeod with the cutback for 35 yards extends the lead for Cheltenham! They lead 13-0 with 7:00 in the first @PaFootballNews @SOLsports pic.twitter.com/EDyfFwEBIC

— Noah Stomsky (@NStomsky) October 27, 2023

The rushing attack opened up the passing lanes for Cheltenham. Ingram completed 7/16 passes for 118 yards. While he didn’t throw any touchdowns he ran for two. His main target of the game was Jared Higginbotham for four catches and 61 yards. While James Smith only caught two catches, he racked up 56 yards on those two combined catches. The passing game seemed to work when needed but pressure from Wiss was constant. Ingram’s ability to move around in the pocket and scramble for yardage helped move around the defense and create open receivers.

“Me being a runner keeps the defense still so if you wanna pass the ball they’ll stay if you wanna run the ball they’ll come up and always keep em’ off guard” Said Ingram.

Jonathan Ingram with the moves for 48 yards. Cheltenham leads big early up 20-0 with 8:33 in the half @PaFootballNews @SOLsports pic.twitter.com/0CPtKDHnon

— Noah Stomsky (@NStomsky) October 27, 2023

Wissahickon hasn’t made the Playoffs since 2020 in the half-season due to Covid, so this would be their best chance to make it. With the loss, Wiss falls to 6-4 to finish the regular season. At the 14 spot coming in, the loss drops them a few. Unfortunately, they can’t fall past 16. If this is the end of Wissahickon’s season, it was a very good one. One that they would’ve been looked down upon. Getting their first season over .500 since 2013 under Jeff Cappa, coach Rory Graver has turned this program around in one season. Last year in a difficult rebuilding year going 1-9, Wissahickon rebuilt fast. Future Wiss stars Aiden Westcott, Rahmel Brooks, Kareem Lee, Quasir Sampson, Nolan Pounds, and many more look to make this program one to watch in upcoming years. By Sunday, Wissahickon will find out if they make the playoffs or if they need to start working for next year. Whichever one it is, Coach Graver will be going at 110% in every practice.

“They got really good size, they’re discipline very disciplined. They stick to their assignment’s” Ingram on what he liked about Wissahickon.

Wissahickon gets on the board. 1 yard touchdown by Quasir Sampson, Wiss trails 32-6 with 9:24 in the third @PaFootballNews @SOLsports pic.twitter.com/3ocga8ZU69

— Noah Stomsky (@NStomsky) October 28, 2023

Eleven Seconds remaining, fifty-five yards, no timeouts, down two, one play remaining. This was the situation that was put in the hands of Cheltenham at the end of the game. One of the most physical and aggressive games in recent times, hit after hit after hit. The tone of the game was set in the first quarter when Chesters’ Emohj Barrett laid a massive hit on a defenseless Shamar Barksdale stunning the crowd. Three plays later a fight broke out. Physicality and non-stop Trash talking led to one of the most interesting and nail-biting games.

Last week due to a gun scare Cheltenham’s first game of the year had to be cancelled, so Chester was their first matchup. Not too much excitement happened in the first half outside of the trash-talking. Cheltenham QB Johnathan Ingram had a slow start, but so did the entire offensive line. Non-stop pressure led to late hits, missed passes, sacks, and bad snaps. Their first score of the game happened in the fourth quarter. They were gifted great field position off of a low snap on the punt. Cheltenham found themselves at the opposite eight-yard line in scoring position. Three Star Running back Senior Tre McLeod finally put Cheltenham on the board after he leaped his way into the endzone going airborne over his defender bringing Cheltenham within two down eight to six. McLeod soon scored again off a twenty-eight-yard rushing touchdown as he tip-toed the line and broke tackles fighting into the endzone making the score sixteen to twelve.

WHAT A PLAY! McLeod LEAPS into the endzone to score. Failed 2 point conversion. 8-6 Chester with 11:52 in the game @PaFootballNews @SOLsports pic.twitter.com/Pjc89hZTLC

— Noah (@NStomsky) September 1, 2023

Cheltenham wasn’t the only one having first-half issues, one could say Chester played a worse first half. Totaling three fumbles lost in the first half and two of them on the goal line is what kept this game closer than what it could’ve been. The first half ended zero-zero with missed chances from Chester all around. Once Chester got to the goal line in the third this time they made it count. A one-yard rushing touchdown to Dayshon Jackson with 8:49 in the third broke our stalemate and opened the game up for much more scoring. Jackson’s second touchdown came off a four-yard touchdown that set Chester up leading 16-6. The highlight of the drive happened on the play before where a flea flicker back to QB Jalen Harris for a forty-six-yard pass set Chester up at the four-yard line. While Jackson didn’t score again, he made plays other ways.

Touchdown Dayshon Jackson. A 1-yard rush breaks our scoreless game. Chester leads 8-0 with 8:49 in the third @PaFootballNews @SOLsports pic.twitter.com/GrQlvGaw51

— Noah (@NStomsky) September 1, 2023

The remaining half of the fourth quarter was where this game became a pure thrill. With 3:21 in the game, Cheltenham forced Chester into a fourth and three at the six-yard line down four and with one timeout. Cheltenham needed a stop and originally had it, until Jackson pitched the ball back to Harris and Harris found three-star Dominic Toy in the endzone to extend the lead to ten. Cheltenham still had hope. Going down the field and finding Michael Dun with only thirteen seconds left they went for two. Now down 22-20 they had to go for the onside kick. The kick bounces, hits the chest of Toy and Cheltenham recovers at midfield with eleven seconds remaining. A false start pushed them back five more yards. With one play Cheltenham tries to pick up short yardage and put themselves closer, but Chesters’ Toy jumped the pass and picked the ball off. Chester survives the last-second push and wins their first game of the year.

CHELTENHAM RECOVERS AT THE 50 WITH ELEVEN SECONDS REMAINING @SOLsports @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/r2zgjqyRdE

— Noah (@NStomsky) September 1, 2023

Chester left the game with a bounce-back win after losing to Perk Valley 31-0. They take on Phoenixville on Saturday, September Ninth at 11:00 AM where they look to win their second straight game of the year. For Cheltenham, they fall to 0-1 and look to get to .500 next Friday at 7:00 PM against Abraham Lincoln.

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Fears are brewing among Cheltenham Township residents over a proposed development along Tookany Creek in Montgomery County.

The proposed construction of eight townhomes would demolish woodlands, and lie along a FEMA-identified floodplain and wetland on 222 Church Road.

Residents say they are worried the development would lead to increased water runoff in an area that is already prone to flooding.

Over 100 residents attended Cheltenham’s Public Works Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 6, to voice opposition to the project. The committee then gave preliminary approval of the development.

The Elkins Park Neighborhood Coalition created a petition against the development that 1,321 community members have signed.

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Cheltenham has a long history of flooding, including in the residential areas neighboring the proposed development, and downstream along Tookany Creek. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported in 2015 that urbanization in Cheltenham has led to “increased stormwater runoff and floodplain recession leading to reduced carrying capacity for Tookany Creek.”

Zoë Slutzky grew up in the home next door to the proposed development — it’s her primary residence and where her mother still lives. Due to Tookany Creek overflow, they often experience flooding on the property, Slutzky said.

Water used to frequently fill her basement, before her family built a stone wall between their home and the creek.

But Slutzky has wider concerns for her community, and those who live downstream from her home.

Seeing the outpouring of concern from Cheltenham residents, Slutzky said she believes there’s an “instinctive feeling” within the community that the proposed construction would be damaging to the neighborhood. “Making this development here, no matter how minor it seems, people know the fragility of this point in Elkins Park and in Cheltenham,” Slutzky said.

“There’s this larger concern that as climate change is getting worse, as infrastructure is aging, as the township is talking about sustainability, it is ushering in something extremely destructive. Both on a visceral level you can understand it, from looking at the site, and also by digging into the [development] plans.”

Sidney Kahn has dug into the plans as a member of Cheltenham’s Environmental Advisory Council and a township resident.

Kahn said he helped write Cheltenham’s Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO), which the development is supposed to comply with.

“It’s very clear to me that even if they think they are complying with the [SALDO], which is highly dubious, they are certainly not in any way, shape, or form complying with the spirit of it,” Kahn said.

Slutzky said she believes that it’s a bit more cut and dry.

“At the Public Works meeting, it was made clear that the township was considering allowing wiggle room, allowing the developer to try to meet the requirements as best as possible,” Slutzky said. “But that is not the law.”

Cheltenham Township Commissioner Mitchell Zygmund-Felt, chair of the Public Works Committee, said the township expects the developer to “comply to the greatest degree” with the SALDO by the time the final proposal is submitted.

For David Berstein, that’s not enough. Bernstein also lives near the proposed project, and is the prior owner of the property. He sold the land before he knew the buyer was planning on developing the eight homes.

He said the misstep was due to “lack of diligence” on his part.

“I made a mistake. Shame on me. Bottom line,” Bernstein said.

Now, he said, he is “appalled” by the plans, so he hired a private engineer and lawyer to conduct an analysis of the developer’s proposal.

Bernstein’s engineer and lawyer both concluded that the current plan does not comply with the Pennsylvania’s Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) manual “to the maximum extent practicable.” That’s just one piece of a 19-page list of issues the engineer found in the developer’s plans.

Slutzky said it all feels like the township is moving backward.

“The township has been touting its sustainability plans for a long time. The entire county has this ‘Vision 2040,’ and they’re talking about re-naturalizing impervious surfaces and protecting vulnerable areas. This is doing the opposite. This is sort of pressing the rewind button on a lot of this progress,” Slutzky said.

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River floods are becoming larger and more common in the Northeast, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A February 2022 study published in Nature Climate Change projected that the number of people in the United States who are exposed to flooding will almost double over the next 30 years. And Grist reports that development is largely to blame for increased flood risk.

The Montgomery County Planning Commission told WHYY that it is hoping to get just under $500,000 in American Rescue Plan funds through the County’s Recovery Office to put together a county-wide stormwater mitigation plan. The planning commission intends to look at all of Montgomery County’s watersheds and point to issues that lead to flooding.

Two of the members of the commission are involved in the Tookany Creek development project. The project’s engineer, Robert Blue, is a commission member, and the project’s architect, Steven Kline, is the chair.

Blue did not respond to questions from WHYY before publication.

When asked about residents’ concerns about flooding brought on by the potential development, Montgomery County officials said “only a small sliver of the tract is in the floodplain.”

The county also generally supports the development, and offered a review of the development to the township.

Cheltenham’s contracted engineer also has a list of suggestions for the developer. Commissioner Zygmund-Felt said the township expects the developer to comply.

Julie Slavet, executive director of the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Inc., said the plan could better manage stormwater. TTF submitted a letter of recommendations to the township for improving the plan.

They hope to help the project not make the creek more distressed than it already is.

“The idea is that they’re not making the problem worse,” said Slavet. “Any impervious surface that they’re adding, they’re mitigating what this project will add to runoff.”

Josh Buono, of Cheltenham, experiences frequent flooding on his property due to living downstream from development. He said he doesn’t want to see problems like this get worse for his neighbors.

“I can’t believe how bad it can get,” Buono said. “We’re worried our house is going to wash away.”

Slavet said the Township needs to look for more long term stormwater mitigation solutions.

“It’s not sustainable to keep building houses and pumping out people’s basements. What makes the most sense is to get people out of harm’s way into an area that isn’t going to flood.”

On April 20th, Cheltenham commissioners will take a final vote on the developer’s proposal.

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Cheltenham Township Board of Commissioners unanimously passed an ordinance Wednesday night which bans the sale or distribution of single-use plastic bags at local retailers.

The ban calls for any paper bag alternatives to contain at least 40% recycled content. There’s also a $0.10 fee on non-reusable alternative bags. Any retailer who violates the ordinance is subject to fines.

The new law takes effect in January 2024, but retailers will have a 90-day adjustment period. With this move, Cheltenham became the first municipality in Pennsylvania in 2023 to enact legislation to reduce plastic use, following a flurry of similar bans across the suburbs in 2022.

Faran Savitz, a Zero Waste Advocate with PennEnvironment, said the township is the 16th municipality in Pennsylvania to take action to reduce the usage of single-use plastics. The organization has been assisting communities, like Ambler and Radnor, in enacting plastic restrictions.

“It’s a great first step. We know there are a bunch of other townships and boroughs that are looking to do similar actions, but it’s awesome to see them join,” Savitz said.

PennEnvironment, which worked with Cheltenham to write legislation, estimates that township residents use 13.7 million single-use plastic bags each year. Many of these bags end up as harmful pollution in the environment.

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Savitz said even more suburban communities — like Lower Merion — have drafted similar legislation and will likely vote in the near term.

“There’s a bit of a flurry of action going on in the next couple of weeks, next week. Lower Merion Township is having a preliminary discussion about their plastic bag ban and they’ll potentially be voting on that in the next few weeks. It’s a great step. Lower Merion Township was part of a lawsuit against the state legislature over the preemption law a couple of years ago, the ban on local plastic bans. So they’ve been out in front of this issue before and it’s good to see them finally passing a plastic bag ban,” Savitz said.

Swarthmore Borough officials in Delaware County are currently discussing a ban not just on single-use bags, but polystyrene products as well.

“As it stands right now, it could be one of the most in-depth and comprehensive laws we’ve seen in the state. So it would be great to see it passed. There are other communities, too, in Bucks County, both Newtown Township and Newtown Borough have been working on crafting their own plastic bag bans, working with their business community,” Savitz said.

Savitz believes that the momentum will compel more communities to take steps to reduce plastic waste.