Talking Sports with Seeley

Upper Perkiomen spread all over Top 10 stories of the past decade

2009-12-31T00:22:00.002-05:00

There wasn’t a whole heck of a lot to talk about when wrestling – area wrestling, that is – entered the new millennium.

Spring-Ford had won or shared eight of the previous 10 Pioneer Athletic Conference titles; Methacton had won six of the previous 10 Suburban One Freedom Division titles and was right near the top in the other four; and The Hill School was beating up nearly everyone except for Blair. And just three lightweights – Hill’s David Hoffman, Upper Perkiomen’s Brad Rozanski and Methacton’s Dan Covatta – managed to pin down a gold medal in March.

In other words, there wasn’t all that much drama or that many notable individual achievements in and around the area’s wrestling neighborhoods … just not a lot to hoot and holler about.

But that all changed, and changed in a hurry, too.

So much so that today – or three days before the clock runs out on the first decade of the new century – is as good a time as any to look back at some of the most memorable moments, or the big stories, of the past 10 years.

No program was as successful – or jeered – as Upper Perkiomen’s, of course. The Indians, except for their annual scraps with Spring-Ford and the more recent brawls with Boyertown, were rarely ever challenged. They swept their first 60 league matches and the first seven PAC-10 championships of the decade. It would’ve been 68 in a row and an eighth straight league title, but months after the 2007 season had been completed Upper Perkiomen officials revealed a wrestler had resided illegally in the school district. The Indians forfeited all but two of their PAC-10 wins, and relinquished what would have been a record fourth straight (and sixth overall) District 1-AAA Team Duals title.

Despite the controversy, there was no overlooking Upper Perkiomen’s run. Head coach Tom Hontz produced 16 Southeast Regional champions – which we prefer to call genuine District 1 champions (not those North, Central or South champions) – four state champions, and 19 state medalists overall during the decade. The 16 regional champions are more than twice the total of their nearest rival (Boyertown); only one other team – (Boyertown) had a state champion; and the 19 state medalists are just one shy of doubling the total of, you guessed it, Boyertown.

But the Bears have had the upper hand the past three years. And, if not for coming up short against Spring-Ford – who they shared the 2008 title with – the Bears would have owned a spotless league mark the last three seasons.

Upper Perkiomen’s and Boyertown’s respective runs aside, here’s just one opinion of the decade’s Top 10 area wrestling stories:

1. Upper Perkiomen wins duals title: Upper Perkiomen won the 2006 PIAA-Class AAA Team Duals title by defeating Easton, 46-19, at the Giant Center in Hershey. Despite splitting the first 10 individual bouts, the Indians owned a 27-19 lead on the strength of four pins. They put the match out of reach when Shane Smith and Chris Sheetz recorded back-to-back pins at 112 and 119 pounds, respectively. The Indians also set a district record for total wins in a season after finishing 29-1 overall.

2. Spaid pins way to state title: Mike Spaid became Boyertown’s first state champion and the first District 1 wrestler to record a pin in every one of his postseason bouts en route to the PIAA-Class AAA gold medal in 2004. The 285-pound Spaid had two falls and a medical forfeit at the Section Four Tournament; three each at the District 1-South and Southeast Regional tournaments, and four more at the PIAA championships.

3. Kemmerer’s perfect season: Upper Perkiomen junior Zack Kemmerer set the standard for excellence in 2005-06. He won gold medals at both the nationally recognized Ironman and Beast of the East tournaments, the first District 1 wrestler to achieve the double; won the first of his two PIAA-Class AAA state titles; and set both Mercury area and district records for the most wins without a loss in a season (54). Kemmerer added his second state title the following year and graduated with the area, district and state records for career wins (199).

4. Jeff Green dies: Pottstown graduate Jeff Green, an outstanding wrestler at Pottstown and Morgan State University – and hailed as a “real American hero” during the 2003 Summit Awards – died three months after receiving his Career Achievement Award at the age of 41. Green was a two-time state runner-up at heavyweight for the Trojans; a two-time NCAA qualifier for Morgan State University; and a member of the U.S. World and Olympic teams, earning a berth on the U.S. Greco-Roman squad as an alternate for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Green was a captain in the Army and fought on the front lines in Kuwait and Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991. John Armato, his former coach at Pottstown: “Jeff Green was an excellent example of what you hope your son grows up to be. He was a good student, a good athlete, a true gentleman and a good citizen. If Pottstown is ever looking for someone from the community to be proud of, then Jeff Green will be the one we should always hold up to our young people as an example of what you can become and what you can do in your life.”

5. Smith sets pin record: Upper Perkiomen senior and three-time state medalist Mark Smith closes out the 2002 season with a District 1 and Pennsylvania career record 124 pins. Smith, one of the state’s most popular wrestlers for his endless energy on the mats, also broke former teammate Derek Zinck’s district record for career wins (161).

6. Hoffman wins national prep title: The Hill School’s David Hoffman decisioned Blair Academy’s Mark Perry, 10-5, in the 130-pound final of the 2001 National Prep Championships at Lehigh University. It was Hoffman’s second national title and the fifth time he finished among the top eight for All-American prep honors. Hoffman also set school and Mercury-area records for career wins (195), the latter of which would be broken six years later by Zack Kemmerer.

7. Upper Perkiomen stripped of titles: In 2006-07, Upper Perkiomen ran the table in the PAC-10 and in the District 1-Class AAA Team Duals. However, soon after the conclusion of the season, school officials revealed a wrestler had resided illegally in the district. The Indians were forced to forfeit all matches he had participated in and surrendered all team championships.

8. Meister a four-time All-American: Baptist Bible College senior Jason Meister, a two-time state medalist before graduating from Phoenixville, became The Mercury area’s first four-time college All-American after capturing the 133-pound title during the 2003 National Collegiate Wrestling Association Championships at Lafayette College. Meister, who won his first national title as a freshman and was third as both a sophomore and junior, rolled up a 17-7 major decision over defending national champion Camilo Gonzales of Nevada-Reno to close out his senior year at 32-0.

9. Perkiomen Valley stuns Spring-Ford: In 2008, a win by injury default helped Perkiomen Valley defeat Spring-Ford, 30-26 – the first time the Vikings had ever defeated their neighboring rivals. The Rams later made up for the loss with a narrow decision of Boyertown, which left both teams tied for the PAC-10 title.

10. Racich reaches milestone: Ursinus head coach Bill Racich, a graduate of Plymouth-Whitemarsh and longtime teacher in the Spring-Ford School District, went over the 400 career win mark a couple of years ago and ranks among the Top 10 of winningest coaches in all of college wrestling. Racich guided the Bears to a record four straight Centennial Conference championships from 2003 through 2006.

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Falling into the honorable mention category would be Upper Perkiomen’s Derek Zinck, the area’s first four-time sectional champion who would finish second in the state and own a District 1-record 158 career wins before graduating in 2001; the addition of a 14th weight class (215 pounds) in 2003; Zack Kemmerer and Brent Fiorito becoming the first teammates from an area team to win state titles in the same year when both were golden in 2006; Hontz being named the Pennsylvania Class AAA Coach of the Year in 2006; and Racich and Pottstown’s Jim Tsakonas (2003), Phoenixville’s Lonny Moore (2005) and Boyertown’s Bruce Hallman (2006) being inducted.into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame.

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Did someone mention an All-Decade Team? Despite the recent holiday frenzy and not a whole lot of time to research the who’s who of the soon-to-be past decade, I’ll take these 14 fellas (and will gladly accept any constructive criticism, too):

103: Seth Ecker (Pottstown) – three-time state medalist and 1321 career wins; 112: Aaron Brown (Owen J. Roberts) – state medalist and 134 career wins; 119: Chris Sheetz (Upper Perkiomen) – state champion, four-time state medalist and 189 career wins; 125: Matt Moley (Spring-Ford) – two-time state runner-up, three-time state medalist and 131 career wins; 130: David Hoffman (Hill School) – two-time national prep champion, five-time national prep medalist and 195 career wins; 135: Mark Smith (Upper Perkiomen) – three-time state medalist, 124 career pins and 161 career wins; 140: Zack Kemmerer (Upper Perkiomen) – two-time state champion, four-time state medalist and 199 career wins; 145: Derek Zinck (Upper Perkiomen) – three-time state medalist and 159 career wins; 152: Brent Fiorito (Upper Perkiomen) – state champion, two-time state medalist and 176 career wins; 160: Zach Doll (Hill School) – three-time national prep medalist and 142 career wins; 171: Jason Shivak (Spring-Ford) – state runner-up and 134 career wins; 189: Orion Doll (Hill School) – two-time national prep medalist and 130 career wins; 215: Josh White (Boyertown) – state runner-up and 112 career wins; 285: Mike Spaid (Boyertown) – state champion, two-time state medalist and 116 career wins.

Backups? The welcome mat is out for Boyertown’s Fred Rodgers, Jesse DeWan, Alex Pellicciotti (who is still on the mats for the Bears) and 2009 graduate Ryan Kemmerer; Methacton’s Brad Clark; Owen J. Roberts’ Nick Fuschino and Scott Syrek (just a junior this year); Spring-Ford’s Mike Moley; and Upper Perkiomen’s Darren Kern and Derek Bennett.

Usual suspects lead PAC-10 wrestling

2009-12-31T00:19:00.003-05:00

Two full weeks into another wrestling season and, well, it doesn’t appear as though much may change locally – in the Pioneer Athletic Conference, that is – or throughout District 1 this winter.

Hopefully it will, because no one would enjoy being wrong more than you know who.

But for now, after a slew of individual and team tournaments, even a handful of dual meets here and there, the cast of contenders seems to be the same ol’ gang.

In the PAC-10, there’s no doubt Boyertown, Spring-Ford and Upper Perkiomen – three teams that have won or shared the last 15 titles, and 19 of the league’s 23 championships overall – are the frontrunners once again. If Methacton and Owen J. Roberts can fill some holes in their respective lineups before the ball drops in Times Square, they could create some congestion among the contenders when they all start wrestling for real, or against one another, in January.

And in District 1, despite the noticeable rise (or actual resurrection) of a few programs in the early going, there doesn’t seem to be anyone other than Boyertown or

Council Rock North ready to present a legitimate challenge to Council Rock South or Quakertown – who have accounted for the last three AAA team duals titles. Council Rock South, without Josh Dziewa on the mat, performed rather admirably at the Ironman and King of the Mountain tournaments, unquestionably two of the top high school features in the entire country, and beat Council Rock North in last week’s Suburban One National showdown. A move here or a move there was all that separated Boyertown and Council Rock North during the season-opening Brian Bealer Memorial Bear Duals two weeks ago, and there was little that separated those two and Quakertown during this past weekend’s Beast of the East. It’s hard to imagine anyone in the district faring any better at the Ironman, King of the Mountain, or Beast of the East.

That’s for now.

Things can change, and change in a hurry … and, if only for the sake of firing up the competitive juices and creating a bit more drama, here’s hoping they do.

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Individual match-ups, which don’t really carry any substantial weight until the postseason, nonetheless could be quite entertaining over the next month and a half.

For starters, there isn’t a weight class anywhere – perhaps in any district in Pennsylvania – near as loaded as the 189 bracket. Go pound-for-pound, up and down the docket, and none packs a punch like Council Rock North’s Jamie Callender, Springfield-Delco’s Andre Petroski, Oxford’s Nick Ruggear and Council Rock South’s Bobby Lavelle. Callender, Petroski and Ruggear were second, third and fifth, respectively, at the Beast, and Lavelle collected two medals at the Ironman and King of the Mountain.

The district should also get a boost from a solid group of freshmen. Plymouth-Whitemarsh may have the best in Justin Staudenmayer. Among the many others to keep an eye on throughout the regular season are Norristown’s Brett Harner, Downingtown East’s Alex Wait, Quakertown’s Tyler Seislove, and Upper Perkiomen’s Wolfgang McStravick.

BEAST NOTES

Boyertown had just one medalist – 135-pound senior Alex Pellicciotti (fourth) – at the Beast. Both of Pellicciotti’s setbacks – 5-3 in the quarterfinals and 11-2 in the third-place final – were to No. 5 seed Scott Festejo of Long Branch (N.J.). Matt Malfaro (119) and Zach Heffner (189) both came within a win of the medal rounds for the Bears, who were 30-26 overall in individual bouts. If it’s any consolation to head coach Pete Ventresca, 18 of those 26 losses were to seeded opponents. … The Hill School had three entries – Colin Saunders (2-2 at 135), Karl Wiszumerski (1-2 at 140) and Jay Knighton (3-2 at 285) – who combined for a 6-6 mark.

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District 1 had nine medalists overall at the Beast, led by the aforementioned threesome at 189. District rivals went up against each other in the seventh-place final at both 125 and 145.

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Blair Academy won its 11th straight Beast of the East team title on Sunday. The Bucs had five individual champions. Blair’s Chris Villalonga (140) and Central Dauphin’s Marshall Peppelman (160), both of whom have already committed to Cornell, won their third straight gold medals at the Beast. … Wyoming Seminary heavyweight Mike McMullan was named the Outstanding Wrestler, an honor that could’ve (if not should’ve) easily gone to Garnet Valley’s 215-pound Matt Idelson. McMullan was seeded second, so his effort wasn’t all that surprising. Idelson, on the other hand, wasn’t seeded. But the junior put up three pins and a pair of shutout decisions to get to his final, where he knocked off No. 1 seed and nationally ranked Nate Gaffney of Connellsville, 6-4.

BERKS BATTLE

The Daniel Boone-Conrad Weiser match has decided the Berks Conference Section Two title the last two years. Their match on Jan. 23 is expected to decide this year’s championship, even though the Blazers may have the upper-hand for now considering they crushed the Scouts, 69-9, at the Ephrata Duals two weeks ago.

This past weekend, Daniel Boone was sixth among 17 teams at the Thundering Herd Tournament in Carlisle. Colin Martucci (145), son of former St. Pius X head coach John Martucci, was second, while Sam Batchelor (215) was third. Eddie Lockowitz (103), Liam Gibbons (119) and Nick McGlauflin (171) were all fifth, and Zach Mitchell (125) contributed a sixth for rookie head coach Matt Shutt.

SPECIAL GUEST

Andy Kaul, a 1951 graduate of The Hill School and one of its most successful wrestlers, watched the Blues during the Mercersburg Duals two weeks ago. A three-time national prep champion while at the Hill, Kaul went on to Michigan and led the Wolverines to two Big 10 Conference championships and a 29-6-1 overall record in his four seasons in the program. He was a two-time NCAA All-American, placing four at 137 pounds in 1954 and second at the same weight in 1955.

The thrill is gone, but Pottsgrove exceeded expectations

2009-12-31T00:16:00.001-05:00

Forty-eight hours after it was all over, head coach Rick Pennypacker was still having a difficult time digesting the end of Pottsgrove’s football season.

He didn’t feel any better Sunday night than he did Friday night, when the Falcons failed to come up with another one of their customary stops on defense or breathtaking big plays on offense in the waning moments of their PIAA-Class AAA showdown with Archbishop Wood and lost, 30-28.

“It’s going to take a while to get over it,” Pennypacker admitted. “I know there are people out there saying we had a great season, and it was. But it’s going to take a little time for me to get past this (loss) and look at (the season) like everyone else is right now.”

Time will eventually ease the pain.

Time will, as they say, heal all wounds.

What time will never erase, though, is the way the Falcons responded to all those late-summer expectations by staying focused from week to week, by executing on both sides of the ball. And despite giving up a few inches and a lot of pounds nearly every Friday night or Saturday afternoon, they exploited opponents with their quickness, their speed, and their knack of always seeming to be at the right place at the right time.

They had that resourcefulness on defense and that flair on offense. It was an unbeatable combination for 14 straight games – including three straight, come-from-behind postseason victories that led to the program’s first District 1 championship and first appearance in the state playoffs.

Everyone, including their throng of fans – which may have reached 2,000-plus last Friday night – sure wouldn’t have minded more than the cameo appearance, sure wouldn’t have minded another trek to who-knows-where this Friday or, for that matter, a trek out to Hershey for the state final in two weeks.

But getting as far as they did, winning 14 games, wasn’t too bad at all.

“Did I expect us to get this far … I don’t know,” Pennypacker said. “I know the biggest thing in the beginning of the year was hoping to play Rustin again. All we heard was how (Rustin) had everyone back from the team that beat us last year, from the team that won districts.

“So it’s a credit to the kids how they played this season. When they got the opportunity they seized it.”

The Falcons withstood challenges from their Pioneer Athletic Conference rivals – and won their second straight outright league championship – to finish first in the postseason points standings. They came from behind to beat Upper Moreland; regrouped and came from behind again to beat Rustin – which few in their right football mind thought they could do; then came from behind yet again to outlast Interboro in an overtime thriller for the district title.

That resiliency, that confidence, is what brought them back to even terms with Archbishop Wood last Friday night, and not just once but twice. It’s what brought them back a third time, which gave them a 28-24 lead with just over three minutes remaining, too.

But this time, the Falcons couldn’t hold the lead.

“These kids worked hard, they wanted to get to states,” Pennypacker said. “They wanted to win districts and get to states. When we beat Upper Moreland I was afraid of a letdown, but it didn’t happen. When we beat Rustin I was afraid of a letdown, but it didn’t happen. When we beat Interboro I was afraid of a letdown, but it didn’t happen.

“Each one of those games were big wins for us, and I was worried the kids would come out flat the next week. But that never happened. They came from behind in every playoff game except (Friday night’s) game. We just couldn’t seal the deal.”

And it wasn’t until Pennypacker was finished his postgame chat with the Falcons that he realized just how exhausted everyone was.

Adrenaline carries coaches and players alike through practices, through the routine of dressing up and firing up for Friday nights. But a loss, especially one that ends a very successful 15-week season, depletes entirely that energy.

“We were at it since August,” Pennypacker explained. “It really takes a toll on you and your coaches, so imagine how the kids feel.”

Pennypacker got a firsthand look at how the Falcons felt when the final seconds ticked off the clock last Friday night.

“I really felt bad for our seniors,” he said. “One of my coaches told me that we were 36-6 in the three years those (seniors) were with us. They just weren’t used to losing. And it was kind of strange after the game Friday night because (losing) isn’t something you prepare for. Most years you know your last game is on Thanksgiving morning, you know it’s over after that game. But this time … it was just a weird atmosphere.

“But I can’t say enough about our kids, every one of them. I can’t say enough about what they accomplished this year. Right now, like me, they’re hurting. But if you don’t hurt when you lose you’ll never win, and we’ve told them that.”

The Falcons were hurting late Friday night, throughout the weekend, too.

They’ll remember the pain for some time, especially when it comes time to gear up again next summer with most of this season’s cast intact for another PAC-10 and postseason show.

“Oh, this is going to motivate them for next season,” Pennypacker said. “They got a taste of what it’s like now. They saw how the school and the community supported them. They’re going to want to do this again next year. I can tell you now they can’t wait to get back out there next year.

“Every year is different, and we’re going to have to replace some very good football players. But as soon as their bodies heal up a little bit, they’re going to be back in the weight room and ready to get after it. They’re an incredible group of kids.”

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Pennypacker didn’t want to talk about the issue of Archbishop Wood having a full week off prior to Friday night’s opening round of the state tournament. A number of other coaches haven’t been tight-lipped about it, though.

“Whoever heard of a bye week in the middle of the playoffs?” one coach asked. “That’s ridiculous. It’s something the PIAA should address, too.”

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There has been a big difference in the playoffs since Philadelphia Catholic League schools joined the PIAA last year, teaming up with Philadelphia Public League rivals (members since 2004) in District 12.

Going into this weekend – with LaSalle (Class AAAA), Archbishop Wood (AAA) and West Catholic (AA) in their respective bracket’s state semifinals – the Catholic league is 8-3 overall against teams from opposing districts. Both Archbishop Wood and West Catholic were state runners-up a year ago.

The city’s public league schools, meanwhile, haven’t fared anywhere near as well against opponents from other districts. The PCL is 0-5 in AAAA; 0-4 in AAA; 1-0 in AA (lone win against Lower Moreland); and 2-1 in A (wins over Bristol and Jenkintown).

None of the aforementioned records include results of games between Philadelphia’s Catholic League and Public League schools because they’re all part of District 12.

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Pottsgrove not only set an area record for wins in a season, but also for points scored in a season. The Falcons put up 497 points to erase the mark of 446 set eight years earlier by Pottsgrove. … Perkiomen Valley still owns the single-season record for average points per game (38.7), set two years ago. … Only 11 area teams have scored 400 or more points in a season.

Falcons had fans on the edge of their seats

2009-12-31T00:11:00.002-05:00

This column originally ran in the Dec. 4, 2009 edition of The Mercury.

PHILADELPHIA — There was little if any excitement in the first 10 weeks of Pottsgrove’s football season. Shutting out three opponents and limiting five others to just one touchdown, not to mention never trailing once at the halfway mark of any of those games, doesn’t exactly coerce coaches to pace crazily up and down the sidelines or force the fans behind them to fidget in their seats.

The last three weeks…

Well, neither head coach Rick Pennypacker nor any of his assistants have stood still for long (if at all), and their fans have been kind of sitting on pins and needles.

Talk about making up for lost time.

The Falcons have had to come from behind in all three of their playoff games – first against Upper Moreland and then against unbeaten Bayard Rustin for a pair of 21-14 thrillers, and again last week against unbeaten Interboro in a 28-21 overtime gripper.

“That was tense, and I mean tense,” Pennypacker said last Saturday night, moments after the Falcons whipped up some momentum late in the third quarter, held it through the fourth quarter, then carried it into overtime to outlast Interboro for the program’s first District 1-AAA title.

Pennypacker and his entire staff have indeed had a bit of an anxious look and an uneasy bounce in their collective step since the postseason kicked off back on the second weekend of last month.

Don’t expect it to be any different tonight, either, when they make their debut in the PIAA playoffs against Archbishop Wood in a Class AAA quarterfinal showdown here at Northeast High School’s Charles Martin Memorial Stadium.

“It has gotten tougher and tougher each week, and we know it’s going to be even tougher (tonight),” Pennypacker said. “You may be able to make a mistake here and there (during the regular season) and have it not hurt you. But once you get into the playoffs, one mistake can cost you … cost you the game, end your season.”

During the regular season, the Falcons more than made up for any occasional blunder. They opened with two very convincing non-league wins over Pennridge and Wissahickon, then ran the table on their Pioneer Athletic Conference rivals. The spotless 10-0 record earned them a second straight PAC-10 championship and the top-billing for the District 1-AAA playoffs.

But that’s all their impressive play earned them.

Upper Moreland put them in a 14-7 hole at the break, but the Falcons took advantage of some of the Golden Bears’ mistakes to pull out the win. Rustin – the defending district champions who dizzied every one of their opponents before visiting Pottsgrove – had them trailing 14-13 at the break, but the Falcons stepped up when the Knights lost a fumble and then their poise to pull out the win.

Last week, Interboro capitalized on a couple of breakdowns, mistakes if you will, to take a 21-14 lead at the break. But if there was ever a defining defensive play and defining drive to characterize the Falcons’ fight this postseason, it came by way of linebacker Preston Hamlette and their persistent offense. Hamlette sacked Interboro’s quarterback on fourth down to end the Bucs’ one last attempt to regain the lead. The Falcons took possession with 10:31 left and, despite not finding their way into the end zone, they ate up all but the final three seconds of regulation.

Into overtime they went … with momentum, and a whole heck of a lot of confidence.

It took just two snaps for Maika Polamalu to skirt the right side for the go-ahead touchdown, and four stops on defense – the last being Angelo Berry’s knockdown of a pass just inside the end zone – to finally end it.

Ironically, tonight’s scrap with Archbishop Wood could likely unfold like the previous three games, even end in similar fashion.

“It should be a pretty exciting game,” Pennypacker said.

Yep … the postseason may get a little repetitive in December, but never boring.

* * *

If the Falcons are looking for any additional motivation – or bulletin board material, as they call it – all they have to do is read a couple of the comments about their win over Interboro on easternpafootball.com... which, forgive us, we’ve cleaned up a bit (spelling and punctuation).

Bob said: “(Archbishop) Wood is going to destroy this Pottsgrove team. Pottsgrove is not good at all, they got lucky. And Terrell Chestnut is overrated.”

And FootballFan responded: “It should be Rustin vs. (Archbishop) Wood. That would have been a great game Bob.”

Let’s see now – Pottsgrove isn’t “good at all” and Chestnut is “overrated.” Hmmm… Pottsgrove beats Rustin, then beats Interboro. Two straight wins over undefeated teams is lucky? Maybe, then again how often have you heard coaches – in all sports – say they’d rather be lucky than good? And, for the record, Chestnut is either being recruited or looked at by 30-40 Division I-A schools. Could JoePa and some of the best minds in college football all be wrong?

Matters of Heart

2009-12-03T12:16:00.001-05:00

There isn’t a soul on the Pottsgrove football team who’ll likely forget last week for a long, long time.

No one.

It was emotional chaos … a convoluted mix of joy and sadness, linked by two heartwarming wins on the field and two heartbreaking losses off the field.

It was a week when football, the game the Falcons play with such conviction and with such passion, and life itself, which every teenager way too often takes for granted, were twisted so perversely by an automobile accident that claimed the lives of two Pottsgrove student-athletes.

Coming to school for practice on Monday, despite a few leftover aches and pains from that grueling game with Rustin less than 72 hours earlier, was easy.

Coming to school for practice on Tuesday wasn’t.

Instead of looking for all those X’s and O’s and the plan of attack for their next game just 48 hours ahead of them, the Falcons were looking for one another … for a shoulder to cry on, for a hug of assurance, for hope. Many hadn’t slept the previous night, not after hearing about the accident, especially after learning classmates Mike Cantamaglia and Andrew Case had died in the crash.

Cantamaglia and Case were 16 and 17 years old, respectively, like many of them. They were juniors, like many of them.

They played soccer and lacrosse … athletes, like them.

And above all, they were friends.

“(Tuesday) was a very, very difficult day,” Pottsgrove head coach Rick Pennypacker said. “We told all of our kids if they couldn’t come to practice we’d understand. I think they were all there to start, but it was hard.

“Some broke down during warm-ups, some started crying in the huddles. Some eventually asked to leave, and we had no problem with that. I’ve been in football most of my life, but I have never experienced anything like that.”

By Thursday, the Falcons regrouped.

Whether it was while suiting up in their locker room, on the brief ride to St. Pius X High School, or during the game itself no one knows, but they had developed an indissoluble bond. And it was reinforced the moment the Thanksgiving game kicked off with the stars of Pottsgrove’s unbeaten season on the sidelines (because of an agreement by both schools to play only non-varsity starters due to playoff games just two days later).

It was a role reversal of sorts. But the Falcons responded with a collective roar or two when their unsung teammates were on the field, and with words of encouragement when they came off of it.

Pennypacker called the 42-0 win – which gave Pottsgrove its second straight outright Pioneer Athletic Conference championship – “a real team effort.” Considering the strength it took for the Falcons to take the field let alone line up and play that morning, few could argue.

The following day, many of the Falcons attended funeral services for Case … regrouped emotionally, then practiced. Early Saturday, many of the Falcons attended funeral services for Cantamaglia … regrouped emotionally, then rode off to Coatesville for the District 1-Class AAA championship showdown with Interboro.

Maika Polamalu’s 62-yard run on the second play of the night and Kayvon Greene’s 95-yard dash later in the first quarter helped the Falcons focus on the task at hand – beating yet another very physical opponent and winning the district title for the very first time.

However, a wave of adversity – as if the swell that hit them earlier in the week wasn’t enough – struck again. First, it was a fumble. Then a few missed assignments, a couple of mental mistakes, a blocked punt… All of a sudden, the Falcons trailing 21-14 and had a listless look to them.

“We were still confident we could come back, though,” said senior linebacker Preston Hamlette, who knows a little more about comebacks than most 17-year-olds.

Hamlette suffered what appeared to be a season-ending ankle injury during the second game of the season. Coupled with the strain of helping his mother through her battle with cancer, few expected him back.

He returned just over a month ago, albeit just on defense.

And Saturday night, few had more oomph in that decisive second half – or more of an increasingly confident strut in their step – than Hamlette.

Moments after the Falcons evened it up at 21-21, Hamlette cut short Interboro’s attempt to go back in front when he sacked quarterback Brett Creighton for a six-yard loss on fourth down that ended a Bucs’ drive that reached Pottsgrove’s 20-yard line with 10:31 left. Exactly five minutes later, he strolled onto the field to take a handoff and convert a fourth-and-one. That helped the Falcons run out all but the final three seconds of regulation, force overtime, and survive yet another trying ordeal.

“This win was for (Cantamaglia and Case), this was a win in memory of them,” Hamlette said.

No one, perhaps, played with as much emotion – or with as heavy a heart – as Polamalu.

The junior running back went to school with Case at St. Aloysius. Later, they were teammates in the Pottstown PAL youth football program.

“(Case) was one of my best friends,” Polamalu said. “It was hard not thinking about him and (Cantamaglia), hard concentrating on football this week. But we dedicated tonight’s game to them, in their honor. I wanted to do everything I could for (Case), wanted to represent him as best I could.

“It’s been a tough week, a tough week for all of us. What has happened has made us all fight even harder, and I think it’s helped make us a better football team.”

“These kids are unbelievable, and what they did (last) week was unbelievable,” Pennypacker said. “We couldn’t be more proud of them.”

* * *

Pottsgrove advances into the first round of the PIAA-Class AAA playoffs, taking on Archbishop Wood this Friday (7 p.m.) at Northeast High School in Philadelphia.

OUT WITH A ROAR

It was also a week to remember for St. Pius X football, which hosted its final game at Mich Stadium on Thanksgiving, then played its final game up in Williamstown on Saturday night.

St. Pius will team up with Kennedy-Kenrick next year at the new Pope John Paul II High School in Upper Providence Township.

“It was difficult knowing (Thursday) was the last time we’ll be playing here,” former Lions head coach Jim Mich – who the field was named after back in 1976 – said late Thursday night.

They had one of the largest crowds ever at Pius last week, and many of those in attendance were there for one reason only.

“For many of us it was our way of saying ‘Thank you, coach Mich,’ “ said Tom Reed, who played for Mich in the early 70s. “Even though the school is closing, I think most of us, whenever we think of St. Pius, will always think of Jim Mich.”

Mich also made the long trek up to Williams Valley High School for Pius’ state playoff game against Tri-Valley on Saturday night. Despite having almost as many coaching changes as wins in the six years leading up to this season, Mich was one of the biggest supporters of current head coach George Parkinson and never wavered in his support of the kids who played for him.

“What has helped get some of us through (the closing of the school) is the great job coach Parkinson and his kids have done this year,” Mich said. “They won a district championship … they brought some pride back to the program.”

TALKING TURKEY

It’s a shame Thanksgiving Day football isn’t quite what is used to be … at least in this area.

Locally, the tradition began back in the 1920s, and even though the smaller schools’ rivalries disappeared by way of jointures, there were usually a handful of games to choose from before sitting down with the family to gobble up the turkey, take a short nap, then wake up to watch an NFL game or two on the tube.

It’s still easy to remember those 10,000-plus fans who sat in on the Phoenixville-Great Valley game back in 1966; the 10,000-plus who watched Pottstown and Owen J. Roberts epic in 1970; and the 12,000-plus who squeezed into Coach McNelly Stadium to watch the showdown between unbeatens Phoenixville and Spring-Ford back in 1994.

With Pius closing it doors at the end of the current school year, the current Thanksgiving Day card of four games will be reduced to three, and that’s only if the remaining three – Boyertown and Upper Perkiomen, Owen J. Roberts and Pottstown, and Phoenixville and Spring-Ford – continue the commitment to their respective holiday series.

Playoffs, of course, have led to the demise of Thanksgiving Day football. And even though statewide playoffs began back in 1988 (thanks to the constant whining of the WPIAL), it took a while – actually increased fields (that’s more postseason qualifiers) and additional revenue (that’s more money in the PIAA’s pockets), to impact Thanksgiving Day football.

For someone who has watched at least one Thanksgiving Day football game every year except for one since 1956, it’s still a very special treat, a day to look forward to every season. And the playoffs, well, when nearly everyone is on the edge of their seat for nearly every play, that’s a pretty special treat as well.

It’s a shame Pennsylvania can’t maintain – or protect – the tradition like New Jersey does. Believe it or not, 78 games are played on Thanksgiving Day in New Jersey, where no playoff games are scheduled the entire holiday week.

Thanksgiving will never be the same

2009-12-03T12:13:00.002-05:00

This column was originally published in the Nov. 26 edition of The Mercury.

This is, as it’s been for longer than anyone can remember, and for longer than anyone has been around, one of the really big weeks for high school football in the area.

But the clock may be running down on Thanksgiving football, or close to running out, as many old-school fans or purists fear. The day that year after year has re-energized generations of players and coaches and enthralled their devoted followings, will never be the same after today … never be the same because Pottsgrove and St. Pius X will end their long and storied rivalry this morning.

St. Pius X will be closing its doors next spring and – along with Kennedy-Kenrick – moving into Pope John Paul II High School in Upper Providence Township.

And even though Pope John Paul II will be a member of the Pioneer Athletic Conference and play Pottsgrove, it will be in September — not November, and not on Thanksgiving anymore — according to several sources.

“I don’t even like to think about (today) being the last game,” said Jim Mich, who was just out of college, just 21 years of age, when he took over the one-year-old program in 1959. “I have a lot of emotions running through me over this, and it’s going to be a very emotional day watching the last game.

“A lot of things close nowadays. But this, for me, is different. I’m having a very difficult time with it. I just can’t explain it, really.”

And it’s easy to understand why.

Jim Mich was, still is and will be forever remembered as the heart and soul of St. Pius X football – if not the entire school.

His love of the game, and his passion for those who played it, was unwavering. He was as committed to teaching and coaching the 5-foot-5, 150-pound jayvee as he was the 6-foot-2, 220-pound all-state starting linebacker; as faithful to the five teams that didn’t win many games as he was to the 19 others that won a whole lot of games and some championships; and he’s been supportive of each and every one of the six head coaches who have followed him at Pius.

No one, absolutely no one, has been more loyal to Lions football than Jim Mich.

So today will certainly tug at his heartstrings.

Mich will be more than just a little emotional this morning when a lot of former Pius players – many from his 60s, 70s and 80s teams – sit down to break bread together, or share breakfast, in Father Doyne Hall prior to the game. He’ll fidget in his seat, get up on occasion for a panicky pace, maybe even hoot and holler a bit during the game.

And when it’s over and done with, when the crowd disappears and the gates surrounding Mich Stadium – justly named in his honor 33 years ago – are closed for good?

“I can’t even imagine how I’ll feel at that moment,” Mich admitted. “I know I’m going to hate seeing the series (with Pottsgrove) end. I can remember how hard (former Pottsgrove athletic director) Francis Winterbottom and (former Pottsgrove head coach) Ken Harclerode worked with us to start up the Thanksgiving game back in 1965, too, so it’s going to be very hard seeing the Thanksgiving rivalry end, too.

“It’s just going to be a difficult day. There were so many people who helped us get the football program started; so many people who took it upon themselves to build our stadium at a time when the archdiocese didn’t allow you to build anything on school property; so many great coaches who made me look good at times; so many good kids.”

Today will be the 50th and final game between the Lions and Falcons, who have already clinched no worse than a tie for the title but need a victory for their second straight outright championship. And even though the Falcons have dominated of late, winning nine in a row and 17 of the last 19 (with one tie in between) for a commanding 28-18-3 lead in the series, their recent run won’t diminish the hopes of the Lions or their loyal fans.

Not today.

Not even with the trip up to Williams Valley High School in Tower City to take on Tri-Valley in the opening round of the PIAA-Class A playoffs just two days away.

“The one saving grace about all of this is that coach (George) Parkinson has stuck by the kids and the program,” Mich explained. “They’ve won the two playoff games. They’ve won eight games. They got the program back on its feet.

“Hey, we’ve gone through some difficult times here in recent years with all the coaching changes, the 1-10 seasons, and the news of the school closing. I’ve had my moments thinking about today, too. And as difficult as it will be seeing it all end, it’ll help knowing the last season was a pretty good one.”

*

St. Pius and Pottsgrove played against one another as non-league opponents (1960-1977) and as members of the Ches-Mont League (1978-1985) and Pioneer Athletic Conference (1986-present). … Their Thanksgiving series didn’t begin until 1965, which Pottsgrove won 21-7. The following year, the Lions owned an unbeaten 8-0 mark and the Falcons were just 5-4, but Pius needed Darryl Stigura’s late touchdown pass to Bob Fisher to salvage a 13-13 tie. … The only game not played at St. Pius or Pottsgrove was in 1974, when they met at Pottstown High School. That day the Falcons, who had already finished its Ches-Mont season and shared the title with Great Valley, trailed 10-0 before rallying for a 26-10 win over the underdog Lions. … Mich retired with a 159-89-11 career mark at Pius, which goes into today’s game with an overall won-loss record of 265-264-12.

You'd Better Believe It

2009-12-03T12:11:00.003-05:00

This column was originally published in the Nov. 24 edition of The Mercury.

This week has always been regarded as the final week of the high school football season. Except for a few teams and their seemingly endless schedules that ran into December back in the 1920s and 1930s; the St. Pius X and Pottsgrove playoff runs in 2001 and 2007, respectively; and a handful or so weather-related postponements, no area teams have played beyond Thanksgiving.

Well, this season sure is different.

Pottsgrove and St. Pius X made it a little different, or officially extended it beyond this Thursday’s holiday football feast, last weekend. Pottsgrove did it by beating the odds (and everyone’s predictions but their own) with a win over Bayard Rustin to move into Saturday night’s District 1-Class AAA championship down at Coatesville. St. Pius X did it by beating the odds (and all but erasing for good the horrors of its recent past) with a win over Calvary Christian to move into Saturday night’s opening round of the PIAA-Class A playoffs way up at Williams Valley.

Imagine that…

The program with the best won-loss record this decade (Pottsgrove) and the program with the worst win-loss record this decade (St. Pius X) both playing football three days before we flip the calendar over to the month that portly ol’ fella up at the North Pole thinks is all about him.

And if not for a mistake here and there – the mental and physical gaffes that may have been uncharacteristic of their play this season but are nonetheless part of every game played – Daniel Boone and Owen J. Roberts would have teamed up with Pottsgrove and St. Pius X to make it a foursome this weekend.

But not enough can be said for what the Falcons and Lions accomplished last Friday night.

Yes, Pottsgrove has frequented the postseason in recent years, six times now since 2000. But the Falcons’ first three treks were brief with hideous endings, or lopsided losses down at Strath Haven. Three years ago, they were on a two-game run before another setback to Garnet Valley. And last year, they came up short again to eventual district champion Rustin.

This season, when they opened practice back in August, the Falcons may have kept everything in focus, in perspective for three months … but they also dared to look ahead, to peek into a rematch, as they say, with Rustin. They got it, of course, and despite hearing and reading how there was simply no way they could get the best of a team that was virtually intact and a whole lot better than the team that beat them a year ago, the Falcons pounced on the pessimism, never once allowing it in their huddle.

Pottsgrove won a lot of big games under former head coach Ken Harclerode, and it’s won its share of big games the past 20 years under Rick Pennypacker. But it never played a bigger game than last Friday night, never played better on any previous Friday night or Saturday afternoon … never won a bigger game.

And while most may be tired of hearing how the heart and soul of a team can sometimes outweigh the mass and outperform the talent of another, or just refuse to believe it… Well, there was never a better see-it-to-believe-it than Pottsgrove’s 21-14 win. Rustin was much, much bigger than the Falcons, and had just as many if not more play-makers and game-breakers as the Falcons. But no yardstick or first-down chain can measure motivation, or the passion to rise up and overcome. Yes, the Falcons have Terrell Chestnut, Preston Hamlette, Maika Polamalu and Kayvon Greene, the play-makers and game-breakers. But they also have a lot of movers and shakers, an anonymous bunch – energized best perhaps by T.J. Demetrio, the munchkin in the middle of their defense – that has pushed them to step up and above everyone else thus far.

Believing, and not looking back, is what carried St. Pius X to the District 1/12-Class A title last Friday night and into the state playoffs this Saturday night.

It’s been a long, long seven seasons since the Lions won an actual handful of games between August and November let alone appeared in the postseason. Actually eight years if you go back to 2001, when they swept the Pioneer Athletic Conference title, the then mythical District 1-Class AA championship, and played all the way through to the PIAA Eastern Final.

But since that long postseason run, the program had gone through three coaches and a pair of interim coaches before George Parkinson anchored his football feet on the Pius sideline in 2006. Parkinson didn’t quit, didn’t run off, when the losses continued to mount. Neither did a small group of unknown and untested freshmen, still a small group but now skilled seniors who have carried Pius – one of the area’s most successful programs for more than 30 years – back to respectability.

Except for the players, Parkinson and their devout but depleted following, no one thought this season would be much different than the previous five or six. Few are likely to forget it, whenever it ends, even after they shut down Mich Stadium for good on Thursday, and close the doors to the school for good next spring.

TURKEY DAY

Pottsgrove will play at St. Pius X on Thursday morning as scheduled in their PAC-10 finale, completing the card that also features Owen J. Roberts at Pottstown, Spring-Ford at Phoenixville, and Upper Perkiomen at Boyertown. Pottsgrove, of course, needs a win for its second straight outright league championship.

Interboro, which will meet the Falcons in the District 1-Class AAA final, has cancelled its Thanksgiving game with Ridley, which is entertaining Downingtown East on Friday night in a District 1-Class AAAA semifinal.

FLAG TIME

When Pottsgrove answered Rustin’s long touchdown run with a well-executed touchdown drive of its own – and scoring the first points of the season against Rustin’s first-team defense – flags began flying … most in Rustin’s direction.

The undefeated, unchallenged and state-ranked Golden Knights were hit with three unsportsmanlike penalties in the first half and three more in the second half – including back-to-back 15-yarders (actually one was only eight yards because of being half the distance to the goal line) when the Falcons were taking a knee in the final minute of the game. The Falcons got caught up in it, too … just once. After their one unsportsmanlike and an illegal block before the break, though, they were hit with just one motion penalty the entire second half.

* * *

There was a very controversial ending to Downingtown East’s 49-48 thriller over Penncrest in last weekend’s District 1-Class AAAA quarterfinal.

East, which fell behind 48-41 with just 37 seconds remaining, drove 56 yards for a touchdown and decisive two-point conversion with no time left. But what had a lot of fans fired up – Penncrest fans, that is – was East quarterback Trey Lauletta’s pass with nine seconds remaining. Facing a third-and-three on the 37-yard line, Lauletta appeared to have been sacked as he threw the ball away. Officials ruled it an incomplete pass, not a sack which would’ve allowed the clock to run out. So Lauletta responded with a short toss for a first down, then a 30-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Kroft as time ran out. Drew Harris then ran in the two-point conversion for the win.

Blown call or not, fans – or whoever the nameless critics are on the web – were absolutely pathetic … none worse than a woman who wrote she had been following her sons and grandsons through every level of football for 30 years. Her response? “Like I said to my grandson, ‘You can beat a team but you can’t beat the refs.’” Let’s hope her grandson didn’t take those words of idiocy to heart.

A man, who claimed to be a referee himself, said it was the “worst display of refereeing I (had) ever seen” and asked others to call the PIAA. A referee calling out other referees publicly? Doubt it, unless he’s one of those fellas who never dared to take the PIAA officials test (or did and failed it), and never blew his whistle in anything but a youth football game.

Shame we’re not all perfect, eh?

CALL IT A CAREER

Daniel Boone quarterback Jon Monteiro and wideout Kelly Saylor closed out their spectacular high school football careers last Friday night following their 24-20 loss to unbeaten and state-ranked Manheim Central in the District 3-Class AAA playoffs.

Monteiro, who was 20 of 43 for 194 yards and two touchdowns in the setback, didn’t even play two full seasons after missing his entire sophomore year due to an injury and a couple of games the last two years with injuries. But he still finished with a slew of records and among the Top Five in a number of area career passing categories.

He set area records for consecutive games of 100 or more yards passing (17) and consecutive games of at least one touchdown pass (19); most games with three or more touchdown passes (12); and most games with at least four touchdown passes (four). He owns the record for most yards passing in a game (475). On the area’s career passing charts, Monteiro finishes third in completions (345), fifth in attempts (597), third in yardage (5,098), and third in touchdowns (62).

Saylor, who didn’t catch a pass as a sophomore, closes third in career receptions (105) and fourth in career receiving yardage (1,441). Former St. Pius X standout LeRyan Dallas – who is now fourth in catches (102) and remains third in yardage (1,462) – was Saylor’s receivers coach the past two seasons at Daniel Boone.

* * *

The Blazers made their fourth straight appearance in the District 3-AAA playoffs this year and finished 9-3, their sixth straight season of eight or more wins and seventh straight winning season – one shy of the school record set from 1964 through 1971. Head coach Dave Bodolus, who has orchestrated the turnaround, is now 58-24 guiding the Blazers’ program in 2003.

Postseason a long and winding road

2009-12-03T12:08:00.001-05:00

This column was originally published in the Nov. 17 edition of The Mercury.

There are no maps or global positioning systems – heck, not even the most detailed printout from MapQuest – that can show a football team how to get to or through the playoffs.

Winning games will.

It actually takes a lot of wins, in the heat and humidity of early September, through the mud and muck of October and into the chill of early November, just to find a spot in the playoffs. A loss here and there can (and will) lead a team to a dead end, and those weekly playoff points standings sure remind everyone who’s headed in the right direction and who’s not.

And for those fortunate to reach that desired destination – the postseason – it can be an ever so brief stay.

The road, as they say, gets awfully treacherous at this juncture.

Just ask anyone from Daniel Boone, Owen J. Roberts, Pottsgrove, St. Pius X and Upper Perkiomen, all of whom made the successful trek into the postseason, all of whom found out just how difficult it can be getting some traction in their respective openers last weekend.

Upper Perkiomen couldn’t rev up its offense or defense against unbeaten defending District 1-Class AAA champion Bayard Rustin. Call it a quick trip, and not a happy one for the Red Hill entourage.

The Indians had been averaging close to 300 yards a game, but stalled with just 44 against the Golden Knights. Their defense, which had only been run over twice this season – and in both instances by two other district entries (Pottsgrove and Owen J. Roberts) – was mangled by the Golden Knights. So, as head coach Keith Leamer said following the 46-0 setback, the Indians will need a tune up for their Thanksgiving finale against Boyertown.

And even though the other four area teams won last weekend to extend their postseason journeys, every one of them will be in the shop – on the practice field, that is – to tune up their own games again.

Pottsgrove sure will. On cruise control through their first nine appearances the season, the Falcons barely got by Pioneer Athletic Conference rival Phoenixville (10-6) two weeks ago and needed a late turnover to stop upset-minded Upper Moreland (21-14) in last Friday night’s district opener. As head coach Rick Pennypacker, his staff and every one of the Falcons know, their entire game – offense, defense and special teams – needs a tweaking if they hope to keep up Rustin this Friday night.

Both the Falcons and Golden Knights have been running alongside one another for two years now. Last year, Rustin finished off Pottsgrove at this very same stop in the postseason – the district semifinals – and went on to win the Class AAA championship the following week. Ever since, depending on what chart you look at, they’ve rarely been separated by more than one spot in the Top 10 of any of the state rankings.

Don’t think Daniel Boone, Owen J. Roberts or St. Pius X are the least bit comfortable with their rides yet, either. Yes, all won last weekend, but there were a few challenging turns to be made to continue their postseason drives.

Daniel Boone, remember, had to travel all the way out to Greencastle-Antrim. The Blazers didn’t cramp up during the nearly three-hour bus trip, which some remembered from back in 2007. And they obviously didn’t lose their swagger along the way, as evidenced by their 35-7 romp. But all that first-round win earned them was another long ride this Friday – to undefeated and state-ranked Manheim Central, the top-seed and favorite in the District 3-Class AAA playoffs (and the team that ended what looked to be a promising postseason drive three years ago, in overtime, no less).

Owen J. Roberts didn’t have to leave Bucktown in its District 1-Class AAA opener last week. And even though the 34-7 win over Marple-Newtown looked easy enough, it actually wasn’t when considering the Wildcats were only a touchdown in front at the break. And, like PAC-10 rival Pottsgrove, every aspect of their game will need to be fiddled with this week to prepare for a visit down to undefeated Interboro – arguably the least talked about unbeaten team in the district, if not the entire state.

And then there is St. Pius X.

The Lions looked like a VW Bug sitting alongside a Ford 4-by-4 when they lined up against Delaware Valley Charter last Saturday afternoon in their first postseason appearance in seven years. But the Lions did the motoring, and did it with their offensive and scoring leader on the sidelines for the entire second half. This week they must refuel and do a little body repair work – just to be the underdog for the umpteenth time this season – in Friday night’s Class A regional final with Calvary Christian.

So hook up the seat belts. The (hopefully) long and winding road through the postseason continues in three days.

AS SCHEDULED

Pottsgrove and St. Pius X, win or lose Friday night, intend to play their Thanksgiving Day game as scheduled. If either or both would win, school officials would petition the PIAA to play their next playoff game on Saturday, Nov. 28, according to Pottsgrove athletic director Gary DeRenzo.

One of the reasons behind the move is because the Thanksgiving game would be Pius’ last at Mich Stadium – because of teaming up next year with Kennedy-Kenrick at Pope John Paul II High School – and the St. Pius X Alumni Association has planned a variety of events to celebrate the finale.

FINISHING UP

Perkiomen Valley, which just missed getting into the district’s Class AAAA playoffs, closed out what was unquestionably the most surprising run of any area team with a 41-0 shutout of Methacton last Friday night.

“I’m proud of the kids, of this team,” said head coach Scott Reed, who had every reason to be after welcoming back just one letterman on offense and four on defense from last year’s team.

If not for a slew of turnovers – an area-high 34, to be exact – the Vikings may have finished just a little better than they did in the PAC-10 (6-3) and overall (7-4) in their bid for a postseason berth. But not a bad season, not a bad one at all.

* * *

Methacton head coach Bob McNally wouldn’t mind a rerun of 2009. The Warriors lost three – that’s right – three quarterbacks and 16 other players to injury this season. Running back Drew Nicholson, who had never taken a snap in his career, was under center for the season finale in Graterford.

“I feel bad for the kids because this is certainly not what any of them expected out of our season,” McNally said after the loss. “I’ll say one thing – they hung together really well. They played hard right to the end.”

The long list of injuries really hurt the Warriors on defense, where they allowed a school-record 399 points – breaking the mark of 381 set four years ago.

MAKING A POINT

Boyertown broke its school record for points scored in a game during last Friday night’s 62-26 non-league victory at Great Valley. The previous mark was 54, set in a 54-7 rout of St. Pius X two years ago – which erased the old, old mark of 51 set against Schwenksville (51-0) in 1946 and tied against Garden Spot (51-13) in 1989.

* * *

Only four area teams – Daniel Boone, Methacton, Owen J. Roberts and Spring-Ford – have failed to go over the 60-point mark in a game. … The area’s all-time record for points in a game is 77, when Phoenixville humbled Perkiomen School by a 77-0 spread back in 1915.

* * *

Pottsgrove and Owen J. Roberts have at least two games remaining on their respective schedules and are within 22 and 61 points, respectively, of becoming just the 10th and 11th teams in area football history to score more than 400 in a season.

MOVING UP

Owen J. Roberts running back Ryan Brumfield’s third straight 200-plus game (and record sixth overall of the year) pushed his season total to 2,276 and career total to 5,302. He needs just 32 yards Friday night to move up to No. 2 on The Mercury’s all-time single-season chart, but would need two if not three big games to erase St. Pius graduate Zack Pierce’s area record of 2,828 yards. … Brumfield needs just seven points to break the The Mercury’s all-time single-season scoring record of 224 points, set by Spring-Ford’s Ralph O’Neil in 1992.

Daniel Boone senior Jon Monteiro, despite missing his entire sophomore year, a game last year and parts of two games this season, is within 96 yards of becoming just the third area quarterback to pass for more than 5,000 career yards.

And Daniel Boone senior Kelly Saylor needs five catches to become just the fifth area receiver to pull in 100 career receptions. Saylor, already just one of five to accumulate more than 1,000 yards receiving, is No. 4 (1,353 yards) going into Friday night’s game. He trails No. 3 LeRyan Dallas – a St. Pius X graduate and his current receivers coach at Daniel Boone – by 109 yards.

New chapter in old rivalry with league title on the line

2009-12-03T12:06:00.001-05:00

This column was originally published in the Nov. 13 edition of The Mercury.

When it comes to football, The Hill School has always had a lot to shout about. When you’ve been playing the game for 122 years, nearly twice as long as most schools, you should. But other than an occasional hip-hip-hooray in recent years, it’s been relatively quiet.

But expect a resounding roar sometime late Saturday, especially if the Rams defeat Lawrenceville in the two schools’ traditional season-ending scrap down in New Jersey.

Beating the Larries is one thing.

Beating the Larries to finish a perfect run through the Mid-Atlantic Prep League for the outright championship — which no Hill team has done before — is another thing.

And considering the Rams have an opportunity to close out a season they kicked off with a 32-12 rout of Germantown Academy for the program’s milestone 500th win, well, that is something.

To say the Rams and their following on the Hill School campus are rocking would be an understatement.

“A win (Saturday) will complete our major goals for the season,“ head coach Marty Vollmuth said earlier this week.

It’s hard to imagine anything upstaging the rivalry. Hill and Lawrenceville meet this weekend for the 107th time. For the record, that’s one of the longest scholastic football series in all of America. One could be winless, but a victory in this game salvages their entire season. Get the idea how big it is?

But it gets bigger when considering the Rams have never won a league championship since the Mid-Atlantic League was formed in 1998. They’ve come close, finishing second in 2005 and again last year. They’ve already clinched that elusive first title this season because they’re 4-0 and, except for Hun School (already finished at 4-1) — who lost to the Rams in Pottstown last week — everyone else has two losses. Even a loss to the Larries won’t deny them the title because league rules state that in the event of a two-way tie, the team that won the head-to-head meeting is the champion. Just don’t think anyone, the Rams nor Vollmuth and his staff, are going to be the least bit satisfied with a loss, though.

There’s something about finishing a championship season with a loss that just doesn’t seem to sound right.

Sound?

Listen for that roar.

* * *

Hill football fans have had plenty to cheer about in the past. The program owns nine undefeated seasons and 21 unbeaten (with ties) seasons. … Hill has had three teams that weren’t scored on for an entire season (1900, 1909 and 1922). That’s only been achieved by one other area school, Phoenixville (1905). … A win Saturday will also give the Rams their winningest season since going 9-0 back in 1987.

WORTH NOTING

Methacton visits Perkiomen Valley tonight in a game that marks the end of their respective Pioneer Athletic Conference seasons. It’s been a particularly frustrating season for Bob McNally and the Warriors, who have been riddled with injuries and illness. For Scott Reed and the Vikings, it’s been quite the opposite. Despite having just one returning lettermen on offense and four on defense, they have the chance to finish up with a 7-4 overall mark, well beyond what most projected back in August.

*

Think Hill and Lawrenceville have been at it a long time? Radnor and Lower Merion go at it for the 113th time on Saturday. Radnor, which is coming off an upset Marple-Newtown – who is at Owen J. Roberts for tonight’s District 1-Class AAA playoff game – can finish above the .500 mark for the first time in seven years and close with just its third winning season since 1985.

AROUND THE STATE

ZIPPING ALONG: Simon Gratz, under head coach Erik Zipay – a Pottstown High School graduate – takes on Murrell Robbins on Saturday for the Philadelphia Public League Class AAA championship. The Bulldogs, who opened the season with a 21-20 loss at St. Pius X, have lost two games by a total of just three points, are 6-4 overall. Dobbins is 7-2.

FINAL SHOW: Phoenixville will be at Kennedy-Kenrick on Saturday, helping close out their hosts’ 17th and final season of football. Kennedy-Kenrick kicked off its first season in 1993 with the jointure of Archbishop Kennedy and Bishop Kenrick, and go into the finale with a 63-112-1 overall record.

AROUND THE NATION

PASSING THROUGH: Richardson Pearce (Tex.) junior quarterback Mac Morse got his first start last weekend, and did he ever take advantage of the opportunity by completing 42 of 68 passes for a state-record 634 yards. Receiver Blake Jumonville caught 19 of those tosses for a state-record 386 yards. And the 94 snaps Morse took also set a state record for most offensive plays in a game. … Camarillo (Calif.) quarterback Jeff Mathews passed for 588 yards and six touchdowns in a 69-20 rout of Hueneme. The 6-foot-4, 231-pound Matthews, who had 495 of those yards at halftime, completed 33 of 48 attempts – all in three quarters of work. … Golden (Colo.) quarterback Ryan Stokes passed for seven touchdowns during a 64-6 rout of Denver West. … Arundel (Md.) quarterback Billy Cosh passed for 380 yards and six touchdowns in a 69-28 victory over Southern to set the state record for career passing yardage (6,878).

DOUBLE DUTY: Tivy (Tex.) quarterback Johnny Manziel can throw the football, but he ran for all eight of his team’s touchdowns in a 56-35 win over Clemens.

DOUBLE PLAY: Oscar Smith (Va.) senior quarterback Phillip Sims upped his state career touchdown pass record to 113 and teammate Ryan Trotman stretched his state career extra-point record to 179 in last week’s 47-17 rout of Great Bridge.

TRIPLE THREAT: Trinity Catholic (Fla.) senior Kadron Boone scored on kick-off returns of 83 and 78 yards and on a 72-yard punt return in a 66-21 mauling of Mount Dora.

CATCH THIS: Columbia (Fla.) receiver Jamaal Montague caught four touchdown passes covering 40, 78, 38 and 57 yards – on the very first play of four consecutive first-quarter possessions to ignite a 49-14 victory over Wolfson.

LITTLE BIG MAN: Cocoa (Fla.) junior Cody Bell kicked a 54-yard field goal last week in a 52-0 laugher over crosstown rival Cocoa Beach. Bell has converted 3 of 4 field goals and 46 of 47 extra-points this season (17 of 26 three-pointers and 168 or 171 point-afters in his career). Last season, his 52-yarder helped the Tigers to a 20-17 win in the state semifinals. So Bell certainly can ring up the long ones … and to think he’s just 5-foot-8, 125 pounds.

It’s no time to think Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T12:03:00.002-05:00

This column was originally published in the Nov. 10 edition of The Mercury.

Tell maw and grandmaw (and pop and grandpop who like to think they’re Emeril Lagasse in the kitchen) to hold off exchanging recipes and planning out the Thanksgiving meal. We’ll even hold off with our annual sermon about the long and storied Thanksgiving Day football rivalries.

For now that is.

In case you haven’t noticed, there are plenty of appetizers as well as main courses on the football menu this weekend.

Appetizers like Boyertown renewing an old Ches-Mont League rivalry down at Great Valley; Methacton taking a ride up Germantown Pike to visit Pioneer Athletic Conference neighbor Perkiomen Valley in a game that ends both of those teams’ seasons; Spring-Ford entertaining Upper Darby for the first time in 16 years; and Phoenixville heading down to Kennedy-Kenrick to help close the door on the Wolverines’ final season before teaming up with St. Pius X next year at Pope John Paul II High School.

And for the main course?

Friday night’s carte du jour…

District 3-AAA playoffs, with Daniel Boone is heading out to Greencastle-Antrim. It’s a long, long, long bus ride, but head coach Dave Bodolus sure knows the way and hopes to head home with the same smile he had two years ago after the Blazers upset the Blue Devils, 17-10.

District 1-AAA playoffs, with Upper Moreland visiting Pottsgrove and looking for that elusive first win over the Falcons after losing both previous postseason meetings back in 2001 and 2003; and Marple-Newtown, with head coach Ray Gionta — who knows his way around the area rather well after a few years at Boyertown and St. Pius X — visiting Owen J. Roberts.

Now, if needed, take an Alka Seltzer (or a chill pill), and check out Saturday’s brunch specials…

More District 1-AAA playoffs, with Upper Perkiomen traveling to Bayard Rustin, which has gone from a new school with a 3-8 record in its first year (2006) of football, to district champion in 2008, to undefeated and unchallenged defending champion this season.

District 1/12-Class A Sub-Regional playoffs, with Del Val Center coming up from Old York Road in Philadelphia to visit St. Pius X in a match-up of schools that, according to the PIAA, have identical male enrollments (194). For the Lions, it’s their first appearance in the postseason in seven years and – win or lose – it’s going to be the next-to-last-game at Mich Stadium before the grand finale on Thanksgiving.

Mid-Atlantic Prep League championship, with The Hill School motoring down to New Jersey for its annual brawl with Lawrenceville. The game itself brings out the best in both the Rams and Larries, as most of the previous 106 meetings have (that’s right, they’ve lined up against one another 106 times already). But this one has some added significance because Hill can win the MAPL title outright with a victory.

Who said high school football gets a little boring this time of the year?

Eat it up … but save a little room for next week, and the week after that. There’s always that turkey and filling on Thanksgiving anyway.

DETOUR

Forgive Scott Reed if he doesn’t care to take his Perkiomen Valley football team over to Bucktown anytime soon. Last year, the Vikings nearly pulled off one of the season’s big upsets, coming up a yard short of the end zone with second remaining in a 27-26 loss. Last Friday night, the Vikings nearly pulled off one of this season’s big upsets, coming up just two points short of the Wildcats in a 14-12 setback.

The latest loss, of course, hurt even more because it cost the Vikings a spot in the District 1-Class AAAA playoffs’ 16-team field. They dropped from a tie for the 15th spot down to 18th. Had they won they would’ve moved all the way up to 13th and an opening-round game at Downingtown West this Friday.

Not bad, though, not bad at all for a team that lost its entire offensive line from a year ago to graduation and had just one letterman back on offense, and on the other side of the ball returned only four lettermen who were moved around to fit into Reed’s new 3-5 scheme.

WHAT A FINISH

Perkiomen School closed with a 24-22 thriller over St. Andrew’s – its seventh straight win after a season-opening 19-18 setback to Academy of the New Church. It was the Indians’ winningest season in 31 years, or since they went 8-1 in 1978. And that one-point loss to ANC denied them matching the school’s only undefeated season of 7-0-1 back in 1946.

After going winless from 1986 through 1989 – losing 33 in a row during that stretch – and mustering only four wins in 27 games the next three years, Perkiomen administrators dropped football following the 1992 season. Seven years later, the program was renewed, and thanks to former head coach Bob Wagner’s four straight winning seasons (2000-2003) and current head coach Kevin Manferdini’s four (2006-2009), the Indians are over the .500 mark since bringing the game back to Pennsburg.

SIDELINERS

Boyertown has played turnover-free football three times this season and won all three of those games. It’s a trend the Bears wouldn’t mind matching in their final two games against Great Valley and Upper Perkiomen, which would give them a 7-5 overall record. … Daniel Boone has the area’s top two receivers in Kelly Saylor (38 catches, 681 yards) and Tommy Bodolus (33-310), who combined have more yards than any area team and more receptions than all but one area team’s entire receiving corps. … Methacton has been hit with as many serious injuries as anyone this year, the bottom line in what has denied the Warriors from putting up their first winning season since going 8-3 in 2000. … Pottstown has the week off, but will host Octorara on Friday, Nov. 20 as a tune-up for its Thanksgiving day finale with OJR.

MOVING UP

OJR junior Ryan Brumfield has become the first area running back to go over 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Brumfield also became just the second area back to go over the 5,000-yard mark in his career and is within reach of St. Pius X graduate Zack Pierce’s all-time record. … Daniel Boone senior Jon Monteiro is fourth on The Mercury’s career passing chart with 4,718 career passing yards. He only needs three yards to pass Spring-Ford graduate Trevor Sasek, but would need at least two big outings to get by former Daniel Boone standout Chris Bokosky (5,297), and a deep run into the postseason to close in on the area record of 5,844 yards, held by Perkiomen Valley graduate Zach Zulli.

Vikings’ mission: Stop Brumfield

2009-12-03T12:01:00.002-05:00

This column was originally published in the Nov. 6 edition of The Mercury.

BUCKTOWN – Tonight is Perkiomen Valley’s turn to try and stop Ryan Brumfield. Then again, just slowing down the young fella, as well as the rest of the Owen J. Roberts offense, may not be all that bad, either.

The Vikings, arguably the surprise team in the Pioneer Athletic Conference this fall – thanks in part to being the most improved team since the season kicked off two months ago – visit the Wildcats this evening with a lot on the line.

Like a berth in the District 1-Class AAAA playoffs.

To get an invite into the postseason, though, the Vikings (5-2, 6-3 overall) will have to find a way – albeit over, under, around and through a very good offensive line – to get after Brumfield before Brumfield gets going. The junior tailback has averaged 228 yards and three touchdowns in the Wildcats’ six league wins, but managed just 113 yards and two scores in the lone loss (to unbeaten Pottsgrove).

Mind you, the Wildcats have some additional offensive weaponry, namely quarterback Nate Walters and wing Sam Funk, who has a thing for big plays himself. But so far it’s almost been as Brumfield goes so goes OJR.

And with that impressive 6-1 record (8-1 overall) and a spot in the District 1-Class AAA playoffs already secured, who’s to argue.

“This game is definitely one of the biggest tests of the year for us,” said PV head coach Scott Reed. “We are playing a top-ranked, playoff-caliber team.

“I don’t know if there is any way to shut down Brumfield, so we’re going to have to make him earn his way down the field. We’ll be in trouble if we give him those long touchdown runs.”

Brumfield has dialed up a good number of his 30 touchdowns – one on a pass reception – via long distance. And when opponents have ganged up and gotten a little rambunctious up front, Walters has flipped 10 passes over them to Funk, who has taken the tosses 412 yards and into the end zone four times.

But one thing the Wildcats haven’t seen is the 3-5 defense Reed installed this season. Lou Fioravanti sits in the middle at nose guard with Chris Stewart and Kayo Bakare in the tackle slots. Bobby Strickland is the middle linebacker in between Brendan Murray and Joe Scenna, and Sean Conners and Justin Morgan are on the outside. The secondary features Jo and Gio Waters on the corners and Kyle Williams at safety. It isn’t a generous group, either. The PV defense is allowing an average of only 105 yards a game on the ground 177 yards overall.

“We know (the Vikings) like to put eight guys in the box and have seven or eight of them hitting the gaps,” said OJR head coach Tom Barr. “Our offensive line has to improve on picking up the blitzing linebackers, and improve on blocking those linebackers.”

Those blocking responsibilities will fall on center Mike Nowak, guards Jesse Dugan and Sean Moloney, tackles Andrew Garson and Kyle Moore, and tight end Mike Moran. Funk, as well as fullback Rich Zazo, will need to throw their weight around some more, too. All of them have for the most part, and an area-high average of 349 yards a game is evidence of the collective effort.

But one way of slowing down Brumfield and everyone else is to limit their touches and possessions.

“We definitely have to take care of the football when we have possession,” Reed said. “There’s no way we can afford to just keep giving the football to (OJR).”

The Vikings have been quite productive except in their three losses. Six fumbles, actually nine turnovers overall, cost them a 32-7 confrontation with Coatesville; the inability to close out drives left them on the short end of a 28-7 meeting with Pottsgrove; and five turnovers helped keep them off the board in a disappointing 6-0 loss to Phoenixville.

“But they can explode anytime with that ‘pistol offense’ they’re running now,” Barr said. “We haven’t seen an offense like that all season. So, yes, we’re concerned.”

The Vikings have just one lettermen – wideout Ben Carbutt – from last year’s team. But Kevin Krasley (center), Ryan Krasley and Scenna (guards), Fioravanti and Stewart (tackles), and Murray (tight end) have almost made Reed forget the Vikings graduated their entire offensive line of a year ago. Quarterback Pat Catagnus has benefited from their labor up front, throwing for 723 yards. And the running tandem of fullback John Schmidt and tailback Steve Morrow – with help from Conners and Matt Kline in certain formations – have accumulated most of the team’s 1,439 yards on the ground.

“Perkiomen Valley can move the ball,” Barr said. “We know we have to play well defensively.”

The Wildcats have, and their defensive numbers are very close to the Vikings. That’s because of Kyle Moore and Steve Lawless, their sack leader, on the ends; Nowak and Moloney at the tackles; Zazo at middle linebacker, in between Funk and Moran; and corners Brendon Shoemaker and Sean Yeager, with three picks, teaming up with safeties Francis Polignano and Brumfield in the secondary.

“Perkiomen Valley has always played us tough, and this game will be especially tough for us because they’re trying to get into the playoffs,” Barr said, fully aware that last year’s game wasn’t decided until the Vikings were stopped a yard short of the goal line with one second remaining in the 27-26 thriller.

“Both teams have a lot on the line,” Reed added. “This is going to be another hard-fought, physical football game.”

* * *

Owen J. Roberts leads both the PAC-10 and overall series, 12-9. … Perkiomen Valley won three in a row over OJR before the Wildcats hung on in last year’s meeting. … Three of the last six games have been decided by a touchdown or less. … If there is one glaring difference between the two teams it’s turnovers. The Wildcats are plus-11 in takeaways, while the Vikings are minus-11. … Two teams that can pass Perkiomen Valley and get the 16th and final spot in the AAAA bracket with wins are Conestoga (6-3), which hosts Haverford (3-5), and Unionville (6-3), which entertains winless Sun Valley (0-8). … Morrow needs 90 yards to join Brumfield and Hill School post-grad Dante Astheimer in this season’s 1,000-yard rushing club.

POINTS AND PLAYOFFS

Pottsgrove and Owen J. Roberts are already in the District 1-AAA playoffs. Unofficially, Upper Perkiomen should hold onto its spot, too, win or lose tonight’s game with St. Pius X tonight. A loss, though, could drop the Indians down as far as No. 8, and a rematch with Pottsgove in the opening round. … St. Pius X is also in the Class A Sub-Regional and could very well host a first-round game. … Daniel Boone is in the District 3-AAA postseason, and a win tonight at Exeter, combined with other favorable results around the district, could improve the Blazers’ standings enough to earn a first-round home game.

* * *

Something to think about: The postseason kicks off tonight out in District 7 (WPIAL), and the 16-team brackets in all four classifications mean that 52 percent – or 64 of the 123 teams in the district – get an opportunity to participate in at least one playoff game. Considering 11 of the teams lining up tonight have losing records (a lot of 2-7 and 3-6 records, that is), one-and-done is the likely scenario for most if not all. … District 3 has 96 schools, and exactly 50 percent, or 48 of them, qualify for playoffs – including half of the AAAA schools and eight of the dozen Class A schools. … In District 1, only 36 percent, or 26 of its 72 schools are assured playoff berths.

CLINCHING TIMES

Two area teams can clinch no worse than ties for league titles today.

This afternoon, Hill School (3-0, 6-1) entertains Hun School (4-0, 4-3) needing a win to take sole possession of first place in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League. Hun closes it season today, so if the Rams do win they can capture the title outright with a victory at Lawrenceville next weekend.

Tonight, Pottsgrove (7-0, 9-0) can clinch no worse than a tie for its second straight PAC-10 title with a win at Phoenixville. The Falcons still have a Thanksgiving date with St. Pius X.

Earning their wings

2009-12-03T11:58:00.003-05:00

This column was originally published in the Nov. 3 edition of the Mercury.

LOWER POTTSGROVE — When George Parkinson stepped on the sidelines as the head coach at St. Pius X three years ago, he inherited a program that was drowning in one off-field storm after another. The disturbance included two head coaches and two interim head coaches in the previous three seasons, irregularity that led to unpredictability, or four Pioneer Athletic Conference victories and just six wins overall in that short but unsettling stretch.

But neither the persistent Parkinson nor the persevering group of freshmen he first teamed up with back in 2006 subscribed to or surrendered to the commotion, not even through three more overcast seasons that produced just four wins.

And last Saturday afternoon, despite overcast skies and an annoying drizzle here and there, Parkinson and the Lions brought some of that longed-for sunshine to the program with a 47-7 rout of visiting Methacton.

It was the Lions’ fourth win in the PAC-10, doubling the program’s total from the previous five seasons; their sixth win overall, equaling the program’s total from the previous five seasons; assured them of no worse than a .500 season for the first time in seven years; and clinched a spot in the postseason for the first time in seven years.

So yes, Parkinson and the mud-caked Lions had every reason to smile, and every right to hoot and holler with their devoted fans in the puddles that bordered the home-side of Mich Stadium.

“You know, I always thought we could win even when we were losing all those games,” Parkinson said. “I guess that’s just my nature.”

Unquestionably the character, or the spirit, of the Lions themselves, too.

“Some guys left (the program), but the guys who stayed with us believed in the team, believed in our program,” Parkinson explained. “They never quit. It shows that if you keep believing and keep working hard good things happen. I feel we’ve been blessed.”

A lot of players did depart after Parkinson’s arrival, perhaps because of the instability, because of the mounting losses.

But a determined dozen opted to stay. They were Mike Furey, Matt Kendra, George Lockbaum, Mike

Matthews, Matt Mehallick, Rich Molinaro, Cole Parkinson, Kevin Pence, Tyler Pollick, Matt Raymond, Josh Rogers and Martin Shields … all of whom aren’t just closing out their careers, but closing out the long and storied football history at Pius, which is closing its doors for good in the spring and joining Kennedy-Kenrick at Pope John Paul II High School next September.

“I’m not too surprised by what’s happening,” coach Parkinson said. “A lot of (the seniors) played as freshmen, started since they were sophomores, and were able to get a lot of experience. They’ve worked hard, become bigger and faster, and that certainly goes a long way.

“The last few years have been tough for them, but they’ve kept banging every week. They’ve seen what they can do. I’ve seen a lot of frowns turn into smiles … and that’s awesome.”

The Lions had a collective grin after opening up with three straight wins, the last in that streak coming against Phoenixville. Losses to Boyertown and Perkiomen Valley the following two weeks didn’t stall their drive, either, and that was evident when they came from well back late in their game with Pottstown to pull out a 34-28 win over Pottstown.

“Phoenixville was our first real test,” Parkinson said. “That was a real big win for us. And even though we lost to Boyertown, who really out-sized us, I thought we played decent. But I think if there was a turning point it may have been coming back like we did to beat Pottstown. The kids showed a lot of character.”

The kind of character – the spirit – that may have been smothered, if not entirely concealed to most, throughout the previous three seasons.

“Our seniors have been a great example for our younger players,” Parkinson said. “They’ve hung in there, worked hard, believed in what we’ve been doing… It’s been a joy.”

* * *

Pius has clinched District 1’s second berth in the Class AA Sub-Regional playoffs, which kick off next weekend. Calvary Christian (7-1) locked up the top spot, with District 12’s Del Val Charter (7-2) and School of the Future (5-4) grabbing the remaining two in the four-team field.

According to a district official, neither Morrisville nor Bristol can make up the points difference in their games this weekend to pass Pius – regardless of how the Lions fare against Upper Perkiomen this Friday night. Morrisville (5-4) travels to winless Conrad Science (Del.), while Bristol (5-3) visits Lower Moreland (6-3).

In Class A, five District 1 teams compete with six District 12 teams for the four sub-regional playoff berths. The top point-producing team from each district receives an automatic berth, with the next two highest point-producing teams completing the bracket.

AROUND THE DISTRICT

Think there’s a lot on the line this weekend? But aside of the playoff spots – and positioning – there are three great match-ups Friday night. Interboro’s unbeaten season is on the line against Glen Mills (6-3), who has lost to Downingtown West, Pennsbury and Dunbar (D.C.) – three rivals with identical 8-1 records. And two expected thrillers over in Suburban One feature Neshaminy (8-1) at Pennsbury and Council Rock South (7-2) visiting Council Rock South (6-3).

PRIVATE MATTERS

The Mid-Atlantic Prep League title will be on the line Friday afternoon when The Hill School hosts Hun School. Hill is 3-0 (6-1 overall), and still has its year-ending battle with Lawrenceville remaining, but Hun is 4-0 (4-3) and can clinch the championship with a win in its final outing of the season. … If Hill closes with two wins it would give head coach Marty Vollmuth and the Rams the program’s winningest season in 22 years, or since going unbeaten (9-0) in 1987.

Perkiomen School is also 6-1, and defeating visiting St. Andrew’s (Del.) on Friday would give head coach Kevin Manferdini and the Indians the program’s winningest season in 31 years, or since their 8-1 run back in 1978.

POINTING THE WAY

Pottsgrove’s 62-20 win over Upper Perkiomen last Friday night set a school record for points scored in a game, erasing the Falcons’ mark set in a 61-0 shutout of Great Valley back in 2001. The 82 points put up by both teams were the seventh-most scored in PAC-10 game. … Just three weeks earlier, Upper Perkiomen came up short in a 56-28 shootout with Owen J. Roberts in the fifth-highest scoring game in the league’s 24-year history. … St Pius’ 47 points Saturday were the most a Lions team had scored since putting up 49 against Spring-Ford back in 2002.

RYAN’S EXPRESS

Owen J. Roberts junior Ryan Brumfield is approaching a few records with two PAC-10 games and a minimum of three games overall remaining on this season’s schedule.

In league play, Brumfield has 1,482 yards and 23 touchdowns rushing and 146 total points. Those numbers put him within reach of the rushing mark (1,876, by Spring-Ford’s Ralph O’Neil); the rushing touchdowns mark (29, by Spring-Ford’s Joe Haley); and the scoring mark (196 points, by Pottsgrove’s Brent Steinmetz).

Brumfield may need a few more big games to erase The Mercury area’s single-season rushing mark, though. He enters Friday’s game against Perkiomen Valley with 1,822 yards, or 1,006 behind the standard set by St. Pius’ Zack Pierce. He is, however, within reach of the single-season scoring record, needing 42 more to equal the mark of 224.points set by O’Neil.

SIDELINERS

Daniel Boone quarterback Jon Monteiro failed to throw a touchdown pass last Friday night, ending his Mercury-area record streak of 19 straight games with at least one scoring toss. … Pottsgrove quarterback Terrell Chestnut, who went over 3,000 yards in career total offense last week, needs 101 yards rushing to become just the second area quarterback to run for more than 2,000 career yards.

Upper Perk tries to solve Pottsgrove problem

2009-12-03T11:55:00.001-05:00

This column originally was published in the Oct. 30 edition.

LOWER POTTSGROVE — Football coaches are a creative bunch with all their X’s and O’s, lines going this way and that way, and a note or two scribbled under all of them in their playbooks and up on the chalkboard.

A lot of the fellas in the Pioneer Athletic Conference have been doing their share of doodling the past year and a half, desperately seeking a design that will baffle and bamboozle – and beat, obviously – Pottsgrove.

But so far this year, or if you care to go back to the end of the 2007 season, the Falcons have been able to solve every one of them (even some ingenious ones). If you’re counting, their ability to read all those schemes, and read them extremely well, have already translated into one PAC-10 championship, and unless Upper Perkiomen’s Keith Leamer comes up with a successful sketch tonight (and Phoenixville’s Bill Furlong can duplicate it next week), the Falcons will be on their way to no worse than a tie for a second straight championship.

“(Pottsgrove) is just a tremendous football team,” Leamer said earlier this week. “Offensively, they have Division I talent all over the field. They can score at any time. Defensively, they’re awesome. They have that great speed that swarms to the football.”

Leamer isn’t putting the unbeaten Falcons up on the proverbial pedestal, hoping they’ll get caught up in all the flattering remarks and come out flatter than they have in a long, long time. Others before him have tried that. It doesn’t work.

Not with head coach Rick Pennypacker continually reminding his team they’re only as good as the next snap they take or the next tackle they make, and that everyone – including Upper Perkiomen – has just enough quality personnel of its own to create some chaos and the added incentive of taking the bark and bite out of the top dog when they line up against the Falcons.

“Last year was last year, and this year … we haven’t won anything yet,” Pennypacker said. “And we told the kids in the beginning of the season that they’d have that target on their backs (as defending champions).”

Zeroing in on that target hasn’t been easy, though. As Leamer said, the Falcons are loaded on both sides of the ball.

Terrell Chestnut has matured into a very intelligent quarterback. His knack to make the right reads – and hand off to Maika Polamalu, Kayvon Greene and Preston Hamlette – and his ability to go east and west as well as north and south himself can and has left opposing defenses dizzy. The foursome has found a lot of open spaces because of the work up front from center Dan Foust, guards Eric Bonenberger and Eric Moran, tackles Scott Bonenberger and Chris Nester, and tight end Scott Madl.

The Indians will counter with their 5-2 defense, featuring ends Nick Hale and Nate Pompei, tackles Dwyan Gillespie and Dan Wolfrom, and nose guard Colby Stichter up front; linebackers Chase Fleming and either Jody Peart or Dalton Fleming in the middle; and corners Mark Cole and Tyler Moser and safeties Andrew Orlick and Dan Rotenberger in the secondary.

It’s a defense that has permitted only two opponents more than two touchdowns in a game this season, but those are the two games the Indians came up short in.

“Defensively we have to play assignment football, and tackle, tackle, tackle,” Leamer said of tonight’s imposing challenge against a team that averages an area-high 35.6 points a game. “We also have to create turnovers. I definitely feel this game will come down to turnovers.”

The Indians not only have to play turnover-free football, but possession-football … string together time-consuming drives, and get into the end zone with them.

Those responsibilities lie heavily on the shoulders of Hale at tight end, Gillespie and Michael Paul at the tackle slots, Steve Grover and Alex Zukowski at the guard positions, and Jake Nyce at center. With time to throw, quarterback Casey Perlstein (739 yards and six touchdowns) can keep a defense very honest. And with room to run, backs Chase Fleming, Cole and Asomchim Akpunonu (a combined 1,200 yards and 20 touchdowns) can easily find the goal line.

“Gillespie, Perlstein and (Chase) Fleming are really tough match-ups, and Akpunonu is a big weapon for them, too,” Pennypacker said. “They’re very physical.”

So are the Falcons, who can huff, puff and blow away opponents’ run games. Ends Justin Oliveri and Polamalu, tackles Tyler Wysochanski and Green, and nose guard T.J. Demetrio, along with linebackers Brad Thornton and Hamlette, are surrendering an average of just over 110 yards a game on the ground. And the secondary, which features Angelo Berry, Chestnut, Madl and Isaiah Quick – arguably as good a foursome as any in the PAC-10 – can deflate an opponents’ passing hopes.

“Upper Perkiomen is a big challenge for us,” Pennypacker said. “They have a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball, and they’re well-coached. We’ll have to play our best game.”

So will the Indians.

“This is a great opportunity … playing a tremendous football team,” Leamer said. “We’ll have to play our best game.”

Neither was kidding.

* * *

Upper Perkiomen is 4-2 (6-2) after last week’s 21-12 decision of Phoenixville, while Pottsgrove is 6-0 (8-0) after its 41-6 rout of Methacton. … Pottsgrove, which has won the last two meetings, leads the PAC-10 and overall series, 14-9. … The winner in six of the last Indians-Falcons meetings have put up 40 or more points. … Leamer said Wolfrom may have to double on the offensive line if Grover hasn’t recovered from an injury. … The Falcons were hit with the flu bug earlier in the week and Madl was questionable as of Thursday. “We’re hoping our kids are healthy (by tonight), or we may have to go with a patch-work team.” … Polamalu needs 81 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season.

AROUND THE PAC

Owen J. Roberts (5-1, 7-1) visits Boyertown (3-3, 4-4) tonight in a game the Wildcats need to remain no worse than a game behind Pottsgrove in the PAC-10 standings and also to remain in the upper-half of the District 1-AAA playoff points standings. OJR’s Ryan Brumfield is the area’s runaway leader in rushing (1,529 yards) and scoring (158 points). … Phoenixville and Pottstown meet tonight for the 97th time, the area’s longest-running public school series. … And Perkiomen Valley hosts Spring-Ford, looking to even the overall series at 13-13. The Vikings once trailed the Rams, 10-2, with one of those victories a forfeit due to a teachers’ strike.

SATURDAY SPECIALS

St. Pius X lines up against Methacton in its next-to-last game in Mich Stadium. The Lions are on the road for their next two games before closing the book on its storied program Thanksgiving morning against Pottsgrove. ... The Hill School was supposed to resume its Mid-Atlantic Prep League schedule Saturday against defending champion Blair Academy. However, Blair was forced to forfeit the game due to an alarming number of injuries that left the Bucs with very few varsity players. The forfeit improves the Rams’ record to 3-0 (5-1 overall), which they hope to improve on against Valley Forge Military, which will fill the scheduling void Saturday. Hill’s Dante Ashteimer (803 yards) is closing in on the 1,000-yard mark, and head coach Marty Vollmuth hopes to have Jack Detmer calling the signals for the first time since an injury sidelined him three weeks ago.

HITTING THE STATS

Brumfield goes into tonight’s game at Boyertown situated third in rushing yardage and sixth in both total offense and scoring on The Mercury’s career charts. … Chestnut needs 57 yards to reach the 3,000-yard mark in career total offense. … Chestnut and Polamalu both have 228 career points going into the Upper Perkiomen game tonight.

Challenging times ahead for contenders

2009-11-02T18:06:00.003-05:00

This column originally ran in the Oct. 27 edition of The Mercury.

No one could ever guess the number of times they’ve heard “when the going gets tough, the tough get going” in their lifetime. It’s one of the oldest clichés, if not most unoriginal lines, endlessly quoted by everyone from motivational speakers to sales managers and, yes, even football coaches.

The late Joe Kennedy reportedly preached it to his sons long before they began their political careers; Billy Ocean wore it out the already worn-out phrase as the theme sound for The Jewel of the Nile in 1985; and the line appeared in the popular Hagar the Horrible comic strip a few years back. Heck, even millionaire Baron Marcel Bich gave us a French version of it (“Quand le chemin devient dur, les durs se cheminent”) one time.

No one knows for sure if Owen J. Roberts’ Tom Barr, Pottsgrove’s Rick Pennypacker or Upper Perkiomen’s Keith Leamer will be uttering it this week (or next) in their respective locker rooms or not … but they may.

All three of their teams are situated right smack in the middle of a tight Pioneer Athletic Conference championship race, not to mention right smack in the middle of an even tighter District 1-Class AAA playoff chase.

Depending on who does what, of course, the PAC-10 title may not be officially decided until Thanksgiving morning. But who gets into one of those eight

postseason spots will officially be decided this weekend, if not next weekend.

First things first … especially for Barr and his Wildcats.

Owen J. Roberts (5-1, 7-1) travels to Boyertown on Friday, then entertains Perkiomen Valley the following weekend. A win over the Bears would clinch a second straight playoff berth and, in all likelihood, a first-round game on the home turf. And if there are any questions that do remain after that, they’ll get answered with a win over the Vikings.

Hey, the Wildcats can tackle a lot of bonus points in these two games – both Boyertown and Perkiomen Valley are Class AAAA rivals with a combined nine wins on their cards. But don’t forget OJR has only won three of seven PAC-10 meetings with the Bears, who’ll likely be snarling a bit after the stunning setback to Spring-Ford last Saturday. And last season, remember, it wasn’t until the final seconds ticked off the clock with Perkiomen Valley inside OJR’s 10-yard line that the Wildcats were able to hang on for a 27-26 win and end a three-year skid against the Vikings.

It’s just as interesting – or dare we say tough – for both Upper Perkiomen and Pottsgrove.

Leamer and his Indians (4-2, 6-2) haven’t come close to beating Pottsgrove the last two times they’ve met, but they need a win this time around to mathematically remain in the PAC-10 race (and pick up a lot of new friends from OJR), and to hold onto or improve on its No. 6 spot in the district playoff points standings. And next week’s visit from St. Pius X won’t necessarily be a pleasant one considering the improved Lions have an issue with giving up an average of 42 points in their five straight losses to the Indians.

Pennypacker, of course, is aware that two wins – over Upper Perkiomen and then Phoenixville – will assure his unbeaten Falcons (6-0, 8-0) will clinch no worse than a share of a second straight PAC-10 title as well as the so-called home field advantage for the playoffs. He already knows enough about the Indians, and remembers how Phoenixville, currently as healthy as its been all season, gave up three big plays – and only three big plays – in last year’s 21-7 loss to the Falcons.

Neither Barr, Leamer nor Pennypacker ever struggle finding the right words to keep their respective teams on their toes. But they may slip in the old “when the going gets tough” approach sometime this week or next.

At least they’d be telling the truth.

HOME SWEET HOME

There was a time not so awfully long ago when Spring-Ford was hard to beat at home. Even though that has changed a bit over the years, one thing hasn’t – the Rams haven’t lost a Saturday afternoon Homecoming game (at least since 1990), and it hasn’t mattered if they were the top-dog or the underdog.

And have they ever entertained the alumni in the eight games. In 1990 (against Pottstown), 1991 (against Upper Perkiomen) and 2004 (against Boyertown), they came from behind in the fourth quarter of each of those games to pull out a win. Then in 2005, they pulled out an overtime win over Perkiomen Valley. The next three were a little easier to sit through, with winning spreads of three touchdowns or more. But the Rams made up for lost time last Saturday – and had their fans back on the edge of their seats again – by putting together another fourth-quarter comeback (not to mention last-minute defensive stand) to edge the Boyertown, 17-14.

GETTING A KICK

Bernie Roell may be more concerned about Daniel Boone’s postseason soccer fortunes right now, but for the first time since the second week of last season he isn’t The Mercury’s leading kick scorer in football. Don’t be too alarmed, he’s just a point behind Upper Perkiomen’s Matt Kirkpatrick.

It’s definitely one of the better seasons for area kickers, though.

Kirkpatrick, who earlier this month set PAC-10 records for the longest punt and best punting average in a game, has given the Indians a big boost on special teams. Roell is still one of the strongest and most accurate placekickers and could well end up on top the scoring board when all is said and done this season. And don’t overlook Boyertown junior Aaron Sassaman, who shares the area-high in field goals this fall with three.

But an injury or other setbacks have cost the area two valuable kickers – Methacton’s Nick LaPerche and Phoenixville’s John McInally. One of the area’s best kickers the past two seasons and only a junior, McInally tore his ACL during a soccer game four weeks ago, has been sidelined since, and is scheduled to undergo surgery.

And down at Perkiomen Valley, Justin Morgan continues to boot point after point ever so quietly and, by season’s end, may erase the PAC-10 record for career placements.

BIG PLAYS

Pottsgrove quarterback Terrell Chestnut and backs Maika Polamalu, Kayvon Greene and Preston Hamlette have lugged the football a combined 232 times for 2,119 yards and 34 touchdowns. Now that may not sound all that impressive, but it breaks down to this – 9.1 yards per running attempt, and a touchdown every seven carries. That is impressive.

*

Perkiomen School’s O.C. Hightower fits in with the big-play crew, too. His last seven carries have covered 218 yards and ended in six touchdowns, and his last eight receptions have covered 220 yards and ended in four touchdowns. In other words, in Hightower’s last 15 touches on offense alone, he’s generated 438 yards – or 29.2 yards per play – and 10 touchdowns. That certainly qualifies as a “Wow.”

Pius hoping to change its history

2009-11-02T18:04:00.000-05:00

This column originally ran Oct. 23 in The Mercury.

BUCKTOWN -- Some teams have their way with others. It just doesn’t seem to matter who’s better, or who’s good and who’s not so good, and forget about the won-loss column.

Fortunately, time erases most trends. And, as new players come and go, so do the memories (the best as well as the worst of times, that is).

But there are a few fellas, coaches in this instance, who may want to weave a little bit of that history into the ol’ pre-game preachings tonight.

No one more, perhaps, than St. Pius X head coach George Parkinson.

Yes, the Lions are 3-2 in the Pioneer Athletic Conference and 5-2 overall. Yes, they’ve already won more league games than the five teams before them did. Yes, those five overall wins are the most by any Lions team in seven years. And, yes, they’re about a first down or two behind Calvary Christian – actually a mere 1.2 points behind – in the District 1/12-Class A playoff points standings.

But as good as it’s been for the Lions so far this season, they’re fully aware they can ill-afford another loss if they hope to retain a lane in both those PAC-10 and postseason races.

And there’s no bigger challenge, at least for now, than Owen J. Roberts … the same Owen J. Roberts that has more than once in the past defied the odds (and logic) in match-ups with Pius.

The Wildcats (4-1, 6-1 overall) are just a game behind unbeaten Pottsgrove in the PAC-10 and situated right smack in the middle of the District 1-Class AAA playoff points standings themselves. In other

words, they’re pretty darn good themselves. And their track record against the Lions is, well, rather impressive – or disheartening to the Pius faithful.

For one, the Wildcats have not lost to Pius since getting blanked 27-0 back in 1995. That’s 13 straight wins, if you’re counting. Moreover, they’ve won 18 of the last 21 meetings since joining the league back in 1988. And if you care to go back to when they started playing one another in the Ches-Mont League, OJR has had the upper-hand in 26 of the 32 games (with one ending in a tie).

Former St. Pius head coach Dave Bodolus was almost speechless after a couple of upset losses to OJR, as was Ray Gionta following his one and only game against OJR.

Bodolus had a difficult time explaining what happened in 1999 after his heavily favored Lions were thumped 38-14 by OJR, the lone blemish in their PAC-10 championship season. He had an equally difficult time explaining what happened two years later when the heavily favored Lions came up short in a 32-29 thriller with the Wildcats before regrouping and playing their way to the PIAA-Class AA state semifinals. And Gionta wasn’t exactly a chatty one in 2002 after a 19-14 setback to the Wildcats with a team that would make its way into the postseason as well.

Obviously, Parkinson and his Lions would like nothing more than a win tonight to end the mystique – or whatever they call it – and hit the breaks on their 13-game skid.

They’re all still working on the respect factor. Some critics are quick to point out their five wins have come against teams who are a combined 7-28, and the only two teams with winning records on their schedule thus far have beaten them.

That may be a bit unfair, especially if you chat with OJR head coach Tom Barr, who sat in on Pius’ win over Spring-Ford last Saturday and had nothing but very good things to say about the Lions.

And when made aware of OJR’s long rule over Pius … “I don’t want to hear about that,” Barr said.

Neither do the Lions, who’d like nothing more than to bring a little magic of their own to the field tonight.

ONE AT A TIME

Three other PAC-10 teams, as well as Daniel Boone up in the I-C League, cannot afford to look past this weekend’s games.

OJR cannot take Pius lightly, of course, not with what is on the line and not with longtime rival Boyertown up next. Depending on where your allegiance lies, the OJR-Boyertown series has been one of the best for more than 50 years, even back when it was North Coventry battlin’ the Bears.

Upper Perkiomen has to take Phoenixville very seriously and not look ahead to next Friday night’s visit to Pottsgrove. Yes, Phoenixville may have started 0-for-5, but both the training room and sick-bay are almost empty now and the Phantoms’ improved health has certainly showed the past two weeks with back-to-back shutouts.

Pottsgrove, like Upper Perkiomen, is at Methacton on Saturday. The Falcons stack up as the favorite in every imaginable category. But hunger, the hunger to end disappointment and reverse one’s woeful ways, is one incredible intangible that you can’t measure with those first-down chains. Plus this is Week Eight – and if you knew your PAC-10 history you’d know it’s the week that has produced more surprises and upsets than any other week of the league season.

Up in the I-C, Daniel Boone travels to Pottsville and hopes to make it four in a row over the Crimson Tide. The Blazers can then focus on Muhlenberg – who they have lost to 19 straight times – in a bid to tackle the Section One title.

*

The Hill School sure can’t look ahead to next week’s game with defending Mid-Atlantic Prep League champion Blair Academy. The Rams take a long bus ride to Wyoming Seminary on Saturday, and a win could put them in a very enviable spot to avenge last year’s lone MAPL setback (to Blair) and run off with a championship. And with quarterback Jack Detmar a “probable” return to the lineup, the Rams will have a considerably better passing threat to go with their productive run game.

OH O.C.

When Abdul Smith graduated a year ago and went off to Rutgers, a lot of people thought Perkiomen School’s program would switch off. Not so.

One big reason has been the play of O.C Hightower, who has run for three touchdowns, pulled in five touchdown passes, and scored five other times – an area-high – on kickoff or punt returns and off defensive turnovers.

The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Hightower, who along with teammate Bruce Brittingham give the Indians as good as one-two punch as any other in the Philadelphia region’s private school sector, have Perkiomen on pace for its winningest season in 31 years.

ONE MORE TIME

Tireless Jim Algeo and his Lansdale Catholic football teams pulled off a few big wins and big upsets during their 22 years in the Pioneer Athletic Conference. All of them may pale in comparison to last Monday afternoon’s 36-27 victory over Bishop McDevitt.

The Crusaders were winless in six games this season, thanks in part to a young and inexperienced lineup, and were ailing a bit with a few starters either less than a 100 percent or out of the lineup entirely. Bishop McDevitt, on the other hand, was undefeated.

Surprise, surprise … and what a great gift for Algeo, who celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary two days earlier.

*

Algeo’s son, Dan Algeo – the head coach at Cardinal O’Hara – may want to steal one of those upset formulas from dad. His Lions are 7-0, but will meet Philadelphia Catholic League Class AAAA power St. Joseph’s Prep (5-1) on Saturday night. The Hawks’ lone loss this season was to North Penn back on Sept. 19.

Think before sounding off

2009-11-02T18:02:00.000-05:00

Enough is enough. Now it’s my turn to Sound Off.

As you can see, my name and photo (sorry) are below and to the left, attached to this column as it always has been for 29 years here at The Mercury. I am going to make a point or two, and I’m going to huff-and-puff a bit.

And whether my opinion is right, wrong or indifferent, right-on or off-the-mark, in-the-know or out-of-touch, realistic or naïve, remember one thing – it is my opinion.

Yes, like every one of you (the reader, or the one who doesn’t read but sure hears about anything and everything the least bit contentious), I have an opinion, too.

But unlike way, way too many people today – most of whom, surprisingly, are otherwise well-educated and well-spoken – I will not hide behind some mysterious moniker in a publication’s have-your-say column, nor hide behind some ingenious screen name on speak-out-dot-com-this or speak-out-dot-com-that web site. The anonymity, or the ambiguity, provides everyone the opportunity to convey facts, of course. But it also affords everyone a distorted freedom to put fiction and fantasy into words, or words that go well beyond insult and injury.

The difference here is that I’m held accountable for each and every opinion I make in print. The nameless aren’t.

So here goes…

* * *

It’s been nearly 20 years since Susan Powter, shaved head and all, sat on a chair in front of millions of television viewers and rose to fame with her catch phrase, “Stop the insanity.“ But her expression keeps coming to mind every time I read these anonymous messages about high school football coaches in newspapers – including our own here at The Mercury – and peruse the other unsigned letters and emails. What’s even more ironic is that most of them don’t even come close to the mean-spirited squeals coming out of the stands on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons, so easily heard by anyone traipsing the sidelines during games.

You used to wonder how everyone (almost everyone, that is) became such an overnight expert. To a certain degree, we can credit ESPN, the innumerable radio and television talk shows, and the endless stream of dot-com-this and dot-com-that web sites for such schooling. And don’t forget instant replay. Heck we even have entire replays (what we used to call reruns of games), sometimes for two or three days on our screen. Certain plays, often the whole ballgame, are analyzed and psychoanalyzed, studied and scrutinized. Maybe it’s overplay?

But sitting on a sofa or up in the stands watching doesn’t quite provide the insight to be a high school football coach, nor does it give anyone the right to mock a high school football coach.

There aren’t too many men (or some ladies who have proudly joined the pathetic parade of moaners and groaners) willing to commit to all the hours coaches invest in their programs. The football season, some still think, only runs Mondays through Fridays or Saturdays from mid-August into November. Don’t forget those off days or nights spent scouting a future opponent, watching film, and devising offensive and defensive schemes for the next week. And those other eight months – mistakenly called the off-season – is time for conditioning, weightlifting, informal (but legal) practices and seven-on-seven passing drills, most if not all of which are supervised by the coaches.

Now divide all those hours into their salaries… Excuse me, but hardly anyone would wash one window on his or her fancy car in the driveway or sweep the kitchen floor for that hourly rate.

Also, don’t forget the coaches manage to juggle all those hours in and around their real jobs during the day (most teach from early-morning to mid-afternoon) and their families at night.

If all those hours don’t burn you out, dealing with 30-80 different personalities – that’s 30-80 players who think they’re better than everyone else – just may run you out.

Life rewards those who are dedicated, who work hard, who bring a level of talent to their endeavors. It isn’t, nor should it be, any different in high school football, which rewards the dedicated, hard-working and talented student-athletes with time on the playing field on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. But even that simple logic is unreasonable, or unacceptable to some athletes – maybe because mom, dad and everyone else told them how good they were from the moment they began talking and walking; applauded them for making every conceivable youth all-star team; showed off all their ribbons, medals and plaques; possibly even whispered in their ears that they’d someday be star professional athlete.

We should all have high expectations in life, for ourselves as well as for our children. But that’s expectations, not hallucinations.

Unfortunately, reality – who’s good and who’s not so good, or who is playing and who isn’t – can be awfully difficult to accept. And when there is interference, like the berating of a coach at the dinner table, on message boards and wherever else frustrations and anger can be aired or written, reality gets twisted and warped even more. And it takes little time to spread throughout a team and around a community, and eventually divides teammates, demoralizes their team, and deteriorates their program.

No coach, not even legends like Knute Rockne and Vince Lombardi, could fix that. Not overnight, not in a week, and not over the course of a season or two.

But some try.

Imagine how Owen J. Roberts head coach Tom Barr must feel knowing there is a school board member with an agenda the past year to get rid of a him (we won’t mention who because five members of that board have embarrassed their district enough already). Yep, bar Mr. Barr even though he took the Wildcats to the playoffs for the very first time last November and is headed in that direction again this fall.

Imagine how Spring-Ford head coach Gary Rhodenbaugh must feel when reading or hearing about the long list of anonymous scripts bashing him for not winning. Well, despite what one „so-called“ coach of 22 years wrote – „I’d love to go over there and coach. With the bevy of talent on that team in that district I guarantee we would compete for the PAC-10 title within two years“ – it isn’t going to happen that quickly. First of all, no coach calls out another coach publicly, no real coach that is. And with all due respect to each and every one of the Rams in uniform, there hasn’t been a whole heck of a lot of talent, or „bevy of talent,“ for some time at Spring-Ford. Had some of the better players remained, had they committed to help change the program’s woeful ways instead of bailing out, maybe Rhodenbaugh – like that „so-called“ coach of 22 years – could help the Rams compete for another PAC-10 championship.

Imagine how St. Pius X head coach George Parkinson must feel when he listens to all the absurdities. The Lions program lost as good a coach as there was in Dave Bodolus eight years ago because of the narrow mind and ineptitude of an administrator or two. Three head coaches and two interim coaches later, Parkinson inherited a program that lost the support of the majority of its alumni; saw numbers dwindle down the record levels; and dealt with a lot of talent running off to enroll in neighboring PAC-10 schools. But Parkinson didn’t run away, and despite the callous comments that continue to echo around Mich Stadium, he’s as committed to each of his players – and the program – as anyone before him.

Don’t think Barr, Rhodenbaugh and Parkinson are alone, either. Boyertown’s Mark Scisly, Bodolus (now up at Daniel Boone), Methacton’s Bob McNally, Perkiomen Valley’s Scott Reed, Phoenixville’s Bill Furlong, Pottsgrove’s Rick Pennypacker, Pottstown’s Brett Myers, and Upper Perkiomen’s Keith Leamer have all been verbally whacked from the stands, as many of us have heard over and over again. And they’ve all been bashed in print, as many of us have read time and time again.

Maybe, just maybe, if everyone would take a moment and imagine what it would be like to walk in their shoes for a day, week or even an entire season, they wouldn’t be so quick to criticize their every move.

If not, maybe they’ll be a day not too awfully far in the future when coaches – good coaches, that is – won’t be on the sidelines at all.

Then everyone loses, including the ones we never want to see lose – the student-athletes.

Leaders of the PAC

2009-11-02T18:00:00.003-05:00

This column originally ran in the Oct. 16 edition of The Mercury.

LOWER POTTSGROVE — No one should be surprised Pottsgrove is situated on top of the Pioneer Athletic Conference standings and unbeaten through six games overall. And very few should be surprised Owen J. Roberts is right up there alongside Pottsgrove and unbeaten through six games as well.

The big question is if either the Falcons or the Wildcats have any surprises for one another when they meet tonight.

Don’t expect many.

Especially any of those scrupulous, out-of-the-blue, razzle-dazzle offensive schemes, or devious defensive designs, either.

“Every team has their gadgets, a trick play or two they go to once in a while,” said OJR head coach Tom Barr. “But in a game like this you go with what brought you here, what got you to 6-0 at this point.”

“You don’t win football games with (trick) plays,” added Pottsgrove head coach Rick Pennypacker. “It all comes down to fundamentals, who blocks and who tackles.”

Neither Barr nor Pennypacker have reached into the gadget bag this season to pull out a win. Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact.

It’s all been rather plain and simple.

Owen J. Roberts runs the football, Pottsgrove runs the football. They’ve only gone up top a combined 50 times thus far, which reveals just how much both like to pound it, pound it, and pound it some more … inside or outside, wherever their very good offensive lines lead them – the Wildcats to the tune of 285 yards a game, the Falcons to the tune of 275 yards a game.

The Wildcats’ front of center Mike Nowak, guards Jesse Dugan and Sean Moloney, tackles Andrew Garson and Kyle Moore, and tight end Francis Polignano – along with fullback Rich Zazo – have executed rather well in opening lanes for Ryan Brumfield. Six games in and Brumfield already has 1,222 yards and 20 touchdowns – both area-highs and among the leaders in all of Pennsylvania.

“Ryan Brumfield is as good a running back as I have ever seen,” Pennypacker said. “He reminds me of some great backs we’ve all seen the way he sets up his blocks. He gets the ball out in space, looks and looks for that block and, boom, off he goes. He is so good.”

The Wildcats also proved last week – when quarterback Nate Walters flipped a pair of touchdown passes covering 60 and 40 yards to wing Sam Funk – that they can go up top if needed, if only to lessen the presence of too many Falcons in the box. And Funk is equally dangerous on the counters OJR has called on at opportune times for 25 or more seasons, too.

But for Brumfield and the rest of the Wildcats to get off the ball and run like they have this season, they’ll have to do it against a defense unlike any they’ve seen yet.

“They’re quick and they get to the ball,” Barr said of Pottsgrove’s 5-2 defense, which is permitting an average of just 107 yards on the ground and 192 overall. “We have Brumfield, but (Pottsgrove) makes it very difficult to get out on the perimeter. Their technique is so good. But their quickness off the ball and their quickness to the ball can scare you.”

The Falcons go with T.J. Demetrio on the nose, in between tackles Kayvon Greene and Tyler Wysochanski, while Justin Oliveri and Maika Polamalu are situated on the ends. Brad Thornton and Danny Michaels have been superb at linebacker, especially Michaels in filling in for injured returning all-state senior Preston Hamlette – whose is questionable for tonight’s affair. And behind all of that group is a secondary that usually features Angelo Berry, Terrell Chestnut and Scott Madl, with Fred Dukes and Isaiah Quick getting into the rotation.

Owen J. Roberts’ defense – a 4-3 set – has actually been even less generous than the Falcons. The Wildcats are surrendering an average of 111 yards on the ground and just 172 overall. Ends Steve Lawless and Kyle Moore and tackles Moloney and Nowak have been relentless up front and getting into opponents’ backfields. Zazo is the middle linebacker, situated in between Nate Blevins and Funk to give OJR “as solid a group of linebackers as there are,” according to Pennypacker. And the Wildcats’ secondary – Brendan Shoemaker and Sean Yeager on the corners and Polignano and Brumfield as the safeties – can match up with most any other.

Nonetheless, the Wildcats will have to deal with a Pottsgrove offense that has the ability to find the end zone at any time from anywhere on the field.

“Last year it seemed like all you had to deal with was Chestnut (at quarterback),” Barr said. “But now they have more than just Chestnut. They have Polamalu, who averages something like 10 yards a carry; Berry, who really runs hard; and Greene, who has been in the backfield of late and runs so well, too. All of those guys are fast. It’s their speed that concerns us.”

What concerns both Barr and Pennypacker are turnovers … or avoiding turnovers.

The Wildcats have had their share of problems holding onto the football this season. They have fumbled away 12 possessions – though just one the last two weeks. And that just happens to coincide with what the Falcons have done thus far – like recover a dozen of their opponents’ bobbles, which has helped define why they are at plus-12 in takeaways.

“Pottsgrove executes so well on offense,” Barr said. “But what makes them so good is that when they get a turnover they turn it into points. I don’t know how many times they’ve done that this year, but that’s what a good football team does.”

“Don’t try to kid anybody, though,” Pennypacker said. “Owen J. is a very good football team, a very sound football team … and probably the best football team we’ll see, at least until the playoffs.”

So it should be a good one.

“We just going to line up and go at one another,” Barr said. “We’ve been doing that for the last couple of years.”

“I think it’s going to be a battle,” Pennypacker said.

NOTES

Pottsgrove leads the PAC-10 series, 12-9, while Owen J. Roberts leads the overall series, 31-19-3. … Falcons dealt OJR its lone league loss last season, 41-14, which Pennypacker said should help fuel the Wildcats’ competitive fires. “I think you have to look at the revenge factor too,” Pennpacker said. “(OJR) has something to prove.” … Polamalu is third in the area in rushing (579 yards, 8.9 per carry average). … Walters is 12 of 21 for 333 yards and three touchdowns, while Chestnut is 17 of 29 for 234 yards and two touchdowns. Each of the quarterbacks have been intercepted once. … Both teams have reliable kickers in Zack Lepore (OJR) and Zach Robinson (Pottsgrove). … The teams have had just one common opponent thus far – Spring-Ford. OJR outlasted the Rams, 13-7, four weeks ago, while Pottsgrove got by the Rams, 20-6, last Friday night.

2nd half has plenty of promise

2009-11-02T17:53:00.001-05:00

This column originally ran in the Oct. 13 edition of The Mercury.

It’s halftime for high school football. Or shall we say the season is at the halfway mark, at least for most of the area teams that are scheduled to play through Thanksgiving (with perhaps a playoff game, two or even more before and after the holiday).

And after last weekend, when it seemed as though everyone was dialing long distance to reach the end zone and calling in one record after another, it’s kind of hard to imagine what may be in store for the fanatics in the second half of the season.

But the first six weeks sure provided everyone a handful or so of surprises.

What doesn’t qualify as one is Pottsgrove’s unbeaten run through the preseason and four Pioneer Athletic Conference games. With a minimum of three legitimate Division I-A players in their lineup (and if you don’t know who they are by now you should turn off the televisions and computers and get out to a game), the Falcons’ defense has put up a pair of shutouts and limited three other opponents to just one score since the opening-night, 34-21 rout of Pennridge (which scored twice in the fourth quarter with the Pottsgrove starters resting on the bench).

What doesn’t qualify as one is Owen J. Roberts’ Ryan Brumfield running up big numbers. Just a junior, Brumfield has already gone over 200 yards in three games (and missed a fourth by two mere yards); has more than doubled the yardage of all but one other area running back; has

more than double the total points scored of all but one other area player; and has erased a slew of school records, including the career rushing yardage mark set 30 years ago by his head coach (Tom Barr).

What doesn’t qualify as one is Daniel Boone’s Jon Monteiro continuing to throw up big numbers. A senior who missed his entire sophomore season due to a knee injury, Monteiro is averaging 203 yards passing; tossed at least two touchdowns a game (four in one and five in another) and 17 overall, which keeps him on pace to match or break his own area record of 34 from a year ago; and continues to erase mark after mark after mark in the Blazers’ record book.

Now, what we didn’t expect through the first six weeks of the high school football season, or our Top Five Surprises of the first half…

Surprise No. 1: Perkiomen Valley being 3-1 in the PAC-10 and 4-2 overall. Head coach Scott Reed couldn’t believe his opening-day turnout of 82 players, and he could’ve used name tags for most of them considering graduation took almost his entire starting lineup from a year ago. But the Vikings, who turned it over nine times in a loss to Coatesville and gave Pottsgrove as much as it could handle before falling, are now in the District 1-AAAA playoff mix. If the season ended today, Reed would be The Mercury’s Coach of the Year.

Surprise No. 2: St. Pius X is 4-2 overall. Yes, those four wins are over opponents who currently own a combined 5-19 record. But rebuilding a program sacked by a since-departed administrator’s narrow mind and inability to communicate eight years ago and kept down by a seemingly endless stream of changes on the sidelines (four head coaches and two interim head coaches those eight years) is far more difficult than most can possibly imagine. The smallest step forward is a giant leap under such circumstances, and George Parkinson as well as the Lions have made their share thus far this season. They have ended a PAC-10 losing streak that dated back to 2006; won as many PAC-10 games this season as they owned in the previous five combined; and just last Friday night scored more points in a league game than they had in seven long years.

Surprise No. 3: Turnovers … way too many of them. Keeping Hill School and Perkiomen School out of the equation (they deserve to be omitted because they have only a combined four so far), the 10 Pioneer Athletic Conference teams and Daniel Boone have fumbled the ball over 200 times already and lost 88. Throw in (pardon the pun) another 48 interceptions and that adds up to 136 turnovers in 46 games. Week Two alone was a fumblathon – Owen J. Roberts set a school record with 12 fumbles (six lost) against W.C. East, and Perkiomen Valley set a school record with nine turnovers (six fumbles and three interceptions).

Surprise No. 4 and 4A: Perkiomen School’s Julian Gentile. The little fella – and the 5-foot-5, 140-pound listing in the program may be a stretch – moved into the quarterback slot for the first time this season. After three games, he owns an area-best 184.1 passing rating. He’s completed 54.5 percent of his attempts with eight touchdowns against just two picks. … Perkiomen Valley quarterback Pat Catagnus, another rookie who caught three times as many passes as he threw last year behind Zach Zulli, has bounced back from a shaky start (four of his six interceptions in the first two games) and has completed 56 percent of his attempts for 580 yards – a big part of the Vikings’ surge this fall.

Surprise No. 5: The number of good, make that very good, linebackers. Good luck to the PAC-10 coaches when they vote on their all-league teams. Let’s see, and this is an abbreviated list, too, there is Boyertown’s Kyle Fultz and Jared Giles; Methacton’s Michael He; Owen J. Roberts’ Rich Zazo; Perkiomen Valley’s Joe Scenna and Bob Strickland; Phoenixville’s Vince Ciaverelli (when healthy); Pottsgrove’s Preston Hamlette; Pottstown’s Tommy Santos; Spring-Ford’s James Hoff; St. Pius’ George Lockbaum; and Upper Perkiomen’s Cody Fleming. That isn’t everyone now (so no pouting), plus throw in Daniel Boone’s Dave Morta and Josh Ortiz, and Hill School’s Kyle Regensburg.

*

Honorable Mention Surprises: The number of quarterbacks sacked with injuries. Boyertown’s Dylan Pasik, Hill School’s Jack Detmer, Methacton’s James McHugh and Phoenixville’s Tom Romano have all been sidelined for at least one game thus far. As a matter of fact, when Pasik called the signals for the Bears last Friday night and both McHugh and Romano lined up against one another last Saturday afternoon, it was the first time this season the three had been behind center on the same weekend for their respective Pioneer Athletic Conference games. Detmer has been out since breaking two bones in his left wrist during the Rams’ second possession against Chestnut Hill Academy two weeks ago, and he could be lost for the season. … Pottstown is averaging 242 yards rushing and is one point out of fifth place in points scored per game. But 15 turnovers (minus-eight in takeaways) have hurt, as has a defense that is allowing 368 yards a game. … Attendances, for the most part, have been pathetic. Some don’t even seem to add up to the number least expected (multiply the total number of football players, cheerleaders and band members by two) – because everyone has to have that many family and/or friends interested in watching.

RECORD WEEKEND

Brumfield’s six touchdowns last Friday night tied the PAC-10 record originally set by Pottsgrove’s Tim O’Neil and later equaled by the Falcons’ Brent Steinmetz and Owen J. Roberts’ David Frame. Brumfield also went over the 200-yard mark for the seventh time in a PAC-10 game (not sixth as previously reported), which ties him with Steinmetz – just one back of the league mark of eight set by St. Pius X graduate Zack Pierce.

OJR and Upper Perkiomen also produced three other PAC-10 single-game records: most combined yards in a half (651); most combined points in a half (63); and most touchdowns of 50 or more yards in a game (7). Also, Upper Perkiomen punter Matt Kirkpatrick set two individual records – longest punt (67 yards) and highest average punting (minimum of five kicks) by finishing with a 44.6 average on seven boots.

St. Pius X got whistled for 15 penalties last Friday night, breaking the league mark of 14 set by Spring-Ford in its 2000 game with Upper Perkiomen.

SHOWDOWNS

No, we didn’t forget – Owen J. Roberts visits Pottsgrove this Friday night. Yes, both are 4-0 in the league, 6-0 overall. Yes, the survivor will sure be a step ahead of the rest in the championship chase. No, a win will not guarantee the Wildcats or the Falcons anything … not quite yet.

Daniel Boone returns home to entertain Governor Mifflin on Friday night in another pivotal Inter-County League Section One game. Head coach Dave Bodolus’ big challenge will be getting the Blazers to regroup mentally from last week’s humbling 47-26 loss to Conrad Weiser, and realigning a defense that yielded 507 yards to the Scouts – almost the total they surrendered in their first five games (593) combined.

The Hill School continues its Mid-Atlantic Prep League schedule and hopes to keep pace with defending champion Blair Academy with a long bus ride to Mercersburg Academy. The Blue Storm were bumped by Blair last week, 38-10. And Perkiomen School comes off its rout of non-sanctioned Oley Valley and a bye the week to entertain New Hope-Solebury, which may be 0-5 but has lost three of those five games by a combined eight points.

Weekend will decide contenders

2009-11-02T17:50:00.002-05:00

This column originally ran in the Oct. 8 edition of The Mercury.

The second half of the high school football season kicks off tonight. That’s right, the second half, at least for those teams with one eye on those confounded playoff points standings. What happens over the next five weeks will determine who’s in, who’s out, who plays who where, and so on and so on.

But remember what Ol’ McDonald (or some other fowl egghead) said about what came first.

Keep that in mind, too, because this is the weekend when statements will be made, when teams will dictate — on the field, that is — who is still in the running for a league championship, who is running low on gridiron gas, and who may have tanked it entirely.

Oh, there are some biggies ahead, mind you, but looking ahead only plays into the psyche of those who put the gear on and their coaches, as well as their fans who do all the hooting and hollering.

But tonight, the outcome of three particular games — Upper Perkiomen at Owen J. Roberts, Boyertown at Perkiomen Valley, and Daniel Boone at Conrad Weiser — will, in all likelihood, go a long, long way in determining Pioneer Athletic Conference and Inter-County Section One titles.

Upper Perkiomen (2-1, 4-1 overall) can ill-afford another loss, and Owen J. Roberts (3-0, 5-0) can’t afford a loss of any kind – not with a trip to unbeaten Pottsgrove next Friday in a game that has had an asterisk behind it since practices began back in August. Boyertown and Perkiomen Valley are both 2-1, both have already (unsuccessfully) dealt with Pottsgrove, and both still have Upper Perkiomen and Owen J. Roberts, among others, on their respective cards.

Up in Berks County, Daniel Boone has the I-C’s most productive offense and least-generous defense. The Blazers have thumped and trumped everyone thus far. But Conrad Weiser (with apologies to Twin Valley) is the best team and biggest challenge Daniel Boone has tackled yet. And don’t forget it won’t get any easier the rest of the month with Governor Mifflin, Pottsville and absolute pain-in-the-pads Muhlenberg on the card.

“(Tonight’s) game is your biggest game,” Pottsgrove head coach Rick Pennypacker said earlier. “It’s that way every week. If you look ahead, if your kids look ahead, bad things happen. You don’t worry about next week until next week.”

That’s the approach Keith Leamer has adopted at Upper Perkiomen, where midseason setbacks and late-season lulls in the past have cost the Indians dearly in their runs for a PAC-10 championship.

“Our goal this season is to just get better every day,” Leamer said. “If we can do that this week we have a chance against Owen J. Roberts.”

Getting out of Bucktown with a win tonight may depend on just how well the Indians’ offense fares against OJR’s defense. Yes, the Wildcats have a running back named Ryan Brumfield and his area-leading 939 yards, 14 touchdowns and 86 points overall, and he could very well pad those numbers tonight. But overlooked in Brumfield’s rewriting of the record books is head coach Tom Barr’s OJR defense … a pretty darn good defense, that is.

Ends Steve Lawless and Kyle Moore, tackles Sean Moloney and Mike Nowak, and linebackers Sam Funk, Rich Zazo and Nate Blevins have limited opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground thus far. Those fellas, along with corners Brendan Shoemaker and Sean Yeager and safeties Francis Polignano and Brumfield, are surrendering an average of just 141 yards overall.

“(OJR) is playing at a very high level, so we have our work cut out for us,” Leamer said.

The workload will fall heavily on an improved Upper Perkiomen front line and a fast-maturing Casey Perlstein at quarterback. Center Jake Nyce, guards Steve Grover and Alex Zukowski, tackles Dwayne Gillespie and Mike Paul, and tight end Nick Hale, have worked together well since the disappointing loss to Perkiomen Valley three weeks ago, and that’s made it easier for fullback Chase Fleming – who may be as good as anyone on the other side of the ball at linebacker – and tailback Mark Cole. The line has also helped give Perlstein enough time to throw for 410 of his 490 yards the last three weeks, too.

“Both (teams), at some point this season, have been getting it done in all three phases of the game,” Leamer said.

That other phase – turnovers – has also hindered both teams. OJR overcame a school-record 12 fumbles (six of which were lost) in Week Two and is coming off its first turnover-free game of the season. Thanks to seven interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries, though, the Wildcats are plus-six in takeaways. Upper Perkiomen has had trouble holding onto the football as well, losing two fumbles in three of its games and throwing three interceptions in another. But, like the Wildcats, the Indians have come up with 15 turnovers of their own and are a plus-five in takeaways.

“This is a game that could very well come down to turnovers,” Leamer said.

Big games, more often than not, are decided by the bobbles and errant throws.

* * *

Speaking of turnovers, Boyertown hasn’t given the football away in its last two outings. Perkiomen Valley, on the other hand, has been very charitable – 13 fumbles and six interceptions for an area-high 19 overall.

“We had the one bad game (nine turnovers at Coatesville),” head coach Scott Reed said. “But there’s no question the turnovers have hurt us. We can’t afford to keep making those type of mistakes.”

Daniel Boone, of course, has made very few mistakes of any kind. When you have a quarterback like Jon Monteiro and a slew of gifted receivers who provide as balanced an offense as you could draw up (979 yards passing and 975 yards rushing), it certainly does leave opposing defenses a bit perplexed as to what’s coming next. But head coach Dave Bodolus and his defense will get its toughest test to date tonight going up against a similarly balanced offense that features Zach Guiles (678 yards passing) at quarterback and Codie Butler and D.J. Robinson (just under 900 combined yards rushing) behind him.

OPENING UP

The Hill School opens its Mid-Atlantic Prep League schedule this afternoon (3:30 p.m.) against visiting Peddie School. The Rams (2-1 overall), who hope to get back on the winning track after dropping last week’s home-opener with Chestnut Hill Academy, were the runners-up to unbeaten Blair a year ago.

Head coach Marty Vollmuth will see a familiar face on the opposing sidelines, too. Peddie, winless a year ago, is coached by former Hill head coach Frank deLaurentis, in his second term as the Falcons’ head coach. DeLaurentis previously guided the program from 1996 through 2005.

ACHES AND PAINS

Area quarterbacks have seen their share of trainers and doctors, even made enough visits to the hospitals, this season.

Boyertown’s Dylan Pasik is questionable tonight after going down with an injury last Friday night; Hill’s Jack Detmer, a post-grad, is out indefinitely after breaking two bones in his left wrist during the Blues’ second possession last Saturday; Methacton’s James McHugh is questionable after suffering a stinger last week; and Phoenixville’s Tom Romano is probable, or hoping to return to the lineup Saturday afternoon after injuring his arm during a practice prior to the Phantoms’ league-opener four weeks ago.

Detmer threw for more than a 1,000 yards last year at his high school in Scarsdale, N.Y., and both McHugh and Romano threw for well over a grand as starters last season.

* * *

No one has been as banged up as badly as Phoenixville this season. Head coach Bill Furlong – who refuses to use the injury tag as a reason behind the Phantoms’ 0-5 start – hasn’t lost just his quarterback in recent weeks.

Romano was joined on the sidelines early on by tight end-linebacker Vince Ciaverelli. Since then, John McInally, one of the league’s best kickers the past two seasons, has been out with a pulled hamstring. Last week, nose guard Dennis Kelly went down with an injury that has him questionable for Saturday, and defensive end Greg Porter – who also doubled at tight end with Ciaverelli out – suffered a concussion that will keep him out at least another week.

And if that isn’t enough, Furlong lost starting guard-linebacker Matt Viscuso for the season last week after he suffered a compound fracture that required surgery to place a steel rod in his leg.

BIG NUMBERS

Brumfield needs 61 yards tonight to reach 1,000 for the season, while Monteiro needs only 21 yards passing to hit 1,000. … Nine area backs are averaging over eight yards a carry thus far, topped off by Pottsgrove’s Maika Polamalu (9.9). Spring-Ford’s Chase Stewart, thanks in part to his school-record 94-yard dash last week, is next at 8.3.

* * *

Big numbers don’t always translate into wins… check these out:

Grace Brethren (Calif.) quarterback Max Leffler throws for 510 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-32 loss to Frazier Mountain; Boyd (Tex.) quarterback Jonovan Griffin throws for 480 yards in an 84-40 loss to Plano West; and Downey (Calif.) quarterback Jason Lee throws for 450 yards and six touchdowns in a 72-43 loss to Patterson.

NOTES

The big game in District 1 this week has the state’s No. 8 ranked Downingtown West at Henderson. Both teams are 5-0 and among the district’s playoff points leaders in the AAAA and AAA brackets, respectively. … Out in Oklahoma, officials at Jenks High School – which has won nine of the last 13 state titles in the big-school classification and is nationally ranked year after year – have suspended 14-year head coach Allan Trimble and one of his assistants indefinitely. A 44-page report revealed Trimble was responsible for questionable conduct with seven players, conduct that ranged from recruiting violations to monetary gifts.

Halfway point isn’t too early to think playoffs

2009-10-06T11:58:00.002-04:00

The high school football season — with the exception of those contingency or non-league games (whatever you’d like to call them) the second weekend of November and the Thanksgiving Day games — has reached the halfway mark.

Five up, five down.

Dare we say it’s time to talk playoffs?

Actually it isn’t a bad time, considering four area teams, which would be Daniel Boone up in District 3 and Owen J. Roberts, Pottsgrove and Upper Perkiomen in District 1, are all in position to make a strong run for postseason berths.

But coaches talking about the playoffs at this juncture is a no-no, and players thinking about playoffs – with five more games to be added, subtracted and divided on those confusing points standings’ configuration cards – is almost considered blasphemy.

Remember when Colts coach Jim Mora was asked about the playoffs after a loss to the 49ers that left his team 4-6? Remember his high-pitched response: “What’s that? Ah .. playoffs? Don’t talk about … playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game … another game.”

Well, guess who sounded like Mora early Monday morning?

“Playoffs? All I’m concerned about right now is beating Spring-Ford,” Pottsgrove head coach Rick Pennypacker said of the unbeaten Falcons’ game this Friday. “My goodness, we have to get ready for our next game, and four more after that before we can even think about (playoffs).”

If asked about the playoffs, you can bet the house OJR’s Tom Barr and Upper Perkiomen’s Keith Leamer, as well as Daniel Boone’s Dave Bodolus, would have had pretty much uttered the same thing.

Nonetheless, Pottsgrove and Owen J. Roberts are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, and Upper Perkiomen is No. 7 in the District 1-AAA points standings going into Week Six. There aren’t a whole heck of a lot of points separating No. 1 and No. 10, either. So a loss of any kind over the next five weeks could not only drop someone down the list but out of the top eight – the number of teams that will line up for the first round of the postseason Nov. 13-14.

And don’t think Daniel Boone has any easier trek to get into the District 3-AAA playoffs, either. The Blazers may be unbeaten, but they’re currently eighth – or right smack in the middle of the 16-team race – with not only seven very, very good teams ahead of them, but a slew of quality teams behind them capable of moving up and up in the coming weeks.

“I think any coach will tell you that you have to worry about your next game and only your next game, and that will take care of everything else,” Pennypacker explained. “No one can afford to look ahead. When you do that, bad things happen.

“Like I said, we’re working hard to get ready for Spring-Ford right now. And I’m sure coach Barr, coach Leamer and everyone else in our league will tell you they’re doing the same … preparing for (this weekend). Our first goal is to win the PAC-10 championship, that’s why we’re focused on Spring-Ford.”

The unbeaten Falcons (5-0) and Wildcats (5-0) have 690 and 630 points, respectively, in the first points standings released Monday by District 1 officials. Unbeaten Interboro is third (620), with Henderson and defending district champion Bayard Rustin — both unbeaten — tied for fourth (600). Academy Park (5-0), arguably one of the big surprises through the first half of the season, is sixth (590), one spot in front of Upper Perkiomen (530). Marple-Newtown (4-1), under former Boyertown and St. Pius X head coach Ray Gionta, is eighth (520).

Former District 1 and state power Strath Haven (4-1), which has lost only to unbeaten AAAA power Ridley, is ninth. The Panthers visit Marple-Newtown on Friday night.

* * *

Another area team — St. Pius X — is still mathematically in the Class A sub-region postseason race. The Lions (3-2) are tied for fourth with Del Val Charter and School of the Future, behind Bristol, Morrisville and No. 1 Calvary Christian. The Lions can ill-afford another loss or two, though, because only the points leaders from District 1 and 12 are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, with the remaining two spots going to those with the highest points average to complete the four-team bracket.

* * *

The district’s 16-team AAAA field is currently topped by Pennsbury, with Abington, Downingtown West, defending champion North Penn and Ridley rounding out the top five. Perkiomen Valley (3-2) is at No. 18.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

All four of the aforementioned playoff contenders definitely can’t look beyond this week. Pottsgrove and OJR are 3-0 in the PAC-10, and Boyertown, Perkiomen Valley and Upper Perkiomen are all just a game back.

It’s a tight race, but one that should open up considerably over the next two laps, or weekends.

This Friday, Boyertown visits Perkiomen Valley, and Upper Perkiomen is at Owen J. Roberts. If the Wildcats win, and the Falcons succeed down in Royersford, they’ll both be 4-0 (6-0 overall) when they line up opposite one another next week at Pottsgrove.

And up in the Inter-County League, the Section One race is a good one with Daniel Boone, Governor Mifflin and Muhlenberg all 2-0. The Blazers – the lone unbeaten among the group – travels to Conrad Weiser (1-1, 3-2), which just punched Pottsville out of first place. After Friday, the Blazers have Governor Mifflin, Pottsville and Muhlenberg, a three-week grind they remember quite well from a year ago after losing to two of the three rivals.

IN A RUSH

OJR junior Ryan Brumfield has moved past Boyertown graduate Brian Roth and into sixth place on The Mercury’s career rushing chart with 3,965 yards. He needs 35 yards to become just the fifth area back to reach 4,000, and 92 yards to move past Pottsgrove standout and current Penn State running back Brent Carter (4,056).

Brumfield last Saturday topped the 200-yard mark for the fifth time in a Pioneer Athletic Conference game. He tied David Frame’s team record and moved into a tie for fifth place on the PAC-10 list alongside Spring-Ford’s Mike Bach and Joe Haley, and Upper Perkiomen’s Craig Austin. Two players – Carter and Lansdale Catholic’s R.C. Lagomarsino – ran for 200 or more yards in a PAC-10 game six times, while Pottsgrove’s Brent Steinmetz achieved the feat seven times.

St. Pius X graduate Zack Pierce owns the league record of eight games with 200 or more yards rushing.

BERKS BOMBERS

Daniel Boone senior Jon Monteiro is now fifth on The Mercury’s career passing chart with 3,980 yards. Barring a Homeland Security ban on air space Friday night at Conrad Weiser, Monteiro will become just the fifth quarterback to pass for more than 4,000 yards. He needs 182 yards to move into fourth place ahead of Upper Perkiomen graduate Jeff Moyer (4,161). … Teammate Kelly Saylor needs 28 receptions and 18 yards to become just the fourth area receiver to own more than 100 career catches and 1,000 career yards.

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY

Hundreds of high school football players, past and present, got their start in the game with the NorChester Red Knights youth program, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend at Connie Batdorf Park just below the intersection of Routes 100 and 23. A pep rally kicks off the festivities 6 p.m. Friday night, with games and homecoming festivities beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday.

The organization is also holding an anniversary banquet Saturday, Dec. 5 at Kimberton Fire Hall. Tickets can be purchased throughout the weekend, or by visiting the Red Knights at www.norchesterredknights.com.

Perk Valley finding its identity

2009-09-22T13:05:00.001-04:00

Scott Reed may have been thinking about getting photo identification cards to pin on every one of his players’ jerseys when Perkiomen Valley’s camp opened four weeks ago.

Graduation took all but one of his starters on offense and seven of his starters on defense. There were twentysome seniors back, mind you, but most spent last season standing on the sidelines as backups and fulfilling their football needs in the junior varsity games. And adding to the who’s who dilemma even more were all the sophomores, enough of them to give Reed an unheard of – or school record – 82 aspiring players on the roster.

“We never ever had that many kids, so we were really surprised,” Reed said. “During our off-season workouts we had maybe 30-35 kids in the weight room, so when we saw how many came out (on the opening day of practice) it did surprise us. We just didn’t know most of them, and knew we had to try and figure out what they could do.”

Three weeks into the season, and coming off what many considered an upset of Upper Perkiomen last Friday night, it appears the Vikings have stepped forward to show their coach who they are … and the entire coaching staff is figuring it all out pretty well.

“We have a lot of seniors who never played before, like 20 or so who didn’t crack the lineup as underclassmen,” Reed explained. “They were undefeated on the freshmen and jayvee teams, but they hadn’t played much with us because we had those good junior and senior classes the last two years.

“I can’t say we were really young, but we certainly were very inexperienced. We had a lot of evaluating to do.”

A lot of evaluations and assessments, actually, because of replacing 17 starters and baptizing the entire gang in an entirely new 3-5-3 defense, which doesn’t even come close to resembling Perkiomen Valley’s traditional 5-2 alignment.

“It’s certainly been a challenge for the whole coaching staff,” Reed added. “We have dedicated kids who play to the system well. But we had to figure out where everyone was going. We have a lot of personnel, but finding out who would fit in where was a huge challenge for us. A lot of kids were challenging each other, and we had to find kids willing to step up.”

Reed is discovering a lot have, at least through three games – wins over Upper Dublin and Upper Perkiomen sandwiched around a turnover-filled setback to Coatesville.

The offense has been “learning under fire,” as Reed said last week. Wideout Ben Carbutt was the only Viking to get any quality time a year ago. But Pat Catagnus has held his own at quarterback, and Steve Murrow and John Schmidt have found room to run behind a fast-learning and fast-improving front line. And everyone could be doing a lot better without the 15 turnovers.

“We’re not where we need to be offensively,” Reed said. “We have to stop the turnovers. We have to learn how to close out games better. We’re making mistakes we have to clean up.”

If there’s been a surprise – beyond the record turnout, that is – it’s been the defense. Up in Red Hill last Friday night, the Vikings allowed only 14 yards rushing.

Ends Sean Conners – who recovered a fumble and picked off an Upper Perkiomen pass, both in the final quarter – and Matt Kline; tackle Chris Stewart; linebacker Brendan Murray; and safety Kyle Williams are back from last season. They, along with Kayo Bakere – who transferred back to Perkiomen Valley this year – have adjusted well to the new defense. The rotation of Matt Kline and Justin Morgan at the other outside linebacker spot has improved, and the inside-linebacker threesome of Murray, Joe Scenna and Bobby Strickland – who had three sacks last weekend – are playing extremely well. And the secondary, which features Carbutt, Gio and Joe Waters and Wayne Smith are holding their collective own, too.

“We wanted to be more of an attack-style defense this year,” Reed said. “After looking at all the kids we had, we felt instead of finding five linemen we could find more who would fit into those five (linebacker) positions. Plus, it’s good to try something new at times.

“We’re happy so far. We’re still giving up big plays, and everyone knows we can’t do that. We just have to play four quarters of solid defense.”

Especially this Friday, when unbeaten defending PAC-10 champion and state-ranked Pottsgrove visits.

SHORT LIST

The Hill School joined Phoenixville as the only area programs with 500 wins by opening its season with a 32-12 thumping at Germantown Academy last Friday afternoon … and everyone kept the milestone victory in perspective.

“It’s amazing … an incredible feeling,” said senior Andrew Donald, a resident of Kimberton who will certainly remember the game after catching six passes and picking off two on defense. “We’ll celebrate this tonight, then set our target on No. 501.”

“This was a good goal for today,” added head coach Marty Vollmuth, in his seventh year guiding the Rams. “We wanted to get off to a good start. (The win) makes me feel proud, having been here 24 years and to have two former players on the staff. It’s a real accomplishment.”

The Rams travel to Episcopal Academy this Saturday, then return home the following two weeks to first entertain Chestnut Hill and then open their Mid-Atlantic Prep League against Peddie.

MORE OPENING LINES

Daniel Boone opens its I-C League Division One season Friday at Twin Valley. Head coach Dave Bodolus expects a considerably tougher challenge this week than his Blazers got in the first three weeks – three wins in which they piled up a 1,243-225 yard advantage on offense and outscored their opponents 137-13. Twin Valley is also 3-0 for the first time in its 12-year football history.

Perkiomen School opened its Tri-State League season with a bang last Friday afternoon and ended a two-year skid to Tower Hill (Del.) with a 37-0 romp.

UNBEARABLE

Boyertown head coach Mark Scisly has to be scratching his head. The Bears threw up 41 points in their season-opener, scored once in the first quarter of Game Two with Governor Mifflin … and have since gone into hibernation (offensively, that is).

Turnovers and penalties have helped take the energy out of the offense. The Bears are minus-five in takeaways, and have been whistled nine times for 92 yards in penalties the last two games. All of that has overshadowed an otherwise strong defensive effort.

Up front, Scisly has gotten strong play from Wilmer Barndt, Chris Muller and Tyler Bogert, and more of the same behind those three from Kyle Fultz, Jared Giles, Zach Heffner, Tyler Mauger, Jon Neiman, Dalton Schaeffer and Tyler Shaw.

Scisly and the Bears hope to get the offense on the same page Friday night against visiting St. Pius X.

LION-HEARTED

Speaking of St. Pius X … in case you didn’t catch their streak-ending win last Saturday.

The Lions defeated Phoenixville for the first time a 28-0 shutout in 2002; won their first PAC-10 opener since a 25-12 decision of Spring-Ford in 2003; scored their most points in a PAC-10 since a 52-28 loss to Owen J. Roberts in 2005 – which was 32 games ago; and ended a 23-game PAC-10 losing streak that dates back to Week Four of the 2006 season.

Pius, which is 3-0 for the first time in eight years, needs one more win to match its combined win total of the last three years and three more wins to match the combined win total of the last five years.

INJURY WOES

The area’s injury list worsened last week, and before round three even kicked off.

Pottstown has reportedly lost running back David Tyler for the season with a leg injury. A senior, Tyler ran for just over 2,000 yards at Spring-Ford as a sophomore and junior before transferring to Pottstown this year. … Phoenixville quarterback Tom Romano suffered an arm injury during practice last week, which kept him out of the Phantoms’ game with Pius. He, as well as two-way starter Vince Ciaverelli, who also missed Saturday’s game, are both questionable this week. … Pottsgrove all-state linebacker Preston Hamlette, sidelined with an ankle injury, is still doubtful this week.

MOVING UP

OJR’s Ryan Brumfield last Friday night moved up to No. 10 on the area’s career rushing chart with 3,564 yards, scooting past Upper Perkiomen’s Luke Scherer and Methacton’s Jason Adamek. Up next? His own head coach, Tom Barr, who had 3,633 carrying the ball for the Wildcats. … Daniel Boone quarterback Jon Monteiro is within 72 yards of passing St. Pius X graduate Matt Troutman for the eighth spot in career passing yards.

WORTHY CAUSE

The NorChester Red Knights youth football and cheerleading organization will hold its second annual “Fill The Bus” food pantry donation day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Red Knights Field House, located just south of the intersection of Routes 100 and 23.

Donations needed all can goods and non-perishable items, such as personal care products, and paper goods like napkins, tissues, toilet paper and paper towels.

The event benefits the North Coventry Food Panty, which offers supplies and staples to needy members of the Northern Chester County community. More information is available www.norchesterredknights.com or by calling 610-469-1816.

After two weeks of waiting, this year’s battle

2009-09-22T13:01:00.001-04:00

All summer long, a handful of teams – Boyertown, Owen J. Roberts, Phoenixville, Pottsgrove and Upper Perkiomen (listed alphabetically to hush all the nitpickers) – were mentioned over and over again as the favorites, frontrunners and forces-to-be-reckoned-with in the Pioneer Athletic Conference this season.

After the two-week preseason grind, which revealed a thriller here and there but mostly more mismatches than anything else, those five teams are still being mentioned over and over again as the favorites, etc., etc., etc.

Well, the PAC-10 kicks off its 24th season tonight, and there just so happens to be five other teams – Methacton, Perkiomen Valley, Pottstown, Spring-Ford and St. Pius X – that would like nothing more than to get a share of the early season spotlight.

Most will get that opportunity.

The big one, or the game that will attract a lot of fans tonight (and readers in Saturday’s newspapers and on their various websites) is Boyertown’s visit to Pottsgrove. Then there’s Owen J. Roberts entertaining Spring-Ford, and Perkiomen Valley visiting Upper Perkiomen. Finishing up Saturday is Pottstown’s game at Methacton, and Phoenixville’s visit to St. Pius X.

Mind you, it’s only Week One in the Pioneer Athletic Conference. Everyone has eight more games on their respective schedules. Statements can and will be made tonight and Saturday afternoon.

But don’t forget that no one has ever lost its first PAC-10 game and won an outright league championship, and only once has a team lost its PAC-10 opener and managed to finish with a share of the league championship.

“The first game of the season is always a big game,” said Pottsgrove head coach Rick Pennypacker. “But your first league game, your first PAC-10 game, is even bigger because your first goal is to win your league championship. You want to get off to a good start.”

No one has gotten off to a better start, perhaps, than the defending champion Falcons. They defeated Pennridge (34-21) and Wissahickon (45-0), but will open their first PAC-10 season in three years without all-state linebacker Preston Hamlette, who went down with an ankle injury on the sixth play of last Friday evening’s game and is unlikely to be uniform tonight.

“And on top of that Boyertown is a very good football team,” Pennypacker added.

The Bears are big up front. Make that very, very big up front. They also have a new quarterback in Dylan Pasik who, given time and space, can throw the ball, as well as a few fellas who can get to the end zone in a hurry, especially Ryan Schwager. But it’s an offense that, thanks in part to turnovers and penalties, left them stuttering and stumbling after Schwager’s 78-yard touchdown dash in the first quarter last week. Tonight, they’ll have to deal with a defense that may prove it gets to the football north and south as well as east and west better than any PAC-10 team – past or present.

Owen J. Roberts had an equally impressive preseason with wins over Conestoga (13-3) and West Chester East (31-6), and head coach Tom Barr’s defense may not be getting the attention – or props – it’s earned thus far. That’s not easy to get when you have Ryan Brumfield piling up the yardage and touchdowns on the other side of the ball. But Barr will be focused on shutting down Spring-Ford, which has helped make this one of the area’s most unpredictable series over the past two decades. The Rams have had to deal with way too many off-field distractions – from transfers and disgruntled fans who only build the dissention and tear down the rebuilding hopes.

Upper Perkiomen proved it earned a contender tag, too, with preseason wins over Muhlenberg (20-13) and Upper Dubin (34-0). The Indians have some size, a lot of aggressive individuals on both sides of the line, and a couple of motivating factors like ending back-to-back losing seasons in the PAC-10 (their first since 2000-01) and rebounding from their first losing season overall in nine years. And don’t think they’re not aware of how Perkiomen Valley opened with a win over that same Upper Dublin team and how it went toe-to-toe with heavily favored Coatesville before six turnovers tripped them up.

But if there is one of those preseason favorites (as well as a none-favorite) lining up on a mission, or looking to send a message, it’s Phoenixville and St. Pius X – and they’re getting together Saturday to kick off the final PAC-10 season at Mich Stadium. The Phantoms are 0-2 for the first time head coach Bill Furlong’s seven years guiding the program, and that has a lot of people – including Furlong himself – scratching his head. Meanwhile, the Lions are 2-0 for the first time in six years and rather determined to double, triple or more their total of league wins (two) over the past five seasons.

And don’t think anyone is overlooking Saturday’s other matinee – Pottstown and Methacton down in Fairview Village. Yes, both are 0-2. But, as more than a few coaches around the PAC-10 have said, both have the size and speed to get the best of anyone of any given weekend. No one, perhaps, has pulled off as many legitimate PAC-10 upsets through the years as Pottstown. Methacton, a bit more comfortable now in its new surroundings, would also like to avoid an 0-3 start and put together the program’s first winning season in nine years.

* * *

The only time a PAC-10 team lost its opener and won or shared the league championship was in 2007. Perkiomen Valley dropped its opener to Lansdale Catholic, 41-20, before running off eight straight wins. Lansdale Catholic was forced to share the title because in Week Five, with a then spotless 4-0 (5-0 overall) record, was stunned 28-27 in overtime at Pottstown. … The only time a team has had more than one loss and still won a PAC-10 championship was in 1991, when Owen J. Roberts and Pottsgrove finished alongside one another at 7-2.

MILESTONE TIME

The Hill School kicks off its 133rd season of football this afternoon at Germantown Academy … and kicks it off looking for the 500th win in the history of its storied program. Hill won the inaugural meeting between the two schools, 26-0 in 1945, but didn’t see Germantown Academy again until 1970, when the two schools became annual rivals through 1994. There was one more game – Germantown Academy’s 56-0 rout in 1999 – between the two before the series resumed last year (Hill’s 32-8 romp).

Hill School, which leads the overall series, 18-10, is attempting to join Phoenixville as the only area programs with 500 or more wins.

Head coach Marty Vollmuth and the Rams are on the road again next week (at Episcopal Academy) before their home-opener Saturday, Oct. 3 against Chestnut Hill Academy. They begin their Mid-Atlantic Prep League schedule the following Saturday against visiting Peddie School.

MOVING UP

Brumfield moved up to 12th place on The Mercury’s career rushing chart last week. The OJR junior has 3,366 yards, needing just 143 more yards to get into the Top 10 and 268 more yards to run by head coach Tom Barr, who had 3,633 yards carrying the football for Henry Bernat at Owen J. Roberts. … Daniel Boone’s Jon Monteiro, only the ninth area quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 career yards, needs 290 to move into eighth place. Teammate Kelly Saylor – like Monteiro with only one season behind him – needs 38 catches and 207 yards to become just the fifth area receiver with 100 receptions and 1,000 yards.

Rain, rain and a lot of fumbles

2009-09-22T12:57:00.000-04:00

Mother Nature was whimpering a bit last weekend. Rain, rain, rain … along with an occasional puff of wind, a little mud, even a puddle here and there.

Five schools decided to play Friday night (hip-hip-hooray), another three opted to postpone until Saturday (boo-hiss), when the conditions (sadly, football has weather conditions now, too) weren’t all that much better.

Thank goodness there weren’t any coaches – of even players, for that matter – whimpering or whining about the wet fields, though.

They could have.

Really, they could have. In the area’s 12 games last weekend, the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and kick-returners fumbled 51 times – and lost 27 – and who’s to say the writers and statisticians overlooked another one or two along the way on their scoring sheets.

“There’s no excuse, either,” said one area coach, who pleaded to remain anonymous for fear of being critical of other teams’ players. “Don’t blame the weather. It’s carelessness … not being focused.”

Whatever it was, you can bank on tucking in the ol’ ball will be part of this week’s practices and preparations for almost everyone. Especially for those fellas at Owen J. Roberts and Perkiomen Valley, not to mention Boyertown and Pottstown.

The Wildcats fumbled a school-record 12 times and lost half of them. Fortunately, the usually dependable Ryan Brumfield – who had four himself – more than made up for it with 259 yards and all four of his team’s touchdowns in the rout of West Chester East.

“It was a little frustrating,” Brumfield said. “But after fumbling, you have to have a quick memory – forget about it and go on to the next play.”

Fortunately, Brumfield and the Wildcats did.

Perkiomen Valley, Boyertown and Pottstown weren’t as fortunate. Turnovers either turned their respective games around or over – none in a favorable way, either. The Vikings bobbled the football six times and lost all six in an otherwise strong showing at Coatesville, which had head coach Scott Reed uttering what you may have heard or read from a few others – “No excuse for that.” Up in Boyertown, the Bears’ seven fumbles – four of which were lost – cost them excellent field position and continually sacked any continuity, let alone momentum, and overshadowed a very commendable defensive effort in a 9-7 setback to Governor Mifflin.

And say what you will, but Pottstown’s five fumbles – four of which were handed over to Upper Moreland – didn’t help head coach Brett Myers in his dogged drive to turn the Trojans’ fortunes around.

If you happened to be counting up those otherwise forgettable figures, you got four teams – Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley, Boyertown and Pottstown – fumbling 30 times and losing 20 of them. The other eight area teams combined only bobbled the ball 21 times and lost seven.

And, believe it or not, there were only three teams – Daniel Boone, Methacton and Upper Perkiomen – that didn’t fumble the ball over to the opposition at all. Maybe that’s one of the reasons Daniel Boone and Upper Perkiomen had no problems winning and remaining unbeaten (Methacton, on the other hand, is in an offensive funk without a touchdown in two games).

And don’t think everyone was beaming after weekend wins if their turnover column was on the light side, either.

“I was happy with the way we played,” said Pottsgrove head coach Rick Pennypacker, whose Falcons overcame a pair of fumbles of their own by getting six Wissahickon turnovers – five fumbles and an interception – in a 45-0 romp. “I can still find some things we did wrong … things we need to work on.”

Pennypacker won’t be alone on that work detail this week.

AIRING IT OUT

Area fans may have been spoiled the last three years by Boyertown’s David Crognale, Perkiomen Valley’s Zack Zulli and Spring-Ford’s Trevor Sasek. After all, the three did graduate last spring with over 10,000 combined passing yards.

But two weeks into this season, with the exception of Daniel Boone’s Jon Monteiro, passing the football is, well, almost being passed over for nearly everyone else.

Monteiro is 27 of 49 (55 percent) for 383 yards and four touchdowns. Other quarterbacks for the 11 area teams who have played at least once so far, are a combined 73 of 190 (38 percent) for 911 yards – with twice as many interceptions (16) as touchdowns (eight). Monteiro’s quarterback rating is 139.5. The rest of the gang is a combined 63.2.

WHAT A BOOT

One thing that isn’t being overlooked in the early going is the kicking game. Punting averages are up considerably, and Daniel Boone’s Bernie Roell, Phoenixville’s John McInally, Methacton’s Nick LaPerche and Owen J. Roberts’ Zach Lepore, to name a few,

Roell, the area’s leading kick scorer last year, is 11 of 13 on point-afters and has a field goal. McInally is 3-for-3 on point-afters with three field goals, and LePerche has boomed two field goals. McInally and LePerche accounted for their team’s only points last weekend. And Lepore is 4-for-6 on placements with one field goal.

Perkiomen Valley’s Justin Morgan, who could set PAC-10 career marks in kicking by season’s end, is 4-for-4 following Viking touchdowns.

Boyertown’s Aaron Sassaman (who missed last Saturday night’s game with a reported injury), Pottsgrove’s Zach Robinson, Pottstown’s Kyle Dentler, St. Pius’ John Cherneskie and Upper Perkiomen’s Matt Kirkpatrick are also off to good starts this season.

LEADING THE WAY

After just two weeks, Brumfield and Daniel Boone’s Brian Evans lead the area in scoring with six touchdowns and 36 points each. Upper Perkiomen’s Shawn Wenhold is next with four scores and 24 points. … Roell (14 points) and McInally (12) lead in kick scoring. … Brumfield (340), Pottsgrove quarterback Terrell Chestnut (229) and Pottstown’s David Tyler (208) are the only backs with over 200 yards. … Daniel Boone teammates Kelly Saylor (10 catches) and Tommy Bodolus (nine) top the receiving chart.

LONG TIME

St. Pius X is off to a 2-0 start for the first time in six years. The Lions, who have edged Simon Gratz and jolted Jenkintown so far, matched their program’s best start since 2003.

That’s when quarterback Chad DiFebbo, fullback Zach McCann and running back Josh Lauer helped the Lions hold off East Stroudsburg North in a 16-14 thriller and sack Spring-Ford by a 25-12 spread in head coach Ed McCann’s first season.

HISTORY TIME

The new Twin Borough Sports Heritage Association last Friday opened its exhibit in the Spring-Ford Historical Society building on Main Street in Royersford.

The exhibit features uniforms, trophies, photographs and other memorabilia dating back to the early 1900s of sports teams from the former Royersford and Spring City high schools as well as from Spring-Ford High School.

Claire Hunter, the mover and shaker behind the project, added the highlight of the exhibit is the Twin Borough Wall of Fame, which honors outstanding student-athletes who graduated from the three schools.

The TBSHA’s exhibit is open from11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and also at the same times on the first and third Sundays of each month.

Pottstown greats headline Tri-County class

2009-09-22T12:56:00.001-04:00

Call it an even split.

That’s what the final ballot revealed for this year’s Tri-County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, with three of Pottstown High School’s former standouts and three coaches (two of whom weren’t bad athletes in their day, either) picking up enough votes to make up the 32nd class of inductees.

Scott Glenn, Paul Green and Michael Perate, who excelled on Pottstown football, basketball, wrestling, track and field, and baseball teams during their careers, along with coaches James Goodhart, Bruce Hallman and Tom McGee, will be honored at the annual induction dinner Saturday, Oct. 17 at The Elks.

“We’re very proud of our newest class of inductees,” said Elmer “Chump” Pollock, president of the organization and chairman of the Hall of Fame program.

Glenn was a three-sport standout at Pottstown before graduating in 1984. He was the captain of the football team, earning All Ches-Mont League honors as a running back in his junior and senior seasons. He also served as the captain for the basketball and track teams. In track, he was a district and state qualifier in three events – the 100 and 200 meters as well as the long jump.

Glenn’s football career continued at West Virginia Tech, where he starred as a running back, setting the school’s career rushing mark – which still stands – and earning honorable mention All-American honors. Glenn has since coached football at Unionville High School and returned to his alma mater as an assistant for two seasons.

Green was a standout in football and wrestling at Pottstown before graduating in 1984. Coaches and fans first learned of Green when he posted an undefeated (93-0) record as a junior high school wrestler. After moving up to the high school team, he went on to win two section, three district and two regional championships, capping his career with the PIAA-Class AA state title and an 80-8 career record.

The younger brother of the late Jeff Green – who was previously inducted into the Tri-County Chapter’s Hall of Fame – Green’s wrestling career continued at Morgan State University. He was selected to the Freshman All-American team, won four Mid-Eastern Conference titles, and finished up with a 147-24-4 career mark. Green later served as an assistant wrestling coach at Morgan State and Coppin State University, and is currently the head coach at Falls Church High School in Va.

Perate had outstanding basketball and baseball careers at Pottstown before graduating in 1994. A three-year starter for the Trojans’ basketball team, he was a three-time All-Pioneer Athletic Conference and Mercury All-Area selection, and finished with 1,315 career points. He also earned All PAC-10 and Mercury All-Area honors in baseball for his efforts as a first baseman-pitcher – hitting over .400 and compiling a 5-1 mark on the mound as a senior.

Perate accepted a scholarship to play baseball at Villanova University. He played four seasons for the Wildcats, serving as the team captain his senior year.

Goodhart was an outstanding baseball player at Pottstown, where he had been a very successful manager for the Steelers’ American Legion team before expanding opportunities for Pottstown-area youngsters by starting up, supervising and coaching the Pottstown Police Athletic League program.

A 1968 graduate of Pottstown, Goodhart was an All Ches-Mont League selection and the Steelers’ team MVP in 1967 and again in 1969. He attended Moravian College, where he was a two-time All-Middle Atlantic Conference second baseman and later named Moravian’s Athlete of the Year in 1972. He served as the Steelers’ manager for four summers, then was instrumental in starting up the PAL Spartans’ ballclub. Goodhart’s success – more than 300 wins as a coach – and his dedication to baseball has enabled the PAL program to expand to three additional teams.

Hallman was a wrestler and member of the track and field team at Boyertown High School before graduating in 1971. He once owned both the school and league pole vault records, and excelled in the event at Shippensburg University.

After returning to his alma mater, Hallman served as an assistant wrestling coach for the Bears before taking over the program in 1981. Before he stepped down from the position after 24 years, his teams won section titles in the Berks Conference, Pioneer Athletic Conference championships as well as section and district titles in District 1. A recipient of a Summit Award three years ago, Hallman – who compiled a 303-140 career record at Boyertown – has been inducted into the District 1 Wrestling Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame.

McGee, a native of the Norristown area, graduated from Hofstra University in 1971. His basketball coaching career began at Norristown’s Rittenhouse and Eisenhower junior high schools, where he had a combined 94-12 career record.

After taking over the St. Pius X boys program in 1978, McGee led the Lions to a pair of District 1 titles, the PIAA-Class A state championship in 1979 and an overall mark of 187-143 in 13 seasons. He returned to coaching in 1993 at Norristown High School, and in seven seasons helped the Eagles to four Suburban One League titles and four appearances in the state playoffs before finishing with a 145-48 overall mark. McGee, who was recognized six seasons as the Coach of the Year by The Mercury and Times Herald during his career, was a Summit Award recipient two years ago.

Still a long way to go for most of the area’s teams

2009-09-11T11:44:00.002-04:00

Don’t get the measuring sticks out yet … not after just one week of football, not after the one week that usually features more nerves, miscommunication and mental mistakes – not to mention more mismatches – than any others over the next three months.

There aren’t too many coaches who will put much if any emphasis on a season-opening win or loss (sorry, ties are a thing of the past). They’re very few who will put their feet up on the desk and sit back with a smile and that first victory already neatly tucked into their pocket (at least not for long). There are even fewer who will play hide and seek over the weekend and then whine for a couple more days after defeat.

Monday was indeed Labor Day, a holiday for most. But you can bet coaches here, there and everywhere else were hard at work – watching film, rearranging some X’s and O’s, and devising a game plan for Week Two.

Week One is only the starting point. Week Two often reveals exactly what direction a team is taking into the regular season, when every snap, every run, every pass and every tackle can and usually will dictate who continues to play every weekend for a league championship, and who just may be playing beyond the first weekend of November.

That’s why so many coaches and players – even their fans – were dealing out as many positives as negatives after kicking off their respective seasons last Friday and Saturday.

Boyertown is a team that some feel can compete for a Pioneer Athletic Conference title this season (and will get an opportunity to make as big a statement as you can when opening the league schedule at Pottsgrove on Sept. 18). The Bears debuted last Friday without David Crognale calling the signals for the first time in four years and a few question marks up front, and had little trouble with William Allen up in Allentown. It was the program’s first win over a non-league opponent in nearly five years, or since a 22-13 decision of Abington two weeks before Thanksgiving back in 2004. But it was also a win over a team that lost for the 21st consecutive time and is an awful 1-30 since its season-opener in 2006. This week, against visiting Governor Mifflin, which has bumped off Boyertown in 20 of 29 meetings (with two ties), will be a tougher test.

Daniel Boone dumped on Donegal for the fourth straight year, has outscored its rivals 82-6 the last two seasons and 115-27 in the four-game series. But those 433 yards and 42 points – with a lot of new contributors – are in line with last year’s Blazers team that led the area in total offense (420) and points per game (33). Those numbers could swell even more this week with Susquehannock, which lost 58-0 to Disrtict 3 power Manheim Central — coming to Birdsboro.

Owen J. Roberts, like Boyertown a legitimate threat in the PAC-10 again this year, ended a string of woeful season-openers with a 13-3 win over Conestoga, which is considered a Central League contender. The Pioneers were quick and aggressive, but head coach Tom Barr has to be concerned with the Wildcats’ inconsistency on offense, or the breakdowns and bottlenecks that limited Ryan Brumfield to just 81 yards (more than half of which came on five carries) and enabled quarterback Nate Walters to complete just 2 of 6 passes for 25 yards.

If anyone had the right to break into a smile and at least grin through the weekend, it was Perkiomen Valley. With less than a handful of starters back and an almost entirely new party of people in the skill positions, the Vikings got a big play from its defense to take the lead and a lot of hard running from unsung Steve Morrow to hold it in a win over Upper Dublin. But head coach Scott Reed and the crew entertain Ches-Mont League giant Coatesville next.

Pottsgrove, with all the preseason hype and hip-hip-hooray, didn’t have any problems with a good Pennridge team, and only a pair of late scores make the final score respectable. However, you can bet your cleats, shoulder pads and helmet that 10 penalties and the ballyhooed Falcons defense giving up 147 yards through the air had head coach Rick Pennypacker a bit, well, let’s just say upset. The Falcons will find out this week preapring for a very, very good Wissahickon (which topped Pottsgrove, 31-22, in Week Two a year ago).

St. Pius X couldn’t move the chains and failed to take advantage of a slew of opportunities in the first half against Simon Gratz on Saturday. But the Lions came alive on both sides of the ball in the second half, recovering from a 6-0 deficit with three unanswered scores and using a determined defense to stuff Gratz’s two-point conversion attempt at the win with 16 seconds remaining. No one in the area needed a win on opening day more than the Lions … and they got it.

Upper Perkiomen is yet another potential PAC-10 contender, and at times during last Friday night’s 20-13 win over Muhlenberg looked every bit of one. But the Indians needed a pair of second-half touchdowns to get by their hosts, who may be at best a middle-of-the-pack entry in the Inter-County League for the first time in recent memory. And head coach Keith Leamer is fully aware of the need for improvement this week against a team (Upper Dublin) that is noticeably weaker than Muhlenberg.

All was not lost in the four losses last weekend, either.

Methacton ran smack into one of the best in all of District 1. The Warriors fell into an immediate hole when Division I-A recruit Tony Latronica returned the opening kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown, and it only got worse after that against a team some feel could give almighty North Penn a run in the race for an AAAA district title. Head coach Bob McNally should get a better feel as to who’s who this week at Kennedy-Kenrick.

Phoenixville played like head coach Bill Furlong anticipated – or at least for a series or two into the second half at Great Valley. And despite coming up with six turnovers and helping to trigger their rivals to get hit with nine penalties on the night, it was a forgettable quarter and a half down the stretch that left them on the short side of a 27-21 loss. The Phantoms will focus on finishing this week and, perhaps, a little revenge considering they host Unionville, which got the best of them in the opening round of last year’s District 1-AAA playoffs.

Pottstown showed considerable poise and the ability to come back in a 34-22 loss to Blue Mountain, which is among the Inter-County League Division 1 favorites this season. The Trojans led 10-0, fell behind 14-10 only to take a 16-10 lead, then fell behind again 27-16 only to get within five, before the hosts put it away with a late score. Transfer David Tyler gives head coach Brett Myers a big-play threat, as he proved in returning a kickoff 85 yards for one touchdown and carrying 19 times for 178 yards and another score.

And Spring-Ford, which has had to endure more bail-outs (call them transfers if you like) than the generous administration down in Washington, D.C., happened to run into one of the best teams in District 1 (and possibly around the state in the AAA bracket) in Bayard Rustin. The Golden Knights have a good portion of its lineup back from a year ago, when they won the district title and lost in the eastern final to eventual state runner-up Archbishop Wood. The Rams will get a better feel as to where they are and where they’re headed this week when Sussex Tech (Del.) visits Coach McNelly Stadium.