ALL-AREA FOOTBALL: Perkiomen Valley’s Rasaan Stewart is Player of Year

By Don Seeley
dseeley@pottsmerc.com

GRATERFORD – After Scott Reed went through three different quarterbacks in three seasons at Perkiomen Valley, he and assistant coach Rob Heist were determined to find someone, preferably an underclassman, to be a work-in-progress and, hopefully sooner rather than later, the centerpiece of their offense for two or three years.
While sitting through rain and unseasonably cold temperatures to watch one of their junior high school team’s games two years ago, a very athletic Rasaan Stewart caught their collective eye. But Stewart was a tailback.
The following day, both Reed and Heist met with Stewart and asked him to throw the football…
“It was horrible,” Stewart recalled. “I wasn’t using my legs, just all arm. I couldn’t even throw a spiral.”
“We were impressed watching Rasaan run the ball, and we had running quarterbacks before,” Reed explained. “We thought he’d fit (that role), and Heist thought he could teach him to throw the ball.”
Reed and Heist, as well as everyone else on the Perkiomen Valley staff, thought right.
After learning his new position and leading the Vikings to a winning season as a sophomore, Stewart came back this past season looking like — and, more important, producing like — a veteran quarterback.
Stewart ran for 1,210 yards and 21 touchdowns, and completed an area-high 61 percent of his passes that added up to another 1,636 yards and 12 touchdowns. All that despite missing one game with an injury … and all that despite anchoring the defensive secondary at safety and contributing a team-high 97 tackles.
“The expectations got a little higher a bit quicker than I thought,” Reed said of Stewart — The Mercury’s 2012 All-Area Football Player of the Year. “In 10th grade he did some nice things, but he was a better runner. He was in a little over his head at times, though, and he was feeling his way out.

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ALL-AREA: Football first team capsules

Perkiomen Valley’s Mark Bonomo (35) finds room around the end while Pottstown’s Darrell Bookard (32) pursues. (Photo/Tom Kelly III)

Jeff Adams, Pottsgrove
Linebacker … 6-2, 190 … Junior … Credited with 98 tackles and 2.5 sacks … Unsung contributor to the area’s No. 1 ranked overall defense against the run – his team finished first against the run and third against the pass … Also played tight end in helping his team to the PAC-10 championship … All PAC-10 selection.

Zach Birch, Pottsgrove
Center/Defensive Tackle … 5-10, 210 … Senior … One of anchors of offensive line that helped team average an area-best 315 yards rushing en route to the PAC-10 championship … Credited with 62 tackles and 4.5 sacks … Recovered two fumbles … All PAC-10 selection.

Mark Bonomo, Perkiomen Valley
Running Back … 5-7, 166 … Junior … Carried 133 times for 1,040 yards and eight touchdowns … Caught 24 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns … Big part of area’s No. 1 offense that averaged 420 yards a game … Also helped on defense with six tackles and one fumble recovery … All PAC-10 selection.

Mark Dukes, Pottsgrove
Running Back … 5-11, 190 … Senior … Carried 167 times for an area-high 1,347 yards – an area-high 8.1 yards per attempt – and 22 touchdowns … Also caught four passes for 48 yards in helping his team to the PAC-10 championship … Area’s second-leading scorer with 142 points overall … All PAC-10 selection.

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ALL-AREA: Football teams

FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
Wide receivers:: Clay Domine, Perkiomen Valley; Seth Regensburg, Hill School; Chris Veisbergs, Pope John Paul II
Tight end: Ryan Pannella, Px
Tackles: Jeff Morrow, Perkiomen Valley; Madison O’Connor, Pottsgrove
Guards: Brian Hyland, Phoenixville; Bobby Gallus, Perkiomen Valley
Center: Zach Birch, Pottsgrove
Quarterback: Rasaan Stewart, Perkiomen Valley
Fullback: Yousef Lundi, Spring-Ford
Running backs: Mark Dukes, Pottsgrove; Mark Bonomo, Perkiomen Valley
Plackicker: Jose Holland, Methacton
Athlete: Tory Hudgins, Pottsgrove

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ALL-AREA: Hill School’s Fabian named boys soccer Player of the Year

By Austin Hertzog
ahertzog@pottsmerc.com

Wyatt Fabian doesn’t play the flute. But if you ask Hill School boys soccer coach Chris Drowne about his standout junior center back, Fabian has made music on and off the soccer field since becoming a Blue.
“He is everything you would want to build, highlight and celebrate in your soccer program,” Drowne said. “He’s been a pied piper for us, not just in terms of teams wanting us on their schedule, other guys from club teams see Wyatt and are academic-minded see him and want that, too.”
Fabian’s tune isn’t rooted in bringing more players to The Hill or elevating the schedule – that’s just a byproduct. His song is about being team-first, being the best he can be every time out and hopefully helping his teammates be their best each time out, too.
It’s a mentality that paid off in a big way this fall when Fabian led the Blues to their second straight Mid-Atlantic Prep League championship, clinched in a 1-0 shutout of archrival Lawrenceville, a runner-up finish in the Pa. Independent Schools Athletic Association tournament and a 16-3-1 record.
Fabian’s skill, confidence and program-elevating play enabled the Blues to match a school record with 14 shutouts, netting him unanimous selection to the All-MAPL first team and now The Mercury’s All-Area Boys Soccer Player of the Year honor.

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For The Mercury's Pinterest All-Area Athletes' board, click here

ALL-AREA: BOYS SOCCER TEAMS

Pottsgrove's Rushawn Larmond.

FIRST TEAM
Tyler Collins, Boyertown
Senior forward followed up a quality junior season with an even better final season, leading the Bears with 15 goals to go with five assists for the PAC-10 champions. Collins, who scored the overtime game-winner in the Bears’ 2-1 win over Spring-Ford in the league final, carried Boyertown to a 17-4 record and berth in the District 1-AAA playoffs.
Taylor Dempsey, Owen J. Roberts
Senior forward returned to the Wildcats for his final scholastic campaign after playing the previous year with the Philadelphia Union Academy and came away with 11 goals and eight assists on the season. Helped OJR to a 7-5-1 record in the league.
Wyatt Fabian, Hill School
Junior defender has elevated the entire Hill program in his three years and the technical and poised Fabian was at his best for the Mid-Atlantic Prep League champions while recording a school record-tying 14 shutouts. A three-time All-Area first team choice, Fabian guided the Blues to the final of the Pa. Independent Schools Athletic Association tournament and a 16-3-1 overall record.
Colten Habecker, Hill School
Junior forward once again showed a nose for goal but also a knack for setting up teammates as evidenced by his 12-goal, 15-assist season. Habecker, a Douglassville native, led the Blues to a 16-3-1 record, a second straight Mid-Atlantic Prep League title and trip to the final of the PAISAA Tournament.
Rushawn Larmond, Pottsgrove
Sophomore forward staked his claim as being one of the best in the area, running away with the area’s top scoring honors with 33 goals and 15 assists. A PSCA All-State selection and two-time All-Area first teamer, Larmond helped the Falcons to the PAC-10 semifinals, the final of the District 1-AA playoffs and a 11-7-2 record.

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For a Pinterest board of All-Area Players of the Year, click here

ALL-AREA: OJR’s Morgan joins rare company as two-time Player of Year

By Austin Hertzog
ahertzog@pottsmerc.com


BUCKTOWN — Being the best player on one of the four best teams in all of Pennsylvania wasn’t enough.
Emily Morgan still had a senior season to play, and she was determined to be even better.
How much more could she give after being the motor in the center of midfield for an Owen J. Roberts team that made an emotionally-charged run to the PIAA semifinals, rallying around one another in the wake of teammate Kelsey Kramer’s untimely death?
The ‘D’ in Morgan’s DNA stands for defense, her ability to tackle, dispossess an opposing player, and positional intelligence second to no one in the area for quite some time. So in her final scholastic season Morgan decided she needed to go on the attack.
“I said to my mom at the start of the year, ‘I want to score goals.’ Last year I had around seven goals and, not that a midfielder is supposed to be the leading goalscorer or be the biggest presence in attacking, but at the same time you (need to be influential).
“My main focus was working on my attacking game. I feel like I can always do better, but I did better than last year.”
Morgan brought her usual defensive excellence as a senior and contributed 11 goals and eight assists — reaching double-digit goals like she hoped — to a Wildcat team that finished 17-4-2 this season.
“That was a luxury — every time we stepped on the field we knew we had the best player on the field,” OJR coach Joe Margusity said. “Everything flowed through her during the game.”
The abundant team success of her junior season couldn’t be matched in her senior season, but Morgan brought what she does best and more to solidify her place as one of the finest players to come through the highly-successful Owen J. Roberts program.
Morgan’s spot as one of the area’s best is now solidified on the short list of players to be named The Mercury All-Area Girls Soccer Player of the Year twice. She joins past OJR standouts Laura Kane (1998, 2000) and Jen Michewicz (1999, 2001) as a rare two-time recipient.

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ALL-AREA: GIRLS SOCCER TEAMS

Phoenixville senior Maddie Fritsche (16) and Upper Perkiomen junior Kayla Smith have been selected to the All-Area girls soccer first team. (File photo by Barry Taglieber)

FIRST TEAM
Emily Diehl, Boyertown
Junior forward recorded her third straight double-digit goal season — 14 goals, 6 assists — as the Bears’ unwavering frontline presence. ... Propelled Boyertown to a second straight PAC-10 championship and the second round of the District 1-AAA playoffs while amassing a 16-2-2 record.

Maddi Fritsche, Phoenixville
Senior defender made it possible for the Phantoms’ strength to be defense, helping her team reach the PAC-10 playoffs and the semifinals of the District 1-AA playoffs. ... Led Phoenixville to a 10-7-2 record, its best mark in five years.

Danielle Lentz, Boyertown
Senior midfielder was a four-year starter and leader in the middle for the Bears while recording six goals and one assist. ... Scored the game-winning penalty kick in Boyertown’s PAC-10 title game win, and the defensive-minded midfielder was integral in her team’s stunning 16-game shutout streak on the way to the District 1-AAA quarterfinals and 16-2-2 overall record.

Gabby McKee, Owen J. Roberts
Junior defender continued to show her poise and quality, leading the Wildcats back line for the third straight year. ... Her ability on free kicks helped her tally seven goals and seven assists, huge numbers for a defender. ... A two-time Mercury All-Area first teamer, McKee led OJR to a 17-4-2 record, the PAC-10 final and the District 1-AAA quarterfinals.

Lauren Mengel, Boyertown
Senior defender provided consistency and mental toughness from the left back position for the Bears’ record-setting defensive effort this season. ... Her and the PAC-10 champion Bears surrendered just six goals all season while rattling off a 16-game shutout streak, the second-best run in state history. ... Two-sport standout who will continuer her soccer and lacrosse careers at the University of Bridgeport.

Emily Morgan, Owen J. Roberts
Senior midfielder pulled the strings in the middle again for the Wildcats while getting more involved in the attack in her final year, amassing 11 goals and seven assists. ... The rare two-time Mercury All-Area Girls Soccer Player of the Year, Morgan was selected to the PSCA All-State team after leading OJR to the PAC-10 title game, the District 1-AAA quarterfinals, and a 17-4-2 record.

Juliana Provini, Owen J. Roberts
Junior forward was the area’s most dynamic attacking threat, leading the Wildcats with 24 goals and 10 assists. ... Selected as an NSCAA Region II All-American, Provini helped OJR to a 17-4-2 record while reaching the PAC-10 final and the District 1-AAA quarterfinals.

Kayla Smith, Upper Perkiomen
Junior forward was the key offensive difference maker for the Indians, leading the team in goals (10) and assists (7). ... Led Indians to the PAC-10 semifinals, a berth in the District 1-AA playoffs, and a winning record in the 14 games she played (missed six games due to injury).

Simone Stewart, Spring-Ford
Senior forward led the rising Rams in scoring with seven goals. ... Led Spring-Ford to a win in the District 1-AAA playoffs after earning the No. 11 seed and an impressive 12-5-3 record.

Sammy Stipa, Spring-Ford
Junior midfielder was the Rams’ top facilitator while scoring four goals, her athleticism aiding why the Rams were one of the league’s most dangerous teams. ... A multi-sport standout who was an all-state selection in basketball a year ago, she helped the Rams to a 12-5-3 record and win in the District 1-AAA playoffs.

Sarafina Valenti, Boyertown
Freshman goalkeeper played well beyond her years and came away with an unforgettable season in recording 16 straight shutouts — the second-best streak in state history. ... Allowed just six goals all year and led the Bears to victory in penalty kicks in the PAC-10 title game. ... Along with the PAC-10 championship win, helped the Bears finish 16-2-2 and reach the District 1-AAA quarterfinals.

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ALL-AREA: Field hockey teams

AUDREE BONAVITA

FIRST TEAM
Gabby Major, Spring-Ford
Junior ... Forward ... Three-time first team selection ... Liberty Division first team pick ... PHSFHCA Class AAA first-team pick. ... NFHCA All-Region first-team selection. ... NFHCA first-team All-American pick. ... Racked up 37 goals and 13 assists to help Rams go unbeaten in Liberty Division play en route to first PAC-10 championship since 2001. ... Member of U-19 U.S. national team. ... Netted four goals in 5-1 league semifinal victory over Phoenixville, then scored two goals in a 3-1 championship victory over Upper Perkiomen. ... Committed to the University of North Carolina. ... The Mercury’s 2012 Field Hockey Player of the Year.

Casey Umstead, Upper Perkiomen
Junior ... Forward ... Frontier Division first team pick. ... PHSFHCA Class AA first team selection. ... NFHCA All-Region second-team selection. ... Led league in both scoring (40) and assists (17) to help Indians win Frontier Division crown and advance to PAC-10 final, District 1-AA final and PIAA-AA tournament. ... Member of U-19 U.S. National team and indoor national team. ... Had two goals in a 5-2 PAC-10 Final Four semifinal win over Perkiomen Valley.

Alexa Hoover, Methacton
Junior. ... Forward. ... Repeat first team selection. ... Liberty Division first team pick. ... PHSFHCA Class AAA honorable mention selection. ... Led Warriors in scoring with 34 goals while also contributing eight assists. ... Had three goals in an 87-second span in a 7-1 victory over Pottstown.

Bailey Quinn, Phoenixville
Sophomore. ... Forward. ... Frontier Division first team pick. ... Scored 23 goals and netted 10 assists for Frontier Division runner-up Phantoms. ... Scored three goals in an 8-1 victory over Pope John Paul II. ... Netted the game-winning tally in OT in a 4-3 victory over Perkiomen Valley.

Alyssa Chillano, Spring-Ford
Junior ... Midfielder ... Three-time All-Area first team selection. ... First team Liberty Division pick. ... PHSFHCA Class AAA first-team selection. ... NFHCA All-Region first-team selection ... NHFCA first-team All-American pick. ... Scored 22 goals and dished out 10 assists for PAC-10 champ Rams, despite missing a couple of weeks while playing for the U.S. National U-21 squad in the Pan American Games in Mexico. ... Committed to the University of Duke.

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ALL-AREA: Methacton's Codreanu makes stunning rise as a freshman

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE — It’s obvious she knows how to make up for lost time.

Mihaela Codreanu got her freshman season with the Methacton girls tennis team off to a delayed start, the result of a trip to Europe in the fall. But she quickly got on track, then rang up a memorable campaign culminating with her selection as The Mercury’s Player of the Year.

Codreanu recalled spending the first two weeks of the current school year visiting family in Moldova, an Eastern European nation located between Romania and Ukraine. Suffice it to say, she had some catching up to do when she returned home to a Methacton program that hit the courts in mid-August. 

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2012 ALL-AREA GIRLS TENNIS TEAMS

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ALL-AREA: Methacton's Watro captures Runner of the Year

By Rosemarie Ross
roross@pottsmerc.com

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE — For years, his Methacton friends and track coaches kept telling Curtis Watro he should try running cross country. But soccer was Watro’s first love. Track was not far behind, and he had been an excellent miler on the Warriors’ spring track team for three years.

So walking away from his Warriors varsity soccer team for cross country, with both being a fall sport ... no way.

It took until his senior year for Watro to suddenly have a change of heart. Cross country was going to be it this fall.

“It was hard, and it definitely took a little bit of thinking,” Watro recalled. “Soccer was always a lot of fun and I definitely wanted to play. But I thought if I tried cross country maybe it would get me in better shape and make me better for spring track.”

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ALL-AREA: BOYS CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS


For the complete All-Area boys cross country teams, click here

ALL-AREA CROSS COUNTRY: Methacton’s Steinke wins third straight honor

Methacton's Kara Steinke is The Mercury's All-Area Girls Cross Country athlete of the year for the third straight time. (Main photo by John Strickler/Photo illustration by Steven Moore)

By Rosemarie Ross
rross@pottsmerc.com

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE — These days Kara Steinke is making her mark on the basketball courts as the starting point guard for Methacton’s basketball team. And she is a great one.
But her running workouts remain very much part of her daily routine.
Before Steinke heads for her basketball workouts, she’ll hit the road for a few miles. If there is an afternoon game to be played, she settles for a few miles on the treadmill late at night.
For the past three years, the Methacton junior has been the area girls’ foremost cross country runner, coming off her best season yet this past fall.
Steinke went undefeated in dual meets for the third straight year, then captured her third straight Pioneer Athletic Conference girls cross country championship. She subsequently had her highest finishes at districts and states, crossing fourth (17:57) in District 1-Class AAA and 26th in the PIAA state meet — just one spot short of a medal.
Along the way she also won the Abington Invitational, the Briarwood Invitational Championship Race and Twilight” Invitational, and placed second at both the Viking Invitational and PIAA Foundation Invitational.
Late November, Steinke also ran in the New York Foot Locker Northeast Championships at Van Cortlandt Park for the first time, crossing 13th in that impressive field.
And, for third straight season, she is The Mercury All-Area Girls Cross Country Runner of Year.

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ALL-AREA: Girls cross country team

Mercury file photo Owen J. Roberts’ Megan Bernotas.

By Rosemarie Ross
rross@pottsmerc.com

FIRST TEAM
Megan Bernotas, Owen J. Roberts
Freshman ... Placed fourth at PAC-10 championships with a 20:12 ... Placed 48th (19:16) at District 1-AAA ... Placed 134 at states (21:00) ...Placed second at Twin Valley Invitational (20:41) ... Placed second at Chris Fretz Invitational (19:46).
Sammy Christman, Spring-Ford
Sophomore ... Placed seventh at PAC-10 championships with a 20:23 ... Placed 47th (19:16) at District 1-AAA ... Placed 188th at states (22:13).
Morgan Faust, Perkiomen Valley
Sophomore ... Placed fifth at PAC-10 championships with a 20:17 ... Finished 67th (19:46) at District 1-AAA.
Lydia Keiper, Upper Perkiomen
Senior ... Placed fifth at District 1-AA with a 19:49 to storm back after falling at PAC-10 Championships that forced her to drop out ... Placed 72nd at states (20:54) ... Placed 12th at Paul Short White Race (20:26).
Allie Monyak, Pope John Paul II
Senior ... Placed sixth at PAC-10 championships with a 20:19 ... Placed ninth (20:17) at District-AA ... Placed 84th at states (21:01).
Emily Schumaker, Boyertown
Sophomore ... Placed second at PAC-10 championships with a 19:52 ... Finished 35th (19:04) at District 1-AAA ... Finished advanced to states ... Placed 132nd at states (20:58) ... Placed second at Steel City Invitational (20.51).
Kara Steinke, Methacton
Junior ... Went undefeated in dual meets for third straight season ... Won PAC-10 championships for third straight year with an 18:41 ... Placed fourth (17:57) at District 1-AAA ... Placed 26th at states with a 19:20 ... Won Abington Invitational ... Won Briarwood Invitational ... Won Twilight Invitational ... Placed second at Viking Invitational ... Placed second at PIAA Foundation Invitational. ... The Mercury’s Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year for the third straight year.
Jill Weston, Owen J. Roberts
Junior ... Finished third at PAC-10 championships with a 20:06 ... Placed 55th (19:27) at District 1-AAA ... Placed fourth at Chris Fretz Invitational (20:18) ,.. Placed 12th at Twin Valley Invitational (21:49).

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