Mercury Sports: Thursday recap

Perkiomen School's Jose Marce (5) advances to third after tagging up on a fly ball in the bottom of the second inning Thursday. Upper Perkiomen third baseman Ryan Harris tries to apply the late tag. (John Strickler/The Mercury)

Pick up Friday's edition of The Mercury, which includes coverage of Perkiomen School/Upper Perkiomen and Perkiomen Valley/Phoenixville baseball and Perkiomen Valley/Phoenixville softball.

BASEBALL: Phoenixville outlasts Perkiomen Valley in 8 innings

BASEBALL: Perkiomen School doubles up Upper Perkiomen

SOFTBALL: Minnick seizes chance, leads Perkiomen Valley past Phoenixville


Also in Friday's Mercury: A special commemorative section on the Spring-Ford girls basketball state championship

GIRLS BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Perkiomen School caps magical season with TCL title

Perkiomen School's Nicole Pupillo (Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com, @MercSmokinD

When Randy Littlefield took over as Perkiomen School girls basketball coach last offseason, he knew he was inheriting a squad with a star player in guard Nicole Pupillo, but little else.

Early in the team’s tryout period, Littlefield began to see a squad with potential.

Over the course of the past three months, the Panthers gradually began to realize what wound up an unforgettable campaign.

Thursday night at the Hill School, Perkiomen School brought home its first league championship in nearly three decades by rallying from an eight-point first-half deficit for a 64-36 victory over Barrack Hebrew in the Tri-County League title game.

“It was a big thrill for our entire school,” said Pupillo, a junior guard who poured in a game-high 23 points in the final. “It was great having a big part of our (Perkiomen School) community there.” 

( To read the complete girls basketball notebook, click here )

BOYS BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Perkiomen School not so depleted after all

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

It didn’t quite duplicate its heady showing from last year.

Much of that had to do with the decidedly different roster the Perkiomen School boys basketball team trucked out for the 2012-13 season. But the Panthers still made the most of a campaign that concluded this past week with a return visit to the Tri-County League’s championship game.

“We looked a little thin after graduation last year,” head coach Mark Longstreth said after Thursday’s title game with Phelps School, which the Lions took by a 70-44 count. “A number of guys who were varsity subs last year improved and jayvees came up, and we added some new guys.

“Everybody was ready to play at the varsity level.”

Bruce Brittingham and Eric Fanning were among the higher-level players graduated from a Perkiomen team that went 14-0 in the TCL, 26-3 overall. Both rank among the area’s career scoring leaders: Brittingham in 28th place with 1,308 points, Fanning in 41st place with 1,186 points. 

( To read the complete boys basketball notebook, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Perkiomen cruises to Tri-County title

Perkiomen School's Nicole Pupilio dribbles into transition against Barrack Hebrew in the Tri-County League championship game Thursday night at The Hill School. (Kevin Hoffman, The Mercury)

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

POTTSTOWN — After rolling through the Tri-County League regular season undefeated and then winning a couple of playoff games with no problems, you might think that there would have been little reason for the Perkiomen School girls to be nervous on Thursday night.

But this was a championship game – the first-ever for this particular set of Panthers – being played before a large and noisy crowd at The Hill School’s Gillison Court, making for a definite playoff atmosphere. So the jitters were there for a while, and it showed, as Perk School struggled on offense and trailed by eight points three minutes into the second quarter.

But the Panthers rallied to take the lead by the end of the half and all of those butterflies in the stomach were long gone after a 27-point explosion in the third quarter on the way to a 64-36 win over Barrack Hebrew Academy, giving Perk School its first girls basketball title since 1984.

Nicole Pupillo scored 23 for the Panthers (19-5), including three baskets from beyond the three-point stripe in a span of just 63 seconds in the third quarter. Stephanie Falcone followed with 17 points for the winners, including a three-point blast in the final seconds of the first half that gave her team a 26-23 edge, and Kristen Burdo scored 11 and grabbed 12 rebounds. Sophia Schulson had 14 points and 16 rebounds for Barrack (15-5), which had lost to the Panthers by 21 and nine points during the regular season.

(For the complete story, click here....)

BOYS BASKETBALL: Perkiomen falls to Phelps in TCL final

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

POTTSTOWN — Sometimes the other team is big, sometimes it’s quick, and other times it can shoot the ball well. But Perkiomen School’s opponent in Thursday night’s Tri-County League boys basketball championship game was all of the above.

Needless to say, the defending champion Panthers had their work cut out for them, especially after Phelps School hit them with an eight-point run in the first two minutes of the contest. Perk School managed to recover from that blitz to tie the score late in the quarter, but couldn’t keep pace for long in a 70-44 loss at The Hill School’s Gillison Court.

Justas Valciukas scored 12 for the Panthers (13-7) and David Zell and Tony Coleman added eight points apiece. Terry Larrier scored 14 to lead the Lions (20-11).

“Some teams are big, but they have a weakness,” said Perk School coach Mark Longstreth. “This team … they’re big and shoot well. They have a lot of guys who can handle the ball.”

 (For the complete story, click here...)

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Perkiomen School rolls in playoff opener

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

PENNSBURG — Among all of the championship banners hanging on the Perkiomen School gymnasium wall is one that shows just how long it has been since the girls basketball program has won a championship.
That one, which few people could remember the exact year, or even decade, displays a Keystone Athletic Conference title in 1984.The Panthers, as they have been known for the past three seasons after changing their name from Indians, have come close at times since then. But even in their good years, there has always been another team that was a little bit better.
That is expected to change this season after they rolled through the Tri-County League regular season undefeated and opened the league playoffs Monday afternoon with a 46-8 quarterfinal win over eighth-seeded and winless Woodlynde School.

 (For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Formidable freshmen dot the area landscape

Perkiomen School's Stephanie Falcone (22) is one of a number
of freshmen making an impact for area girls basketball teams
this season. (File photo by Tom Kelly III)

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

It used to be, on the area girls basketball scene, that ninth-graders that made a key varsity contribution — let alone started — were as rare as Kobe Bryant passing up an open jumper.

These days, however, there is a veritable proliferation of impact freshmen prevalent around the area.

Nowhere is the trend more apparent than at Perkiomen School, which start two freshmen — forward Kristen Burdo and point guard Stephanie Falcone.

The 5-foot-10 Burdo is averaging 14.5 points (sixth in the area) for the Tri-County League regular season champion Panthers. She’s hit the 20-point mark four times this season, including season-high 21-point efforts in wins over Barrack and Woodlynde. 

( To read the complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Pupillo nets 1,000th point as Perkiomen cruises

Perkiomen School’s Nicole Pupillo is presented the game ball by Perkiomen School athletic director Ken Baker after she scored her 1,000th career point during Monday’s Tri-County League win over Kimberton-Waldorf. (Photo by Tom Kelly III)

By Dennis Weller

Special to The Mercury

 

PENNSBURG — Nicole Pupillo has been best known for her deadly accuracy from three-point range and the free throw line while piling up the points for Perkiomen School. But the 5-foot-5 junior utilized another part of her offensive arsenal to reach a milestone in the first quarter Monday afternoon against Kimberton Waldorf when she grabbed a loose ball at three-quarter court, used a behind-the-back dribble to evade a defender at the midcourt stripe, and took the ball the rest of the way to the basket for a left-handed layup while being fouled.

That gave her 1,000 points for her career in just 2½ seasons and the distinction of being the first girls basketball player in school history to reach that mark. Pupillo went on to score 19 more for a total of 25 and the Panthers remained undefeated in the Tri-County League with a 58-33 win.

“It’s something I’ll never forget at Perkiomen,” said the soft-spoken Pupillo, who is also a competitive horseback rider and plays lacrosse. “I was able to share it with all my friends and family and faculty.” 

( To read the complete story, click here )

GIRLS BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: 1,000-point club awaits prolific Pupillo

One-on-one with The Hill School's Hilary Yoh

 - - - - - - - 

By Darryl Grumling

Perkiomen School junior Nicole Pupillo

dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

In her spare time, Nicole Pupillo is a competitive horseback rider — having taken a first-place in English Grooming and Showmanship two years ago in the state 4-H show.

During the winter months, however, the Perkiomen School junior navigates the area girls basketball courts with a thoroughbred-like talent.

Pupillo, a 5-foot-5 guard who ranks second in the area in scoring at 18.7 points per game, heads into today’s game against Kimberton Waldorf five points shy of becoming the first 1,000-point career scorer in Panthers history.

“I’m just really glad I can do it for the Perkiomen community,” Pupillo said. “They’ve been there for me since my freshman year and have helped me become the player I am.”

A Gilbertsville resident, Pupillo averaged 18.6 points per game as a freshman, and finished tied for the area lead with 49 3-pointers. 

( To read the complete girls basketball notebook, click here )

 

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Perkiomen School coasts to win

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

NORTH COVENTRY — Perkiomen School has had players out sick throughout the season and has already crammed a good portion of its schedule in before the holiday break. Despite that, the Panthers have gotten off to a hot start in the Tri-County League, which continued Monday afternoon with a 54-28 win at West-Mont Christian Academy.
Perkiomen’s one-two scoring punch of junior Nicole Pupillo and freshman Kristen Burdo came through again with 20 and 18 points, respectively, against the inexperienced, but improving Wings. Kylie Stimson led West-Mont with 11 points.
“We’re missing two players who are sick,” said Panther coach Randy Littlefield. “We’ve had about eight games in 10 days. We’ve already played a third of our schedule before Christmas. But that hasn’t seemed to hurt much so far.
“In the league, we’ve gotten a strong start to the season,” said Pupillo, who matched her scoring average for the year with Monday’s output.
“I think everybody is happy about how everything’s going,” added Burdo, who came in averaging 15 points per game. “When we play together, it works.”
The contest turned into an opportunity for both teams to work on some things after the score got out of hand fairly quickly, with Perkiomen (4-0, 5-3 overall) leading by nine points after a quarter and by 22 at the half. That included the Panthers trying to get more people involved in the offense and tightening up the defense while the Wings (2-4, 2-6) were concerned with more basic problems, like cutting down on turnovers.
That was after Perk School took advantage of the young West-Mont backcourt in the first half, forcing 18 miscues, including five steals by Pupillo.
“We graduated our starting backcourt,” said West-Mont coach Ron Heffelfinger. “That’s what we’re trying to work on, taking care of the ball. With a young backcourt, that’s a challenge. We have a freshman and a sophomore playing there.”
Pupillo opened the scoring for the day with a breakaway basket off a steal and West-Mont tied it on a jumper by Christy Chen (7 points). The visitors took the lead for good when Burdo scored off an inbounds pass from Mindi Gallagher and Pupillo followed with a three-point bomb from the left wing and scored off another steal for a 9-2 advantage.
Then Stimson scored her first basket on a baseline drive, but Burdo stole the ball and scored and Panther freshman Stephanie Falcone (8 points) hit two from the line to boost the lead to 13-4 after a quarter. Pupillo swished in two more three-point shots and two free throws in the second quarter and Burdo added a pair of baskets on the way to a 29-7 halftime difference.
After that, the Panthers slowed things down while working on finer points of the game.
“We wanted to work the ball around and get some open looks,” said Littlefield. “And we had other things we had to work on.”
“Find the open man, defensive slides on the help side, and executing plays,” Pupillo added.
And while the Panthers were doing that, West-Mont did manage to cut down on the mistakes and showed improvement in its shooting and rebounding, too.
“I was proud of the girls’ effort,” said Heffelfinger. “I’ve seen a lot of progress already. Some of the girls we had last year have improved. They’re working hard. Our goal is, after the Christmas break, to come back and work hard, beat teams we had close games against, and improve against some of the other teams.”
Littlefield thought the second half improvement by the Wings was a combination of their effort and some lax play by his team.
“I was disappointed in our defense,” said the first-year Panthers coach. “Their team is scrappy, and they were burning us on our laziness.”

NOTES
There were only seven fouls in the entire game and just five free throws shot, four by Perkiomen and one following a basket by West-Mont, with all five being made. ... Stimson grabbed 11 rebounds, Burdo 10, West-Mont’s Julia Klenske had nine and Falcone contributed eight as the Panthers finished with a 44-31 margin on the boards. ... The Wings wound up with 26 turnovers after committing just eight in the second half and Perk School had 12 for the game.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Perkiomen takes care of Barrack

Perkiomen School’s Nicole Pupillo scored 18 points in Perkiomen School’s 52-31 victory over Barrack Hebrew. (Mercury file photo)

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

PENNSBURG — Take the area’s leading scorer from last season and some other returnees who didn’t see much varsity action last year and add a couple talented freshmen and a new coach, and it could take a little while for a basketball team to become a cohesive unit.

That’s been the case with the Perkiomen School girls squad early this season, but the Panthers showed that they’re taking some big steps toward coming together as a team on Wednesday afternoon with a 52-31 win over visiting Barrack Hebrew Academy in a battle of unbeaten Tri-County League opponents.

Freshman Kristen Burdo led the Panthers (3-0, 3-3) with 21 points and 12 rebounds, junior Nicole Pupillo — who racked up better than 19 points per game last year — scored 18, and freshman Stephanie Falcone added eight points. Gracie Gottlieb topped Barrack (3-1, 3-1) with 13 points and Jackie Khutorsky followed with 10.

“Everything’s new and I’m new,” said Perk School coach Randy Littlefield. “There are a number of different things we’re trying to do. We’re beginning to jell. This is two good games in a row we’ve had.”

(For the complete story, click here...)

St. Andrew's 35, Perkiomen 14

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

MIDDLETOWN, Del. — The Perkiomen School football team was well aware that Austin Tilghman was the man it had to stop in Friday afternoon’s season finale at St. Andrew’s School. But knowing it and doing it were two entirely different things as Tilghman ran for 335 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries and also threw for a touchdown in a 35-14 win.

The Panthers (5-3) kept battling after giving up a touchdown on the game’s first possession and falling behind by a 14-0 score early in the second quarter. But three interceptions killed their comeback effort and Tilghman could not be stopped as in ran into the end zone from 23, 17, 63, and 1 yards. Seniors John Garrett and John Williams each scored a rushing touchdown for Perk School.

“He’s a beast,” Perk School coach Tom Calvario said concerning the 6-foot, 215-pound running back, who also played some quarterback after the Panthers began to slow him down a little bit in the second quarter. “He just runs. He’s not an elusive runner. He’s not a fast runner. He just totes the ball and his legs just never stop moving.

“And their offensive line ... he only needed a small little hole. He’s the difference right there. And their offensive line controlled our defensive line.”

 (For the complete story, click here...)

Archmere Academy 28, Perkiomen School 7

By Dennis Weller
Speical to The Mercury

PENNSBURG — Statistically, the first half of football Saturday afternoon at Perkiomen School was pretty much even. But the score was not, mostly due to two big mistakes by the Panthers that helped Archmere Academy to a two-touchdown lead.
That turned out to be too much of an obstacle to overcome as just about every Perk School gain in the second half was offset by a sack or a penalty, and the Panthers’ four-game winning streak came to an end with a 28-7 loss.

For complete story, click here. ...

Football Column: Perkiomen School off to 4-1 start

Perkiomen School coach Tom Calvario

By Don Seeley
dseeley@pottsmerc.com

PENNSBURG — Tom Calvario is a pleasant soul. Though quiet at times, he still has that engaging personality.
But from late-August up through October, at least during the weeks leading into his Perkiomen School team’s Friday or Saturday afternoon football games, he sure does become a little bit of a whiner … or something in between pessimistic and cautiously optimistic.
A graduate of St. Pius X High School, where he learned about the game — perhaps even a coaching tidbit or two from the legendary Jim Mich — Calvario doesn’t necessarily utter a negative word about his Panthers. But week in and week out, he sure does pitch his weekly opponents’ size, strength and speed.
And for anyone willing to listen, Calvario will likely say has no idea how his own team can match up with – let alone beat – those bigger, stronger and faster opponents.
Yet six weeks into the season, Perkiomen School is 4-1.

(For complete story, click here ... )

Player and Coach of Week

Spring-Ford's Mason Romano.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
MASON ROMANO
...Spring-Ford junior defensive tackle intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble to end back-to-back, third-quarter Methacton possessions. Both turnovers led directly to scores, helping the Rams turn a narrow 10-7 lead into a 24-7 spread en route to a 31-7 win.

COACH OF THE WEEK
TOM CALVARIO
...Perkiomen School’s head coach guided the Panthers to a season-high 421 yards of offense in a 48-32 win over host Academy of the New Church.

-- DON SEELEY

Perkiomen School 48, ANC 32

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

BRYN ATHYN — Perkiomen School put the ball in the end zone just about every way possible Saturday afternoon, and wound up needing most of those scores in a wild 48-32 win at fierce rival Academy of the New Church.
John Garrett scored three times on the ground while rushing for 203 yards; John Williams scored on a long pass from quarterback Isaiah Smith, an almost equally long fumble return, and a long run; and Smith scored on an interception return.
The Panthers (4-1) racked up 421 yards in all while coming from behind twice and winning their fourth game in a row. ANC (1-5) didn’t have a bad day itself with 358 total yards, but turned the ball over four times while dropping its fifth straight.

(For complete story, click here ... )

Perkiomen School 20, Red Lion Christian 0

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

PENNSBURG — The impact of an unanticipated “bye” week didn’t seem to affect Perkiomen School.

Certainly not the defense, which pitched a shutout at Red Lion Christian Academy Friday afternoon. And not the offense, which meshed big-play and ball-control tendencies toward a 20-0 victory ­­— the Panthers’ third in a row, on the heels of last weekend’s forfeit by Moyer Academy (Del.).

But then again ...
“I’m not saying we didn’t play well,” Perkiomen head coach Tom Calvario said afterward, “but there is big room for improvement.”

(For the complete story, click here...)

Perkiomen School 36, George School 8

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

NEWTOWN — Right from the start on Friday night, it was obvious that it was a whole new Perkiomen School football team compared to the one that had opened the season the week before. John Garrett ran for five yards on the first play from scrimmage and 11 more on the second. Then John Williams burst 52 yards for a touchdown and that set the pattern for the night.

The Perkiomen offensive line continued to open huge holes the rest of the way and the Panthers ran for 257 yards on just 23 carries in a 36-8 win at George School. Williams and Garrett each rushed for 111 yards on only three and five attempts, respectively, and each intercepted a pass. Williams scored three times – on two long runs and a fumble return.

The Panthers hadn’t done much on offense in a season-opening 23-0 loss at Tower Hill. But after a week of practice, they were ready to go.

“In practice, everybody was a lot more focused,” said Williams. “We came back as a team. John (Garrett) and I, as captains, let everybody know that we have to play hard and come out focused.”

(For the complete story, click here...)

Tower Hill (Del.) 23, Perkiomen School 0

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

WILMINGTON, Del. — Perkiomen School sputtered at the outset, showed some signs of progress in the middle of the game, and then struggled at the end. That amounted to a 23-0 loss for the Panthers in their football season opener Friday night at Tower Hill School.

John Garrett ran for 45 yards on 12 carries, Isaiah Smith passed for 98 yards, and John Williams caught a pair of passes for a total of 33 yards for Perk School, which actually wound up with a 168-145 margin in total yards and a 9-6 edge in first downs. But the Panthers suffered from horrible field position throughout the night due to fumbles and a couple of short punts and sustained only one long drive, that coming in the final minutes. Will Mette rushed for 50 yards for the Hillers (1-1) in the non-league contest at DeGroat Field.

“In the beginning we came out slow and we picked it up through the game,” said Garrett, who also caught a pass good for 20 yards. “At the end, we fell apart.”

“Slow start,” said Panther coach Tom Calvario. “How we practice is how we play. We just didn’t play well.”

(For complete story, click here...)