SWIMMING: State qualifiers finalized

By Steve Moore
smoore@pottsmerc.com

The PIAA unveiled the state swimming psych sheets today. Some area swimmers already knew they were Bucknell-bound by finishing in the top 5 (AAA) or first place (AA) in their event at the District 1 Championships. Others had to wait for today to see if they earned a wild card berth.

Full entries can be seen on the PIAA website by clicking here.

See below for a rundown all the local qualifiers.

COLLEGE SIGNING: Pottsgrove's Tory Hudgins to Bucknell

Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury Pottsgrove’s Tori Hudgins signed a letter of intent to play football at Bucknell. Seated are parents Anthony and Ashley. Standing, from left, coach Rick Pennypacker, athletic director Gary Derenzo, quarterback coach Bill Hawthorne and principal Yolanda Wiliams.

By Don Seeley
dseeley@pottsmerc.com

LOWER POTTSGROVE — Tory Hudgins took his share of hits each and every time he carried the football, all 406 of them.
Now, or for the next four years, he hopes to deliver his share of hits.
Hudgins will get that opportunity after signing a national letter of intent with Bucknell University during a press conference Wednesday afternoon at Pottsgrove High School.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior, who as Pottsgrove’s starting quarterback helped drive the Falcons to a Pioneer Athletic Conference title and three straight postseason appearances — including the District 1-Class AAA championship in 2011 — was recruited as an athlete and will likely settle into the Bison’s secondary as a corner or safety.

(For complete story, click here ... )

SWIMMING: Boyertown takes care of Pottsgrove

Photo by Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury Boyertown Shane Corbett wins the 200 IM.

By Rosemarie Ross
rross@pottsmerc.com

BOYERTOWN — Since the day swimming officially joined the Pioneer Athletic Conference a decade ago, Boyertown has always been one of the league’s major challengers.
Some years the Bears are not quite as deep in numbers and talent, but they are always tough to beat.
Pottsgrove, never quite as deep numbers-wise, certainly knows that. But the Falcons love a challenge and the Bears always bring out the best in them.
Boyertown swept the PAC-10 dual meet against visiting Pottsgrove, Wednesday, at the Boyertown YMCA pool, with the Bears’ boys beating Pottsgrove, 106-50, and the Boyertown girls holding off the Falcons, 102-60.

(For complete story, click here ... )

BOYS BASKETBALL: Falcons’ comeback stuns PJP

Pope John Paul II's Jamel Stinson (35) pump-fakes and hits a layup over Pottsgrove's Deyon Doctor during Tuesday's PAC-10 boys basketball game. (Photo by John Strickler/The Mercury)

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

LOWER POTTSGROVE — It could arguably rank as one of the bigger comebacks in the history of the Pottsgrove boys’ basketball program.
And it came at a most opportune time.
With their league playoff hopes sliding down a slippery slope of late, the Falcons applied the brakes Tuesday in the form of a 57-54 victory over Pope John Paul II. And it came after a lopsided start that saw them fall behind by a 15-point count to a Golden Panther unit with a tenuous hold on first place in the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s Frontier Division.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Early burst pushes PV past Pottsgrove

Perkiomen Valley's Mikki Guiton rises for a layup past the defense of Pottsgrove's Marisa Kinneer during Tuesday's PAC-10 girls basketball game. (Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

LOWER POTTSGROVE — With four games coming up in five days, it’s always good to win that first one. And it’s especially nice to jump out to a big early lead and not have to work the starters too long or hard.
That’s exactly what the Perkiomen Valley girls were able to do in Tuesday night’s Pioneer Athletic Conference interdivision contest at Pottsgrove as they stormed to a 14-point advantage by the end of the first quarter and led by double digits the rest of the way in a 63-31 win.
Mikki Guiton topped the Vikings (4-4, 9-5 overall) with 12 points, while Katie Leahy and Anna Leonard added 11 apiece. Marisa Kineer scored 13 for the Falcons (1-8, 3-12), including four three-point baskets.

(For complete story, click here ... )

BOYS BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Not so absurd for Pottsgrove to be talking playoffs

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

Pottsgrove's Mike Fowler (Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)

“Ah – playoffs? Don’t talk about – playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game!”
*
Jim Mora achieved National Football League (and beer commercial) lore when — as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts in 2001 — he launched into an incredulous rant when WRTV reporter Tim Bragg asked a question about the Colts’ chances for making the playoffs. Indianapolis had just lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 40-21.
In contrast to Mora’s bombastic outburst more than a decade ago, Scott Palladino is quite happy to discuss his Pottsgrove boys basketball team’s chances for getting back in the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s Final Four playoff field this year. He was particularly effusive on the subject following Thursday’s 60-49 victory over Owen J. Roberts, its first in three weeks.
“It’s good to get back on track,” Palladino said after the win over the Wildcats, which stopped a six-game losing skid.
The Falcons closed out the week with a 61-48 loss to Methacton Saturday. Yet their 4-10 overall record masks a 3-5 league mark that has them very much in the hunt for the second qualifying spot from the PAC-10’s Frontier Division.
While Pope John Paul II (6-2) is comfortably first in the Frontier, the race behind it is wide open with little less than half the league’s regular-season schedule left to play. The ‘Grove is a half-game back of both Phoenixville and Pottstown, who are tied for second place at 3-4.
The teams are all even with each other in head-to-head competition (1-1). The Falcons lost to Phoenixville, the Phantoms have a loss to Pottstown, and the Trojans fell to Pottsgrove.

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

BOYS BASKETBALL: Methacton’s Forrest fire scorches Pottsgrove

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

LOWER POTTSGROVE — Methacton was frustrated, stagnant on offense, and down by seven points early in the second half of Saturday afternoon’s Pioneer Athletic Conference boys basketball interdivision contest at Pottsgrove.
Then Matt Forrest caught fire.
The Warriors senior poured in all of his game-high 21 points in the second half and Methacton came from behind for a hard-fought 61-48 win to remain undefeated in the league and on top of the Liberty Division standings. Brendan Casper followed with 14 points for the Warriors (8-0, 13-1) before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter and Anthony O’Brien scored 12.
Pottsgrove (3-5, 4-10), which missed out on a chance to move into second place in the Frontier division, was led by Kareem Boyd’s 15 points and 11 from Nate Breidenbach.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Young Owen J. Roberts tops Pottsgrove

Mercury file photo Caroline DeAngelo scored seven points for Owen J. Roberts in Thursday’s win over Pottsgrove.

By Darryl Grumling
dgrumling@pottsmerc.com

BUCKTOWN — Owen J. Roberts girls basketball coach Jeremy Mellon refers to the Wildcats as “the youngest team in the district.”
And with a combined varsity/JV roster that includes 10 sophomores, three freshman, four juniors and just two seniors, you’d be hard-pressed to argue that point.
Thursday night, the Wildcats continued their learning curve with a 54-26 victory over visiting Pottsgrove in a Pioneer Athletic Conference crossover contest.
Sophomore guard Nikki Testa scored a game-high 13 points and freshman Taylor Evans came off the bench to score 10 points as Owen J. Roberts improved to 2-5 in league play and 5-7 overall.
“There are a lot of positives,” said Mellon, whose squad has gone 4-3 since a 1-4 start. “We all know we’re right there. We’ve had a lot of leads this year, it’s just been a matter of finishing.”

(For complete story, click here ...)

BOYS BASKETBALL: Pottsgrove stops slide, sinks Owen J. Roberts

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

LOWER POTTSGROVE — Pottsgrove didn’t have the final answer for Owen J. Roberts’ Matt Crider Thursday.
But the Falcons had emphatic responses for practically every other aspect of their Pioneer Athletic Conference clash with the Wildcats. And that spoke volumes about their 60-49 victory in a divisional crossover contest — one that enabled them to snuff a five-game losing streak and reignite hopes for getting back in the circuit’s postseason picture.
“I’m happy for the kids,” Pottsgrove head coach Scott Palladino said afterward, sporting a big smile to underscore his joy. “We’ve been struggling since Christmas. You never know how the kids are going to bounce back.”
To be sure, the 18 points Crider collected primarily through a second-half surge weren’t far removed from a 21 points-per-game average ranking near the top of the PAC-10 and The Mercury’s coverage area. But it didn’t qualify as a game high; that honor went to Pottsgrove sophomore Mike Fowler, who hit for 20 with help from a 13-point fourth quarter. And senior teammate Kareem Boyd added another 18 to finish even with Crider on the night.

(For complete story, click here ... )

WRESTLING: Close decisions spark Pottsgrove past Phoenixville

Photo by Barry Taglieber Pottsgrove’s Qwhadir Miller and Phoenixville’s Damien Davido do battle Wednesday night at 138 pounds.

By Barry Sankey
bsankey@journalregister.com

LOWER POTTSGROVE — The Pottsgrove and Phoenixville wrestling teams are becoming well-acquainted with one another.
The Falcons and Phantoms were part of the eight-team field at the Phoenixville Invitational Tournament last Saturday. Then, four days later, the two squads faced off in a Pioneer Athletic Conference dual meet on the Pottsgrove mats.
Pottsgrove won three one-point decisions that proved to be decisive in a 40-25 victory over Phoenixville.

(For complete story, click here ... )

WRESTLING: Pottsgrove’s Finn making switch from gridiron to mat look easy

Pottsgrove sophomore Pat Finn has made a seamless transition from football to wrestling this winter, racking up an 11-1 record so far. (Photo by Barry Taglieber)

By Don Seeley
dseeley@pottsmerc.com

LOWER POTTSGROVE — The difference between executing on a football field and a wrestling mat is somewhere around five-plus minutes.
Or so says Pat Finn.
“In football you need that short quick burst of energy, but in wrestling you need a six-minute burst of energy,” the Pottsgrove sophomore explained.
As uncomplicated as that may sound, it’s also rather demanding for athletes who step off the football field and right onto a wrestling mat, which Finn did a year ago and again this fall.
Being a two-way, All-Pioneer Athletic Conference selection as a lineman this past fall as well as a sectional wrestling champion a year ago, he’s more than qualified to recognize the difference. The fact he carries a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in the classroom sure helps him explain the disparities.
Plus, he’s equally committed to both sports, so he sure knows how to address the transition.

(For complete story, click here ... )

WRESTLING: Falcons, Phantoms each win 2 titles at Phoenixville

Phoenixville’s Damien Davido and Pottsgrove’s Qwhadir Miller battle at 138 pounds (Photo by Barry Taglieber)

By Barry Sankey
bsankey@journalregister.com

PHOENIXVILLE — Individual titles by Pat Finn at 220 pounds and Evan Weneck at 152 led the way as Pottsgrove finished second to Annville-Cleona in the Phoenixville Wrestling Invitational Tournament Saturday.
The Falcons, who placed the most wrestlers with 10, scored 126.5 points to trail only Annville-Cleona’s 130. Host Phoenixville finished sixth with 95.5 points in the eight-team field.
Jordan Valenteen (195) and freshman Mark Cermanski (126) captured gold medals for the Phantoms.

(For complete story, click here ... )

BOYS BASKETBALL: Spring-Ford starts fast, beats Pottsgrove

Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury Spring-Ford’s Drew Kakareka and Pottsgrove’s Mike Graves chase down a loose ball during Saturday’s PAC-10 contest.

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

LOWER POTTSGROVE — It was a case of contrasting quarters Saturday.
Not that it affected the final outcome of the Spring-Ford/Pottsgrove game, which the Rams won handily by a 67-47 count. But there was a marked difference between the Rams’ numbers in the first and second stanzas of this Pioneer Athletic Conference divisional crossover matchup.
The visitors shot a solid 10-for-16 from the floor — and cleared 13 rebounds — in the first eight minutes en route to opening a double-digit (26-14) lead on the Falcons, whose corresponding numbers were considerably less. But the next eight minutes told a different story ... though SF head coach Mike Young didn’t see the impact as particularly critical.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Balanced Phoenixville tops Pottsgrove

Phoenixville's Bailey Stover, left, and Jada Boyce, right, double-team Pottsgrove's Karly Conrad during Thursday's PAC-10 girls basketball game. (Photo by Barry Taglieber)

By Barry Sankey
bsankey@journalregister.com

PHOENIXVILLE — Using balanced scoring throughout the night, Phoenixville constructed a 21-point third-quarter lead and then defeated Pottsgrove 51-44 in Pioneer Athletic Conference girls basketball action Thursday night.
Aubree Flagg and Jada Boyce each scored 10 points for the Phantoms (2-2, 4-6) while Nomi Washington finished with nine points – seven in the second quarter – with one 3-pointer.
Phoenixville broke a 12-12 tie at the end of the first period to take a 32-21 lead into the locker room at halftime and then held up for a 43-33 lead after three quarters.

(For complete story, click here ... )

BOYS BASKETBALL: Pottsgrove surges past Pottstown

Pottstown's Steven Steinmetz gets ball stripped away by a Pottsgrove defender Thursday. (Kevin Hoffman, The Mercury)

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

POTTSTOWN — Scott Palladino couldn’t explain it.
He couldn’t bring out any diagrams explaining the incredible second quarter Pottsgrove played in Thursday’s game with Pottstown. But the Falcons’ head coach was quite happy by what he saw transpire in the pivotal period of this traditional clash between the neighboring Pioneer Athletic Conference rivals.
Shooting an 8-for-9 from the floor, Pottsgrove put up 23 points to the Trojans’ 12. It effectively erased the Trojans’ first-quarter lead and set the tone for a 62-53 victory at Pottstown High’s Strom Gymnasium.

(For complete story, click here ... )

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Pottsgrove beats Pottstown for first league win

By Dennis Weller
Special to The Mercury

LOWER POTTSGROVE — From tough defense to determined offensive rebounding, Pottsgrove did a little bit of everything in Thursday night’s Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division girls basketball contest against Pottstown, coming out with its first league win of the season, 54-46.
The Falcons (1-2, 3-4) certainly didn’t shoot the lights out, but their hustle produced 18 more shots at the basket than their opponents, with Alliya Austin leading the way with 15 points and Marisa Kinneer following with 13. Destinee Astheimer topped the Trojans (0-3, 1-5) with 14 points and Alicia Rosenberger added 10.

 (For complete story, click here ... )

Notebook: Falcons left their mark this season

Pottsgrove running back Mark Dukes

By Don Seeley
dseeley@pottsmerc.com

LOWER POTTSGROVE — Mark Dukes, Tory Hudgins and their Pottsgrove teammates may have come up a little short in last week’s District 1-Class AAA semifinal, but they sure didn’t fail to leave some more marks in The Mercury area’s leader and record books.
Dukes and Hudgins finished up last weekend first and second in the area, respectively, in both scoring and yards rushing, a reflection of just how good the offensive line in front of them was this fall. Together, it led the way for another record-breaking year of football for the Pioneer Athletic Conference champion Falcons.
Dukes (1,347 yards) and Hudgins (1,267) are pretty much a lock to finish one-two in rushing. The only other player with a chance to run past them is Phoenixville’s Ryan Yenchick, who has 1,019 yards going into tonight’s game at Spring-Ford. Dukes (142 points) and Hudgins (141) could be overtaken in the scoring column, though, because Pottstown senior Monroe Hampton is right behind them with 138 points going into Thursday morning’s game at Owen J. Roberts.
Last week’s loss denied Hudgins of becoming just the third area quarterback to run for more than 3,000 career yards, too. Hudgins finished with 2,928 (7.2 yards a carry) and 53 touchdowns, and 4,385 total yards of offense.
Dukes closed with 2,489 career rushing yards, quite an achievement considering he had just 10 carries as a sophomore and missed 5½ games as a junior last season.

( For the complete story, click here )

FOOTBALL: Loss doesn’t sack Falcons’ successful season

Sene Polamalu helped Pottsgrove win the PAC-10 title and open the season with 11 straight victories.

By Don Seeley
dseeley@pottsmerc.com

LOWER POTTSGROVE — Losing isn’t as much unacceptable as it is painful for everyone associated with the Pottsgrove football program.
The losses have been few and far between in recent years, actually over the last decade, as head coach Rick Pennypacker and his staff has assembled good team after good team after team, season after season after season. But no one, not the Falcons nor any of their coaches, have been able to escape the sting of a season-ending loss.
And yes, last Friday night’s 31-28 setback to visiting Henderson in the District 1-Class AAA semifinals — which denied the Falcons a chance to defend their district title and shut down their otherwise spotless 11-0 season — left the entire Pottsgrove gang hurting.

(For complete story, click here ... )

W.C. Henderson 31, Pottsgrove 28

By Don Seeley
dseeley@potstmerc.com

LOWER POTTSGROVE — Sometimes, as painful as it may be, you have to step back and bow to the better team ... to the victor.

And as unaccustomed as Rick Pennypacker is to doing that, he nonetheless gave rival Henderson its well-earned due and props.

The veteran Pottsgrove head coach had no choice after watching the visiting Warriors’ defense dominate the second half of Friday night’s District 1-Class AAA semifinal, ending the Falcons’ unbeaten run and season, 31-28.

The Warriors (9-3) — who will meet Interboro in next week’s district final at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School — dug out of a 14-0 hole in the first quarter get within 21-14 at the half. Then, after getting back to even twice in the second half, they took their initial lead of the entire evening when Sean Engle boomed a 31-yard field goal just inside the right upright with 2:54 remaining.

They got the lead ... and the win.

“No excuses,” Pennypacker said. “(Henderson) executed, made the big plays. We didn’t. We probably made more mistakes tonight than we had the whole season. Give (Henderson) credit.”

(For complete story, click here...) 

Pottsgrove’s Zach Birch (left) and Sene Polamalu (4) hit Henderson quarterback James Bady and force a fumble. Bady would recover the ball himself. (Photo by Tom Kelly III)

Fast start doesn’t do Falcons any favors

Pottsgrove's Tory Hudgins is off to the races during Friday night's game against Henderson. (Photo by Tom Kelly III)

By Austin Hertzog
ahertzog@pottsmerc.com

LOWER POTTSGROVE — First quarters and the Pottsgrove football team haven’t gotten along so well in more than a handful of games this season.

A game’s first 12 minutes have served as a feeling-out process, if you will.

The next 36 minutes of the clock, that’s when the Falcons made it much more of a ‘Feel This!’ process in running up an 11-0 record and earning the top seed in the District 1-Class AAA playoffs,

It wouldn’t be out of line to call the first quarter of Friday night’s district semifinal against West Chester Henderson a surprising twist.

(For complete story, click here...)