Mercury Sports Live is your source for the latest high school sports coverage in the Pioneer Athletic Conference and beyond. During, before and after the game, meet or match, keep it locked on Mercury Sports Live.
Spring-Ford quarterback Hank Coyne (11) of the District 1-AAAA finalist
Rams will share quarterbacking duties with Pottstown’s Sage Reinhart on
Team Freedom for the second annual Pioneer Athletic Conference Senior
Bowl on Sunday, June 2 at Spring-Ford’s Coach McNelly Stadium. (Mercury
file photo)
By Don Seeley
sports@pottsmerc.com
ROYERSFORD – The draft is over and done with. Now it’s time to play some more football.
For
a good number of participants in the 2nd annual Pioneer Athletic
Conference Senior Bowl, it’ll be the last football game they play in …
and for each and every one of them, it’ll be the last game they ever
play in representing their alma mater.
This year’s event kicks off 3 p.m. Sunday, June 2 at Spring-Ford High School’s Coach McNelly Stadium.
Spring-Ford senior R.J. Sheldon recently signed a letter of intent to
play football at Bucknell University on a football scholarship. Sheldon
is pictured with his parents Rich, left, and Sue, right, and sister
Alyssa. (Kevin Hoffman/The Mercury)
By Don Seeley
sports@pottsmerc.com
ROYERSFORD – R.J. Sheldon has been very flexible and quite agreeable throughout his athletic career at Spring-Ford.
Give
him a position to play in baseball and football, or an event to compete
in swimming, and Sheldon was there … without any opposition, without
the least bit of hesitation.
And while Sheldon has enjoyed his
share of success in all three sports, as well as in the classroom –
where he’s a member of the National Honor Society – he’ll soon be
narrowing his grueling year-round schedule to include just one sport
and, of course, academics.
Sheldon made that choice recently,
albeit a surprising one to many who have played with or followed him the
past three-plus years, after signing a national letter of intent to
line up in Bucknell University’s football program.
Photo by Rick Kauffman/JRC
Three Methacton seniors officially signed letters of intent to continue
their athletic careers in college Wednesday. Brandon Bossard, center,
will play football for Eastern Michigan University while field hockey
players Alexis Tasca, left, and Asia Crawford, right, will continue
their hockey careers at Shippensburg and the University of Connecticut,
respectively.
By Rick Kauffman
rkauffman@journalregister.com
FAIRVIEW VILLAGE — Three athletes from Methacton signed letters of
intent Wednesday, solidifying the opportunity to continue their sporting
careers at the collegiate level.
Brandon Bossard will play
quarterback at Eastern Michigan University while field hockey players
Asia Crawford and Alexis Tasca have accepted scholarships to the
University of Connecticut and Shippensburg University, respectively.
Photo by Barry Taglieber
Phoenixville’s Ryan Pannella signs a letter of intent to play football at West Chester University.
By Barry Sankey
bsankey@journalregister.com
PHOENIXVILLE — Ryan Pannella has found a home to extend his football career that is, well, located close to home.
Phoenixville’s
star inside linebacker and tight end has accepted a scholarship to
attend West Chester University, a Division II school that is part of the
highly competitive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
Pannella
will be lining up at a strong safety position for head coach Bill
Zwaan’s Golden Rams. Pannella, a 6-foot-1, 180-pounder, made his
decision final Wednesday by signing a national letter of intent. He
chose West Chester over East Stroudsburg.
Photo courtesy of The Hun School of Princeton
Hunter Knighton is heading to the University of Miami and former Temple coach Al Golden.
By Rosemarie Ross
rross@pottsmerc.com
POTTSTOWN — From the moment Hunter Knighton stepped onto the field
for his first football practice, it was clear he had the right stuff for
the game.
Always tall and muscular, even at the very young age of 9, Knighton had the right build and knack for it.
That
flair for the game eventually paved the way from playing football at
Owen J. Roberts Middle School to The Hill School, then to The Hun School
... and now to the high-profile and prestigious University of Miami for
the strapping 6-foot-5, 265-pound two-way lineman.
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.
Job Price wasn’t one to mull over
a challenge, never one to dare deny any.
In fact, he would ask for them … and
embrace them.
As an honor student as well as an
outstanding football player and wrestler at PottstownHigh School,
Price always wanted to do more than was expected of him, both academically and
athletically. That determination became even more evident throughout his four
years at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in
human behavior and leadership.
But Price was never as resolute,
never as strong-minded in confronting any and all challenges – and overcoming
each and every one of them – as he was during his 19 years of service as a Navy
SEAL.
It was a highly decorated career
that ended, tragically, with his death while supporting stability operations in
Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan three days before
Christmas.
Commander Price, the son of Harry
and Nancy Price of Pottstown, also leaves behind
his wife, Stephanie, and 9-year-old daughter Jillian.
Memorial services for Commander
Price were held Thursday on the Joint Expeditionary Base Amphibious Base Little
Creek in Fort Story, Va. The hour-plus service was originally scheduled to be
held in the base chapel – where the Prices were married – but had to be moved
to nearby Gator Theater because of the estimated 600-plus military personnel
and civilians in attendance.
Many of those paying their
respects were former Pottstown classmates and
teammates, among them Brad Davidson, Tom Medvetz, Jeff Scott and Brent Voynar.
Also present were Jim Tsakonas and John Armato, Price’s head coach and
assistant coach, respectively, in wrestling at Pottstown.
“Job’s commitment, dedication and
focus to goals were the qualities that separated him from others,” Armato
recalled after returning from Va.
“Those qualities only separated him in terms of wanting to achieve, not in
terms of interacting with other people.
“He was clearly liked, obviously.
He was an integral part of his class, too. And regardless of whether someone
was athletically inclined, academically inclined or artistically inclined,
there were no separations. Job interacted with everyone.”
Price certainly had that
presence.
One who remembered it well was Pottstown
graduate Seth Ecker, a two-time NCAA Division III wrestling champion at Ithaca. While at Pottstown, Ecker sat down with Price – home for a visit –
for nearly 90 minutes during a practice one winter afternoon.
“Mr. Price stands to be by far
the most interesting gentleman I ever met in my life,” Ecker wrote on Facebook
last week. “I fear there is no possible way to give a man like Mr. Price any
justice after his passing … a man who chose a career that would require him to
be a hero every day without the proper acknowledgment.
“I am personally amazed at the
life Job Price led with conviction, courage, determination, compassion and
countless other traits that are unrivaled by most people in this world. Mr.
Price was a man I hardly knew, but a man I will always passionately admire.”
Armato saw all of those qualities
in Price many years earlier.
“That was the way Job was from Day One,”
Armato explained. “His attributes were a testament to his parents, how they
raised him and what they instilled in him. We’d like to say we helped instill
those attributes in him, but he came to us like that.”
Price, a member of the National
Honor Society who graduated No. 3 in his class, was an integral part of Pottstown’s two Pioneer Athletic Conference championships
his senior year. He was a two-way starter on the line for the Trojans’ football
team, then anchored the wrestling lineup at heavyweight for the Trojans, who
not only won the PAC-10 but went on to sweep the Section Four, District 1-AAA
South and Southeast Region team titles and finish with a spotless 20-0 record.
He continued to tackle the
challenges he confronted at the Air Force Academy and those during the
well-documented Navy SEAL training.
No one, perhaps, knew just how
hard Price worked to become a SEAL more than Armato.
While back home soon after
graduating from the AirForceAcademy,
Price met up with Armato for a swim at Gruber Pool. Price was aware of Armato’s
routine in preparing for triathlons, and wanted to learn more about it.
“Boy, did he struggle (swimming a
lap),” Armato recalled. “He was no Johnny Weismuller (former Olympic champion
and later star of the Tarzan movies), I can tell you that.
“But he wanted to start swimming
and running with me. Later, we had a conversation and he told me what his plan
was, that he had always thought about becoming a Navy SEAL. Well, he didn’t
just learn how to swim, he became a strong swimmer. He approached that like he
approached everything in life … whatever it took, Job did it.”
Did it well, too.
Price accepted a commission in
the U.S. Navy and reported to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training,
graduating from there in late 1993. Assigned to SEAL Team Four, he completed
two deployments to Naval Special Warfare in Panama
and then transferred to SEAL Team Two and completed deployments in Spain and
Kosovo as the Special Operations Command Europe Reconnaissance commander.
In 2001, Price transferred to
Naval Special Warfare Unit Ten and performed duties as the Amphibious Ready
Group Operations Officer, as well as an assignment to Special Operations
Command Central at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. He conducted multiple deployments
to the Middle East in support of both
Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
Six years ago, he was assigned to
U.S. Naval Forces Central in Bahrain
as the U.S. Special Operations Plans Officer, where he supported sustained
combat operations through the fifth Fleet area. He was also involved in the
planning and execution of multiple fleet operations in support of Operation
Enduring Freedom.
Most recently, Price – inducted
into PottstownHigh School’s Alumni Roll just over a
year ago – assumed command of the 300 members of SEAL Team Four.
“What many of us don’t realize is
that 10 or so of his 19 years in the service were spent away from his family
and far away from the things we were enjoying here, just to make sure we could
still enjoy them,” Armato said. “And most of those other years were spent
preparing for deployment, spent preparing to go places where we wouldn’t ever
want to go.”
Holding the rank of Commander,
Price had received two Bronze Star medals, the Defense Meritorious Service
Medal three times, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Navy Commendation
Medal three times, and the Navy Achievement Medal two times. He was also a graduate
of the U.S. Army Rangers School.
The Navy produced a slideshow and
had a display case of his ribbons and medals for those to see at Thursday’s
services. An honor guard was present outside Gator Theater. A color guard stood
inside throughout the service, which featured speeches from a handful of
military personnel – all of whom spoke of his value as an officer, for his
ability to bring different units together on a joint mission.
“It was a highly-dignified
service,” Armato said. “It was an uplifting service, a celebration of life …
recognizing Job’s dedication and his commitment to preserve the freedoms we
enjoy.
“Job understood the importance of
placing the greater good above self, and he dedicated his career to helping
ensure our freedom. Our country has lost a leader, a dedicated patriot, a true
American hero.”
Commander Price’s ashes were
scattered at sea Friday.
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.
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.
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
FOLSOM — Whether you’re talking about life or football, possession is nine-tenths of the law.
Spring-Ford’s football team gave a memorable first-hand display of that Friday night in what wound up to be an epic District 1-AAAA quarterfinal against Ridley.
The No. 7 seed Rams forced a mind-boggling six turnovers against the undefeated Green Raiders, five of them coming in a first half that ended with them up 28 points.
Spring-Ford then survived a furious Ridley rally in holding on for a 28-26 victory that continued their historic campaign.
Zameer McDowell and R.J. Sheldon combined to sack Collin Wright on a fourth-down play at the Rams’ 39 to seal a crazy contest in which the momentum swung like a seesaw.
Spring-Ford's Jarred Jones searches for a hole in Friday's 28-26 win over Ridley. The Rams will face Pennridge on the road next weekend. (Photo by Julia Wilkinson/JRC)
FOLSOM — The twitter handle of Spring-Ford’s Zameer McDowell is @YouCant_Zme.
Friday night, though, nearly everyone in the large crowd at Ridley High School saw plenty of the Rams’ big No. 88.
McDowell, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound tight end/defensive end, had his fingerprints all over the Rams’ 28-26 District 1-Class AAAA quarterfinal victory over the Green Raiders.
“I couldn’t sleep (Thursday) night, I was thinking about this game so much,” said McDowell, who will probably sleep soundly after the effort he gave in helping the seventh-seed Rams win their sixth straight game and improve to 11-1 overall.
With second-seed Ridley driving for what appeared to be a game-tying touchdown late in the first quarter, McDowell delivered a game-changing Pick 6 — stepping in front of a screen pass attempt at his own 14 and rambling 86 yards the other way to put Spring-Ford up 14-0.
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)
RED HILL – Granted, the 2012 football season is nearing the halfway
point, but as far as Paul Lepre, Brandon Bossard and the rest of
Methacton’s squad is concerned, they’re just getting started.
The
Warriors head coach and quarterback, respectively, have taken that
approach after Methacton got off to a slow start, but have gained some
momentum with a pair of victories. Their latest came Friday night as the
Warriors played solid on both sides of the ball in a 35-6 victory over
Upper Perkiomen.
Bossard was one of the main culprits of the win
as he led his team rushing with 81 yards and a score on 13 carries and
finished an efficient 10 of 14 for 122 yards and three touchdowns.
Pottstown's Monroe Hampton breaks off a run Friday.
By Barry Sankey
bsankey@journalregister.com
PHOENIXVILLE — Phoenixville’s defense spent the week preparing to
play against Pottstown’s high-powered offense, which includes a potent
running game and a strong passing attack as well.
The Phantoms
knew they had to contend with the area’s top-rated quarterback in Sage
Reinhart as well as the leading rusher in Monroe Hampton plus the
Trojans’ other weapons.
Phoenixville exerted better pressure along
the defensive front in establishing a 21-7 halftime lead and utilized
its own productive running game plus some big momentum-changing plays on
offense, defense and special teams to crank out a 42-27 victory Friday
night at Washington Field.
BOYERTOWN — Talk about a finishing kick ...
If Friday evening’s
football game with Boyertown had been a two-mile foot race, Perkiomen
Valley would have turned on the afterburners with only a half-mile gone
by.
The fast finish to the Vikings’ 42-7 victory at BASH Memorial
Stadium more than compensated for a slow start against a Bear squad that
appeared more in synch. A lost fumble on its first touch of the game,
and a subsequent three-and-out, preceded PV scoring on four of its next
six possessions to make this Pioneer Athletic Conference pairing a
runaway in its favor.
“We made some mistakes early ... put the
ball on the turf, had some miscues,” Viking head coach Scott Reed said
afterward. “We needed to settle down.”
FRIDAY’S GAMES
MOYER ACADEMY, DEL. AT PERKIOMEN SCHOOL
Records: Moyer Academy is 0-0. Perkiomen School is 1-1 after 36-8 victory over George School.
Inside
the lines: Perkiomen School got 111 rushing yards and one interception
apiece from the tandem of John Garrett and John Williams (three total
TDs) last week. ... Offensive line of Bobby Lee, Arnaldo Contraras,
Isaiah Armstrong, Quinn Kasner and Olivier Joseph helped pave way for
ground attack that piled up 257 yards on 23 carries. ... This is opener
for a seven-game independent schedule for Moyer Academy, a charter
school. The Titans, coached by Terron Tippens, went 1-4 last year.
Notes:
First meeting between the two schools. ... Kickoff is 4 p.m. ...
Perkiomen School coach Tom Calvario: “We need to have more consistent
play all the way around. Play with controlled emotion, upbeat tempo,
speed and focus for 48 minutes.”
LOWER POTTSGROVE – There wasn’t anything all that special about
Pottsgrove’s game against Pope John Paul II last Friday night except for it being
both teams’ Pioneer Athletic Conference openers.
But when it was over, there certainly was.
For the first time since the second game of the 1968
season, Pottsgrove’s program owns an overall winning record (329-328-20).
Quite an achievement, or milestone, when considering only
four other area schools – The Hill School, Owen J. Roberts and Phoenixville, as
well as the former RoyersfordHigh School – can brag
about having more wins than losses in the history of their respective programs.
Pottsgrove, which kicked off its first season in 1957, was
able to stay above the all-even line early on thanks to 8-1 and 8-1-1 runs,
respectively, in 1963 and 1964 while playing in the Inter-CountyLeague.
After the conclusion of the 1967 season, the mark was still 47-45-8. But two
games into the following season, which ended at 0-9-1, Pottsgrove fell under
.500 and didn’t make it back until last week’s 53-14 win over Pope John Paul.
Nothing has helped the Falcons’ surge back more than four
unbeaten regular-season runs since 2000, and their current string of nine
consecutive winning seasons – all under current head coach Rick Pennypacker.
As impressive as that may be, their consecutive winning
seasons mark is still short of the area record of 17 in a row – which Hill
achieved from 1929 through 1945. The next longest streaks are 13, set by the
former SpringCityHigh School
from 1939 through 1951; and 12, by Phoenixville from 1912-23.
Pottsgrove moved out of the Inter-CountyLeague
following the 1964 season and joined the Ches-Mont League. In 1986, the school
teamed up with four other Ches-Mont rivals (Phoenixville, Pottstown,
Spring-Ford and St. Pius X), two Bux-Mont League teams (PerkiomenValley and Upper
Perkiomen), and Lansdale Catholic to form the Pioneer Athletic
Conference.
Among Pottsgrove’s other miscellaneous achievements are
holding the area records for most points scored in a season (497 in 2009 and
2010) and the average points scored in all games played (19.5).
DISTRICT NOTES
Showtime (again): North Penn faces its third straight
state-ranked opponent this weekend when the Knights entertain No. 10 St. Joseph’s Prep (2-0). … No. 8 ranked Downingtown East
will be tested by unranked but good Pennsbury (1-1). … A couple of unbeaten
matchups feature Henderson at
Plymouth-Whitemarsh and Sun Valley at AcademyPark.
STATE NOTES
Out-and-out brawls: Class AA’s No. 3 ranked Wyomissing visits unbeaten AAA
rival Muhlenberg tonight. … Class AAAA’s No. 1 ranked La
Salle entertains AAA’s No. 6 Cardinal O’Hara. … District 10-AAAA
power Eric McDowell (1-1), ranked No. 9, hosts defending state champion and now
Class AAA’s No. 7 Lancaster Catholic from District 3. … And probably the best
one of them all – a District 4 battle between Mount Carmel (No. 5 in Class AA)
traveling to Southern Columbia (No. 2 in Class
A).
Rank and file: The state’s other three No. 1 ranked teams, all unbeaten
through two games, all face winless opponents this week, so don’t expect any
shocking upsets. Class AAA’s Cathedral Prep is out at Lake Catholic in Mentor,
Ohio (0-3); Class AA’s Aliquippa hosts Riverside (0-2); and Class A’s Clairton
shouldn’t have a problem extending it’s national-high winning streak to 50 in a
row against visiting California (0-2).
No streaking: Holy Redeemer ended the state’s longest active losing
streak last week with a win over Holy Cross in District 2, but now faces
state-ranked Old Forge tonight.
Milestone: CumberlandValley head coach Tim Rimpfel picked up his 300th career win last
week when the Eagles ripped Red Lion, 44-10.
Encore: Lancaster Catholic’s Roman
Clay, who opened with 442 yards and six touchdowns, added another 249 yards and
four scores to his totals during last week’s 27-20 win over Governor Mifflin.
Clay is averaging 15.7 yards a carry and ran for 50 yards or more for six of
his 10 scores – which account for all of LC’s touchdowns through two games.
Quote of the Week: After Warren embarrassed
Clarion-Limestone, 83-12, in a game called halfway through the fourth quarter
(because of the score and an incoming storm), Warren head coach Brad Wright had this to say
(as ridiculous as it sounds): “We have to look at the tape,” Wright told the
Times Observer. “We had some dropped balls (and) some missed assignments on
defense that need to be taken care of.” … Those 83 points, by the way, only
rank fourth in Warren’s
97-year history of football.
NATIONAL NOTES
Moving on: Right behind Clairton’s national-high winning streak of
49 is Hornell (N.Y.), which owns 41 straight. Waunakee (Wisc.) is next with 39
in a row, and Truckee (Calif)
with 38 straight.
Outrageous numbers: Beech (Tenn.)
junior Jalen Hurd has run for 1,230 yards in three games to lead the nation,
but second-place Justin Crager of East (Ohio) is averaging .345.3 in three
games (for 1,036 overall). … NelsonCounty (Kty.) quarterback
Dylan Beasley – who threw for 652 yards and eight touchdowns last week – has
thrown for 1,738 in four games. Folsom (Calif.)
sophomore standout Jake Browning – who unloaded for 689 yards and 10 touchdowns
in last week’s win – is averaging 461 a game (1,383 in three outings).
After that humbling 5-6 start, I returned to some degree of respectability with a 6-1 effort last week to bring my two-week total to 11-7.
So here we go with Week Three...
Friday's Games Daniel Boone at Manheim Central: Daniel Boone has had the toughest non-league grind of anyone in the area with Cocalico and Spring-Ford. Now the Blazers get District 3-AAA power Manheim Central - which will be in a nasty mood after getting upset last weekend. The Barons rarely lose two in a row, and won't this time... Gotta go with Manheim Central.
Perkiomen School at Tower Hill, Del.: Perkiomen may be better than head coach Tom Calvario advertises, but a long bus ride and lining up against an experienced team will be quite the challenge... Gotta go with Tower Hill.
Methacton at Phoenixville: Methacton has to get its confidence back (not to mention some healthy bodies) after last Saturday's setback to Perkiomen Valley, but it may be easier said than done against a Phoenixville team put it all together in an upset of Exeter last Friday night. Phantoms would like nothing better than to open its PAC-10 schedule at home with a win... Gotta go with Phoenixville.
Owen J. Roberts at Perkiomen Valley: OJR is struggling, Perkiomen Valley isn't. And who gave the Wildcats more trouble than anyone during their recent three-year run? Yep, the Vikings... Gotta go with Perkiomen Valley.
Pottsgrove at Upper Perkiomen: Pottsgrove is already running on all cylinders. Upper Perkiomen is still fine tuning a very young and inexperienced lineup. Falcons have too much horsepower here... Gotta go with Pottsgrove.
Pottstown at Boyertown: Both teams did an about face last week, winning rather handily. Trojans have big-play capabilities, which hurt the Bears in their season-opener. But will the Pottstown defense be able to keep the Boyertown run game from long, clock-eating possessions is the big question. Should definitely unfold as a thriller... Gotta go ( in a close one) with Boyertown.
Saturday's Games Germantown Academy at The Hill School: Openers for both teams. GA is very young, although it has a very good quarterback-linebacker. The Hill has plenty of talent in the skill positions and just enough experience everywhere else to make this a satisfying season debut... Gotta go with Hill School.
Spring-Ford at Pope John Paul II: Spring-Ford's young secondary will get its best test yet from PJP quarterback James Bleming. But the Rams' corners and safeties will be a lot of help from pressure up front, and their offense is likely to be too productive for the Golden Panthers to keep pace with... Gotta go with Spring-Ford.
WEEK THREE CONTEST
We've had two winners so far, will YOU be the third to receive a Mercury Sports Live T-Shirt?
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Who are the winners in Friday night's four Pioneer Athletic Conference games...
Methacton at Phoenixville
Owen J. Roberts at Perkiomen Valley
Pottsgrove at Upper Perkiomen
Pottstown at Boyertown
Pick the winners ... and also include how many total points will be scored in the Pottstown-Boyertown game (which we'll use as the tiebreaker in the event two or more of you select the same number of winners).
Remember to tweet your responses to @pottsmercsports and use the hashtag #MercPerks.
