WEEK THREE RECAP

MAKING A POINT

By Don Seeley

   Something was missing in a lot of the area's high school football games this past weekend.
   Defense.
   Pottstown over Boyertown, 51-47 (that's 98 points in all).
   Spring-Ford beat Pope John Paul II, 56-31 (another 87 total).
   Pottsgrove beat Upper Perkiomen, 56-7 (only 63, but the Falcons had most of them).
   And, though not as badly (or noticeably explosive or even lopsided, but still a bit offensive in the scoring column), Perkiomen Valley beat Owen J. Roberts, 35-10, and Phoenixville beat Methacton, 37-10.
   All that was in the Pioneer Athletic Conference, of course.
   We'd all like to think the offenses are good.
   Perhaps, but not that good.
   Defense, on the other hand...
   The Pottstown-Boyertown game was a foot race. Up the field one way, back the other way, and - more often than not - neither team needed that much time to get to the end zone. Quote of the Week came from Pottstown's Monroe Hampton, who had to be beat after running 28 times for 306 yards and three touchdowns, catching four passes for 72 yards, recovering a fumble, intercepting a pass and getting himself in on six tackles... and that doesn't count all the other plays he was blocking for teammates or tracking down an opposing Bear: "I'm not tired at all," he said to a handful of exhausted reporters covering the game (who had more hand cramps keeping track of all the stats than the players had leg cramps).
   Pottsgrove scored almost at will, albeit against as young and inexperienced team the PAC-10 has seen in recent years.
   Spring-Ford and Pope John Paul combined for 12 touchdowns, and exactly half of them covered more than 40 yards.
   Giving up 37 and 35 points, as OJR and Methacton did, doesn't exactly raise most fans' eyebrows. But you can sure bet it raised the blood pressure of Tom Barr and Paul Lepre, the teams' head coaches. They know, like all coaches, you can't give an opponent thirtysome points and expect to win (although Pottstown and Spring-Ford got away with it last Friday night and Saturday afternoon).
   So, putting too much emphasis on the offense, or lack of defense, last weekend?
   Not really. Not at all when considering it was far and above the highest-scoring weekend (340 points total) in the history of the PAC-10.

* * *

   Ironically, the area's other three games were in stark contrast to the above, at least from a defensive standpoint, with Manheim Central blanking Daniel Boone, 29-0; Tower Hill (Del.) shutting out Perkiomen School, 23-0; and Germantown Academy edging The Hill School, 7-6.

Germantown Academy 7, Hill School 6

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

POTTSTOWN  -- The defense produced a consistently intense and effective effort.
The offense rose to the occasion — albeit late — by providing the equalizer to Germantown Academy’s early score, and the special teams even had their moments of glory.
But the final numbers-crunching couldn’t give The Hill School a victory in its season opener Saturday. Instead, the Blues came away from a hot afternoon on their home field with a 7-6 loss to their non-league guests.
A misplay on a two-point conversion attempt, with 3:28 left in the game and the Hill fresh from reducing the deficit to one, proved the difference. It negated what had been a yeoman performance across the board, the locals seeing one last possession get only as far as their 39-yard line before being stopped on downs with little more than a minute left.

(For full story, click here ...)

Spring-Ford 56, Pope John Paul II 31

Photo by Tom Kelly III
Spring-Ford's Jarred Jones runs to daylight in Saturday's game.

By Don Seeley
dseeley@pottsmerc.com

UPPER PROVIDENCE — One would think a coach would be happy to open his league season with a win, a 25-point win no less, and his third straight without a loss.
Wrong.
Spring-Ford’s Chad Brubaker wasn’t the least bit pleased with Saturday afternoon’s 56-31 victory at Pope John Paul II.
The execution, both offensively and defensive, wasn’t exactly fluid or consistent. The focus was, well, out of focus, as 11 penalties — a few of the unnecessary sort — surely attested to.
So even though the Rams had the tandem of Jarred Jones (184 yards) and Yousef Lundi (135) account for most of the 339 yards running the ball (as well as all four touchdowns), and even though quarterback Hank Coyne added another 187 yards and three scores throwing the ball, a 526-yard offensive wasn’t enough to pacify their third-year coach.

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Manheim Central 29, Daniel Boone 0

By Mercury Staff
sports@pottsmerc.com

MANHEIM — Manheim Central was expected to get the best of visiting Daniel Boone on Friday night.

The Barons sure did, even shut the Blazers out, 29-0.

But the end result was still a bit misleading as the Blazers battled the perennial District 3-AAA power to near-even terms through three quarters before giving up a field goal, interception return for six points and a safety in the final quarter.

 (For complete story, click here...)

Pottsgrove 56, Upper Perkiomen 7

By Mercury Staff
sports@pottsmerc.com

RED HILL — Despite Pottsgrove opening the season with two straight one-sided wins, the enthusiasm of Falcons’ coach Rick Pennypacker was tempered by what he considered some uneven play at times.

Friday night, however, even a stickler for perfection like Pennypacker had a hard time finding fault with his squad’s performance in their Pioneer Athletic Conference game at Upper Perkiomen.

Standout senior quarterback Tory Hudgins ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns on just three carries and also completed 3-of-4 passes and one score as Pottsgrove routed the Indians, 56-7.

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Pottstown 51, Boyertown 47

Boyertown's Cody Richmond (36) has the ball stripped on a big tackle by Pottstown's Austin Debnam, ground, after a running after a reception during Friday's PAC-10 football game. Pottstown recovered the fumble. (Photo/Tom Kelly III)

By Don Seeley
dseeley@pottsmerc.com

BOYERTOWN — Monroe Hampton came up with football’s version of the Ironman on Friday night. He didn’t swim, nor bike anywhere.

But did the Pottstown senior ever run ... and run, and run, and run.

Hampton carried 29 times for 306 yards and three touchdowns, caught four passes for 72 yards, recovered a fumble, came up with an interception, and was in on seven tackles... whew.

All that, along with quarterback Sage Reinhart’s 264 yards and three touchdowns passing, was just enough for the Trojans to outlast Boyertown, 51-47, in one of the most exciting and record-breaking Pioneer Athletic Conference games since the league kicked off its first season back in 1986.

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Perkiomen Valley 35, Owen J. Roberts 13 (with video highlights)

 Video highlights from the game, shot by Darryl Grumling, edited by Frank Otto.

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

GRATERFORD — Dakota Clanagan brought legitimate credentials to his latest assignment.

Legitimate enough to allay any concerns about his ability to step up and direct the Perkiomen Valley offense. No more proof was needed than the back story behind the Vikings’ 35-13 victory over Owen J. Roberts Friday at Thomas J. Keenan Stadium.

Called to duty with first-string quarterback Rasaan Stewart sidelined by an unspecified ailment, Clanagan responded in a big way. The junior completed 80 percent of his pass attempts, throwing for one touchdown and running for another in complement to the ground-pounding play of backfield mates Mark Bonomo and Kean McKnight.

“My usual spot is wide receiver,” Clanagan noted. “I was the starting junior-varsity quarterback last year, and I’m the (varsity) backup this year. But this is my first varsity start at quarterback.”

It didn’t take him long to settle into the job, however. Clanagan connected on his first eight tosses before missing one, throwing for 90 yards at a 12-for-15 clip. Along the way, he hooked up with Clay Domine on a 28-yard scoring toss that capped the Vikes’ 26-6 run in the first half of the Pioneer Athletic Conference contest.

“I just wanted to not let the team down,” he said.

(For complete story, click here...)