[tps_title] Quakertown Panthers [/tps_title]
Quakertown coach George Banas looks over practice.
Back-heavy Panthers ready to rock
QUAKERTOWN >> Last year was supposed to be a rebuilding one for Quakertown yet the Panthers were within a game of a conference title.
“We really grew towards the end of last season and made a pretty good run,” coach George Banas said. “Rebuilding years in the past had been 1-11, 2-10. Last year we were 6-6 and really probably could have been 7-5 or 8-4. We let a couple slip away from us early on but we were just young. 
“We have a lot of returners back to help. A lot of potential, a lot of potential…”
The culture has changed at Quakertown in recent seasons. Playoffs and conference crowns are the talk come late October. And this group seems to have the experience to again be vying for both this fall.
Quakertown’s potential this season is embodied by wide receiver Tim Shevlin.
“Our big-play guy,” Banas said of Shevlin. “He can stretch the field but can also block the edge when we need it. He makes catches when catches are needed to be made.”
The way Shevlin came along last year exemplified young Quakertown’s development as the season went on.
“I feel like a lot of kids got their confidence up,” Shevlin said, “knowing we can play at a varsity level.
“It’s a very fast pace,” he added, “but we all know we can hang at that point. And that nice win streak at the end of last season was a nice wake-up call for a lot of the players.”
Shevlin adds a deep dimension to an offense that’s built rock-solid up front.
“I like the fact we have a lot of returning linemen coming back,” he said. “I feel like even though our quarterback (Matt Fugitt) is new, he’s stepping in the right way.”
Loaded Backfield
The Panthers will have no shortage of guys to hand the ball off to. And no shortage of confidence in those guys, either.
“We have a stable of running backs,” Banas said. “The quarterback is looking really good for us and on the offensive line, four out of five are back.
“It’s gonna be fun to see where these guys take it. Our job as a coaching staff is to make sure they come together and don’t let the wheels fall off.”
The Panthers will challenge opponents with a mix of offensive sets, sometimes going with a true tight end and pounding it, or opening it up and running a spread.
“I like our skill set,” Banas said.
Versatile Defense
The Panthers should be able to adjust quite nicely on the defensive side of things.
“What I like about this group is that we’re athletic enough, so we can bounce from front to front,” Banas said. “We lost four guys on defense and I’m happy with the guys we replaced them with. They had playing time last year, just weren’t starters.”
By Kev Hunter; khunter@21st-centurymedia.com
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