[tps_title]Springside Chestnut Hill Blue Devils [/tps_title]
Blue Devils looking to be a factor in Inter-Ac
Springside Chestnut Hill head coach Rick Knox
Last fall, Springside Chestnut Hill got off to a 4-1 start, including wins against Class 6A teams Father Judge (42-28) and Roman Catholic (28-21), then promptly lost all five of its Inter-Ac contests.
In its Inter-Ac opener against Germantown Academy (a 16-13 loss), the Blue Devils were winning 10-0 in the fourth quarter. The following week, SCH was tied with Penn Charter 21-21 before losing by a 49-27 count. 
“We’re looking for more mental toughness, to finish teams off better this season,” said SCH head coach Rick Knox. “We have plenty of talent to play with the strong teams.”
Maybe the biggest strength of Blue Devils this fall is their offensive line, anchored by senior right tackle Anthony Marrone.
“We have a lot of experience on the offensive line this year, and we’re coming out wanting to go 11-0,” Marrone said. “Our linemen have good chemistry with each other, and we know when to check in or out of [blocking assignments]. If someone forgets [their assignment] in the heat of battle, we have plenty of [veterans] to remind him what needs to be done.”
Other returning starters on the Blue Devils’ offensive line are senior center Sean McCann (6-1, 275), senior left guard Sean Edling (5-9, 200) and junior left tackle Jimmy Burke (6-0, 295).
“This is potentially one of the best offensive lines I’ve ever had,” said Knox.
Senior Jack Elliott (6-3, 180), who started several games last season at QB (completed 37 of 82 passes for 622 yards and six touchdowns), will battle junior Aaron Angelos (6-0, 175) for the starting signal-calling spot. Angelos played last fall for Tesoro (Calif.) High School.
The leading returning receiver is junior Pat Elliott (6-2, 185), the younger brother of Jack. He caught 20 passes last fall for 326 yards and 2 TDs. Seniors Nick Logue and Myles Hugee should be starters. Newcomers include junior TE/HB Brian Richardson (6-2, 235) and promising sophomore wide receiver Ke’Shawn Williams (5-9, 155).
Junior Rob Gentile (5-11, 185) and sophomore Aaron Rascoe (5-10, 180) will handle the running chores.
Strong front
As on offense, the Blue Devils are strong up front, with Marrone, McCann, Edling and Burke as starters, and promising backups in senior Dylan Orenstein (5-9, 235) and sophomores Luke Percy (6-4, 245) and Jake Wszolek (6-4, 300).
The Blue Devils return a couple of starters at interior linebacker — brothers Jack and Pat Elliott.
Senior safety Nick Logue, the Blue Devils’ leading tackler last year, credits the SCH defensive front for his fine performance last fall.
“Our defensive front was taking out other guys and allowing me to make the tackles,” said Logue. “This year, we need to play the way we did at the start of last season — and to finish strong. At the end of each practice [this fall], we’re treating it as though it’s the fourth quarter of a game.”
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