Future looks bright for Germantown Academy

WHITEMARSH — Someday in the not-too-distant future, Germantown Academy is going to challenge for an Inter-Academic League football championship.

The future may not be now, but Patriots head coach Matt Dence can closes his eyes and dream of a day when his team is playing for a trophy.

“Right now, we have more talent than we’ve had here since I became coach four years ago,” Dence said. “But it’s young talent.”

Indeed, the Patriots team that will take the field this season is going to be young in a lot of key areas.
Three sophomores and a freshman could start on the offensive line. The starting defensive line may feature two sophomores.

And if these players stick around and progress, the Patriots could be legitimate Inter-Ac contenders in a year or two.

“Yeah, I think the future is bright,” Dence said. “Once we get the (squad size) into the mid-50s, we should be in good shape.”

Presently, the Patriots are about 10 healthy bodies short of that goal, but with only six seniors on this year’s roster, and 17 in the freshman class, the Patriots are trending up.

Unfortunately, this year’s team doesn’t want to hear about a team two or three years down the line.

“They want to win now,” Dence said with laugh. “But if we’re going to do that, we have to stay healthy.”

Personnel-wise, the Patriots have some prominent pieces in place that could expediate the process of getting to that win-now goal a little sooner.

One of the primary pieces is junior quarterback Kyle McCloskey, who according to Dence has made major leaps forward in ability, to a point where Division One offers are a realistic possibility.

“He played last year and he made a lot of mistakes,” Dence said, “but he has really come on.

“He’s looked great all through the summer and since camp has started.”

McCloskey also has a stable of playmakers to feed, led by senior wideout Mike Gilmore and emerging tight end Pat McGettigan.

Last year’s 1,000-yard back Isaiah Jones has transferred to La Salle, but Dence said there are potentially a number of talented underclassmen who can fill the void.

Talk of a young offensive line is not normally part of the formula for a successful offense, but for now Dence will line them up and hope for the best.

Defensively, the strengths are the linebacking corps, led by McGettigan and Tanner Long, and a secondary that is headed by converted linebacker Matt Gorman and Jimmy McAfee.

Young? Sure, the Patriots are every bit of that.

But for the first time in a while there seems to be hope for a prosperous future.

Top Photo: Germantown Academy football head coach Matt Dence during practice on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015. (Gene Walsh/The Times Herald)