Connect with us

Pioneer Athletic Conference

Pioneer Athletic Conference 2019 Preview and Team-by-Team Breakdowns

 [tps_title] Norristown Eagles [/tps_title]

Norristown’s Nick Dinolfi is battling with senior Thomas Bellmon for the starting quarterback slot this season. (Gene Walsh – File Photo)

Norristown reshuffling, looks to compete in Liberty

Joe Milligan didn’t have much time to get up to speed last season.

Milligan became Norristown’s head coach in May with just three months to get to know his team and prepare them for the upcoming season. The result was a 28-7 loss to Upper Dublin in his first game.

He ironed out some kinks after that one, and the Eagles found a way to be competitive the rest of the way. Only one other game, a late September loss to Spring-Ford, was decided by more than two scores.

Norristown ended the season on a high note with wins over Methacton and Boyertown in two of its final three games to finish 3-7 overall and 2-3 in the Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division. It was the first time since joining the PAC that the Eagles won more than one division game.

“That’s real challenging getting the guys to trust in you, understand the philosophy you’re trying to bring to them and understand what it takes to win,” Milligan said of taking over last May. “There was some butting heads, but eventually they found a way. We won some games.”

Though the game ended in a 14-7 loss, one of Norristown’s biggest moments last season was going toe-to-toe with eventual PAC champion Perkiomen Valley. The Vikings beat the Eagles 44-0 in 2017.

“The year before they blew us out,” senior Rashidi Santos said of PV. “Last year, we played them and held them down the entire game. That just gave us an eye opener [on] how much we can do and where we can be at.”

Norristown will have to replace quarterback Daniel Watson, who threw for 1,100 yards and ran for another 300 yards last season. Junior Nick DiNolfi, who got some time last season, and senior Thomas Bellmon are battling for the spot this upcoming season. Santos and senior Steven Haschak will be two reliable backs for whoever wins the quarterback battle.

The Eagles were hit hard by departures at wide receiver, including the transfer of first team all-area wideout Christian Thomas to Roman Catholic. The return of junior Travis Cummings, who caught 16 passes last season, will help soften the blow. Senior Tristan Maines, sophomore Levi Carroll and junior tight end Tyson Tate are some of the other top pass catchers heading into the season.

Both Santos and Haschak will also be two of the Eagles’ leaders on defense at linebacker. DiNolfi and Bellmon should help out at safety. The defensive backfield will be inexperienced, but junior Zion Malone is a player who made some big stops for the team late last season. Cummings and seniors Bryce Carroll and Isaiah Tucker, who was a special teams spark in 2018, are others Milligan mentioned on defense.

Milligan feels the strength of the team will be the offensive and defensive lines. Senior Liam Smith is a three-year varsity player. He’s joined by senior Donovan Noble and junior Mason Licwinko on both sides of the ball.

“We have the energy this year,” Smith said of the line. “We’re not very big, but we have heart.”

The Eagles haven’t had a winning season since winning the Suburban One Continental Division in 2009, the team’s first outright championship in 52 years. However, Milligan, a 1996 Norristown grad, remembers a Norristown program that was revered throughout the area and even the state. He would eventually like to get his alma mater back to those heights.

With their first full offseason under their belts, Milligan and his team are excited about what they can potentially accomplish.

“Last year, we just didn’t have enough time to really go through the whole offseason process and get together and go out there,” Haschak said.

“We’ve had more time to actually come together as a team during this offseason,” Santos added. “I feel like we have a stronger bond, and that’s going to help us finish out, win more ames.”

Offensive Player to Watch >> Watson threw the ball nearly 200 times last season with more than 80 more attempts on the ground, leading the team in both passing and rushing. Whoever wins the battle between DiNolfi and Bellmon will have to be ready for a lot of usage.

Defensive Player to Watch >> Smith is one of the most experienced players on the Eagles’ roster. If he and the others can fortify things up front, it will take pressure off some of the younger players on the defense.

Season Outlook >> In their fourth season in the PAC, the Eagles have sized up the rest of the PAC Liberty Division. While currently looking up at Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley and Spring-Ford at the top of the division pecking order, they hope to be on that level, if not higher by the end of the season. “I’m getting used to seeing a few teams, and there’s not a single team that we can’t beat,” Santos said. Norristown will have to have some inexperienced players fill big holes in order to reach their lofty goals.

By Owen McCue; omccue@21st-centurymedia.com

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement

More in Pioneer Athletic Conference

situs slot gacor provider terbaik agen toto slot terpercaya 2023 agen toto togel terpercaya 2023 situs toto togel pasaran resmi terbaik bandar toto macau pasaran resmi toto togel bandar toto slot gacor 4d 2023 bo togel online pasaran terlengkap sepanjang masa bo toto slot terlengkap sepanjang masa situs toto togel 2023 bet 100 perak daftar toto slot dan toto togel 2023 bermain toto togel dengan bet hanya 100 perak daftar toto slot bonus new member terpercaya bermain toto slot pelayanan 24 jam nonstop situs toto togel terpercaya situs toto togel online terbaik winsortoto winsortoto winsortoto winsortoto winsortoto winsortoto unsurtoto unsurtoto unsurtoto winsortoto winsortoto winsortoto rasa4d rasa4d rasa4d gampangtoto gampangtoto gampangtoto winsortoto unsurtoto gampangtoto rasa4d bungtoto bandar toto togel terbesar hadiah 4d 10 juta daftar winsortoto situs toto terbaik winsortoto situs toto slot gacor dengan toto togel terbaik winsortoto situs toto terpercaya bet 100 perak winsortoto agen toto togel dan situs toto slot 4d winsortoto situs toto togel online deposit 10rb winsortoto situs toto togel online resmi hadiah 4d 10 juta winsortoto agen toto togel online terpercaya winsortoto agen toto slot dan situs toto togel resmi winsortoto situs toto togel 4d terpercaya winsortoto bandar toto togel dan toto slot winsortoto situs toto togel online resmi terbesar winsortoto situs toto togel dan agen toto slot terpercaya winsortoto situs toto terpercaya beragam bonus winsortoto situs toto terpercaya toto togel dan toto slot gacor winsortoto situs togel online dan slot online terpercaya winsortoto situs togel online hadiah terbesar winsortoto agen toto togel bonus harian terbesar winsortoto agen togel online terlengkap bet 100 perak winsortoto situs toto togel 4d dan toto slot 4d terbaik winsortoto situs toto togel dan toto slot terpercaya winsortoto bandar toto togel online terpercaya 2023 winsortoto agen toto togel 4d dan toto slot 4d winsortoto agen toto togel online banyak bonus terbesar winsortoto situs toto terpercaya bonus new member winsortoto situs togel online resmi terpercaya pasaran terlengkap winsortoto situs toto togel online 4d terpercaya situs toto togel deposit pulsa tanpa potongan winsortoto situs toto slot pasti slot gacor winsortoto situs toto slot dan toto togel hadiah terbaik winsortoto situs toto terpercaya permainan resmi dan terpercaya winsortoto situs toto resmi bonus new member 100rb tanpa potongan winsortoto toto slot gacor dan togel online resmi terpercaya winsortoto situs toto toge online terpercaya di Indonesia winsortoto toto togel online bonus new member terbesar winsortoto agen toto togel resmi hadiah 4d 10 juta terpercaya winsortoto toto togel online hadiah 4d 10 juta bet 100 winsortoto situs togel online terlengkap dan terpercaya winsortoto situs togel online resmi dan toto slot gacor winsortoto situs toto togel dan agen toto slot gacor winsortoto situs toto togel permainan toto togel dan toto slot winsortoto situs toto terpercaya bonus menarik winsortoto situs toto togel online terpercaya winsortoto bandar toto togel dan toto slot terpercaya winsortoto situs toto togel online terlengkap dan terpercaya winsortoto situs toto togel online winsortoto situs toto terpercaya togel online dan slot online resmi winsortoto situs toto dengan permainan togel 4d dan slot 4d winsortoto situs toto terpercaya permainan togel online terlengkap winsortoto situs toto togel terpercaya permainan resmi winsortoto situs toto togel resmi bet 100 perak tanpa potongan winsortoto agen toto togel dan situs toto resmi winsortoto toto togel dan toto slot terpercaya dan terbaik winsortoto unsurtoto gampangtoto bungtoto rasa4d titi4d ltdtoto bobatoto bobatoto situs toto togel slot situs bandar toto togel slot terpercaya titi4d titi4d login titi4d daftar titi4d slot titi4d togel situs titi4d titi4d login titi4d daftar titi4d titi4d togel titi4d slot situs titi4d agen titi4d bandar titi4d