Mercury Week 2 Football Preview: Owen J. Roberts, Daniel Boone clash again

Assessing progress was easy for Daniel Boone coach Rob Flowers last season.

In his first season at the helm of the Blazers, Flowers suffered his first career loss at the hands of Owen J. Roberts, 28-7 in Week 2 of the season. As the campaign went on, the Blazers’ record showed marked improvement as they equaled their win total (five) from the previous two season combined.

Yet their 5-5 mark wasn’t enough to qualify for the District 3 Class 5A playoffs, so they instead proceeded to the Eastern Conference championship game, where they encountered the Wildcats once more. This time, the Blazers put forth one of their best efforts in recent memory, rushing for 284 yards in claiming the title, 28-20.

But Flowers says last year’s results won’t be on his team’s minds Friday night.

“There’s enough history that I think both teams will be plenty focused,” he said. “For us, the extra motivation comes from our desire to represent Berks County in a positive way. When we go out and compete against schools like Owen J. Roberts, if we can win these games, it’s a feather in the cap of not only our school district but Berks County as a whole.”

The Blazers’ triple-option based offensive scheme will be familiar to the Wildcats, but quarterback Justin DeMild brings an aerial aspect that wasn’t entirely present in 2019. His 14 passing attempts in last week’s 20-14 victory over Garden Spot would have been a season high for the 2018 Blazers. “And that’s around where we want to be,” said Flowers, “but we can throw more if we have to.”

Flowers says the offensive line is the strength of the team, allowing the Blazers’ attack to be multiple in formation and attack. But an underrated defense led by strong safety Dan Hojnowski held Garden Spot to exactly 200 yards of offense last week, and now encounters OJR’s emerging passing combination of QB Cooper Chamberlain and WR Dante DeNardo.

One key will be a sustained effort from defensive end Larry Williams, a defensive end Flowers identified as an outstanding performer against Garden Spot. Several linemen see time on both sides of the ball for Boone, including Ben Reno, who led the team in tackles last week.

Across the field will be a defense coming off an even stingier showing. OJR held Conestoga to only 101 total yards in a season-opening shutout of Conestoga, 28-0. “What I really liked was the fact that we recovered after a slow start,” said coach Rich Kolka. “We come out and had a terrible first drive, ended up punting from our own two-yard line—but the defense bailed us out, held (Conestoga) on their first drive. That was a turning point.”

Liam Meacham’s aggression was one key, as he set up camp in the ‘Stoga backfield repeatedly, clearing the way for senior LB Ian Sordilla to make several tackles for loss. But perhaps the highlight for OJR came on special teams, where senior Connor Leister returning a punt 44 yards for a score on a heads-up play where Conestoga downed the ball, but didn’t play through the whistle. Leister alertly picked up the loose pigskin and took it to the house for the game’s final score.

Against Boone, Kolka will stress discipline and assignment-sound football, knowing one mistake can mean six points the other way.

“We know our schedule in the summer, and we take time to practice (defending the triple option) so it’s not completely new,” the coach said.

When the ‘Cats have the ball, Kolka hopes to see progress from the running game, which produced less than three yards per carry last week. The Wildcats also lost four fumbles. Senior Josh Jackson leads the stable of ball carriers. “It’s an emphasis in practice,” said Kolka. “We can’t be a one-dimensional attack.”

As for the emerging rivalry with Boone, Kolka said with a number of new starters this year, it’s more of an opportunity to show what they can do than any ‘revenge’ factor from the Eastern Conference championship loss. “(Boone) is aggressive,” said Kolka. “They’re going to run the ball right at us.”

“It’s not about last year anymore,” added Boone’s Flowers. “It’s about each of us having a chance to start 2-0.”

Phoenixville at Martin Luther King, 7 p.m. Thursday at Northeast High

Last Meeting >> The Phantoms topped MLK 22-8 last season.

Preview >> Hit hard by injuries last week, the Phantoms go on the road to try and bounce back against their Philadelphia Public League foe. Coach Don Grinstead was pleased with QB Jack Pizor in his first career start, and lauded the efforts of an offensive line led by Liam McAdam. This week, the Phantoms figure to have their hands full against an MLK squad with a host of elusive skill players, returning starting QB DaQuan Robinson and an offensive line Grinstead describes as “the biggest we’ll face this year.”

Academy Park at Pottsgrove, 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting >> The Falcons nipped Academy Park, 13-12, in a district playoff game back in 2014.

Preview >> Despite a disappointing 31-18 loss to Souderton, Pottsgrove’s Bill Hawthorne was encouraged by the play of QB Joe Silvestri and stressed the need for the Falcons to continue building on their ability to incorporate the passing game into the offensive attack.

It won’t get any easier when the Falcons welcome perennial Class 5A front runners Academy Park on Friday. The Knights have it all—experience, speed, and discipline. They are led on offense by dual-threat quarterback Barry Brown, but it was the defense who stole the show last week, shutting out 6A Pennsbury 13-0.

Downingtown East at Perkiomen Valley, 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting >> East dropped Perkiomen Valley to 0-2 to start 2018 with a 33-21 win last season.

Preview >> The week’s highest-profile matchup features a pair of perennial District playoff participants in the Vikings and Cougars. Both are coming off convincing season-opening victories, and the team’s profiles are similar this year—versatile, physical, and experienced.

The Perkiomen Valley offensive line will need to give QB Ethan Kohler time to find holes in D-East’s experienced back seven. On the other side of the ball, first-year starting QB Drew Person leads a Downingtown East attack headlined by Spencer Uggla, described as a ‘wrecking ball’ of a running back and WR Luke Connolly, who had a 57-yard TD catch last week. Their ability to exploit a young-but-stout PV defense may determine this early-season showdown

Exeter at Boyertown, 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting >> Exeter outscored the Bears 48-27 in a week 2 matchup last season.

Preview >> Boyertown opens their new stadium this week when they host District 3’s Exeter, who gave perennial power Berks Catholic all they could handle in a 14-10 loss last week. Bears coach TJ Miller expects the sledding will get tougher against the Eagles, so the focus has been on taking care of the football (Boyertown committed three turnovers in last week’s win over Upper Perkiomen.) The versatility of Mason Marinello will play a big role for the Bears in all three phases of the game.

Kutztown at Upper Perkiomen, 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting >> The Indians shut out Kutztown 34-0 to claim their first win of 2018.

Preview >> The Indians lost speedster Tyrese Reid early against Boyertown last week, but in his stead they found a breakout performer in Logan Simmon, who ran for three 50+ yard scores in an explosive first half. Simmon finished with a Week 1 area high 262 yards on the ground in a losing effort.

This week, the Indians look to get healthy against Kutztown. QB Hunter Flack went to the air 27 times last week, completing more than half his passes and proving there’s more than one imension to the Indians’ offense.

Methacton at Plymouth-Whitemarsh, 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting >> Methacton fell to Plymouth-Whitemarsh 35-7 when the schools last met back in 2011.

Preview >> The Warriors will try to improve to 2-0 when the take on PW, the renewal of a recently dormant rivalry. Coach Dave Lotier lauded the efforts of Michael Torcini, who ran for 100 yards and a score and added another TD on the ground in last week’s win over Harriton. This week’s key will be another strong performance from defensive linemen Ryan Cassidy, Mario D’Addesi, and Dan Meier in slowing down P-W’s triple-option attack. Lotier wants to see his team avoid turnovers, forcing P-W to drive the field for any scoring opportunities.

Norristown at Upper Merion, 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting >>  Upper Merion fought past Norristown 10-0 on a stormy day last August.

Preview >> Norristown made defending District One Class 5A earn last week’s 28-13 victory, and while the Eagles hope the outcome will change in this week’s ‘Battle of the Bridge,’ the goal remains the same—limit the running game, force the opponents to attempt to beat them without utilizing their strength.

The offensive and defensive lines were the story in Upper Merion’s victory over Lower Merion. Stef Nikolaou helps to power both units for the Vikings, who will look to limit any big-play ability for the Eagles while maintaining their advantage in the running game and time of possession.

Spring-Ford at Harry S. Truman, 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting >> Teams have not met in the past decade.

Preview >> Spring-Ford coach Chad Brubaker identified numerous highs and lows from the Rams’ opening loss to Central Bucks South last week. While the offense clearly demonstrated the ability to throw the ball down the field with 293 passing yards, Brubaker felt the Rams needed to improve their ability to take what the defense gives them. Grant Sillyman handled all aspects of the kicking game, making a 27-yard field goal, three PATs, and averaging 37 yards per punt.

This week, the Rams take on Harry S. Truman, a playoff squad one year ago who return a number of contributors for an all-new coaching staff. Brubaker said preparation is challenging with so little film on this year’s Tigers and the new coaching staff. Spring-Ford will need to attack with a balanced, combining their prolific passing game with the hard running of Armante Haynes, who averaged nearly five yards per carry last week.

Upper Moreland at Pottstown, 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting >> The Trojans fell to Upper Moreland 33-6 in a 2015 encounter.

Preview >> While Jeff Delaney’s coaching debut at Pottstown was certainly memorable (a 14-13 comeback win over Octorara), there’s plenty of room for improvement for the Trojans as they prepare to face a resurgent Upper Moreland squad. Delaney is counting on a big game from Daniel Darden on both sides of the ball, while LB Exra Figueroa will be responsible for helping to keep Upper Moreland’s running game in check.

“They’re big, fast—and it’s their third year in (coach CJ Szydlik’s) system,” said Delaney. “They know what to do. This will be a big challenge for us.”

New Hope-Solebury at Pope John Paul II, 2 p.m. Saturday

Last Meeting >> The squads split a pair of meetings last year, with New Hope-Solebury avenging a Week 2 loss by ousting the Golden Panthers from the Class 3A playoffs, 42-34.

Preview >> The two squads are plenty familiar after last season’s meetings, and PJP coach Rory Graver knows that the Golden Panthers’ passing attack alone won’t be enough to take down NHS. “They’re extremely well coached, and they have playmakers in every position,” said Graver.

Graver was encouraged by the debuts of Chris Bruder, Steele DePetrillo, and Dylan Walker on both sides of the ball, and sees sustained production from the trio as a key for this week.