LANSDOWNE — There is much for Penn Wood student-athletes, particularly football players, to look forward to this fall season.
In February, the William Penn School District broke ground on a $15 million multi-purpose sports facility at Kerr Field. There will be a spanking new turf field, track, lights, bleachers and concession stands. The unveiling is expected to take place on or before Sept. 8 when the Patriots play William Penn (Del.) in their home opener.
This is the beginning of a new era for Penn Wood athletics.
The project certainly had Rap Curry’s fingerprints all over it. The legendary Delco sports figure and Penn Wood athletic director was on hand for the groundbreaking. Sadly, Curry, a member of both the Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball and Delaware County Athletes halls of fame, died in July. He was 51. Less than a month after his passing, Curry’s loss is felt on the high school’s Green Avenue campus.
“He did a lot for this school and he meant a lot to everybody,” said Thierno Diallo, a senior wide receiver/defensive back. “He also did the broadcasts and the live streams of our games. He did all of that.”
The school will honor Curry prior to the Patriots’ first home game and throughout the 2023-24 school year.
As for football, coach Ato Troop’s squad is excited about 2023 campaign.
“It’s been very competitive this year. We’ve been actually going at each other’s necks, fighting for spots,” Diallo said. “We’re excited.”
The Patriots managed one victory over the last two seasons. The seniors on the team, most of whom are getting their first full-time look as varsity starters, have taken those struggles to heart. They want to be the class that steers the program back toward a winning direction. Penn Wood is four years removed from winning its last Del Val League title.
“Everybody is going hard every day, coming in on time for practice,” said Jaleel Green, a senior running back/linebacker.
“And everybody’s here to work,” senior athlete Kivaleon Clarke added. “Nobody is taking it easy.”
Troop is confident he will see better results on game days.
“We have athletic kids,” he said. “I think you’ll see an improved Penn Wood team this year, definitely more competitive.”
Clarke emerged last season as a threat running and catching the ball. The 5-9, 160-pound speedster ran for three touchdowns and led the team in receptions (23), receiving yards (529) and TD catches (four). Clarke is a standout basketball player and track runner as well.
“It definitely starts in the weight room, but it’s also studying a lot and making sure you show up to practice every day on time and put in the work,” Clarke said. “If we are going to be good that’s how it has to be.”
The Patriots will lean on Green and a committee of running backs to help take the pressure off senior Ahmaad Felder and junior Taj Cobbs, who were competing for the No. 1 quarterback position in camp as of Aug. 15.
“They’re still battling for reps and it is getting competitive,” Troop said. “We’re still making that determination but we’ll definitely have that figured out by the time we play Norristown (opening night). All of the little things matter like who is getting here first, who is spending more time with the quarterback coach, who’s got the hand signals down faster. It’s definitely been a good thing … and we’ve had a lot of competitive things happen this summer.”
The only returning full-time starters from last season are Clarke, junior wide receiver/defensive back Rashon Sanders (“great athletic ability, will get the ball more this year,” Troop said), junior lineman Adriano McLean (“he will use his length to make plays,” Troop said) and sophomore lineman Malachi Leonard, who started at center last year.
“Even though we’ve had some down years,” Troop said, “I know you’ll see improvement.”
