Football Preview: Oliver on path to outrun ‘freak accident’ in time for Academy Park opener
SHARON HILL >> Academy Park senior Terrence Oliver underwent knee surgery as a result of an injury suffered during the track and field season last spring.
He was dressed in full pads last week, smartly easing his way back into the rotation at a Knights practice. The running back, who amassed 955 yards and six touchdowns a year ago, is rehabilitated and expects to play Friday in the season opener at Unionville.
“It was a freak accident,” Oliver said of the injury, which forced him to miss about two months of football training and practice. “The plan is to get my (strength) back in my knees by midseason. I feel good right now, I’m getting better. It’s coming back naturally, but it felt weird at first. I want to be ready and go for 2,000 (yards).”
Nobody can question Oliver’s confidence or that of the Knights, who remain the team to beat in the Del Val League. Last fall the squad earned a share of the Del Val championship with Chichester. The Knights are accustomed to finishing first in the league, and as Oliver stated, “we always have that target on our backs.”
It’s hard to bet against the Knights in 2022, but there will be a learning curve. AP isn’t building from the ground up, but longtime coach Jason Vosheski admits there’s competition in camp at several positions after the team graduated several key players. He also noted the long-term effects the coronavirus pandemic has had on the student-athletes.
“I want to see consistency and growth from day to day, not just in their play but their maturity,” Vosheski said. “Everyone is still in the same boat when it comes to COVID, not the actual disease itself, but the aftermath. Whether it’s because we shut down all sports or we couldn’t get this or that done because of COVID, it’s been a long process and still is, at least it is for us.
“We played in the spring (in 2021), and for as good as we did last season (2021 fall), we were getting kids burned out because they had played in the spring and were right back at it in two weeks, preparing for the fall. The freshmen who are now juniors, the sophomores who are now seniors, it’s really impacted them. So we are still working our way through that.”
The Knights lost two of their emotional and on-field leaders in All-Delco standouts Ibrahim Sanogo and Eric Willis, both of whom are playing in the PSAC West at California University of Pennsylvania. Sanogo and Willis were playmakers on both sides of the ball. This could be the year Oliver and quarterback Darrell Fields, who showed flashes of his potential in his first full varsity season in 2021, make their mark on the program.
“It’s about people stepping up,” Fields said. “We know we have big shoes to fill, but we know we have the players that can fill those shoes.”
Fields did well last fall, but as Vosheski noted, “he wasn’t expected to do a ton.” The 6-2 Fields, who has a lithe, athletic frame, completed 55.5 percent of his passing attempts for 982 yards and 10 touchdowns. The passing yardage was good for ninth among Delco quarterbacks.
“I just want to be better at everything,” Fields said. “I’ve been working hard all offseason to get where I need to be.”
Since 2012, no football program in Delaware County has attained more success than Academy Park. Under Vosheski’s guidance the Knights have won several league titles and three District 1 championships. Last year they fell a game short of appearing in their second district final in as many non-pandemic seasons, losing to eventual champion Strath Haven, 34-6, in the semifinal round.
The returning players still have cold feelings about the way they went out in 2021 and are poised not to have history repeat itself this year.
“Too many mistakes,” Fields said. “We’ve got to cut back on the mistakes, be consistent, and be ready for every team.”
Senior Anis Hunter, a 6-0, 165-pound wide receiver/cornerback, had a team-high four interceptions to go with 46 tackles and two caused fumbles last year. He could have a bigger role on offense this fall and has experience kicking extra points.
“They (the coaches) kind of put it in my hands with the defense, knowing I’m a three-year starter coming back,” Hunter said. “I know they will let me make decisions, move some pieces on defense to put people in the right positions to get to the ball. We have a bunch of dogs out there.”
Seniors Mohmad Kamara (6-4, 260) and Markai Stephens (6-2, 340) are returning members of the offensive line. Ta’Quan Cuff (5-10, 170) is back at wide receiver/defensive back and senior Derrid Graham (6-2, 200) returns at linebacker. Key newcomers to varsity include senior defensive end Makhai Goldstein (5-11, 210), junior offensive lineman Markeece Adams (5-11, 275), and junior wide receiver/defensive back Daishon Billops (6-1, 165).
“We’re lacking consistency, but I also think familiarity plays a part,” Vosheski said. “Once the offensive guys and the defensive guys really get to know each other, and how to play together, the familiarity takes over. We’re athletic. We’re not very big on defense, but we have some size on offense.”
The Knights will play all of their home games Saturday afternoons, beginning Week 2 against Coatesville, which was runner-up in District 1 Class 6A. AP kicks off its season with a road trip to Unionville in a rematch of a 2021 Class 5A district quarterfinal playoff game.
