Keep with tradition: Pottsgrove plans to return to form this fall

You know you’ve arrived when someone uses your name to describe their style.

So everyone understands what Pottsgrove coach Bill Hawthorne means when he talks about playing “good Pottsgrove football.” It’s disciplined, it’s consistent and it’s largely mistake-free.

The only problem is that last season, the Falcons got away from their patented style a little too often. Injuries were a major culprit in forcing some players into the lineup before they were truly ready.

The result was a team that finished with a .500 record and missed the District 1 playoffs for the first time in recent memory.

This year’s Falcons, a year older and battle-hardened from last year’s miss, plan to right those wrongs. Best of all, they’ll do it all right in their own backyard.

Hawthorne’s schedule features not only Pottsgrove’s five Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division rivals, but all four non-league contests are against schools from the PAC Liberty Division – Methacton, Owen J. Roberts, Norristown and Boyertown.

In fact, if the standings fall right, when including the regular season-ending crossover matchup, Pottsgrove may play all but one PAC school this season.

“When you’ve got these teams right down the road, why not maintain those natural rivalries?” Hawthorne said. “More importantly, I like playing great competition. We’re fortunate enough to have strong teams right in our backyard, which means we’ll have good, full crowds and I think every kid enjoys that.”

Hawthorne was quick to acknowledge the postseason element. Last year, the Falcons missed out on the District 1-4A playoffs despite a record equal or superior to some teams in the field.

Each win over a 5A or 6A opponent provides Pottsgrove, a 4A school, with additional bonus points toward the playoff race.

“If you’re in playoff position, you need the right schools on your schedule or you could hurt yourself,” Hawthorne said.

The Falcons dropped last season’s crossover game to Owen J. Roberts, a do-or-die contest for both sides that came down to the final minute.

“That game’s pushed me this offseason,” said senior Bryce Caffrey, who’s listed as a running back/cornerback but figures to do a little bit of everything for Pottsgrove as he did last season.

“We had the talent to accomplish more last season,” said tight end/linebacker Riley Delp, who’ll be counted on as a leader on both sides of the ball this year. “We had injuries, but more than that I think we needed to be a closer-knit unit. This year, we’re closer, more united than we were last year.”

Returning quarterback Gabe Rinda embodies that togetherness. A self-described perfectionist, Rinda says being not only a senior, but a returning starter allows him to develop his own leadership abilities.

“Pushing the guys on the line, the backs, the receivers – it’s about getting everyone on the same page, not settling, doing everything perfectly,” he said.

Rinda will pilot the backfield with Caffrey and fullback Isaiah Rivera figuring to see the majority of carries. Delp will be a primary pass-catching target, while Hawthorne mentioned Chayse Roberts and Devon Grinnage – both listed as receivers – as emerging contributors on both sides of the ball.

On defense, the back seven figures to be a strength with Delp and Rivera as anchors and Caffrey and Tre Cook – both All-Area performers in 2022 – returning to the secondary.

As always, it starts up front at Pottsgrove, and the lines were hit hard by graduation where Marc White, Cory Jubilee-Scott, Dominic Demeno, and others move on. Joe Quinter returns to anchor the lines, and says the unit is a work in progress with plenty of potential.

“We’ve still got a lot to work on, but the depth is looking strong,” Quinter said. “It’s all hard work – footwork, technique, everything we need to be prepared.”

For years, Pottsgrove was “the hunted” in the PAC and later the Frontier Division, but Pope John Paul II’s emergence as a divisional and District 1 power has the Falcons in an underdog role perfectly suited to a senior-laden team with something to prove.

“We’re taking it one week at a time,” Caffrey said. “We’ve got everyone’s support, and we really just need to stay on the same page. Coach says all the time we’re a family, and developing that brotherhood is the most important part of our success.”