Mercury-Area Week 2 Football Preview Capsules
Friday, September 2
Great Valley at Owen J. Roberts, 7 p.m.
Record: Great Valley 0-0 Ches-Mont, 1-0 overall; Owen J. Roberts 0-0 PAC, 1-0 overall.
Last week’s result: Great Valley defeated Phoenixville 38-0; Owen J. Roberts defeated Conestoga 39-0.
Prediction: Owen J. Roberts squeaks one out, tops Great Valley 32-28.
Frankford at Perkiomen Valley, 7 p.m.
Record: Frankford 0-0 PPL, 0-1 overall; Perkiomen Valley 0-0 PAC, 1-0 overall.
Last week’s result: Frankford lost to Pennsbury 10-6; Perkiomen Valley defeated Downingtown West 42-41.
Pioneers Facts/Figures: Frankford outgained Pennsbury 236-188 and limited team to 47 yards through the air. … QB Mike Morell finished 14-for-28 with 172 yards passing.
Vikings Facts/Figures: Vikings nearly blew a 28-point lead with eight minutes remaining last week. … Stephen Sturm finished with 237 yards passing and three touchdowns. … David Williams led the ground game with 75 yards rushing. … Rasheed May had two interceptions.
Be on the Lookout: Sturm admitted he wasn’t at his best last week; look for him and Justin Jaworski to get back on track.
Prediction: Perkiomen Valley learns their lesson from last week and stays on the throttle for all four quarters. This game, they have to as Frankford has chance to win game late. PV wins 28-24.
Kutztown at Upper Perkiomen, 7 p.m.
Record: Kutztown 0-0 Berks II, 0-0 overall; Upper Perkiomen 0-0 PAC, 0-1 overall.
Last week’s result: Kutztown DNP; Upper Perkiomen lost to Boyertown 34-27.
Cougars Facts/Figures: Kutztown is currently in midst of 40 game losing streak and hasn’t had a win since Week 1 in 2012 where it won by forfeit against Calvary Christian. Team hasn’t won a full football game since 2010 when it defeated Freedom Village, 35-6 in Week 3. Since Week 3 in 2010, the Cougars are 1-57 and have let up an average of 44.3 points per game.
Indians Facts/Figures: Zeke Hallman threw for PAC-best 303 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s loss. … Ryan Kendra hauled in PAC-best 11 receptions for 202 yards and three TDs.
Be on the Lookout: Austin Tutolo and Tyler Whary should be back at full strength after missing bits of the second half due to the heat.
Prediction: Oy. Upper Perk 49-13.
Chester at Spring-Ford, 7 p.m.
Record: Chester 0-0 Del Val, 1-0 overall; Spring-Ford 0-0 PAC, 1-0 overall.
Last week’s result: Chester defeated Haverford 24-21; Spring-Ford defeated Unionville 33-3.
Clippers Facts/Figures: Chester finally got a win in the first game of the season with a 3-point victory over reigning Central League champion Haverford. … Devan Freeman finished with 112 yards rushing. … Jamir Green finished with 188 yards passing with three touchdowns.
Rams Facts/Figures: Tanner Romano had a monstrous Week 1, finishing with two sacks, eight tackles, one pass deflection and one fumble recovery. … Rams offense only rushed for 75 yards but TJ Pergine threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns in first varsity start. … Stone Scarcelle and Dan Cassidy each finished with an interception.
Be on the Lookout: Matt Gibson and Selwyn Simpson should be able to get going after rushing for a combined 57 yards last week.
Prediction: Spring-Ford avenges loss to Clippers in hoops season. Rams win 28-14.
Boyertown at Exeter, 7 p.m.
Record: Boyertown 0-0 PAC, 1-0 overall; Exeter 0-0 Berks 1, 0-0 overall.
Last week’s result: Boyertown defeated Upper Perkiomen 34-27; Exeter DNP.
Bears Facts/Figures: Hunter Vogels finished with 115 yards rushing on six carries as the Bears outscored Upper Perkiomen 20-6 in the second half last week. … Bears have been outscored by Exeter 73-6 in last two contests.
Eagles Facts/Figures: Eagles lost a slew of starters from their district quarterfinal team in 2015 including Michal Menet (second on depth chart for left guard at Penn State). … Gabe Schappell returns under center after rushing for 977 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. … Team must find replacement for leading receiving in 2015 Leroy Longenecker.
Be on the Lookout: Jerry Kapp is poised for another big game after rushing for PAC-best 177 yards on 18 carries last week.
Prediction: Exeter makes it three straight against the Bears, this one is closer. Exeter wins 24-21.
Pope John Paul II at Sun Valley, 7 p.m.
Record: Pope John Paul II 0-0 PAC, 0-1 overall; Sun Valley 0-0 Ches-Mont, 1-0 overall.
Last week’s result: Pope John Paul II lost to Penncrest 26-6; Sun Valley defeated Pottstown 27-6.
Golden Panthers Facts/Figures: Slow going for PJP in the ground game as it finished with only 28 yards rushing in last week’s loss. … Matt DeLaurentis finished with 200 yards passing but his completion percentage was under 50 percent (17-for-35) and he threw two interceptions.
Vanguards Facts/Figures: Vanguards made easy work of Pottstown after the ejection of Trojans’ Aaron Diamond in the second quarter. … Team finished with 157 yards on the ground, including 51 from Charlie Wendling and 50 from Quentin West. … Defense allowed 130 yards on the ground, 78 of those from Isaiah Mayes.
Be on the Lookout: Gabe Boccella is poised for a bounceback performance after Pottstown defense contained him last week.
Prediction: Vanguards run, run, run over Golden Panthers as Boccella has breakout game. DeLaurentis throws for two touchdowns but Sun Valley wins 32-12.
Phoenixville at Upper Moreland, 7 p.m.
Record: Phoenixville 0-0 PAC, 0-1 overall; Upper Moreland 0-0 SOL, 1-0 overall.
Last week’s result: Phoenixville lost to Great Valley 38-0; Upper Moreland defeated William Tennent 7-0.
Phantoms Facts/Figures: Matt Garcia finished with 113 yards on the ground with a score. … Defense allowed 292 yards on the ground (382 total) in the loss.
Golden Bears Facts/Figures: Upper Moreland couldn’t break free until last quarter and were outgained by Tennent 294-166 in the win. … Casey Decker finished 4-for-8 for 90 yards and a touchdown in the win.
Be on the Lookout: After having seven players suspended for 10 days, Phoenixville is back at full strength. Head coach Evan Breisblatt is also back.
Prediction: Phoenixville returns its players and head coach but their lack of presence throughout camp shows, Upper Moreland wins 17-7.
Pottsgrove at Methacton, 7 p.m.
Record: Pottsgrove 0-0 PAC, 0-1 overall; Methacton 0-0 PAC, 0-1 overall.
Last week’s result: Pottsgrove lost to West Catholic 18-13; Methacton lost to Upper Dublin 41-0.
Falcons Facts/Figures: Falcons couldn’t generate any offense in the first quarter, amassing -2 yards before making game interesting with 13-point fourth quarter. … Avery Grant finished with 68 yards on 29 carries.
Warriors Facts/Figures: Warriors were outgained 365-66 in trouncing by Cardinals.
Be on the Lookout: If he makes his season debut, Archbishop Carroll transfer Rahsul Faison will be an instant game changer for Pottsgrove.
Prediction: Pottsgrove grounds and pounds its way while Methacton gets on the scoreboard early. Falcons win 28-7.
Norristown at Interboro, 7 p.m.
Record: Norristown 0-0 PAC, 0-1 overall; Interboro 0-0 Del Val, 1-0 overall.
Last week’s result: Norristown lost to Pennridge 49-20; Interboro defeated Strath haven 36-35.
Eagles Facts/Figures: Norristown allowed 49 first-half points and never recovered. … Team allowed 351 rushing yards. … Izaiah Webb and Steve Depaul combined for 209 yards through the air. … Team only rushed for 34 yards.
Bucs Facts/Figures: Bucs rushed for 341 yards, including a 233-yard performance by Chris Thomas. … Nate Murtha threw for 146 yards in the win. … Connor Adams had two interceptions.
Be on the Lookout: Chris Thomas is poised for another big game against Norristown run defense.
Prediction: Interboro takes a page out of Pennridge’s gameplan and runs right at Norristown and succeeds. Interboro runs away with it 42-20.
Martin Luther King at Upper Merion, 7 p.m.
Record: Martin Luther King 0-0 PPL, 0-1 overall; Upper Merion 0-0 PAC, 0-1 overall.
Last week’s result: Martin Luther King lost to Wissahickon 42-27; Upper Merion lost to Radnor 34-10.
Cougars Facts/Figures: Cougars made things interesting with 14-point fourth quarter last week but couldn’t make up ground. … Team allowed 133 yards on the ground.
Vikings Facts/Figures: Trailed 34-3 after three quarters last week. … Vikings finished with only 27 rushing yards and allowed 332 rushing yards.
Be on the Lookout: JP Batten threw for 108 yards last week and was a bright spot. What’s in store for this week?
Prediction: Game goes down to the wire with Upper Merion getting first win. Vikings win 28-27.
Daniel Boone at Northeastern, 7 p.m.
Record: Daniel Boone 0-0 Berks I, 0-0 overall; Northeastern 0-0 YAIAA, 0-0 overall.
Last week’s result: Both teams DNP
Blazers Facts/Figures: Daniel Boone is trying to bounce back from last year after losing final seven games following 3-0 start. … Leading receiver Ryan Okuniewski returns, same too with QB Josh Ehst.
Bobcats Facts/Figures: Shannon Valenti returns after throwing for 1,057 yards last season. … Anu Johnson returns after rushing for 629 yards, same with Chris Whack (543 yards).
Be on the Lookout: Northeastern is looking to make statement after coming off 8-2 season with program’s first-ever playoff win (48-12 victory over Northern Lebanon in District 3-AAA opening round).
Prediction: Northeastern gets the ball moving early, tops Daniel Boone 28-18.
Saturday, September 3
Solanco at Pottstown, 1 p.m.
Record: Solanco 0-0 LL Divison II, 0-0 overall; Pottstown 0-0 PAC, 0-1 overall.
Last week’s result: Solanco DNP: Pottstown lost to Sun Valley 27-6.
Golden Muhls Facts/Figures: Solanco must find replacements for quarterback Noah McCardell and fullback Robbie Hassel. Both combined for over 3,000 yards of total offense last season.
Pottstown Facts/Figures: Isaiah Mayes led the Trojans with 78 yards n the ground. … Owen Morton finished with 88 yards passing and a touchdown on 14 attempts.
Be on the Lookout: Solanco is looking to repeat its most successful season in school history after finishing 11-2 and advancing to the District 3-AAA semifinals. Trojans’ Aaron Diamond is poised for breakout game at receiver.
Prediction: Pottstown keeps it close and performs better in all phases. Game decided by single digits with Solanco winning 20-16.
