Mercury Football Preview: Interboro stands in way of Pope John Paul II’s district title aspirations

Pope John Paul II’s won 10 of their first 11 games this season, but it’s that one loss that coach Scott Reed feels will best serve his squad for however long their playoff run lasts.

“The level just goes up,” he said following the PAC championship game against 6A Perkiomen Valley, a 21-14 loss for the Golden Panthers. “The speed, the intensity – the windows are tighter, and you’ve got to be sharp against good teams and good players.”

And there aren’t many better than Interboro’s Abu Kamara.

The Interboro senior will be the focal point of PJP’s gameplan when they travel down to Glenolden for the District 1 Class 4A championship game against the Buccaneers on Friday.

The 6-foot-1, 190-lb. Kamara stands only 127 yards from the Delaware County single-season rushing record. So far this year, he’s carried the ball for 2,392 yards and 34 TDs (also closing in on a county record, which is 37 TDs for Upper Darby’s Isaiah Bruce in 2015.)

Guess what? Running back’s not even his ‘best’ position.

Numerous schools are recruiting Kamara, and while they’d be happy to have him carry the ball on their campuses for four years, the majority of the interest is in his play as a strong safety. 

After pilfering a half-dozen passes as a junior, opposing offenses attempt to avoid Kamara in 2022. But an interception set up his own 53-yard TD run in last week’s semifinal game against Bishop Shanahan.  Kamara lingers as a potentially devastating threat in all facets of the game. 

Seeing as the senior star is also one of the Bucs’ leading receivers, PJP’s challenge will be forcing Interboro to get creative about how they get the ball to their star. A defense allowing only 12 points per game has its hands full, perhaps the biggest test yet for sophomore linebacker Ryan Lamson (74 solo tackles), junior DE TJ Boccella (nine sacks), and interior two-way lineman Nyzir Lake.

Against just about any other opponent, PJP junior Boyd Skarbek’s numbers at the running back position would be the story. Skarbek is over 1,100 rushing yards this season to go with 20 touchdowns on the ground. Reed, however, is happiest about his improvement as a blocker. 

“Boyd is Boyd, he’s going to get the ball,” said Reed, “but his blocking has improved greatly since the start of our season. He’s a complete player.”

That blocking affords QB Luke Terlesky (69 percent completions, 1,877 yards passing, 18 TD/4 INT) time to find a host of targets led by fellow soph Braden Reed (45 catches, 770 yards, 7 TDs) and junior Brent Mitala (39 catches, 522 yards, 7 TDs). Brendan Kenning and Skarbek are Terlesky’s other main targets.  

Aside from Kamara, explosive Dom Gunter gives Interboro another big-play option. Gunter scored on both a return TD and receiving TD of 80 yards or greater in last week’s win against Shanahan. Quarterback Julian Bulovas doesn’t take to the air often but can be particularly efficient if defenses overcommit to the running game.

A win would give the Golden Panthers their second District 1 title in school history and first at Class 4A. In 2019, they took top honors in a combined District 1/12 bracket at Class 3A.

“Our defense will need to create pressure, swarm to the ball, and be great tacklers,” said Reed. “Field position will play a huge role in this game, so special teams will be paramount.”  

Class 6A: No. 7 Souderton (9-2) at No. 2 Perkiomen Valley (10-1), 7 p.m. Thursday

The Vikings picked a great time for their biggest offensive output of the season, scoring early and often in last week’s opening-round 56-19 win over Owen J. Roberts. 

It’ll be strength on strength at Keenan Stadium, where the Indians of Souderton arrive off an opening-round 10-0 shutout of CB South. 

It’s Souderton’s second shutout in the past four weeks. They’ve allowed only nine total points during that stretch.

Like Perkiomen Valley, the trickiest thing about preparing for Souderton is deciding where to focus. Quarterback Jared Zimmerman is the team’s second-leading rusher but takes to the air more than enough to force PV to account for top targets Shaun Purvy and Danny Dyches.

Chris Kerns leads the team in rushing (638 yards on 6.3 yards per carry, 8 TDs) but five different players have at least 40 carries this year for the Indians. 

Jayden Bergey, Ryan Sadowski, and Caleb Hageman are in a three-way dead heat for the team lead in tackles.

It’s a similar statistical profile to that of the Vikings, the back-to-back PAC champions who make their way on offense by spreading the ball around to playmakers like Jake Stewart (748 yards rushing on six yards per carry, 12 TDs), Ryan Klimek (10 TDs on only 81 carries, plus three receiving TDs), and Michael Poruban (17.5 yards per catch on 34 receptions, 4 TDs).

Sophomore QB Patrick MacDonald hasn’t met the big game that’s phased him yet; in fact he’s getting better as the games grow more significant. MacDonald was 10-for-11 for 189 yards last week against OJR.

Perkiomen Valley is well-equipped to defend Souderton’s multi-faceted attack, with Shane Nelson and Vance Junker providing pressure up front and allowing the talented linebacker level that includes Sam Koehler, Drew Kenworthy, and Carson Pascoe among others room to operate. 

Stephen Ciaudelli had a big interception last week and joins Dimitri Toman and Rasheem Grayson in a more-than-capable secondary.

“We are expecting a very close game,” said Perk Valley coach Rob Heist. “The kicking game with Ryan Klimek will be essential in trying to win the field position game.  

“Points may be at a premium, so converting extra points and field goal attempts are vital.”

Class 6A: No. 8 Spring-Ford (8-3) at No. 1 Garnet Valley (11-0), 7 p.m. Friday

The Rams played their best half of football in 2022 after halftime last week, turning a 28-14 deficit into a 42-28 win over Ridley of the Central League. Will Fish (144) and Mike Bendowski (100) each went into triple digits running the ball as Spring-Ford’s physicality was the solution – not the issue – against a tiring Raiders defense.

This week, they’d be advised not to wait until halftime.

There’s physical football, then there’s Garnet Valley. To put it bluntly, the Jaguars are a juggernaut. They haven’t lost to a District 1 opponent since 2019 (Coatesville, in the Class 6A semifinals) and currently stand as five-time defending Central League champions, defending District 1 Class 6A champions, and the No. 1 seed as favorites to repeat at District champs.

The retirement of longtime coach Mike Ricci led many to believe the Jags would take a step back this season. And they were right – after averaging 46.6 points per contest last season, Garnet Valley’s all the way down to 39.2 per game in 2022.

Surely, new coach Eric Van Wyk fears for his job.

In all seriousness, any difference in scoring is more than covered by a defense that allowed double-digit points for only the second time this season in last week’s District opener against Quakertown, a 63-14 Garnet Valley victory. For the season, the Jaguars are allowing just under eight points per contest. 

You get the idea. It’s a strong squad, one with visions of playing into December for a second consecutive season – and one that Spring-Ford coach Chad Brubaker sees as a system to emulate.

“They’re a well-oiled machine,” said Brubaker, “and anytime you play an option team you need to be assignment oriented. You get in trouble if you start watching the ball.”

“I have a lot of respect for the culture, the program that Mike built there over the years. And his staff is more or less still intact.”

Spring-Ford’s prolific front seven, led by seniors Luke Pajovich, Franny Undercuffler, and Zach Zollers up front with Fish and Matt Yurko at the linebacker level, will be tasked with holding down the Jaguars’ ground game that averages 7.3 yards per carry. Jason Bernard and Joe Checchio see the lion’s share of the carries, with QB Matt Mesaros always a threat to keep. 

Checchio also figures prominently on Garnet Valley’s defense, who will see a different challenge in Spring-Ford this week. The Rams are showing their completeness as a unit, as sophomore Matt Zollers rebounded from an early interception to do damage with his arm and his legs against Ridley, throwing for 176 yards but also carrying for a trio of scores on his own. 

Zach Zollers (42 catches, 566 yards, 8 TDs) is the main threat in the passing game, but Mason Scott, Gage Swanger, and Belal Abdelrahman will force Garnet Valley to cover every yard. If the Rams are effective in spreading the Jaguars out, freshman tight end Ryan Kerchner is enjoying an increased role in the middle of the field.

Matt Zollers’ role as a punter could be emphasized this week. Stopping the Garnet Valley offense isn’t a realistic ask but forcing them to repeatedly drive the length of the field for their points is the key for Spring-Ford to get to the second half or the fourth quarter with a chance to win.

“We go in with a game plan and the expectation to win,” said Brubaker. “We want to put them in unfamiliar situations.”