Mercury Week 10 Football Preview: Battle for Royersford means a little more this year
You could call it an accidental rivalry, or a battle for bragging rights in Royersford. But this year, the game takes on a greater meaning.
Back in 2016, when the Pioneer Athletic Conference split into two divisions, Spring-Ford and Pope John Paul II were separated, despite the schools’ proximity that seemingly made them natural rivals.
Yet the two schools have continued to meet annually during the PAC’s Crossover Week, where schools from the Liberty Division play their counterparts from the Frontier Division. For four years in a row, SF and PJP have finished in the same spots in their divisions, meaning a week 10 encounter, with Spring-Ford winning on all three occasions.
This time, however, there’s more than bragging rights at stake when the Golden Panthers make the short trip to Spring-Ford for the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship game at 7 p.m. Friday. The winner will become only the second PAC champion in those four years, after Spring-Ford ended Perkiomen Valley’s three-year reign with last week’s 40-35 victory.
“Proximity can create rivals,” said Chad Brubaker, head coach of Spring-Ford. “Clearly, Perkiomen Valley is our rival, but we do share a town, and that can create a rivalry.”
Pope John Paul II head coach Rory Graver’s answer was even simpler. “When you’re in the same town, obviously that can start a rivalry.
“But to be a rivalry, you have to be able to beat one another. We haven’t been able to do that yet.”
Even before the divisional split, Pope John Paul II was unable to break through in their head-to-head encounters with the Rams. There would be no better time to break the ice than Friday night.
A closer look at the matchup:
When Pope John Paul II has the ball >> The two squads’ offensive profiles look similar – talented, second-year starters at quarterback, with an array of pass-catching weapons and experienced offensive lines. PJP’s Kamal Gray (62 percent completions, 1,800 yards passing, 28 TD, 6 INT) adds to his passing talents with 388 rushing yards on the season, a profile that resembles his Spring-Ford counterpart Ryan Engro.
“I think a lot of people want to see this game, but I don’t see it as a showdown,” said Gray. “I’ve met Ryan through the league, through some camps – we’re friends. But we’re just two kids playing football.”
And playing it quite well, as Gray has led the Golden Panthers’ offense throughout their eight-game winning streak with the help of an array of running backs, including senior Andrew McDonald and Daylin Gooden, junior Chris Bruder, and sophomore Steele DePetrillo. In the preseason, Graver discussed his desire to operate a more balanced offense, and he’s certainly accomplished it with the help of an experienced offensive line powered by Ambrose Colliluori, Sean Anderson, Jacob Foley, Julian Paskel, and Matt Dobrowlowski.
“When you get to late October, early November, running the football becomes the key,” said Graver. “We’re fortunate to have five different guys who can run the ball and keep (our opponent) honest.”
When the Golden Panthers do go to the air, Gray has a variety of targets. It’s difficult to identify a No. 1 receiver between senior Steve Skarbek and junior Justin Kormos, with their similar statistical profiles, but tight end Dylan Walker (20 catches, 338 yards, 7 TD), at 6-foot-4, could present matchup issues in the red zone.
They’ll be up against a Spring-Ford defense that, while still not at full strength, gets tackle Donnie Nicoline and safety Nick Teets back this week. Linebacker James Albert’s status is still up in the air, but the Rams will have Blaize Scarcelle at cornerback. Scarcelle returned for the PV game just one day after having pins removed from a broken thumb last week.
“My range of motion wasn’t much,” admitted Scarcelle, “but with the last chance to play against PV, I just gave it my all. Hopefully it gave my teammates a lift.”
Scarcelle believes he will return to his wide receiver spot on the offense this season, but perhaps not this week.
Through the injuries and setbacks, the stabilizing force for Spring-Ford’s defense has been defensive linemen Ryan Kolander and Blake Terrizzi. With nine sacks on the season, Terrizzi’s statistical profile is plenty strong, but with Albert out of the lineup he’s taken on the added challenge of making defensive calls from the line.
“They’ve been the staples of our defense,” said Spring-Ford defensive coordinator Jim Mich Jr. “Their assignments are sound, they’ve been setting the defense – that doesn’t happen much (as a lineman), but that shows how smart they are as football players.”
“When James went down, my role definitely grew,” said Terrizzi. “I have the experience out there to focus on the whole defense, help make sure everyone’s lined up in the right places.
“Ryan (Kolander), plus Sean Brogan and Ryan Beppel have really stepped up as well.”
Terrizzi’s confident the Rams can make it difficult for the Golden Panthers to go on long drives against the defense, but his main concern is limiting their big-play abilities.
“They run a lot of screens that make it important for us to contain the outside,” he said. “We need to stop any big plays or long runs.”
When Spring-Ford has the ball >> Quarterback Ryan Engro (62 percent completions, 1,967 passing yards, 20 TD, 6 INT) became a true dual threat last week, running 13 times for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win against Perkiomen Valley. Coupled with a big day for Armante Haynes, the Rams again ran for close to 250 yards, completing their evolution into a ground-and-pound offense.
The problem for opposing defenses? The passing game that made Engro the PAC’s leading passer to this point hasn’t gone anywhere. He’s still got Dante Bonanni, leading the PAC with 43 receptions at 14 yards per catch, red-zone specialist BJ Beard, who’s seen almost a quarter of his 29 receptions go for touchdowns, and this week gets Nicholas Teets and his 376 receiving yards back in the lineup. While Scarcelle is doubtful to see time on offense, Zach High filled in ably one week ago against PV (three catches, 49 yards).
“At this point, I’d like to think it’s a multi-faceted offense,” said Brubaker. “It’s a matter of taking what they give you. I don’t know what will happen Friday night, but we see their tendencies on film, and we’ll watch the first drive of the game and see what’s available.”
Odds are that the offensive line of Brogan, Terrizzi, Kolander, Kyle Kennedy, and Ian Harvie will make sure the Rams have a plethora of options. Brubaker shared that three of the five offensive linemen scored an 80 percent or higher when the staff graded the PV film. The grading, performed by assistant coach Chad Strickler, is a combination of assignment and execution.
“And that’s not like getting a B in school,” the coach said. “Coach Strickler is not an easy grader either. For a lineman, that’s just tremendous. Anytime a lineman is over 70 percent, that’s a really good game. To have three guys do that is very impressive.”
With Nick Teets returning to the secondary, Bonanni figures to return to an offense-only role, where he’ll likely draw one of Skarbek or Kormos at CB. Dobrowlowski, Walker, and others feature on both sides for PJP, a defense that started the season dropping a 47-46 shootout to Roman Catholic but has since responded to allow only 43 points in the ensuing eight games.
“We’ve had a mindset of ‘if they don’t score, they won’t win,’” said Justin Mitala, a linebacker and the leader of the PJP defense.
Mitala, who will likely draw many Engro-related assignments Friday night, is focused on stopping Spring-Ford’s offense, which shows a lot more diversity that the run-heavy approaches of most of the Frontier Division.
“They run a lot of RPOs… Ryan will be reading me a lot,” he said. “So I’m watching a lot of film this week, trying to understand their tendencies. We’ll be ready.”
Special Teams >> Spring-Ford’s Grant Sillyman handles placekicking and punting duties, though Engro has been known to sneak in a quick kick from time to time. Jacob Snyder has taken the kicking reigns at PJP, with Gray and Dylan Walker splitting punting duties.
Spring-Ford’s Kolten Kqira got the Rams off to a fast start with a long kickoff return against Perkiomen Valley.
Details and Prediction >> Asked how the team can continue rising to the occasion, Chad Brubaker’s answer was simple. “Each week, it becomes a matter of ‘if we don’t take care of business this week, next week won’t matter as much,’” he explained.
Even if this weren’t a championship game, the Rams don’t have the look of a team ready to ‘let down’ from last week’s victory. Maybe the Perkiomen Valley win will always be their 2019 highlight, but it rings a little hollow if they don’t finish the job this week.
For the Golden Panthers, a victory would strike quite the resounding blow for the ‘small-school’ Frontier Division, and a win over 6A Spring-Ford would announce the Golden Panthers as a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming District 1 Class 3A District tournament – and perhaps beyond.
But Kamal Gray says the Golden Panthers aren’t thinking of anything other than who’s across the field on Friday night. “One play at a time,” he said. “It’s another game, so we need to take care of the little things. Our students are excited, and the game’s close by so we’ll need them there.”
The temptation to create a ‘David vs. Goliath’ story about the Liberty and Frontier divisions does a disservice to just how good Pope John Paul II is, but it’s hard to see the Golden Panthers as anything but the underdog Friday night. Spring-Ford maintains the same offensive explosiveness that’s been a program trademark for a while, but last week’s victory shows a focus and resolve that’s been missing in the past, and that is usually the hallmark of a championship season. … Spring-Ford 37, Pope John Paul II 21.
Pottsgrove (5-4, second place Frontier) at Perkiomen Valley (6-3, second place Liberty), 7 p.m. Friday
Last Meeting: PV topped Pottsgrove, 35-17 for the PAC Championship last season.
Another four-year traditional matchup is the one between the Falcons and Vikings, though this is the first time it won’t decide the PAC Championship. That doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty on the line, however, as each side looks to cement its spot in districts. Perk Valley hopes to celebrate Senior Night with an offensive explosion like the one against Spring-Ford, while using their defense to limit Pottsgrove’s PAC leading rusher Isaiah Taylor.
Meanwhile, Falcons coach Bill Hawthorne knows the Vikings will be hungry to avenge last week’s defeat, and hopes his resurgent defense, led by safety Rylee Howard and defensive linemen Max Dopwell and Zach Van Horn can limit the explosive attack.
Pottstown (5-4, third place Frontier) at Owen J. Roberts (7-2, third place Liberty), 7 p.m. Friday
Last Meeting: Owen J. Roberts blanked Pottstown, 42-0, in the final Thanksgiving Day encounter in 2017.
Preview: The stakes couldn’t be much clearer in this renewal of a former Thanksgiving Day rivalry. The winner is likely into Districts, while the loser may need help from other results around the area. OJR pitched another defensive shutout last week against Methacton, their third of the season led by Matt Cutrone’s three interceptions. Coach Rich Kolka also lauded the play of linebacker Ian Sordilla.
The Trojans continue to see contributions from the youngest members of their roster, as freshman Jared Hewitt’s season-long contributions have kept the defense above water, specifically in last week’s 8-7 overtime win over Upper Perkiomen. Coach Jeff Delaney called on his offensive line to step up in this long, storied rivalry game.
Upper Merion (4-5, fourth place Frontier) at Methacton (3-6, fourth place Liberty), 7 p.m. Friday
Last Meeting: Methacton toppled Upper Merion, 21-12, in a week 3 matchup.
Preview: Things have unraveled for Upper Merion over the past three weeks, but the offense showed signs of life last week’s behind Ty Lobban’s 251 total yards in a 28-21 loss to Frontier champion Pope John Paul II. The Vikings have double motivation this week – keeping district playoff hopes alive, and avenging and week 3 loss to Methacton, 21-12.
It’s Senior Night for the Warriors, but coach Dave Lotier is also using this final game of 2019 to get further experience for some of his most productive underclassmen on defense, specifically Brian Dickey (nine tackles and an INT last week), Chris Augustine, who recovered a fumble, and Tyler Weil-Kaspar (eight tackles).
Phoenixville (3-6, fifth place Frontier) at Boyertown (2-7, fifth place Frontier), 7 p.m. Friday
Last Meeting: Boyertown topped Phoenixville, 41-28 in a 2017 crossover matchup.
Preview: The Phantoms’ feint playoff hopes would be buoyed by a win over a 6A school and the additional power points that come with it. Will it be enough? It will depend on some other results in the area. Coach Don Grinstead lamented the missed opportunities of the season due to injuries and other factors, but says he hopes for another big effort from Brady Aselton and assignment-sound football this week.
They’ll need it to stop Boyertown’s power running game, led by senior Jamie Moccia who scored three more touchdowns in last week’s loss to Norristown. Sophomore linebacker Ryan Spangler needs to repeat last week’s strong defensive performance for the Bears, while Roman Marinello and Connor Rohrbach look to keep Phoenixville honest in the passing game.
Upper Perkiomen (1-8, sixth place Frontier) at Norristown (1-8, sixth place Liberty)
Last Meeting: Schools have not met in the past decade.
Preview: Norristown comes in on their first victory of the season, powered by a second-half comeback led by two Elijah Thyman touchdown runs and Isaiah Tucker’s big night at receiver. Upper Perk gets one more chance to get into the win column following last week’s heartbreaker at Pottstown. The Tribe limited Pottstown to only nine yards of passing, which bodes well for the ability to corral Tucker and quarterback Nick DiNolfi.
Kiski School (4-2) at Hill School (0-7), Saturday 1 p.m.
Last Meeting: Kiski edged Hill, 33-26 last season.
Preview: The Rams get another chance to get into the win column before their meeting with archrival Lawrenceville next week. Kiski School makes the trip across the state on a two-game winning streak, while Hill’s defense made considerable strides in last week’s 21-13 loss to Blair Academy.
