Mercury Week 6 Football Review: PJP’s Graver creating winning culture ‘one day at a time’

Minutes after Pope John Paul II’ 28-3 victory over Pottsgrove on Saturday, a victory that saw the Golden Panthers supplant the three-time defending division champion Falcons in the driver’s seat for the 2019 title, head coach Rory Graver had already shifted his focus. 

“We have a long way to go,” he said, “and right now, we need to quickly shift our focus to Phoenixville (this Friday’s opponent).”

Bur Graver did take a few minutes to discuss PJP’s recent history in football and provide some context for why Saturday’s decisive victory was such a watershed moment for a program that, no more than four years ago, rated among the perennial cellar dwellers of the Pioneer Athletic Conference.

In his sixth year on the job, Graver has led PJP II to an increased number of wins in each season of his tenure, from a winless campaign in 2014 all the way up to last season’s 8-3 finish. With a 5-1 start to 2019, another improvement appears to be well within their reach.

Graver spent the 2011 season as the offensive coordinator at PJP II – only the school’s second year in existence. He got a first-hand look at the challenges then-coach Mike Santillo faced in bringing together two football teams (the result of a merger between Pottstown’s St. Pius X and Norristown’s Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic) to forge a five-win season and the first playoff appearance in school history. 

But after a pair of one-win campaigns in 2012 and 2013, Graver was hired as the second coach in school history. It was a baptism by fire for his first two seasons, as PJP mustered only one victory between the campaigns – a start that might have broken coaches who fail to preach patience the way Graver does.

“Things take time,” he explained. “Even if it wasn’t showing in the win column, each year we took steps in the right direction. I give a ton of credit to the student-athletes in those years who battled through tough times. They laid the foundation for our program.”

The one area Graver identified as ‘most improved’ over his tenure is the Golden Panthers’ commitment and dedication in the weight room. In fact, the first turning point of his tenure came at the start of 2016. Only six weeks after the end of a trying 0-11 campaign, Graver had about 25-30 players – close to a full roster’s worth for PJP at the time – showing up almost daily for lifting sessions. 

“That group could have easily packed it in,” he admitted. “But they persevered. They continued to believe in our staff, our program.

“We’ve also been fortunate to have the support of the administration and athletic department here at PJP II.”

The 2016 squad was rewarded with a four-win campaign, including their own home victory over Pottsgrove, the Falcons’ last divisional loss before this past Saturday. 

Since then, it’s been nothing but winning campaigns at Pope John Paul II – a 7-4 breakthrough in 2017, followed by a reclassification to Class 3A and a district semifinal appearance last season, when the squad finished 8-3.

And while Graver will be the first to tell you the 2019 squad hasn’t accomplished anything yet, the fruits of their weight-room labor were apparent on Saturday, as the Golden Panthers controlled the line of scrimmage and asserted their will against Pottsgrove, the program that sets the area’s standard for physical, hard-nosed, win-the-game-in-the-trenches football. An often-prolific passing game led by QB Kamal Gray and a host of talented pass catchers has become PJP II’s calling card, but averaging more than nine yards per carry against the division champs proves the attack is by no means one dimensional. 

Of course, there’s always room for improvement – look no further than the Golden Panthers’ finishes to the last couple seasons. Both 2017 and 2018 ended in one-sided losses to cross-town rivals Spring-Ford in the PAC crossover game, followed by disappointing defeats in the opening round of the district playoffs. 

The 2019 season started with a similar setback. Poised to make an earlier statement in Week 1, the Golden Panthers lost a 26-point lead at home to 6A Roman Catholic, dropping a 47-46 shootout. But this time, the disappointment served as immediate motivation, particularly to a defense that has allowed only 16 points in the five games that have followed. PJP II has two shutouts in that span and has not allowed a point before the fourth quarter of any game.

Only time will tell whether Saturday’s win was just one result of one football game, or a symbolic changing of the guard in the PAC’s Frontier Division. Just don’t ask Graver – to paraphrase the New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick – he’s already onto Phoenixville.

Around the Area >> There was only one close game on the Friday night slate, but this one offered a full week’s worth of excitement. After Pottstown freshman QB Joneil Oister rushed for three early touchdowns, Phoenixville dug out of the 18-0 hole, reeling off the game’s final 26 points in securing a thrilling 26-18 victory. Jack Pizor piloted the Phantoms’ comeback with a touchdown pass, another on the ground, and returning a Pottstown fumble for his third score. 

Offensive x-factor Anthony Stevenson registered 127 total yards and a rushing touchdown. The senior has been a difference maker for Phoenixville (2-4, 1-1 PAC Frontier) in no fewer than four positions this season.

“Whatever the situation calls for, I do it,” Stevenson summarized. 

It was a “taking care of business”-type week for the Liberty Division’s front runners, as Spring-Ford and Perkiomen Valley each scored shutout victories – the Rams by a 35-0 tally over Methacton, and the Vikings opening up what was a tight game at halftime to win going away, 28-0 over Norristown. The defense was the story for Spring-Ford, who limited the Warriors to 65 total yards, while PV’s running back combination of Jacob Sturm and Jon Moccia led a 239-yard outing on the ground. 

The two squads sport identical 4-2 marks through six weeks, with unblemished 2-0 records in the division. Owen J. Roberts sits just behind the top two at 1-1 in the division, but improved to 5-1 overall in their 35-3 win over Boyertown. The old-fashioned recipe of defense and a strong running game proved effective, as Josh Jackson set a career-high with 170 yards on the ground (surpassing his mark of 135 yards set just two weeks ago at Upper Merion), while the Wildcats’ defense caused three Boyertown turnovers.

For the moment, Upper Merion stands as Pope John Paul II’s main challenger in the Frontier after a 27-7 win over Upper Perkiomen. The Vikings stand at 4-2 and 2-0 in the division thanks in large part to the remarkable consistency of senior RB Anthony Swenda, who offered his fifth 100-plus yard performance in six games. Swenda stands atop the PAC with 11 rushing TDs on the season. This week, things get serious for the Vikings, who visit Pottstown and Pottsgrove in consecutive weeks before finishing the regular season by hosting Pope John Paul II in a game poised to decide the Frontier Division title.

A Look Ahead >> Spring-Ford and Perkiomen Valley will again be heavy favorites as the Vikings welcome Methacton, while the Rams travel to Boyertown. Owen J. Roberts heads out on the road for the fourth time in five weeks when they take on Norristown.

Pottstown and Phoenixville have chances to turn the Frontier Division race into a free-for-all when they host co-leaders Upper Merion and Pope John Paul II, respectively. Meanwhile, Pottsgrove tries to keep pace when it heads to Upper Perkiomen.  

Daniel Boone looks to snap a five-game skid when it battles Governor Mifflin, while the Hill School hosts Peddie School on Friday afternoon.