Mercury Week 7 Football Preview: Pottstown tries to bounce back vs. Upper Merion

Part of the job description in a coach’s first year is putting eyes on everything within a program and identifying those aspects he wants to change.
Jeff Delaney’s found his point of emphasis at Pottstown.

“There’s a trend where we start out well, and then at some point things start to go downhill,” he said. “All the things we do well just suddenly stop.”

Friday night, Delaney and the Trojans (3-3, 0-2 PAC Frontier) will try to reverse the overall trend when they host co-division leading Upper Merion (4-2, 2-0 PAC Frontier) at Grigg Memorial Field. But Delaney might as well have been describing last week’s contest, when Pottstown built an 18-0 lead only to see visiting Phoenixville storm back to claim a surprising 26-18 victory.

Compounding Delaney’s challenges are injuries and simple class cycles that have him using seven different freshmen in key roles. But how can he break the overall trend, so that by the time those players are juniors and seniors, Pottstown will be able to sustain their high standard of play for the full season?

“It’s a good question,” he admitted. “In the beginning (of the season) we get by a bit on skill and athleticism, but as the season goes on, teams are more focused on what you want to do. We need to teach our guys how to do that.”

Quarterback Joneil Oister has been at the helm all season, but fellow freshmen have joined him in the offense as injuries, illnesses, and even a class trip took their toll on the Trojans last week. Pottstown started freshmen at left guard, center, and tight end. Delaney mentioned Devon Green, Mason Miller, Gary Allan, and Gabe Hicks as freshman contributors who’ve moved positions and been invaluable to the team in their first year of high school ball.

“But (Phoenixville) just wore us down,” Delaney lamented. “The second half, I think we only ran 13 offensive plays.”

The @SFRamsFB and Pope John Paul II offenses are leading the area thus far with four pass catchers each in the Top 12 in receiving. See full Mercury-Area Football leaders here: https://t.co/QOoSxXuyWk pic.twitter.com/r8WjRXkEwV

— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) October 1, 2019

When Delaney looks across the field Friday night, he will see reassurance that with time, he can build the type of continuity and resilience he wants. In Year 3 of the Victor Brown era at Upper Merion, the Vikings appear well on their way to a second straight District One Class 5A playoff berth and appear poised to challenge for the PAC Frontier Division title. Brown’s tenure began in 2017, when Upper Merion won only one game.

“And you can tell this is Victor’s third year,” said Delaney. “I always say that’s when you see the biggest breakthrough. You watch his linemen, they’re pointing things out, they’re communicating. It takes time, but things become simpler and more consistent. That’s where we want to go.”

Behind that cohesive unit runs Anthony Swenda, arguably the PAC’s most consistent performer this season with five 100-yard rushing outings in six games. Ty Lobban serves as the lightning to Swenda’s thunder, while the Clayton brothers, quarterback Dale and wide recevier Marc, provide Upper Merion’s main aerial combination along with the explosive Aaron Anderson. Most of Upper Merion’s players contribute on both sides of the ball, where the emphasis is the same – solid, consistent fundamental play that, while not always spectacular or lending to eye-popping statistics, forces opposing offenses to earn every yard.

But with four playoff berths available in Class 4A, the Trojans still have very realistic playoff aspirations in 2019 – if they can focus on the task at hand each week.

“The kids laugh, but that’s the number-one word I’m using this season: focus,” said Delaney. “Looking beyond Upper Merion, at this point, is detrimental to what we want to accomplish.”

Pottsgrove (2-4, 1-1 PAC Frontier) at Upper Perkiomen (1-5, 0-2 PAC Frontier), 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting: The Falcons dominated the Indians, 51-0, a year ago.

Preview: Coach Bill Hawthorne lauded the leadership shown by his senior class, including Darrian Seaman, Isaiah Taylor, and Evan White through what’s been a trying start to the 2019 campaign. The Falcons still have time to turn things around, however, and are finding roles for youngsters Amir Brunson, Kayden White, and Ryan Sisko, who filled in at quarterback last week.

This week, they face an Upper Perkiomen that showed signs of life offensively in last week’s loss to Upper Merion. The Indians’ performance unraveled in the face of four turnovers, so taking care of the ball will be priority number one this Friday.

Pope John Paul II (5-1, 2-0 PAC Frontier) at Phoenixville (2-4, 1-1 PAC Frontier), 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting: PJP scored a comeback win over Phoenixville in 2018 by a final of 28-12.

Preview: Golden Panthers coach Rory Graver consistently preaches the focus on “going 1-0 each week,” a mentality that keeps his team focused on the task at hand. Since an opening loss to 6A Roman Catholic, PJP’s defense is on an impressive run of now allowing a single point before the fourth quarter in any of their subsequent five victories. Not surprisingly, each game has ended decisively, with the Golden Panthers winning their last five by a cumulative 215-16 margin. Coach Graver pointed to senior LB Justin Mitala as a constant force on the defensive side.

This week they’ll travel to Phoenixville, where QB Jack Pizor and WR/RB Anthony Stevenson gave the Phantoms a shot in the arm with an explosive performance against Pottstown last week. Pizor contributed three scores (one each passing, rushing, and defensive) while Stevenson tallied 148 total yards as the Phantoms dominated the second half in a 26-18 victory. Coach Don Grinstead applauded the work of his offensive line in igniting the comeback but cautioned that the Phantoms can’t afford another slow start if they hope to surprise the Golden Panthers.

Norristown (0-6, 0-2 PAC Liberty) at Owen J. Roberts (5-1, 2-0 PAC Liberty), 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting: OJR outlasted the Eagles by a score of 25-12 last season.

Preview: The interesting part of this matchup will come early on, as a Norristown team who’s struggled in the second half of games this year goes up against an Owen. J Roberts squad who’s jumped out to multiple early leads this season. If Norristown can do as they did last week, going into halftime down only 7-0 against defending league champs Perkiomen Valley, they have the offensive skill players to challenge the stingy OJR defense.
Wildcats coach Rich Kolka acknowledged the speed and athleticism Norristown brings to the field, while also stating that he expects his defense to be ready for the challenge. Cooper Chamberlain and Josh Jackson power the offense for OJR, a unit that approached 400 total yards in last week’s 35-3 win over Boyertown.

Spring-Ford (4-2, 2-0 PAC Liberty) at Boyertown (2-4, 1-1 PAC Liberty), 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting: Spring-Ford topped Boyertown in the PAC’s highest-scoring 2018 contest, 66-31.

Preview: A young Spring-Ford defense has shown rapid improvement the past few weeks, the latest data point a 35-0 shutout of Methacton last week. Blake Terrizzi has been a consistent presence in opposing backfields this season, but Donnie Nicoline’s sustained improvement has turned the unit into the strength of SF’s defense, especially when playing in front of linebacker James Albert, who continues to close in on the school record for tackles in a career.

This week comes a new challenge in the form of Boyertown’s triple-option attack, which Spring-Ford coach Chad Brubaker believes always present a challenge to young defenses. For his part, Boyertown coach T.J. Miller expressed encouragement at Mason Marinello’s growth at the QB position, while continuing to laud the season-long improvement of tackle Joe Slowik.

Methacton (2-4, 0-2 PAC Liberty) at Perkiomen Valley (4-2, 2-0 PAC Liberty), 7 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting: Perkiomen Valley fought their way past the Warriors, 18-9, last year.

Preview: Finding a consistent passing game remains a challenge for the Warriors, still hopeful of having RB Mike Torcini back at some point in the season. Justin Carfrey continues to fill in admirably in Torcini’s stead, and the Warriors avoided turnovers last week against Spring-Ford. Several players have gotten chances at quarterback this season, including sophomore Dan Brandi, who made his varsity debut under center a week ago.
PV continues to spread the wealth offensively, with Kyle Rittenhouse and the offensive line powering a running game featuring seniors Jacob Sturm and Jon Moccia. But last week, the story was again the PV defense, which has yet to allow an opposing offense to score a touchdown in two PAC games. Jake Sterling is a constant presence on the defensive line, while two-way standout Randy Washington stars in the Vikings secondary.
The winner takes home the coveted Battle Axe. The Vikings will be led onto the field Friday by the Perkiomen Valley School District’s Autistic and Life Skills students as part of the school “Blue Out” for Autism Awareness. “It’s part of the effort to further our district’s mantra of “All Means All” for inclusionary practices,” said coach Rob Heist.

Governor Mifflin (3-3, 3-0 Berks 1) at Daniel Boone (1-5, 0-3 Berks 1)

Last Meeting: Mifflin shut out Boone by a final of 49-0 in 2018.

Preview: The Blazers’ struggles continued in last week’s 40-17 loss to Reading, as an early 17-7 lead disappeared starting in the second quarter. Coach Rob Flowers continues to emphasize the basics and the building of a strong foundation within the program.
Governor Mifflin, winners of three straight, travel to Birdsboro Friday night. The Mustangs’ first three conference games have each been victories of at least 33 points.

Peddie School (3-0) at Hill School (0-4), 3:30 p.m. Friday

Last Meeting: Peddie won last season’s meeting, 50-7.

Preview: The Rams fell to Springside Chestnut Hill, 35-7, last week and will return home in hopes of seizing the season’s first victory. It won’t be easy against undefeated Peddie School, however, whose three wins include a decisive victory over perennial PIAA Class 5A contender Archbishop Wood of the Philadelphia Catholic League. Division One commits and prospects are sprinkled throughout the Peddie roster, including OL Chris Mayo (West Virginia) and LB Corey Smith (Boston College).