Scott Reed leads Pope John Paul II to District 1-4A football final in first year back at the helm
Scott Reed didn’t expect to be here.
Not in Friday’s upcoming District 1 Class 4A championship game, not celebrating a Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division championship, and not the owner of a 10-win season with potentially more to come.
Reed didn’t expect any of it, because he thought his days of head football coaching were in the past.
“Being a head football coach was not on my radar,” said Reed, the first-year coach at Pope John Paul II after a six-year hiatus from coaching. “I have all the respect in the world for coaches, how hard they’re working to get into position to win games. But I didn’t know if I could do it anymore.”
After 12 years of turning Perkiomen Valley into a perennial contender from 2004-2015, Reed stepped down to spend more time with his young and growing family. In the seven years since, that family has continued to grow – son Braden, a 10th grader, is a cornerback and wide receiver at Pope John Paul II.
Last season, Scott worked as an assistant on Rory Graver’s staff, and when Graver took the head coaching position at Wissahickon this spring he felt a calling once more.
Reed enjoyed a prolific career of his own at St. Pius X and West Chester University, playing for a number of the area’s best-known coaches. But one of them stood out above the others.
Scott’s father, Ron Reed, was a Kutztown University Hall of Famer as a player and helped coach Scott at St. Pius X.
“My dad was only 51 years old when he passed away,” Scott said. “But I look back and I just cherish those years so much. Such an intense, short amount of time – I feel like I got to have my whole life’s relationship with him in that time.
“I wanted to do the same with my own son.”
“On the field, we’re player and coach,” Braden Reed said. “At home, it’s different as father and son. We’ll be at home and if there’s a football question, we can talk about it. But for the most part, we kind of leave football on the field and just enjoy our home lives.”
Braden has enjoyed a breakout season as a sophomore, being the Golden Panthers’ receiving leader.
It’s explosive speed, route-running ability, and a chemistry with fellow sophomore and QB Luke Terlesky that’s led Braden to his statistical heights.
Watch a Golden Panthers game and you’ll see that the head coach, above anyone else, couldn’t really care less who gets the ball as long as the team has success.
“I’m not looking to feature my son,” Scott said. “Braden is one of the guys who helps us win football games. He’s selfless, he’s here to win, and that goes for everyone in this program.”
Any ‘special treatment’ is saved for home. To that end, Scott and Braden have had an opportunity to bond off the field this fall around a common interest familiar to most dads and sons.
“The Phillies have been an amazing distraction,” Scott said. “The day they won the pennant against San Diego, we just sat and watched the whole game together. We didn’t talk about football once.”
And that’s been Scott’s biggest challenge, more so than any defensive front or blocking any particular linebacker – balancing a return to head coaching with a home life that includes wife Debbie and four children – Braden, plus daughters ages 12, 9, and 5.
“My daughter is in seventh grade; she plays softball and field hockey. I haven’t been able to see her play this year,” Scott said. “My 9-year-old cheerleads, my 5-year-old just started soccer. I do miss some of these things.
“But I’m enjoying coaching these guys, working with an incredible staff. I have an amazing group of guys to work with and I want them to believe in me and in each other.”
Reed credits his wife Debbie with keeping him grounded, focused, motivated, seeing the big picture – just about everything. Debbie played field hockey at the University of Delaware and is involved in coaching herself with their oldest daughter’s softball program.
“She’s a superwoman,” Scott said. “And she wanted this (his return to head coaching). I knew what it takes, and I wasn’t so sure I still had it. But she encouraged me. Sometimes it’s tough love, she keeps things in perspective and helps me understand the bigger picture.”
Looking back over a coaching career that now spans almost two decades, Reed discussed the differences from his rookie season at Perkiomen Valley in 2004 to coaching at Pope John Paul II in 2022.
“Everything is so quick now,” Reed said. “All these kids, they know each other thanks to social media. But that’s another challenge because you’re documenting everything. We never had any of these challenges when I got started.”
The advances in technology and the sport itself are inarguably for the better, but to Scott it’s another element of the changing times when compared to his first season at Perkiomen Valley in 2004.
“Ask those guys I started with at PV – we didn’t really know what we were doing,” Reed laughed. “We thought we could come in and contribute to the program, offer something new.
“Now, there’s so many things – videos, instant feedback with Hudl. When I got this job, I made a few phone calls because I wasn’t sure I knew what I was doing anymore!”
The bad news for the rest of the PAC Frontier? Reed’s figured it out and then some, evidenced by an undefeated run through the division and taking 10-1 Perkiomen Valley down to the wire before falling 21-14 in the PAC Championship game on Oct. 29.
“Take a handful of kids and put them in positions where they can be successful,” said Reed, boiling coaching down to its essence. “As fancy as this game can be, it’s still blocking and tackling. Win the battle up front, and you can win football games.”
This past Saturday, the Golden Panthers got their opportunity to showcase their explosive offense to the rest of District 1, stampeding past Springfield-Montco 49-14.
Braden led the squad in receiving with four catches for 67 yards and a score, but more importantly to he and his father, it means at least one more week of football this fall. Pope John Paul II will travel to top-seeded Interboro on Friday to play for the District 1-4A championship.
“Just knowing that our seniors are still playing,” Scott said. “The speed of the game, the intensity – it only goes up from here. And that’s what I enjoy most out of everything.”
Around the Area
One PAC team was guaranteed to move onto the District 1-6A quarterfinals when No. 2 Perkiomen Valley and No. 15 Owen J. Roberts met for the second time this season.
The rematch at Thomas J. Keenan Stadium wasn’t as competitive as the initial encounter in Weed 5. The Vikings scored on three of their first four snaps, putting together their best offensive performance of the season in a 56-19 triumph.
Patrick MacDonald was efficient with 10-for-11 passing, finding Michael Poruban for a score, while the Perkiomen Valley rushed for six touchdowns led by Jake Stewart (three) and Ryan Klimek (two).
Hunter Rhoads had his seventh 100-yard rushing performance of 2022, while Danny Cashman set a new single-season receiving mark in the final high school game for each player.
The Viking host No. 7 Souderton on Friday.
Spring-Ford joined Perkiomen Valley in the 6A quarterfinals after a come-from-behind 42-28 win over Ridley. The Rams were outplayed early but put together their best 24 minutes of football so far this season in dominating the Raiders after the break.
Will Fish and Mike Bendowski each hit the 100-yard mark and scored a rushing touchdown, while quarterback Matt Zollers accounted for four scores (three rushing, one passing.)
It took Spring-Ford five possessions to turn a 14-point deficit into its eventual 14-point margin of victory. During that time, Ridley managed only 12 yards of total offense. The Rams face another Central League opponent this week when they travel to No. 1 Garnet Valley.
The PAC went 0-for-3 at the 5A level, as Methacton was unable to find its offensive footing in a 7-3 loss to Kennett.
Upper Merion hung with powerful Strath Haven for a half but ultimately succumbed, 35-3, while Springfield-Delco eliminated Phoenixville, 42-7.
This Week’s Schedule (all times 7 p.m. Friday)
Class 6A quarterfinals: No. 8 Spring-Ford at No. 1 Garnet Valley
No. 7 Souderton at No. 2 Perkiomen Valley
Class 4A District Championship: No. 2 Pope John Paul II at No. 1 Interboro
