Spring-Ford steadfast in its resolve
Tweeted out on a regular basis by the Spring-Ford football account, it was easy to pick out the motto of this year’s Rams team.
“Stead FAST. Resolve. Mission. In all we do.”
So far this offseason, the reigning Pioneer Athletic Conference champion Rams have been living up to it.
“We’ve been working hard all summer, just trying to get better all around,” returning linebacker Ryan Yanulevich said. “STEAD fast is what we’re following this year. Everything we do we try to do as fast as possible. We need to be committed to working hard and doing what’s best for our team.”
“We’re just looking forward to keep progressing, keep getting better each week,” returning safety Adam Sharkey added.
The Rams return the majority of the league’s best defense in 2015, one that gave up an average of 206.5 yards per game and only 10.6 points per game. The Rams defense was integral in their PAC-10 title victory, limited then-undefeated Perkiomen Valley to a season-low 14 points in a 28-14 victory in front of 9,000-strong at Coach McNelly Stadium. Yanulevich, Sharkey, Dan Cassidy, Tanner Romano and Toby Poet all return to the vaunted defense, which must replace corners Trey Jarmon and Teddy Dylinski, defensive tackle Tim Rudderow and defensive ends Jeremiah Ndjali and Dan Kelchner.
“As a defense, we’re just going to play as a team, hit hard, play well and try not to make any mistakes,” Poet said.
Offensively, versatile Scarcelle returns with Matt Gibson back after a sensational junior season where he rushed for 858 yards and seven touchdowns, his 7.6 yards per carry good for second in the league. Gibson’s best effort came during the
mentioned PAC-10 title game, rushing for 185 yards and two scores, both from more than 20 yards out. Selwyn Simpson also returns at running back with Quinn McKenna returning at tight end/wideout. Nick Salomone is one of three returners along the O-line (Casey Callahan, Noah Silva the others) for a Rams squad that was ousted in the first round of the District 1-AAAA playoffs be Neshaminy.
“It was tough, not having the game be as close as we wanted it to,” Salomone said of the district lost. “But having said that, all of our focus is on this season and not trying to make up for what happened last season.”
Back to Wilson
Spring-Ford head coach Chad Brubaker will make his long-awaited return to Wilson in Week 3’s contest September 9. Brubaker was the offensive coordinator at Wilson for 12 seasons as the Bulldogs’ put a stranglehold on the Lancaster-Lebanon League and District 3, compiling a 45-9 overall record with three unbeaten LL division titles.
His presence has been felt at Spring-Ford as Brubaker has guided the Rams to a 58-15 record in his six seasons. His mentorship over quarterback Ricky Venuto in 2015 resulted in Venuto leading the league in passer rating (185.5) while throwing for 1,873 yards with 25 touchdowns to only two interceptions.
Rams in College
The 2015 Class will be able to make a name for themselves outside the blue and gold. Venuto, Matt Rice and Steve Rice will play at Muhlenberg. Trey Jarmon and Tim Rudderow will play at Kutztown and Bobby Welsh at Oberlin.
The Rematch
Perkiomen Valley will again travel to Coach McNelly Stadium to face the Rams on October 7. Perkiomen Valley was ranked No. 16 in the MAXPREPS preseason PA 6A Rankings. Spring-Ford was ranked No. 29.
Stat This
According to MAXPREPS, the top three Pa. teams in quarterback rating the last two years are Pine-Richland, Downing-town West and Spring-Ford. Spring-Ford quarterbacks have thrown 49 touchdowns to five interceptions the past two seasons. The aforementioned 25-touchdown, two-interception year by Venuto followed Brandon Leacraft’s 24-touchdown, three-interception year in 2014.
Why Spring-Ford will compete in 2016
The Rams feature a strong
foundation in both culture and personnel. With a strong core returning from the PAC’s best defense and continuity on offense in the form of three returning linemen and Gibson and Simpson at running back it’s hard to envision the Rams falling from the league’s elite.
What will hold Spring-Ford back in 2016
Spring-Ford was fortunate to see first-year starter Venuto rise up and become one of the PAC10 best QBs. Now they’ll need to do it again. In preseason, the Rams were still sorting out who will be their signal-caller. Un- certainty isn’t favorable for a team trying to repeat as PAC champ and be back in the District 1 playoffs.