Perk Valley, Pottsgrove primed for title trilogy
Three years and three runs to the District 1 playoffs, yet the Perkiomen Valley football team’s preseason focus has not faltered.
“For us, it’s always about the league first,” said head coach Rob Heist, entering his third year at the helm of the area’s perennial top team. “Our team goal every year without fail is to win the PAC Championship. That’s something you can hang your hat on.
“Everything after that is icing on top of the cake. We’ve been very fortunate the last few years to have some outstanding football players and we’ve made a couple nice runs. But the thing those kids will remember is that they were league champions. That’s always our first goal.”
The Vikings have accomplished that goal each of the past two seasons, sealing the Pioneer Athletic Conference title with a 28-14 win over Pottsgrove in 2016 before defending the crown in 2017 following a 43-26 win over the Falcons last season.
Entering the 2018 season with a large roster overhaul that now includes just 13 seniors, Heist and the twotime defending champs know the target on their back is as big and bold as ever. And once again, their biggest threat could be donning the maroon and white at Pottsgrove.
“Success will always breed increased competition,” said Heist. “We know that every team we play, we’ll get their best shot. I’m happy about that. I would expect nothing less. I think it’s fun for the kids on a weekly basis to get up for our next opponent.”
“You’ve got to take every game like it’s the first game,” said second-year quarterback Cole Peterlin. “This game’s a new week, last week doesn’t matter. It’s about what you do in practice to prepare for it.”
The Vikings will open up the season with matchups against Downingtown West and Downingtown East then face District 1-6A playoff semifinalist Pennridge followed by District 1-4A qualifier Interboro before entering PAC play. Perk Valley will then close out the regular season with a game against Liberty Division rival Spring-Ford in a matchup the Vikings have owned the past two seasons.
If all goes to plan, Perk Valley may very well find that the road to another PAC Championship will once again go through Pottsgrove, the typical power of the PAC’s Frontier Division.
The Falcons find themselves in the midst of a program overhaul heading into the 2018 season, a year after they defended the District 1-4A title.
Gone is longtime head coach Rick Pennypacker, who retired at the end of last season. Also gone are several skill position players, including standout running back Rahsul Faison, who rushed for 2,919 yards last season, a PAC record and good for 10th overall on Pennsylvania’s all-time list for yards in a season.
Yet amid all of the roster turnover, Pottsgrove still finds itself wrapped up in the preseason conversation with the return of its dualthreat quarterback, a solid tight end and the brunt of its offensive line.
“I think the goal for us is to take care of the division championship, PAC championship and the district championship,” said firstyear head coach Billy Hawthorne. “But the mentality is that we’ve got to win Week 1, Week 2 and so on. We take that approach every week throughout the season and things kind of fall into place from there. So we like to take care of business on a weekly basis.”
Per usual, Pottsgrove’s strength will be on its offensive line, which features experienced players in Justin Adams, Darrian Seaman, Nate Tornetta and tight end Ryan Bodolus. The big men up front will clear the way for returning quarterback Jay Sisko as well as running backs Isaiah Glover and Isaiah Taylor, who have got some shifty shoes to fill in the backfield.
“The good thing being in this system so long and following a coach like Rick Pennypacker is that we’ve already got a good system in place,” said Hawthorne, who had spent several years as an assistant on Pennypacker’s coaching staff. “He left the program in about as good of shape as it could possibly be. We’ve got plenty of stability.”
That stability should go a long way for a Pottsgrove program that has been founded on defensive play with every yard earned in the trenches the past several seasons.
Still Plenty to See
Elsewhere around the PAC, there are a few teams that were hit hard through graduation, but should still manage to be in the hunt.
Pope John Paul II is coming off its most successful campaign in program history where the Golden Panthers began the year 7-0 and eventually matched their win total from the past five years combined. Gone are several key offensive playmakers as well as standout quarterback Matt DeLaurentis. Returning, though, are wide receiver CJ McCafferty and running back AJ Natale along with the arrival of quarterback Kamal Gray, a transfer from Archbishop Carroll.
Owen J. Roberts will be another team worth keeping an eye on. The Wildcats will move on following the graduation of 21 seniors, including the quarterback-wide receiver duo of Dawson Stuart and Hunter Hinrichs. OJR was founded on its defense last season, which posted four shutouts and booked the Wildcats a trip to districts for the first time since 2010.
A down season by their standards last fall, SpringFord is coming off a 6-5 campaign where the Rams snuck in as the No. 16 and final seed in the District 1-6A playoffs. Gone is decorated quarterback TJ Pergine and leading rusher Justin DeFrancesco along with several skill position players from last season. Ryan Engro will take over at quarterback for Spring-Ford, which has had no shortage of talent behind center over the past several seasons.
Dark Horse
Phoenixville took its lumps last season, featuring an 0-6 start capped by a 34-31 overtime loss against Pope John Paul II Week 6. That said, the Phantoms return senior quarterback Connor Patania and senior running back Travis Pannella under new head coach Don Grinstead. A fresh start mixed with some senior leaders could go a long way for the Phantoms this fall.
Class Act
Three area schools will make a switch in the PIAA Classifications this coming season.
Upper Perkiomen, which finished runner-up in the District 1-4A playoffs last season, will jump up to Class 5A this season.
Meanwhile, Pottstown will drop from Class 5A to 4A, in search of their first district playoff berth since 2015.
Pope John Paul II will drop from Class 4A to 3A, which meshes District 1 with District 12 in the postseason.
New Faces in the Mix
Including Hawthorne and Grinstead, the PAC will feature four new head coaches this fall season.
Dave Lotier will take over at Methacton while Joe Milligan will serve as head coach of Norristown and former Pottstown head coach Don Grinstead will take the reins at Phoenixville.
Lotier takes over a Methacton program that’s compiled just four wins over the last three seasons, along with an 0-10 record in 2017. Methacton hasn’t made a district playoff run since 2014, though this year’s squad gives promise at the very least in terms of numbers. A defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Valley Forge Military Academy and College last fall, Lotier spent two seasons as the defensive
backs coach at Souderton following a two-year stint in the same position with Ursinus College.
Milligan, a 1996 graduate of Norristown, takes over an Eagles’ program that has gone 7-16 overall since making the jump from the Suburban One League to the PAC two seasons ago. Norristown ended last season with consecutive wins against Upper Merion to close out with a 4-7 record.
Grinstead had spent three years at Pottstown, leading the Trojans to a district playoff run in 2015 before he moved to Florida. Now back in Pennsylvania, he takes over a Phantom program that hasn’t made districts since 2013 and is 13-42 overall in the past five seasons. Before his time at Pottstown, Grinstead served as the defensive line coach at Great Valley in 2009, and became the Patriots’ defensive coordinator and assistant head coach until 2012. While in Florida, he spent this past season as a defensive coach with Atlantic High School.
2018 Season Leader Predictions
PASSING » Cole Peterlin showed flashes behind center at Perkiomen Valley last fall. The left-hander scored multiple touchdowns in seven games last season, highlighted by a win over Methacton where he combined for 265 total yards and four touchdowns. He’s got big-stage games under his belt already, including wins over Pottsgrove and Spring-Ford, to go along with two district playoff games. That experience will go a long way as the Vikings return just two players who logged receptions last season. Also in the mix: Ayden Mathias, Boyertown; Ryan Engro, Spring-Ford; Kamal Gray, Pope John Paul II.
RUSHING » Travis Pannella closed out the 2017 season on a high note for Phoenixville, rushing for a combined 268 yards and three touchdowns in the Phantoms’ final two games. He finished the year fifth overall in the PAC with 912 rushing yards and seven touchdowns while averaging just under five yards per carry. Mixing good size with solid speed, Pannella should be a workhorse as Grinstead gets himself established with the Phantoms. Also in the mix: Malik Smith, Perkiomen Valley; Isaiah Glover, Pottsgrove; Jamison Moccia, Boyertown; Marcus Martin, Owen J. Roberts.
RECEIVING » Donte Bonanni emerged as a sophomore with Spring-Ford last season. Showcasing great hands and solid size, Bonanni racked up 649 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season as the Rams’ primary receiver, including a monster game against Methacton where he had eight catches for 162 yards and two scores. He’ll be a sure thing on a Spring-Ford team that will be searching for an identity early on. The Rams will look to replace quarterback T.J. Pergine and running back Justin DeFrancesco. Also in the mix: Ryan Bodolus, Pottsgrove; CJ McCafferty, Pope John Paul II.