Seniors Barry Johnson and Tom Penecale will help lead Abington under first-year coach Kevin Conlin.
By Mary Jane Souder
Barry Johnson admits he had some serious concerns when he heard the news that long-time Abington football coach Tim Sorber was stepping down after 16 years at the helm.
“At first I was scared,” the Ghosts’ senior captain said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. Speculation was that coaches were applying, and you just don’t know.”
Transitioning to a new coach can be difficult, especially for seniors hoping their final year is their best, but Johnson breathed a sigh of relief when Kevin Conlin – an assistant at Abington from 1999-2013 - was named to the post.
“When they said it was Conlin, it warmed my heart because I had already known how he coached, where he came from and his background, so it was real good,” Johnson said.
Teammate Tom Penecale had a similar response.
“I was a little worried about who was going to be the next coach,” the senior captain said. “When I heard Conlin was coming back – I had him as a teacher, so I was actually really excited to see him come out.
“He’s personable – talks to you person to person. The transition has been easy.”
Although Conlin was not coaching last year, he watched Johnson and Penecale closely as the Ghosts – a perennial SOL power - languished through an uncharacteristic 1-10 season.
“I saw effort out of them every game, no matter what,” Conlin said. “It was a bad season record-wise, but these guys played as hard as they could every single play, and their attitude really impressed me.
“That was one of the determining factors in coming back.”
Both Pencale and Johnson are providing strong leadership for a Ghost squad determined to turn things around after last year’s disappointing season.
“They’re special because they’re good leaders,” Conlin said. “The leadership they’ve shown in the offseason has been second to none.
“Those kids have really made it an easy transition for us as a coaching staff. They’re great kids. They’re 100 percent kids. They’re always there – you never have to worry about whether they’re going to be there or not. They’re fantastic.”
Both Penecale and Johnson are role models for their younger teammates.
“It’s kind of humbling knowing that everyone looks up to you and respects you, but it also means they’re watching you all the time,” Penecale said.
“It brings out the leadership in all of us,” Johnson added. “You know they’re watching you, they’re learning from you, and when they’re seniors, they’re going to do exactly what you did. It brings out the leadership, and it brings out the best in you.”
As for last year’s difficult season, Penecale put it in perspective.
“In the third or fourth game, a couple of seniors got hurt, and we lost most of our line,” the senior center said. “It was pretty tough, but a week or two in, the backups started stepping up and it got a lot easier.
“Tom Lukens was forced to come up as a freshman to start, and he’s currently on our starting line and has been doing really good.”
Playing for Conlin – who played center during a successful career at Penn State University – has been especially significant for Penecale, who anchors the Ghosts’ line at center.
“It’s really neat knowing he went to Penn State for the same position,” the senior captain said. “He’s helped with things like my steps and stuff like that, so it’s really been helpful.”
Johnson also is a mainstay on the line at tackle and is a key on defense at middle linebacker.
“He really knows his stuff,” Johnson said of Conlin. “The bottom line is it helps you become a better player.
“We’ve learned a lot of things we didn’t think we could learn and it’s helped us.”
Johnson and Penecale are looking to lay the foundation for a bright future for the Ghosts.
“The main thing this season is just to watch Conlin grow and make his Suburban One League mark as a head coach and have his team become what Abington is supposed to be,” Johnson said.
“This is going to be a fun season,” added Penecale. “We all get along real well. Overall, we’re just going to go out there and have fun.”
The new era begins on Friday night when Abington will host Central Bucks South in its non-league season opener at 7 p.m.
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