In this second edition of Coach Carey’s blog, ‘The Way I See It,’ the former coach takes a look at the second week of the SOL football season.
SOS.com: Comment on your observations about Hatboro-Horsham after watching the Hatboro-Horsham/Neshaminy game on Friday night.
Coach Carey: It’s great to see Dave (Sanderson) back. I know him personally. He’s been a fixture in District One football for many, many years, and it’s just really good to see him back on the sidelines again. He definitely puts a different slant on Hatboro-Horsham football.
Dave brings the Delaware wing-t to their offensive side of the ball, but he brings a lot of toughness to the defense, and that’s what Hatboro has been known for since the 70’s. They’re just tough defensively, and even though the weather was a factor on Friday, Hatboro had a great opportunity to win that game.
I was impressed that there was no fear from the Hatboro players and their staff going up against arguably one of the top 10 teams in the state year after year. It is very, very tough to win down there, and they came out, and in the opening five minutes, they were down on Neshaminy’s three-yard line. It looked like they had an illegal substitution, and that really hurt them. It backed them up 15 yards, and they ended up not getting any points. That really was a huge factor in the outcome of the game, but they went toe-to-toe against Neshaminy. Their defense was very, very tough. They gave up some first downs – they bent a little bit, but they didn’t break and really gave up only one touchdown. Neshaminy’s defense had a 10-yard interception return, and it ended up icing the game.
SOS.com: What was your impression of Neshaminy’s performance?
Coach Carey: It’s tough to make a call on any team this early in the year. I need to see teams more than once, and I think it’s too early to anoint anyone as a great team, but Neshaminy looks like they have some of the parts that they’ve had in the past.
Their offensive line was impressive at times, especially working in conjunction with Corey Majors at fullback. They still run that great power off-tackle play. Bryan Dean was impressive running the football.
Neshaminy looks like they have some good weapons there, but the field and the weather were absolutely a factor in the game. It did look like Hatboro could move the ball offensively and played great defense. I really couldn’t rank either team until I see them later in the season.
SOS.com: On Saturday, you watched the Council Rock North/Central Bucks South game. What were your thoughts about Rock North?
Coach Carey: That was a game where both teams were really looking for a win. The weather was not a factor, but the field was really torn up from the night before from Council Rock South playing there. I thought North’s quarterback, Tyler Hamilton, played the best game I have ever seen him play. He passed with pinpoint accuracy during the game. Early in the game, his receivers probably dropped four or five balls – one for a touchdown. They weren’t helping him, but as the game went on, his receivers started helping him and latching onto the ball. He just threw some great balls and made some great runs. Hamilton also had a great night defensively. He had a huge pick down by the goal line to seal the victory.
The other guy that really impressed me from Council Rock North was, of course, Lee Marvel. Lee comes from a great football family. I know his dad well. He’s cut out of the mold just like his father. He’s rock solid – 5-11/6-0, 210 pounds. He’s a nice running back but even better defensively. He made some great plays defensively.
The other guy who burst onto the scene was a defensive end from Council Rock North – John Raymon. I hope that the Council Rock people realize what they have in this guy. This is a future Division 1 defensive end. He’s only an 11th grader – 6-4, 235 pounds. He’s got the full package. The only thing keeping him back now is his inexperience. He’s a bit raw, but he runs real well. He’s got tremendous strength, and he has great instincts. That kid has Division 1 written all over him. Just his pursuit – he’s shedding tacklers and coming down the line and making tackles five or six yards away, running over the trash - as we call the bodies laying on the ground - and then making the hits. He was just really, really impressive.
SOS.com: What were your observations about Central Bucks South?
Coach Carey: At this point, it’s too early to write them off because they have a lot of nice players. I was impressed with their quarterback, Bobby DiPasquale. He’s very athletic, a good-sized kid. They have huge linemen, but yet they just seem to be lacking something. I can’t put my finger on it. They give a lot of yardage up defensively, and when they need that first down, they just can’t seem to get it. They look like a team that really needs a win soon.
I know their strength coach, and he told me this is one of the strongest offensive lines they have had in years, but they haven’t clicked yet. Again, it’s still early, and the teams are trying to find themselves, but you need that first win, or you’re going to be staring at the middle of the season soon.
SOS.com: Central Bucks West picked up its first win of the season. Any thoughts?
Coach Carey: It was great to see West give coach (Brian) Hensel his first win of the season. That was fabulous. I talked to him that night, and he was excited. For those of us who love C.B. West football, it was great to see C.B. West get a win, even though it wasn’t pretty. They won on a bad snap over the punter’s head, but when you look at the stats, Central Bucks West really dominated the game.
Brian is a character guy that’s going to build the enthusiasm back into the program that has been lacking the last several years. His numbers have grown, and you have to have some kind of numbers to compete in what I consider one of the top leagues – if not the top league – in Pennsylvania. It could be a battle of attrition somewhere down the line. They had 60 kids come out, which is a lot better than they’ve had in the last few years. The fans in Central Bucks have to be patient because it’s not going to happen right away. It’s going to take a couple of years.
SOS.com: On the flip side, what about William Tennent?
Coach Carey: Biz Keeny is another high character guy, a classy guy, who puts his whole heart and soul in it. You don’t work any longer hours than Biz and his staff. I think if you asked all the coaches in Suburban One – that is a team that even though they’ve lost 16 in a row, it just doesn’t feel that way. Everybody who plays them will come away saying – that was a tough victory because his kids are tough, never quit, but for one reason or another, they’ve lost a string of games. That’s a program that has had a lot of success from the 80’s on up, and Biz has had a lot of success. I’m sure he’ll find the missing ingredient. I think one of the reasons is their numbers are down a little bit.
SOS.com: Any thoughts about Pennsbury’s win over Frankford?
Coach Carey: I had a friend who was at that game, and he was telling me that he didn’t think Pennsbury dominated as much as he expected them to dominate, but they won 24-12. Again, I think the weather was a big factor. I expect Pennsbury to be there at the end of the year and be one of the better teams.
SOS.com: Abington had a big win over Plymouth Whitemarsh but now as a bye the week before it faces Neshaminy in its league opener. Will that hurt the Ghosts?
Coach Carey: I know Tim (Sorber) wanted to play a game this week. He had a team drop out on him in the middle of summer. On Friday, they beat PW 38-0, and I think Abington is doing what they’re supposed to be doing. If you’re supposed to wallop a team, you should be walloping them. If you’re supposed to win 50-0, you should win 50-0. You can’t play to the scoreboard. You have to play toward what your standard of excellence is!!!
Abington is playing very well. They’re scoring a bunch of points. I know Tim would like to have a game for this third week of the season, but on the other hand, maybe with this week off he can work on some things and put some things in. It’s almost like another week of summer camp for Abington where Neshaminy has to prepare for their game this week and then has to prepare for a huge game next Friday night. That’s a game I’d love to see. That will be a big game, probably the first big game of the season in the Suburban One to separate the top couple of teams.
SOS.com: Council Rock South earned another big win on Friday night against Central Bucks East. Your thoughts about Rock South?
Coach Carey: I think they could be the surprise team of the year – maybe not to their staff but surely to the public. I had coaching friends who were at that game on Friday night, and they called me on Saturday morning. Vince (Bedesem) is just doing a marvelous job. I actually sat with the Council Rock South kids at the Rock North/CB South game. Their offense is really working on all cylinders. They have five or six kids out with injuries who did not play in that game. A couple of them are out for the season, but they are running that option with quarterback Billy Fleming, who’s a good one, and they are playing defense. They make great decisions running the option. They’re really moving the ball on people.
SOS.com: Any thoughts on Central Bucks East?
Coach Carey: I watched them in a scrimmage and in a passing league this summer. They have a lot of fine athletes. I think they just have to get the system down. They have a good defensive coordinator, and coach (Tim) Michael has installed the pistol, and they’re running that fulltime. I expect them to get better as the season goes on.
SOS.com: Were you surprised when you saw that Pennridge defeated Bensalem 20-0?
Coach Carey: I’m not surprised at Pennridge winning, but I was a little surprised that anyone could hold Bensalem to no points. From what I heard, Bensalem has some weapons offensively, but I expect Pennridge to have the best year Randy Cuthbert’s had in his coaching tenure there. He has a lot of talent in comparison to previous years. He has some tremendous speed in the backfield, and he has some bigger linemen. He’ll go as far as the defense goes, and the defense and coach Rosenberger, the defensive coordinator, did a great job shutting out Bensalem. They just ran into a buzz saw the first week of the season. Really, Pottsgrove is probably one of the top teams in Class AAA and maybe one of the better teams in the area.
SOS.com: North Penn came off its big win over Bethlehem Liberty and defeated its neighboring rival Lansdale Catholic. Any observations?
Coach Carey: I had some family members at the North Penn game, and the score (28-7) was not indicative of the win. North Penn played very well defensively. Their offense is getting better. Coach (Dick) Beck has a lot of weapons. Again, I’m not ready to anoint North Penn as a great team. The key will be – who are the best teams in that eighth, ninth and 10th weeks?
North Penn has a huge game on Saturday night against St. Joe’s Prep. North Penn has had the Prep’s number the last couple of years. I know coach Gil Brooks has been gearing up for this game. I have friends whose kids play for St. Joe’s Prep, and this is the game he’s been pointing to. His team was down 28-14 against St. Peter’s at Rutgers Stadium this past weekend and came back with a big win (40-28). They have had this North Penn game circled for awhile.
North Penn coach Dick Beck is approaching this as another big game, a game to give his guys more experience. It will be a good task. The last couple of years, I felt North Penn has just had way too much team speed even though – when you watched the teams come out on the field, it looked like St. Joe’s Prep was Goliath and North Penn looked like David because Prep’s players were so much bigger. Speed today is really the determining factor in a lot of games. I do hear that St. Joe’s Prep has some faster guys. I’m looking forward to a great game on Saturday night.
SOS.com: What advice would you give coaches as they head into the heart of their seasons?
Coach Carey: I think the key thing right now for all the Suburban One teams is - who’s going to improve the most from week one to week six? That’s going to be critical. A lot of these teams are starting kids for the first time. The improvement of the individual athlete will really make an impact on their team’s success down the line. These teams have to get better.
That was the one thing the drove me as a coach – are my kids getting better every day? I’m sure all the coaches out there are feeling the same way, but feeling it and getting the job done are two different things. Half of them are going to win, half of them are going to lose. The sign of a great team and a great coach is how much can he get his kids to improve over the course of the season.
SOS.com: Final thoughts?
Coach Carey: This will be an interesting year. So many teams have an opportunity to make the playoffs now that it’s a 16-team format. I personally feel it’s watered down too much, and a team can get in with five or six wins. It’s great incentive for a team to have a goal of making the playoffs, but I still feel it was a much better system when just the top eight or 10 District One teams made it. It’s interesting what is considered success today! Back then, playoffs came and the top four teams from District One played for the right to go to the state playoffs. That was Big success! Then it became eight, then 10…now 16 in the District One playoffs. Where do we go from here??
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