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Look for Chris Felton’s weekly columns over the course of the football season. Felton, who is providing color on WNPV 1440 AM’s high school football broadcasts, boasts 10 years of coaching experience at the high school level and two years at the collegiate level. Felton spent eight years coaching at Central Bucks West and one year each at Pennridge and Central Bucks East. He also had coaching stints at Delaware Valley College and Gettysburg College. In his weekly column, Felton will not only be sharing his insights into the game itself but also attempting to familiarize fans with the game.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to see three different teams for the first time this season. On Friday night I provided color commentary for the Lansdale Catholic-Pennridge game. As you might imagine, as the game progressed, Poppy Yoder field turned into a mud bowl. By the end of the game, there were 13 fumbles between the two teams. I was very impressed with sophomore running back Mike Class. Even with the poor conditions, Class was able to run for over 218 yards and two long touchdowns. More impressive than his numbers was his ability to make sharp cuts in the mud. This kid is going to be an excellent high school player. I was also impressed with the Pennridge offensive line. They pull and trap very well. For the second week in a row, the Pennridge defense played well against an option team.
On the otherwise of the ball, the loss drops Lansdale Catholic to 0-4. You have to feel for those players and coaches. I have had the chance to broadcast two of their games, and at no point would I ever say that I felt that they were giving up on the game. They play hard, but are young. They have some young men who I have been extremely impressed with - starting with their fullback and outside linebacker Tyler Smith. Smith plays extremely tough on both sides of the ball. On offense, he plays fullback and carries the load in the flexbone offense. He gets hit, literally, every play. He runs with great body lean and always gains yards after contact. Smith also plays outside linebacker where he is expected to set the edge on plays run in his direction. Also on defense is senior linebacker Evan Coughlin. Coughlin has a nose for the football. In each game that I have color commentated, I always seem to see number 55 getting up from the pile. Smith and Coughlin are just two of a class of seniors, who have demonstrated excellent leadership during a tough stretch.
On Saturday, Hatboro Horsham traveled to War Memorial Field to play CB East. I was impressed with how well the Hatters executed their new split veer scheme. It is the right offense for these kids, and they’ll improve every week. Junior running back Travis Young ran hard, accounting for 205 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
As with Lansdale catholic, CB East is going through a tough period. This is still a program in transition. I have gone out to see them play three times since I have connections to that program, and I know the staff and players very well. I have watched them play three times because they have earned my support. They are good football players and coaches and even better people. I commend the school for hiring the right staff for the kids. It may not seem like it from the stands or by looking at their record, but the program has made tremendous strides. Their motto is "East Side Pride," and clearly they have it. All you have to do is go to the games and see all the future players from the middle schools lining the sidelines or watch the players playing hard even when they are down. They are building.
The Patriots have some strong players on their team, guys like Josh Bernard, Brandon Sparks, Jake O'Donnell, Tyler Johnson, and Steve Tillsner. I have only named four players in a very impressive class of student-athletes. These players will not be remembered for leading their team to the most wins in a single season, or over the span of three seasons - but they continue to do something far more admirable. They continue to lead their program through a tough period of transition and adversity. I will continue to go to their games because I know that they will finish what they started - that’s the type people who play and coach in that program.
Thanks to the poor weather on Friday, I was able to attend the Neshaminy vs Abington game on Monday night. This was an extremely physical contest. Abington has the fastest defense that I have seen so far. They are aggressive and can hit. Inside linebacker #10 Myles Grasty is a total stud.
Offensively, the Abington backfield - led by quarterback Ken Cropper, and running back Ray Shriner - is the most explosive in the league. No one else is even close.
Meanwhile, I thought Neshaminy showed lots of positives. They are physical! I absolutely love what I see in running back Sean Ulmer, and the offensive line looks like it is improving.
This year, the National Conference is very strong, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they sent four teams to the district playoffs.
Weather-proof offenses
Friday’s weather once again showed that coaches need to have a plan for bad weather. As the season progresses, there will be more wet games, windy games, and even snowy games. The bad weather isn't going away, and during playoffs, games will be less likely to be moved. Teams need to be prepared.
All week the forecast called for poor weather last week. In all likelihood, offensive coaches cut down on their call list, and their defensive counterparts adjusted their game plan to account for the anticipated changes that the opponents would be making.
Some creative coaches probably included a wet ball drill in their preparation. A wet ball drill is a drill where you conduct a portion of your offensive practice with a couple of old footballs that have been drenched in water and even covered in mud.
Quarterbacks must be able to throw wet balls, ball carriers need to practice running with slippery footballs, the quarterback-center exchange needs to be practiced under these conditions, and maybe most importantly, long snapping and holding must be practiced.
All things being equal, the teams that win mud bowls are the teams that take extra care of the football and execute.
After four weeks here is my Big Five:
Abington
North Penn
Council Rock South
Neshaminy
CB South
As always send questions or topic ideas to christopherjfelton@gmail.com
Until next time – good week and good football!