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Returning for a second season is the Intelligencer/Courier Times ‘Let’s Talk Football,’ featuring high school football beat writers Kevin Cooney and Dan Dunkin. Cooney, who recently was named the Phillies beat writer, will continue to cover schools in the Intelligencer area while Dan Dunkin – who has been covering sports at the high school and professional level for 25- years will cover teams in the Courier Times area, filling in the spot vacated when Dom Cosentino relocated in New York City. Both beat writers share their thoughts about the upcoming football season. Joining Cooney and Dunkin this season will be WNPV 1440 AM high school football color analyst Chris Felton, who formerly was the head coach at Central Bucks West.
To stay on top of the high school football news in the area, visit the web site http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/high_school/.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Looking around the league, what are your observations heading into the 2011 football season?
Kevin Cooney: I think the one observation is that Class AAAA seems wide open. Last year North Penn came in as a heavy favorite to at least go the Eastern Final, and they pretty much lived up to that right from the start. I don’t get the sense there’s that feeling this year that somebody from Suburban One is going to go real deep into districts or even states. I think it’s a pretty wide open field.
People say that Downingtown East and West are pretty good, and you have to figure that Neshaminy, North Penn and Pennsbury are in the conversation. Souderton is good, but there’s not that sense that there’s a super team out there. I actually think that might make it a more interesting season because we’re going to see something develop during the course of the year.
What I mean by that is you’re not going to have that one favorite and everybody else kind of fades into the background. As this season goes on, we’re going to see more plot lines, we’re going to see more of a growth of a story line, which, in a way, is good.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What does Saturday night’s North Penn/La Salle game mean this early in the season?
Kevin Cooney: For North Penn, it’s a measure of where they are and a chance to get a payback. La Salle has been their nemesis the past couple of years. In the grand scheme of things, will it mean a lot? Probably not. You look at the fact that it’s game one.
We always put emphasis on opening week games, and at the end of the season, sometimes we’ll look and say, ‘Wow, did that really mean anything?’ Last year was a rare case where it did, where the two teams that played the first week played the last week, too (in the Eastern Final).
For North Penn, I will be interested to see how they will do and how their new skill positions will work out, trying to replace the three-headed monster at linebacker, trying to replace members of the offensive line.
North Penn has talent. I almost get the sense that, ‘Oh, they lost everybody.’ They still have (senior) Ralph Reeves, they will have (senior) Corey Ernst. They still have a pretty decent amount of talent.
I’m sure there will be a little bit of a burr in their saddle because of what happened that last week of the season. North Penn came so close to making it to the state final.
If you’re La Salle - they may never say it, but that state semifinal game against North Penn totally took all the gas out of their tank, and it cost them the following week in the state final.
Yes, it’s a week one game. Will we learn some grand lessons about the season? I’m not ready to go there yet.
SuburbanOneSports: What are your thoughts about the Neshaminy/Souderton game?
Kevin Cooney: Again, it’s week one. The one thing I give Ed Gallagher is Ed goes for the tough game right out of the gate. This is actually a good test for both of those teams.
Souderton beat Neshaminythree years ago, so it’s not like they haven’t ever beaten them, but they need to win this game to establish something. If they beat Neshaminy, it’s not like it’s a totally foreign concept. I think it’s more important in the grand scheme of things mentally for Souderton than it is forNeshaminy. I think Souderton is actually going to be in a division that might be a littler deeper than Neshaminy’s will be in the National Conference.
What I mean by that is – you look at Neshaminy. They have to beat Abington, Pennsbury and Council Rock South, but there are a lot of teams in their conference they should beat.
You look at Souderton. Pennridge is decent, North Penn is good, CB West stepped up last year, and your look at CB East who is dangerous. Quakertown plays well, and CB South has the best quarterback of the bunch. It gets interesting. Maybe it’s not quite as good as the National Conference at the top except for North Penn, but the Continental Conference is deeper with more teams that could sneak up and beat you on a given night.
If you look at the game, it’s probably more important for Souderton because of the playoff points and everything else. It’s early to start looking at that, but it’s important for both of these teams to get off to a good start.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Do you see any surprise teams in the SOL?
Kevin Cooney: I think the team that will be interesting to watch is CB South because you throw Matt Johns in there – he could have a huge year passing, but can they stop anybody? I think that’s a legitimate question. If they can stop anybody, they could be a playoff team. They could be like CB West last year.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Do you think the Central Bucks South/Council Rock South game will be a measuring stick for both teams?
Kevin Cooney: I think you have to see what CR South has coming back. They lose Billy Fleming, but talking to some people over there, they have some decent talent coming back, and they do. But they lost so much.
You’re going to see now if CR South is a program or if they were a team. Basically what that means is a program builds upon itself. A team just wins one or two years. We’re going to find out if it’s a team or a program at CR South.
SuburbanOneSports.com: As the new Phillies beat writer, should Phillies fans have any cause for concern as the season comes down the home stretch and heads into the postseason, or is winning as easy as this team makes it look on most days?
Kevin Cooney: The Phillies have some holes. I think the way Mike Stutes is pitching right now – I think it’s a legitimate question what his role should be. Is he running out of gas? They probably need to get another bat off the bench that they can count on. Dom Brown may be that guy, but he hasn’t been lighting it up down in Triple A since he went back. But I think we’re nitpicking. You could take every team and find flaws. Major concerns, no, but are there concerns? Sure.
SuburbanOneSports.com: In your new Courier Times beat, the Neshaminy-Souderton game is certainly one of the headline games. What are your thoughts about the district runner-up Redskins heading into the 2011 season?
Dan Dunkin: Neshaminy is a definitive program, meaning, to me, every year they’re good. It just depends on how good. Mark Schmidt and his staff are arguably the best in the entire area, right up with North Penn. Year in and year out, they have young kids ready to step in, they have sophomores ready to play – they reload. They lose guys to graduation that were very valuable, and other guys are ready to roll.
They were 12-2 last year, but it left a very bad taste in their mouth the way it ended with North Penn (a 42-6 loss). North Penn dominated so many teams, but that really put them back on their heels and made them really look at things from a standpoint of – where are we in the big picture. They’re a very, very good program, but to be a very good program like that, they’ve had to set the bar high, so they’re not satisfied.
Sure Mark Schmidt felt good about them going 12-2 last year, but the first thing he said this year was, ‘Not a good way to end the season. Unacceptable.’ I like that. That’s a guy and a staff that’s never satisfied. They’re not going to pat their kids on the back and say, ‘Boy, you guys had a great season last year.’ No way. They’re driving them off that last loss.
Personnel-wise, I think they’re in good shape. Their main loss is their quarterback Charlie Marterella – a tremendous leader, a very good passer who really helped diversify their offense. He’s a big loss, but the depth they have at running back - starting with Sean Ulmer, who is a terrific running back and cornerback. He really came on as a junior, and his brother Jason was a terrific running back for Neshaminy in ’08.
With the depth they have at running back and their usual solid line – they will have to solidify it a little bit. They’ve lost some experience on both sides, but they’re especially high on their defensive front. I think their defensive front is potentially dominant with Kiser Terry being the ‘X’ factor. He’s big – a 6-3, 234-pound defensive end who can really raise havoc. If he has the kind of year they think he can, he’s a difference maker, and that makes the whole defensive line better. They could be superior defensively.
Neshaminy might not score as many points, but I think they’re going to be in every single game. They’re going to dominate some games defensively. They have a great defensive backfield.
Their quarterback – Joe Bianchino – is a question mark. He had very little time last year behind Marterella, but he’s got a lot of talent. He just has to be out there in the live bullets a few games, and we’ll see how he does. They have weapons at receiver and running back, and they have versatility. To me, they’re the best team in the National Conference.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are your thoughts about a Souderton squad that is traveling to Neshaminy on Friday night?
Dan Dunkin: I really like (Souderton coach) Ed Gallagher. He’s on a smaller scale and with a little less success doing what Schmidt has done at Neshaminy. He brought that program back a long way. They were down when he got there, but he’s getting to the point where he can reload now and basically be a winning team and in the hunt for the playoffs every year. He’s really gained a reputation for improving his kids through the weight room in particular. He’s done a great job there.
That’s going to be a good game just like it was last year (a 21-19 Neshaminy win), and I think Souderton is going to be better than it was last year. It will be a good test for Neshaminy starting off, no question.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Pennsbury will face Easton on Friday night. The Falcons are coming off a disappointing season. What are your thoughts about Pennsbury this year?
Dan Dunkin: The interesting thing with Pennsbury is the shakeup in their coaching staff. They have an offensive coordinator – Dave Sanderson – that Galen Snyder brought in. Dave was the former coach at Hatboro-Horsham, Tennent and Martin Luther King. Supposedly that means they’re going to free up their offense more and try to give it a lot more versatility – maybe it will be more than just ‘ground and pound.’ I’m really curious to see how that jells.
They’ve got another Pepper – Shawn Pepper, who is replacing his brother Brandon, a quarterback who was converted into a very good running back.
I’m interested to see a couple of things about Pennsbury. I think last year was an aberration for them. Much like I said about Neshaminy – Pennsbury is good every year. Galen has done a terrific job there. They always have talent, and they’re always right there with Neshaminy. Last year they weren’t, and that’s always a barometer for them. It showed them how far they’d slipped in one season. Generally, they are right in the hunt every year.
It might take half a season to really get everybody on the same page because normally it does when you bring in a new quarterback. I think they’re going to be a lot better than 5-5. They lost some games they shouldn’t have lost last year, and Pennsbury never does that. They’re usually very solid fundamentally. I think they’re going to be better.
You talk about making everybody better around you – J.J. Denman is a huge and terrific tackle who is heading for Penn State. When you have a guy like that, it does trickle through the rest of the unit that needs to work together. I think they’re going to be very solid up front. The keys will be Pepper and how well it will work with the new offensive coordinator – how much rope Galen wants to give him. I don’t foresee a total bounce-back year, but I see them improving. I think last year being 5-5 shocked their system, and they needed to do something.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Council Rock South is coming off a highly successful season. What are your thoughts about the Golden Hawks this year?
Dan Dunkin: There’s a case where Vince Bedesem has done a terrific job. Talk about starting at ground zero, which he did when the district split – he’s done amazing the last couple of years. They were really good last year and surprised a lot of people.
The question this year is, okay – now do you have a consistent program? Now can you carry that forward after losing some key guys, can you still be good? I don’t think they’re going to be as good. Some high school programs just fall off the map for a couple of years until they get juniors and seniors again, but CR South will still be in the hunt.
Billy Fleming was great at quarterback. He was a magician with the ball faking, the play action. He made that whole thing go. He made them as good as they could be offensively. They also had great depth at running back.
Defensively, I think they’re going to be better this year. They have more experience back. Last year they were more explosive offensively.
Bedesem has built that program. A lot of times you can tell by the offensive and defensive lines. It takes two or three years. Those kids get bigger in the weight room, and they stick together. That’s what happened. There’s been a commitment. Kids have improved - they have been in the program.
Rock South is tough, strong, committed. That’s why it will be interesting to see how they do this year – if that foundation is there, they’ll max potential every year.
One interesting thing about them offensively – PJ Gallo, who is going to Maryland, is the best tight end in the area, one of the best in the state. He’s 6-4, 245, and they may split him out as a wideout to diversify their offense. Good luck trying to bring that guy down one on one.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What do see looking at the rest of the teams in the National Conference?
Dan Dunkin: Let’s start with William Tennent. It’s just been hard for them to get over the hump. When they got reclassified and got put in with Neshaminy and Pennsbury, it wasn’t fair given their school size. Last year they made strides but still finished 4-7. It seems like they compete better every year, but it’s just a big depth issue with them. They have a lot of kids playing both sides of the ball, and they get worn down. I think it’s going to be as tough and even tougher to take that next step this year. They seem to be on the cusp of being a winning program. Biz Keeny is doing everything he can, but it’s hard. The numbers are the numbers. Usually they’ll have some good skill kids, but if you don’t have that foundation that can carry you for seven or eight games, it’s just not going to happen. I see the same thing happening this year. They’re going to be competitive, but depth is a big issue on both sides of the ball.
Truman – what an interesting story. I think their coach should have gotten some kind of medal last year for them getting two wins with 20 players. This year they’ve got 56. Kids are jumping on board to be part of a restoration, pretty cool. Ed Cubbage has started doing an impressive thing there. He replaced the coach who left abruptly right before the season last year. What a tough situation to be thrown into, and he did the best he could. They have skill kids, like a really good running back in Larry Winton. If they stay with those numbers- who knows, they could win a game or two more this year.
Council Rock North – I was shocked last year that they had such a tough season. I think like a lot of people I was enamored with their two Division One recruits – John Raymon and Brandon Cottom, both of whom got injured fairly early. It sent them reeling. They were outsized quite a bit on both sides of the ball. Adam Collachi tells me this year he doesn’t think that’s going to happen. They had a good offseason. Some of their kids got bigger, and kids are sticking with it. His lines return intact. It was a tough learning experience last year, but a lot of times what will happen – especially with bigger kids and they’ve been through the wars and they know how tough that division is and what they went through last year – they can improve. A lot of times it will take a year or so for an offensive line to stay together and improve. They’re very optimistic largely based on the fact that their lines remain intact. They have three running backs they can use, and they have a couple of good receivers, but they have an inexperienced quarterback, and that’s a concern. They’re going to have to be really good defensively, and they’re going to have to keep games low scoring. . Billy McAlister is a really good wide receiver. He brings experience, and Cal Parker is a versatile running back/receiver – they’re two big hopes offensively. They have to get them the ball, and we’ll see how this offensive line develops.
The thing that impressed me when I was out there – their kids are very fired up. These kids all stuck together. They have a lot of seniors, and they’re out to prove a point. I sense a fire there, and that could be a big intangible. I think they’re really ticked about what happened last season. Anger can be a good thing in football. I like the intangibles I see out there.
Everybody thinks Abington is going to be really good. They lost four O-line starters, but they’ve got guys ready to go. Depth at running back. They put up some big numbers last year. It’s a program that is now setting the bar high. And this year the Ghosts are home for Neshaminy, Pennsbury and CR South.
Kevin Kelly is in first year coaching at Bensalem; he did a solid job at Conwell-Egan and knows what he wants.
The one thing about the National Conference – it’s more wide open. I think Neshaminy is the best team in the SOL National, but they are not head and shoulders above everyone else. Pennsbury is a mystery to me. I want to see how they shake out the first three or four games with their new tweaks offensively, and I want to see if Council Rock South can pick up where it was without Billy Fleming and how that team in general will respond. They had a lot of juniors who played last year, so they still should be pretty good. Having said all that, Abington may end up winning the league. But I see all four of those squads in the district playoffs.
Felton’s Forecast…
SuburbanOneSports.com: Which teams do you see as the frontrunners in each conference, and which teams to you think will be standing at the end?
Chris Felton: I think North Penn and Souderton will be vying for the number one position. I think this is Souderton’s year to compete with North Penn, but until North Penn loses a game within the conference – and they haven’t in the last four years, I’m not picking against them. To me, they’re the number one team in that conference until a team – whoever that might be – proves otherwise. They deserve that respect.
The National Conference is a little more up in the air, but I think it’s between Neshaminy and Council Rock South. Both of these teams have some returning starters, and I know they have some young kids as well. I hold both of these coaches in high regard. Both of those programs have their systems in place. They know it well, and the kids have all bought into it. The National Conference should be a good race. Of course, there’s Pennsbury and Abington, but I think Neshaminy and Council Rock South are the odds-on leaders right now.
In the American Conference, I’m hearing very good things coming out of PW, and another program where the coach does a good job of getting the kids to buy into his system is Upper Dublin. I think it’s going to come down to PW and Upper Dublin.”
Felton’s ‘Can’t-Miss’ Playoff Teams: North Penn, Souderton, Neshaminy, Council Rock South, and Upper Dublin
Good Shot of Making the Playoffs: Pennsbury, Abington, Pennridge and Upper Moreland (Class AAA)
Dark Horses: Central Bucks South, Central Bucks West
SuburbanOneSports.com: As a former head football coach, comment about the task at hand for both coaches and players if they hope to experience success in the highly competitive football world
Chris Felton: There are few people who realize and even less that understand how much time high school football coaches, the players and their families put into their programs. The days of showing up in early or mid-August and playing until Thanksgiving are over.
If you’re not playing another sport, most programs that expect to be successful are putting that time in starting in January. There’s lifting – most teams do it three or four days a week, and that goes on all year. Most teams are now doing spring practices that are between a week to three weeks long. In the summer, there are passing scrimmages, and you continue lifting.
When August football camp rolls around, most teams have their offenses and defenses already in. When you get into the season itself, you have two-a-days during the preseason. Most coaches and players have to juggle their time between football, their families and, of course, school – for the players being student-athletes and, for many football coaches, being teachers. School districts have extremely high expectations for their teachers.
If the coaches are not teachers, they generally have other jobs. I often had assistant coaches that would spend their two-week vacations in August working with the football team. Obviously, it was a sacrifice for their families, and that sacrifice was matched by the players, who have to organize their other activities around their football schedules both in and out of the season.
I sat down and tried to calculate the amount of hours that were spent with football either on the mind or actually in practice, whether it be practicing or watching film. I stopped and put my pencil down because I think it’s impossible.
The bottom line is – this isn’t some crazy football program I’m describing. At this point, it’s every football program in Southeastern Pennsylvania. There’s no question about it.
Whether you’re Bret Stover at Upper Dublin organizing passing scrimmage tournaments throughout the entire summer or going up to Lehigh to do a Lehigh Shootout or lifting in competitions at Souderton or working to get the kids to the weight room either the early hours in the summer or the late afternoon during the school year– the amount of time spent is unbelievable.
Most of these players watch film. Someone has to break it down, and someone has to get the film ready for next week’s opponent. That is time spent on weekends. Many a family party or get-together has been missed by coaches who can’t leave the football office over the weekend.
Just driving by CB West at the start of Hurricane Irene on Saturday, I wasn’t surprised to see Brian Hensel’s truck in the parking lot, no doubt watching film and getting ready for Upper Dublin. I’m absolutely certain if I were to drive by Upper Dublin High School, I would have seen Bret Stover’s car in his parking lot. This isn’t a surprise. They’re good football coaches, but they’re not unique in that sense. Every football coach is doing the same thing. Their players will be ready this Friday because they’ve been working hard since January.
SuburbanOneSports.com: Talk about the fact that you believe there is a misconception out there that the elite teams have ‘special advantages.’
Chris Felton: Sometimes there’s a misconception out there that teams like North Penn and La Salle have specific or special advantages that exempts them from having to put this time in. Every program is under a different set of circumstances, and some of these may be considered advantageous. But one thing that is consistent with all successful programs is that they put the time in. That is not to say that teams that are losing games are cutting corners -I am simply saying if a team is not putting the time in, if the kids aren’t practicing hard and your coaching staff is not prepared – you will lose football games on the weekend, regardless of how big your school is or if you’re playing in a league that has a different set of by-laws than other leagues.
That being said, on Saturday night, the two top programs in the area will square off against each other. North Penn and La Salle are the best programs that the area has to offer. The similarities between these two programs are amazing. Over the last five years, La Salle has gone 41-13 while North Penn has been 49-7. Both teams were 13-2 last year and found themselves in the Eastern State Final. They didn’t get there because they had an advantage. Their programs have great talent, and their programs have established coaching staffs with top-notch head football coaches who, for my money, are the best at calling a game and know how to put their players in a position to win, and it shows.
As I have watched film on them, as I have read about them and as I have gone to scrimmages, they’re very similar. Not just because of their record or because they usually find themselves in the same place in December - they’re similar because they’re going to have to rely on hard work, they’re going to have to rely on being physical.
Although both teams are filled with very talented football players and excellent athletes – neither have that coast-to-coast runner or playmaker who can change the game with one big play. They’re going to have to grind it out, they’re going to have to establish the line of scrimmage, they’re going to have to be more physical up front, they’re going to rely on downfield blocking and multiple defenses. They both have some very strong returning players in some very key positions, but it’s going to be that hard work and preparation that’s going to get them to where they want to be.
One other thing about both of these teams – North Penn and La Salle don’t duck people. They don’t line up two or three weaker programs so they can roll into the conference and continue their dominance. They don’t schedule tune-ups. They seek each other out, and they want to test themselves against the best teams in the area. That’s a very impressive thing to see.
No one will ever accuse either one of those teams of not pushing their kids and not testing them to the highest limits. This game coming up on Saturday is going to be terrific. It depends on your perspective - both teams have lost a lot to graduation or both teams are in a position to showcase their current talent that has not been in the newspaper as much. There’s no doubt in my mind both teams will do that.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are the keys to the North Penn/La Salle game?
Chris Felton: 1. Establish the line of scrimmage- both teams come into this year looking to establish their running games.
2. Mix it up defensively and offensively. These staffs are too good and will know how to put their players in a position to be successful- being too predictable will make their job easy.
3. Neither team to this point has that game breaker. Team effort- which includes great pursuit on defense and downfield blocking on offense is key.
North Penn keys
1. The OL must get to the LaSalle Linebackers they are downhill players who can be very disruptive.
2. Keep LaSalle off schedule (2nd and 3rd and long) and pressure their sprint-out game, particularly off the edge with designed field blitzes of flow fires. Like many QB’s, Mike McGarrity is a different passer when someone is in his face.
3. Be physical vs. their receivers to disrupt their timing on the three-step game.
4. Mix up coverages
La Salle keys
1. Win on 1st down – stop the North Penn Run off tackle and out. Then prepare for the North Penn screen game
2. Get the TE in the mix
3. Get ball in hands of athletic receivers- bubbles, end arounds, Hammer screen (jail breaks)
4. Keep the defenses multiple or North Penn will gash them.
5. Kickoff specialist and punter need to do a great job of forcing North Penn to drive the field.