On Wednesday, April 18, 2018, nine Upper Moreland seniors were recognized for committing to continue their football careers at the collegiate level. Check back for photos of the event.
“To have that many kids go on and play college football, I’m very proud of that fact,” coach Adam Beach said. “A lot of these kids had goals – they wanted to play college football, and they did the job in the classroom and on the field and in the weight room. They did anything and everything they needed to do to achieve their goals. For all the kids, that’s something I’m very proud of. It’s a source of pride to me.”
Sterlen Barr Jr. – West Chester University (Football)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: West Chester, Shippensburg
Reasons for choosing West Chester: “I was considering a bunch of schools in the PSAC, and it was really tight between West Chester and Shippensburg. My mom and dad wanted me to go to Shippensburg, but I decided to go to West Chester. Both of them really showed me a lot of interest, but West Chester showed me interest and they upped the money at a crucial time, which helped me make my decision. Also the coaches said I have a chance of playing early, which is the main goal.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I lived in Northeast Philly until I was in fourth grade, and I used to like soccer. Then I moved here and we were taking a tour around the neighborhood and we saw the Willow Grove Bears practice at Masons Mill. I was just looking at it – I was like, ‘I want to play that.’ My parents signed me up that next year, and I’ve been playing ever since.”
Coach Adam Beach says: “Sterlen is just an explosive, athletic talent. When he was a sophomore, we tried to get him into a couple of playoff games just to get him ready for it. He really came into his own this year. He’s a little undersized, but I think this year he was given the opportunity, and he took advantage of it. His route running was exceptional. We put him out there as a slot, and he was able to do things in space to get loose. Anytime he got the ball something good was going to happen, whether it was a kickoff return, a punt return. In the Upper Perk game, they were on the one-yard line knocking on the door to go ahead – he picks it off and scores a touchdown. That’s the kind of stuff Sterlen did for us all year long, and that’s why he received such high accolades at the end of the year. I know West Chester is extremely excited to have him. They think he can go up there and challenge and hopefully play as a freshman. Again, he’s good in the classroom, never a discipline problem, just a real nice kid, and he’s going to play college football.”
About Sterlen:
Favorite food: Chicken Nuggets
Favorite movie: Friday
Favorite music: 21 Savage
Brett Brossman – Widener University (Football)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Widener, Del Val, Moravian
Reasons for choosing Widener: “I just felt like Widener was a better fit. It had a homey feel to it. They also had more to offer academically. Also, with football, I feel I could make a better impact on the field for them.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I didn’t know I was going to play football until my senior year of football. I just fell more and more in love with the game, and I just have a passion for it that I want to keep playing for as long as I can.”
Coach Adam Beach says: “Brett Brossman is a two-sport kid. He didn’t play football as a freshman – he was a basketball player, and he is a great basketball player. We talked to him, and he decided to come out. It’s funny – his mom said, ‘I spent all this money taking him to AAU basketball things, and now he’s getting money to play college football.’ I think there’s a lesson there because he’s just an athlete. He is just an athletic kid, and football loves athletic kids because we can use you in many different ways. Brett’s a great example of that. He played offensive tackle for us one game last year, he played tight end for us, he played receiver for us, he could play inside linebacker, outside linebacker, defensive end – he could play almost anywhere because of his athleticism. I think that’s what colleges really liked about him, and I think that helped him in basketball, and I think basketball helped him in football.”
About Brett:
Favorite food: Cheesesteaks
Favorite movie: The Master of Disguise
Favorite music: Rap/Hip Hop
Ryan Caral – Delaware Valley University (Football)
Major: Animal Science
Final list of colleges: Del Val, Lycoming
Reasons for choosing Del Val: “I go to the technical school for veterinary science, and Del Val has a renowned school for animal science, so it was kind of a no-brainer for me, but Lycoming was putting up a hard bargain with their biology program.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “Sophomore year when we went to the district title game I started on defense, and I thought, ‘If I can get better, I can maybe get money out of it to help me further in school,’ so that was a big turning point for me and then we had a great year again this year.”
Coach Adam Beach: “Ryan’s a defensive lineman that played for us as a freshman. I remember one day when Del Val coach (Duke) Greco and coach (Nick) Brady came by, and we had a little mini practice. They asked me about Ryan when he was a freshman. To start varsity as a freshman on the d-line is just a credit to him. He’s been able to do it for the past four years. He’s playing both ways, he’s playing both sides of the ball. He is just a strong, tough football player, and I know Del Val was excited when they saw him back then, and they’re excited he’s going up there this year to play football for them. I know he wants to get into veterinary science, and they have that at Del Val, so it’s a great fit for him moving forward. He’s a kid that just did it since he was a freshman on. They don’t come around often for us at our level.”
About Ryan:
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite movie: Super Troopers
Favorite music: Country
Rodney Gowans – Lebanon Valley College (Football)
Major: Business Entrepreneurship
Final list of colleges: Lebanon Valley, Alvernia, Widener
Reasons for choosing Lebanon Valley: “What drove me to Lebanon Valley – I like the atmosphere and the team. It felt like a family and it felt like home.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I started playing football in seventh grade, but then I took a break from ninth grade to 10th grade, but after the season ended in 10th grade, I started working out with the team because I wanted to get back into it. Football was a way for me to get away from everything and clear my mind. That’s when I just really started focusing on it.”
Coach Adam Beach says: “Rodney is a kid who didn’t come out and play right away. He’s a kid we saw in the hallways and talked to him about playing football, and we do that a lot at Upper Moreland. We’re a smaller school, and we’re constantly in the hallways talking to kids, trying to get them excited about playing football and showing them the benefits football can give to them, and Rodney was one of those kids. He accepted the challenge, he came out, and he worked. He had goals that he wanted to play college football, and he put himself in that position through all his hard work in the weight room and in the classroom, doing what was expected of him. I’m very happy for Rodney. He did a great job for us this year. He got hurt going into our last game, and we really think that hurt us. He was that critical to our team.”
About Rodney:
Favorite food: Chinese
Favorite movie: Fast & Furious series
Favorite music: Hip Hop/R&B
Cole Kitchen – Delaware Valley University (Football)
Major: Business Management
Final list of colleges: Del Val, Albright, Lebanon Valley, Widener
Reasons for choosing Del Val: “I actually never really wanted to go there because my brother went there. I went on a visit and I fell in love with it. I loved how the coaches told you what Del Val is about, and they’re really truthful about everything.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I always knew I wanted to play football in college. Football has always been my passion and I’ve always wanted to since freshman year. It was always a goal of mine.”
Coach Adam Beach says: “Cole is not a real big kid, he’s not a super fast kid. He’s just a kid who wants to play football. He’s a football player. He loves the sport, he loves the lifting, he loves the training and he loves to play. That really came through in what he was able to do for us this year on the field. He’s so intelligent. You don’t think he’s as athletic as he is. He had these flashes. I remember in our Quakertown game – they threw a little hitch, and he’s playing inside linebacker, and as soon as the kid caught the ball, he just came out of nowhere and unloaded on the kid. Those are the kind of things he did. He showed flashes of brilliance that were great.”
About Cole:
Favorite food: Buffalo Chicken
Favorite movie: The Blind Side
Favorite music: Rap
Bryan Mowery – Lebanon Valley (Football)
Major: Actuarial Science
Final list of colleges: Lebanon Valley, WPI
Reasons for choosing Lebanon Valley: “When I went there, I roomed with a freshman, but then we met the seniors because they all hung out together. It was just that small tight family feeling, and it feels a lot like here. Especially since it’s a small college, you get that feeling that you belong.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I can’t see myself not playing football. Sometimes I’d think maybe I didn’t want to, but then I’d be like – no, I know I want to. When I started looking at colleges, I actually wasn’t looking for football, and then when the coaches started coming to recruit, I hadn’t heard of half of the colleges. I was like, ‘Wait, that’s a nice college. I can go play football and study actuarial science. Why haven’t I looked at this?’”
Coach Adam Beach says: “Bryan is an extremely high intellectual kid. He came in as a freshman and played football straight through. He focused on football. He didn’t have the natural ability of a Sterlen Barr, but he’s a kid that kept working and kept learning. He understood his strengths and he understood his weaknesses, and that’s what made him a very successful football player because he did what he needed to do. He understood his role, he understood his job, and he was able to produce on the field. As he got confidence, his play only increased.”
About Bryan:
Favorite food: Cheesesteaks
Favorite movie: The Dictator
Favorite music: Country
Brendan Olexa – Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Football)
Major: Chemical Engineering
Final list of colleges: WPI, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Widener
Reasons for choosing WPI: “All three had engineering, but WPI was a happy medium between all the schools. Rose-Hulman was really good for engineering, but WPI was as well. Widener was really close to home and had good football, but WPI had good football as well, and it’s not too far and it’s not too close. It had the perfect balance. They were recruiting me heavily and I was their number one recruit coming in for quarterback, and it really made an impact on me that I had a chance to start my freshman and sophomore year. Getting a great education there is also super important.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I’ve always thought about it. At first, it wasn’t really working out for me, but I stuck with it. Football is so important to me. It really meant a lot, and I really wanted to pursue it. It started to work out halfway through the season – I started to get some looks. I told my parents – this is something I really want to do because it means so much to me. I want four more years of it.”
Coach Adam Beach says: “Brendan was another smart kid, another highly intellectual athlete. He’s a lacrosse player, and all the training in the offseason and all the work and the camps he went to – he was good enough to play as a junior, but we had Casey Decker, who the year before took us to a district title, so Brendan had to kind of lay in wait. To his credit, he didn’t complain, he understood the situation, and he worked hard. We snuck him in on defense here and there, we gave him a couple of opportunities to throw the ball on offense with some gadget-type plays, and his senior year he really put it all together. He was by far the leader of the team in that he organized the guys to get together. They threw on their own, they did all their extra stuff that he organized, and that was really invaluable. In all of our big games, he needed to make big plays, and he made those big plays to extend drives or made the touchdown. He did a great job.”
About Brendan:
Favorite food: Crab Fries
Favorite movie: The Benchwarmers
Favorite music: Meek Mill
Ronnie Perrelli – Delaware Valley University (Football)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Delaware Valley, Widener
Reasons for choosing Del Val: “Right when I stepped on campus, it just felt like it was home, and it’s only 30 minutes away from my house, so if something happens, I can get home real fast. The coaches made me feel at home, and the players made me feel like I was a brother. They made me feel like I was part of the family right away.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “Halfway through our season my sophomore year my coach put me in at receiver, and I started ever since. Going into junior year, I really thought I could use this to pay for my education.”
Coach Adam Beach says: “Ronnie was a kid who was really focusing on baseball when he came to high school. He was playing football and he wasn’t quite sure, but he stuck with football. Something started to turn – he started to grow, and he started to see the advantages of lifting weights. He was an extremely athletic kid, and I think his best days are still in front of him because he’s still growing into his body. This year he was able to play receiver for us and made nice big catches when we needed him to. He can stretch the field and he was very physical in the blocking game. We could put him at defensive end, we could put him at linebacker. He’s just really that long athletic kid with strength behind him, so he was really able to use that to his advantage on the football field.”
About Ronnie:
Favorite food: Buffalo Chicken
Favorite movie: The Blind Side
Favorite music: Rap
Jake Villanueva – Ithaca College (Football)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Ithaca, Franklin & Marshall
Reasons for choosing Ithaca: “One of the main deciders for Ithaca was the academics. Franklin & Marshall has good academics too, but Ithaca has an exploratory program, and I’d really like to explore all options. I don’t know what I want to study. I’m going in undecided, so that exploratory program is really going to help me. The campus is beautiful, and the size of the school – Ithaca is about 7,000 people, and it’s a middle-sized school, so that was another deciding factor for me.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in football at the collegiate level? “I probably started thinking about it sophomore year once I started playing on varsity. I knew I really wanted to carry on with this. Junior/senior year when coaches start contacting you – that’s when you really think ‘maybe I should do this.’”
Coach Adam Beach says: “Jake has the natural size, but just because he was big, he still worked. He had great feet, he worked hard in the weight room, and his academics were stellar. He was a total football player. Playing offensive line for us, he was very important, and he was the guy we ran behind when we needed it. I know the guys up at Ithaca are very excited to have him. The coach came down personally to talk to Jake because he really wanted him up there.”
About Jake:
Favorite food: Cheesesteaks
Favorite movie: The Longest Yard
Favorite music: Rap – Meek Mill
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