By Scott Huff
When Central Bucks South head coach Dave Rackovanbegan his scholastic coaching career with the Titans last season, he knew that he had a blue-chip Division One quarterback on his roster in junior Matt Johns.
Johns – a first team Suburban One League Continental Conference selection last season – will play his football on the college level at the University of Virginia.
“Matt has all the great non-athletic qualities that any coach could hope for,” said Rackovan. “He is a great leader both on and off the football field, has a great understanding of the game, and makes all the right decisions. And I knew that from the moment I met him.
“Add to that a great arm that can make all the throws a quarterback needs to make on the field,” added Rackovan of his 6-foot, 5-inch signal caller. “And then add to that he is also a great student academically, and you can see why Virginia is going to be a great fit.”
The CB South team that Johns will lead this 2011 season is a squad that should improve on last year’s 2-5 SOL Continental Conference mark. The Titans ended the 2010 season with an overall mark of 4-6.
“We had some good preseason scrimmages, and against Abington I thought we showed some nice improvement,” said Rackovan. “We are moving in the right direction, and that is all you can hope for during scrimmages.
“Right now were are focusing on (Council Rock) South – a team that went deep into the playoffs last year,” added Rackovan. “There is no question that we have a difficult opener, but it will give us a great indication of where we are as a football team.
“We play in the Suburban One League – a league filled with good players and good coaching,” continued Rackovan. “In our conference, everybody points to North Penn as the favorite. But when you take them out of the equation, the rest of the conference is very balanced. There are no breathers on anyone’s (conference) schedule.”
In a Suburban One Continental Conference filled with violent waters – it is comforting to know that the Titans will have a terrific leader with a steady hand at the helm in Captain Matt Johns.
Eagles Sure To Soar in 2011
Norristownwill play on its spanking new turf football field this season. But the Eagles will play its first two ‘home’ games away from their West Norriton high school campus, and when Norristown completes its inaugural home site schedule, it will not be under the Friday light nights or in front of rabid fans in permanent stands.
The light standards and the stands will be completed after the season.
“We have a plan of how things are going to go, but those plans are always subject to change,” said Norristown head coach E.J. Smith. “Right now we plan on playing our home game with Central Bucks East (9/9/11) at Upper 
Merion, and our home game with Wissahickon (9/30/11) on Roosevelt Field in Norristown. And the first home game at our new field would be against Upper Moreland on Saturday (10/8/11) at 1 o’clock.”
In fact, all of Norristown’s home games will be played on campus at 1 pm.
The Eagle team that plays on that field will feature a superior talent in senior running back Brandon Shippen and under the leadership of senior quarterback Shannon Mayer.
“Brandon is all the way back,” said Smith of his quick back who will hopefully play football with Temple next season. “He got hurt toward the end of last season, and we really missed him in the close games that we lost.
“Shannon seems like he has been here forever, and that is a very good thing,” added Smith. “He played some as a freshman, and he has been steadily getting better the last three years. He knows the offense.”
Both Shippen and Mayer have showcased talents in scrimmages against both Neshaminy and West Chester East. This Friday against Pottsgrove – a District One AAA playoff team with a 10-3 record in 2010 - is one for the 2011 record books.
“We were looking for a game the first week, and Pottsgrove stepped up and said yes,” said Smith. “We try to keep our non-conference schedule simple and look for local teams. This year we have Pottsgrove, (Central Bucks) East, and (Central Bucks) South the first three weeks – no weak programs there – that’s for sure.”
In 2009 Norristown captured the SOL American Conference title and finished 9-2 overall – last year the Eagles finished 4-6 with no championship to celebrate with a 2-4 conference mark.
“Last year we were in every game, leading most at the half, but we didn’t finish,” said Smith. “I know that we learned a lot from that experience, and we have to be able to battle through adversity. We need to play all four quarters.”
No matter what field the Eagles find themselves playing on.
Panthers make slow SOL National Conference ascent
William Tennent has made an exceedingly arduous climb the last three seasons in the National Conference standings in the Suburban One League.
One very painful step at a time as the Panthers were winless in 2009 (0-7, 0-10), showed very slight improvement in 2010 (0-7, 1-9), and finished with a solid record in 2010 (2-5, 4-7).
“Our approach has always been not about losing games – but we know that there are going to long nights down the road,” said veteran William Tennent head coach Biz Keeny. “When the league realigned a couple of years ago – and put us in with some of the schools in lower Bucks County – it didn’t do us any favors.
“Our number one players can match up with some of those school’s other number one players, but we don’t have the depth to match up with them,” added Kenny. “Injuries have become a huge concern with our program being more competitive.”
One of those #1’s that can play with the best of the SOL National Conference is senior captain Connor Geiger. Geiger will start in the Panther backfield as one of the featured backs and will anchor the Tennent defense at linebacker. Geiger – who stands 5-foot, 11-inches and weighs 205 pounds – was selected as a second team all-conference player last season as a linebacker.
“Connor has improved each and every year he has been in our program,” said Kenny. “He has a certain toughness that gives him an edge as a running back, and you have to be impressed with his on-the-field prescence on defense. He has looked very good in both of our scrimmages (versus Lansdale Catholic and Pennridge), but that was surely no surprise.
“We go into scrimmages with certain things to look for – mostly finding depth for our first team players,” added Kenny. “We want to know what our back up players can do against other teams.”
William Tennent will open with a non-conference schedule that includes Wissahickon, Central Bucks West, and Upper Merion the first three weeks of the season.
“We know that we can be competitive with those teams, and we are looking forward to some good games,” said Kenny. “We have to get ready for our league schedule.”
And the coach hopes for another step forward in the win column – no matter how small.
Suburban One League * National Conference * Non-Conference Schedules * Weeks (1-3)
Abington Ghosts - @ Central Bucks East (9/2); Plymouth Whitemarsh (9/9); and @ Souderton (9/16).
Neshaminy Redskins – Souderton (9/2); Hatboro-Horsham (9/9); and @ Central Bucks East (9/16).
Bensalem Owls - @ Overbrook (9/2); Pennridge (9/9); and Archbishop Ryan (9/16).
Pennsbury Falcons – Easton (9/2); @ Harrisburg (9/10); and @ Pocono Mountain West (9/16).
Council Rock South Golden Hawks – Central Bucks South (9/2); @ Father Judge (9/9); and @ Pennridge (9/16).
Council Rock North Indians – Haverford Township (9/2); Central Bucks South (9/9); and @ Hatboro-Horsham (9/16).
William Tennent Panthers – Wissahickon (9/2); @ Central Bucks West (9/9); and Upper Merion (9/16).
Harry S Truman Tigers - @ Cheltenham (9/2); William Penn (9/9); and Upper Dublin (9/16).
Suburban One League * Continental Conference * Non-Conference Schedules * Weeks (1-3)
Central Bucks East Patriots - Abington (9/2); @ Norristown (9/9); and Neshaminy (9/16).
Central Bucks South Titans - @ Council Rock South (9/2); @ Council Rock North (9/9); and Norristown (9/16).
Central Bucks West Bucks - @ Upper Dublin (9/2); William Tennent (9/9); and @ Wissahickon (9/16).
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters - @ Frankford (9/3); @ Neshaminy (9/9); and Council Rock North (9/16).
North Penn Knights - @ La Salle (9/3); Lansdale Catholic (9/9); and @ St. Joe Prep (9/16).
Pennridge Rams - @ Haverford (9/3); @ Bensalem (9/9); and Council Rock South (9/16).
Quakertown Panthers - @ Upper Perkiomen (9/2); Pocono Mountain East (9/9); and Cheltenham (9/16).
Souderton Big Red - @ Neshaminy (9/2); Perkiomen Valley (9/9); Abington (9/16).
Suburban One League * American Conference * Non-Conference Schedules * Weeks (1-3)
Cheltenham Panthers – Harry S Truman (9/2); Bishop McDevitt (9/9); and @ Quakertown (9/16).
Norristown Eagles - @ Pottsgrove (9/2); Central Bucks East (9/9); and @ Central Bucks South (9/16).
Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials – Methacton (9/2); @ Abington (9/9); and @ West Chester Henderson (9/16).
Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals – Central Bucks West (9/2); Germantown Academy (9/9); and Truman (9/16).
Upper Merion Vikings – Academy Park (9/2); @ Methacton (9/10); and @ William Tennent (9/16).
Upper Moreland Golden Bears - @ Strath Haven (9/2); Upper Perkiomen (9/9); and Exeter Township (9/16).
Wissahickon Trojans - @ William Tennent (9/2); Archbishop Ryan (9/9); and Central Bucks West (9/16).
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