Huff highlights CR South’s Eric Gallo, CB South’s Josh Adams and Upper Dublin’s John Derr in his Players to 
Watch feature.
By Scott Huff
Scholastic Football Fever – Catch It!
The 2013 Suburban One League football season begins this weekend with a full slate of non-league games for the 24 teams in the SOL. There was a huge graduating class among all teams in the SOL National, Continental, and American Conferences – but there some blue chip players returning from each of the respective conferences.
SOL National Conference Player To Watch
Eric Gallo – Council Rock South Golden Hawks
Eric Gallo will be the center of attention this season for Council Rock South as the 6-foot, 3-inch – 280-pound senior will transition from offensive guard to center this season. Gallo will attend Virginia Tech next season and will contend for a starting spot for the Hokies at that position next fall.
“Eric will be a great center for us, and he will be able to make all of our calls along the offensive line,” said Council Rock South head coach Vince Bedesem. “Eric has great versatility and is very agile. What he can do at 280 pounds is just short of incredible. His physical talents speak for themselves.
“But it might be his intangibles that are even more impressive,” added Bedesem. “His intensity both in practice and in games can’t be taught. He was chosen as a team captain as a junior, and that has never happened in the 12 years that I have been here at South. He is a great motivator and has the respect of his teammates.
“Eric eats, sleeps, and drinks football,” continued Bedesem. “One day he will make a hell of a coach, but he still knows that football is a game and he has fun with it.”
Gallo follows his older brother PJ in the fine lineage of CR South football. PJ Gallo is currently a tight end at the University of Maryland.
“When he was a senior, I was a sophomore, and it was cool to be able to play on the same team with him,” said the younger Gallo. “I looked up to him and saw how he conducted himself as a leader on the football team. I have tried to take note of what he did as a team leader and will try to follow through on that this year.
“I am really excited about playing for Virginia Tech next year, but I am totally focused on my senior year here with South,” added Gallo. “We have put in a lot of work, and we’re excited about the season.”
“Eric has set all kinds of weight lifting records for the team in the off season,” said Bedesem. “His hard work has set a great example for the team.”
“You only get out of the sport what you put in it,” said Gallo – who in addition to being an all-league offensive lineman was an all-league defensive lineman last season. “The goal for us this year is to come together as a team, play for each other, play hard, and have fun.”
And Gallo will be smack dab in the center of all of that.
SOL Continental Conference Player To Watch
Josh Adams – Central Bucks South Titans
Josh Adams had some eye-popping numbers at the close of his sophomore season at CB South. The 6-2 inch – 200-pound electric junior running back already has had offers from Penn State, Stanford, and Notre Dame and hopes to improve on his staggering numbers of a season ago.
What numbers?
How about 32 touchdowns – 28 rushing scores, two receiving scores, and two kick return scores? How about a staggering 2089 rushing yards for a startling 8.2 average per rush? How about 20 pass receptions for another 281 yards for a 14.4 average per catch? How about a 96-yard kickoff return for a TD and 69-yard punt return for a score?
The incredible stats speak for themselves, but those statistics don’t speak to the wonderful character of Adams.
“Josh is just a great, great kid who is both humble and an excellent student,” said Central Bucks South head coach Dave Rackovan. “Not only is he a great kid to coach, he is great with his teammates. He was elected as a captain this year – the first junior captain at CB South ever. The players are very comfortable with him as a leader, and he is very comfortable in that role as well.
“Josh accomplished a lot last season, but he continues to get better and better,” added Rackovan. “He has gotten a lot bigger and stronger, and he has become more patient as a running back. He has improved quite a bit in catching the football and blocking. His skill set is tremendous.
“Perhaps the most impressive thing about Josh is that he takes all of his notoriety in stride,” continued Rackovan. “All he wants to do is stay focused and be the best football player that he can be.”
And that is quite enough.
SOL American Conference Player To Watch
John Derr – Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals
John Derr may not be the bluest of chips to play at the next level, but the Upper Dublin senior will be counted upon heavily as the Flying Cardinals hope to make a run for a postseason playoff berth this season.
“I would love to play in college, and I would go to whoever would want me,” assessed Derr – who has an older 
brother Andrew who is currently on the depth chart at West Chester University. “Right now, though, I want to be able to focus on what I can do to help my team win as many games as possible and hopefully get into the (district) playoffs. I can honestly say that our goal as a team is to be able to win a playoff game this year.”
If that goal is to be achieved, the leadership that Derr provides as both a senior and quarterback will be critical.
“I learned a lot about leadership by playing with my brother for a year in high school,” said Derr, who completed 68 passes for 876 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. “I hope to be able to take after him and have the team respond to my leadership.”
Both John and Andrew Derr may share their role as leaders on the team and playing the quarterback position. However, the actual play on the field is quite dissimilar.
“Andrew was a pure passer – he is the all-time leading passer in almost everything at Upper Dublin,” said Upper Dublin head coach Bret Stover. “John is much more of a runner and does a lot more offensively for us. He is bigger than Andrew and is much more comfortable running.
“We are going to have to rely on him a great deal this year,” added Stover. “We have five sophomores starting on both offense and defense this year, and him being a senior/quarterback is our biggest strength. I think that sometimes it was tough on him being Andrew’s brother – but we really don’t want him to be Andrew Derr. We just want him to be John Derr.”
And that should be just fine.
The following is a list of underclass all-conference performers from the 2012 Suburban One League season:
National Conference:
Abington: Jack Clark (12) OL-DL; Craig Reynolds (12) RB; Tyler Schreiner (11) RB; Mark Bond (12) punter; Christian Werner (12) LB.
Bensalem: Alex Archangeli (11) LB; Ian Pisarachuk (12) RB.
Council Rock North: Brandon McIlwain (10) QB; Tyler Calendar (12) DE.
Council Rock South: Eric Gallo (12) OL-DL; Vince Alimenti (11) LB.
Neshaminy: Luke Carrezola (12) TE; Denny Lord (12) RB; Alex Nicolas (12) DL; Nick Tucci (12) PK; Cole Creighton (12) DB; Devon Brown (12) DB; John Koch (12) OL.
Pennsbury: Mycah Mollohan (12) OL; Ellito Muka (12) TE; Kyle Potocek (11) OL; Sam Raywood (11) OL.
Truman: Bob Hill (12) LB; Manny Fisher (12) DE.
William Tennent: Mark Issac (12) LB; Vince Char (12) OL.
Continental Conference:
Central Bucks East: Zach Nelsen (12) QB; Ryan Kronmiller (12) TE; Brandon Ilkiw (12) WR; Mark Remmey (12) DE.
Central Bucks South: Josh Adams (11) RB; Paul Weeks (12) WR.
Central Bucks West: Mark Ciaudelli (12) WR; Corey Schott (12) TE; John Fitz (12) P; Thalen Sayres (12) DL, Marvin Todd (12) RB.
Hatboro-Horsham: Jeff Panara (11) LB.
North Penn: Jesse Cook (12) DL; Lewis Dickinson (12) DB.
Pennridge: Mike Class (12) RB; Shane Kraynik (12) OL; Matt Pasquale (12) LB.
Quakertown: None.
Souderton: Ricky Young (12-injured) OL; AJ Curotto (12) QB; Kyle Murphy (12) TE
American Conference:
Cheltenham: Greg Morris (12) RB; Mark Heiman (12) DB; Jack Gordon (11) LB.
Norristown: None.
Plymouth Whitemarsh: Jack Mailey (12) DL.
Springfield: Chris Stone (11) QB.
Upper Dublin: Tyler Berish (12) OL; John Derr (12) QB.
Upper Merion: Kevin O’Sullivan (12) PK; Clay Greenway (12) LB.
Upper Moreland: Drew Finnie (12) LB.
Wissahickon: Dave Stellato (12) RB; Chris Tronoski (12) DE.
Do You Remember 2012?
National Conference
Pennsbury Falcons 7-0 9-3
Neshaminy Redskins 5-2 9-4
Abington Ghosts 5-2 8-4
Council Rock North Indians 4-3 5-5
Bensalem Owls 2-5 3-7
Council Rock South Hawks 2-5 2-8
Truman Tigers 0-7 3-8
Continental Conference
Pennridge Rams 7-0 12-2
Central Bucks South Titans 6-1 10-2
North Penn Knights 5-2 6-4
Souderton Indians 4-3 7-4
Central Bucks West Bucks 3-4 5-5
Central Bucks East Patriots 2-5 4-6
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters 1-6 1-11
Quakertown Panthers 0-7 1-10
American Conference
Ply. Whitemarsh Colonials 7-0 9-2
Cheltenham Panthers 5-2 8-4
Wissahickon Trojans 5-2 8-4
Upper Moreland Bears 4-3 7-5
Upper Dublin Cardinals 4-3 6-4
Springfield Spartans 1-6 5-6
Upper Merion Vikings 1-6 1-10
Norristown Eagles 1-6 1-10
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