By Scott Huff
The Pennridge Rams stand proudly at the summit of the Suburban One League Continental Conference mountain.
“We have had a great first two-thirds of a season,” said Pennridge head coach Tom Nuneviller as the Rams are 10-2 overall and 8-1 in the conference. “And we are going to have to squeeze the last third in about a week.
“When you combine talent with good pitching, good defense, and timely hitting you’re going to be successful,” added Nuneviller. “I knew coming back that we had some key players back, but you never know what the team chemistry is going to be like.
“Right now, everyone on this team likes one another,” continued the coach. “They are having fun, and it has been a good time.”
The two most important players that Nuneviller knew he could count on this season were senior centerfielder Brad Herrmann and senior shortstop Eric Kammler.
“Brad brings a confidence to the field every day,” said Nuneviller of Herrmann – a three-sport athlete at PHS. “He has been in tough situations in all the sports he has played, whether as a quarterback on the football team or as a wrestler. And he loves to be in a pressure situation.
“And Eric has been just super all season,” added Nuneviller of his senior that is headed toward La Salle University next season. “He is quiet and leads by example. But he swings a loud bat.”
The unknown factor going into the season for the Rams was their pitching staff. And a pair of underclassmen – junior Kyle Myers and sophomore Jared Schaffer, has impressed Nuneviller.
“Both of them are similar in that they have a decent fast ball, can change speeds, and have command of their off-speed pitches,” said Nuneviller. “They have been very consistent in keeping us in games. They throw strikes and give our defense a chance to make plays behind them.”
Pennridge is going to face a brutal conference schedule the final full week of the season with four games in four days. The Rams host Hatboro-Horsham (Tuesday), host Quakertown (Wednesday), play @ Souderton (Thursday), and @ Hatboro-Horsham (Friday).
“All we can do is prepare for each game – one at a time,” said Nuneviller. “We are going to have to find some innings from others pitchers to help out Kyle and Jared.
“Brad has thrown some innings and Dylan (Tice) has thrown some,” continued Nuneviller. “And we also hoping to get effective innings from Pete (Leatherman) and Ryan (Trauger).”
Pennridge will begin the final stretch run with a one and a half game conference lead over Central Bucks East, and a two and one-half game lead over North Penn.
“I knew that we had the potential to have a good season,” said Nuneviller. “And we have played with the attitude we need to be successful.”
SOL Continental Conference Standings
1. Pennridge Rams (8-1)
2. Central Bucks East Patriots (7-3)
3. North Penn Knights (6-4)
4. Quakertown Panthers (4-4)
5. Central Bucks South Titans (4-5)
6. Souderton Indians (4-5)
7. Hatboro-Horsham Hatters (3-7)
8. Central Bucks West Bucks (1-8)
The Upper Moreland Golden Bears have climbed to the summit of the Suburban One American Conference mountain.
“This conference has no team that stands above the rest – so I told the players ‘Why not us?’” said Upper Moreland head coach Ernie Rehr. “Right now we have destiny in our own hands, and if we can win the next four games, we’ll be conference champions.”
Upper Moreland finishes the season with Upper Dublin, Springfield, Plymouth Whitemarsh, and Wissahickon. The Bears hold a tenuous lead in the standings over PW (6-3), Norristown (6-4), Wissahickon (6-4), and Upper Merion (6-5).
“A lot of things can happen and will happen in these final four games,” said Rehr. “We have put out a challenge to the kids to stay mentally tough – mentally focused.
“The first six games of the season, we were without four of our starting lineup,” added Rehr. “But this has been a team that has thrived under adversity.”
The Bears lost Dmitri Miller, Jason Montgomery, and Alex LaRosa to car accidents, while Dave McInerney missed time to a concussion suffered while playing ice hockey.
“Right now, we finally feel that we are in a groove,” said Rehr. “There are no questions about who is playing where, and we are as healthy as we have been all season.
“Our team has done a great job all season of playing team baseball,” added Rehr. “It seems like every game, someone else steps up and gets a key hit or throws a good game.”
SOL American Conference Standings
1. Upper Moreland Golden Bears (7-3)
2. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (6-3)
3. Norristown Eagles (6-4)
4. Wissahickon Trojans (6-4)
5. Upper Merion Vikings (6-5)
6. Upper Dublin Flying Cardinals (3-5)
7. Cheltenham Panthers (3-6)
8. Springfield Spartans (1-8)
The Council Rock North Indians are not at the top of the Suburban One National Conference mountain, but they are darn close.
“We understand what the possibilities are, and what we have to do to achieve our goals that we set before the season,” said Council Rock North head coach Dan Kusters. “We can only control what we can do, and if (Council Rock) South would happen to lose a couple of games, so be it.”
Rock North (8-2) trails Rock South (11-0) as the final full week of the season begins. The Indians have four conference games left (Rock South, Abington, Neshaminy, & Bensalem), while the Golden Hawks have just three games (Rock North, William Tennent & Pennsbury).
“One of our goals was to finish the season strong.” Said Kusters. “The last week of the season is always critical, and even if we finish second, we’ll get a high seed and accomplish our goal.
“We have a nice group of senior players,” added Kusters. “They have laid the foundation of the way that this team conducts itself.”
Kusters listed a group of senior leaders that included catcher Ty Farrell, shortstop Matt Hone, first baseman Scott Runzer, center fielder Kelly Adams, third baseman Ryan Maley, and designated hitter Ryan Venner.
“This last week should be exciting,” said Kusters. “We can’t worry about what the other teams are doing. We have to take care of the things that we have control over.”
SOL National Conference Standings
1. Council Rock South Golden Hawks (11-0)
2. Council Rock North Indians (8-2)
3. Truman Tigers (7-4)
4. Neshaminy Redskins (5-5)
5. Abington Ghosts (4-5)
6. Pennsbury Falcons (4-6)
7. William Tennent Panthers (1-9)
8. Bensalem Owls (0-9)
Suburban One Sports Top Ten
1. Council Rock South Golden Hawks
2. Pennridge Rams
3. Council Rock North Indians
4. Central Bucks East Patriots
5. North Penn Knights
6. Truman Tigers
7. Upper Moreland Golden Bears
8. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials
9. Wissahickon Trojans
10. Norristown Eagles
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