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NORRISTOWN – Sheldon Mayer’s face lights up with one of his patented smiles when the subject of Norristown’s offensive line comes up in conversation.
“I love them,” Norristown’s star running back said. “They’re like my brothers.
“I’ve known most of them since we were younger playing little league together, so the chemistry is there.”
That chemistry was never more apparent than in the Eagles’ 40-0 beating of Ben Franklin on Saturday morning, and while the skies were gray and foreboding, the mood on the field was decidedly upbeat.
And why not?
The Eagles have scored 72 points in two games, and in their most recent win amassed over 450 yards of total offense.
“If we believe, we can achieve,” Mayer said.
Mayer is certainly doing his part to ensure that the Eagles achieve. The gifted senior running back rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns in another standout effort, and members of the ‘O’ line admit that blocking for Mayer is a pleasure.
“Hold your blocks until you hear the whistle or you see 25 (Mayer) running with no one catching him – then you can let go,” said senior Marcus Robbins, the Eagles’6-0, 285-pound lineman. “It always feels good as an offensive lineman for him to have a good game because we feel like we have had a good game too.
“Those big holes make our offensive players look good.”
“We have a weapon in the backfield,” Niko Dasilvio said of Mayer. “We just have to block for him.”
While Mayer is the undisputed star of this Eagles’ squad, he wasn’t the only one who looked good in Saturday’s game. Tracey Pressley accumulated 111 yards on nine carries, which included a dazzling 78-yard touchdown run. Derrick Williams added 68 yards on just two carries.
But it was the offensive line - comprised of Robbins, Dasilvio, Nick Bloomer, Larry Smith, Joey Leng, Evan Battallio, Jordan Taylor and Leonardo Collazo – that set the table for the Eagles’ big-play offense, which featured four second-half touchdowns of 40 or more yards.
One of the most memorable was a 62-yard TD pass reception by Battallio from sophomore quarterback Shannon Mayer. A Franklin defender tried to push Battallio out of bounds when he reached the Eagles’ 30-yard line. To no avail.
Battallio shrugged him off and rumbled into the end zone for a touchdown that made it a 33-0 game.
“That’s the only one I’ve had – my first and longest,” he said when asked about his TD run. “It didn’t feel real, but it felt good when I got my breath.”
As for the defender that stood in his way at the 30?
“He didn’t deliver much of a hit,” Battalio said. “He just bounced off me.”
It was a play that typified the Eagles’ effort all afternoon, and it is the kind of effort coach coach E.J. Smith expects from his veterans.
“They’re a great group,” he said. “They’re very close. They worked hard in the off-season, and they know this is just the second game.
“We have to show we can play against a very good football team on Thursday night (Central Bucks South). We have to get prepared for that.”
A conversation with the players suggests the Smith needn’t worry about his team’s preparation. They insist they’re willing to work hard and do whatever it takes to succeed.
“We have to stay focused on and off the field and just come out every game and make the plays, do what you’re told to do and do what the coaches ask you to do,” Smith said. “If you don’t like it, suck it up, and do what you have to do.
“If you come out and make a bad play, have a short memory. Let it go. It’s a big focus thing.”
According to the players, the team’s focus has to extend well beyond the gridiron.
“We have to be disciplined and stay focused in school,” Robbins said. “We can’t let anything get to us.”
“No girls,” Dasilvio said.
“At least not on game day,” Battallio said. “They have to fit into our schedule.”
The players have made an unofficial pact to maintain their grades, avoiding the academic eligibility problems that have plagued their team in the past.
“As the season goes on, that’s when school starts getting tough,” Robbins said. “It’s always so close to playoffs, and we have people ineligible.”
“Students first, athletes seconds,” Smith said. “If people want to go to college, they have to maintain their grades.”
Smith is understandably pleased with his team’s approach.
“They have made a point of focusing on the academics this year,” he said. “They don’t want any distractions. They’re very conscientious student-athletes.
“The seniors have been together since they were sophomores. They protect Sheldon. He’s their running back. It’s their job to open up holes for him.”
So far, so good for both Mayer and the players committed to protecting him.
“This is the year,” Dasilvio said. “It’s all business.”
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