There are turnarounds, and then there are turnarounds.
Upper Merion’s turnaround in 12 short months under second-year coach Joe Powel has been nothing short of remarkable. After Friday night’s 12-7 win over Cheltenham, the Vikings saw their record improve to 4-1 – a far cry from last year’s 1-4 start.
And it’s not just the winning - it’s the way they’re winning. In their four wins, the Vikings have outscored their opponents 117-21 and did not allow more than seven points in any of those games. Last year after five games, the Vikings had given up 160 points.
“The biggest thing is our offseason,” Powel said. “We really got stronger as a football team.”
That much is apparent on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
On the opening drive of the second half last Friday, the Vikings marched 75 yards on 11 plays for a touchdown that ate six minutes off the clock and gave Upper Merion a 9-0 lead.
On defense, they were equally effective, and three times it was three-and-out for the dangerous Panthers, who had just six first downs while accumulating 175 yards of total offense.
“We play hard, and we get it done,” said senior Dylan Caplan, who had two sacks and an interception. “We work hard during practices.
“I don’t know if there’s any other team that practices for three or three-and-a-half hours each day of the week. Coming home at nine o’clock every night – it takes a lot of dedication.”
It also doesn’t hurt that the players have been together a long time.
“We have been playing together since seventh grade,” Caplan said. “I knew we had it in us.
“It’s just determination and heart. We have a good coaching staff instilling good values. This year everything is really coming together.”
“Last year we didn’t have a lot of returning varsity players, and experience is everything,” said senior Pete Panichi, who rushed for 208 yards in a stellar outing. “We also have a lot of leadership. All the seniors step up, and they know what to say at the right time.
“They know what’s important, and we have great weeks of practice. Last year we seemed to lollygag. This year we’re stepping up and playing as a team.”
Underscoring the Vikings’ improved play is the fact that they absorbed a 35-0 thrashing at the hands of Cheltenham last year and came back to defeat the Panthers this year.
“We saw both sides of the game,” senior quarterback Alex Phanthavong said. “Last year we lost consecutively, and it hit all of us really hard. We knew we were better than that.
“We couldn’t make excuses even though we changed coaching staffs. We had to work with whatever we got. This year we came out, hit the weight room – got stronger and bigger, we learned the plays, and now it’s second nature to us.”
As wins go, the Vikings’ win over Cheltenham was a big one.
“It feels awesome to win, especially like this against an excellent Cheltenham team,” Caplan said.
“It feels so good,” Panichi said. “They were a very good football team, but in the end, we pulled through. Credit the team for staying disciplined, playing together and playing smart football.”
Powel points to the seniors as a key to the Vikings’ success.
“This group of seniors has been very close since they were freshmen,” the second-year coach said. “When you’ve got a bunch of guys that are working real hard and like to play with each other and are having fun out there, it’s contagious.
“I think that’s the key to our success. We like to play the game the right way, and we like to play for each other.”
So far, it’s been a winning formula for the Vikings.
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