CR North will face North Penn in Thursday’s District One AAAA title game at Glen Mills while Pennsbury will face Boyertown at Methacton in a battle for the final state berth. Photos provided courtesy of Cindy Manero, Diana Leferovich and Kim Supko.
Before the dust had settled on North Penn’s 4-0 win over West Chester East in Tuesday’s District One AAAA semifinal game, coach Kevin Manero – a big believer in the importance of preparation – began his quest to gain all the information he could about Council Rock North, the Knights’ opponent in Thursday’s district title game.
Rock North coach Matt Schram was on the receiving end of one of Manero’s first texts.
“I asked him if he had any good information on Council Rock North, and he told me they don’t hit, throw, field or anything, so I told him we’re just going to bring our freshman players and go with that, so I think we’re set,” Manero said.
Facing each other on the district’s biggest stage was undoubtedly the last thing on the minds of Schram or Manero when their paths crossed 13 years ago. Schram was the junior varsity baseball coach at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School where he also was a special education teacher. His eager young volunteer assistant was Manero, a student teacher at PW who had just completed his collegiate career at La Salle University.
“Listen, I’ve taught him everything he knows about coaching, so they should be a well-coached team,” Schram deadpanned “I was a young teacher, but he was a student teacher, so therefore, I know more than he does because I’m older than him.”
The lighthearted exchange between the two coaches is not only an indication of the sense of humor each possesses but also the immense respect they have for each other.
“When you start out coaching and you’re young, there’s a lot of people out there who are also starting out,” Manero said. “Over the years, obviously, a lot of them have different priorities that take them away from baseball, but it’s really cool how you end up crossing paths with a lot of people from baseball as you continue to progress through.
“Chuck Eppolito, who is very close to our program, told me one time – there’s a lot of good people in baseball, and he was right. Matt’s one of them. When you get a chance to be on the field with those people over the years, it kind of shows the everlasting ties you have when you meet people on the baseball field.”
Both Schram and Manero were at PW just one year as Schram moved on to Council Rock while Manero returned to his alma mater.
“That seems like eons ago,” Manero said. “I had just finished playing college baseball myself, and I got an opportunity to coach with Rich Coletta. He gave me a great opportunity. That was my first experience with high school coaching, and I learned a good bit from Rich. I was able to get my foot in the door at North Penn and learned a lot more here. That was the very beginning.
“Matt was a young coach at the beginning there too. Both of us would look back and say over the last 13 years – we’ve both coached some tremendous players. We’ve all been lucky enough to have a lot of success as coaches. I think the whole process of coaching is just a never-ending process of development. That was the very beginning.
“I think it says a lot about what Matt has done at Council Rock, the program he’s built there. Obviously, they are an annual contender, and I’d like to say the same thing for our program.”
Schram tipped his hat to his counterpart as well.
“He’s one of the better coaches out there,” the Indians’ coach said. “He’s a student of the game. He’s so good at what he does.
“Absolutely, hands down, he is not only the reason they are where they are, but if he stays there forever, they’re going to be good forever. He’s that good of a coach.”
Manero and Schram would be the first to tell you that Thursday’s District One AAAA contest is all about the players and what happens between the lines, but the fact that the two head coaches once shared the same dugout is an interesting sidelight.
“It’s going to be fun,” Schram said. “You know what the fun part of all this is – we’re both already in states, so that’s the good part.
“It’s a lot more fun to face someone you have a lot of respect for, someone who you coached with in the past. On top of that, North Penn’s program is so rich in tradition. If we’re fortunate enough to beat them, I think we should be in a real good position to do some damage in states hopefully.”
#4 North Penn vs. #15 Council Rock North (at Glen Mills, 4 p.m.)
North Penn and Council Rock North are no strangers to the postseason. The Knights are just two years removed from capturing the PIAA Class AAAA title while the Indians won the District One AAAA crown in 2010. Both teams have put up impressive numbers in the postseason – North Penn has outscored its three opponents 27-9 while Council Rock North has had a 34-7 advantage in its four wins.
North Penn
- On the heels of an opening round bye, North Penn defeated conference rival 13th-seeded Hatboro-Horsham 9-3. The top three hitters in the Knights’ lineup accounted for seven hits with Alex Peterson, who had a double, collecting three hits while Mike Christy (double) and Mason Nadeau both added a pair. Doug Apple also had three hits, including a double, and two RBIs. James Witner earned the win on the mound.
- In a quarterfinal contest, North Penn pounded out 15 hits in a 14-6 win over #5 Boyertown. The Knights, who led 10-2 after three innings, saw their top four hitters combine for 12 hits, six RBIs and 10 runs scored. Mike Christy was 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored, and Mason Nadeau was 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored. Alex Peterson was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, and Jared Melone was 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs. Anthony Cameron was 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
- North Penn earned its berth in the title game with a 4-0 semifinal win over #17 West Chester East. James Witner tossed the complete game shutout while Jared Melone stole the spotlight at the plate with a 3-for-3 performance that included a triple, home run and three RBIs.
Council Rock North
- In an opening round game, Council Rock North– behind the standout effort of pitcher Matt Hand – earned a 6-0 win over 18th-seeded Avon Grove. Hand scattered three hits in a complete game shutout. Jared Schram and Brandon McIlwain both had two hits to lead the Indians. Schram had three RBIs.
- In the Indians’ 6-0 win over second-seeded Wissahickon in the second round, Noah Hartwell was the star on the mound at the plate. He tossed a five-hit shutout and also contributed a pair of hits and drove in a pair of runs. Brandon McIlwain and Jared Schram also both had a pair of hits.
- The Indians rolled to a 12-1 win over tenth-seeded Conestoga in an abbreviated five-inning quarterfinal contest. Brandon McIlwain did it all for the Indians. He hit a pair of home runs, driving in three runs and scoring three more. He also earned the win on the mound, limiting the Pioneers to five hits while walking two and striking out two.
- In their 10-6 win over #11 Owen J Roberts, the Indians opened up a 10-1 lead before the Wildcats scored five runs in the seventh. Brandon McIlwain was 2-for-4 with five RBIs out of the leadoff spot while Jared Schram was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Matt Hand earned the win.
Projected Starting Lineups
Council Rock North
Brandon McIlwain, Jr. Right field (.467, 22 RBIs, 5 home runs)
Cole German, Sr., Center field (.367, 21 RBIs)
Seth Leuz, Jr., Designated hitter (.389)
J.R. Hicks, Sr., Third base (.222, team high on-base percentage of .516 with 18 walks. Six times he was hit by pitches)
Jared Schram, Jr., Catcher (.420, 21 hits, 22 RBIs)
Noah Hartwell, Sr., Pitcher (.302)
Cole Hofmann, Sr., Second base (.373 OBP)
Matt Hand, Jr., Shortstop (.277)
Tyler Nowmos, Jr. Left field (.282)
North Penn
Mike Christy, Sr., Shortstop (.351, 14 RBIs, 24 runs, .489 OBP)
Alex Peterson, Jr., Left field (.328, 18 runs)
Mason Nadeau, Jr., Center field (.389, 18 RBIs, 25 runs, .506 OBP)
Jared Melone, Sr., Third base (.448, 33 RBIs, .544 OBP)
Douglas Apple, Sr., First base (.429, 12 RBIs, .432 OBP)
Kadar Namey, Jr., Designated Hitter (.282, 13 RBIs, 467 OBP)
Zach Zeigler, Sr., Right field (.273, 10 RBIs)
Anthony Cameron, Sr., Second base (.267)
Matt Marinno, Soph., Catcher (.233)
Kellan Williamson, Sr., Pitcher (7-0, 2.10 ERA)
#3 Pennsbury vs. #5 Boyertown (at Methacton High School, 4 p.m.)
Thursday’s playback game will pit a pair of league champions. The Falcons captured sole possession of the SOL National Conference title while Boyertown was the PAC-10 regular season champion.
Pennsbury coach Joe Pesci says: “It doesn’t matter who your opponent is – we showed that (Tuesday), we showed that against Spring-Ford, who was preseason number one in the state. We just keep stressing – you play your game. You dominate the routine plays in the field, you minimize the errors and don’t compound the errors, you throw strikes – make them beat you. You minimize the free bases, you play your game and you just compete. You have to compete and do the jobs the coaches are asking of you. That’s the key. You can be facing 94 (MPH) or we faced 73-74 against Owen J Roberts. It doesn’t matter who it is – they have to stick to the plan and believe. We have shown several times this year that if you’re not crushing us in the seventh inning, we’re going to come back and beat you.”
How they got here:
Pennsbury
- After an opening round bye, Pennsbury defeated 19th-seeded Spring-Ford 8-2. Logan Buell earned the complete game win, allowing four hits and two runs (one earned) while walking three and striking out two. Offensively, the Falcons were led by the two-hit efforts of DJ Endler and Brady McFadden. Tom Augustin (double) and Kyle Marshall both had a pair of RBIs.
- Pennsbury fell to 11th-seeded Owen J. Roberts 3-1 in a quarterfinal game. The Falcons collected eight hits but only scored one run while the Wildcats scored three runs – in the fifth. They had just one hit – a Griffin Hensley double – in the frame, but benefitted from a hit batter and a pair of errors. Freddie Schrandt and DJ Endler both had multiple hits for the Falcons.
- In Tuesday’s must-win playback game against #10 Conestoga, the Falcons staged a dramatic seventh inning rally to erase a 1-0 deficit and earn the 2-1 win. Pat Lawrence delivered a single to plate the tying run, and DJ Endler’s RBI single with two outs propelled the Falcons to their fourth walk-off win of the season. Logan Buell earned the complete game win, allowing six hits while striking out seven and walking one. Buell and Zach Szumigala both had two hits to lead the Falcons.
Boyerton
- After an opening round bye, Boyertown rode the strong arm of Andrew Bauer to a 9-0 win over #12 Perkiomen Valley. The Bears’ right hander needed just 79 pitches to earn the complete game shutout. He allowed just four hits while fanning five and walking none. The Bears – who collected just five hits – were led by the 2-for-3 effort of Ryan Jacobs, who also drove in a pair of runs.
- In a 14-6 loss to #4 North Penn, Boyertown was led by the 3-for-4 performance of Dalton Hughes. The Knights pounded out 16 hits off a quartet of Boyertown hurlers.
- In Tuesday’s 10-0 rout of #8 West Chester Rustin in an abbreviated five-inning contest, Boyertown pounded out 13 hits, led by the 3-for-3 (2B, 2 RBI) performance of Seth Endy. Mitch Pinder, Dalton Hughes and Ben Longacre (double) each added two hits. Andrew Bauer improved to 7-0 on the season with three shutout innings. Zach Moser closed it out. The duo limited Rustin to just four hits.
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