By Alex Frazier
Meet…JP Grove
Central Bucks West junior JP Grove has never run track, but maybe he should.
He doesn’t know his time in the 40 or the 100 or any other distance.
In fact, he doesn’t like running all that much.
“I don’t think I could run all day,” he said. “I just run for fun.”
Suffice it to say, he’s fast.
His soccer and baseball coaches recognize his speed, and they have tried to take advantage of it.
In soccer, coach Steve Detweiler moved him from defensive center midfield/stopper back to sweeper. Grove has always been a defender, but never played sweeper until last year.
“I tried playing midfield and coach said I was too fast and he put me on defense to see how it would work out, and ever since that I’ve been playing defense,” said Grove.
Which was OK.
“I don’t mind it,” he said. “As long as I’m playing, you can’t complain. I like everyone coming at you and you’re the last man back.”
Detweiler noted that Grove was the most consistent player on a young team this year.
“He’s kept us in a lot of games,” said the coach. “We were getting blown out early on when he wasn’t sweeping, and every match for the second half has been one goal. I moved him back (to sweeper) to solidify things.”
In baseball, Grove was “demoted” as an infielder on the jayvee team last year and moved to centerfield, where he can cover ground quickly.
“I played infield, but they said we need your speed,” said Grove.
When he arrived in high school, Grove decided to focus on soccer.
“I tried doing both but it was too much,” he said. “I’m committed to soccer and then baseball when I can. If there’re conflicts it’s always soccer.”
Baseball is something to do in the spring, when he’s not playing in cup games.
Nevertheless, he’s hoping to move up to varsity this year.
Not only is Detweiler fast, he plays like a terrier.
“He’s tenacious,” said Detweiler. “He’s got a great work ethic and a great attitude. He fights for every single ball. He’s a very coachable player. He’s got great defensive technique and tackles hard. He plays the game the way it should be. He has good sportsmanship as well.”
Detweiler also uses Grove on most of the team’s set pieces, either delivering the ball or as a target on the other end. Grove has had some opportunities to score this year but has been thwarted on a number of occasions by the goal post.
Grove started playing for the U-9 Lenape club team and he’s still with the same players, although they are now called PA Rush. He also played Inter-County select for two years. After playing middle school for three years, he started for West last year.
He is planning to continue soccer in college, but is still in the initial stages of e-mailing coaches. This summer could be a big one for him. That will be a time for him to show off his talents in college showcase tournaments, hoping to attract the attention of some
college coaches.
A 3.0 GPA student, academics won’t hold him back.
Grove is hoping to impress coaches this summer and then finish off his high school career with a remarkable season, unlike this year when the Bucks struggled to a 4-13, 4-10 SOL record.
As one of several good juniors, Grove is hoping to turn it around next year.
“It’s been a long, rough year,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll be all right.”
Down but not out – The once proud Souderton Indians are facing some lean times right now. Three years ago the Big Red won the district championship and qualified for states for the first time in program history. Two years ago Souderton finished third in District One and headed to states for the second time, losing to Emmaus in overtime.
Since then, the Indians have won just eight games.
Tom Quintois hoped that this year’s team would pull out of its nosedive, but he’s going to have to wait until next year. The Indians have been snake bitten this season. Besides being young and inexperienced, a district teachers’ strike didn’t help things.
They have lost 10 games by a single goal, and they have lost eight games in overtime.
They played mighty C.B. East to two 1-0 losses, the most recent in overtime.
“It’s maddening,” said Quintois.
Over the years the Souderton mentor has been known as a defensive coach, which explains why his teams have always been in close games. They just don’t give up many goals. The worst loss of the season came last week in a 4-1 defeat to Pennridge.
“We’ve been in every game with the exception of Pennridge,” said Quintois. “We play hard. We were young last year. We’re young again this year. No one should feel sorry for us. We’ve been a real successful program and we don’t feel sorry for ourselves.”
One of the reasons for the Big Red’s hard luck has been a paucity of seniors the past two years. That will change next year, as Quintois will have 13, including three of this year’s captains.
“It’s really hard to win when you’re playing with young guys that aren’t sprinkled with a big senior class or some leadership behind them,” said the coach.
And Souderton has just been unable to finish its chances. The Indians have given up 27 goals, while scoring just 17. While giving up 27 goals may sound like a lot, it’s half of what they gave up last year.
In both games against Hatboro-Horsham, Central Bucks West and North Penn, Souderton was on the doorstep, but couldn’t open the door.
“We stay in games,” said Quintois. “It’s amazing they’ve hung in there and played as well as they have.”
Quintois and his players are taking some hope from a recent 4-0 win over Quakertown, a team they tied earlier in the season.
“That made us feel good,” he said. “We’re playing better.”
A 3-0 win over Central Bucks South in the final league game Thursday also highlighted the Indians’ progress.
And in non-league action, they tied West Chester East and defeated American Conference champion Upper Dublin.
The Indians are currently 3-12-2 overall and 2-11-1 in the SOL.
Next year Souderton will be looking to its core of younger players to step up, in
particular junior centerback Dan Meulners, junior AJ Androkites, sophomore Christian Benner, sophomore defender Gary Gulden, freshman keeper Dave Giannini, junior defender Dan Smith, center midfielder Kyle Nelson, and defensive center mid Scott Jablonski.
Benner, a small player, is getting more physical and stronger. He scored four goals this year. Gulden has played every game in the last two years and should be ready for prime time next year. Giannini is getting some minutes so he can play between the pipes for the next three years.
All of the Indians’ backfield will return, which will make them even harder to score on.
“We’re not proud of where we are,” said Quintois. “We’re disappointed. Our expectations are high. We have to figure a way to make this better, and I think we will. We have a good core of guys. The young guys will have a lot of experience going into next year.”
Around the league – In the final week of the season, Pennsbury clinched the National Conference title with a 6-3 win over Council Rock South, and Abington knocked off Council Rock North, 1-0, on a Greg Hill goal with 42 seconds left in overtime.
Hill then scored a pair of goals to give the Ghosts a 2-1 win over C.B. West in the last game of the regular season.
In the Continental Conference, Alex Abdalla gave Central Bucks East its second straight championship scoring the game-winning goal at Souderton in overtime. C.B. East, however, lost a showdown with Downingtown West 2-0. The two teams could likely meet again in the district playoffs.
A surging Pennridge defeated Hatboro-Horsham 1-0 on Kevin Darley’s goal with nine minutes left in regulation, and then beat up on neighborhood rival Souderton 4-1.
In the battle of the Central Bucks, C.B. South defeated West 2-1, and then West took East to overtime before losing 2-1. East ended its season against another sister school, having had to settle for a 1-1 overtime tie with South.
Souderton finished its league season on a high note, blanking C.B. South 3-0.
In the American Conference, Upper Dublin battled 13th ranked Upper Darby and, thanks to Ian Smith, tied the Royals 1-1.
SuburbanOneSports.com’s Top Five SOL teams
1. Pennsbury
2. Central Bucks East
3. Council Rock North
4. Abington
5. Neshaminy
Southeastern Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association
(Through Sunday)
1. Lower Merion. . . 13-1-1
2. Downingtown West. . . 13-1-0
3. Central Bucks East. . . 14-1-0
4. Father Judge. . . 13-1-1
5. Pennsbury. . . 12-3-1
6. Holy Ghost Prep. . . 13-2-2
7. North Catholic. . . 9-1-3
8. West Chester Henderson. . . 13-3-0
9. St. Joseph's Prep. . . 12-3-1
10. Archbishop Wood. . . 14-0-1
11. Strath Haven. . . 12-2-2
12. Council Rock North. . . 8-3-2
13. Upper Darby. . . 11-1-3
14. Haverford School. . . 7-1-1
15. Conestoga. . . 9-3-0
16. Washington. . . 9-0-1
17. Germantown Academy . . . 8-3-2
18. Abington. . . 10-5-1
19. Octorara. . . 12-2-1
20. Neshaminy. . . 8-5-2
Others receiving votes: Upper Dublin, Pennridge, Shipley, Bayard Rustin, Marple Newtown, Wissahickon, Lansdale Catholic, Pottsgrove, Christopher Dock, Bartram, La Salle, Central Bucks South.
PSCA/Angelo's Soccer Fall Poll 2008
(Week of Oct. 12)
1. Lower Merion (1) previous rank 1
2. Downingtown West (1) 2
3. Central Bucks East (1) 5
4. Redland (3) 3
5. Father Judge (12) 6
6. Warwick (3) 10
7. Nazareth (11) 7
8. Manheim Township (3) 8
9. Mt. Lebanon (7) 4
10. Bethlehem Freedom (11) HM
Honorable Mention: Abington (1), Council Rock North (1), Erie Cathedral Prep (10), Pennsbury (1), Penn Trafford (7), Red Lion (3), Upper Darby (1), Wyoming Valley West (2).
NSCAA/adidas® National Region III Rankings
(Oct. 14)
1. Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pa.) 12 - 1 - 1
2. St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) 11 - 1 - 0
3. Ramapo (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) 7 - 0 - 1
4. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 10 - 1 - 0
5. Downingtown West (Downingtown, Pa.) 14 - 1 - 0
6. The Pingry School (Martinsville, N.J.) 8 - 0 - 1
7. Rancocas Valley (Mt. Holly, N.J.) 10 - 0 - 1
8. Central Bucks East (Doylestown, Pa.) 14 - 1 - 0
9. Father Judge (Philadelphia, Pa.) 13 - 1 - 1
10. Warwick (Lebanon, Pa.) 15 - 2 - 1
11. Red Land (Lewisberry, Pa.) 16 - 2 - 0
12. Harrison (N.J.) 11 - 1 - 0
13. Columbia (Maplewood, N.J.) 10 - 1 - 0
14. Mount Lebanon (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 17 - 1 - 0
15. Nazareth (Nazareth, Pa.) 15 - 1 - 1
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