By Scott Huff
Plymouth-Whitemarsh coach Jim Donofrio is from the ‘old school’. And the successful Colonial coach learned his lessons from one of the best – legendary PW coach Henry ‘Hank’ Stofko.
“One of coach Stoko’s commandments was that all freshmen play freshmen basketball, all sophomores play on the junior varsity, all juniors play varsity to get ready to be starters when they get to be seniors,” remembered Donofrio.
Well the bell has rung on the ‘old school.’ The ‘new school’ not only has freshmen on the varsity roster, but many are major contributors.
Neshaminy has rebounded from a horrific 3-21 season last year to become a potential PIAA District One playoff team this year. And a huge part of the Redskin turnaround has come about to a pair of freshmen starters – Ryan Arcidiacono and Tyler Katz.
“It was pretty evident from the very beginning that both Ryan and Tyler were going to help us right away,” said Neshaminy coach Jerry Devine. “They were with us in the off season, and we worked together as a team over the summer.
“Both Ryan and Tyler came through our middle school program, and I got to hear a lot about them,” added Devine. “But these kids had a lot of experience playing AAU basketball and were very successful at that level.”
Arcidiacono – at 6-foot, 3-inches - is the Neshaminy point guard.
“Ryan is a complete player,” said Devine. “He averages around 17 points a game, can shoot the 3’s, and can also take it to the bucket. He has really improved on his decision making and has limited his turnovers.”
Katz – a 6-foot, 2 inch forward – has either started or is the first player off the bench for the Skins.
“Tyler is a slasher and gives us a lot of energy,” said Devine. “He can shoot the open jumper, and he does a good job of getting to the basket.
“Both Tyler and Ryan are coachable, likeable, kids,” continued Devine. “They have been a shot in the arm for our program.”
Arcidiacono and Katz now compete against a couple of teammates on their PA Playaz AAU team that finished sixth nationally. And those players are freshmen Arron Goodman and Aaron Morgan – both starters this season for Council Rock North.
“You really put a lot of thought into starting freshmen,” said Council Rock North head coach Derek Wright. “It’s not so much about talent – both Arron and Aaron have the talent – but it is the physical grind of a varsity season that you have some concern about.
“Both these kids are very young, but with their AAU experience they have played at a high level,” added Wright. “They play basketball all year, and there was very little question that they could compete on the varsity level.”
Goodman – a 6-foot, 3-inch forward – was a known quantity to coach Wright for years.
“Arron was in our gym, watching our practices, ever since he was eight or nine years old,” said Wright. “His dad had him at practices, and he would be shooting around on the side baskets.
“Arron, even as a freshman, may be our most consistent player,” continued Wright as Goodman has led the Indians in scoring the last few games. “He has tremendous ability.”
Morgan – a 5-foot, 8-inch point guard – directs the Rock North offense.
“There is certainly more pressure on Aaron being our point guard,” said Wright. “But he has handled it very well and shown that he can get the job done.
“I wanted to commit to playing both Arron and Aaron if I was going to keep them on the varsity,” continued Wright. “We have a great group of upperclassmen, and they have been very accepting of them as teammates.”
The resumes of Arcidiacono, Katz, Goodman, and Morgan made them known talents before this season. The same is not the case with Wissahickon frosh Jordan Reed.
“I saw Jordan play in a student-faculty game as an eighth grader,” said Wissahickon head coach Kyle Wilson. “I saw that he had great athleticism, but I really didn’t project him as a varsity player in ninth grade.
“He didn’t play with us at all over the summer, but when we had open gym in the fall, his talent was very obvious,” added Wilson. “This is my tenth season coaching at Wissahickon, and we never had a freshman play full time for us.”
Reed – a 6-foot, 3-inch forward – has proven without question to be a varsity player.
“Jordan shows great hustle, the ability to rebound, and a knack for scoring,” said Wilson. “We run very few plays for him, but he is very opportunistic and has scored his share of points.
“He always brings his best effort, and always seems to rise to the occasion,” continued Wilson. “And he is just a fun loving, light hearted kid.”
Donofrio wants everyone to know that any freshman playing on the varsity is really still a kid.
“There is a little psychology going on in playing a 14-year old kid on the varsity,” said Donofrio. “You want them to have time on the floor, but more importantly they need to have fun playing basketball.
“I have had some great players play as a freshman – like Billy Guess,” added Donofrio. “But he didn’t play until I talked with the athletic director and the parents.”
Donofrio had that talk this season about 6-foot, 4-inch frosh Damien Williams. Williams transferred to Plymouth Whitemarsh this year from Strawberry Mansion in Philadelphia.
“Damien has played AAU basketball and is very in tune with the game,” said Donofrio. “He is a very special young man both mentally and emotionally.
“Right now he comes off our bench, but he would start on almost any other team,” continued Donofrio. “He has all kinds of talent.”
And the talent pool – with Williams, Reed, Morgan, Goodman, Katz, and Arcidiacono – is very deep.
Suburban One National Conference
Pennsbury (14-2, 10-0) extended its win streak to nine games with conference wins over Bensalem [52-31], Council Rock South [70-55] and Abington [54-31]. PHS also defeated Bartram [60-51] in a non-league contest.
Senior Dalton Pepper scored 25, 26, 21, and 14 points respectively to lead the Falcons to victory in all four games.
The featured game of the week for Pennsbury will come on Saturday against Norristown at Villanova University. The Falcons will host conference games against William Tennent on Tuesday and Council Rock South on Thursday.
Bensalem (14-3, 7-2) made a huge statement as one of the top teams in the SOL when the Owls defeated Central Bucks West, 61-55. The Owls also beat Rock South [50-47 in overtime], and lost to Pennsbury [52-31].
Dyron Edwards has taken on the offensive load for Bensalem as he scored 16 points in the win over the Golden Hawks and added a 20-point outing in the big victory over CB West.
Bensalem will host a pair of conference games this week as the Owls entertain both Truman on Tuesday and Rock North on Friday.
Council Rock North (10-7, 6-3) extended its win streak to three games with conference wins over Truman [50-49] and William Tennent [53-43], along with a non-league win over Wissahickon [46-43].
The Indians were led to the wins by the fine play of senior Andrew Stress and freshman Arron Goodman. Stress led the team in scoring in the wins over Tennent (18) and Wissy (13), while Goodman was the top scorer against Truman (19).
Rock North will host Neshaminy on Tuesday in a key conference contest, and the Indians will close the week with another tough conference game at Bensalem.
Neshaminy (10-7, 6-4) extended its win streak to four games with conference victories over CR South [58-34] and Truman [57-50] and non-league wins over Bristol [58-46] and Pennridge [67-34].
The Redskins were led by seniors Justin Deeter and Paul Carrezola along with freshmen Ryan Arcidiacono and Tyler Katz.
Neshaminy has a pair of critical conference games this week as the Skins travel to CR North on Tuesday and William Tennent on Friday. Quakertown is a Wednesday non-league game.
Council Rock South (10-7, 5-5) had its bubble burst with a four-game losing streak last week. The Hawks entered the week with a seven-game win streak.
Rock South lost to Neshaminy [58-34], Bensalem [50-47] and Pennsbury [70-55] in conference action, and also dropped a non-league game to Central Bucks South [60-36].
CR South will host Abington on Tuesday and will travel to Pennsbury on Friday. Both are conference games.
Abington (6-11, 3-7) split its pair of conference games last week as the Ghosts defeated William Tennent [63-51] and lost to Pennsbury [54-31].
Abington had fine games turned in by Ken Johnson – who scored 18 against Tennent – and by Wesley Rines who scored a team-high 10 points against Pennsbury.
The Ghosts will travel to Council Rock South on Tuesday and will also be on the road on Friday when they meet Truman.
Truman (5-12, 2-8) had a rough week as the Tigers dropped three straight competitive games.
HST opened the week with a 50-49 conference loss to Council Rock North and followed with a 57-50 conference setback to Neshaminy. In a non-league game, the Tigers lost to Hatboro-Horsham 65-62.
Truman will attempt to rebound this week as the Tigers travel to Bensalem on Tuesday and will host Abington on Friday.
William Tennent (1-15, 0-10) extended its losing streak to 11 games with three losses last week.
The Panthers – despite a 22-point scoring effort by Eugene Bell – dropped a 53-43 game to CR North. WT also lost to Abington [63-51] and to Central Bucks East [62-47].
William Tennent will be hard pressed to break its streak this week as the Panthers travel to Pennsbury (14-2), host Neshaminy (10-7), and host Central Bucks South (15-2).
Suburban One Continental Conference
Central Bucks South (15-2, 9-1) now has the most wins of any team in the SOL as the Titans are on an impressive 14-game win streak.
South cruised to a pair of conference wins over Pennridge [58-32] and Hatboro-Horsham [63-48], and added a non-league win over CR South [60-36]. Will Barrett led the team in scoring in all three games with 16, 22, and 21 points respectively.
The Titans will host Souderton in a key conference game this Tuesday and will also host CB West in a critical game this Friday. South will travel to William Tennent in a non-league game to be played on Saturday.
Central Bucks West (14-3, 9-1) kept pace with CB South in the conference standings with a pair of wins.
West – behind the scoring of Patrick Furst and Rellis Reichwein – claimed victories over both Souderton [51-36] and Quakertown [54-43]. The Bucks did lose, however, to Bensalem [61-55] in a non-league game.
Central Bucks West will host North Penn on Tuesday before its huge showdown game with CB South, at South, on Friday.
Souderton (11-6, 7-3) remained in sole possession of third place in the conference as it split its pair of games last week.
The Indians opened the week with a disappointing home loss to CB West [51-36] and followed with a nice win over North Penn [58-41]. A.J. Picard took up the scoring load for the injured Jimmy Connolly with 15 and 17 points respectively.
Souderton will meet conference leading CB South on Tuesday and will finish the week with a home date with CB East.
Central Bucks East (10-6, 6-4) broke its six-game losing streak with a three-game win streak.
The Patriots won a pair of conference games with a win over both Quakertown [59-55] and Pennridge [54-40]. East also added a non-league win over William Tennent [62-47]. Tim McLaughlin, David Kiersnowski, and Brandon Boekel shared scoring honors.
CB East will play three away games this week as the Pats travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday, travel to Souderton on Friday, and will travel to Upper Dublin on Saturday.
North Penn (9-8, 4-6) had its four game win streak halted last week as the Knights split a pair of conference games.
North Penn won its fourth straight with an overtime victory over Hatboro-Horsham [54-50], but the streak was snapped when the Knights lost to Souderton [58-41]. Derek Brooks and Leonard Graham scored in double figures in the loss to Souderton.
The Knights will be on the road Tuesday at Central Bucks West and will also be on the road Friday when it travels to Quakertown.
Quakertown (8-9, 3-7) lost a couple of conference games last week to fall below .500 for the first time all season.
The Panthers lost to both Central Bucks East [59-55] and Central Bucks West [54-33]. Dalton Nice and Brett Roseboro played well in defeat.
Q-town will attempt to rebound with a trip to rival Pennridge on Tuesday and will follow with a home date with North Penn.
Hatboro-Horsham (6-11, 2-8) won one of three games last week.
The Hatters lost conference games to both North Penn [54-50 in overtime] and Central Bucks South [63-48]. H-H defeated Truman [65-62] behind the twin digit scoring of Mike Marvin (18), Dan Lineberger (14), Darrin Oliver (13), and Connor Poston (10).
Hatboro-Horsham will continue conference play this week as the Hatters host CB East on Tuesday and follow with a Friday away game at Pennridge.
Pennridge (1-16, 0-10) has now dropped 16 games in a row, including four last week.
The Rams dropped conference games to both Central Bucks South [58-32] and Central Bucks East [54-40]. PHS also lost non-league games to both St. Pius X [77-45] and Neshaminy [67-34]. Zech States, Dylan Tice, and Mike Guildin led the Rams in scoring.
Pennridge will host a pair of conference games this week. The Rams will meet Quakertown on Tuesday and follow with a date with Hatboro-Horsham on Friday.
Suburban One American Conference
Norristown (14-3, 10-0) had a very busy week as the Eagles remained unbeaten in the conference and ventured out of conference for a pair of tough non-league foes.
N-town took care of business in the conference with wins over both Upper Merion [68-46] and Springfield [57-16]. The Eagles lost to highly ranked Archbishop Carroll [68-56], and Khalif Wyatt scored 30 points to spark Norristown to a 67-66 road victory over a talented Parkland team.
The headline game of the week for the Eagles will come on Saturday when Norristown meets Pennsbury at Villanova University. The Eagles have a conference game on Tuesday as they host Wissahickon.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (14-3, 9-1) remained on the heels of first place Norristown with a pair of conference wins last week.
The Colonials were tested by Wissahickon but defeated the Trojans [49-42] behind an 11-point scoring effort by Jaylen Bond. Bond (13), C.J. Aiken (14), and Damien Williams (11) all scored in double figures as PW topped Upper Moreland [61-33].
Plymouth Whitemarsh will host Upper Dublin in a conference game on Tuesday and will play Holy Ghost Prep in a Saturday game at Villanova University.
Cheltenham (9-8, 8-2) kept a firm grasp on third place in the conference standings with a pair of conference wins last week.
The Panthers opened the week with a win over Upper Moreland [53-47] behind the 19-point effort of Christian Santos and an 18-point performance by Rob Mansell. CHS followed with a victory over Upper Merion [62-52]. The Panthers lost a non-league game to Imhoptep Charter [62-45].
Cheltenham will host Springfield in conference play on Tuesday and will travel to Wissahickon on Friday in another conference tilt.
Upper Dublin (6-11, 5-5) has put together a nice three-game win streak to move to the middle of the conference standings.
The Flying Cardinals won three conference games over Springfield [56-48], Upper Moreland [68-63 in double overtime), and Wissahickon [61-55]. Jamil Brown lit up the Trojans for a game-high 31 points.
Upper Dublin will visit Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday and travel to Upper Moreland on Friday in conference action. The Cards will host CB East in a non-league game on Saturday.
Wissahickon (9-9, 4-6) followed its three-game win streak with a three-game losing streak last week.
The Trojans dropped conference games to Plymouth Whitemarsh [49-42] and Upper Dublin [61-55]. Wissy closed the week with a non-league loss to CR North [46-43]. Frosh Jordan Reed led the Trojans in scoring against both UD (16) and Rock North (18).
Upper Merion (4-12, 3-7) struggled in a pair of conference setbacks last week.
The Vikings lost to first place Norristown [68-46] to open the week and closed the week against third place Cheltenham [62-52]. A trio of UM players scored in twin digits against the Panthers – Dexter Bridge (15), Fran Rafferty (13), and Pat Belford (13).
Upper Merion will host Upper Moreland on Tuesday in conference action, and the Vikings will host Springfield on Friday.
Upper Moreland (4-12, 1-9) is on a six-game losing streak, but the Golden Bears have been close in two of their last three games.
UM lost to Cheltenham [53-47] and Upper Dublin [68-63 in double overtime] in conference play. The Bears also lost a conference game to Plymouth Whitemarsh [61-33] as Royne Dennis scored 12 points.
Upper Moreland will be on the road to meet Upper Merion on Tuesday, while the Bears will host Upper Dublin on Friday.
Springfield (1-16, 0-10) is on a nine-game skid as the Spartans lost three games last week.
SHS lost a couple of conference games to Upper Dublin [56-48] and Norristown [57-16]. The Spartans received a 10-point effort from Kyron Greene in a 53-32 non-league loss to Pottsgrove.
Suburban One Sports.com Super Seven
1. Pennsbury Falcons (14-2)
2. Central Bucks South Titans (15-2)
3. Norristown Eagles (14-3)
4. Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials (14-3)
5. Bensalem Owls (14-3)
6. Central Bucks West Bucks (14-3)
7. Souderton Indians (11-6)
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