This year SuburbanOneSports.com is planning to post regular News-Notes articles with news about things happening in the SOL that might otherwise go unmentioned. The web site will be relying on schools/teams/coaches to provide the information, and all appropriate items of interest, including provided photos, will be posted on the site.
Quintois leaves behind legacy of success
A familiar face will be absent from the sidelines at Souderton soccer games this fall. After 14 years at the helm – seven as both the boys’ and girls’ coach, Tom Quintois has stepped down.
“I have had the honor and privilege of coaching for many years,” said Quintois, who is the school’s athletic director. “It’s in my blood and a passion I will continue in lesser capacities. I am thrilled to pass the Souderton torch to Matt Benner and have confidence that he will take us to new heights.”
Benner was an assistant coach at Souderton the past four years and also played under Quintois.
“I learned a great deal from Tom Quintois during the four years I spent on his staff,” Benner said. “Each year as my role grew, he gave me more opportunities to expand as a coach.
“Every year, I saw Tom get the most out of his players and assemble a team that has always challenged for a deep run in districts and strove to compete with the best in the state. Tom built a first class soccer program at Souderton with a culture of hard work and respect among its players. We will continue to push the program forward, and I look forward to the challenge of doing so.”
Quintois leaves some impressive accomplishments. He led his team to 10 league titles, one district crown and five state appearances, including last year’s memorable run to a third place finish in districts and a berth in the state tournament.
All told, Quintois has been on the sidelines 25 years, getting his start as the eighth grade coach at Cedarbrook Middle School in the Cheltenham School District before moving up to coach the high school’s varsity squad. His overall record is 352-121-51.
“I look forward to being more active and more of a presence in my family’s lives,” said Quintois, who is the father of two young children. “I want to thank my family, friends, coaches and my former players for the many years of support.”
New Faces at Three SOL Schools
Bensalem, Springfield and William Tennent all have new athletic directors this year. Tim Keddie, who is familiar to area soccer fans, was named the new AD at Tennent when Lou Pacchioli retired after 14 years in the position.
Keddie comes to Tennent from Council Rock South where he was a special education teacher since 2002 and also served as the Dean of Students during his last five years there. He also coached soccer in the district since 1998, coaching both the men’s and women’s teams. His teams won numerous league titles, three district titles and one state championship.
“I believe my collective experiences with the Council Rock School District have provided me with an excellent background to join the Centennial family,” Keddie said. “The students, staff and administration have welcomed me with open arms, and I look forward to growing with them on the fields of competition and in the classroom.
“It’s a first class organization with great people, and I consider myself lucky to be part of their community.”
Keddie resides in Sellersville with his wife Pam and two children, Elizabeth (12) and Sophia (9).
After four years of teaching in the Springfield School District, most recently eighth grade World History in the middle school, Jason Pane was named the school’s athletic director. He also serves as an assistant principal.
“My love for the school community will only be enhanced with this new role as assistant principal and athletic director,” Pane said. “I’m excited and eager for this school year to begin.”
Pane is a graduate of North Penn High School as well as Millersville University, University of Phoenix and Arcadia University. All told, he taught for 12 years in multiple grade levels and content areas. He has coached basketball for two seasons and football for 14, coaching the defensive backs for Catawba College, La Salle University and Delaware Valley College.
At Bensalem, Geoffrey Per takes over the position held by Valerie Ridge, who is now working in another capacity in the district. Last March, he was promoted to 11th grade Assistant Principal, and more recently, he was named athletic director after teaching social studies at Bensalem High School for 10 years. He has coached boys’ basketball for the last 12 years. Per is married to his wife of nine years Beth, and they have four children, Taylor (6), Ryan (4), Alex (2) and Kylie (1).
Bensalem Field Hockey Having Fun in the Sun
The Bensalem field hockey program has struggled to generate numbers. In an attempt to reverse that trend, coach Amanda Tu decided to change things up this year. On Wednesday, the Owls’ coach as well as two assistants, a trainer and 12 players flew to Florida where the team is attending a camp put on by KSA Events at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
“I’ve always wanted them to go to camps in the summer, and they never really do,” Tu said. “We’d rather they go as a team, so they learn to play as a team during the camp. We decided to go down to build up our program.
“This is a great opportunity for the younger girls to see that we go to Disney. They can plan it a year in advance because they know it could happen every year or once every two years. It’s an incentive for the younger girls, and it’s really just team bonding for them. They can do well individually, but they have to learn to play as a team. They did that today in our game.”
The Owls will play three games and attend clinics during their trip. They played their first game on Thursday, defeating a team from New York 6-1.
“It’s awesome,” Tu said. “The girls are loving it. It’s a great experience.
“It’s just a great opportunity. For some of them, it’s the first time they’ve traveled out of Pennsylvania. Not only are they getting a field hockey experience, but they’re getting a life experience, learning how to be with a group of girls and learning how to deal with issues together. It makes them actually play better. We were really proud of them today. They really looked awesome.
“We came into the preseason with no goalie, and we had a sophomore (Stevi Cutler) step up two weeks ago, and she’s been amazing.”
According to Morgan Buechner, the trip to Florida is the perfect way to open the season.
“It’s actually the most amazing experience to be able to start my senior year in Disney and be with all my best friends playing a sport I love,” she said. “It’s just great, especially because we won today. We started off with a bang, and it’s just awesome.
“This will give us experience and bonding because for the past couple of years we haven’t had great seasons. The league we’re in is extremely competitive, and this gives us a boost of confidence to start off with a great time and playing field hockey against teams from other states that don’t know us.”
The team will return home on Sunday night prepared to start the 2013 season.
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