Cheltenham will try to win the program’s first state championship when the Panthers face Archbishop Wood in Friday’s PIAA 5A title game at HersheyPark Stadium (7 p.m.).
Team, tempo, title.
That was Ryan Nase’s mantra when he took over the helm of the Cheltenham football program prior to the 2017 season.
“He came in and he’s been saying the same three words from the (beginning),” senior quarterback Adonis Hunter said. “He came in with a plan for all of us to follow and trust the process. Those are the three words that we follow.”
The team part came first, and the players – despite a 2-8 record in year one of the Nase regime – say they felt an immediate connection with their new coach.
“It was just how comfortable he was talking to me when I first came,” senior Jamir Barnes said. “When I first met him, we just made that bond, and he came to me as a cool guy.
“He told me he had played college football, and he’s very known in the area to coaches, so I always had faith in him as a coach and knowing the game. I always knew that no matter the outcome of our season the first year – I knew it would get better over time.”
“I don’t remember our first conversation,” senior TJ Harris said. “But what I remember – it was always cool. I could always talk to him about anything, and he could talk to me. He was just down to earth.”
Nase – who played football at Father Judge and later at Lafayette - would be the first to admit he’s not your typical high school football coach. He was just 32 when he took over the helm – relatively young by head coach standards, but that was not the defining difference.
Nase explains it best.
“I bring – especially on Friday nights – a passion that borderlines on insanity,” the Panthers’ coach said. “I’m aware of that, but it’s my personality, and it’s why I’ve been successful as a player, person and coach, and it’s why these guys are successful because they bring the same thing to games.
“They know I’m going to be the first one to yell at them, but they know I’m going to be the first one to hug them and love them up. There’s no question I’m tough to deal with at times and extremely hard to deal with on Friday nights, but that’s the Friday night me. They know the Saturday through Thursday me too, and that’s what has allowed us to be so good.”
Nase developed a bond with his team and made believers out of the players who would be the foundation of the program. The Panthers were 8-4 in year two of his regime, advancing to the second round of the District One 5A playoffs where they were defeated by Upper Dublin (27-0).
This year – the Panthers began accumulating titles, eclipsing even their own expectations. They won the SOL American Conference title and the program’s first ever District One 5A championship. On Friday night, the Panthers will go for the trifecta – a PIAA 5A state title – when they take on Archbishop Wood.
Hunter points to the Panthers’ 35-21 win over Unionville in the second round of the district tournament as a defining moment in the season.
“Our goal was just to get past where we were last year,” Hunter said. “We wanted to win the league, which we did, and we wanted to get past the second round of districts and see what happened after that.”
What happened after that is the stuff dreams are made of as the Panthers went on to win their program’s first district title with a you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it 43-42 win over Academy Park in a game that saw the two teams combine for 22 points in the final two minutes.
For an encore, Cheltenham defeated District 3 champion Cocalico 56-49 at HersheyPark Stadium in a wild state semifinal, setting the stage for Friday night’s showdown with Wood.
At the heart of this year’s squad are 14 seniors.
“We knew coming in how talented the group was and how deep it is,” Nase said. “Obviously, TJ, Jamir, Nate (Edwards) and Adonis get a ton of attention, but Sidiqq Williams does a ton of things for them. Because they’re so versatile and athletic, we move them around a lot, so Sidiqq is another guy we move around to lurk in the shadows and do all the dirty work. He’s a guy that’s going to be extremely hard to replace.”
In last Friday night’s state semifinal win over Cocalico, Brendan Canally was back in the lineup on the offensive line for the first time since the season opener against Council Rock South on Aug. 23.
“He is coming back from a torn MCL, and that was the first game we played all season with the five guys who were penciled in to be our starting offensive line at the beginning of the year,” Nase said. “Jon-Marc Foreman is our Swiss army knife, who is a good pass threat but blocks when he needs to as well and has played really well on defense at times.”
The Panthers’ success didn’t just happen. Things have changed.
“Definitely the work ethic - it was different than other years,” Barnes said. “We came with more energy in the weight room.
“Back when we started in December, we were working hard. We always knew we would go far but never this far.”
The players not only share a bond with their coach but also with each other.
“We are very close,” Harris said. “We all had the vision since our 10th grade year that we were going to be here.”
They also know their days as teammates are coming to an end.
“As the days go by, no matter what happens, this is the last week for us seniors,” Hunter said. “We need to stay in the moment. We definitely want to go out with a bang.”
The football team has captured the imagination of not only the school but the entire community and beyond.
“Everybody inside the community knew how great it was, but now I think some of the people outside the community are starting to see some of the great things that Cheltenham kids do on a daily basis that don’t always get the attention they deserve,” Nase said.
On Friday night, with the PCN television cameras rolling, Cheltenham will play on the biggest high school stage. According to the players, this is as good as it gets.
“We went from 2-8 to a chance at a state title,” Barnes said.
“It’s definitely crazy to look back to where we came from and where we are right now,” Hunter said. “I told my dad the other day – it’s hard to think about how crazy it is right now, but I’m sure when the season’s over and we look back, it’s going to be even crazier to think about.”
Hunter a natural leader at QB – Adonis Hunter has a long history of playing quarterback. The Cheltenham senior has been lining up behind center since he was in fifth grade.
“My dad was my first teacher, and ever since then I’ve been playing quarterback,” he said.
Hunter’s dad apparently was a very good teacher. The senior QB has thrown for a school record 2,129 yards and 26 touchdowns with one game remaining.
“I think the biggest things when people talk about quarterbacks – you’re looking for that leadership and that guy who has that little bit of stuff about him,” coach Ryan Nase said. “Adonis is that kid. When he walks around the hallway, people know who Adonis Hunter is. That’s his personality.
“He’s a tough kid, he’s vocal – sometimes more than I’d like him to be, but he’s got that natural swagger about him. He’s got that quarterback personality in him naturally which has been extremely helpful.”
Hunter averages 19.2 yards per pass completion. To put that number in perspective, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz averages 6.5 yards a completion. The senior QB credits his receivers for that impressive number. TJ Harris has 39 receptions for 714 yards and 10 touchdowns while Nate Edwards had 24 receptions for 561 yards and nine TDs.
“They’re the best in the area, the best in the state,” Hunter said. “I always say to my quarterback coach – ‘We just gotta get them the ball, get them the ball.’ Anything can happen after that.
“It doesn’t have to be a 50-yard bomb pass. It could be a one-yard screen pass and go for a touchdown. In the paper, it’s going to say 65 yards. They can make plays, no matter what type of play it is.”
According to Nase, Hunter has a high football IQ.
“People don’t realize how smart he is – he’s a 1330 SAT score,” the Panthers’ coach said. “He puts us in the right position all the time when it comes to plays. That’s the piece a lot of people don’t get to know or see about him.
“I’ve joked with him multiple times – he should be a lawyer. He loves to argue, and he’s not afraid to go after you if he needs to, which honestly is me.”
Battle of neighboring schools – When the Panthers line up against the Vikings on Friday night at HersheyPark Stadium, it will – in some cases – pit friend against friend. Jamir Barnes and TJ Harris spent their freshman year at Archbishop Wood before returning to Cheltenham as sophomores. Both still have good friends on the Wood squad.
“I stay in touch with my friends from Wood on social media,” Barnes said, noting that the exchanges heading into Friday’s showdown have been friendly. “Just good luck, hoping for a good game, an injury-free game.”
“It’s more motivation because we played with them and now we’re playing against them,” Harris said.
The familiarity doesn’t end with the players.
“Like them, I have a ton of Wood connections with my wife (Katie) being a Wood alum,” coach Ryan Nase said. “She was a teacher on staff there, so I have a lot of connections there.
“I’ve established relationships with a lot of their coaches like (basketball coach) John Mosco, (baseball coach) Jim DiGuiseppe, (girls’ basketball coach) Mike McDonald and I’ve know (former football coach) Steve Devlin forever. We’re from the same neighborhood in Northeast Philly.
“To me, it’s fitting that we’re playing Wood. I know there’s a lot of talk about separate state championships between boundary and non-boundary kids. I know for me and our kids there’s nobody else – if we’re able to get this done – that we would want to beat more than Archbishop Wood. If you want to claim to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, and at the 5A level, it’s pretty hard to argue that anyone’s better than Archbishop Wood over the past 5-10 years.
The Vikings have won five state titles in the last eight years, and according to Nase, the key for the Panthers will be their ability to stop the run.
“It’s obvious we’ve struggled to do that recently, particularly the last two games,” the Panthers’ coach said. “Kaelin Costello had a monster game last week, so we need to stop the run and not turn the ball over because they are very good and very complicated defensively. We are not going to score 56 points this week. We need to protect the ball and take advantage of every opportunity we do have to make big plays when they’re there and commit to stopping the run.”
The Panthers played Cocalico at HersheyPark Stadium last Friday. Is that an advantage?
“No, we could play anywhere,” Harris said.
The two teams will do battle on Friday at 7 p.m. Cheltenham (13-1) brings an 11-game winning streak into the game. Wood has won six straight.
“The key is definitely playing well defensively and keeping our emotions in check,” Hunter said. “It’s a big stage, but we’ve been on some big stages so far this season, so definitely just staying in the moment and playing our game, doing what we know how to do best.”
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