It's never been too awfully difficult to figure out who's who in Pioneer Athletic Conference football. Old-fashioned research - like checking team rosters from the previous year to see who's coming back and who isn't, a few off-the-record (of course) chats with coaches and players, and peeking in on summer practices as well as a scrimmage here and there - more often than not separates the good from the, dare we say it, not so good.

This season?

Let's see, put 'em all in alphabetical order - Boyertown, Methacton, Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley, Phoenixville, Pottsgrove, Pottstown, St. Pius X, Spring-Ford and Upper Perkiomen. Reverse the order if you'd like. Scribble the names of all those teams on a slip of paper, them into a hat, give it a flip-flop, and empty 'em on the kitchen table.

Go ahead.

Just don't dare claim to have an answer as to who is going to be on top of the standings when the show ends around noon Thanksgiving Day.

Quite simply, the 23rd season of PAC-10 football kicks off this evening with more uncertainty than any before it.

All that research, at least a few months of it, hasn't revealed any clues. And as ridiculous as it may sound, coaches - a good number of them at least - have mentioned upwards of seven teams they personally feel are capable of winning the title. Most admitted their respective scrimmages were up-and-down (inconsistent, or good and bad, as some mumbled). And after two weeks of non-league tests, no one is exactly gushing over their preseason report cards.

A few fanatics from around the football neighborhood have already put their collective feet over the chin strap, under the facemask and squarely into their mouths by claiming this could be a bad season for the PAC-10.

But, in all likelihood, because of the uncertainty - or dare we say parity - it may very well unfold as one of the best.

The opening-night card isn't going to tilt this season's seemingly level playing field, mind you. Not yet, at least. And it isn't going to reveal any unconquerable, goliath-like lineup(s), either. One week, or one game, a season doesn't make.

But it sure is a good one. Five games, five legitimate toss-ups ... and most of them have their own interesting storylines.

The headliner, if there is indeed one, is Methacton's visit to Boyertown. The Warriors are making their Pioneer Athletic Conference football debut and, naturally, would like to make a good first impression. The Bears are thinking otherwise, of course. They'd like nothing more than to end an eight-game losing streak that dates back to last season, give new head coach Mark Scisly his first win, and give the Warriors a loss to dwell on during the long bus ride back to Fairview Village.

Phoenixville and Pottsgrove will both attempt to right their respective ships after splitting their two non-league games. Each team has a potential Player of the Year, the Phantoms with Anthony Nattle and the Falcons with Terrell Chestnut, both of whom strut their stuff on both sides of the ball. And even though it doesn't play into anything, keep the number 550 in mind - this is the 550th game in the history of Pottsgrove's program, and Phoenixville is looking for the 550th win in the history of its storied program.

St. Pius X will take a short hike over to Pottstown and, for the first time in five years, look for a win in its PAC-10 opener. George Parkinson, the first head coach with three consecutive seasons on the Lions' sidelines since Dave Bodolus (1995-2001), and the Lions had last week off. But don't think they lost any of the enthusiasm or confidence from their impressive opening-night shutout of Simon Gratz down in Philadelphia. The Trojans, meanwhile, are expected to be a little healthier than they were against both Blue Mountain and Upper Dublin. And they also have Kenny Baker, another genuine Player of the Year candidate, who can break a game wide open all by himself with his quickness and speed.

Spring-Ford and Perkiomen Valley meet in Graterford to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a series that has become as good a rivalry as there is locally. It's also a series that has gone in reverse since Spring-Ford dominated the early meetings (by taking seven of its first eight PAC-10 wins by shutouts and four more in consecutive seasons - 1990-93). Perkiomen Valley has won eight of the last nine meetings, though. Both struggled the past two weeks, but both have two of the area's top quarterbacks. The Rams have Trevor Sasek, who is threatening to rewrite the school's record book, and the Vikings have Zach Zulli, who is threatening to rewrite the school's and area's record books.

And the final entry on the PAC-10 card has Upper Perkiomen at Owen J. Roberts, perhaps the two teams with as much to prove as anyone tonight. The Indians were nearly flawless in a rout of Allentown Allen and totally outplayed at Downingtown West. OJR got burnt by big plays against Downingtown West, then came up with their own to singe West Chester East. Indians head coach Keith Leamer hasn't lost any of his five games against OJR, but will have to deal with two of the league's best linemen in the Wildcats' Sam Morgan and Nelson Munoz and two of the league's most promising underclassmen in Ryan Brumfield and Scott Syrek.

MORE, MORE, MORE

Daniel Boone, the area's only 2-0 team, is at home tonight for the first time this season and entertains Columbia - a team that gave up 576 yards and 61 points in a loss to York Suburban last weekend. If that trend continues, the stat-fanats may need a calculator to add up Nate Greene's yardage on the ground and quarterback Jon Monteiro's yardage through the air.

Perkiomen School finally kicks off its season tonight at Tower Hill down in Wilmington, Del. Head coach Kevin Manferdini can ill afford any injuries this season because of lower numbers in camp. He has two promising senior guards in Eric Pfeiffer and Robert Faraco, who'll lead a charge up front for Abdul Smith, who has already committed to Rutgers University and is, without doubt, as good a candidate for Player of the Year honors as anyone.

SUNDAY SPECIAL

The Hill School will be the area's last team to step onto the field this season. The Blues' scheduled matinee for today against visiting Germantown Academy was pushed back to noon Sunday. The change was agreed upon by both schools after GA's opener with Cardinal Dougherty got washed out Saturday night and, because of scheduling conflicts, was pushed back to Monday afternoon.

See Sunday's edition of The Mercury for a preview of the Blues' opener.

DISTRICT FEATURES

Three big games on the District 1 docket tonight feature Pennsbury (2-0) at Glen Mills (2-0) and Strath Haven (1-1) at Conestoga (2-0), while the showcase event is St. Joseph's Prep (2-0) visiting North Penn (2-0). The teams are ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the state's AAAA division. There are a couple more interesting matchups on Saturday, too, with Quakertown (2-0) visiting Cheltenham (2-0) and Henderson (2-0) traveling to Malvern Prep (1-0).

AROUND THE STATE

West Wayne ended the state's longest active losing streak at 41 games last weekend with a 21-6 win over Susquehanna Community. The Wildcats, who compete in the District 2-Class AAA bracket, hadn't won a game since Nov. 7, 2003. Going into tonight's games, Montgomery (District 4-A) and Allegheny-Clarion Valley (District 9-AA) own the state's longest active losing streak at 24. ... On the flip side, defending Class AA state champion Jeannette (District 7), which has swept 18 straight games, boasts the longest active winning streak in Pennsylvania. District 6-AA power Tyrone has won 34 consecutive regular-season games since a narrow 7-6 setback to Phillipsburg-Osceola four years ago.

CELEBRITY GAME

There were a few famous faces in the stands last week when Oaks Christian put a 35-7 thumping on Bakersfield Christian out in California. Former San Francisco 49er quarterback and Hall of Famer Joe Montana was there to watch his son, Oaks Christian quarterback Nick Montana. Seated nearby was NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Getzky and Hollywood star Will Smith, both keeping an eye on their sons who play for OC as well. On the other side of the field, former No. 1 NFL draft pick and journeyman quarterback David Carr was watching his son, Derek Carr, who was calling the signals for Bakersfield Christian.

Originally published in the Sept. 5 edition of The Mercury

Keith Leamer doesn't have to be reminded the first two chapters of Upper Perkiomen's football season read like a fable featuring David and Goliath with Indians in the middle ... his Indians, that is.

The veteran head coach and Indians opened last week against Allentown Allen, a program that has won just one of its last 21 games and is desperately seeking an end to those woeful ways with its third different coach in three seasons. Tonight, its Downingtown West, a program that the last two seasons has won 20 of 24 games, made back-to-back appearances in the District 1-AAAA playoffs, and has been quite content (and successful) since head coach Mike Milano arrived six years ago.

"There's a difference, obviously," Leamer said before Thursday's final tune-up for tonight's final preseason tune-up. "Allentown Allen has some great athletes, but those kids are on their third coach in three years and trying to find some direction.

"Downingtown West is a well-established program, such a well-coached team with so many great athletes. They're definitely a big step up for us, and they'll be a measuring stick for us as we get ready (for the Pioneer Athletic Conference season)."

The Indians are quite familiar with the Whippets, if not a bit rambunctious to get into it again with their hosts. Last year, they led for most if not all of the first three quarters before a late rally enabled the Whippets to survive a 37-28 thriller.

Leamer and his staff got another glimpse of them earlier this summer in a scrimmage, then spent a good part of this week watching film of their wild 47-21 win over Owen J. Roberts last Friday.

"They have a new quarterback (Brett Gillespie), but he's much more athletic than the young man they had last year, who was very good, too, by the way," Leamer said. "But (Gillespie) adds another dimension to their attack. He can throw, but he can also run. He can take it to the house at any time. He's scary. And they also have that tough running back (Jared Heller), who is a big key to their offense."

Gillespie was impressive in his varsity debut, hitting 8 of 13 passes for 215 yards and a score. Heller, well, there wasn't much he didn't do - running for 51 yards and two touchdowns, catching five passes for 151 yards and another score, and returning a kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown.

Tackle Jawad Majeed and ends Nick Hale and Nick Edmonson, who has moved up from linebacker since last year, will lead a, Upper Perkiomen defense determined to put the pressure on Gillespie and put the clamps on Heller. The secondary, which features Mark Cole, Kenny Golden, Britt Kerr and Andrew Orlick, will be looking to track down the passes Gillespie does get off. And smack in the middle of them is Chase Fleming, unquestionably talented enough to become one of the area's best linebackers.

"Downingtown West is so physical, a team that just wears you down," Leamer said. "That's what happened last year ... we were right there for three quarters before they took over in the fourth (quarter) and beat us. But we feel we're a little stronger and a little faster than last year."

The Indians sure looked it last week.

That may have come as a surprise to some, but not to Leamer.

"A lot of people forget that because injuries to so many of our seniors last year we were forced to play a lot of underclassmen," he explained. "Combine that with some of the big guys up front and others who stepped up..."

Yes, the run game was in order last week, generating 188 yards between Shawn Wenhold, Ryan Connor and Jeff Randall, and there was nothing wrong with the passing game with Tom Paul completing half of his 18 attempts for 188 yards and two scores. Producing 462 yards and allowing only 160, while creating three turnovers, isn't a bad start.

The offense will get a significantly bigger test tonight against the Whippets, who are led by linebackers Ryan Kendra and Even Trexler.

"We're still looking for that consistency," Leamer said. "We had so many mistakes, like the penalties (11 for 90 yards) and dropped passes. We want to eliminate them, be more consistent. That's what we're looking for.

"You always look for improvement. We could play the perfect game, but the kids know that's not good enough for me. I'll raise the bar on them. You just can't be satisfied with any practice or with any game. You have to continue to improve so when you get into those big games down the road and late into the season you're ready for them."

AHEAD OF THE STORM

Methacton officials have moved Saturday's non-league game with Kennedy-Kenrick up to this afternoon (4:00) because of a weather forecast calling for heavy winds and rain from Hurricane Hanna.

TURNING IT AROUND

Pioneer Athletic Conference teams are hoping to reverse last week's humbling 3-7 mark, including a winless 0-5 showing against District 1 rivals. Two of the three victories, incidentally, were against a pair of teams from District 3 and 11 that were a combined 0-20 a year ago.

NO ODDS, JUST 100 TO 1

Boyertown rookie head coach Mark Scisly is looking for his first win tonight. On the other sideline, Governor Mifflin's Mark Veechio, in his 18th season with the Mustangs' program, is looking for his 100th career win.

REAL PHANTOMS

It's been a while since Rich Gould and Greg Bamberger were strolling the hallways or playing sports at Phoenixville High School, but both are doing their part to keep other athletic programs going.

Gould, who starred in cross country, basketball and track and has spent a good number of his 27 years at Upper Moreland High School coaching football, basketball and track, was named the school's athletic director early this summer. Gould's late father was a well-known and very respected football and basketball official.

Bamberger, who starred in football at Phoenixville and a three-year starter at Duke, last month began his third year as the director of athletics at Kutztown University. Bamberger was an assistant football coach at Virginia Military Institute, Southeast Missouri State and Glenville State (W.Va.) prior to arriving at Kutztown, where he helped the Golden Bears win the prestigious 2005-06 Dixon Trophy - awarded to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's top athletic department.

GETTING THERE

The only area teams who have yet to kick off their seasons - The Hill School and Perkiomen School - will finally get on the field next Friday afternoon. Perkiomen travels to Tower Hill (Del.) and Hill hosts Germantown Academy in a pair of matinees scheduled to get under way at 3:45 and 4 p.m., respectively.

LOOKIN' AROUND

A peek at some of the big games around District 1 and throughout the state:

District 1: Lansdale Catholic and North Penn square off tonight for the first time in seven years. The two longtime Thanksgiving Day rivals haven't met since because of their success in the postseason. North Penn, now No. 3 in the state's Class AAAA rankings. owns a 17-4 lead in the series. The Crusaders, who haven't beaten the Knights on the football field since a 25-0 shutout back in 1988. ... Garnet Valley, the Class AAA state runner-up a year ago and ranked No. 9 in the state, visits Penncrest, which opened with a very impressive shutout of Strath Haven.

State: In AAAA, Liberty visits No. 4 Parkland, two the state's top teams who dropped their openers last week, in a District 11 showdown; and No. 5 Penn Hills, which lost 45-17 to No. 1 Gateway last week, hosts a very good Bethel Park out in District 7. ... In AAA, District 10's Erie Cathedral Prep, which fell to No. 5 after losing to crosstown McDowell (No. 10 in the AAAA rankings), travels to St. Joseph's Prep in Cleveland; and No. 10 Manheim Central visits potential AAAA breakthrough Wilson up in West Lawn in a District 3 feature. ... In AA, two ranked teams face off against highly touted rivals - No. 7 Trinity hosts Delone Catholic in District 3 and No. 10 Tyrone visits Huntingdon in District 6. ... And in Class A, No. 4 Southern Columbia, which saw its streak of five straight state titles end a year ago, looks to go 2-0 at Montoursville up in District 4; No. 6 Clairton travels to No. 10 Monessen out in District 7; and No. 7 Schuylkill Haven, with Zach Barket (311 yards and five touchdowns last week), visits Marian Catholic up in District 11.