This column originally was published in the Oct. 30 edition.

LOWER POTTSGROVE — Football coaches are a creative bunch with all their X’s and O’s, lines going this way and that way, and a note or two scribbled under all of them in their playbooks and up on the chalkboard.

A lot of the fellas in the Pioneer Athletic Conference have been doing their share of doodling the past year and a half, desperately seeking a design that will baffle and bamboozle – and beat, obviously – Pottsgrove.

But so far this year, or if you care to go back to the end of the 2007 season, the Falcons have been able to solve every one of them (even some ingenious ones). If you’re counting, their ability to read all those schemes, and read them extremely well, have already translated into one PAC-10 championship, and unless Upper Perkiomen’s Keith Leamer comes up with a successful sketch tonight (and Phoenixville’s Bill Furlong can duplicate it next week), the Falcons will be on their way to no worse than a tie for a second straight championship.

“(Pottsgrove) is just a tremendous football team,” Leamer said earlier this week. “Offensively, they have Division I talent all over the field. They can score at any time. Defensively, they’re awesome. They have that great speed that swarms to the football.”

Leamer isn’t putting the unbeaten Falcons up on the proverbial pedestal, hoping they’ll get caught up in all the flattering remarks and come out flatter than they have in a long, long time. Others before him have tried that. It doesn’t work.

Not with head coach Rick Pennypacker continually reminding his team they’re only as good as the next snap they take or the next tackle they make, and that everyone – including Upper Perkiomen – has just enough quality personnel of its own to create some chaos and the added incentive of taking the bark and bite out of the top dog when they line up against the Falcons.

“Last year was last year, and this year … we haven’t won anything yet,” Pennypacker said. “And we told the kids in the beginning of the season that they’d have that target on their backs (as defending champions).”

Zeroing in on that target hasn’t been easy, though. As Leamer said, the Falcons are loaded on both sides of the ball.

Terrell Chestnut has matured into a very intelligent quarterback. His knack to make the right reads – and hand off to Maika Polamalu, Kayvon Greene and Preston Hamlette – and his ability to go east and west as well as north and south himself can and has left opposing defenses dizzy. The foursome has found a lot of open spaces because of the work up front from center Dan Foust, guards Eric Bonenberger and Eric Moran, tackles Scott Bonenberger and Chris Nester, and tight end Scott Madl.

The Indians will counter with their 5-2 defense, featuring ends Nick Hale and Nate Pompei, tackles Dwyan Gillespie and Dan Wolfrom, and nose guard Colby Stichter up front; linebackers Chase Fleming and either Jody Peart or Dalton Fleming in the middle; and corners Mark Cole and Tyler Moser and safeties Andrew Orlick and Dan Rotenberger in the secondary.

It’s a defense that has permitted only two opponents more than two touchdowns in a game this season, but those are the two games the Indians came up short in.

“Defensively we have to play assignment football, and tackle, tackle, tackle,” Leamer said of tonight’s imposing challenge against a team that averages an area-high 35.6 points a game. “We also have to create turnovers. I definitely feel this game will come down to turnovers.”

The Indians not only have to play turnover-free football, but possession-football … string together time-consuming drives, and get into the end zone with them.

Those responsibilities lie heavily on the shoulders of Hale at tight end, Gillespie and Michael Paul at the tackle slots, Steve Grover and Alex Zukowski at the guard positions, and Jake Nyce at center. With time to throw, quarterback Casey Perlstein (739 yards and six touchdowns) can keep a defense very honest. And with room to run, backs Chase Fleming, Cole and Asomchim Akpunonu (a combined 1,200 yards and 20 touchdowns) can easily find the goal line.

“Gillespie, Perlstein and (Chase) Fleming are really tough match-ups, and Akpunonu is a big weapon for them, too,” Pennypacker said. “They’re very physical.”

So are the Falcons, who can huff, puff and blow away opponents’ run games. Ends Justin Oliveri and Polamalu, tackles Tyler Wysochanski and Green, and nose guard T.J. Demetrio, along with linebackers Brad Thornton and Hamlette, are surrendering an average of just over 110 yards a game on the ground. And the secondary, which features Angelo Berry, Chestnut, Madl and Isaiah Quick – arguably as good a foursome as any in the PAC-10 – can deflate an opponents’ passing hopes.

“Upper Perkiomen is a big challenge for us,” Pennypacker said. “They have a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball, and they’re well-coached. We’ll have to play our best game.”

So will the Indians.

“This is a great opportunity … playing a tremendous football team,” Leamer said. “We’ll have to play our best game.”

Neither was kidding.

* * *

Upper Perkiomen is 4-2 (6-2) after last week’s 21-12 decision of Phoenixville, while Pottsgrove is 6-0 (8-0) after its 41-6 rout of Methacton. … Pottsgrove, which has won the last two meetings, leads the PAC-10 and overall series, 14-9. … The winner in six of the last Indians-Falcons meetings have put up 40 or more points. … Leamer said Wolfrom may have to double on the offensive line if Grover hasn’t recovered from an injury. … The Falcons were hit with the flu bug earlier in the week and Madl was questionable as of Thursday. “We’re hoping our kids are healthy (by tonight), or we may have to go with a patch-work team.” … Polamalu needs 81 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season.

AROUND THE PAC

Owen J. Roberts (5-1, 7-1) visits Boyertown (3-3, 4-4) tonight in a game the Wildcats need to remain no worse than a game behind Pottsgrove in the PAC-10 standings and also to remain in the upper-half of the District 1-AAA playoff points standings. OJR’s Ryan Brumfield is the area’s runaway leader in rushing (1,529 yards) and scoring (158 points). … Phoenixville and Pottstown meet tonight for the 97th time, the area’s longest-running public school series. … And Perkiomen Valley hosts Spring-Ford, looking to even the overall series at 13-13. The Vikings once trailed the Rams, 10-2, with one of those victories a forfeit due to a teachers’ strike.

SATURDAY SPECIALS

St. Pius X lines up against Methacton in its next-to-last game in Mich Stadium. The Lions are on the road for their next two games before closing the book on its storied program Thanksgiving morning against Pottsgrove. ... The Hill School was supposed to resume its Mid-Atlantic Prep League schedule Saturday against defending champion Blair Academy. However, Blair was forced to forfeit the game due to an alarming number of injuries that left the Bucs with very few varsity players. The forfeit improves the Rams’ record to 3-0 (5-1 overall), which they hope to improve on against Valley Forge Military, which will fill the scheduling void Saturday. Hill’s Dante Ashteimer (803 yards) is closing in on the 1,000-yard mark, and head coach Marty Vollmuth hopes to have Jack Detmer calling the signals for the first time since an injury sidelined him three weeks ago.

HITTING THE STATS

Brumfield goes into tonight’s game at Boyertown situated third in rushing yardage and sixth in both total offense and scoring on The Mercury’s career charts. … Chestnut needs 57 yards to reach the 3,000-yard mark in career total offense. … Chestnut and Polamalu both have 228 career points going into the Upper Perkiomen game tonight.

This column first appeared in the Sept. 26 edition of The Mercury.

Mark Scisly sure has enjoyed the last two weekends. First, he helped end Boyertown’s football woes, namely an eight-game losing streak that stretched all the way back to last season, and got his first win along with it. Then he started another streak, going the other way that is, by winning again.

All of a sudden, Scisly — Boyertown’s rookie head coach — finds himself in a very big game that, unlike the previous two, may reveal just how good the Bears are as well as dictate their stance for the remainder of the Pioneer Athletic Conference season.

Pottsgrove sure has a history of bringing that out in a team … especially now that the Falcons have played up to all the preseason hype and postured themselves as a legitimate frontrunner (or, if you prefer, contender).

The Falcons are 2-0 in the PAC-10, so that isn’t any surprise. But the Bears have matched that start, too, and because of the more than handful of new names situated in front of and around veteran quarterback David Crognale and a new coach coming in to sort out as well as coordinate the personnel, well, that is a bit of a surprise. And Owen J. Roberts, sitting alongside Pottsgrove and Boyertown with a 2-0 record despite reconstructed offensive and defensive lines, has opened more than a few fans’ eyes, too.

So, yes, tonight’s game in Boyertown is indeed a biggie.

“It’s just a great opportunity for us,” Scisly said. “I don’t know if everyone knows it, but there are only three undefeated teams (in the PAC-10), and we’re one of them. We’d like to take advantage of the opportunity.”

Mind you, it won’t be easy, though.

“You usually run into one good back, a quarterback or a running back, every week,” Scisly explained. “But Pottsgrove has three — a quarterback, a fullback, and a tailback. They don’t just give you one guy to worry about, they give you three.”

The Falcons’ quarterback is Terrell Chestnut, the fullback is Preston Hamlette, and the tailback is Maika Polamalu. And yes, all three are, for the lack of a better word, dangerous with a football in their hands.

They’re quick. They’re fast. They’re fancy free when given a little room to run. Together, the threesome have combined for all but one of the Falcons’ 13 touchdowns and for all but 12 of the Falcons’ 96 points thus far. They can, as they’ve already proven, turn any dilemma into a score, and from anywhere on the field.

But defense, which the Bears have played quite well the past two weeks, may not be as much a key as offense — Boyertown offense, that is. There’s nothing like a ball-control, clock-eating drive here and there to keep Chestnut, Hamlette, and Polamalu off the field.

“Our defense has been playing well,” Scisly said. “We got the shutout two weeks ago, then up until their final drive last week, kept Spring-Ford under control.

“But I think we have to come out and control the football. We have to do that, and we have to play defense.”

A lot of those responsibilities will fall heavily on Boyertown’s fast-improving front alignment of Wilmer Barndt, Ian Repko, Brandon Weller, Doug Muller, Ian Beidler, and tight end Ty Showers. Behind them is running back Logan Herb and quarterback David Crognale, who knows a little about big plays and big wins in his four years taking the snaps and practically rewriting the Bears’ passing record book.

“This is a huge game for us,” Scisly said. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity.”

Boyertown will induct four men into its Football Hall of Fame during halftime tonight. They are Randy Boyer (1957 graduate); David “Daisy” Erb (1954), Don Grim (assistant and head coach from 1959-1987); and Bob Reinhart (1962).

THEY MEET AGAIN

Phoenixville visits Pottstown tonight, and it’ll be the 97th time the two schools have played one another. The two teams first met in 1905, although it was Phoenixville’s “second team” — known as the Colonials — that battled the Trojans to a 0-0 tie (one of eight in the series). Phoenixville’s varsity was 8-0 and unscored upon that year.

Pottstown picked up its first win, 9-5, the following year, and won 4-0 on Thankgiving Day in 1907. Phoenixville’s first official varsity victory over the Trojans occurred in 1908’s season finale, 11-0.

MAKING A POINT

Unofficially, Owen J. Roberts — which hosts Spring-Ford tonight — and Pottsgrove are tied for third and seventh place, respectively in the District 1-Class AAA playoff points standings. The top eight qualify for the playoffs, which kick off the weekend of Nov. 7-8. Both teams can pick up big points this evening with wins over their Class AAAA opponents. … Boyertown, in a tie for 24th spot in AAAA, will need a solid run from here on out if it hopes to get into the Top 16.

DISTRICT BIGGIES

In a AAAA showdown, Ridley (4-0) visits Upper Darby (4-0) in a game that is likely to go a long way in determining the Central League championship. Ridley has won the last two titles with spotless 9-0 runs. … Cheltenham (3-1) travels to AAA Upper Merion (3-1) in a big game; Garnet Valley (4-0) renews its long rivalry at Conestoga (2-2); Souderton (2-2) looks to halt its two-game slide against visiting Pennridge (3-1); and Springfield-Montco (3-1), coming off a stunning setback, looks to right the ship when it hosts unbeaten Class A entry Jenkintown (4-0).

Around the state, District 4’s big game is the AA showdown with six-time state champion Mount Carmel (4-0) visiting Central Columbia (3-1). … District 7 has a pair of unbeaten features with Fort Cherry (4-0) traveling to Clairton (4-0) in Class A and Seton LaSalle (4-0) entertaining Sto Rox (4-0) in Class AA. … Out in District 10, high-scoring Saegertown (4-0) — coming off a 78-6 romp — will finally be playing someone, namely host Iroquois (3-1). … Up in District 11, all eyes will be on Emmaus (4-0), which has given up just six points thus far, when the Hornets head up to take on the Konkrete Kids of Northampton (4-0). But the feature game in District 11 may be Class AA Panther Valley (4-0) and its defense, with two shutouts this season, trying to slow down record-breaking Zach Barket and Schuylkill Haven (4-0).

STATELY NOTES

Gary Campbell, who followed the legendary George Curry up at Berwick, picked up his 100th career win last week when the Dawgs thumped none other than Curry and Wyoming Valley West, 34-7. … Jeannette has yet to be scored on. The Jayhawks have blanked East Allegheny (43-0), Brownsville (41-0), South Allegheny (45-0), and Waynesboro (49-0). The defending PIAA-Class AA state champions will look to keep the zeroes flowing tonight when they visit WPIAL Interstate Conference rival Charleroi (1-3). … William Penn out in York scored a season-low 48 points in last week’s rout of Red Lion, but is still averaging 53.8 points a game. That figure could go up even more this week when the Bearcats visit winless Dover, which is allowing 39-plus points a game. … Towanda’s Travis Chesla was credited with 38 tackles in the Knights’ 33-28 setback to unbeaten Canton up in District 4, and Waynesboro’s Dylan Spangler was credited with 25 tackles in the Indians’ 30-6 loss to unbeaten Middletown out in District 3. No one likes to question a devoted statistician’s work, but was anyone else playing defense for Towanda and Waynesboro last week?

This weekend is the second round of the annual Pioneer Athletic Conference football fight … just the second round. Perkiomen Valley’s Scott Reed is well aware of that, so is Pottsgrove’s Rick Pennypacker.

So forgive the ol’ fellas if they don’t think their teams can deliver a knockout blow tonight.

Yes, both Perkiomen Valley and Pottsgrove have been mentioned over and over as the PAC-10 heavyweights this season. Yes, both punched their way to wins over credible challengers a week ago. And, yes, as long as they stay healthy, both have the ability to poke, prod and punch their way through the next – or final – seven rounds of the regular season.

So, yes, the Vikings and Falcons absolutely want to knock each other off their collective feet tonight.

But they’re also well aware that the bell rings again next week, the week after that, the week after that… all the way through the first weekend in November, then one final time Thanksgiving morning.

“Our team, and that includes every one of the players as well as all the coaches, know that whoever we play each week is the biggest game of the season,” Reed said. “That never changes. We prepare for the team we’re playing that week, and we prepare for it as the biggest game of the season.”

“This is like any other game for us,” Pennypacker added. “Yes, Perkiomen Valley is very good and, yes, this is a very big game. But all it means right now is that one of us gets a leg up on the other by being 2-0. Don’t forget, there are still a lot of games left to play.”

Though neither would admit it, Reed and Pennypacker probably spent a few extra hours with their defensive coordinators.

Understandably so.

The Vikings, who have been quite generous defensively – allowing 120 points in their first three games – will have to deal with Pottsgrove’s much-improved heavyweights up front and quick-as-lightning lightweights behind them. Quarterback Terrell Chestnut, as well as fullback Preston Hamlette and tailback Maika Polamalu, can flat out fly. Chestnut has gone 76, 61 and 77 yards for three of his five touchdowns; Hamlette went 94 yards for one score; and Polamalu, in addition to a 37-yard reception that ended in the end zone, shuffled through the defense for 63 yards and a touchdown that put last week’s bout with Phoenixville out of reach.

“(Pottsgrove) has a lot of marquee football players,” Reed said. “They have talent. They can move the ball, and they can score.”

Don’t think it’ll be any easier for Pottsgrove’s defense, either, because Perkiomen Valley lines up with one of the area’s most balanced – or most dangerous, if you prefer – offenses.

Lynwood Snowden, who showcased his speed in both the 100 and 200 meters during last spring’s PAC-10 Track and Field Championships, brought a kickoff back 90 yards in the season-opener, has run for four touchdowns and caught a pass for another. In other words, he’s a concern every time he touches the football. So is quarterback Zach Zulli – The Mercury’s Player of the Year last season – who has peppered opposing secondaries by completing 64 percent of this attempts for 671 yards and seven touchdowns – four going to Paul Thomas.

“They can score, and they can score in bunches,” Pennypacker said of the Vikings. “Zulli is one of the best high school quarterbacks I’ve seen in a long time, and with all the formations and all the motion they show you, you can’t afford any mental mistakes. Seriously, we could get blown out if we’re not careful in this one.”

Even though Pennypacker will go with an incredible number of underclassmen tonight – eight sophomores and nine juniors among the 22 lining up on both sides of the ball – Reed still sees the overall makeup of the Falcons’ youth movement.

“People have a tendency to think about running backs and receivers when you talk about speed, but Pottsgrove’s defense is very fast,” Reed said. “They get to the football very quickly, and that’s from all positions.

“They’ll be a big challenge for us. They’re very aggressive, and they fly to the football.”

* * *

Zulli needs just 26 yards passing tonight to become the area’s third quarterback to reach the 4,000-yard career mark. The others were Upper Perkiomen’s Jeff Moyer (4,161) and Daniel Boone’s Chris Bokosky (5,297). … The Falcons had beaten Perkiomen Valley seven straight times before falling 35-7 last year in Graterford.

BUSTIN’ IN BERKS

Daniel Boone, coming off what was unquestionably one of head coach Dave Bodolus’ most disturbing defeats – 48-47 in overtime to winless Columbia – opens its Inter-County League Section One card tonight against visiting Twin Valley.

The Blazers put up 440 yards and those 47 points against Columbia, so it wasn’t like they really missed quarterback Jon Monteiro, who was sidelined with a thigh bruise. Monteiro is expected to be back tonight, and Bodolus hopes the defense comes back, too. And not the defense that surrendered 451 yards and 48 points last Saturday night.

Twin Valley moved up from Section Two to Section One this season, the program’s 13th since opening up back in 1996 under former Owen J. Roberts standout Tim Kier.

PROFILE OF COURAGE

Perkiomen School’s visit to George School on Saturday will feature two outstanding quarterbacks – the Indians’ Abdul Smith and the hosts’ Justin Cancelliere.

Cancelliere, who like Smith also lines up in the secondary and returns kicks, has shown remarkable courage since losing almost his entire family in a plane crash midway through his freshman year. His mother, stepfather, three sisters and the family babysitter were killed when their plane crashed while attempting to land in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Cancelliere was actually supposed to accompany them on the flight, which originated out of Trenton, N.J., but he instead decided to stay at his father’s home to enjoy Super Bowl weekend.

“You’ve just got to keep your head up,” Cancelliere told the Bucks County Courier Times last month. “A lot of times it’s, “Ah, I feel like quitting. Why am I here?’ You ask why, but you need to look past that and think, ‘You’re still alive. You need to make your family proud. You’re living their legacy.’

“You’re the only left to represent your family, so you’ve got to represent them well and stay positive.”

Cancelliere plays three sports and is an excellent baseball player.

MILESTONES AND MORE

Pottstown was 48-48-1 at home in PAC-10 games before winning last week’s outing with visiting St. Pius X. Upper Perkiomen is 48-48-1 at home in PAC-10 games going into tonight’s game with the Trojans. Both teams will be looking to take the lead in their PAC-10 series, which is currently deadlocked at 11-11. The Indians will also be playing the 600th game in the history of their program, which kicked off in 1952 following the jointure of neighboring East Greenville and Pennsburg high schools. … Owen J. Roberts, which picked up some well-earned respect with last week’s decision over Upper Perkiomen, goes for its 100th Pioneer Athletic Conference win Saturday afternoon against Methacton, which is looking for its first.

DISTRICT BIGGIES

North Penn, No. 2 in the state and 3-0, hosts Central Bucks South (2-1), while No. 9 Neshaminy (2-1) entertains unbeaten Abington (3-0) in a pair of quality AAAA matchups. … An undefeated pairing has AAAA Upper Dublin (3-0) at AAA Upper Moreland (3-0). …Two other games – Garnet Valley (3-0) at Strath Haven (2-1) and Conestoga (2-1) at Ridley (3-0) – will also go a long way in setting up the early playoff points standings.

STATELY NOTES

Beaver Falls, Dunmore and Jeannette occupy the top three spots, respectively, in the state’s Class AA rankings. Former No. 1 West Catholic dropped to No. 4 after being upset 27-26 by La Salle College High School. Jeannette is the only team in the state that has yet to be scored on. The Jayhawks have blanked East Allegheny (43-0), Brownsville (41-0) and South Allegheny (45-0), and could make it four in a row at Waynesburg (1-2) tonight. … In Class AAA, No. 2 Erie Strong Vincent (3-0) travels across town tonight to take on No. 5 Erie Cathedral Prep (2-1). … McKeesport, which dropped a narrow 14-7 outing to powerful Colerain, Ohio, in its opener, jumped five spots to No. 3 in the AAAA state rankings behind No. 2 North Penn and No. 1 Gateway. The Tigers picked Plum apart 55-0 two weeks ago. Last Friday night, they took a 48-0 lead after one quarter and scored on eight of their first 14 plays from scrimmage en route to a 67-7 laugher over Connellsville. McKeesport and Gateway, by the way, meet in their WPIAL Foothills Conference final on Oct. 24. … If defense isn’t your thing, how about unranked William Penn High out in York? The Bearcats lead the state in scoring (167 points) after three romps over Reading (49-13), Lancaster McCaskey (57-20) and Susquehannock (61-10).

One week, or one game, a season does not make. But after Mother Nature stretched the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s opening night into an opening weekend, there was a wee bit of separation.

In other words, and beyond the obvious deduction that there were five winners and five losers, a few teams stepped to the forefront, earned some respect and established themselves as contenders for a PAC-10 title … while others, though in no way out of anything after just one week, slipped significantly.

Yes, Perkiomen Valley and Pottsgrove – two of the teams a lot of fans early on felt were heads (or helmets) above everyone else – rebounded from their own puzzling preseasons with big wins.

The Vikings put together another one of those offensive surges that helped them to a share of the title a year ago. This time, their 27-point burst not only ended a 14-14 struggle but burst Spring-Ford’s bubble. And Pottsgrove, like it has so often in the past, showcased a stingy defense that has kept the Falcons in game after game after game, or just long enough until a big play or two provides the differential.

And a couple of very long, second half runs into the end zone – and 77 and 63 yards certainly qualify as long – were about the only disparities between them and Phoenixville.

Two other teams, two who weren’t popping up on the championship run radar screens that is, produced a few blips last weekend, though.

Boyertown, which had lost eight straight games dating back to last season – including a pair of easily forgotten meetings with longtime Berks County rivals Muhlenberg and Governor Mifflin to kick off this season – used a turnover happy defense to set up short field after short field opportunities for the offense. The Bears converted, and turned their 31-0 blitz wasn’t exactly what Methacton had in mind, let alone expected, for its long-awaited PAC-10 debut. And Owen J. Roberts showed, to many of their own fans’ surprise, a productive defense, too. The Wildcats came up with five turnovers, one of which returned a dividend of six points by itself, to disarm what is expected to be a destructive Upper Perkiomen offense and underline a 28-14 victory.

And while a few fanatics would prefer to call Pottstown’s blowout of St. Pius X a mismatch to begin with, well, not necessarily. The Trojans were ailing in the preseason, but few realized just how well they did play against an Upper Dublin team (33-12 loss) that has humbled everyone thus far. But they were healthy for the first time last weekend, especially up front, and that may have had as much if not more to do with what they did than what Pius didn’t do.

But Week One’s five winners and five losers, as good, bad or indifferent as they may have been in victory and defeat, are back at it again this weekend … and all have the opportunity to reassure – or restore – their championship hopes.

It only gets more and more interesting.

HONORABLE

Player of the Week honors go to Perkiomen Valley quarterback Zach Zulli, who hit on 17 of 19 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 92 yards and two more scores in the Vikings’ 47-21 victory over Spring-Ford.

Coach of the Week honors go to Boyertown’s Mark Scisly, who came up with a daily double – his first Pioneer Athletic Conference win and his first win as the Bears’ head coach – in the 31-0 shutout of Methacton.

MIXED RESULTS

If there was a Hero of the Week honor it would surely go to Kevin Manferdini and his entire Perkiomen School football team. Manferdini had just 15 players on the field for last Friday night’s season opener at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Del. Despite the limited personnel, the Indians were within a touchdown of their hosts going into the fourth quarter before falling, 28-14.

The Hill School had to wait until Sunday to open its 122th season, and did impressively with a 32-8 romp over Germantown Academy. The Rams could very well contend for a Mid-Atlantic Prep League title and, with eight games still remaining on their card, have a legitimate shot at the five more wins they need to reach the program’s milestone 500th win.

FIZZLED

To say Daniel Boone head coach Dave Bodolus was one unhappy camper after Saturday night’s overtime loss to Columbia would be, well, leave it at that.

The Blazers were averaging close to 450 yards and 40 points and allowing only 160 yards and seven points after two season-opening blowouts. So when winless Columbia, which had little if anything to shout about – especially after surrendering nearly 600 yards and 61 points the previous week – appeared on the schedule, Bodolus and his Blazers had to be drooling.

Well, as Bodolus pointed out after the shocking setback, the Blazers forgot to tackle. Even though quarterback Jon Monteiro sat on the sidelines with an injury, the Blazers produced 440 yards of offense. Zach Keeley and Nate Greene both ran over the 100-yard mark. Bodolus’ own son stepped in and was quite commendable in completing 10 of 18 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.

They scored 47 points for goodness sakes.

“(But) we tackled like a bunch of little leaguers,” Bodolus said.

Which may explain why Columbia’s Dakota Lightfoot needed just 23 carries to pile up 330 yards and five touchdowns. The first four scores covered 95, 67, 21 and 72 yards. The last one was a simple 10-yarder right smack up the middle, but it came on the first snap of overtime and, with the extra-point, was enough to stun Bodolus, the Blazers and their faithful following.

PASSING IT ALONG

Boyertown quarterback David Crognale is now within 309 yards of hitting the 5,000-yard mark in career total offense. Crognale has run for 1,631 yards and passed for 3,060, giving him 4,691 overall. … PV’s Zach Zulli is closing in on the 4,000-yard mark in career passing. Zulli has 3,974 – and 45 touchdown passes – going into this Friday’s game at Pottsgrove.

PACing THE NUMBERS

Owen J. Roberts visits Methacton on Saturday looking for its 100th Pioneer Athletic Conference win since joining the league in 1988. … Phoenixville’s loss to Pottsgrove last week evened the Phantoms’ overall PAC-10 record at 97-97-1. … Boyertown’s shutout of Methacton last Saturday night was the 200th shutout in the PAC-10. … Pottsgrove has now gone 50 straight league games without being shut out, matching the league’s third-longest streak. The Falcons are getting closer to its own PAC-10 record of 57 in a row (1988-1994). … Some PAC-10 win milestones from last week – Pottsgrove’s Rick Pennypacker got his 110th, Owen J. Roberts’ Tom Barr got his 55th, and Perkiomen Valley’s Scott Reed got his 20th. … Like last week’s tie-breaker between Spring-Ford and Perkiomen Valley, Pottstown and Upper Perkiomen are 11-11 in their PAC-10 series going into Friday night’s meeting in Red Hill. The game will also be the 600th in the history of Upper Perkiomen’s football program, which began in 1952.

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.

This column originally appeared in the Sept. 9 edition of The Mercury.

Any time a family or two moves next door or up the street, it usually takes some time for the kids to blend in. You know, make a few new friends and, hopefully, get along with everyone.

Well, Tom Barr must have thought there was a mad rush to get out of the Owen J. Roberts neighborhood last month when he opened camp and Nelson Munoz and Sam Morgan were the only familiar faces on the block, or the offensive line. There were plenty of strangers ready to line up either aside of or around Munoz and Morgan, mind you. And even though Barr wasn’t expecting a family feud, if you will, he was nonetheless concerned if they could play together.

“One of our biggest concerns coming in (to the season) was that the majority of those kids on that line was inexperienced, and that they had never played together as a unit,” the veteran Wildcats coach explained.

Two games into the season, all seems well on the offensive front.

In the opener against very, very good Downingtown West, the Wildcats were able to run for 259 of their 343 yards. Last week against West Chester East, they were able to take it a step further, running for 329 of their 362 yards.

Munoz and Morgan may not have welcomed the new fellas with open arms, but Sam Odle, Sean Moloney, Mike Klinger, and Brad Davis sure seem to be playing like they’ve known one another for quite some time.

“We were a little surprised in our first scrimmage,” Barr said. “We were able to move the ball up and down the field. The line blocked so well we didn’t even have to punt once. We looked so much ahead of where we were at the same time last year.

“Then, in our second scrimmage, it was the same thing. They played well, and they were cutting down on their mistakes. They were progressing well.”

Munoz (6-0, 230) was no surprise at center. Neither was Morgan (6-3, 242), who moved in from tackle to go at left guard. But Moloney (5-10, 195) at right guard, Odle (6-6, 210), and Klinger (6-0, 245) at left and right tackles, respectively, and Davis (5-11, 195) at tight end, did raise a few eyebrows to a great extent.

And does that bode well with Barr and his staff, which has experience and talent behind the front six with old friends like Dan Miller at quarterback and his legion of running backs — Cory Bissland, Ryan Brumfield, Sam Funk, Scott Syrek, and Rich Zazo.

“We felt comfortable about the people in the skill positions coming into the season,” Barr said. “And we can utilize Bissland, Funk and Syrek in a lot of ways, too, at fullback or tailback.”

The very swift Brumfield, who ran for 772 yards as a freshman a year ago, is OJR’s feature back, at least for now. He just missed the 100-yard mark against Downingtown West, then piled up 273 yards and four touchdowns against W.C. East. Funk, who’ll usually be found out on a wing, has deceiving speed. Bissland, Syrek, and Zazo are more of the big, bowl-you-over type backs.

“We’re still making mistakes, but we’re cutting down on them and seeing improvement overall,” Barr said.

And on the other side of the ball, with Morgan at nose tackle, Zazo at middle linebacker, and Miller at a corner, it’s pretty much the same story.

Which means the Wildcats aren’t just a friendly bunch now, but a confident one approaching Friday night’s Pioneer Athletic Conference opener against Upper Perkiomen.

“We’ve just seen a lot of improvement attitude-wise,” Barr said. “That’s big, too, because in the past when something bad happened we broke down. Now it seems when something goes wrong or the kids face adversity, they bounce back. They don’t seem phased by (mistakes). They don’t let anything bother them.”

Barr hopes that continues this week … and into the fall.

HONORABLE

Player of the Week honors go to Brumfield, who carried a career-high 28 times for 273 yards and four touchdowns in the 26-21 win over West Chester East.

Not surprising, Coach of the Week honors go to Barr, who guided the Wildcats to the come-from-behind victory over the Vikings.

NO TURNAROUND

The Pioneer Athletic Conference coaches get together this week one last time before the league season kicks off Friday. Don’t be surprised if one conversation focuses on how their teams did collectively in the two-week, preseason grind.

After going just 3-7 on opening night, the PAC-10 was 3-6 last weekend.

“Those (numbers) can be a little deceiving,” Barr said. “Most of our teams go out looking for quality teams to play, teams that are going to give you the good competition to prepare us for our league schedule. We all play to win, but it’s just as important for every one of us to get to know where we’re at, where we stand going into the (league schedule).”

Perkiomen Valley, which shared the PAC-10 title a year ago and is among the frontrunners this season, may have had the toughest two-game test with Upper Dublin and Coatesville, both 2-0 and among the favorites in the Suburban One and Ches-Mont League this season. Boyertown, Owen J. Roberts, Pottstown, and Spring-Ford — whose opponents’ combined records are each 3-1 right now — all had stacked preseason schedules, too.

For the record, the PAC-10 was 3-10 against Class AAAA rivals, 2-3 against AAA opponents, and 1-0 against an AA school (St. Pius’ win over Simon Gratz).

STILL ABLAZE

The 2008 Blazer Tour through District 3 continued last week when Daniel Boone squashed Susquehannock, 35-14. Junior quarterback Jon Monteiro is 27-for-41 for 577 yards and seven touchdowns in just two weeks, and wideout Zach Keeley is proving to be as good catching the ball (10 receptions, 229 yards, 4 TDs) as he is denying opponents an opportunity to catch it, which earned him all-state honors a year ago.

Monteiro’s 342 yards passing last week is the area’s third-highest individual game mark. The record is 396 yards, set by Phoenixville’s Steve Rife back in 1982.

The Blazers play at home for the first time this season when they host Columbia on Friday night. Head coach Dave Bodolus, not to mention Monteiro and running back Nate Greene, must be chomping at the bit to get out there, too, because Columbia gave up 576 yards in a 61-26 loss to York Suburban last weekend.

DELAYED KICKOFF

The Hill School’s scheduled opener with Germantown Academy this Friday has been pushed back to noon Sunday. The Patriots were supposed to debut at Cardinal Dougherty last Saturday, but inclement weather forced officials to postpone the game until Monday afternoon.

Perkiomen School, meanwhile, will kick off its season Friday (3:45 p.m.) at Tower Hill in Wilmington, Del.

NOTES

The PAC-10 opens its 23rd season Friday night with a five-game card. Methacton debuts at Boyertown, where Warriors head coach Bob McNally is looking for his first PAC-10 win and Bears head coach Mark Scisly is looking for his first win on the Boyertown sideline; Phoenixville travels to Pottsgrove in a milestone game (more on that Friday); Spring-Ford visits Perkiomen Valley with a score to settle in the 25th renewal of their series; St. Pius X returns from a bye week and buses across town to take on Pottstown; and Upper Perkiomen and OJR get together at Bucktown. … Pottstown opens as one of two teams with a 48-48-1 record in league games played on its home field.

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.

Daniel Boone has had its share of good quarterbacks — better make that very good quarterbacks — in recent years. Chris Bokosky, calling the signals up at Lehigh University nowadays, owns a few pages of season and career marks in the area’s record books. Casey Smith had the unenviable task of following Bokosky, but responded with just under 2,000 yards and 25 touchdowns. And Anthony Heimbach, who last year expected to catch and carry the football until getting to camp and discovering an injury to a teammate forced him under center, didn’t exactly toss wobble after wobble last fall while leading the Blazers to the District 3-AAA semifinals.

So was head coach Dave Bodolus really that concerned when Jon Monteiro strolled out to call the signals in his debut last Friday night?

Nope.

“I don’t think you can expect the kind of game (that Monteiro had), not when it’s his first varsity start,” Bodolus said. “But we certainly knew he was capable of it.”

What exactly did Monteiro do?

Well, he completed 10 of 17 attempts for 235 yards and an area record-tying five touchdowns — three to wideout Zach Keeley and two to tight end Mitchell Stead — to underline the Blazers’ 40-0 romp at Donegal.

“Jon has a heck of a group of receivers to throw to, and that helps any quarterback,” Bodolus said. “Our offensive line played well, too.

“But he was so poised. He has a good head on his shoulders. He understands what we want to do, makes good decisions, and throws the ball accurately. He had some pressure on him at times, but he didn’t get rattled. He handled himself very well.”

Monteiro was actually penciled in to start last year. Bodolus was well aware of who he was getting, and just how promising a talent he was, too. But an offseason leg injury cost Monteiro his entire sophomore season.

Now a 6-foot, 190-pound junior with very reliable receivers in Keeley, Stead, and Kyle Yarmush — to name just a few — and a very productive running back in Nate Greene, Monteiro may well be the next quarterback to orchestrate another banner season.

Yes, you can bet your helmet, shoulder pads, and cleats that the Blazers are determined (and favored) to get into the I-C Division One and District 3-AAA mix yet again.

“We want to be balanced offensively,” Bodolus said. “We want to be able to run the ball and pass the ball, and you’re obviously not going to be able to do either without a quarterback who makes good decisions. So Jon is very important to us … to this team. But we’re confident he can do the job.”

Monteiro’s five touchdown passes against Donegal – which covered 38, 18, 8, 7, and 31 yards – tied the area record originally set in 1982 by Phoenixville’s Steve Rife and equaled only two times since.

HONORABLE

Player of the Week honors, a no-brainer obviously, go to Monteiro.

Coach of the Week honors go to St. Pius X’s George Parkinson, who took his Lions down to Philadelphia last Friday night and opened with a 6-0 shutout of Simon Gratz. Quite an achievement for the very young Lions considering the long bus ride through rush-hour traffic and playing in an intimidating environment.

GETTING DEFENSIVE

Perkiomen Valley head coach Scott Reed hopes his team gets a little defensive before Friday’s trek to Coatesville.

In their opener at Upper Dublin, the Vikings came up short, 55-42 – the second-highest number of points a PV team has allowed in a game. The only game they gave up more was 37 years ago, or way, way, way back in 1971 – long before Reed was even born – in a 56-0 loss to then Bux-Mont League rival Central Bucks West.

“It was our first game, so whether it was how good (Upper Dublin’s offense) was or how badly our defense played, I don’t know,” Reed said. “I know one thing, though, and that is Upper Dublin came to play.

“That team moves the ball really well. Going in, we thought they’d score some points, but we didn’t think they’d score that many. The bottom line was we tackled very poorly.”

Josh Mastromatto ran through, over, and around the Vikings for 220 yards and four touchdowns, and added two more scores on receptions from quarterback Derek Giannetti, who was 11 of 19 for 182 yards. Overall, the Cards’ winning hand totaled 533 yards.

“I think we’re more upset with the consistency of (Upper Dublin’s) drives,” Reed added. “And then in the second half, there were so many big plays.”

Enough big plays to make everyone forget the Vikings actually led 14-10 at halftime … a four-point spread that disappeared in a hurry when the Cardinals put 45 points up on the board in the final two quarters.

“We have a lot of work to do, especially to get ready for Coatesville,” Reed said of the Red Raiders, considered (and ranked) among the top Class AAAA teams in District 1.

Reed is only the fifth coach in the history of Perkiomen Valley’s program, following Scott Fuhrman, John Strawoet, Ken Donahue, and Bill Fretz, who guided the Vikings after the jointure of Collegeville-Trappe and Schwenksville high schools. … PV had given up 54 points in games on two occasions, in 1981 to Hatboro-Horsham (54-0), and in 1984 to C.B West (54-0). … The combined 97 points from last Friday night was far and away the most scored in any game involving a PV team, breaking the mark of 89 set in 2002 in a 48-41 loss to Boyertown.

SPECIAL TIMES

Tom Barr and his staff at Owen J. Roberts will be working on two specific things this week – special teams and holding onto the football, both of which were costly in the 47-21 loss to Downingtown West. The Wildcats saw two of their early scores negated by returns for touchdowns on the ensuing kickoffs. And, if that wasn’t enough, they turned the football over four times.

MOVING UP

Boyertown quarterback David Crognale ran past the 1,500-yard career mark during the Bears’ loss to Muhlenberg last Friday night. Crognale, a four-year starter, is within reach of becoming the first quarterback in area history to run for more than 2,000 yards. He is also approaching the 3,000-yard career mark passing the football.

Lost in Perkiomen Valley’s setback to Upper Dublin was another solid performance by quarterback Zach Zulli. The senior was 19 of 27 for 257 yards and four touchdowns. He now has 212 completions, 3,560 yards, and 42 touchdowns and is likely to pass or get close to a select list of area career leaders in all three categories by season’s end.

LONG DISTANCE

Another record (of little or no importance) was set last weekend when eight area players went 50 or more yards for touchdowns (in one night).

They were Boyertown’s Logan Herb (65-yard run); Perkiomen Valley’s Lynwood Snowden (90-yard kickoff return) and Rhashad Santiago (65-yard reception); Pottsgrove’s Preston Hamlette (94-yard run) and Terrell Chestnut (76-yard run); Spring-Ford’s David Tyler (63-yard run); St. Pius X’s Cole Parkinson (70-yard reception); and Upper Perkiomen’s Shawn Wenhold (56-yard reception).

For the record, Phoenixville’s Anthony Nattle was just a step shy of joining the group after taking a pass 49 yards for the Phantoms’ lone score.

PAC-10 RECAP

It wasn’t necessarily a good opening night at all for the Pioneer Athletic Conference. The league was 3-7 overall, with only Pottsgrove (21-7 over Exeter), St. Pius X (6-0 over Simon Gratz), and Upper Perkiomen (42-7 over Allen) accounting for the wins.

It won’t get any easier this week, either. Only two teams are home (Pottstown faces the explosive Mastromatto and Upper Dublin on Friday night and Methacton entertains Kennedy-Kenrick on Saturday afternoon).

Also Friday night, Boyertown heads up to another corner of Berks County to play Governor Mifflin; Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley and Uppper Perkiomen travel to Ches-Mont League rivals W.C. East, Coatesville and Downingtown West, respectively; Phoenixville heads down to Delaware County to meet Chichester; and Pottsgrove and Spring-Ford visit neighboring Suburban One representatives Wissahickon and Norristown, respectively, to cap the frenzy.

DID YOU KNOW

The PIAA’s enrollment figures and competition classifications for the next two seasons revealed some interesting numbers. St. Pius X is the largest of only five Class A football programs in District 1. The Lions’ male enrollment (194) tops Bristol (134), Calvary Christian (126), Morrisville (99) and Jenkintown (73). … District 1 has just three schools in Class AA with Harriton, Lower Moreland and Springfield-Montco. … Five area schools – Owen J. Roberts (510), Pottsgrove (410), Upper Perkiomen (392), Phoenixville (381) and Phoenixville (360) – and 17 others make up the district’s Class AAA field. … Spring-Ford (833), Methacton (686) and Perkiomen Valley (670) are all AAAA entries. … Up in District 3, Daniel Boone (498) is one of 33 teams in Class AAA.

Originally published in the Aug. 29 edition of The Mercury

It wasn’t easy getting on MapQuest this week. The Web site wasn’t down, mind you, just a bit overloaded with devoted football fans checking in to see how to get to where their teams are playing.

Yep, opening night is here.

And on the area’s 10-game card, five teams — Daniel Boone, Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley, Spring-Ford, and St. Pius X — are hitting the road to kick off their respective seasons.

No one is traveling further west than Daniel Boone, with its 52-mile ride to Donegal in Mt. Joy, and no one is traveling further east than St. Pius X, with a 41-mile ride to Simon Gratz in Philadelphia. In between them, Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley, and Spring-Ford are taking shorter (and more familiar) trips to Downingtown West, Upper Dublin, and Bayard Rustin in West Chester. And on the flip side of the card, Boyertown, Phoenixville, Pottsgrove, Pottstown, and Upper Perkiomen will be home sweet home.

Enough of the geography lesson.

Tonight, there is a much more important issue … for everyone, regardless of who they line up against where they choose to do it.

“(Tonight’s) when you look to put the pieces together,” said Daniel Boone head coach Dave Bodolus. “(Tonight’s) when you hope everything is up to the norm, when you get that consistency in the transition from your offense, defense, and special teams.

“Everybody has had a couple of weeks of practices, a few scrimmages. You can look good out there practicing and do things well in those controlled scrimmages. But until you can go out and do it for real — in a game — you’re unproven.”

Everyone has a lot to prove, too.

Boyertown, with new head coach Mark Scisly, is out to prove it is back and as good as if not better than the Boyertown team that won the Pioneer Athletic Conference title two years ago. Owen J. Roberts has perhaps as much depth in the backfield as its had in quite some time and out to prove it has the personnel to return to its traditional winning ways. Perkiomen Valley wants to prove that graduation may have taken a lot of its stars of a year ago but not the heart and drive of a team determined to successfully defend its PAC-10 title.

Phoenixville, Pottsgrove, Pottstown, Spring-Ford, and Upper Perkiomen, all with a few familiar names and a whole lot of no-names, are bound and determined to make a big name for themselves tonight in preparations for a run of their own in the PAC-10. And St. Pius, unquestionably as young as anyone, is looking to prove it learned enough through last year’s growing pains to reverse its ways and make an impact this time around.

“You go into these games hoping to win, of course,” Bodolus explained. “But there isn’t really any one aspect of the game you focus on more than another.

“You do have concerns with the guys who are your first-year starters, though. Like I said, you can look good in practices and in scrimmage, but the important thing is looking game in a real game.”

It all gets real tonight.

Methacton — getting ready for its inaugural run in the Pioneer Athletic Conference — kicks off its new season Saturday against visiting Quakertown in a 1:30 matinee. The Warriors make their PAC-10 debut in two weeks when they visit Boyertown.

TURNOVERS

Scisly is the 10th head coach since Boyertown’s first season back in 1939. He follows Ron Zeiber (2002-07); Fred Endy (1998-2001); Ray Gionta (1995-97); Bob Hillegas (1987-94); Don Grim (1983-86); Lyn Sorber (1971-82); Warren Fry (1953-70); Bob Fleming (1940-52); and Lawrence Grim (1939).

Scisly is also one of 77 new head coaches in Pennsylvania this year, and one of only three in District One — joining C.B. East’s Tim Michael and Springfield-Delco’s Dan Ellis.

District Seven had the most coaching changes (12), while Districts Two and Three each have 11 new coaches. The rest of the districts and their respective new bosses are District Ten (nine); Districts Six and Nine with six apiece; Districts Four and Eleven with five apiece; District Twelve (four); District Five (three); and District Eight (one).

TWISTS AND TURNS

Pius met Simon Gratz once before … way back in 1977, when Jim Mich was the head coach. The Lions breezed to 35-0 shutout.

The Lions were familiar with a lot of Philadelphia teams back then while competing in the Philadelphia Suburban Catholic League throughout the 60s. They played an independent schedule through 1977, then joined the Ches-Mont League the following season.

Pius won or shared three SCL titles. Gratz hasn’t won a Philadelphia Public League title since 1949.

Tonight’s game will also be a reunion of sorts for Pius athletic director Madison Morton and Gratz head coach Eric Zipay, a graduate of Pottstown High School. Morton was an assistant coach at Pottstown when Zipay was a member of the team.

STREAKING

Pottsgrove, Daniel Boone, and Phoenixville are hoping to extend their respective runs of consecutive winning seasons, while Methacton, St. Pius X and Pottstown are determined to end their string of consecutive losing seasons.

Pottsgrove, which won 11 games last season — the fourth time a Falcons team has done that — is riding a school- record five straight winning seasons. Daniel Boone is also on a five-in-a-row run, which is three shy of the school mark of eight (1964-71). And Phoenixville has had four straight winning seasons for the first time since putting together seven in row from 1986 through 1992.

Meanwhile, Methacton hopes to turn its first season in the PAC-10 into a winning season. The Warriors have had seven straight losing seasons, which is within one of the school record of eight (1969-76). Pius has had five straight losing seasons, which has dropped the program’s overall record to just one game over the .500 mark (260-259-14). Pottstown has had four straight losing seasons, the most since a forgettable six-year run from 1989 through 1994.

Upper Perkiomen hasn’t had a losing season since 2000. The Indians were 6-6 in 2001 and 6-6 again last season. In between, they had five straight seasons of seven or more wins.

Originally published in the Aug. 29 football preview in The Mercury.

A little bit of this and that; some notes, quotes and anecdotes, if you will; and a peek or two into the past and glimpse into the future … all related to Pioneer Athletic Conference football teams.

Hold onto your socks now (or, if you prefer, your helmets)… the Pioneer Athletic Conference season doesn’t open for two more weeks.

No matter what you’ve heard, seen in any of the scrimmages, or get to hoot and holler about during tonight’s and next week’s non-league games, nothing really is for sure until Friday evening, Sept. 12 – when Methacton makes its PAC-10 debut up in Boyertown, Phoenixville travels to Pottsgrove, Upper Perkiomen visits Owen J. Roberts, Spring-Ford heads over to Perkiomen Valley, and St. Pius X buses a few blocks across town to meet Pottstown.

And it’s likely to only get better and better after that, all the way to Thanksgiving morning.

Now, if only the fellas down there at Perkiomen Valley and Methacton would get together and agree to move their game from Saturday, Nov. 8 back to Thanksgiving morning (like it once was), the final round of the Pioneer Athletic Conference would really PAC a punch (hint, hint).

HARD DEFENSE

In the previous 22 years of the Pioneer Athletic Conference, only two schools have won back-to-back, undisputed championships. Spring-Ford actually did it twice (in 1986 and 1987 and again in 1994 and 1995), while Pottsgrove (in 2000 and 2001) did it the other time.

Two others, Pottsgrove and Lansdale Catholic, won or shared consecutive titles. Pottsgrove won it all in 1990, then shared the top spot with Owen J. Roberts the following year. LC dominated in 1996, tied Upper Perkiomen for the title in 1997, then shared the top spot with both Perkiomen Valley and Spring-Ford in 1998.

Pottsgrove and Owen J. Roberts both closed up their 1991 schedule at 7-2, the only season a league champion finished with two losses. It was also the only season seven teams – that’s right, seven teams – finished with winning records. And 1998 was the only season to end in a three-way tie for the championship.

SCORES TO SETTLE

There are two PAC-10 series that are split right down the middle after 22 seasons. Pottstown and Upper Perkiomen are 11-11 against one another, a deadlock that will end when they meet Sept. 19. Pottstown is 11-11 against Perkiomen Valley, too, and that will end when they meet Oct. 10.

MORE EVEN-STEVENS

Longtime Pottstown and Upper Perkiomen fans may not want to hear about that so-called home-field advantage. In Pioneer Athletic Conference games only, both the Trojans and Indians are 48-48-1 in games on their home fields.

And if that isn’t enough, Owen J. Roberts is 45-45 in away games since joining the conference in 1988.

NO TOTAL STRANGER

Methacton enters its first season in the PAC-10 having never before played four teams – Boyertown, Pottsgrove, Pottstown and Upper Perkiomen. However, the Warriors have run into the other five teams in non-league games. They are 0-1 against Owen J. Roberts, 18-4-2 against Perkiomen Valley, 2-2 against Phoenixville, 2-9-1 against Spring-Ford, and 1-0 against St. Pius X.

STREAKING

Pottsgrove still holds the PAC-10 record for the most consecutive games without being shut out (57, set from 1988 to 1994).

If the Falcons can score at least one point (OK, two for a safety … or more) in every one of their games this season, they’ll break that record and push their current streak to 58 games.

Spring-Ford, which has scored in its last 46 league games dating back to 2002, owns the second-longest streak (53). Lansdale Catholic left the conference with a 50-game streak.

* * *

The next PAC-10 shutout will be the league’s 200th since the inaugural season back in 1986.

PLAYOFF SKED

The District 1 Class AAA and AAAA playoffs get under way the weekend of Nov. 7-8. Eight teams will qualify for the AAA bracket, while 16 will qualify in AAAA. The AAA final will be Nov. 21or 22, while the AAAA final is set for Nov. 28 and 29.

While District 1 is a region in itself in the two aforementioned classifications, it’s an entirely different story in AA and A.

In Class AA, the district’s three teams will compete with the 11 teams in District 12 for one or more of the four places in that sub-region, and no team

is guaranteed an entry into the playoffs because of having just three teams in the classification.

In Class A, the five District 1 teams will compete with the six teams from District 12 for positions in the four-team sub-region bracket. Discussions between the two districts will determine the format by which the four teams are selected.

All of the brackets’ Eastern finals are the weekend of Dec. 5-6, with state finals scheduled for Dec. 12-13 in Hersheypark Stadium.

SERIOUS SERIES

The current members of the Pioneer Athletic Conference have previously played in a number of different leagues, most in the former Bux-Mont and Ches-Mont leagues … but have managed to play one another quite a bit regardless of their membership cards.

The longest series among PAC-10 teams belongs to Phoenixville and Pottstown, who have met 95 times. Other notable rivalries (with the number of meetings in parenthesis) include Phoenixville and Spring-Ford (53 years), Spring-Ford and Owen J. Roberts (52), Pottstown and Spring-Ford (51), and Boyertown and Upper Perkiomen (50).

Two local series – Owen J. Roberts and Phoenixville, and Owen J. Roberts and Pottstown – will hit the 50-year mark this season. OJR and Phoenixville are scheduled to meet Oct. 17, while OJR and Pottstown renew their riveting Thanksgiving Day rivalry on Nov. 27.

* * *

Phoenixville and Pottstown actually own the seven longest series among PAC-10 schools. Ironically, only one – the Phantoms’ and Trojans’ 96th meeting on Sept. 26 – is still active.

The next six longest series belong to Phoenixville and Henderson (82 years), Phoenixville and Coatesville (78), Pottstown and Coatesville (69), Pottstown and Henderson (67), and Phoenixville and Downingtown (66).

COUNT’EM UP

When Pottstown lines up Thanksgiving morning against Owen J. Roberts, it will be the 999th game in the history of the Trojans’ program. … Upper Perkiomen will play its 600th against Downingtown West next Friday night. … Pottsgrove wll play its 550th a week later, Sept. 12, against Phoenixville.

MILESTONES AHEAD

Phoenixville needs two wins for 550 in the long history of its program, while Spring-Ford needs six for 275 and Upper Perkiomen needs just one to hit 260. … On the other end of that scale, Boyertown’s next loss will be No. 360, Upper Perkiomen’s next loss will be No. 325, and St. Pius X’s next loss will be No. 260.

The sideline swagger never changed, nor did the bark.

Before and after every play, from the opening kickoff until the final snap, throughout every win and loss during his 40 years with the Owen J. Roberts’ football program, Joe Edwards’ intensity never wavered. He’d bend over, a hand on each knee and both eyes focused on the stance of the unsung grunts – the linemen – as well as the stance and positioning of all those linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties behind them … his defense.

From the moment a play unfolded until the whistle blew to end it, Edwards had the knack – or what many felt was a gift – of detecting all who executed and who didn’t. And his growl, that hooting and hollering, separated those who did and those who didn’t, too.

Edwards wasn’t the perfectionist, just a coach with an unselfish objective to make each and every of his players a little bit better than they were, or a little bit better than they themselves thought they could be.

He was no different, though a bit quieter, in his social studies classroom at the high school.

So it was no surprise that Edwards’ energy, his undeniable love for the game of football and those who played it, and his passion to teach, are what so many coaches as well as former players and students alike remembered most about him after learning of his death Thursday morning.

“Mr. Edwards was like 5-foot-6 or so … a man of small stature, but a man with such large presence,” said Rudy Glocker, a former linebacker-tight end during the Wildcats’ incredible run in the 1980s who later played at Penn State. “The one thing about Mr. Edwards was how great he was to kids, kids on the football field and in the classroom.

“He always expected you to do better. He didn’t let you settle for a good job because he wanted you to do a great job. He wanted you to do better than even you thought you could do. He didn’t let you perform down. He wanted your best, and he was the same in that regard in football and in class.”

Tom Barr is one of the very few who played under as well as coached under and alongside Edwards at Owen J. Roberts.

A standout running back with the Wildcats from 1976-78 and later at Penn State, Barr served as OJR’s ninth grade coach when Edwards became the head coach in 1991. He later became one of Edwards’ assistants for three seasons. Then, when Barr was named the head coach in 1997, Edwards remained on the staff as a volunteer assistant for three seasons.

“Joe’s insight and guidance made my transition (to head coach) a lot easier,” Barr said. “He really helped me when it came to learning more about opponents, when it came to relating to players as a head coach, and when it came to delegating responsibilities to assistant

coaches. He always wanted to help in some way.

“But the big thing about Joe was how hard he worked to get a player, every player, to reach their potential. He cared about you, about everyone … and that’s why he wanted you to become the best player and the best student you could. He worked hard at that because it was important to him.”

* * *

Joe Edwards knew a thing or two about hard work, about commitment.

Despite the contention he was too short and too light to play football, he became a standout two-way starter for three seasons (1950-52) at the former Spring City High School. Through the years, former teammates often recalled his intensity, and how his aggressiveness more often than not leveled the playing field against much taller and much heavier opponents.

“Joe was scrappy as nails,” said Bob Stipa, two years behind Edwards at Spring City. “He was a good, good football player.”

Edwards brought that vim-and-vigor approach with him to his first year of teaching in the Warwick School, which was part of the new Owen J. Roberts jointure, and with him to the football field, where he became a volunteer assistant to Lou Buckwalter.

A few years later, Edwards and the rest of the faculty moved into OJR’s new school on Route 23. And when Henry “Hank” Bernat was named the new football coach for the 1960 season, Edwards moved onto the Wildcats’ staff.

“When I was named the head coach, believe it or not, Joe was the first person I told,” recalled Henry “Hank” Bernat. “I wanted him as an assistant.”

Bernat got him and, along with Al Alutius, the three were literally inseparable for the next 31 years, or until Bernat stepped down following the 1990 season.

“We were more than just coaches,” Bernat said. “I saw Joe’s kids grow up and he saw my kids grown up. We were more than coaches, more than friends … we were more like brothers.”

“I still remember our first day of practice, walking down the hill to the (practice) field,” Alutius added. “It was just Henry and I because Joe was taking (graduate) classes and couldn’t be there. But we met a couple of days later, and ever since did practically everything together, the whole bit.

“We all got along well. It was more than a good friendship, too, because we never ever seemed to have bothered each other at all.”

It would be hard to imagine the three not getting a long. For many years, even last fall, they shared a seat next to one another at most of Owen J. Roberts’ home games.

“We still enjoyed being together, sitting there watching the games,” Alutius said.

The outgoing and oh-so-personable Edwards may have provided the glue that helped keep the friendship intact, too.

Much like his knowledge of the game and his ability to relate to and teach the youngsters who played it helped the Wildcats to so many wins and so many Ches-Mont League championships under Bernat … not to mention the two Pioneer Athletic Conference titles of his own in 1991 and 1993.

“I’ve told people for years that if you look up the definition of a coach in the dictionary you’ll find Joe Edwards,” said Rick Pennypacker, who played against Edwards as a standout lineman at Spring-Ford and coached against him as the head coach at Pottsgrove. “In all the years I knew Joe, almost 40 years, I never once heard a person say one bad thing about him.

“Joe epitomized what a coach is, or should be. He was tough, hard-nosed, dedicated. And the most important thing about him was that he was loyal to his coaches and to his school. That was his trademark.”

Pennypacker remembered how he first met Edwards, albeit informally. It happened in his sophomore season during the Rams’ game against the Wildcats, when Edwards and Stipa – then an assistant at Spring-Ford – exchanged a few words.

“I think back to that now and realize how amazing it is because both of them are two of the five coaches I’ve known in my life who I grew to love and respect more than any other,” Pennypacker said.

Pennypacker, as well as coaches throughout the Ches-Mont and PAC-10, never had a negative word to say about Edwards. For years, they applauded his work ethic and his devotion to the athletes and game … and his knowledge of defense.

“Joe put his time in, and it was all because of his love for the game and all those kids out there,” said Bernat.

“And, yes, defense was his forte. He worked at it. He read books, went to clinics, came up with some ideas of his own. He incorporated all of that, and that’s why we did as well as we did at times on defense.”

Pennypacker recognized that first as a player, then as a coach. Either way, he never found an easy matchup.

“When you played or coached against Joe you knew you didn’t have to worry about anything fancy,” Pennypacker explained. “But you knew you were going to get hit, and get hit hard from beginning to end. He always had his kids prepared to play.”

“I remember telling some of my teammates at Penn State one year that there was only one coach who yelled and screamed more than Joe (Paterno), that he was one of my high school coaches – Mr. Edwards,” Glocker said. “They were shocked, but Mr. Edwards did it to motivate you, to make you a better football player. There was never any vindictiveness … only that desire to make you better.”

“I always said, and will continue to say, that if there was any coach I would have wanted my kids to play for it would have been Joe Edwards,” added Pennypacker. “Believe me, he was the coach every father would have wanted their kids to play for, too.”

* * *

After retiring from teaching and coaching, Edwards took over as president of the PAC-10 Football Coaches Association and served as the master of ceremonies of the organization’s annual awards banquet until becoming ill last winter.

“Joe just wanted to stay involved with football and with the kids,” Pennyypacker said. “He volunteered for everything, did everything, and did everything well. He had a heart of gold. He was a class man, a man we all respected immensely. He touched a lot of lives, and we’re all going to miss him.”

“Joe was sick, and (his passing) was inevitable,” Bernat added. “But it still hurts … really hurts.”