Phoenixville Sports Beat


Thursday, January 13, 2011

Freshman opt to try their hand at high school wresting

Phoenixville’s wrestling team, under third-year head coach Dave Saville, has a young squad for the 2010-11 season.
The Phantoms have three seniors, two juniors, four sophomores and nine freshmen on the 18-man roster. The ninth graders have opted to try their hand at the rigors of senior high school wrestling as opposed to middle school wrestling.
The Phantoms have dropped their first two Pioneer Athletic Conference matches to powerful Spring-Ford, 62-9, and then Boyertown, 57-9, Wednesday night in a pair of home meets. However, Phoenixville has had some bright spots in the matches and at some tournaments in which they have competed.
Phoenixville’s top senior is Ken Cenci (285), a returning Southeast Regional qualifier at 215 pounds who is also the top-rated heavyweight in the Pottstown/Phoenixville area and one of the top-ranked in his weight class in District 1 Class AAA. Cenci now has 86 career victories and hopes to have a solid remainder of the dual meet season and then go far during the postseason tournaments to reach the coveted 100-victory plateau for his career. Cenci is off to a 17-1 start this season and his only loss was a narrow 3-2 decision to highly regarded Mark Muscari of West Chester Henderson in the season-opening Rustin Rumble Tournament at West Chester Bayard Rustin High School.
Only three Phoenixville wrestlers have achieved that mark. They are Jason Meister (126), Class of 1999: Bret Wade (114), Class of 201; and Dominic Viola (112), Class of 2001. Meister wrestled in college at Baptist Bible and Wade at Kutztown University.
The Phantoms’ other seniors are Matt Cermanski, a returning district qualifier at 145/152 pounds; and Joe Giampietro (171).
Juniors are Brendon Bonner (135), who has been one of the Phantoms’ most improved wrestlers; and Sam LaPorte (160/171).
Sophomores are Ed McCarthy (103/112), Henry Hancock (145), Jordan Valenteen (135-145), Ben Turner (119) and Chris Schelberg (140).
Freshmen include Tristen Alvaredo (119), D.J. Brock (125), Colin Mea (171), Will Miller (119), Chris Modica (145), Paul Hossler (140), Tim Labik (145), Justin McDougal (160), Patrick McGinnis (119).

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Friday, October 22, 2010

Phoenixville, Upper Perk have identical record going into Friday's game

Phoenixville and Upper Perkiomen will carry identical records into Friday night’s Pioneer Athletic Conference football showdown in Red Hill. Both ballclubs have 2-3 records in the PAC-10 and are 3-4 overall.
Also, both sides are currently tied for seventh place in the District 1 Class AAA football standings. The Phantoms and Indians each have 390 points for a 55.7 average. Eight teams qualify for the district playoffs in Class AAA so both sides are still in the chase.
Upper Moreland (6-1) leads the way with 850 markers, followed by Strath Haven (6-1, 840), Academy Park (6-1, 740), Pottsgrove (5-2, 680), Springfield Delco (5-2, 610) and Bishop Shanahan (4-3, 550).
Also in the running for the final playoff spots are Octorara (3-3, 300), Interboro (3-4, 330) and Radnor (3-4, 320).
Phoenixville is coming off a 21-8 loss to Perkiomen Valley at Washington Field on Senior Night while Upper Perkiomen beat Methacton, 42-35, in Red Hill last Thursday evening. The previous week the Indians dropped a 55-20 decision to Owen J. Roberts on the Tribe’s field.
Upper Perkiomen will be celebrating its Homecoming weekend with the game against the Phantoms. Upper Perkiomen coach Keith Leamer is in his seventh season in charge of the Tribe while Phoenixville’s Bill Furlong has spent eight years on the sidelines with the Phantoms.
Upper Perkiomen is led by junior wide receiver Ronnie Gillespie (5-10, 165), who has scored 10 touchdowns for 60 points. Gillespie ranks second in the area in receiving with 32 catches for 712 yards (22.3-yard average).
“Gillespie is the best receiver we have faced,” said Furlong.
The quarterback is senior Casey Perlstein (6-1, 195), who has scored 50 points on eight TDs and two point afters. Perlstein has also rushed for 498 yards on 97 attemptys (5.1 avg.). Perlstein has completed 70 of 144 aerials (48.6 percent) for 1,137 yards with 12 TDs and six interceptions. Perlstein and Phoenixville’s Tom Romano were both named to the second team all-league as quarterbacks one year ago.
Both players will be a challenge to Phoenixville’s defensive line of Ernie Knight, Dennis Kelly, Marcus Stokes and Torin Killeen plus Sam Labik, Kajhnel Norwood and Brendon Stone as well as the secondary with Alec McQuiston, Joe Hill, Marcus Howell and Jerome Nicholson. The linebackers are Ryan Pannella, Travis Andrews, Ryan Yenchick and Nick Rutkowski.
The Phantoms must also contend with junior fullback John Olson (6-1, 195), who is the team’s leading rusher with 541 yards on 115 plays (4.7 avg.).
Phoenixville has scored 136 points (19.4) while allowing 161 counters (23.0). Upper Perkiomen has scored 208 points (29.7) while yielding 226 points (32.3). Andrews is Phoenixville’s top rusher with 439 yards on 94 carries (4.7) with two touchdowns.
“I hope we play at an even keel because they are emotional and it is their Homecoming,” said Furlong.
The Indians are led in their offensive line by senior tackle Mike Paul (6-4, 220), also a second-team all-league choice last season. Paul doubles as a defensive lineman. Senior Jake Nyce (5-11, 215) is a three-year starter at the center position.
Junior linebacker Dalton Fleming (6-1, 195) is following in the footsteps of his older brothers, Chase and Cody, who starred for the Indians before moving on to Shippensburg University.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Phantoms travel to Fairview Village

Phoenixville’s football team (1-2 PAC-10, 2-3 overall) travels to Fairview Village for a 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon game against the Methacton Warriors (2-1, 3-2).
Phoenixville is coming off a 44-19 loss to undefeated Boyertown last Saturday afternoon at Washington Field while Methacton dropped a 42-7 encounter to Owen J. Roberts last Friday night in Bucktown.
The Phantoms have scored 80 points in five games for a 16.0 average per game. Phoenixville has allowed 134 markers for a 26.8 clip.
Methacton has scored 69 points (13.8) while allowing 92 (18.4).
Phoenixville did rush for 245 yards against the Bears and passed for 80 more yards for a total of 325 yards of total offense, which pleased head coach Bill Furlong and his staff. Defensively, Phoenixville permitted Boyertown 184 yards rushing and 197 yards passing for a total of 381 yards. Several big plays proved costly for the Phantoms.
Junior Travis Andrews has been the Phantoms’ top rusher with 277 yards on 57 carries for a 4.9 average. Against the Bears, Andrews ran for 91 yards on 15 carries. He also doubles at linebacker on defense.
Junior Alec McQuiston has taken over at quarterback and has been effective running and passing the football. Last week he tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Marcus Howell. The TD passes covered 28 and 43 yards. McQuiston completed 3 of 8 passes for 80 yards and the two scores against Boyertown. He also rushed for 73 yards on 12 attempts.
Ten different ballcarriers figured in the statistical column for rushing for the Phantoms. Joe Hill had six runs for 38 yards and Kajhnel Norwood ran five times for 29 yards and a 5-yard TD for the final Phoenixville tally.
Phoenixville’s sophomores have had to make big contributions already. Tom White at center and Brian Hyland at left guard have been starters along the offensive line. Ryan Pannella, at linebacker, is leading the Phantoms in tackles per game. Howell, a cornerbck, and Norwood, a defensive end, are also sophomores and so is running back/linebacker Ryan Yenchick.
Seniors Marcus Stokes and Torin Killeen and junior Ernie Knight have been two-way linemen for the Phantoms.
Dennis Kelly-Ukatu, a 5-foot-11, 171-pound junior defensive end, ranks among the area leaders with three quarterback sacks.
“We were pleased with the way we moved the ball on the ground,” said Furlong. “We were also pleased with what we did against their running game. It was their big plays. That is a credit to (quarterback Dylan) Pasik and all their guys. We wanted to stop their run and we met some of our goals. We spread the ball around the way we wanted to and there is a lot to build on.”
Boyertown, Furlong said, is a solid ballclub all the way around with its linemen, group of backs and a talented threat at quarterback in Pasik, a 6-3, 200-pound senior, who is off to the best start of any quarterback in the league and may be the best the circuit has to offer this season. Pasik hit on 5 of 7 passes for 197 yards and four TDs against the Phantoms.
This week, the Phantoms must turn their attention to the Methacton option running game under first-year head coach Paul Lepre. The Warriors are led by sophomore quarterback Brandon Bossard, who is a threat to run and throw the football at 6-3 and 190 pounds. Senior Eliot Reisz and and junior Nate Forzato are the main running backs out of a double-slot formation and have some speed. The Warriors like to also use junior Brian Miller as a running back and receiver. Senior Sung Ho Park is a solid fullback and linebacker.
Two-way linemen to look for are senior Chris Guardino (5-9, 260), senior Ben Meck (6-1, 235), senior Joe Markley (5-11, 220) and senior Ryan Kiely (5-9, 224) as well as star senior wrestler Brandan Clark (6-0, 230), a state medalist, and junior Tom Culligan (6-2, 250). Anthony DeSana (6-2, 215) is a senior tight end/defensive end. Junior David Low (6-2, 190) is an active defensive end, and sophomore Jeremy Reid (5-9, 200) has already made an impact at linebacker.
The placekicker is junior Nick Leperche.
“They (Warriors) have some good athletes at the skill spots,” said Furlong. “We are similar on the line. They don’t have a lot of size, but they are ready to do what they do and are well-coached. They are very opportunistic, the way we have been and like to be. They recover a fumble and score. They have no superstars, but they are very scrappy.”

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Phoenixivlle football vs. OJR

With the Pioneer Athletic Conference football race up for grabs following last week’s upsets, Phoenixville visits Owen J. Roberts Friday night at Wildcat Stadium at 7 p.m.
Phoenixville (1-0, 2-1) is coming off a 23-0 shutout of Pope John Paul II last Friday evening at Washington Field while Owen J. Roberts (0-1, 1-2) was knocked off by Spring-Ford, 20-7, at Coach McNelly Stadium the same night.
The Phantoms are expected to be without senior quarterback/cornerback Tom Romano, an all-league selection at both positions, for the remainder of the season after he tore a ligament in his left ankle during last week’s contest against the Golden Panthers. Romano was helped off the field with 4:40 left in the opening frame. He is expected to need surgery and screws but should be ready for baseball season in the spring.
Junior Alec McQuiston stepped in to the quarterback spot and performed well as he did last year when Romano missed three games due to injury. McQuiston completed 6 of 8 passes for 48 yards and one touchdown, a 4-yard pass to Ryan Yenchick. McQuiston also rushed nine times for 29 yards while directing the Phoenixville offense. McQuiston is also starting at safety on defense. He also started last week’s encounter at fullback in place of the injured Vinny Nattle.
“Our defense made the plays they needed to and we controlled the running game,” said Phoenixville coach Bill Furlong. “They played real well.
“We went from one position to another and they didn’t miss a beat. The big thing is the team didn’t miss a beat. It would have been easy to feel a sense of despair. But we kept rolling with the leadership of our seniors and upperclassmen, and some of our young guys stepped up and did the job.”
Sophomore Marcus Howell filled in for Romano at one corner position while also playing wide receiver on offense. Howell made a key interception at a key time in the game, caught one pass for 11 yards and ran twice for 10 more yards. Howell intercepted a Dave Cotellese pass at the home team’s 19-yard line with 6:16 left in the fourth quarter. Phoenixville limited PJP to 18 net yards rushing. Junior Jerome Nicholson also had an active night in the Phantom secondary.
Travis Andrews rushed 20 times for 103 yards. Yenchick carried nine times for 38 yards and one TD, a 1-yard plunge for the final Phoenixville score.
Dennis Kelly-Ukatu made 2.5 sacks while Ryan Pannella, Torin Killeen and Sam Labik each had .5 sack. Labik also caught three passes for 49 yards.
Nick Rutkowski opened the scoring with a 2-yard run in the first quarter as Phoenixville had different players run the football on the night. John McInally kicked a 27-yard field goal in the second period.
“Our seniors have cultivated an attitude to keep playing one play at a time,” said Furlong.
Despite last week’s Owen J. Roberts setback, Furlong expects the Wildcats to be raring to go this week and the Phantoms will have their hands full containing running back Ryan Brumfield and company.
“They will play tough anyway,” said Furlong. “In a lot of ways the league is wide open with Pottsgrove losing (34-28 to Boyertown) so Owen J. is not out of anything. They will play hard. We can’t control that. We have to do our best to continue to improve. We have progressed each week. Our young guys have to continue to mature. If that continues, we’ll be happy.”
Brumfield rushed 31 times for 186 yards and a 24-yard TD for the final OJR score against the Rams. A big, physical offensive line opens the holes for the Wildcat backs, and OJR also has a sound defense. Spring-Ford’s defense kept Brumfield under 100 yards until his final two carries went for 88 yards and a TD with 2:58 left in the game.
Brumfield is leading the area in rushing with 73 carries for 645 yards this fall (8.8 average) with six TDs for 36 points.
The Owen J. Roberts passing game has been lackluster with senior Ryan Megay and and junior Blake Bradshaw, who suffered a fractured wrist late in the game against Spring-Ford and is out for the season.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Phantoms kick out PAC 10 football season Friday against Pope John Paul II

Phoenixville kicks off the 25th season of Pioneer Athletic Conference football action tonight with a 7 p.m. home game against new league entry Pope John Paul II at Washington Field.
The Phantoms are coming off a 42-0 non-league loss at Unionville last Friday night while the Golden Panthers dropped their PAC-10 opener to two-time defending league champion Pottsgrove, 57-6.
“Unionville is a good team across the board,” said Phoenixville coach Bill Furlong.
Pope John Paul II is the merger of the former St. Pius X and Kennedy-Kenrick schools. The Golden Panthers are coached by Mike Santillo, the former coach at Kennedy-Kenrick.
The Phantoms fell to St. Pius X, 21-14, last fall but defeated Kennedy-Kenrick, 35-6. Now they will be facing a combination of the two schools.
“We expect a real good game,” said Furlong. “Their scores have been lopsided and so have ours with who we played. So we are similar. It has been a tough opening two weeks.”
Furlong hopes his ballclub comes out with a fire after absorbing the sound beating last week following a season-opening victory over Great Valley.
“I think they practiced well,” said Furlong. “I think emotionally they are ready to play. We have some things we want to accomplish.”
Phoenixville hopes to move its passing game into gear with senior quarterback Tom Romano at the controls. He, the receivers and the offensive line’s blocking have to do a better job of meshing in order for the Phantoms to be successful through the air.
Phoenixville running back Vinny Nattle , who suffered a head injury against Unionville after enjoying a huge game against Great Valley, is expected to miss the remainder of the season. Joe Hill, a transfer from St. Pius X, is one of the Phoenixville players in the hunt for the starting job.
The Phantoms hope to improve their work against the passing game. Thus far they have been vulnerable to some big plays.
“We have to be more consistent on defense,” said Furlong.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Phoenixville/Great Valley Football Season Opener

Phoenixville High School kicks off the 2010 football season with a non-league game against Great Valley at Washington Field Friday night, Sept. 3.

The Phantoms have head coach Bill Furlong starting his eighth year at the helm. Phoenixville finished 3-6 in the PAC-10 (4-8 overall) last year.

Great Valley has a new head coach in Mike Choi, a former assistant coach with the Patriots under ex-head coach Gary Phillips. The Patriots closed at 2-3 in the Ches-Mont League (3-8 overall) last year.

Great Valley won last year’s encounter, 27-21, in overtime.

“It should be a good barometer,” said Furlong. “In the past, whoever won this game went on to have a good year in the playoffs. Last year we went to overtime, which was an omen. Neither of us had the season we wanted.”

Phoenixville has senior Tom Romano (6-0, 180) back for his third season at quarterback. Joining him in the backfield will be junior Travis Andrews (5-9, 181), junior Alec McQuiston (5-8, 166) and junior Vinny Nattle (5-11, 175).

The wide receivers are senior Dan Kain (5-9, 155) and senior Brendon Stone (5-7, 168) with sophomore Ryan Pannella (5-11, 156) at tight end.

Seniors Ken Cenci (5-10, 255) and Marcus Stokes (6-3, 291) are veteran two-way tackles. The guards are junior Jesse Gervasi (5-9, 181) and senior Torin Killeen (5-6, 165) with sophomore Tom White (5-10, 162) or junior Tim Hunt (5-11, 270) at center.

On defense, the Phantoms have moved junior Dennis Kelly (5-11, 171) from nose guard to end, where he will be joined by sophomore Kajhnel Norwood (5-7, 168). The interior linemen will be Cenci, Stokes, and junior Ernie Knight (6-1, 205), who missed much of last season with a concussion.

The linebackers are Andrews, Gervasi, Pannella and sophomore Ryan Yenchick (5-9, 162).

In the secondary are Kain, McQuiston, Nattle and Romano.

The placekicker is returning senior soccer player John McInally (5-11, 170). The punter will be either McInally or Romano.

Great Valley has a returning quarterback in senior Dave Hausladen, who will be directing a West Coast offense. Senior Chuckie Showers is a speedy running back and defensive back. The wide receivers are seniors Kevin Cox and Jesse Horn with senior Greg Havrilla at tight end.

Senior Dan Buchholz will anchor the offensive and defensive lines with senior Zach Anderson heading up the linebacker crew. Other linebackers being counted upon are seniors Chris Shaver, Ben Shipley and Pete Pappas.

“They have the quarterback and two wideouts so it looks like they are ready to throw the ball more than the past,” said Furlong. “They have a new coach and a new system. That could work for or against us.

“We have a lot of guys going both ways (offense, defense). We will have people hustling. We will be taking guys in and out.”

In other season openers tonight, Spring-Ford visits West Chester East, Owen J. Roberts travels to Conestoga, new PAC-10 entry Pope John Paul II is at Holy Name in Reading, Boyertown hosts Allentown Allen, Methacton is at Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Pottsgrove hosts Mastbaum, Upper Perkiomen hosts Muhlenberg and Daniel Boone is at Donegal.

In Saturday contests, Perkiomen Valley is at Lansdale Catholic at 11 a.m. and Pottstown visits St. Pius X Rosetto in Bangor at 1 p.m.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Spring City Legion Baseball 2010

Spring City’s Senior American Legion baseball team gave the area a lot of excitement and thrills during the summer of 2010.
The Red Sox captured their first Chester County League title since 2004, went on to capture the Region Three crown and then their first-ever Pennsylvania State Tournament at Bear Stadium in Boyertown.
From there, Spring City traveled west on Route 422 past Reading to West Lawn for the Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament. The Red Sox went 1-2 there to end their season at 37-9 overall.
In both the Pa. regional and state tournaments, Spring City dropped its opening game, only to fight back and win five straight games in the losers’ bracket to earn the championship. Their final game of the season was a 9-8 setback to Newark, Del., last Saturday afternoon at Owls Field at Ted Palka Park.
In the contest, Spring City rallied from a 7-3 deficit to score five runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a short-lived 8-7 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, the Diamondbacks scored two runs on a two-out throwing error to post the victory.
The Spring City coaching staff of manager Jamie Scheck and assistant coaches Mike Walton, Mike Heffernan and Jason Sampat are to be congratulated for their efforts in working with the boys throughout the summer months.
All the players deserve credit, too, for filling their roles on the team. It was a young team, to boot, since just one player (centerfielder Dan Larkin) is the lone 19-year-old on the ballclub who is not eligible to return next summer.