VALLEY FORGE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2007-08

Valley Forge Christian College (VFCC) is the only college which is located in the immediate Phoenixville area. The campus is located on Charlestown Road and the gymnasium is known as The Pit.
The grounds are at the old United States Army Hospital before the college was founded in 1931.
The Patriots compete in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division II East Region. The president of the small college is Dr. Don Meyer. The athletic director is Jon Mack and the assistant athletic director is Ronshea Vargas.
Following victories on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, both the VFCC men and women have advanced to the regional championship games.
The Valley Forge CC women, coached by Emily Jerzak and Amanda Jerzak, defeated Lancaster Bible College Tuesday to advance to Thursday night’s title game at Philadelphia Biblical University, the top seed. The Patriot women have shown considerable improvement this year since they only won four games a year ago.
The Patriot women have a force inside in 6-foot-1 sophomore forward Brooke Burr from Spring Grove, Pa. It is also a young VFCC crew with just one senior on the eight-player roster.
The other starting players are 5-6 senior guard Laura Kaiser from Point Pleasant, N.J.; Amanda Parr, a 5-8 forward from Penn Hills, Pa; point guard April Applegarth, a 5-4 sophomore from Monroeville, Pa; and Hannah Johnson, a 5-6 freshman forward from Union, Ct. Charla Benton, a 5-9 freshman guard/forward from Milford, De., has been a big factor with her outside shooting sparking the offense off the bench.
The best years of the program probably are ahead for the Patriots if they keep the women they have in the program and attract some more strong recruits.
The Valley Forge CC men cagers are coached by Mack and assistants Vargas and Tim Pomerhn. The Patriots have 13 players on their roster, including two seniors, five juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen.
The Patriots are the top-seeded team in the regional and will host Davis College in the title game tonight at 8 p.m. at The Pit. They are favored to win the game and to keep going far in the postseason playoffs because of their athleticism and experience gained against some strong opposition.
The seniors are Steve Pierantozzi, a 6-5 forward from Lansdale, Pa., who has amassed more than 1,000 points and 750 rebounds in his career; and James Fulton, a 5-11 guard from Philadelphia, who has scored more than 1,600 points and grabbed more than 200 steals during his illustrious career. Zachary Housand, a 6-6 forward from Columbus, Ga., is actually a junior but only has one semester of collegiate classes remaining to graduate so he will not be playing basketball at VFCC next winter.
The other starters are Keith Watkins, a 5-11 sophomore guard from Philadelphia; Justyn Mitchell, a 6-3 junior guard from Kansas City, Mo.; and Nate Stoner, a 6-4 junior forward from Waynesburg, Pa.
Bench support comes from Kevin Wilson, a 6-0 sophomore guard from Farmington, Ct.; Mike Stayne, a 5-11 freshman guard from Farmingville, N.Y.; Sean Squire, a 6-3 junior guard from Philadelphia; Rafael Twiggs, a 6-4 sophomore forward from East Norriton, Pa.; Craig Lahr, a 6-0 junior guard from Bellefonte, Pa.; Andrew Godwin, a 5-10 freshman guard from Fairfax, Va.; and Mike Fiore, a 6-0 freshman guiard from Holtsville, N.Y.
Valley Forge CC’s basketball programs are on the upswing. The college seems to be able to draw students from across the country despite being small with limited facilities. Continued success in the postseason will only serve to enhance the prospects of drawing better student-athletes to Charlestown.
These students are committed to religion besides their concentration in other academic studies as well as their particular focus in athletics.

Posted by
Barry Sankey