PHOENIXVILLE FOOTBALL SENIORS 2008

Phoenixville will honor its eight senior football players with a ceremony Friday night during the Pioneer Athletic Conference game against league newcomer Methacton at Washington Field at 7 p.m.
It is a small group of senior players but still a valuable bunch in terms of what these Phantoms have provided for the Phoenixville football program.
The seniors are running back/defensive back Anthony Nattle (6-2, 187), running back/nose guard Abdul Kelly (5-8, 168), two-way tackle Mike Cress (6-2, 184), wide receiver/defensive back/punter Will Killeen (6-0, 171), wide receiver/defensive back Khalil Ervin (6-0, 175), defensive end Dave Eggeling (5-11, 164), running back/special teams player A.J. Ryan (5-5, 143) and transfer wide receiver/defensive back Zack Gorczynski (5-8, 170).
Gorczynski, who attended Phoenixville in ninth grade, has moved back to the area. He caught a touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Tom Romano in last week’s 21-0 victory over Upper Perkiomen in Red Hill.

Phoenixville’s field hockey

Phoenixville’s field hockey team completed its season with a 3-0 loss to Villa Maria Academy in the quarterfinal round of the District 1 Class AA playoffs in Malvern Thursday afternoon.
The Phantoms were the ninth seed against the top-seeded Hurricanes, but Phoenixville put up a stiff fight in a game that stood 1-0 with 12 minutes left in regulation time.
Phoenixville head coach John Tornetta was proud of his team’s valiant effort with a young unit that includes eight players who were junior varsity performers a year ago. Phoenixville concluded the season with a 10-8 overall mark under Tornetta and assistant coach Ashley Dvorak.
Villa Maria has an 18-1-1 record, heading into today’s semifinals against Merion Mercy Academy, a Catholic Academies League rival. The Hurricanes’ lone loss came against Wyoming Seminary.
The Villa Maria roster also includes five Phoenixville area residents who are among the Hurricanes’ most prominent players in junior midfielder Molly Murphy, junior forward Marie Elena Bolles, senior forwards Katie Briglia and Sera Berlacher and junior goalkeeper Anna Zarkoski.
The Hurricanes are coached by Maurene Polley. Her assistants are Janet Coady, Jen McBride Sminkey and Jim Henderson.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays will start the best-of-seven 2008 World Series Wednesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla. The first two games will be played there before shifting to Philadelphia for the middle three games and then back to Florida for the final two games, if needed.
There have been several local ties to the Phillies throughout the years.
Former Phoenixville star Andre Thornton signed with the Phillies as a free agent and proceeded to have a successful major league career with several teams, mainly the Cleveland Indians in the American League, in the 1970s and 1980s. He played first base and was used as a designated hitter.
Bullpen coach Ramon Hernandez formerly lived in Phoenixville and is married to a Phoenixville girl. They now reside in the Birdsboro area.
Longtime advance scout Hank King lives in Limerick Township and formerly lived in Audubon. King, who started his career as a left-handed batting practice pitcher with the Phillies, is also a PIAA basketball official.
On a side note, King used to author a column about spring training in Florida for Phoenixville Newspapers back in the 1980s.

The Final Four Playoffs

The Final Four playoffs are an exciting time of the year in the Pioneer Athletic Conference for those sports that feature them.
They pit the first- and second-place teams from the Liberty Division (big schools) agains the first- and second-place finishers from the Frontier Division (small schools).
Phoenixville finished in second place in the Frontier Division in three sports for the fall season — boys soccer, field hockey and girls soccer.
The Phantoms’ boys soccer team, coached by Ryan Bombick, played Saturday morning at Owen J. Roberts High School’s Wildcat Stadium against the host Wildcats. Owen J. Roberts won the contest, 1-0, and will now meet Boyertown, which beat Pottsgrove in the second semifinal, 2-1. That game will be played Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in Bucktown. Owen J. Roberts, which is coached by Dave Rhen, is gunning for its third straight league title.
In field hockey, Phoenixville finished behind Upper Perkiomen in the Frontier Division. The Phantoms face Liberty Division winner Methacton today (Tuesday) at 4 p.m. at Owen J. Roberts High School. The Phantoms are coached by John Tornetta and they will be up against Methacton, which is competing in the PAC-10 for the first time this year.
In the other semifinal, Upper Perkiomen will take on defending champion Perkiomen Valley, the runner-up in the Liberty Division. The championship game will be played Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at Owen J. Roberts High School.
In girls soccer, Phoenixville finished second to Upper Perkiomen in the Frontier Division as well. So first-year coach Jason Short will send his team up against Liberty Division winner Boyertown tonight (Tuesday) at 8 p.m. on Spring-Ford High School’s new synthetic turf field in the second game of a doubleheader. In the first game, Owen J. Roberts, coached by Joe Margusity, faces Upper Perkiomen. The title game will be played back in Royersford Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Three Straight Wins

Phoenixville’s football team has won three straight games to continue its improvement for the 2008 season with a young squad. The Phantoms are still in the picture for the District 1 Class AAA playoffs since the top 10 teams qualify, based on points in power rankings. The Phantoms are currently 4-2 overall with 420 points for 10th place with several key games remaining on the schedule.
Phoenixville defeated Perkiomen Valley, 41-34, to help celebrate Homecoming Saturday afternoon at Washington Field. In the two prior weeks to that victory, the Phantoms blanked St. Pius X, 28-0, and defeated Pottstown, 35-14, in a pair of road contests. The victory over PV represented the Phantoms’ first home victory this season.
The emergence of sophomore quarterback Tom Romano as a passing threat has enabled the Phantoms to become more of a balanced offensive team. Romano passed for 225 points against Perkiomen Valley and 170 yards against Pottstown and now has 553 yards passing for the 2008 campaign.
Romano has completed 28 of 58 aerials for 553 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. He completed 10 of 15 throws against Pottstown and was 8-for-13 against Perkiomen Valley. Romano has also rushed for 85 yards on 35 attempts.
The Phantoms capitalized on six turnovers committed by Perkiomen Valley, including three lost fumbles and three interceptions. Phoenixville continues to be the No. 1-ranked defense in the Pioneer Athletic Conference (PAC-10). In six games, the Phantoms have scored 145 points while allowing just 76 markers, including shutouts against Chichester and St. Pius X.
For the season, the Phantom defense is plus-9 in the turnover category. Phoenixville has lost four fumbles of its own while recovering eight opponents’ bobbles ofr a plus-4 ratio. The Phantoms have been intercepted twice while pilfering seven passes themselves for a plus-5 ratio to total plus-9.
Anthony Nattle has scored seven touchdowns for 42 points, followed by Abdul Kelly with five TDs for 30 points and Ricky Yenchick four TDs for 24 points. Placekicker John McInally has 17 extra points.
Vince Ciaverelli and Will Killeen each have two TDs and Charles Mitchell one TD. Romano has scored on one conversion for two points.
Phoenixville has rushed for 1,379 yards and passed for 553 yards to give them 1,932 yards of total offense. Defensively, the Phantoms haye yielded 956 yards rushing and 639 yards passing for 1,595 yards of total offense with 567 of those yards coming in one game against explosive Perkiomen Valley. PV quarterback Zach Zulli, the league MVP last year, set a school record with 379 yards passing against the Phantoms.

The Phoenixville Marian Youth Club

The Phoenixville Marian Youth Club (PMYC) has been in operation since 1956 and is in
its 53rd season of operation. The club provides midget football, field hockey, lacrosse, flag football, basketball and cheerleading for area youngsters.
This year’s program was dedicated to the late Robert “Bob” Dawson. He was involved with the group since his parents, Harry and Gert Dawson, were involved from the inception. Harry held the positions of purchasing agent, board member, president and treasurer for more than 35 years. Gert, a current board member and treasurer, has managed the refreshment stand for more than 50 years.
Bob Dawson passed away unexpectedly last summer. He attended Northern Chester County Vo-Tech School, currently known as CAT-Pickering. He graduated from the Philadelphia Technical Institute with a degree in heating and air conditioning.
He participated in PMYC Little Borhters football as a member of the Giants and in Big Brothers as amember of the Steelers. PMYC soccer and basketball. After graduation, Bob spent a number of years as an assistant football coach. In 1991, Mr. Dawson was elected tot he board of directors,a post he held until his death.
Bob is survivied by his widow, Debbie Dawson, daughter Katie Lynn and son David.
PMYC officers for 2008 are Chuck McQuiston, president; Rob Spitz, vice president; Gert Dawson, treasuer; and Dave Gyuris, secretary. Gyuris is also in charge of publicity for the league’s football games in Little Brothers and Big Brothers divisions.