PAC's Frontier Division on the rise in 2018 - PA Prep Live

PAC’s Frontier Division on
the rise in 2018
Pottsgrove removed all the mystery from the Pioneer Athletic
Conference’s Frontier Division race this past Friday night
with a hard-fought 17-7 victory at Upper Merion, ensuring the
Falcons (8-0, 4-0 PAC Frontier) would advance to the league’s
championship game yet again in hopes the third time will be
the charm after losses to Perkiomen Valley in 2016 and 2017.

But sometimes overlooked in Pottsgrove’s sustained position at
the top of the division is the across-the-board improvement of
the Frontier schools in the 2018 season. With two weeks still
to play in the regular season, four of the six teams have
already clinched records as good or better than last
year’s—and Pottsgrove still stands to improve on their 11-2
campaign from a year ago.

Pope John Paul II (7-1, 3-1 PAC Frontier) and Upper Merion
(5-3 PAC Frontier) will face off for second place in the
division next Saturday afternoon in Royersford. For the Golden
Panthers, the contest represents an opportunity to improve
upon last year’s seven-win total and setting a new program
mark for wins in a season. The Vikings, meanwhile, have been
perhaps the surprise team of 2018 in the PAC, far
outdistancing last year’s two-win effort in coach Victor
Brown’s second year at the helm.

Pottsgrove’s Ryan Bodolus (81) sacks Pope John Paul II’s
   Kamal Gray (10) during the first half. (Austin Hertzog –
   Digital First Media)

The two squads are linked by the fact that perhaps their most
impressive performances to date came in their respective
losses to Pottsgrove. The Panthers stood toe-to-toe with the
Falcons for 47 minutes until a short TD run gave Pottsgrove
the winning margin, 35-28. Upper Merion went the other way,
frustrating the high-scoring, powerful Pottsgrove ground
attack for three quarters this past Friday, taking a 10-7
deficit deep into the fourth quarter until a late TD helped
the Falcons to pull away, 17-7.

That’s where the similarities end, however, as the Panthers
and Vikings have achieved their success in vastly different
ways. While PJP rides the powerful right arm of junior QB
Kamal Gray (95-173, 1559 yards, 22 TD passes), the Vikings
prefer to grind it out behind an experienced offensive line

and running backs Zaire Savage and Mike Zelli. That’s not to
undersell the improvement of junior QB Dale Clayton, who’s
been entrusted to throw the ball more and more as the season
has progressed. Clayton’s season-high 33 attempts against
Pottsgrove Friday ended with a 189-yard effort plus an 81-yard
scoring pass to Marc Clayton.

No matter the outcome of Saturday’s contest, both teams are in
strong standing for the District 1 playoffs. Pope John Paul II
sits atop the District 1/12 Class 3A standings (four teams
qualify), while Upper Merion has been firmly entrenched at No.
8 in Class 5A, where 16 teams make the postseason. That
specific position holds particular importance, as the top-
eight teams will play host in the first round of districts.

Pottstown (4-4, 1-3 PAC Frontier) has doubled its 2017 win
total already, riding a couple of do- it-all stars on either
side of the ball. Junior Josiah Wiggins moved into the QB spot
from running back this year, and has rewarded Mark Fischer’s
confidence with 13 combined touchdowns (10 rush, three pass).
Wiggins leads PAC quarterbacks in rushing by a considerable
distance with 652 yards on the season. When the Trojans are on
defense, Nehemiah Figueroa spearheads an experienced unit with
his league-leading five interceptions (tied with Perkiomen
Valley’s Austin Rowley and Upper Merion Taiyan Lobban) and
routine accumulation of double-digit tackles.

Pottstown’s Nehemiah Figueroa (10) fights for more
   yardage while being brought down by Pope John Paul II’s
   Chris Salvo during Friday night’s game. (Thomas Nash –
   Digital First Media)

The Trojans are also beginning to develop some depth, as
evidenced by this past Friday’s game against Pope John Paul
when Pottstown lost Wiggins to a leg injury in the second
quarter. Pressed into duty, sophomore Darius Smallwood kept
the offense afloat deep into the fourth quarter in what was
ultimately a 20-12 loss for the Trojans.

Looking forward to Districts, Pottstown appears fairly
entrenched in the No. 2 or No. 3 spot in Class 4A (four teams
qualify). A first-round victory would set up a likely
crosstown showdown with Pottsgrove for a District title.

Phoenixville (3-5, 1-3 PAC Frontier) stands in the most
precarious position as it pertains to District playoff
positioning. The Phantoms, a Class 5A team, are currently
seeded at No. 15 after Friday’s shutout of Upper Perkiomen
(again, 16 teams qualify.) Coach Don Grinstead’s first year on
the job has seen the Phantoms establish a blue-collar

mentality as a team that runs the ball, plays solid defense
and above all maintains discipline and ball security. As with
most teams in the first year of a new regime, there have been
lapses that explain at least a few of the five losses.

      Phoenixville’s Alex Washington, left, is
      congratulated by teammate Travis Pannella after
      scoring a touchdown Friday against Upper
      Perkiomen. (Barry Taglieber – Digital First Media)

But when everything comes together, as it did in the 49-0 win
over Upper Perkiomen, the Phantoms stand as a threat to upset
a top team or two in Districts, with their ball-control
offense (RBs Alex Washington and Travis Pannella stand as the

only duo to each rank among the PAC’s top-10 rushers.)

It’s been a tough 2018 for Upper Perkiomen (1-7, 0-4 PAC
Frontier), who’s had to withstand the double whammy of losses
to graduation and the injury bug after a 2017 season that
ended in the Class 4A District finals. But the Indians need
look no further than their division rivals to see how quickly
things can turn around.

       Phoenixville’s Dave Nicholas takes down Upper
       Perkiomen’s Hunter Flack Friday. (Barry
       Taglieber – Digital First Media)

So what does it all mean? Well, Week 10 of the regular season
doubles as ‘Cross-Over’ week in the PAC, where each team from

the Frontier Division plays its Liberty Division counterpart
(division champions play for the league title, No. 2 plays No.
2, No. 3 plays No. 3, and so on down to the last-place
finishers).

The first two years of this arrangement have yielded a 1-11
cumulative record for the Frontier, the only victory coming
last year when Pottstown bested Methacton, 20-0. Two years of
frustration led some fans of Frontier Division teams to call
for alterations or even the outright cancellation of the ‘new
deal.’ But without trying to project the eventual matchups
(we’ll get to that next week), it’s not hard to see a scenario
where 2018 sees the Frontier Division battling the Liberty to
a draw (or better?) next season. Frontier Division teams host
these Week 10 matchups in even-numbered years — one more
advantage in a season filled with positives for the ‘smaller’
schools.

Around the Area
Spring-Ford (7-1, 4-0 PAC Liberty) and Perkiomen Valley (6-2,
4-0 PAC Liberty) charge into this coming Friday’s division
title showdown after thwarting rivals Owen J. Roberts and
Boyertown, respectively. The Rams’ defense held OJR to 163
yards of offense (more than half of those came in the fourth
quarter) in a 30-7 victory that erased the sour taste from a
33-0 setback that occurred in the same situation last year —
OJR’s Homecoming game.

Spring-Ford quarterback Ryan Engro (7) and receiver
   Blaize Scarcelle (13) celebrate after a Rams touchdown
   in the third quarter against Owen J. Roberts. (Austin
   Hertzog – Digital First Media)

As for the Vikings, QB Cole Peterlin had his strongest game
since a Week 5 injury, throwing for 118 yards, and running for
another 47, accumulating four total touchdowns in a 42-21
victory over Boyertown. Austin Rowley’s two interceptions
moved him into a tie with Figueroa and Lobban for the area
lead with five picks on the year. The Vikings travel to
Spring-Ford’s Coach McNelly Stadium Friday night with the
Liberty Division title and a trip to Pottsgrove for the PAC
championship game on the line.

Norristown (2-6, 1-3 PAC Liberty) outlasted Methacton (1-7,
1-3 PAC Liberty) in a Saturday afternoon slugfest, 14-7.
Daniel Watson found the Eagles’ leading receiver, Christian
Thomas, for the winning points in the third quarter. Mike
Torcini led the way for Methacton with 39 yards rushing, while
Mike Ciriello got the Warriors on the board in the first

quarter with a rushing score.

Offensive Player of the Week >> Daniel Boone quarterback Tommy
Buchert carried it 27 times for 192 yards and three scores
Friday night in a 38-21 victory over Muhlenberg that evened
the Blazers’ record at 4-4. Buchert would add another score
through the air and intercept a pass on defense for good
measure.

   Daniel Boone quarterback Tommy Buchert is chased down by
   Owen J. Roberts’ Aidan Hayward during a game earlier
   this season. Buchert had a much easier time Friday,
   racking up four total touchdowns in the Blazers’ win
   over Muhlenberg. (Thomas Nash – Digital First Media)

The Blazers deserve mention as one of the area’s improved
teams. In their first year under Rob Flowers, Daniel Boone has
already doubled their 2017 win total, and currently sits at
No. 18 in the District 3 Class 5A playoff standings (with the
top 14 teams qualifying).

Defensive Player(s) of the Week >> The entire Pottsgrove
defensive line shares the honor this week by virtue of

limiting Upper Merion to only seven yards of rushing in the de
facto Frontier Division championship game, won by the Falcons,
17-7.

Forced to the air early and often, Upper Merion fought gamely
but ultimately fell to the now three-time defending Frontier
Division champion Falcons. Nate Tornetta, Justin Adams, Ryan
Bodolus, and Darrian Seaman lead the stalwart unit for
Pottsgrove.