This column originally ran in the Oct. 26 edition of The Mercury.

All the football fanatics in Boyertown and Bucktown are already talking about Friday night’s game between Boyertown and Owen J. Roberts. Just imagine what must be going through the minds of those Bears and Wildcats…

Both teams, as most know by now, are armed offensively with size and quickness on the line and speed behind it … a whole lot of talent that can put up big, big numbers on the scoreboard. Both teams, as most know by now, have proven they have the ability to disarm anyone defensively with size and quickness on the line and speed behind it … a whole lot of talent that can minimize those other numbers on the scoreboard (and sometimes keep them at zero, too). Both teams have made a habit of holding onto the football, too … and when the opposition doesn’t, they sure have had a way of getting it back.

All that sure gives everyone a lot to talk about.

The fact the Bears and Wildcats are one-two in the Pioneer Athletic Conference standings can sure add to any conversation, too. The Bears, remember, are unbeaten at 6-0 — not to mention 8-0 overall for the first time in the 71-year history of their program. The Wildcats, remember, are 5-1 (6-2 overall) and have looked unbeatable during a five-week run in which they’ve outscored their opponents by an average of 30 points.

Enough?

Not really, because PAC-10 leadership (or possible championship) aside, there’s also the issue of securing a spot in the District 1-AAAA playoffs.

Boyertown is currently tied for fifth in the points standings – up one spot from a week ago thanks to that 20-0 shutout of Spring-Ford. A win Friday night would clinch a spot in the 16-team bracket, and another win next week against visiting Methacton would clinch a home game in the opening round. Owen J. Roberts is currently 14th – up three very big spots from a week ago thanks to the 42-20 pummeling of Pope John Paul II. A win Friday night, in all likelihood, would mean another noticeable jump up the standings, and a win next week at Perkiomen Valley – which has lost by one point and two points in the rivals’ last two meetings – would clinch a spot in the opening round.

In other words, this Friday’s game is big, like really big … huge, if you will.

Yes, there are next week’s games and those Thanksgiving issues to be decided before all’s said and done. But this game – like everyone is saying – will go a long way in determining who gets into the postseason and where they play, and who gets their hands on that PAC-10 championship trophy.

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If the Wildcats get into the playoffs, they would be just the second area program and second PAC-10 program to get into district playoffs three successive seasons. Daniel Boone has been a District 3-AAA qualifier the last four seasons, while Lansdale Catholic set the standard in the PAC-10 by appearing in five straight (1994-98) and four straight (2004-07) before moving down into the Philadelphia Catholic League.

* * *

Spring-Ford’s drive for a spot in the District 1-AAAA playoffs crashed with the loss to Boyertown. The Rams, who slipped from a tie for the 14th spot down to No. 18 this week, aren’t that far out of the 16th and final spot. But they certainly must beat bitter-rival Perkiomen Valley this week and Pottstown next week – and get some help from around the district to knock those just above them, namely Henderson and Penn Wood – to claim their program’s first postseason berth. … And up in District 3, Daniel Boone not only lost for the first time this season but lost sole possession of the Inter-County League Section One lead and dropped from third to sixth in the AAAA power ratings. It would take a lot of Twilight Zone-like events to deny Daniel Boone a spot in the postseason, but a loss this week to Conrad Weiser (7-1) – which is No. 3 in the district’s AAA ratings – or a loss next week to bitter rival Exeter (4-4) could cost the Blazers a home game in the opening round.

* * *

Pottsgrove, which needs a lot of help to get a share of what would be a third straight PAC-10 title, can become that second (or third) PAC-10 team to make the postseason three consecutive seasons with wins this week at Upper Perkiomen and next week at home against Phoenixville. The Falcons are currently No. 3 in the District 1-AAA points standings behind Strath Haven and Upper Moreland, which widened its lead a bit over the weekend with a 14-13 thriller over Suburban One American Conference rival Upper Dublin. While the consensus favors Pottsgrove the next two weeks, neither may be as easy some say. Upper Perkiomen quarterback Casey Perlstein is creating havoc running the ball and throwing it to turf-burner Ronnie Gillespie, and Phoenixville has been nothing but a pest for the Falcons the last three years. … Upper Perkiomen, incidentally, is No. 7 in the eight-team AAA bracket right now. The Indians travel to Pope John Paul after entertaining the Falcons this weekend.

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Two of the area’s best football players last year – if not the last two or three years – have been putting together great seasons at Valley Forge Military Academy. St. Pius X graduate Josh Rogers, an All PAC-10 and all-state selection who led the entire league and was among the state leaders in sacks a year ago, and Pottsgrove graduate Preston Hamlette, also an All PAC-10 and all-state selection who anchored the Falcons’ drive to a pair of league titles and a district championship, are creating havoc on VFMA’s defense. In last week’s 34-27 win over Friendship Collegiate (Washington, D.C.), Rogers had two tackles for losses and eight overall, forced a fumble and recovered another. Hamlette had a team-high 15 tackles and a fumble recovery. Their efforts kept VFMA unbeaten through six games, and they hope to make it seven in a row on Saturday at Maryland Academy of Technology.

The scrimmages and non-league games were well over a month ago, all but forgotten by now. The “see what we have” games are, or should be, a thing of the past, too. The midseason report cards have been handed out, read and reviewed. It’s time to move on.

The stretch run begins today.

It’s time to gear up for a league championship, for a postseason playoff berth, for respect … and for avoiding the temptation of looking beyond the “gimme games” that have, more times than many would care to admit, led to a slew of October upsets.

This afternoon, Hill School travels to Peddie School to begin a stretch the Rams hope will lead to a second straight Mid-Atlantic Prep League title. Tonight, unbeaten Daniel Boone heads up to Reading – a David vs. Goliath match-up no one would’ve envisioned 10 years ago – in a Inter-County League Section One game it should easily win (should, that is) but cannot just blink at with a downright brutal four-game grind ahead.

And then there’s the Pioneer Athletic Conference…

Tonight, Owen J. Roberts travels to Upper Perkiomen – OJR cannot afford another loss if it’s to stay in the chase for a PAC-10 championship and

District 1-AAAA playoff berth, and Upper Perkiomen faces the same challenge, especially in the District 1-AAA race. Saturday afternoon, injury ravaged Phoenixville is still in the District 1-AAA playoff picture when it lines up against Methacton, which must bounce back from last week’s lopsided loss to OJR because some may have forgotten the Warriors are among the PAC-10 and District 1-AAAA leaders. And the Pottstown and Pope John Paul matinee is simple enough to digest – Pottstown is looking for its first PAC-10 win this season and Pope John Paul is looking for the very first win of its new program.

Oh yeah, those other two? Spring-Ford at Pottsgrove and Perkiomen Valley at Boyertown … pretty big games, to say the least.

Spring-Ford is 2-1 (4-1 overall), it’s best start since going 5-0 back in 2000, a streak that ended with a 28-7 loss to none other than Pottsgrove, which went on to beat everyone that season. Pottsgrove (3-1, 4-1) has bounced back from its first league loss in 2œ years, and done it with an ailing Terrell Chestnut, a four-year starter and two-time Mercury Player of the Year who’s played sparingly with his injured shoulder. And, not that he needs to be reminded, head coach Rick Pennypacker hasn’t lost to his alma mater since 1999.

Perkiomen Valley, some say – including Boyertown head coach Mark Scisly – may have the most dangerous 2-3 team around. Scisly reminds anyone who cares to listen, and you can bet the Bears were all ears during this week’s practices. Boyertown, on the other hand, is big and quick up front, faster behind it, undefeated and can match the program’s best start since 1954 (that’s 56 long, long, long years ago).

Did someone say gear it up?

“All in all, our players and coaches know we are playing a very good football team that is playing extremely well (despite its record),” Scisley said. “Perkiomen Valley has a lot of starters back from a team that put it to us last year. It’s going to be a tough game for us.”

The Bears will throw more offense at the Vikings than they’ve seen yet this season. There’s considerable balance with quarterback Dylan Pasik throwing the ball (824 yards and 12 TDs without an interception) and Jared Von Dohren, Jon Neiman and Tom Froehlich running it. But some overlook who’s responsible for most of the production – that offensive line, namely center Tyler Bogert, guards Zach Paskel and Chris Muller, and tackles Tyler Boggs and Jake Semple. The good old gang has permitted just one sack all season.

“Their offensive line is big, athletic, physical, and can run while their three running backs look like three clones because they’re fast, tough, and run extremely hard,” said PV head coach Scott Reed. “You put all that together with a hot quarterback and there are a lot of concerns for any defensive coach or player in this league.

“Their defense is also very good. They create a lot of havoc for opposing offenses. They’re sound up front and in coverage. I think their biggest strength is their ability to rally to the football. They always seem to have a lot of players around the football. That’s a key component in a good defense.

“And if that’s not enough their kicking game (placekicker Aaron Sassaman and punter Zach Heffner) is outstanding. They’ve been giving opponents poor starting field position. That can be frustrating because it makes it harder to be aggressive when you are playing on your end of the field all the time. So the bottom line is that Boyertown’s playing very good football in all areas of the game. That’s a testament to their coaches and players.”

Over at Pottsgrove, Pennypacker has been giving Spring-Ford similar props.

“They’re a good football team, no doubt about it,” he said. “We feel Spring-Ford is as good as anyone in the league right now. We worked extremely hard studying film this week. We have a game plan, but we’re going to have to play our best game to beat them.”

The Falcons have two of the area’s big-play running backs in Maika Polamalu and Kayvon Greene, who’ve have helped make it a little easier for Tory Hudgins, who’s been running the option offense in Chestnut’s absence. But much like OJR, Pottsgrove gets nearly all its offense by running the ball, and Pennypacker is aware of what the Rams did in tripping up record-breaking Ryan Brumfield and the Wildcats a few weeks ago.

“They have a ton of experience on defense, so we knew they’d be good on defense,” said Pennypacker, who was in a tight game with the Rams last year before opening it up in the second half. “We’ll have to mix it up on them, take a few more chances than we’d like. We expect them to load up the box, so we’ll have to be ready to throw more than we have.”

Chad Brubaker, in his first year at Spring-Ford, has heard enough of Pottsgrove to know it’s a team as big if not bigger than OJR with two backs, not just one, to be concerned with.

“I thought our players responded well to the challenge of going against Brumfield and hope they respond the same way (tonight),” Brubaker said. “The key to playing any option team is to stay job-oriented and hope each player is disciplined enough to do his job on each play and not attempt to do too much.

“Being undersized as we are we must always pursue and gang tackle. Our defense is predicated on bouncing plays to the outside and running them down, so we’re facing a dilemma in a team like Pottsgrove that has breakaway ability.”

Should the Rams be able to slow the run game down, they’ve proven to be quite proficient against the pass, too. Ends Bjorn and Max Ullman have applied their share of pressure and gotten more than their share of sacks. The secondary, anchored by Andrew Keys and Matt Glowacki, has picked off 14 passes.

That defense has overshadowed the offense to an extent. Sophomore quarterback Hank Coyne has improved with each passing week, and thrown for 652 yards and eight touchdowns. He has excellent receivers like Andrew Scanlan and Drew Thomas, who have a combined 24 receptions for over 300 yards and four scores. The fleet Chase Stewart (491 yards) provides balance in leading the run game.

“I’m concerned with (nose guard T.J.Demetrio and Chestnut at safety),” Brubaker said. “(Demetrio) creates a lot of havoc up front, and that’s where we had some problems last week against Upper Perkiomen. We need to be up to the challenge because we’re undersized.”

It’s that time of the year when everyone has to play up a notch … and come up big.

* * *

Perkiomen School, originally scheduled to be off this week, returns to the field this afternoon (4:00) to host Emily Fisher Charter School from Trenton, N.J. … Saturday afternoon’s Pottstown-Pope John Paul II game has been moved from the former St. Pius X High School to Pope John Paul in Upper Providence Township. Kick off is 3 p.m.

* * *

Boyertown graduate Jimmy Develin, who had an outstanding career at Brown University, is playing for the Florida Tuskers in the UFL. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound Develin has been lining up at fullback for the Tuskers, who are coached by Jay Gruden – brother of former Tampa Bay Bucs head coach Jon Gruden.

Develin has caught one pass for six yards so far for the Tuskers (1-2), who play their home game in the Citrus Bowl. They’re on the road this week against the Hartford (Ct.) Colonials.

The UFL features two former NFL quarterbacks – Jeff Garcia of the Omaha Nighthawks and Daunte Culpepper of the Sacramento Mountain Lions.

* * *

The Boyertown Football Hall of Fame will gain five new members tonight during halftime festivities at Boyertown. The new inductees are Tom Benfield (1966-68), former head coach Nick Noel (1953-72), Rich Rockwell (1966-68), Henry Schmidenberg (1954-57), and Terry Shaner (1949-52).

It’s been 19 years since Boyertown opened a football season with five straight wins, which was before any of the current band of Bears were born. It’s been 56 years since Boyertown opened a football season with six straight wins, which in all likelihood was before all of the current band of Bears’ parents were born.

So Saturday afternoon’s 44-19 romp at Phoenixville, which improved Boyertown’s spotless record to 5-0, was definitely something to shout about. And should Boyertown defeat Perkiomen Valley this Friday night, well, some hooting and hollering would certainly be in order.

But back in 1991 (and in 1955 when the team also opened 5-0), and way, way back in 1954 with that 6-0 start, Boyertown played an independent schedule. There were no league titles to be won … not even any playoffs to qualify for.

It’s a little different this time around, of course.

With five Pioneer Athletic Conference games remaining, and either that provisional non-league date with Great Valley or a game, two, three or more in the District 1-AAAA playoffs instead, the Bears have an opportunity to capture the program’s first league championship as well as earn a spot in the postseason for the first time in four seasons. That would be a dandy of a double. And putting up double-digits in the win column, which no Boyertown team has done in 31 years – since going 10-2 in 1979 – would certainly be a terrific trifecta.



It would also give the Bears and their loyal following, much like their football ancestors, their own glory days to remember.

Problem is there are still those five league games to play out in what has already become one very, very unpredictable PAC-10 season.

For the record, Perkiomen Valley is considerably better than its 2-3 record indicates; Pottstown owns five wins in its last eight games against Boyertown, or since the Bears returned to District 1 and joined the PAC-10; Spring-Ford has won two of its last three meetings with the Bears and, in case no one noticed, is currently 4-1; Owen J. Roberts, all even in its league series with the Bears, still has “Run-Ryan-Run Brumfield” in its backfield; Methacton is no longer the pushover the Bears grew accustomed to seeing the previous two seasons; and Upper Perkiomen has beaten the Bears three times and kept the difference in three others to a touchdown or less since they started trying to gobble up one another on Thanksgiving morning the last eight years.

Ironically, this season began with two lopsided wins – 49-6 over still winless Allentown Allen and 42-6 over not-so-good Twin Valley – neither of which generated much attention beyond the Boyertown borough’s borders. But after beating Pottsgrove, the two-time defending PAC-10 champion and last year’s District 1-AAA champion, and after showing no signs of a letdown in back-to-back thumpings of Pope John Paul II and Phoenixville, nearly everyone – in the PAC-10 and around District 1 – has noticed the turnaround in Boyertown and given its Bears more than their share of props.

They’re well-earned props, too.

No matter what side of the ball you may happen to be looking at, the Bears are big … like real big. They’re blocking and blocking well on the offensive front. A very poised Dylan Pasik has an absolutely ridiculous 315.9 passing rating – thanks in part to a large group of reliable receivers – and three (if not more) rambunctious running backs who can take any handoff the distance. Defensively, they’re getting to the ball in a hurry (and that’s bunches of Bears getting to the ball in a hurry bunches), creating turnovers, and giving Pasik and his gang short fields to work with. And their special teams, with Zach Heffner punting and Aaron Sassaman legging the extra-points and field goals, have been as productive as any around.

“No doubt about it, (Boyertown) is a very good football team,” Pottsgrove head coach Rick Pennypacker said after the Bears ended the Falcons’ 22-game PAC-10 winning streak three weeks ago.

Good enough to equal, as well as better, that school-record start way, way back in 1954, but…

“I know it sounds cliché, but we’re just taking it one game at a time,” head coach Mark Scisly said last week.

In other words, the Bears started preparing for Perkiomen Valley on Monday afternoon. By week’s end, they hope it all leads to a sixth straight win, which sure would create some fresh new memories.

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Six different backs have run for touchdowns and six different receivers have taken receptions into the end zone for the Bears already this season. … Tyler Shaw, who anchors the defense with a team-high 31 tackles, never caught a pass before this season and has only two thus far this season, both of which he’s taken in for touchdowns. … An indication of just how balanced Boyertown is on defense is revealed on the stat sheet. Eleven different Bears have hit double-digit in tackles already, and five others could very join that list by the end of the weekend.

BIG LITTLE MEN

A few underclassmen – junior Tom Bodolus and sophomores John Okuniewski and Andrew Ricci – sure gave Daniel Boone’s overflowing Homecoming crowd of 5,000-plus something to cheer about last Friday night and something to talk about for years.

Okuniewski, not exactly the tallest or most looked-for target in quarterback Bodolus’ gang of receivers, came up with a highlight-reel, 22-yard catch in the middle of three Pottsville receivers to give the Blazers a first down on the Tide’s three-yard line with five seconds left. After an incomplete pass, Ricci — a mighty mite 5-foot-5 who reminds you of the fella who needs to jump on the digital scale to get a weight reading — strolled onto the field and booted the game-winning 20-yard field goal with a half-second showing on the clock.

Head coach Dave Bodolus told Ricci it was just like an extra-point. Ricci patted Bodolus on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry coach.”

Okuniewski, incidentally, is the grandson of Jim Mich Sr., who coached the Blazers’ head coach at St. Pius X.

NEW MAN ON TOP

Pottsgrove’s Rick Pennypacker passed Lansdale Catholic’s Jim Algeo as the PAC-10’s winningest coach after Friday night’s victory over Pottstown. Pennypacker, in his 22nd season, needed 193 games to get his 130th league win. Algeo, the only coach in LC’s 22-year stay in the PAC-10, needed 194 games to get his 129 wins. … Former Spring-Ford coach Marty Moore is third on the career win chart with 79. Owen J. Roberts’ Tom Barr is currently fourth with 72.

MILESTONE

Upper Perkiomen senior Casey Perlstein went over the 2,000-yard career mark in passing last weekend. Perlstein joins a long list of Tribe quarterbacks who have surpassed the milestone. He has hit 131 of 274 attempts for 2,011 yards and 19 touchdowns.

MOVING UP

Pottsgrove’s Maika Polamalu is now 11th on The Mercury area’s career rushing chart with 3,531 yards. This week he could run past Barr – a former tailback for OJR – who is at No. 10 with 3,633 yards. A big game or two will push him up and by former Spring-Ford standouts Joe Haley (3,736) and Mike Bach (3,759). … Brumfield, meanwhile, continues to add to his area career records in rushing (6,810), total offense (7,677) and scoring (524 points). Brumfield needs 102 yards to become the 10th-leading rusher in Pennsylvania high school football history.

This column first appeared in the Sept. 21, 2010 print edition of the Mercury.

It took a little while, almost the entire weekend actually, for Mark Scisly to fully comprehend what his Boyertown football team did last Friday night.

Yes, his Bears did beat Pottsgrove, and no matter how you bite into the end result or even attempt to digest it, the 34-28 win was an upset. Push aside whatever temptations there may be not to call it as such because of the usual preseason protocol, or August tradition of listing the contenders and pretenders.

Bottom line is that it really doesn’t matter how big you are, and it doesn’t really matter what those stopwatches may reveal about a team’s quickness or speed, either. When you knock off a two-time defending champion – a team that had beaten back 22 straight Pioneer Athletic Conference challengers – a team that has the bulk of its lineup back from a District 1 title run, and a team that has three (if not more) legitimate Division I-A starters, no matter who you are, it can and should be called an upset.

Scisly was well aware of all that, well aware the Bears — like everyone else this season — were or would be the underdogs when it came time to line up against the Falcons. And he’ll accept, at least for now, the win being an upset.

But what he didn’t realize until reviewing the film was how the Bears did it – by rallying not once, not twice, but three times to get back to even terms with the Falcons before scoring two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter put them ahead for good.

“When I looked back, when I had time to reflect on it, probably the most impressive part (of the win) was how our kids kept fighting back, fighting back and fighting back,” Scisly explained. “They just never quit.”

Pottsgrove led 7-0, 14-7 and 21-14 before Jared Von Dohren raced 54 yards to get Boyertown back on even terms for a third time. Von Dohren, who missed almost the entire season a year ago with an injury, has been making up for lost time this season. Through three games, he’s touched the football just 23 times, but has 357 yards – which averages out to 15.5 yards a play – and taken four of his carries and two of his receptions into opponents’ end zones. Then, after Von Dohren’s dash, it was Tom Froehlich’s turn. Ironically, Froehlich missed the Bears’ first two games recovering from an injury, but looked like the healthy soul after capping off two of Boyertown’s next possessions with short touchdown runs.

The comeback, obviously, wasn’t just a two-man show. Quarterback Dylan Pasik – who in three games has a ridiculous 311.3 passing rating – made all the right calls. And those big guys up front, all of them, made the right moves and right blocks.

“I was so impressed with our offensive line,” Scisly said. “They played well. And our center (Tyler Bogert) did an outstanding job on (Pottsgrove nose guard T.J.) Demetrio, who is so tough. Our (linemen) were just getting in the way of people, hitting people.

“Pasik has made sure huge strides since last year. And the addition of Von Dohren to our offense … I knew he’d be a good player, but I didn’t realize how good of a player he’d be. And getting Froehlich back has been big. Overall, I was really pleased with our execution.”

Scisly should be considering the Bears put up 34 points on the Falcons, who hadn’t given up that many to anyone since their last loss to Lansdale Catholic back in 2007 and have surrendered 34 or more in just eight PAC-10 games the last 10 seasons.

But don’t overlook what the Bears did on the other side of the ball, either.

Yes, Kayvon Greene did step through their defense for 147 yards and four touchdowns, and Terrell Chestnut ran up 102 more before leaving with an injury. But when it came time to step up and stop the craziness — the track meet of sorts that kept the scoreboard lights flickering — the Bears did … or at least long enough for their teammates to set up Froehlich’s two go-ahead scores.

“We had a hard time stopping the dive, but it’s tough stopping all three aspects of (Pottsgrove’s) option offense,” Scisly said. “Pottsgrove attacked our defense where they thought our weaknesses were, and that’s a credit to them and their coaching staff. We were giving up a little bit at a time, but we basically sat in our base defense and moved some people around a little bit.”

Boyertown’s defensive front didn’t give up much. Nose guard Dalton Schaeffer had yet another strong showing and tackle Chris Muller was in on 11 tackles. Linebackers Tyler Shaw (12 tackles), Jeff Ellwanger (eight) and Zach Heffner were all over the field, and strong safety Tyler Mauger (11) came up with stop after stop.

“Our kids played tough defense the whole night,” Scisly said.

Tough enough to inherit what Pottsgrove had for a long, long time – that target on their collective back.

“It was a tough week because our kids were looking forward to the game for a long time and preparing for it for a long time,” Scisly explained. “But that’s the way it’s been for us ever since I came into the league (in 2008). My first year, we got upset by Pottstown. Last year, we got upset by Spring-Ford. There are no easy weeks in this league, so every week you have to be prepared.

“We’re just taking it one week at a time. (Beating Pottsgrove) was big, but we don’t feel there’s any bulls-eye on our back yet. We just won one game so far.”

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Boyertown is 3-0 for the first time in 19 years, or since 1991 when the quick start led to a 9-2 season. … One person hard to overlook on the Bears’ offensive line is 6-foot-9, 215-pound tight end Jake McKee, a first-year player. “It’s hard to believe Jake never ever played football before,” Scisly said. … Friday night’s loss denied Pottsgrove head coach Rick Pennypacker his 125th league win, which would’ve tied leader Jim Algeo of Lansdale Catholic. … Scisly’s weekend got even better after hearing about one of his former assistants, Mike Holderman, the offensive coordinator on the Bears’ 2008 staff. Holderman is now the head coach at Kennett High School up in New Hampshire, and last Friday night led his team to a 20-9 victory over Plymouth, ending the nation’s longest active winning streak at 57 straight.

UPSET NUMBER TWO

Spring-Ford shared last week’s football headline with Boyertown after a win over Owen J. Roberts – the team that had just two losses (both to Pottsgrove) the last two PAC-10 seasons and the team that most figured to be the No. 1 PAC-10 challenger (to Pottsgrove) again this season.

With all due respect to the Rams’ offense, it was defense – and a lot of it – that led to the win. Pressure from the outside cut into the width of the field for OJR’s Ryan Brumfield, and plenty of Rams were around to stuff his cutbacks (which have been well-documented throughout his assault on the school, league and area record books).

Chase Stewart, better known for his ability to carry the football, was Spring-Ford’s defensive spy for the night, shadowing Brumfield wherever he lined up. And until the OJR standout’s last two carries of the evening, it worked. Brumfield didn’t get to the 100-yard mark until those final two carries and saw his streak of seven straight games of 200 yards or more end. If that’s not enough to acknowledge the defensive effort, how about this – Brumfield was limited to just one touchdown for the first time in 12 games, or when OJR snuck by Spring-Ford this time a year ago.

BLAZING

Daniel Boone is 3-0 again and ready to open its Inter-County League Section One schedule this Friday at Twin Valley. The concern about a new quarterback? Forget it, head coach Dave Bodolus’ son, Tommy, is 46 of 79 for 669 yards and 12 touchdowns.

INJURY UPDATES

Chestnut – the PAC-10 and Mercury Area Player of the Year the past two seasons – went down with a shoulder injury last Friday night. Pennypacker said was going to be re-evaluated on Monday. Two-way tackle Chris Nester, also injured Friday night and taken to a hospital for precautionary measures, has reportedly been cleared to resume playing. … Owen J. Roberts junior quarterback Blake Bradshaw suffered a fractured wrist late in the fourth quarter Friday night at Spring-Ford and may need surgery. Head coach Tom Barr said Bradshaw is out for the season.

PRIVATE MATTERS

The Hill School opened its 124th season on a winning note with the 35-30 thriller over Germantown Academy. The Rams don’t open defense of their Mid-Atlantic Prep League title for a few weeks. Their MAPL rivals are a combined 3-3 thus far – Blair is 0-1 following a 41-14 loss to Worcester; Hun is 1-0 after a 21-20 squeaker over Episcopal (Hill’s opponent this week); Lawrenceville is 1-0 after a 21-14 win over Haverford School; Mercersburg is 1-1 after splitting two games with Spingarn and Landon down in the nation’s capitol; and Peddie is 0-1 after losing 37-14 to Pennington.

Perkiomen School traveled all the way to Tower Hill down in Delaware to give new head coach Tom Calvario his first win, a come-from-behind 12-7 victory over the Hillers.

NOTES

Methacton has won two in a row under new coach Paul Lepre. It’s the first time the Warriors have won back-to-back games since running off three straight in 2008. … Phoenixville played its area-high 1,060th game last Friday night, which ended in a shutout of Pope John Paul II. … Weekly honors? Forget it, or make it a multiple choice. Flip a coin for Coach of the Week honors, which Scisly, Spring-Ford’s Chad Brubaker, or Calvario all deserve. Player of the Week honors should go to the entire Boyertown football team, or at least the Spring-Ford defense. … Quote of the Week? He didn’t say anything yet, but ask Pope John Paul II head coach Mike Santillo his thoughts on trying to build a new program after opening with Pottsgrove, getting blanked at Phoenixville, and knowing he now has to prepare for the team that just knocked off Pottsgrove?