This column originally ran in the Nov. 2 edition of The Mercury.

Daniel Boone, The Hill School, Methacton, Pottstown and Spring-Ford all won football games last Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Considering what they did the week before, or weeks before, the wins were rather impressive.

In other words, none of the five had much to shout about the previous week. They lost and, to borrow a comment from one coach, “looked bad” in the process.

But coaches preach to their teams about bouncing back. Good teams recoup and regroup… learn from the mistakes made, tuck them away in the past, and move on. Good teams perk up, and pick it up.

All five sure did this past weekend.

None perhaps better than Daniel Boone.

Two weeks ago, unbeaten and entering a game most felt they would win, the Blazers were embarrassed 42-0 up at Governor Mifflin. It was their worst loss since a 50-0 setback to Great Valley eight years ago, their worst Inter-County League loss since a 51-6 shellacking by Muhlenberg nine years ago. Both of those were before Dave Bodolus took over the program.

Don’t think Bodolus didn’t take it personally. In his eight seasons with the Blazers, he had never lost a game by 42 points. In his eight seasons with the Blazers, he had never been shut out. As a matter of fact, you’d have to go back a few years, back to his fourth of seven seasons as the head coach at St. Pius X – when his Lions lost to Pottsgrove, 21-0, on Thanksgiving in 1999 – to find the last time one of his teams were blanked on the scoreboard. For the record, that’s a string of 126 straight games before the Mustang mauling.

But last week, coming off that stinging loss and entering a game most fans beyond the Birdsboro borders felt they would lose, the Blazers battled throughout a 27-20 overtime win over visiting Conrad Weiser. It not only kept them in the I-C Section One title chase, but guaranteed them no worse than a tie for the championship if they win again this Friday night against Exeter.

Yes, that was impressive.

The Hill School was on a little roll of its own with three straight wins – including a pair against Mid-Atlantic Prep League rivals Peddie and Mercersburg – before heading up to New York two weeks ago. It wasn’t only a long bus ride to Brooklyn, but an even longer trip back following their 33-0 loss to Poly Prep.

Like Bodolus, Marty Vollmuth hadn’t been accustomed to getting shut out. But his Rams recouped and regrouped, in a hurry, too, because they were back on the road to Blair Academy in northern New Jersey last weekend. They responded with a 41-21 romp that, should they stay the course this week over at the Hun School, will clinch no worse than a tie for a second straight MAPL championship.

That was impressive.

Methacton and Pottstown were both reeling heading into the weekend. Methacton, which showed so much promise in a 3-1 start, had lost four straight and gave up 181 points in that stretch. Pottstown, which opened with a big win over Pius X, had slid into a seven-game skid that hurt even worse seeing that three of the losses were by a combined 11 points. But the Warriors and Trojans, with the threat of their seasons getting away from them, bounced back and gained some respectability with wins last Saturday afternoon.

That was impressive.

Spring-Ford was in the Pioneer Athletic Conference chase and among the Top 16 teams in the District 1-AAAA playoff points standings for the very first time two weeks ago, and could’ve gotten a hand on a share of the PAC-10 lead and cemented a berth in the postseason when it visited unbeaten Boyertown. The Rams instead lost the game – 20-0 – and perhaps the drive to finish as strong as they started. But they recovered, reorganized and reshaped their run for the final month of the season with a 28-0 shutout of their own against Perkiomen Valley, arguably their biggest and most challenging rival the past decade or so.

That was impressive.

And it would be foolish not to admit what Owen J. Roberts and Pottsgrove did last weekend wasn’t impressive, too.

The Wildcats, who for the first three weeks of the season didn’t look at all like or play like the PAC-10 contender it was supposed to be, rang up its sixth straight win – and ended Boyertown’s unbeaten season – with a no-doubt-about-it, 55-14 romp of the Bears. Yes, Ryan Brumfield and the offense is lighting up the board, but the first-team defense isn’t exactly getting overshadowed by that glare, not with the team owning a share of the PAC-10 lead and within a win of clinching a third straight postseason berth.

And over at Pottsgrove, where a noticeable group of fans have jumped the proverbial bandwagon, the Falcons are getting healthy … and suddenly have the look of the previous two teams that swept through the PAC-10 and won last year’s District 1-AAA title. They’ve rebounded from two losses – the last one a humbling 49-20 setback to OJR three weeks ago – by putting up 118 points the last two times out, and with one more test this Friday night against visiting Phoenixville, could be more than just the “expected” playoff qualifier by the time the postseason kicks off next week.

* * *

The Hill School can clinch no worse than a tie for its second straight MAPL title with a win at The Hun School this week. The Rams are 3-0 and Hun is 3-1. The only other contender is Lawrenceville (3-1), and the Larries visit Hill for that traditional season-ending brawl Nov. 13.

* * *

Pottsgrove’s 69-19 offensive at Upper Perkiomen erased a few records. The 69 points are both a school record and PAC-10 record – breaking the mark set by Phoenixville (against Upper Perkiomen) in a 63-33 rout back in 1988. It was also the second-highest number of points allowed by Upper Perkiomen, coming up short of the Indians’ 71-0 loss to C.B. West back in 1960. … Owen J. Roberts has scored 50 or more points nine times in the history of its program, and eight of those games – including five the last two seasons – have come under head coach Tom Barr. The Wildcats are within 21 points of breaking the school record for points scored in a season (385), which was set last year. … For Boyertown, the victim of OJR’s offensive last week, it was the most points a Bears team has allowed in a PAC-10 game and only the second time in the last 14 seasons any Boyertown team has surrendered 50 or more points in a game.

* * *

Brumfield is now fourth all-time in Pennsylvania history for career rushing yards. The OJR senior has 8,023 yards with a minimum of two games remaining. He could conceivably run by Schuylkill Haven graduate Zach Barket (8,325), and possibly even East Stroudsburg graduate James Mungro (8,432), while a couple of postseason games or more may be needed to run down Steelton-Highspire’s Jeremiah Young and his record 9,027 yards. … Brumfield ran 126 times for 903 yards and 13 touchdowns in four games against Boyertown. The next two teams (who’ll like when he graduates) he has fared well against are Methacton (699 yards, 8 TDs in there games) and Upper Perkiomen (698 yards, 10 TDs) – despite one carry for minus-two yards lining up against the Indians as a freshman. … Pottsgrove’s Maika Polamalu (4,087 yards rushing), currently No. 6 on The Mercury Area’s career rushing list, will likely finish second on the Falcons’ chart behind Brent Steinmetz (4,752).

This column was originally published in the Oct. 19 edition of The Mercury.

High school statistics vary from team statistician to team statistician, from newspaper to newspaper. Because of it, because of no assigned or acknowledged “official” statistician, all the sometimes mind-boggling numbers are different.

The difference of a yard here and there on a run or pass reception, or whatever one cares to chart over the course of a game, isn’t usually that much. Over a season or career, well, the difference can be significant. And when an individual or a team is closing in on a specific record – whether it’s a school, league, area, state or even national record – it becomes a roll of the dice as to who’s right, who may be right, and who’s way off the mark.

However, when all is said and done, that existing record – whatever it may be – wasn’t exactly an issue after all because it got obliterated … or expunged, as in erased from whatever book it was penciled in.

And no one has taken the guesswork out of all that arithmetic more than Ryan Brumfield.

The Owen J. Roberts senior, who didn’t look at all like he was going to break anything other than a bone in his fragile frame the first time he took a handoff as a freshman, already had a handful of game, season and career records before the current season kicked off last month. Seven weeks in, he’s wiped out nearly every game, season and career record, as well as a few other marks not necessarily recorded on the scholastic level, ever documented at Owen J. Roberts, in the Pioneer Athletic Conference or throughout The Mercury area.

Name a record, or ask about one – any of them in the rushing and scoring sections of your favorite record book – and Brumfield owns it. He got rid of the OJR single-game record for yards rushing in a game last Friday night when he ran for a personal-high 329 yards, taking out the previous mark of 311 set by David Frame. His final carry of the evening also sent him to the top of the Southeastern Pennsylvania career rushing chart, right alongside West Catholic (Philadelphia) graduate Curtis Brinkley, each with 7,429 yards. Brumfield will own that record Saturday afternoon after he takes a handoff or two against Pope John Paul II.

It seems the only existing mark that doesn’t have Brumfield’s named attached to it is St. Pius X graduate Zack Pierce’s 1,162 career carries. With 1,044 after last Friday night’s extravaganza and a minimum of five games remaining on this year’s schedule, Brumfield needs to average just over 23 carries a weekend to make the entire rushing section of the Owen J. Roberts, PAC-10 and Mercury area record books all his and his alone.

Considering he’s averaged exactly 23 carries in his 45-game career – and just under 27 as a junior and senior – expect that mark of endurance and proficiency to become his, too.

Brumfield also is already No. 1 in the area in total offense (rushing, passing and receiving) mark with 8,296 … 1,565 yards more than Pierce produced at Pius. And Brumfield soared by Pierce five weeks ago in career rushing touchdowns and the following week in career scoring when he went over the 500-point mark.

But if there is one thing to remember about Brumfield, now and in the future if and when a conversation turns to the area’s great running backs, it’s that he has earned every one of the records.

“Hard work,” head coach Tom Barr has said time and time again of Brumfield’s physical and mental growth. “When he first came up with us as a freshman, he’d get the ball and go. But he’s learned to be a lot more patient, waiting for his blocks, looking for that seam … and then off he goes. He has great vision, too.”

Beyond the Bucktown borders, near as well as far away, some people forget that Brumfield has game in basketball and track, too. He’s been the point guard for two years, although last winter’s season was cut short when he had surgery on a nagging hand injury. He’s also been one of the state’s best high jumpers every spring.

Dave Strock, who has seen his share of talent at Owen J. Roberts, first as an outstanding Wildcat athlete himself and now, for the past 29 years, as the school’s athletic director, made a bold statement about Brumfield two years ago: “By the time he graduates, he’ll be the greatest athlete ever at Owen J. Roberts.”

Monday morning, Strock said: “I certainly do remember saying that. And I was right. Ryan is the best all-around athlete we’ve ever had here at Owen J.”

All that and he still manages to carry just under a 3.0 grade point average in the classroom.

The best part of it all, and the part that simply cannot be measured by yards or grades, is that Ryan Brumfield is one very classy young man.

Never once has he failed to acknowledge his teammates, who have helped him get to where he’s at, to get his name on all those pages in the record books, to see his name in all the headlines. Never once … and he was like that when he took his very first handoff against Downingtown West in the 2007 season-opener; was like that throughout two outstanding sophomore and junior seasons; has been all this season; and will likely always be.

* * *

AROUND THE PAC: Boyertown is now 7-0 for the first time in the history of its football program, which began in 1939. … Methacton nearly doubled its previous-best offensive showing with 411 yards last Thursday night, but the Warriors have turned it over nine times the last two games and the defense is allowing an average of 44 points a game the last three weeks. … Owen J. Roberts has a minimum of five games remaining and needs five wins to reach double figures in the won-loss column for the third consecutive season. The program’s previous-best of back-to-back, 10-wins-or-more seasons were in 1983-84 and 1986-87. … Perkiomen Valley hasn’t won two in a row this season, but can get to .500 with a victory this weekend against Pottstown, which is itching to end a six-game skid of its own. … Pottsgrove is 4-2 in the league with three games remaining. The Falcons haven’t lost three PAC-10 games in a season in four years. … Spring-Ford’s defense has 13 sacks divided among three players – twins Max Ullman (5) and Bjorn Ullman (4.5), and Matt Krueger (3.5) – and an area-high 16 interceptions.

TIED, NOT BROKEN: A look back into the PAC-10 record book revealed that Pottstown’s Kyle Dentler didn’t break the record for the longest field goal but tied it when he converted a 47-yarder against Pope John Paul II two weeks ago. Eight years ago, Owen J. Roberts’ Shawn Albright hit from the same distance during a 24-3 loss to Lansdale Catholic.

ROAD WARRIORS: Perkiomen School was up in Connecticut last Saturday to play St. Luke’s. The Hill School will travel to Brooklyn (N.Y.) this Saturday to play Poly Prep. Neither team thought heading out of town was the way to an easy win, either. St. Luke’s is 5-1 after defeating Perkiomen School, and Poly Prep is 5-1 going into this weekend’s game with Hill.

This column was originally published in the Nov. 6 edition of The Mercury.

BUCKTOWN – Tonight is Perkiomen Valley’s turn to try and stop Ryan Brumfield. Then again, just slowing down the young fella, as well as the rest of the Owen J. Roberts offense, may not be all that bad, either.

The Vikings, arguably the surprise team in the Pioneer Athletic Conference this fall – thanks in part to being the most improved team since the season kicked off two months ago – visit the Wildcats this evening with a lot on the line.

Like a berth in the District 1-Class AAAA playoffs.

To get an invite into the postseason, though, the Vikings (5-2, 6-3 overall) will have to find a way – albeit over, under, around and through a very good offensive line – to get after Brumfield before Brumfield gets going. The junior tailback has averaged 228 yards and three touchdowns in the Wildcats’ six league wins, but managed just 113 yards and two scores in the lone loss (to unbeaten Pottsgrove).

Mind you, the Wildcats have some additional offensive weaponry, namely quarterback Nate Walters and wing Sam Funk, who has a thing for big plays himself. But so far it’s almost been as Brumfield goes so goes OJR.

And with that impressive 6-1 record (8-1 overall) and a spot in the District 1-Class AAA playoffs already secured, who’s to argue.

“This game is definitely one of the biggest tests of the year for us,” said PV head coach Scott Reed. “We are playing a top-ranked, playoff-caliber team.

“I don’t know if there is any way to shut down Brumfield, so we’re going to have to make him earn his way down the field. We’ll be in trouble if we give him those long touchdown runs.”

Brumfield has dialed up a good number of his 30 touchdowns – one on a pass reception – via long distance. And when opponents have ganged up and gotten a little rambunctious up front, Walters has flipped 10 passes over them to Funk, who has taken the tosses 412 yards and into the end zone four times.

But one thing the Wildcats haven’t seen is the 3-5 defense Reed installed this season. Lou Fioravanti sits in the middle at nose guard with Chris Stewart and Kayo Bakare in the tackle slots. Bobby Strickland is the middle linebacker in between Brendan Murray and Joe Scenna, and Sean Conners and Justin Morgan are on the outside. The secondary features Jo and Gio Waters on the corners and Kyle Williams at safety. It isn’t a generous group, either. The PV defense is allowing an average of only 105 yards a game on the ground 177 yards overall.

“We know (the Vikings) like to put eight guys in the box and have seven or eight of them hitting the gaps,” said OJR head coach Tom Barr. “Our offensive line has to improve on picking up the blitzing linebackers, and improve on blocking those linebackers.”

Those blocking responsibilities will fall on center Mike Nowak, guards Jesse Dugan and Sean Moloney, tackles Andrew Garson and Kyle Moore, and tight end Mike Moran. Funk, as well as fullback Rich Zazo, will need to throw their weight around some more, too. All of them have for the most part, and an area-high average of 349 yards a game is evidence of the collective effort.

But one way of slowing down Brumfield and everyone else is to limit their touches and possessions.

“We definitely have to take care of the football when we have possession,” Reed said. “There’s no way we can afford to just keep giving the football to (OJR).”

The Vikings have been quite productive except in their three losses. Six fumbles, actually nine turnovers overall, cost them a 32-7 confrontation with Coatesville; the inability to close out drives left them on the short end of a 28-7 meeting with Pottsgrove; and five turnovers helped keep them off the board in a disappointing 6-0 loss to Phoenixville.

“But they can explode anytime with that ‘pistol offense’ they’re running now,” Barr said. “We haven’t seen an offense like that all season. So, yes, we’re concerned.”

The Vikings have just one lettermen – wideout Ben Carbutt – from last year’s team. But Kevin Krasley (center), Ryan Krasley and Scenna (guards), Fioravanti and Stewart (tackles), and Murray (tight end) have almost made Reed forget the Vikings graduated their entire offensive line of a year ago. Quarterback Pat Catagnus has benefited from their labor up front, throwing for 723 yards. And the running tandem of fullback John Schmidt and tailback Steve Morrow – with help from Conners and Matt Kline in certain formations – have accumulated most of the team’s 1,439 yards on the ground.

“Perkiomen Valley can move the ball,” Barr said. “We know we have to play well defensively.”

The Wildcats have, and their defensive numbers are very close to the Vikings. That’s because of Kyle Moore and Steve Lawless, their sack leader, on the ends; Nowak and Moloney at the tackles; Zazo at middle linebacker, in between Funk and Moran; and corners Brendon Shoemaker and Sean Yeager, with three picks, teaming up with safeties Francis Polignano and Brumfield in the secondary.

“Perkiomen Valley has always played us tough, and this game will be especially tough for us because they’re trying to get into the playoffs,” Barr said, fully aware that last year’s game wasn’t decided until the Vikings were stopped a yard short of the goal line with one second remaining in the 27-26 thriller.

“Both teams have a lot on the line,” Reed added. “This is going to be another hard-fought, physical football game.”

* * *

Owen J. Roberts leads both the PAC-10 and overall series, 12-9. … Perkiomen Valley won three in a row over OJR before the Wildcats hung on in last year’s meeting. … Three of the last six games have been decided by a touchdown or less. … If there is one glaring difference between the two teams it’s turnovers. The Wildcats are plus-11 in takeaways, while the Vikings are minus-11. … Two teams that can pass Perkiomen Valley and get the 16th and final spot in the AAAA bracket with wins are Conestoga (6-3), which hosts Haverford (3-5), and Unionville (6-3), which entertains winless Sun Valley (0-8). … Morrow needs 90 yards to join Brumfield and Hill School post-grad Dante Astheimer in this season’s 1,000-yard rushing club.

POINTS AND PLAYOFFS

Pottsgrove and Owen J. Roberts are already in the District 1-AAA playoffs. Unofficially, Upper Perkiomen should hold onto its spot, too, win or lose tonight’s game with St. Pius X tonight. A loss, though, could drop the Indians down as far as No. 8, and a rematch with Pottsgove in the opening round. … St. Pius X is also in the Class A Sub-Regional and could very well host a first-round game. … Daniel Boone is in the District 3-AAA postseason, and a win tonight at Exeter, combined with other favorable results around the district, could improve the Blazers’ standings enough to earn a first-round home game.

* * *

Something to think about: The postseason kicks off tonight out in District 7 (WPIAL), and the 16-team brackets in all four classifications mean that 52 percent – or 64 of the 123 teams in the district – get an opportunity to participate in at least one playoff game. Considering 11 of the teams lining up tonight have losing records (a lot of 2-7 and 3-6 records, that is), one-and-done is the likely scenario for most if not all. … District 3 has 96 schools, and exactly 50 percent, or 48 of them, qualify for playoffs – including half of the AAAA schools and eight of the dozen Class A schools. … In District 1, only 36 percent, or 26 of its 72 schools are assured playoff berths.

CLINCHING TIMES

Two area teams can clinch no worse than ties for league titles today.

This afternoon, Hill School (3-0, 6-1) entertains Hun School (4-0, 4-3) needing a win to take sole possession of first place in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League. Hun closes it season today, so if the Rams do win they can capture the title outright with a victory at Lawrenceville next weekend.

Tonight, Pottsgrove (7-0, 9-0) can clinch no worse than a tie for its second straight PAC-10 title with a win at Phoenixville. The Falcons still have a Thanksgiving date with St. Pius X.