Pioneer Athletic Conference Football Preview: 2012 Season

By Rob Senior

2011 was a year of upheaval in the PAC-10, with the previous year’s co-champions both finishing under .500. Upstart Spring-Ford took home its first undisputed title since 1995 with an undefeated league campaign. However, it was Pottsgrove stealing the show in the postseason with a District 1 AAA title.

The two schools figure to battle for PAC-10 supremacy once more in 2012—but will meet stiff challenges from 2011 playoff teams from Pope John Paul II and Phoenixville, plus resurgent Methacton and Perkiomen Valley squads.

Boyertown Bears

Coach: Mark Scisly (5^th season)

2011 Record: 6-6 (3-6 PAC-10)

Season in Review: There’s no way to sugarcoat the fact that 2011 was a disappointing campaign for the Bears, who took home the PAC-10 title in 2010 and were widely expected to repeat. But the team stumbled out of the gate, dropping their first three PAC-10 games before bottoming out with a 45-14 loss to eventual champion Spring-Ford. The Bears rebounded to finish the season with three straight victories.

2012 Outlook: The Bears will be tested right out of the gate with a visit from perennial powerhouse Central Bucks East, followed closely by a September-October stretch that pits the team against six consecutive playoff contenders from the PAC-10. Coach Scisly and his team will have to overcome their inexperience early to capitalize on the late momentum built in 20o11.

Methacton Warriors

Coach: Paul Lepre (3^rd season)

2011 Record: 6-5 (5-4 PAC-10)

Season in Review: Methacton’s stout defense led the way to the school’s first winning campaign in years. The squad was just a few bounces away from an historic campaign, with three of their four PAC-10 losses coming by a combined 10 points. 2011’s surprise team looks to become a title contender in 2012.

2012 Outlook: Led by Eastern Michigan commit QB Brandon Bossard, the Warriors look to take the new step as a program by contending for a district playoff berth. Methacton starts out on the road against a strong Souderton squad, hoping to use their early slate to build toward the first two weeks of October, where back-to-back games with Pottsgrove and Spring-Ford may determine their fate for 2012.

Owen J. Roberts Wildcats

Coach: Tom Barr (16^th season)

2011 Record: 1-11 (0-9 PAC-10)

Season in Review: Graduation losses stung the Wildcats in 2011, losing record-setting RB Ryan Brumfield (Eastern Michigan) and several other starters. The young Wildcats showed bursts of potential, but will need to finish games with the same zest to show improvement in 2012.

2012 Outlook: It’s a tale of two seasons for the Wildcats, who will be severely tested out of the gate with games at Conestoga and home with West Chester Rustin before opening the PAC-10 slate with Perkiomen Valley. But winnable games against similarly young teams follow before OJR gets into the meat of its conference schedule. The team has nowhere to go but up, and should score a couple of league victories this time around.

Perkiomen Valley Vikings

Coach: Scott Reed (9^th season)

2011 Record: 6-5 (5-4 PAC-10)

Season in Review: The Vikings started out with an attention-grabbing, nail-biting one point win over mighty Lansdale Catholic, followed by a 3-0 start to their PAC-10 schedule. The second half of the season was not as friendly, with close losses to Phoenixville and Pope John Paul II setting the stage for a late-October loss to Pottsgrove that ended their league title—and playoff—hopes once and for all.

2012 Outlook: This is the pick for this year’s surprise team in the PAC-10. Perkiomen Valley welcomes Plymouth-Whitemarsh to open the season Friday before travelling to Methacton next week. If they get past the Warriors, it’s not hard to see a 5-0 league record to start the season. The last two games—Pottsgrove and at Spring-Ford—will determine the team’s ultimate fate in gaining that elusive district playoff berth.

Phoenixville Phantoms

Coach: Bill Furlong (12^th season)

2011 Record: 9-5 (5-4 {PAC-10) District 1 AAA Runner-Up

Season in Review: It was a season to remember for the 2011 Phantoms, who battled their way into the district playoffs. Once there, they took District 1-AAA by storm, scoring mild upsets in the school’s first-ever playoff victories over Academy Park and Interboro before ultimately succumbing to league rival Pottsgrove in the district championship game.

2012 Outlook: Like Perk Valley, the Phantoms are another team whose early-season schedule sets up for a strong start, before running into co-favorites Pottsgrove and Spring-Ford in their final two league games, separated by three weeks in November. The Phantoms are hopeful that like last year, they have a long, fruitful playoff run to keep them bust between those two battles.

Pope John Paul II Golden Panthers

Coach: Mike Santillo (3^rd season)

2011 Season: 5-6 (4-5 PAC-10) Qualified for District 1-AAA playoff; lost in quarterfinals

Season in Review: The record may not show it, but PJP was the Pac-10’s surprise team. In only their second season as a varsity program, the Golden Panthers took home five victories (as opposed to only one in 20100 and were rewarded with a AAA playoff berth for their troubles. Victories over 2010 Pac-10 co-champions Owen J. Roberts and Boyertown got the league’s attention for this growing program.

2012 Outlook: The good news—the Golden Panthers return six starters on both sides of the ball. The bad news? They’re the same six players. Iron-man football is the order for this year, as the Golden Panthers will attempt to overcome depth issues and take another stride towards Pac-10 title contention.

Pottsgrove Falcons

Coach: Rick Pennypacker (24^th season)

2011 Season: 11-3 (8-1 PAC-10) District 1-AAA Champions

Season in Review: Coach Pennypacker took home his second District title in three years, defeating Pope John Paul II, Strath Haven and Phoenixville en route to the title. The Falcons were the team to give eventual state champions Archbishop Wood their strongest challenge, losing 41-22 in a state semifinal. The only thing missing from the impressive season was a PAC-10 championship—a situation the Falcons aim to rectify in 2012.

2012 Outlook: Redemption is the name of the game in the early season, as Pottsgrove will attempt to avenge last year’s season-opening loss to Norristown this Saturday night. At the end of the month, they’ll battle defending PAC-10 champions Spring-Ford in the game that many feel will decide the 2012 title. Wins in each of those games would be big steps towards another playoff berth—and another shot at Archbishop Wood.

Pottstown Trojans

Coach: Brett Myers (6^th season)

2011 Season: 4-8 (3-6 PAC-10)

Season in Review: What was a promising start to the PAC-10 season quickly turned as the Trojans dropped five consecutive league games in the middle of last year’s schedule. The team managed to salvage a portion of its season with a dominating 49-6 win over Owen J. Roberts in the annual Thanksgiving Day tilt.

2012 Outlook: A series of close losses turned a once-promising season into a full-blown slump for last year’s squad. Consistency will be the key for this year’s Trojans’ squad, especially with three District 1-AAA playoff teams on the league schedule. A winning record in those three games could give the Trojans the push needed to become playoff team #4 from the PAC-10.

Spring-Ford Rams

Coach: Chad Brubaker (3^rd season)

2011 Season: 10-2 (9-0 PAC-10) PAC-10 Champions; District 1-AAAA playoff qualifiers (lost in 1^st round)

Season in Review: Spring-Ford enjoyed the truest of breakout season, running through the PAC-10 slate undefeated. Coming within one overtime loss to District 3 playoff qualifier Daniel Boone of completing an undefeated season, the Rams enjoyed their first trip to the district playoffs in school history, hosting Coatesville in the first round.

2012 Outlook: The true sign of a strong program is maintaining a high level of performance despite losing key players to graduation. The Rams will be put to the test this year as they attempt to repeat as champions without the services of several all-conference performers. A return to the district playoffs is not out of the question—but how far can they advance this time?

Upper Perkiomen Indians

Coach: Steve Moyer (1^st season, coached team previously from 1986-98)

2011 Season: 5-7 (3-6 PAC-10)

Season in Review: The schedule makers were not kind to the Indians last year, as their league slate started with eventual PAC-10 champions Spring-Ford and District 1-AAA champions Pottsgrove. Upper Perk never fully recovered from the two early losses, finishing just under .500 in what would be coach Keith Learner’s final season.

2012 Outlook: Indians fans hope Moyer’s return to the sidelines will invigorate a team that’ short on experience. Last year’s disappointing campaign should serve as motivation as the Indians try to navigate a challenging September schedule and return to the playoffs.