SE PA Football Preview 2009 Sub One American

Is Smallwood the difference-maker for Upper Moreland?
By Gorden Blain

With 3,020 yards rushing and 37 TDs the past two seasons, Upper Moreland RB Chris Smallwood (5-11, 195, Sr.) is already a proven dangerous playmaker.

The second team AP All-State AAA and Suburban One American All-star who rushed for 1,901 yards and scored 26 TDs in 2008, returns for Upper Moreland and puts the focus on the Bears as the team to beat in the American Conference.

Smallwood has all the qualities expected of a major college RB prospect and needed for his team to be a championship contender. He has speed, strength and that uncanny vision and instinct to see the openings and then bolt for paydirt. Major college football recruiters such as Syracuse and Pitt are watching him closely as he bounces back from ACL surgery, the result of a knee injury he suffered in the PIAA District 1 AAA championship game last November.

They’ve yet to offer scholarships but those offers are sure to come when he’s shown what Upper Moreland head coach Adam Beach already knows.

“He’s what makes us go,” says Upper Moreland head coach Adam Beach. “He’s back to where he was last year. He’s 100 percent.

“When I think of Chris I think of potential. He still has so much room to improve. His vision is what impresses me most. Once he sees the hole, he’s off. He can score from anywhere on the field. They’re going to try to stop him by putting all of those guys in the box. He’s got to make them pay.”

Upper Merion head coach Joe Powel is impressed with Smallwood between the tackles as much as he is with Smallwood’s breakaway threat.

“He runs just as tough between the tackles as he does when he gets to the corner,” says Powel. “He’s a powerful runner as well as he is fast.”

With the anticipation that opponents plan to gang up on the line of scrimmage to stop Smallwood and force the Bears to pass the ball, Beach sees the development of a reliable and efficient QB and a offensive line critical to freeing-up running lanes for Smallwood.

S-FB Pat McKay (5-11, 205, Sr.), who also suffered a knee injury that forced him to the sidelines early last season, returns and Beach figures him into the mix at QB along with QB-LB Sean Haley (5-10, 170, Jr.).

“I’m looking forward to Pat coming back and having good senior year,” says Beach. “We’ve got to establish the run which will open up some passing lanes for us. Our QB has to be smart with the ball. I want our wide receivers to give us more weapons on the field. I’d like to have a line for a back to get behind.”

Besides Smallwood, the Bears are leaning on returning first team Suburban One American All-star DL and second team OL Bill Conover (6-1, 305, Sr.), second team American All-star DE-WR Mike Romanauski (6-4, 200, Sr.) and third team all-stars DL-OL Jeano Pantel (5-8, 270, Sr.) and DB Ronye Dennis (5-8, 155, Sr.). DE-OT Dave Driscoll (6-1, 235, Sr.) also returns.

Beach expects LB-WR Terrell Watson (6-4, 185, Jr.) and RB-DB Greg Adamson (5-11, 200, Jr.) to emerge as impact playmakers on both sides of the ball.

“Everybody’s (in the conference) going to be better,” says Beach. “I wouldn’t consider us favorites by any stretch.”

Conference rivals aren’t buying that.

The rest of the American…
A strong core of skill position players return for Wissahickon led by second team Suburban One American all-star RB and third team LB Myron Ross (6-0, 205, Sr.), who rushed for 1,024 yards and scored 9 TDs last season, and honorable mention American All-star QB Brandon Gunn (5-10, 208, Sr.),who rushed for 10 TDs and passed for 3 TDs. Ross has committed to Vanderbilt and Gunn has drawn recruiting interest from Temple, Towson and Kent State. Srs. Ryan McDonough (5-8, 170, RB) and Brian Corliss (6, 235, OG) also return on offense while DE Phil Voluntad (6-1, 245, Sr.), first team American all-star DT Chris Beall (5-8, 175, Sr.) and DT Blake Reed (5-11, 245, Sr.) return with seven of the front eight on defense. Head coach John DeSimone expects better depth, which should help the Trojans avoid a repeat of 2008 when a strong start was derailed by untimely injuries to key players.

First team Suburban One American All-star RB and second team DB Sheldon Mayer (5-8, 170, Sr.), who had 1,224 yards rushing and scored 12 TDs in 2008, returns to the Norristown backfield where he is joined by his younger brother and newcomer QB Shannon Mayer (6-2, 170, Soph.). Villanova, New Hampshire and Fordham are recruiting Sheldon. OG-DT Nick Bloomer (6-1, 250, Sr.), honorable mention Suburban One American All-star OT-DT Marcus Robbins (6-1, 295, Sr.), first team Suburban One American All-star WR and second team DB Anthony Robey (5-10, 175, Sr.), a Temple recruit, first team all-star TE Evan Battallio (6-4, 240, Sr.), who also plays DE, and third team all-star DE Larry Smith (6-1, 200, Sr.), who also plays TE, return for the Eagles. Head coach E.J. Smith says the Eagles’ secondary, which includes Robey, SS Mylo Hill (5-11, 170, Sr.) and emerging DB-WR Ikeem Boyd (5-8, 160, Jr.), is another strength for the Eagles.

Third team Suburban One American All-stars RB-DB Damin Finley (5-10, 180, Sr.), who rushed for more than 1,200 yards last season, and OL-DL Jameer Jones (6-0, 260, Sr.) and WR-LB John Garry (5-10, 205, Sr.), WR-S Dan Rouse (5-10, 190, Jr.), QB-DB Desmond Peoples (5-8, 160, Soph), who moves to QB this season after starting at WR last season, and OG-DT Lawrence Cottom (6-2, 280, Sr.) are two-way returning starters for Cheltenham. It’s the kind of combination of skill players and linemen that gives the Panthers the explosive offense that head coach Joe Gro hopes keeps them in contention for the American Conference championship. Gro’s challenge is to find linemen who can measure up to the conference contenders.

The winless 2008 season is in the rearview mirror and soon to be forgotten by Plymouth-Whitemarsh. Colonials head coach John Staudenmayer expects improvement from returning starters QB David O'Neill (6, 195, Jr.), his son, TE-LB John Michael Staudenmayer (6-1, 175, Jr.), FB-LB Phil Bucci (5-9, 175, Jr.) and G-DE Brandon Brown (6-2, 235, Sr.). But 2008 starters Justin Tribble and Ryan Dolan have transferred…Frank Yurick (6-4, 230, Sr.) was first team Suburban One American All-star DL and honorable mention OL last season for Upper Dublin. DE Steve Amen (5-10, 185, Sr.) was third team all-star. Head coach Bret Stover faces a challenge rebuilding the Cardinals, whose starting QB, three leading rushers and three leading receivers on the 2008 team, who combined to produce more than 3,500 yards offense, all graduated… … At Upper Merion, returning starters LB-RB James Brennan (6-0, 185, Sr.) was a first team Suburban One American All-star and WR Dexter Bridge (6-3, 185, Jr.), who caught 42 passes for 746 yards and 11 TDs, DL-OL Greg McCuch (6-0, 190, Sr.) and LB Tyler Zeoli (6-0, 205, Sr.) were second team American All-stars last season. WR-DB Naim Cheeseboro (6-1, 190, Jr.) is also a returning starter. QB Andrew Lengrende (5-11, 175, Sr.), RB Shawn Hamilton (5-11, 180, Sr.), DB Mike Bruno (5-11, 170, Sr.) and most of the OL and DL are first-year starters for Vikings head coach Joe Powel.

Favorite: Upper Moreland 

Main Contenders: Norristown and Wissahickon

Preseason Player of the Year: RB Chris Smallwood (5-10, 185, Sr.) Upper Moreland