Chester plans to stay on top awhile
By Gorden Blain
Chester almost made the most of its first winning season since 2000.
The Clippers finished the season 8-3 and with its 4-1 Del-Val League record, grabbed a share of the league championship with perennial champion Interboro and, in its first season back in the Del-Val, Glen Mills, which is always a threat every season to emerge as a powerhouse.
Now the Clippers have every intention on staying on top and take the next step by qualifying for the 16-team PIAA District 1 AAAA playoffs, which they barely missed in 2008 as a result in some shortcomings in their schedule.
“Our guys are upbeat,” says Clippers assistant coach James Howard. “There’s a lot of confidence they can compete with people they should have been competing with for a long time. Missing the playoffs left bitter taste in their mouths. They believe the sky’s the limit and that they are playoff-caliber team.”
With seven starters returning on defense and six back on offense, including major college football prospects WR-DB Laquan Robinson (5-11, 180, Sr.) and OL-LB Ronell Williams (6-1, 220, Sr.), Clippers head coach Willie Bates couldn’t agree more with his players’ expectations.
Robinson, who had seven interceptions at DB and caught 29 passes for 438 yards at WR last season, has grabbed the attention of recruiters from Temple, Villanova, Rhode Island, Kent State, Towson and Akron. Williams has drawn interest from Villanova, Temple and Rhode Island.
QB Tevin Campbell (5-11, 190, Sr.) gained valuable experience last season filling in when starter Al Payne was sidelined with an injury and piled up impressive statistics—passing for 526 yards and 5 TDs. WR-DB Darryl Davis (5-10, 170, Sr.) and RBs Anthony Davis (6-0, 190, Sr.) and Terrance Turner (5-7 155, Jr.) are also expected to make an impact on offense.
The Clippers’ defense limited opponents to 13.8 points per game in 2008 and Bates expects more of the same this season with NG Aaron Payne (5-9, 225 Sr.), LB Evon Hyles (5-10, 200 Jr.) and LB Juwan Howard (5-10, 180, Sr.) returning. Bates also expects OL/DL Amos Spencer (6-5, 330, Sr.) to make an impact.

Interboro lost five games in 2008, the first time since 1994 the Bucs lost that many games in a season. Still, Interboro racked up its 11th consecutive Del-Val championship when it finished in a three-way tie for first with Chester and Glen Mills and qualified for the PIAA District 1 AAA playoffs. There’s no reason to believe the Bucs are slipping. Head coach Steve Lennox expects them to remain a league championship and district playoff contender in 2009. Lennox expects break-out seasons from returning two-way starters SE-DB Rob Leone (6-1, 180, Sr.) and LB-RB Joe Pfaff (5-9, 165, Sr.). QB Brett Creighton (5-9, 165, Sr.) and I-back Mitch Helmandollar (6-1, 170, Jr.) are first year starters. Where Lennox felt the Bucs were young and lacked depth in 2008, those underclassmen gained valuable experience they normally would not have gotten and now there are a bounty of pieces for Lennox to fit together. FB Scott MaNeil (6-0, 190, Sr.), RB Charles Bolger (5-9, 160, Sr.) and RB Brett Hamilton (5-9, 165, Sr.) are in the mix in the wing-T running attack. On the line of scrimmage, Tom Motley (6-1, 210, Sr.), Kevin Hinchey (6-0, 200, Sr.), Zac McMenamin (5-10, 200, Jr.), Felix Ortiz (6-1, 240, Jr.) and Casey Neal (6-1.210, Jr.) are in the mix. Lennox expects DB-QB Adam Smith (6-1, 180, Jr.) to make an impact on both sides of the ball.

Glen Mills wasted no time making an impact in its first season in the Del-Val by grabbing a share of the regular season league championship. The Battlin Bulls followed up their first-ever PIAA District 1 AAAA playoff game in 2007 with a return to the tournament in 2008. The playoffs are now an annual goal for the Bulls. RB Bernard Pierce, who rushed for 1,578 yards and scored 26 TDs last season, has graduated but head coach Kevin Owens always finds another workhorse RB. But because of the transitional nature of the student body at Glen Mills, the coaching staff just isn’t sure who it might be until the athletes show up for the first week of preseason practice. Soph. James Foster (6-0, 200) returns and his athletic skills makes him a strong candidate to emerge as the workhorse. The only returning starters are OG Jerome Evans (6-1, 285, Sr.) and Punter and place kicker Filberto Gonzalez. OT Edward Mills (6-2, 275, Sr.), C Richard Smalls (5-10, 225, Sr.), DE Alex Rosario (6-2, 225, Sr.) and DT Dawud Wright (6-0, 215, Sr.) are in the mix on the line of scrimmage. A starting QB may not emerge until the season begins but the Bulls are more interested in running the football with a strong back and a solid OL.…

The rest of the Del-Val…
WR-DB Kabongo Bukasa (6-2, 185, Sr.), RB-DB Marquis Bey (5-11, 160, Sr.), LB Joe Richburg (5-9, 180, Jr.) and LB Dante Mitchell (5-8, 160, Sr.) are returning starters for Academy Park, which in 2008 had its first winning season since 2001. Knights head coach Jason Vosheski expects WR-DB James Lewis (5-10, 160, Jr.) to emerge as a playmaker. Brian McDonald (5-11, 160, Sr.) and Allen Burton (5-9, 155, Jr.) are both in the mix at QB… WR-DB Christian Custis, a Del-Val first team all-star in 2008, returns for Penn Wood and Patriots head coach Sam Mormando…Chichester has a 2-21 record in the first two seasons under head coach Dan Singley but returning Patriots OL-DL Thomas Tilford, OL-DL Vaughn Russell, TE-DE Burke Casey, OL-DL Sam Evans, TE-DE John Gillespie, TE-LB Ryan Timmes, RB-DB Laquan Lambert and RB-DB Bobby Scheivert are ready for a turnaround.

Favorite: Chester
Main Contender: Interboro
Preseason Player of the Year: RB-DB Laquan Robinson (5-11, 180, Sr.) Chester