My previous post led to a discussion strictly regarding the PCL coaches and programs. However, can anyone out there educate myself and others on the current District 1 coaches. Any new faces? Any old faces that may be wearing out their welcome? Any programs that you see as a "sleeping giant"?
District 1 Coaches/Programs
- Thread starter HSFballFan19
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I know Ryan Nase from his days at Lafayette, really good guy and was part of great teams. He's got a big job in front of him at Cheltenham, but he's a talented guy.
A "sleeping giant" in D1 would be Bishop Shanahan. They are the only Catholic school in Chesco and being centrally located in Downingtown allows them to get kids from all over the county and even into Delco.
Ironically, their potential maybe tied to another couple of coaches who may be wearing out their welcome in Downingtown-Mike Milano & Mike Matta. It's been rumored for years that if either one of these jobs open up, Dan Ellis will have the red carpet rolled out for him. I would imagine Milano is closer to retirement and D-West has struggled to live up to the pace of rivals D-East & C'Ville in most years.
Matta has had some very good seasons but they always seem to fizzle out earlier than expected in the playoffs. I can't remember the last time D-East made a significant run at a District title & it's certainly not for lack of talent (they have had at least 1 D1 recruit each of the last 6-7 seasons).
With there being some question as to the future of Downingtown football, Shanahan has quietly become a viable option for some of those hard nosed Young Whippets and Marsh Creek Eagles...
Ironically, their potential maybe tied to another couple of coaches who may be wearing out their welcome in Downingtown-Mike Milano & Mike Matta. It's been rumored for years that if either one of these jobs open up, Dan Ellis will have the red carpet rolled out for him. I would imagine Milano is closer to retirement and D-West has struggled to live up to the pace of rivals D-East & C'Ville in most years.
Matta has had some very good seasons but they always seem to fizzle out earlier than expected in the playoffs. I can't remember the last time D-East made a significant run at a District title & it's certainly not for lack of talent (they have had at least 1 D1 recruit each of the last 6-7 seasons).
With there being some question as to the future of Downingtown football, Shanahan has quietly become a viable option for some of those hard nosed Young Whippets and Marsh Creek Eagles...
Not - Shanahan gets many players from its feeder CYO schools (Chester Co Crusaders, St Agnes, St Max and St Simon and Jude football teams plus DYW, Marsh Creek, Kid Raiders and LAFA). 2/3 of the roster comes from the West Chester, Downingtown and Coatesville school districts where the largest population resides. Agreed that if one or both of those Downingtown programs sink I could see a few more players coming to Shanahan. It's not an elitist statement but many Downingtown pub families can afford Shanahan as Chester County is the wealthiest county in the state. Personally I like Shanahan in the Chesmont because the Shanahan kids play against their public school neighbors. (Listen to all the Downingtown pubs bitch about Shanahan) On the other hand with all the public school out cry of boundaries it may push Shanahan to the Catholic League of which they now could compete and compete well in pretty much all sports. If my alma mater does move to the PCL I hope we start to actually recruit athletes as we would need to to compete with Wood, LaSalle, Roman and St Joes Prep. BTW - The Prep has always received football, baseball and lax players from West Chester for years.
Shanahan likes playing its neighbor Chesmont Schools. Additionally playing in the PCL would be ok for traveling to Carroll, OHara and Bonner but Wood, Egan, Prep, LaSalle, etc would be pretty far from Chesco. I could see it happening if a separate Private championship happens.
So considering Shanahan has been in the Chesmont in football for quite awhile now and are clearly drawing from Downingtown, Coatesville, West Chester and Delaware County, how come they havent faired better in the Chesmont League? Have they ever beaten DEast or Coatesville? Have they ever finished higher than 3rd place? Ive seen the coaches at CYO championship games in the past. Are they attending just for the enjoyment of the games or are they actually recruiting? All interesting questions that should be pondered. I agree a sleeping giant. However, does the giant need another face to prod it in order to wake it up and advance to the next level? Playing a soft non league schedule and beating the likes of West Chester East, Avon Grove, and Henderson will only go so far. If you wish to be considered a giant, at some point you need to step up and BEAT the Giants of the Chesmont.
So, if all a school needs is no boundaries and the ability to recruit from multiple boundaries, then why isn't BS running thru that league? Ohh, that's right because pub, participation trophy types only use that when schools win. It's convenient.
IAdelco, that's why they're being called a "sleeping giant"-the potential is there but hasn't been realized yet. They have beaten both DEast and Coatesville before (DEast more recently than CVille) & I agree that playing a more competitive non league would help too. It's amazing what the right coach can do in the right place. Remember Coatesville was pretty mediocre for about 9-10 years before Ortega got there. If Shanahan had the right coach in place (along with better admin support) they could be pretty special in 5A.
IA - You make several good points. Why hasn't Shanahan faired better... well they are playing in a league with 3 schools out of 7 which are some of the best that Eastern Pa has to offer in football. If I'm a great player I'd much rather play for a Coatesville or a Downingtown due the past successful history and potential to go far in playoffs. Other than the last year or two Henderson has been pretty good for many many years. Ask Ridley. I agree the non league is very soft and needs to upgraded if they want to move to next level. Keep in mind a committe was formed several years back and has started to upgrade the athletic facilities. Check the grass and infield on the varsity baseball field. Scoreboards have been added to the baseball field and to the 3 soccer/lax fields which face Route 30. The stadium just received lights, turf and a new track. A stand alone restroom facility will be added to the stadium shortly plus 2 new tennis courts. Heard football has some other facility additions that will be after. The school is upgrading but remember it's Catholic school and not like a public where they complete immediately. BTW - I like how Shanahan is playing the Central in more and more sports. Hopefully football non league soon (not the Harriton, Lower Merion, Penncrest but how about a Springfield or Marple non league)?
Besides North Penn, Neshaminy and I'm guessing Pennsbury.. what other SOL schools will be in the mix?
I think Abington should be very good this year. Should be better than Pennsbury again and maybe even Neshaminy. They have a Rb that if he stays healthy can put up 2,000 yds this year. Think CB South and Pennridge could also be in the playoffs. Pennridge should have a pretty good defense and if I recall CB South like Abington has alot back. Hopefully someone up that way can verify all of this.
Neshaminy graduated quite a few guys from the 11-1 team so there will be plenty of new faces. They do have a core group of guys in the wideout/TE spots who can all catch and play ball (including last year's soph sensation TE/LB Oleh Manzyk who was PFN all state 1st Team). Still, with three year starting QB Mason Jones and two year starting HB Will Dogba plus 3 out of 5 linemen also graduating they have some shoes to fill.
On defense they also graduated a lot but have two LBs (including Mamzyk who might be more of a DE this year) a few linemen and a DB back (as I recall). Of course, and no disrespect to my beloved and adored Redskins, the D was theit Achilles Heel so switching out some names might not be so bad (please god - forgive me for even contemplating a negative thought like that).
Anyway, they have some work to do (the good news is that it will be Steve Wilmot's third year as the head honcho and although he hit the ground running any opening night jitters or "getting adjusted" stuff is now just a memory. I also hear they some great candidates at QB and a few other slots and they generally have kept the pipeline flowing for a long, long time so I'd expect more of the same.
Pennsbury - well, last season was year one of the new regime after long-timer Galen Snyder hung up his lederhosen following the 2015 campaign. And as it seemed they lost a lot of guys due to graduation that year, plus a new topper in 2016, the 5-5 finish was in some part attributable to the predictable shake-down cruise as you'd expect. Then to be honest, I didn't pay too much attention to them and with Langhorne's 35-0 win over them not one of their best efforts I haven't a clue as of now what they have in the pantry (I'll be digging soon enough).
Abington was 5-5 too with their wins and losses not showing anything special to really hang your hat on. Still, their 21-0 loss to the 'Skins took some effort by the Red & Blue and you got the impression they had/have more horses under the hood to roll out. And having watched them plenty over the years I'm never surprised when they make noise.
Pennridge is getting to be a constant thorn in everyone's side and they have that all world LB/TE Tarburton back as a senior who single-handedly will make scoring difficult for teams. I think, though, that a lot of their offensive skill guys have moved on so I can't comment on their offense other than it may be a rebuild is necessary.
Then you have CB South being capable too - just don't know much yet about them (I sound like a dumb-ass for sure -- don't know anything).
Anyway, North Penn seems loaded and then you have a handful of clubs that can jump up and bite (and I'm sure I'm missing one of them). And I'm hoping the 'Skins can make a run but it may be that this is one of those in-between years when they add some seasoning to the soup but it's just not yet ready to ladle out so we can slurp it up (we shall see).
Go 'Skins!!!
On defense they also graduated a lot but have two LBs (including Mamzyk who might be more of a DE this year) a few linemen and a DB back (as I recall). Of course, and no disrespect to my beloved and adored Redskins, the D was theit Achilles Heel so switching out some names might not be so bad (please god - forgive me for even contemplating a negative thought like that).
Anyway, they have some work to do (the good news is that it will be Steve Wilmot's third year as the head honcho and although he hit the ground running any opening night jitters or "getting adjusted" stuff is now just a memory. I also hear they some great candidates at QB and a few other slots and they generally have kept the pipeline flowing for a long, long time so I'd expect more of the same.
Pennsbury - well, last season was year one of the new regime after long-timer Galen Snyder hung up his lederhosen following the 2015 campaign. And as it seemed they lost a lot of guys due to graduation that year, plus a new topper in 2016, the 5-5 finish was in some part attributable to the predictable shake-down cruise as you'd expect. Then to be honest, I didn't pay too much attention to them and with Langhorne's 35-0 win over them not one of their best efforts I haven't a clue as of now what they have in the pantry (I'll be digging soon enough).
Abington was 5-5 too with their wins and losses not showing anything special to really hang your hat on. Still, their 21-0 loss to the 'Skins took some effort by the Red & Blue and you got the impression they had/have more horses under the hood to roll out. And having watched them plenty over the years I'm never surprised when they make noise.
Pennridge is getting to be a constant thorn in everyone's side and they have that all world LB/TE Tarburton back as a senior who single-handedly will make scoring difficult for teams. I think, though, that a lot of their offensive skill guys have moved on so I can't comment on their offense other than it may be a rebuild is necessary.
Then you have CB South being capable too - just don't know much yet about them (I sound like a dumb-ass for sure -- don't know anything).
Anyway, North Penn seems loaded and then you have a handful of clubs that can jump up and bite (and I'm sure I'm missing one of them). And I'm hoping the 'Skins can make a run but it may be that this is one of those in-between years when they add some seasoning to the soup but it's just not yet ready to ladle out so we can slurp it up (we shall see).
Go 'Skins!!!
IA -
You are correct. Abington finished the regular season at 6-4. They played Coatesville in the opening round of the playoffs and that game closed out their season putting them at 6-5 overall.
You are correct. Abington finished the regular season at 6-4. They played Coatesville in the opening round of the playoffs and that game closed out their season putting them at 6-5 overall.
I assume that is their old QB's father? Why is he a name to watch out for? Prior coaching experience?
If one of the D-Towns does go down hill and Shanahan is the recipient of some of that talent then traveling a little farther north to challenge some of those guys shouldn't be a problem. They'll have the Ability to build a La Salle/Wood/Prep style program in their geographical area. Besides if you want to compete with the Big Dogs you gotta play in their yards sometimes.
Shanahan becoming a Wood/LaSalle/Prep is laughable. Shanahan and these three schools should never be mentioned in the same breathe. Please. These schools have all won multiple state titles. Shanahan would need a new coach and do more then gaining some players from Downingtown to even compete with Judge and Roman. Good thing you didn't bring this up as a new thread. You would be laughing stock of the PA preps board.
Agreed, they're a sleeping giant in Chester County. With the right coach and buy-in from the administration, they could become a powerhouse. It would not be just one Downingtown school to pull from, it could be Coatesville, both Dtowns, and all three West Chesters at least.
Please.......
Shanahan wouldn't compete with Roman, Judge, Ryan, West, Carroll etc.
Why don't we start with putting Shanahan in the PCL...
Shanahan has a solid program but they are a ways from competing week in and out with Prep, LaSalle and Wood. Let's be honest Carroll, Judge, Ryan and Roman shouldn't be mentioned with those schools either.
CYO - I'd love to see Shanahan in the PCL but the travel alone to those schools would be pretty long for the students. On a side note - The admin has already changed stance and has been supporting athletics for a few years.
Shanahan wouldn't even play them. None are 5A. Would make a lot of sense stepping up and playing Boner OHara LC and leaving Coatesville DEast and DWest. Can you come up w an intelligent post instead showing your dislike for a program?
Didn't realize they were 5A. I have no dislike at all. Shanahan is an interesting study in that they feel they are landlocked in Chester County as a D1 school. As such it's my opinion they will always be a year away from being a year away. While travel would be difficult, I don't think it would be different that an Egan traveling to Neuman to play baseball on a tuesday, or LC going to a West Catholic on a thurs. I think Shanahan would struggle at first, but I can see them building a chester county army to compete. It would certainly elevate their other sports. You wanna see a hoops rock concert? Play Roman Catholic or Neumann in your gym on a friday night. Wood has just built a hoops program strictly on the competition. Until they do that I don't think culturally kids will choose not to attend Coatesville, or the Dtowns. Same goes for PJP. Join the PCL and then you will start to draw kids from Springford etc.
Ok. My bad. Shanahan is the whipping board for the pubs in Chesco and my read is because the Eagles are starting to knock them off occasionally. If Shanahan did join the PCL and they started to play The Prep, LaSalle and Wood on a weekly basis this alone would attract more hi level Chesco football players to Shanahan and push them to up the game immediately. It wouldn't be just Cville, Dtown or West Chester but Great Valley, Phoenixville and OJ Roberts kids whose areas have many Catholics. Let's face it the PCL is the strongest league (not deepest) in Eastetn PA so who wouldn't want to join in the right circumstance. I'm not sure how much better Shanahan will get staying in Chesmont and being a non recruiting school and some of the pieces mentioned. (They don't pay tuition for athletes....period)
6days... you don't know Royersford or Collegeville. Spring-Ford kids or PV kids ain't going to PJP even if they join the PCL. I understand the thought and you would think it makes sense, but it doesn't. Spring-Ford is a nationally ranked HS, with 26 AP courses (I think the Archdiocese has 16 for 8K tuition) and with the resources to bare. The Performing Arts are huge at SF. If it was a poor performing school, maybe I can see your point.. Plus, games at PJP are on Saturdays and you have to sit or stand on the "Hill". Sorta like the outfield at the LLWS. Nothing against PJP, some really good people there and a good school, but it won't be a draw just because of the PCL connection. And btw, I am Catholic. Why spend 10K for less? Doesn't make sense.. just my opinion.
C'mon D1, good ole' catholic guilt has to be good for a few guys right?
Another head scratcher on how PJP got all the money to build a new school and other places who could prob compete didn't.
Another head scratcher on how PJP got all the money to build a new school and other places who could prob compete didn't.
I hear you 6 days.. Spring-Ford hasn't punted on PJP in 5 years. it is what it is!! They may get a few from the local programs. If the right few, it could make a difference against the PCL lower division. As I have said before, for every Wood, LaSalle and Prep, there is a PJP, Carroll (of recently) and others. I like PJP, just not sending my kid there for a lot of reasons that I won't go into on an anonymous blog.