By MATTHEW De GEORGE
LANSDOWNE — The cliché of a new coach infusing new energy to a program can grow stale after dozens of retellings through the years.
But to see Nick Lincoln on the field behind Penn Wood High School — dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, urging his players through wind sprints by running alongside them in the increasingly heavy rain and prodding them with the joking threat that anyone he beats becomes a lineman — the promise of a new start seems very real.
After four years as the offensive coordinator at Class AA powerhouse Imhotep Charter, the 29-year-old is ready to build a program of his own, and he’s embracing the challenge of reversing the fortunes of a Penn Wood team that won just two games in three seasons under Troy Brooks.
Lincoln brings a wealth of experience to the job. He’s been primarily responsible for organizing practices at the Philadelphia juggernaut the last few years, helping pilot the school to the PIAA semis two years ago and the final in 2013.
He’s hoping to work that same magic to revitalize Penn Wood.
“They needed a change,” Lincoln said. “It’s no knock on the previous coaching staff, but I think change is the only thing in this world that is constant. And I think they bought in right away.
“It definitely helped that I came from a winning program. The Imhotep buzz grabbed some kids. But I told them, we’re not going to win because I came from Imhotep. We’re going to win because we outwork Imhotep, and we outwork every other team in the area. That’s just about trying to change the culture here and refusing to lose.”
“We’re definitely inspired,” sophomore quarterback Ed Field said. “Coach Lincoln came over, and we definitely believe in ourselves more than we ever had before. We’ve had a couple of bad seasons, and most people say we’re in a rebuilding year, but we feel like we’ve played with each other for a couple of years. I think it’s really going to be a good season for us.”
Lincoln isn’t just a football guy. An English teacher who spent a year away from football to teach the language in Honduras, Lincoln is a studious mentor who has evaluated the many aspects of the challenge at Penn Wood. Among the biggest qualities he offers is an extensive network of college connections, borne of the accumulation of Division I talent at Imhotep.
Beyond the wins and (mostly) losses the last few years at Penn Wood, he knows that success on the gridiron can only come from a holistic approach.
“I think at the end of the day, football is just a vehicle that we have to use for academics, to address social issues, to address our community,” he said. “… It’s just trying to get them to give back a little bit and understand that it’s way bigger than football, and if they don’t handle those issues out of school and in the classroom, they’re not going to play for me.”
To those ends, Lincoln has sought to carve out a renewed footprint in the community. The resident of the Cobbs Creek section of Philadelphia has engaged the local football community, assembling his staff by drawing from many of the district’s feeder programs. And he’s encouraged his players to volunteer, embarking on projects like building a playground at Park Lane Elementary School.
“I love it because growing up, people gave back to my youth teams a lot,” running back Tavon Ruley said. “I look up to older people, and give back to them. And the youth, we can teach them a lot.”
In Lincoln’s eyes, the Penn Wood community has massive potential that for one reason or another hasn’t been tapped in recent years. Already, he’s seeing dividends: Where the Penn Wood roster numbered in the high 30s to low 40s last season, Lincoln coaxed 70-some kids for tryouts.
“I use the word ‘recruiting’ because I think I had to recruit the district,” Lincoln said. “A lot of kids have been recruited out of the district to Catholic Schools or other schools. I think initially, I was out in the building right when I got hired at the middle school, both high school (campuses), just trying to get kids to come out.”
There’s talent to work with as Lincoln hopes to install an up-tempo, no-huddle offense that he unabashedly promises to have “the fastest snaps in Delco.” Who will be under center remains an open question, with senior Fred Johnson and the 6-2 Fields vying for the job. Johnson has the early edge in comprehending the offense, but both will be involved (Fields through special dual-threat packages, Johnson likely as a receiver) if they don’t win the job.
The lines, behind veteran Jordan Johnson, require work. But the skill positions are stacked with players who gained experience as underclassmen.
Ruley will be the feature back, and there will be plenty of touches to go around for a talented group of skill players including Dasheim Harris, Malik Grant, Javon Terrell, Raheim Bowers, Isaiah Council and Kwabriem Jenkins.
Mentally, it appears as though the Patriots have turned the page on a past they can’t change to affect a future they can shape.
“You’ve just got to forget about the past and worry about the present,” Fred Johnson said. “You’ve got to work hard to achieve what you want to get to. We have right here the common goal that we want to win.”
“We’re all trying to do one thing: Win games,” Jenkins added. “We’re trying to turn this around and put Penn Wood on the map, try to tell people it’s not the old Penn Wood. It’s new. We can stop talking about previous years, because it’s new.”
Date | Opponent | Time |
---|---|---|
8/29 | @ W.C. East | 7 p.m. |
9/6 | @ Bishop Shanahan | 1 p.m. |
9/12 | @ Great Valley | 7 p.m. |
9/20 | vs. Archbishop Carroll | 11 a.m. |
9/27 | @ Haverford School | 11 a.m. |
10/4 | vs. Interboro | 11 a.m. |
10/11 | @ Chester | 10:30 a.m. |
10/18 | vs. Glen Mills | 11 a.m. |
10/24 | @ Academy Park | 7 p.m. |
10/31 | @ Chichester | 7 p.m. |
Select any year to see the results.
2013
W/L | Team | Score |
---|---|---|
L | West Chester East | 7-24 |
L | Bishop Shanahan | 7-33 |
L | Great Valley | 8-30 |
W | Archbishop Carroll | 23-7 |
L | The Haverford School | 19-38 |
L | Chester | 6-8 |
L | Glen Mills | 0-6 |
L | Academy Park | 0-39 |
L | Chichester | 7-35 |
L | Interboro | 0-32 |
2012
W/L | Team | Score |
---|---|---|
L | West Chester East | 25-35 |
L | Pottstown | 18-41 |
L | Great Valley | 6-31 |
L | Downingtown West | 0-42 |
L | The Haverford School | 5-21 |
L | Academy Park | 6-35 |
L | Glen Mills | 6-50 |
L | Interboro | 6-43 |
L | Chichester | 27-28 |
L | Chester | 21-26 |
L | Upper Darby | 15-33 |
2011
W/L | Team | Score |
---|---|---|
L | Downingtown West | 7-56 |
L | Pottstown | 0-48 |
L | Great Valley | 0-45 |
L | Malvern Prep | 7-55 |
L | Cardinal O'Hara | 0-44 |
L | Glen Mills | 6-53 |
L | Chichester | 0-42 |
L | Academy Park | 0-35 |
W | Chester | 14-10 |
L | Interboro | 13-43 |
L | Upper Darby | 0-33 |
2010
W/L | Team | Score |
---|---|---|
W | Conwell-Egan Catholic | 46-0 |
W | Penn Charter | 27-26 |
W | Great Valley | 34-7 |
L | Malvern Prep | 12-28 |
W | The Haverford School | 18-9 |
W | Interboro | 21-7 |
W | Glen Mills | 15-12 |
W | Chichester | 56-0 |
W | Academy Park | 18-9 |
W | Chester | 18-8 |
District 1 Class AAAA first round | ||
L | North Penn | 6-20 |
2009
W/L | Team | Score |
---|---|---|
W | Sun Valley | 47-7 |
W | Overbrook | 40-12 |
W | Great Valley | 14-7 |
W | William Penn | 40-8 |
L | Academy Park | 10-13 |
L | Chester | 21-33 |
L | Interboro | 6-28 |
L | Glen Mills | 0-13 |
W | Chichester | 26-0 |
W | Octorara | 36-6 |
W | Haverford | 12-6 |
W | William Penn | 44-0 |
Del ValClass AAAA
Coach: Nick Lincoln (First season)