Penncrest

By DILLON FRIDAY

Special to the Times

MIDDLETOWN — The Penncrest Lions gathered at the far end of the practice field to receive their punishment.

As the players prepared for 25 up-downs, coach Rick Stroup paced in the middle of the circle, preaching the importance of doing the little things right. And discarded water bottles, a crime from the night before, certainly qualify as little things in the grand scheme of the season.

Stroup’s players, however, have bought in. They responded in unison to each point the coach made with a “Yes, coach!” Stroup commands respect. His resurrection of the Penncrest program — still very much in progress — speaks for itself. Stroup led the Lions to a 7-3 record in 2013, their first winning season since 2009. Confidence has permeated his team.

“I just think they are a little more focused,” Stroup said. “I think last year they were a little unsure, but, you know, the kids have worked hard. They know what they can do now. There are a lot of positive things we can take from that.”

By the end of the up-downs, the Lions could barely stand. The attitude, though, remained unchanged. Winning gives purpose to the punishment. Winning validates the conditioning. Winning turns coaches’ speak — the aforementioned “little things,” a “game-by-game” philosophy — into gospel. Winning is in the details.

Linebacker Diego Zubieta echoed that sentiment.

“You have to pay attention to details in order to win,” he said.

A season ago, Penncrest produced one of Delaware County’s most impressive turnarounds. After posting a combined record of 5-16 in the first two campaigns under Stroup, the Lions finished the year 7-3, and 6-3 in the Central League.

The end, though, left a bitter taste in the Lions’ mouths. Penncrest stormed out to a 7-1 start, the only blemish a blowout loss to league champion Garnet Valley. The Lions needed to win one of its final two games against Ridley and Upper Darby to clinch a place in the District One Class AAAA playoffs. They dropped both decisions, including a 20-15 heartbreaker to the Green Raiders. Penncrest led that game 15-14 late in the fourth quarter only to see Ridley rally for a game winning score.

“It was obviously disappointing. We kind of have unfinished type business,” Stroup said

The losing streak ended the Lions’ postseason hopes. It also provided the returners with offseason motivation.

“We lift four times a week. We do agility,” senior quarterback Danny Fisher said after the morning practice. “We’ll come out on the field when we can, and I’ll throw to the receivers.”

“We’ve got a lot of momentum coming from last season,” he continued. “We’ve got a lot of experience in this senior class.”

Fisher is coming off a sterling season that saw him finish fourth in the county in passer rating. He threw for nearly 2,000 yards with 14 touchdowns against seven interceptions.

“He’s a great kid, great athlete, good leader,” Stroup said. “He has a good arm. He’s very smart — he’s everything you need in a good quarterback.”

That includes being selfless. The 6-2 signal-caller cares little about individual accolades. Fisher’s season goal is simple: “I just want to make the playoffs.”

To do that, he’ll need some help from fresh faces. Penncrest graduated three receivers and a running back from last year’s team. Zane Horne and Steve Moppert will aid veteran Bobby McCafferty in the receiving corps. As for who will carry the ball, it’s a two-horse race between juniors Ryan Kinnard and John Batipps. Stroup calls Batipps a more physical runner, while Kinnard adds quickness to the equation.

And then there’s the challenge of protecting Fisher. Carlos Ruiz, a 6-4 senior tackle who borrows the ‘Chooch’ nickname from the Phillies catcher of the same name, is expected to contribute right away on an offensive line that returns just two members. Jonah Jackson is one of the holdovers. He spoke in terse sentences that mimic the simplicity of his mindset on the line.

“Be aggressive, merciless,” he said. “Stop anybody in our paths.”

The 6-5, 290 pound Jackson strikes an intimidating a figure with his size, but he’s quick to praise his new linemates.

“Our guys coming in are looking real good,” he said. “They’re looking like returners.”

While the offense features some question marks, Penncrest’s defense should be a strong point. Six players return from a unit that surrendered 15.7 points per game. They’ll be led by Zubieta, a quick-thinking, hard-hitting linebacker. Benton King, Andrew Benecke and Chris Alyanakian form a strong trio of pass rushers as well.

“At least six players have played since sophomore year, so we have experience,” Zubieta explained. “We’re going to do the same thing we did last year. Go out, be aggressive and make some plays.”

With contributors returning at key positions, Stroup believes his Lions are poised to improve on last season’s surprise run. If Penncrest maintains its discipline down the stretch, a District One berth, and even a Central League title, might be in the works.

“We’ve got to take care of the ball. We’ve got to play great defense, especially on third down. We have to be able to run the football,” Stroup said. “If we do those things we’ve got a chance to win every game.”

Such a result would make all the up-downs in the world worth it.