Germantown Academy's Trae Vance (29) works off of an SCH defender Friday. Vance figures to be one part of a three-headed rushing attack for the Pats, and will share carries with Lacey Snowden and Donavan Ganges. (Photo by Jonathan Vander Lugt)

by Jonathan Vander Lugt

After its tri-scrimmage Friday against Springside Chestnut Hill and Wyoming Seminary prep, Germantown Academy coach Matt Dence had mixed feelings.

“Every day at practice, we're successful so we think we're really good,” he went on. “It's important to realize that we still have work to do.”

GA often struggled to get much going offensively, and on its first defensive drive allowed SCH to ramble for a touchdown.

“We started out nervous I think – and we didn't want to show too much,” Dence said. “We didn't win too many one-on-one battles for about 20 plays. We tried to go down the field a few times and our receivers didn't get off their jams well, or our protection broke down.”

“We've got to keep trying to get better every week,” Dence said. “It was good for us to have some success at times, but it was also good for us to get knocked around.”

That being said, it wasn't all bad. For one, the Pats weren't at full strength. For another, Dence said he held back his play calling giving that they were playing against a conference foe.

Sophomore back Lacey Snowden rolled his ankle the day prior and was held out. If it had been a real game, Dence said, he would have played. Duke-committed offensive lineman Elijah Wroten was only in for about the first 30 minutes of the two-and-a-half hour scrimmage.

“I wanted to establish the run and stop it early and I thought we did that,” Dence said. Also, because the teams didn't want any of their quarterbacks to get hurt, refs blew the play dead soon after they left the pocket or saw it collapse.

Sophomore QB Jordan Longino broke loose on a handful of plays that, if they were in a normal game, probably would have been runs for 15 or 20 yards. On a few others, the referee whistle robbed him of any chance to improvise.

“I think Jordan's going to be good,” Dence said. “He's a passer first – he's got good vision. His elusiveness and ways to make plays with his feet will help us.”

Jordan Longino (6) looks toward his coaches for guidance Friday. Longino is light on varsity football experience, but sharpened his athletic mettle with a 449-point season (third in the Inter-Ac) as a freshman for GA's basketball team last winter. (Photo by Jonathan Vander Lugt)

With his tall and wiry frame that befits his success on the hardwood (he was a second-team All Inter-Ac selection as a freshman last season), he throws a sharp ball and seems to read defenses well.

Elsewhere, Dence figures to lean on a running game heading into the season for the first time in a number of years. All three of his main runners from last year – Snowden, Trae Vance and Donavan Ganges – are back.

“They're three guys I really feel good about. I really like Trae Vance – he's done a good job,” Dence said. “Donny Ganges is a really good power runner, but we didn't do a good job of blocking for him today.”

“Lacey can do everything out of the backfield,” Dence went on. “Throw, catch and you can move him out and make him a receiver.”

As for places to improve, Dence found plenty based on Friday's scrimmage. If there's one place that's safe to struggle, it's in practice where you can learn and adjust before playing games that count.

“We need to shore up pass protection,” he said. “We didn't blitz at all, and we saw some interesting ones which I was a little surprised about. We've got to have better eyes for that.”

“In years past we've done scrimmages and come out thinking we could run the ball everywhere. That wasn't because we were good necessarily, but because we weren't playing good teams,” Dence said. “It was our first time going against live competition, and I'm glad it was against good competition.”

Around the area:

La Salle, a year after fielding one of the top teams in the state, dropped its season-opener to Imhotep Charter last week, 34-10. Featuring a new quarterback and a green skill position corps, the Explorers will travel to North Penn next Friday night.

Penn Charter will open its regular season next week in Ocean City, N.J. against Lansdale Catholic. It will be the second consecutive year they’ve danced with the Crusaders down the shore – hopefully the teams will be able avoid any damp, rainy weather like the last time around.