Dante Devine, Pennsbury
Photo courtesy of Pennsbury football
Dante Devine is on the tall and skinny side, not exactly the prototypical fullback build. Most fullbacks come short and squat. You can catch most fullbacks from behind, but you can’t catch Devine.
No one, it seems, has been able to catch him this year. Devine is among the top scorers in not only Southeastern Pennsylvania but in the state with 11 touchdowns (and 68 points, with one converted two-point conversion)—already equaling what the 6-foot, 180-pound Pennsbury senior running back totaled all of last year.
Devine is also a leading reason why the Falcons are 5-0 this season and Pennsbury is rated No. 2 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by MaxPreps.com. Combined with junior quarterback Brandon Pepper and senior receiver/defensive back Eric Williams, Devine makes the Falcons almost impossible to stop.
Pennsbury is averaging 32.1 points a game—and Devine averaging 13.6 points a game, or almost two touchdowns.
“Things are different, I’m the fullback this year, and last year I played wing-back,” Devine said. “I saw the ball sometimes last year, maybe nine, 10 times a game. This year, I’ve been getting it 19 to 20 times a game.”
It’s translated into very good things. Devine exploded for a career-best four touchdowns scoring everything for the Falcons in a 26-6 victory over Council Rock North last Saturday.
If Pennsbury beats Truman this Friday, it will mark the first time the Falcons started a season 6-0 since 1985. The Falcons will be tested late this season, closing at No. 5 Abington and hosting No. 8 Neshaminy.
“I think we have to continue working hard at practice,” Devine said. “We’re making too many mistakes, but those are correctable mistakes. They’re mental mistakes. If we smooth some things out, we can go far. The seniors on this team all came up since freshman year and we were looking at this season.”
Devine, a two-year starter on the basketball team, is leaning heavily towards playing football in college. He’s receiving attention from Pittsburgh and Villanova, and recently sent a tape to South Florida.
More games like last Saturday, Devine better be ready for more attention.
“I just have feeling this is it for me playing fullback,” said Devine, who plays nickel back on third-and-long situations defensively. “I like it, but I can see myself as a defensive back or receiver in college. Right now, my focus is on getting us as far as we can go.”
The tradition continues
Dennis Decker was once a star at Ridley High School in the late-1980s, early-90s. He led the Green Raiders, one of the strongest programs in Southeastern Pennsylvania, to its only PIAA state championship game appearance in 1989 and thought about coming back.
Decker got his wish this year, when John Waller stepped down as head coach and Decker was handed the position.
Under Decker, it doesn’t seem as if Ridley has lost anything. The Green Raiders top the Central League and are 5-0 overall, this week cracking the Southeastern Pennsylvania MaxPreps’ top 10, at No. 10.
Decker is adjusting well to his new role after being an offensive coordinator at Glen Mills for five years. He understands the expectations—and the pressure that comes with being on one of the hottest coaching seats in the Southeastern Pennsylvania.
“I wouldn’t be able to do this without the great support I’ve gotten from my staff and at home,” said Decker, selected Pennsylvania’s Player of the Year in 1990 and who succeeds Phil Marion, Joe McNicholas, Ralph Batty and Waller. “Things are going well for me right now, but I also know Ridley, and I know the heat anyone can get if they make a mistake. Let’s just hope we continue to do what we’ve been dong.”
Namely winning. The Green Raiders are a fairly young team, with some burgeoning talents like sophomore Jalen Randolph, the son of former Ridley and West Virginia University standout Pat Randolph, making more of an impact each week.
“The thing we keep focusing on is continuing to improve, getting better with each game,” Decker said. “I do like what I’ve seen, and I think we can be even better if we continue working hard and keeping the mistakes down.”
Watch out for Williams
One of the best-kept secrets in Southeastern Pennsylvania—so far—has been Cardinal O’Hara senior Matt Williams, a mammoth 6-4, 275-pound offensive left tackle. Williams has played a key role in getting the Lions off to a 5-0 start, and it seems as if he’s helping himself as larger schools begin to notice.
He’s drawn attention from Colonial Athletic Association schools like New Hampshire, Richmond and James Madison. But others, like Pittsburgh, are starting to take notice.
“That’s because a lot of people see him as a center in college, as I do,” O’Hara coach Dan Algeo said. “The CAA is a great conference, filled with great schools, but I think there are a lot of schools out there missing the boat on Matt. Wherever Matt winds up, that would great by me, and he’s a perfect fit for any CAA school. But we are getting more frequent calls from Division I schools. We’ll see where it goes.”
Swine flu scare
Archbishop Carroll (Radnor) posted a letter on the school website on Wednesday from school Principal David R. Dickens stating that one student had been diagnosed with swine flu and two more were feared to have been diagnosed.
The school will be closed Thursday and Friday, Dickens stated, so that the building could “be thoroughly sanitized so that we can rid the building of any possible germs,” Dickens said. He also said that the school is “taking this flu season very seriously.”
But it seems the flu has also reached the football field. Saturday’s Catholic League Class AAA game between Carroll and North Catholic has been postponed due the health issue at Carroll.
Fran Murphy, Carroll’s athletic director and the football team’s offensive coordinator, stated that the game could be rescheduled for Monday. But the school will wait a few days before the administration makes a decision.
There was a 38 percent absentee rate among the 977 students that attend Carroll with reported cases of cold and flu-like symptoms, said Dickens in a letter to parents and guardians.
Carroll officials have contacted the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Dickens said, and will following their instructions on handling the matter.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Top 10
1. North Penn (5-0. Weeks rated: 6. Last week: 1)
2. Pennsbury (5-0. Weeks rated: 6. Last week: 2)
3. St. Joseph’s Prep (4-1. Weeks rated: 6. Last week: 3)
4. LaSalle (4-1. Weeks rated: 6. Last week: 4)
5. Abington (4-0. Weeks rated: 6. Last week: 5)
6. Quakertown (5-0. Weeks rated: 6. Last week: 6)
7. Downingtown West (5-0. Weeks rated: 5. Last week: 7)
8. Neshaminy (4-1. Weeks rated: 6. Last week: 8)
9. Pottsgrove (5-0. Weeks rated: 3. Last week: 10)
10. Ridley (5-0. Weeks rated: 1. Last week: Unrated)
Joseph Santoliquito covers high schools for the Philadelphia Daily News and is a contributor to MaxPreps.com. He can be contacted at JSantoliquito@yahoo.com.
