Pennsylvania: Here comes Archbishop Carroll...again

Southeastern Pennsylvania Top 10
Ratings as of February 16, 2010

1. Penn Wood (Lansdowne, Pa.) (Record: 18-3. Weeks rated: 7)
2. Sts. Neumann & Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) (Record: 21-1. Weeks rated: 7)
3. Plymouth Whitemarsh (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) (Record: 21-1. Weeks rated: 7)
4. Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.) (Record: 19-3. Weeks rated: 6)
5. Chestnut Hill Academy (Philadelphia, Pa.) (Record: 20-3. Weeks rated: 5)
6. Strawberry Mansion (Philadelphia, Pa.) (Record: 18-0. Weeks rated: 7)
7. Friends' Central (Wynnewoode, Pa.) (Record: 21-2. Weeks rated: 4)
8. Holy Ghost Prep (Bensalem, Pa.) (Record: 19-3. Weeks rated: 3)
9. Souderton (Souderton, Pa.) (Record: 20-2. Weeks rated: 1)
10. Council Rock North (Newtown, Pa.) (Record: 18-4. Weeks rated: 2)

Archbishop Carroll has seemed to almost slip through this season, an unnoticed team that went 19-3 overall as the defending Pennsylvania PIAA Class AAA state champions. The Patriots may have to go through the same route that they had to last year, when they took the hard road to making history as the first Philadelphia Catholic League team to win a state championship in any sport (it has to be noted that the Catholic League just entered the PIAA for the first time last year).

But Pats’ coach Paul Romanczuk wouldn’t change a thing.

While the Philadelphia area has placed most of its attention on nationally ranked Neumann-Goretti, and rightfully so, the Pats have quietly trudged along winning with the terrific backcourt of senior D. J. Irving (Boston University) and junior Juan'ya Green, senior forward Ben Mingledough, and supporting role players like junior Matt Donaldson, a Division-I caliber football player.



Add in the masterful coaching of Romanczuk, who did an amazing job last spring in directing Carroll past Neumann-Goretti in the state quarterfinals, and it once again makes the Pats a very dangerous team that could potentially go deep into the state playoffs.

“With our three returning starters, D.J., Juan’ya and Ben, they were such big parts of last year, and what I threw at them specifically was about still being hungry,” said Romanczuk, a 1995 Carroll graduate who went on to play for then-Penn coach Fran Dunphy, now at Temple. “How hungry are you? As a competitor, we still need to go out and prove what we can do on the court. That’s what this season has been about.”

But that same old stumbling block looms again—the Neumann-Goretti Saints, who have beaten Carroll twice this season, 96-73 back on January 13 and 66-58 this past Sunday, Feb. 14. The Saints beat Carroll twice last season by double-digit margins.

“We know what we’re up against,” Romanczuk said, “Neumann-Goretti is as talented as they come. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team that can just overwhelm you the way they can, the way they pressure you, and it could be draining to stop five guys like they have who know how to play. They’re as complete a team as I’ve seen in a while. They’re clicking and have more offense than they had last year.

“But I’ll say this, my kids won’t back down. They’re not afraid. I don’t want to always hearken back to that state playoff win last year, but we can always look back at that and what we did. We lost by 23 the first time against Neumann-Goretti and we weren’t afraid to come back and fight and compete the second time. I told my kids after that game on Sunday how encouraged I am. If we’re playing good basketball and continue to improve like we’ve done during course of the season, I wouldn’t be surprised to face them two more times.”

Those two more times could come in the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs, which begin this week and conclude Monday, March 1 at the fabled Palestra. That could set in motion a possible rematch in the state quarterfinals—like last year.



One thing that was encouraging is the way Carroll battled Neumann-Goretti on Sunday. The Pats came out to a 17-6 lead in the opening quarter. The Saints did battle back, though “we have been [Neumann-Goretti’s] best game in about a month [when the Saints got by Simeon (Ill.), 54-50, on January 17],” Romanczuk said. “We threw the first punch this time [on Sunday], and they threw the last one. Getting up 17-6 proved we can lead and play with Neumann-Goretti. It was nice to have that.”

So for the time being, while most of the season has been about their Catholic League rivals, don’t be surprised if Carroll comes springing to the fore again. Carroll was knocked out of the Catholic League playoffs last season, and the Pats had to play their way back into the state tournament, which takes just three teams out of District 12, which comprises the Philadelphia Public and Catholic Leagues.

“We know we’re the defending state champions, and we’re not flying under the radar like we did so to speak this time last year,” Romanczuk said. “We also know and find it interesting that we haven’t been the team with the bull’s eye on our backs like Neumann-Goretti has had this season.”

Though it sounds awful lot like last year, doesn’t it?

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.