Mealy, Olson, Rehm preview District 3 Quad-A semifinal game vs. Bishop McDevitt
If you scour the District 3 Quad-A football bracket, surely you won’t be surprised to see the names Wilson, Cumberland Valley and Bishop McDevitt still standing.
It’s that fourth team that might make you scratch your head or raise an eyebrow or two.
While Wilson, Cumberland Valley and Bishop McDevitt have combined to win a mind-boggling 19 District 3 championships between them, Penn Manor – yep, the Comets, from L-L League Section 1 – have won a grand total of three District 3 playoff games.
But when the District 3 Quad-A playoffs resume this weekend, Penn Manor will still be in line to win gold. The Comets are facing a tall task – a trip to No. 1-ranked and undefeated Bishop McDevitt on Saturday afternoon – but they are still very much alive and kicking.
This is the deepest postseason trip ever for Penn Manor, which also won 10 games in a season for the first time in school history.
It’s been a fun journey – a journey that will continue Saturday against Bishop McDevitt at Severance Field in Harrisburg. Kick is 1 p.m.
I dropped by practice on Monday and chatted with Comets’ coach Todd Mealy and Penn Manor players Ande Olson (yes, ‘Andy’ with an E), the defensive ringleader, and P.J. Rehm, the Comets’ efficient QB.
You can listen to those audio Podcast interviews here …
Big, big week in the Mealy household in Harrisburg, where mom and dad will be having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.
Both of their sons will be there – Todd Mealy, Penn Manor’s football coach. And Tommy Mealy, Bishop McDevitt’s athletic director, assistant football and track and field coach.
Two days later, Todd Mealy and Tommy Mealy will guide their respective teams and will match wits on the football field – with a trip to the Quad-A finale on the line.
That should make for some interesting conversation at the dinner table. Maybe Todd and Tommy can fight over the wishbone once the bird has been carved up and devoured.
This will also be another big homecoming of sorts for Todd Mealy, who graduated from Bishop McDevitt, and helped the Crusaders win the 1995 PIAA Double-A state football championship.
I chatted with Todd Mealy about going home again – for Thanksgiving and to his old stomping grounds – and about coaching against his brother and alma mater; about Penn Manor’s ride to the district semifinals; and about prepping for Bishop McDevitt, the state’s top-ranked Quad-A team.
You can listen to the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.
You can also download the Podcast and play it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.
Ande Olson knows all about Bishop McDevitt’s high-powered offensive attack, all the gaudy numbers and all of the Crusaders’ playmakers.
And none of that stuff bother Penn Manor’s junior LB one iota.
Olson and his defensive mates are ready for the challenge, he says. Penn Manor earned its way to the District 3 Quad-A semifinal round, and the Comets are out to show everyone that this two-year ride is no fluke.
Olson has been a playmaker on D for the Comets with a team-best 103 total tackles, including 12 tackles for losses, 61 solo stops, three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
He’ll need to make plenty of plays – and help out everyone around him – against Bishop McDevitt, which averages 392 yards and more than 40 points per game.
I chatted with Olson about Penn Manor’s journey to the district semifinals and about prepping for Bishop McDevitt’s attack.
You can listen to the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.
You can also download the Podcast and listen to it on your favorite mp3 player by clicking here.
P.J. Rehm picked the perfect night to have the best game of his young life.
Facing South Western – on the road – in a District 3 Quad-A quarterfinal game last Friday night, Penn Manor’s senior QB went up top early and often and had a game to remember.
Rehm completed 17-of-24 passes for 325 yards and he tossed three touchdowns passes in the Comets 34-12 romp over South Western, which punched their ticket into Saturday’s district semifinal game in Harrisburg against No. 1 seed Bishop McDevitt.
Rehm has been ultra efficient piloting Penn Manor’s spread attack. He’s the second-ranked passer in the L-L League (with a nifty 183.3 NCAA passer rating) and he’s completed 74-of-141 passes (a steady 52 percent) for 1,544 yards and 19 TD against just four interceptions.
Rehm is also Penn Manor’s leading rusher with 719 yards and three TD keepers.
In order to beat Bishop McDevitt, the Comets will need another efficient game from Rehm, who will need to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers and not turn it over.
I chatted with Rehm about his huge game against South Western, about the importance of having another efficient performance against a Bishop McDevitt D that is allowing just 160 yards a game, and about the state of Penn Manor’s program, which really has come a long way the last couple of years.
You can listen to the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.
You can also download the Podcast and play it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.
