Penncrest Aiming for First Victory

The Lions are winless this year, at 0-8, but these next two weeks offer a chance for coach Rick Stroup to get his first victory this season, with Harriton visiting this week, followed by a trip to winless Radnor the following week.

In the meantime, Stroup is still seeing good things. Against Garnet Valley, an excellent team that holds first place in the Central League, the Lions scored for the first time on their first possession of the game. They also led for the first time this season after one quarter.

"The kids are competing and they’re getting more confidence; the fact that even though we haven’t won, we’re playing hard and playing with more confidence, that’s all you can ask," Stroup said. "My message to the kids is that we’re getting there and we have to keep believing. I have a great staff (defensive coordinator Brian Perlswig, and passing coordinator Paul Milewski) that’s done a great job. Our receivers have gone two-straight games without dropping a ball.

"My attitude is every game is doable, and prepare the kids to compete to win. Even though we haven’t done that, the kids are starting to understand better and better what we’re trying to do. We’re scoring a little more and things we were missing early in the season have improved. Shane Donnelly has just gotten better and it’s huge. We’ve seen that against Garnet Valley and Strath Haven, two of the better teams in the league."