Can't catch Coyler: Area defenders are having a hard time getting their hands on the Pennridge wideout
By: Kerith Gabriel, Sportswriter
10/11/2006
Pennridge wide receiver Matt Colyar has never missed a season of football since his inaugural start playing for the Pennridge Greenjackets program almost 10-years ago.
He played all through middle school.
He's playing all through high school, and in his final year wearing the green and white of Pennridge, Colyar is showing game after game that the years of countless practices and contests on local gridirons are paying off-in a big way.
Colyar is the go-to-receiver on a Rams squad loaded with guys that can catch the ball. However what sets this senior apart from the rest is that as of recent his catches have been serious game breakers. From Lansdale to Langhorne, Colyar has been punishing defensive backs while making a name for himself not just on the team but among some of the best wide receivers in the area.
"I love the pressure, it's the pressure that gets me going," said Colyar. "I enjoy practice and I know when to have fun in fact, I probably get in trouble the most on the team in practice because I'm always talking but once Friday comes around, I'm a different person because on Friday's it's all business."
In the Rams past three games, Colyar has scored a touchdown in each one running up over 50 yards receiving in each game. His best game of the season came last Saturday in Pennridge's sensational 33-13 defeat of Neshaminy in which the 17-year-old caught three passes for touchdowns, finishing with over 100-yards receiving and single-handedly put the Rams up 21-7 scoring the first three TD's for them on the night.
"We are trying to get him the ball in different ways, whether it's throwing it, have him run it, returns, reverses you name it," said Pennridge coach Randy Cuthbert after Saturday's win. "He was huge and he did a great job for us tonight."
In past games, Cuthbert has called Colyar's number on both returns and reverse plays and has found it to be a profitable request. Against Monsignor Bonner, the Rams third game of the season, Colyar returned a kickoff 67-yards to the house to put the Rams up 7-0 early. Later in the same game, Colyar-on a perfect reverse from running back Tristan Roberts-darted past Bonner defenders for a 10-yard scamper into the end zone putting the team up by 14 points early in an eventual 48-6 win.
"I really try to lead by example," said Colyar. "Even though right now we may have a losing record, I want my team to know that I can be counted on for big plays when we need them. The more you play like that, the more it becomes contagious."
Too look at Colyar; you wouldn't think he's capable of bringing in some of the passes he receives. Standing at five feet, 11 inches tall, Colyar doesn't have the height of an atypical standout wide receiver, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in skill, good hands, and break neck speed. A tough kid, Colyar doubles defensively as one of the Rams defensive backs and has been known to dish out a big hit.
"I am not a big guy, but I always try to bring a big game," said Colyar. "You bring a big game every time you step out on the field, then size really doesn't matter."
It was his size that forced Colyar to switch from his long-time position as a running back to a wide receiver, a switch that proved beneficial not just for Colyar, but a Pennridge program that after Saturday through the help of Colyar may have finally broken out of its mid-season slump. The senior is confident that this Rams team is far from calling it quits in 2006.
"We are a solid group and this is a team with a lot of really good guys on it," said Colyar. "We really didn't have all of the cylinders click for us and a lot of us are still feeling out the system. If you were to ask opposing teams, they'd probably tell you that we are a run team, but we show that we have a passing game too and Joe (Reichwein, Rams QB) throws a good ball. It's a long season and we have time and the right coaching to get back to where we need to be."
There are no doubts that with a player like Colyar; the Rams are a leg up on the competition. He has provided big plays all season and doesn't look to end anytime soon. With each passing game, Colyar continues to become more and more of a threat, but while for some such knowledge might swell up an ego, as Colyar claims, there are more than a few in his camp-specifically his father, Kevin Colyar, that help to keep him grounded.
"One thing I really need to do is thank my dad," Colyar said. "Even if I had a great game, he'll still find something I didn't do right and call me out on it. But it doesn't bother me, it has always helped to keep me grounded so I never look at it negatively, I always see it as something I need to work on."
The senior hopes that after this year, a chance to play collegiately is a possibility and with the numbers he is putting out this season, it is definitely an attainable aspiration. Right now, his focus though is doing all he can to ensure the Rams finish out this year on top. And with number five healthy, hungry and ready for whatever is thrown at him, the season truly is a long way from over.
©Montgomery Newspapers 2006
Highlighting: Jared Owens
By: Kerith Gabriel, Sportswriter
10/11/2006
Jared Owens was a monster on defense for the Rams in their 33-13 win over Neshaminy last Saturday.
The 6-1, 205-pound senior defensive end dished out some vicious hits and vital tackles to help hold Neshaminy to under 200-yards of total offense.
His calling-card series came on the Redskins second drive of the night in which Owens recorded three solo tackles and a gang tackle to break up a 12-play drive and an even more impressive goal line stand that resulted in a blocked field goal. In that drive too, Owens popped Neshaminy quarterback Marshall Vogel saving what looked to be a breakaway touchdown.
In the third quarter, Owens was at it again this time getting his mitts on Vogel once more for a two-yard loss that put Neshaminy back on their eight-yard-line. His final stop of the night came again with the Redskins inside the red zone on the Pennridge four-yard-line wrapping up Neshaminy ruuning back Kitt Anderson for another one-yard-loss that saved another potential Redskins TD, because three plays later after another four-yard loss, a Neshaminy fumble ended the drive and another successful stance by the Pennridge defense.
When asked what was his motivation going into the Saturday night clash, Owens responded, "Intensity, all intensity." Without a doubt, that is definitely what drove the senior to an outstanding performance and it's the reason Jared Owens is our "player of the week."
©Montgomery Newspapers 2006
Highlighting Joe Reichwein
By: Kerith Gabriel, Sportswriter
10/04/2006
In Friday's league battle with Abington, the Rams dropped another tough loss but found quarterback Joe Reichwein's efforts on the night to still be heroic.
Reichwein played the part of on-field general to a tee, utilizing the strength of his receiving core to his advantage, throwing solid passes ending the night with 208-yards passing and two touchdowns-one of which that appeared as if it was attached to a string on the Rams first touchdown of the night to wide receiver Jake Unangst, tying the game at 7-7 and quieting the Abington crowd-if only for a little while. Reichwein ranks among the 10 quarterbacks in the area, and as of recent has shown that he can dish out the football whenever he needs to. In the Rams second TD of the night against the Ghosts, Reichwein was able to roll out of an impending blitz and find a wide open receiver for a 67-yard touchdown. A transfer from Central Bucks West who sat on the sidelines last season and saw minimal action under the shadows of then quarterback Blake Hughes, Reichwein has emerged in his first full year as a starter to know what it takes to get it done.
In the Rams narrow loss to North Penn, Reichwein still threw for 100-yards and got a Rams touchdown on the board late to receiver Matt Colyar on a 27-yard floater to the corner of the end zone. In fact, in his past two games the senior has over 300 yards passing and three touchdowns, proving that he is ready at a moments notice to evade the rush and air it out, making Reichwein a smart lock as the Rams QB, and an obvious choice as our "player of the week."
©Montgomery Newspapers 2006
Highlighting: Jim Davis
By: Kerith Gabriel, Sportswriter
10/18/2006
For the second time this season, Jim Davis has graced the player of the week section and after his performance last Friday it's not hard to see why.
Davis stepped in for a banged-up Tristan Roberts to rush for 167-yards and two touchdowns to give the Rams a huge comeback win in their homecoming contest against Truman. Davis led all rushers using his full backing frame to perfection, busting through holes for an average of eight yards per carry.
His big moment of the night came en route to a Rams drive downfield to go up 14-7 on the Tigers. On a 15-play drive after a Truman three-and-out, Davis received the ball 10-times on the drive breaking through for an average of five yards per carry. Getting the team down to the eight-yard line of the Tigers, the senior back busted through after getting banged up on a previous carry to shake it off and run in for the touchdown, proving his determination as well as his worth.
Asked after the contest his reasoning for coming out with a vengeance in the second half, Davis thought back to week five in the Rams loss to league foe Abington and wanted to make sure that he proved his worth again. Without question, if there were any concerns about the five foot, six inch, 200-pound back pulling his weight, he definitely squashed those notions with a performance to remember. It is for that reason Jim Davis is a fixture in the Pennridge backfield in addition to being our player of the week.
©Montgomery Newspapers 2006
