Pritchard, offensive line lead the way
By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
Someone in Pop Warner knew what they were doing when they made Joe Pritchard an offensive lineman in first grade.
Pritchard has blossomed into one of the steady veterans for a young, but talented line that helped the Allentown High School football carve up its first four opponents. The Redbirds improved to 4-0 with a 51-14 drubbing of Steinert last Thursday.
”We jumped out on Steinert really early and kept going” Pritchard said. “It wasn’t really tough against Steinert.”
Allentown rolled up 326 yards rushing and quarterback Michael Curry passed for another 105 yards and two touchdowns to go with his two rushing touchdowns. Jordan Winston ran 10 times for 106 yards and a touchdown, Jake Alessi carried 12 times for 75 yards and a touchdown, Curry ran six times for 73 yards, Joe Mannino rushed seven times for 57 yards and a touchdown and Matt Hart had three carries for 15 yards. Robbinsville averaged 8.4 yards per carry.
”It’s really nice for all of us,” Pritchard said. “We’re all juniors. We have three new starters along the offensive line. It’s good to see we can run the ball with a lot of success.”
It’s making Curry’s job easier at quarterback by keeping teams so concerned about the run that they don’t focus on the pass, and the Ravens have had success there when needed as well. Against Steinert, Jake Morse caught three balls for 40 yards and a score, Shane Duffy had two catches for 47 yards and a touchdown and Winston and Ricky Mottram also had a catch apiece. The passing yards were just a few more than Allentown is averaging, while the 326 rushing yards were just on their average.
”So far, the first four games, we’ve run the ball really well,” said Allentown head coach Jay Graber. “That’s a testament to our offensive line. Our offensive line has worked really hard to open holes. We’ve been able to run the ball really well the first four games.
”We always try to establish the run,” he added. “The first part of the season, we’ve been able to do that well so we haven’t had to rely on the pass too much. When we’ve had to rely on the pass, our run has set us up well, and we’re getting single coverage. Our quarterback is in good position to make plays because of how well we’re running it.”
Pritchard and left tackle Ian Grant are returning starters for the Redbirds on the line. Center Max Schreck, right guard Drew Whalen and right tackle Taylor Campbell are new starters this year who have fit in well.
”At first, we started out with not a lot of chemistry because we were all new together,” Pritchard said. “As the preseason went along, we got closer as a group. I still think we can improve and get a lot of things done.”
Pritchard had to adjust to a new spot. He started at right tackle last year, but moved to left guard this year.
”There wasn’t a huge change,” he said. “Now I have to pull on more plays and I have to block some bigger guys. Other than that, it’s nothing much.”
Nothing much to a player who has been on the offensive line his entire career. When he started with the Allentown Pop Warner, he was on the line at center early in his career, and he stayed on the line when he played for Millstone for a couple of years and Hightstown before he came to high school. His biggest transition came last year when he made the move into the AHS varsity starting lineup.
”As a sophomore, it was a big step,” Pritchard recalled. “All summer, I was fighting against this other junior on our team. Right as soon as camp started, I got the bid. I was proud of myself and I was proud to make a contribution to the varsity team.”
Now Pritchard is one of the leaders on the offensive line after gaining a year’s varsity experience. He has seen the line develop quickly.
”We hang out together a lot,” Pritchard said. “We’re all really good friends. In the offseason, we work out together. It’s good for us to be close. Being close off the field translates to being close on the field.”
Offseason work helped to raise the confidence in the ability of the offensive line. They have started the season meeting their own expectations.
”Pretty much from the beginning, we ran a lot and changed a lot of stuff up from last year,” Pritchard said. “I expected us to be able to come out early and take the lead and dominate teams.”From the beginning, I was kind of figuring all the conditioning we’re going to do, we’ll be in better shape than other teams,” he added. “I thought we’d be able to dominate. It was kind of a surprise to be able to rack up 300 on Steinert, then 400 on West Windsor North, and 300 on Notre Dame.”
The line has also kept opposing defenses off of Curry. He’s been sacked just a couple of times this year.
”A couple of them started last year, and they started to really come together during winter sessions and lifting sessions,” Graber said. “They came together and chose to work together on their own. Once we put the pads on, they took everything we try to do on offense personally. They have a lot of pride and that’s why we have success now.”
The offense has been taking advantage of its chances, and it has been the Redbirds defense that has been good about getting opposing offenses off the field in a hurry.
”I think our defense is doing a really good job,” said Pritchard, who is a back-up interior defensive lineman. “The max they let up is only 14 points. They’re doing a good job. They’re getting off the field and setting us up with a lot of turnovers. I like how our defense is doing.”
Mottram and David Krieg lead the defense with 28 and 26 tackles, respectively. Mottram and Kevin Locke have three sacks apiece, while Morse has four interceptions. Curry also has a pair of picks and Alessi has one.
”I think the defensive line is playing well,” Graber said. “They’re holding the line well. Our linebackers come back with a lot of experience, so they have been able to fill their gaps. Our defensive secondary is playing well too. They have 10 interceptions in four games. They’ve shown the ability to make big plays and change the game with their plays.”
Allentown faces its stiffest test of the season when it hosts Lenape 7 p.m. Friday. It’s a matchup of two unbeatens, and both have stopped Nottingham convincingly in their only common opponent.
”We’re excited about it,” Graber said. “They’re an excellent team. They’re very strong, very fast. They bring a lot of different things to the table. On defense, they’re strong up front and can cover well in the back. Our players and coaches are excited just to have a chance to play against a tough team like this.
”Our players are very grounded,” he added. “They understand what the goals are. They’re the ones that set the goals for our program. They know every day is a new task at hand. They know not to get too excited about good things and not too down on bad things. They’re just focused every day and that’s what’s helping our team right now.”
Pritchard is thrilled with the start that Allentown has had, but he sees ways to improve. The Redbirds can be more consistent with practices, and they can come out hungrier and more focused on game days. It won’t be a problem Friday against a Lenape team that they expect to be a challenge.
”We’re going to look to come out as pumped as we can,” Pritchard said. “We’re going to try to dominate and get up early and stay on them. We’re going to try to be the toughest team. We also need a good week of practice so everything we do in practice will translate over to the game and help us win.”

