skip navigation

Prepping for Preps '16-17: Pennridge

10/11/2016, 8:30am EDT
By Rich Flanagan

Danny Long (above) is headed off to play baseball at Monmouth after finishing up a stellar hoops career for Pennridge. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Rich Flanagan (@RichFlanagan33)
--

(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2016-17 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed so far can be found here.)

~~~

Pennridge head coach Dean Behrens sets the same goal at the beginning of every season: win the division, then progress from there.

After winning its third straight Suburban One League Continental title last season, Behrens feels having the same goal each year has permeated through his program and given his team something to continually build upon.

“I think the kids know we’ve won the division three years in a row, so our goal is to win the division,” said Behrens, now in his 19th season at Pennridge. “That’s step one in any program, then you kind of make your mark from there. I’m sure we’re not predicted [to win], but our goal every year is to win the division.”

Behrens and the Rams, who have won at least a share of the Continental Conference crown every year since 2012-13, are coming off a 21-6, 13-1 campaign which ended with a 61-58 second-round loss to Spring-Ford in overtime of the PIAA Class AAAA District One playoffs, then a tough loss to a Hatboro-Horsham team they’d beat twice during the regular season in the play-back round.

The Rams will have their work cut out for them, as they need to replace guard Danny Long (Monmouth baseball) and forward Max Wagner (Kutztown), both 1,000-point scorers who helped Pennridge win its first state playoff game as juniors and were the two leading scorers as seniors.

Power forward/center Kyle Yoder, a three-year starter, said this year’s team isn’t getting caught up on who will need to score the most but rather taking on a mentality of allowing each game to come to them.

“Danny and Max were two great players and it’s going to be hard to replace them. This year’s team is going to have a different style of play,” Yoder said. “The guys are going to have to play their game, play within themselves and not try to do too much on the court.”


Ryan Kinky (above) is one of two returning starters for the Rams, along with forward Kyle Yoder. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Yoder returns as the man in the middle and he’ll be joined by fellow senior Ryan Kinky. Kinky, a rangy and athletic wing, and Yoder are “going to be key factors for us this year and play a lot of minutes,” as Behrens says. Also joining Kinky and Yoder in the starting will be another three-year starter in junior guard Ryan Cuthbert, who will be a captain along with Yoder and, as Behrens described, "brings toughness." Kinky understands the Rams do not have much size but feels they will have to outwork opposing teams, particularly on the defensive end.

“We are one of the smaller teams [in the SOL] so it will take all five guys boxing out and doing the [little] things,” Kinky said. “We have a good offense, but I believe defense is the key to success. If everyone gives everything they’ve got for 32 minutes then I think we will be very competitive in the league this season.”

The point guard position looks to be solidified with sophomore Sean Yoder, Kyle’s brother. After playing meaningful minutes during the Rams postseason run, Sean will look to not only get the offense set up but create it often as well. Kyle has been stressing to Sean what it takes to play at the varsity level and is happy to be playing alongside his younger brother.

“I’ve been telling him to be strong with the ball since he’s [most likely] going to be bringing it up for us this year,” Kyle said. “I’m really looking forward to that because I’ve never had the chance to play with him.”

Behrens feels the younger Yoder is going to be the difference maker on this year’s team, and has the potential to help them accomplish quite a bit.

“I think Sean is going to be a special player. I don’t think a lot of people know about him,” Behrens said. “He has a good size body for a sophomore and he’s shooting the ball pretty well. We think there’s a high ceiling for him and he thinks there’s a high ceiling for himself.”

Two other integral players for Pennridge include first-year varsity player Ryan Warner and sophomore John Post, who does in fact play down low and will look to provide scoring and rebounding inside. As the Rams look to keep their recent success going within the Suburban One, their path to a fourth consecutive division title will go through some new divisional opponents.

In May, the SOL Realignment Committee choose to restructure the league’s three divisions with seven teams in both the Continental and National Conferences and eight in the American Conference as Upper Merion and Norristown, two of Pennridge’s division rivals for years, moved to the PAC-10.

Pennridge will face two former division foes, Hatboro-Horsham and Quakertown, in non-league play this year.

Behrens is not thrilled with the realignment, but said the only thing his team can do is handle its business.

“I liked the way we had it with the three divisions of eight as a real, nice mix. We lose both of those teams and we added William Tennant, who we’re familiar with because we usually play them in non-league,” Behrens said. “I’d like to see us play fourteen league games instead of twelve.

“That’s just a small amount but there’s nothing we can do about it,” he continued. “All we can do is play the teams we’re scheduled to play and let the pieces fall where they may.”


Recruiting News:

HS Coverage:

Tag(s): Home  Old HS  Rich Flanagan  SOL Colonial (B)  Pennridge