Rick O'Brien: Halfbacks Reed, Thompson help lead Cheltenham to 2-0 start

Aquil Reed's big night against Bishop McDevitt could have been a lot bigger.

Reed, a senior who rushed 11 times for 115 yards and a touchdown in Cheltenham's 34-14 romp over the Lancers last Friday, had three TDs called back because of penalties.

"It was real frustrating," the 5-foot-7, 155-pounder said. "Every time it happened, my teammates kept yelling, 'Get it back. Get it back.' "

With Reed and fellow halfback Mark Thompson, a 6-2, 220-pound junior, leading the way, the Panthers are 2-0 and averaging 325 rushing yards.

Reed ran for about 800 yards last year as Cheltenham went 9-3 overall and, with a 5-1 mark, earned a share of the Suburban One League American Conference championship. "He's extremely quick, very elusive," Panthers coach Joe Gro said.

Last year, because Thompson butted heads with coaches, his stay with the program did not last long. "He's grown up a great deal," Gro said. "He's worked hard, and he's now doing the things we ask of him."

With Thompson lining up in front of him in a spread attack, Reed has carried 17 times for 160 yards and a pair of TDs. He also has a 37-yard TD reception.

Thompson has 312 yards and two TDs on just 16 attempts. Against neighboring McDevitt, he opened the scoring with an 88-yard kickoff return and added an 82-yard TD jaunt later in the first quarter.

"We knew he was capable of putting up good numbers," Reed said. "He's really fast. If he gets out in the open, you're not going to catch him. He's been the X-factor for us."

Cheltenham's backfield also includes dual-threat quarterback Hyneef Dockery and running back Jamir Bullock. Dockery (12 carries for 96 yards, three TDs) transferred in from Germantown.

The offensive line includes center Deion Cleveland (6-1, 215), guards Dwayne Bowser (6-2, 250) and Tyreek Woods (6-0, 195), tackles Jon Howard (6-2, 240) and Norman Rodgers (6-3, 275), and tight end Demetrius Reynolds (6-3, 220).

Reed is a cornerback and Thompson a safety for a defense that pitched a shutout in the opener against Harry S Truman and allowed two TDs against McDevitt.

Reed's brother, Mikhail, was a 5-10, 190-pound fullback and linebacker for Cheltenham in a career that ended in 2008. "He was a tough runner," Aquil Reed said. "I knew I had big shoes to fill."

Trivia time. Since 2000, North Penn is 7-5 in season openers. In Monday's column, we asked readers to name the schools, excluding La Salle, to beat the Knights in Week 1 over the last 12 seasons.

Ray Novitski, of Norristown, e-mailed us with the correct answer: St. Joseph's Prep (55-26 winner in 2000), Colorado's Overland (25-15 in 2002), and Archbishop Wood (25-18 in 2006). A Rally gift pack, including T-shirt, is on the way to him.

Extra points. Council Rock South QB Brian Donnelly has carried 33 times for 399 yards (12.1 average) and seven TDs. . . . After making eight catches for 71 yards in the first half of last week's 35-19 loss to Springfield (Delco), Harriton's Juwan Valentine could not return because of cramping. . . . Boyertown's Max Marcus (18 carries for 239 yards, 3 TDs), Jared Von Dohren (7 for 228), and Jon Neiman (29 for 199, 5) have combined for 666 yards and 11 TDs. . . . Upper Perkiomen's John Olson has carried 39 times for 322 yards and four TDs. Teammate Ronnie Gillespie, a speedy wideout and Temple recruit, has 12 catches for 143 yards.