Truman making playoff push in football

Long an afterthought when it came to late-October talk of possible qualifiers for the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA football playoffs, Harry S Truman is now part of the conversation.

Heading into the regular-season finale Friday night at Norristown, the 6-3 Tigers, with a playoff-points average of 106.67, are tied with Abington (5-4) for the 16th and final berth in the tournament.

"We finished last season with three straight wins and then carried that momentum into this year," Truman senior captain Trysten Hunt said. "After working hard over the summer, we had high hopes."

The Tigers, under first-year boss Jon Craig, are trying to qualify for the district playoffs for the first time. They are also on the verge of equaling their most wins since going 7-4 in 1995.

"In the offseason, we made the weight room a priority and held the kids accountable for taking part in workouts," said Craig, a social studies teacher at Truman. "That's paid off for us."

Before taking over for Ed Cubbage, Craig, 33, spent three seasons as the squad's defensive coordinator. He was a defensive line coach at neighboring Neshaminy from 2007 to 2010.

"The transition between head coaches went pretty smoothly," said Hunt, a 5-foot-8, 205-pound running back and inside linebacker. "Coach Craig has us watching a lot of film and makes sure we're prepared each week."

The Suburban One League this season realigned its three football conferences based on enrollment instead of geography. Previously having to face powers such as Neshaminy and Pennsbury in the large-enrollment National Conference, the Tigers are now part of the medium-enrollment Continental Conference.

Truman, which went a combined 5-43 in the National Conference over the last seven seasons, is 4-2 in the Continental. "It's a much more even playing field," said Hunt, of Croydon.

The Tigers triple option/pistol offense features quarterback Mark Lopez-Shefcyk, a first-year starter, and a running-back rotation that includes Hunt, Justin Fant, Corey McCloud, and Sampson Bloh.

Of Lopez-Shefcyk, Hunt said: "He's really improved since the beginning of the season. He quickly corrects any mistakes he makes."

A 4-2-5 defense is anchored by Hunt and fellow inside linebacker Tim Kenny-Schwartz, end Rob Lancieri, strong safety Maurice Jackson, and cornerback Terez Franklin.

In addition to Abington, Truman is joined on the district-playoff bubble by Pennridge (6-3, 112.22 average), Downingtown West (6-3, 110), Ridley (7-2, 105.56), and Haverford High (6-3, 103.33).

"We're only focused on taking care of business Friday against Norristown," said Hunt, an Oregon native and outfielder in baseball. "They're very good, have a ton of terrific athletes."

Final. KIPP DuBois (3-4) will take on Bishop McDevitt (3-6) for the District 12 Class A championship at 1 p.m. Saturday at George Washington. The survivor will advance to the District 1-12 subregional tourney.

New game. William Tennent, which was scheduled to face Central Bucks West in Week 10, has scheduled a nonleague contest against Dobbins at 7 p.m. Friday at Claude Lodge Memorial Field. C.B. West canceled its final two games because of a hazing scandal.