Lansdale Catholic bolsters coaching staff
Lansdale Catholic's football program now has a wealth of head coaching experience. Drew Gordon, who was in charge at La Salle for nine years, and Chris Felton, who directed Central Bucks West for four seasons, recently joined Tom Kirk's staff as offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator, respectively.
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Lansdale Catholic's football program now has a wealth of head coaching experience.
Drew Gordon, who was in charge at La Salle for nine years, and Chris Felton, who directed Central Bucks West for four seasons, recently joined Tom Kirk's staff as offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator, respectively.
Gordon guided the Explorers to six Catholic League championships, including five straight from 2008 to 2012, and a PIAA Class AAAA state title in 2009. He spent last season as the offensive coordinator at Bishop McDevitt, his alma mater.
"I met Tom Kirk through a mutual friend and, I guess, his offensive coordinator had just left," Gordon said. "I like that he seems to have a positive attitude and is big on discipline."
Many expected Gordon, who was a quarterback at McDevitt (Class of 1968) and Villanova (1972), to take the reins at McDevitt after Pat Manzi stepped down as head coach in January after going 189-151-5 in 33 seasons.
"I had a little bit of interest in the job, but there were a number of factors in me not putting in for it," Gordon said. "I just thought the best thing for me was to be an assistant at Lansdale Catholic."
Mike Watkins, who was a safety at McDevitt (Class of 1999) and the squad's defensive coordinator the last two seasons, was tabbed as Manzi's replacement.
Felton was the head coach at C.B. West from 2005 to 2008. "I met him for the first time two weeks ago and we had a nice talk," Gordon said.
Lansdale Catholic went 8-3 overall and 3-1 in Catholic League Class 2A action last season. The Crusaders were nipped by West Catholic, 7-6, in the league final.
"I also had the chance to talk to the athletic director, Tom Quintois," Gordon said. "There's a real positive vibe at the school. I've enjoyed the couple of experiences I've had over there."
Gordon went 91-26 (.778 winning percentage) at La Salle. The Gwynedd Valley resident owned a truck-leasing company before retiring seven years ago.
Gordon's son, Brett, is back as La Salle's offensive coordinator. Last year, as an assistant coach and consultant with Imhotep, he helped the Panthers go 15-0 and win the Class 3A state title.
All-Star Game. The 42nd annual City All-Star Game is scheduled for May 26 at 7 p.m. at Northeast's Charles H. Martin Memorial Stadium.
Wood's Steve Devlin is the head coach of the Non-Public team. Albie Crosby, who suddenly resigned as Imhotep's boss last month, is in charge of the Public League squad.
Wood's Anthony Russo, a Temple recruit, and Calvary Christian's Josh Reichenbach are the Non-Public quarterbacks. Del-Val Charter's Shayne Smith and Overbrook's Gary Hawes are the Public signal-callers.
More football. St. Joseph's Prep will open the 2016 campaign vs. California's Oaks Christian, located about 40 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. The Sept. 2 contest, which is part of the six-game Honor Bowl, is slated for 8 p.m. Philadelphia time at Mission Viejo High. . . . Josh Kaufman has joined new Archbishop Carroll coach Dan Connor's staff as offensive coordinator. He spent the last four seasons as an assistant, working mostly with the tight ends, at Imhotep. . . . Father Judge seniors Yeedee Thaenrat, a safety, and Brendan Clark, an offensive lineman, are bound for Temple as preferred walk-ons. . . . St. Joe's Prep senior linebacker Nick Vandevere will continue his career at Monmouth as a preferred walk-on. . . . West Chester East junior defensive end J.D. Carroll has scholarship offers from Bryant and Lafayette. The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder has also drawn interest from Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Temple.
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