Athletes at new Pope John Paul II High School trying to blend together

It was a day of sporting firsts Monday at the new Pope John Paul II High School, which will officially open its doors to about 900 students on Sept. 10.

The varsity football team took to the field, located on the school's 83-acre campus in Royersford, Montgomery County, at 8:45 a.m., for the first of three practice sessions. Also prepping for the fall season were participants in boys' and girls' soccer, field hockey, boys' and girls' cross-country, girls' volleyball, girls' tennis, and golf.

"It felt amazing to run out there as a team," said Conor Myers, a senior member of the fledgling football squad. "I was anticipating this for the longest time. I couldn't wait to put the pads on and get out there."

Pope John Paul II will be home to many of the former students at St. Pius X, in Pottstown, and Kennedy-Kenrick, in Norristown, both of which were closed, along with Cardinal Dougherty and North Catholic, in June by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Myers, 17, was at St. Pius X, where, as a running back and linebacker, he helped the team advance to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association district subregional and state playoffs at the Class A (smallest enrollment group) level.

Senior Tom Rodgers, a 6-foot-1, 245-pound two-way lineman, came from Kennedy-Kenrick. So, too, did Mike Santillo, Pope John Paul II's head coach. He guided the Wolverines, who competed in the Catholic League's Class AA division, for four seasons.

"Being a first-year program, we have to take baby steps," Santillo, 45, said while his players ate pizza in an auxiliary gymnasium. "This is new to everybody involved. We're starting from scratch. The biggest thing right now is getting the kids to mix with each other and get to know each other better."

One thing that is firmly in place is the school's nickname. In an online vote by students last month, Golden Panthers won out over Dragons, Pioneers, and Swiss Guard, Myers' personal favorite.

Kennedy-Kenrick's nickname was the Wolverines, while St. Pius X's was the Winged Lions. Does Santillo like the new one? "Yes and no," he said. "Actually, I'm happy with it. It's fine."

Pope John Paul II, located just off the Royersford exit of Route 422, will compete in the Pioneer Athletic Conference, taking the place of St. Pius X. Its rivals will include nearby Spring-Ford, Boyertown, Methacton, Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley, Phoenixville, Pottsgrove, Pottstown, and Upper Perkiomen.

"We're looking forward to some very strong athletic competition and character building," Rev. Alan J. Okan, the school's president, said.

The high school, which has a projected capacity of 1,200 students, features 30 state-of-the-art classrooms, a 432-seat cafeteria, a 1,200-seat auditorium, a 1,000-seat main gymnasium, a fine-arts center, five science laboratories, and three computer labs. Tuition is around $6,300, excluding activity fees.

Jack Flanagan, the athletic director and head boys' basketball coach, scrambled here and there on Day 1, handling coaches' requests and resolving minor issues. He arrived at 6:29 a.m.

"It's a great day to be a Golden Panther," the 36-year-old from Pottstown said. "It's like Christmas, your birthday, and the birth of your first son or daughter all wrapped into one."

Four home varsity football games are on tap this season, but only one, homecoming vs. Upper Perkiomen on Nov. 6, will be played on the grass field that sits not far off Township Line Road. Administrators are still waiting on a scoreboard and bleachers.

Two home contests (Boyertown on Sept. 25, and Pottstown on Oct. 9) will be played at 1 p.m. at what was St. Pius X's field. A third (Owen J. Roberts On Oct. 22) is set for 7 p.m. at Roosevelt Field, which was Kennedy-Kenrick's digs, in Norristown.

Santillo, an operations manager for a transportation company, has 62 varsity players, including 19 freshmen, at the moment. "It would have been nice to get a few more kids, but it's about what we were expecting," the Gilbertsville resident said.

Three of Santillo's coaches at Kennedy-Kenrick, including offensive coordinator Mike McTamney, have joined him in Upper Providence. One came over from St. Pius X.

"There are still a lot of unknowns about this team," Rodgers, 17, said. "We have to figure out who's going to start, which players will be captains, who will be the quarterback, things like that. A lot of things are up in the air."

The players have been lifting weights together at school for the last month or so. They also got acquainted in 7-on-7 passing camps over the summer. The first scrimmage is Aug. 27, with the opener at Holy Name, in Reading, scheduled for Sept. 3.

Nate Breidenbach, a 6-1, 190-pound senior receiver and safety while at St. Pius X, was one of the players lauded by Santillo for going all-out in off-season drills.

"You can tell, at this point, that we're still two individual schools trying to merge," Breidenbach, 17, said. "But, hopefully, we'll come together over the next few weeks. I'm confident that will happen."