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Loughery stars as Penn Charter tops Carroll

The big chip on John Loughery's shoulder can be found on the left side. On the right, it would hamper his throwing mechanics, and this is no time for that.

The big chip on John Loughery's shoulder can be found on the left side. On the right, it would hamper his throwing mechanics, and this is no time for that.

In an era when some athletes announce their college commitments darn near coming out of the womb, Loughery finds himself still without a future home.

That was the schools' choice, originally. Now it's his.

"I'll probably make a decision after the season," he said. "I want to get out films to several more schools, and I don't want to feel as though as I'm being rushed, then maybe have to decommit later. I want to be confident and comfortable with my decision."

Loughery, a 6-5, 225-pound senior at Penn Charter, and a first cousin of the Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan plus the son of a former Boston College quarterback (also John), made that statement Saturday after performing well in the Quakers' 34-20, non-league triumph over visiting Archbishop Carroll.

He was hardly the reason PC moved the ball so well, as sophomore Eric Neefe, a transfer from St. Joseph's Prep, rushed 31 times for 140 yards and the game's first three touchdowns. But it wasn't as if Loughery merely settled for hand-it-off duties all afternoon: He finished 12-for-20 for 190 yards and a TD to Joey Sankey.

Loughery said all the right things. How the line performed in splendid fashion. How the Quakers accomplished their pregame goal of accenting the run so they could enter Inter-Ac League play (Friday's opener brings a visit from the favorite, Malvern Prep) with a balanced attack.

But let's face it. When a guy is coming off a 2,000-yard, 18-TD junior season and boasts such notable bloodlines, yet finds himself having to deal with a hint of rejection, or at least uncertainty . . . well, that's a matter that must be addressed.

"I'm motivated this year," Loughery acknowledged. "I want to prove that everyone who doesn't believe in me is wrong. To those on the fence, I want to show I can play for their team."

As quickly as he slid into that area, he left it.

"But I'm just enjoying my senior season," he said. "That's where my focus is. We have a great group of guys, and we're trying to win the Inter-Ac."

Loughery spent Friday night watching Rutgers host Connecticut. And this weekend, he'll make an official visit to Princeton. Boston College, Duke, Illinois, West Virginia and North Carolina State are sniffing to various degrees, along with all of the Ivies.

The Princeton visit will provide an extra treat because Loughery will get to mingle with cousin John Ryan, Matt's brother and a sophomore QB at Brown now awaiting his turn to contribute.

Matt Ryan. John Ryan. John Loughery Sr. That's the Terrific Trio, as far as John Jr. is concerned.

"I get great advice from all of them," he said. "If I could only thank one guy, it would be my dad. He's my best friend. We have a great relationship and he has been a big part of my success."

Of his exchanges with cousin Matt, he said, "He does give me good advice. But a lot of times, our talks aren't even about football. We just mess around. Talk about funny stuff. But like all the younger cousins, I cherish having someone like him in the pro ranks. It motivates all of us."

One of the "us" guys is PC sophomore Mike McGlinchey, a 6-7, 255-pound tackle and defensive end. Another is senior Sam McCain, star wideout and linebacker for Archbishop Wood.

For now, naturally, Loughery interacts the most with PC's coach, Jeff Humble.

When the Quakers began a new postgame tradition of facing the school, holding aloft their helmets and belting out the school song, Loughery stood close to Humble and perused the sheet of paper he held aloft. The one with the lyrics.

"Nah, I don't know them," Loughery said, laughing.

Earlier, it was interesting to watch Loughery trot to the sideline and suggest plays - yes, even running ones - and sometimes hear Humble scream "Joooohhhnnnn!" when his star QB was guilty of a misstep.

Once, Loughery went through with a called play while failing to notice one of his wideouts had been left defenderless at the line of scrimmage. No one was within three ZIP codes.

"John, see the field!" Humble chirped.

"Coach Humble and I have a great relationship," Loughery said. "This is our third year together, and I love playing in his offense. We're great friends. He's hard on me, because he wants the best out of me, and his [approach] does motivate me. It's all good."

Soph Daryl Worley (five catches, 90 yards) and Sankey (five, 74) led the receiving corps. The grunts aside from McGlinchey were center Cornell Harriott, guards Mark Opaliski and Tucker Colton, and tackle Tyler Mercer, while star linebacker Nick Briscella drew a great response when he got a late shot at fullback and left numerous tacklers in his wake on a 35-yard TD jaunt.

Loughery did have one down moment: Carroll's Greg DiSanto, who arrived not long before game time (after tackling the SAT), picked off one of his tosses and returned it 35 yards for a score.

Loughery, an Exton resident, plans to major in communications or sports management, because, one way or another, he wants a lifelong tie with football.

Now, he's curious to find out what school he'll next call home. And what level of football he'll be playing.

"Nobody has given me anything specific," Loughery said, when asked whether college coaches have told him what improvements they'd like to see him make. "They just want to see senior-season film. The interest is picking up, though.

"Like my dad always tells me, 'If you're good enough, they'll find you.' Whether I go to BC or Princeton or somewhere else, I just want to be comfortable. If I go to, say, Princeton and [pro ball] doesn't work out, I'd still be getting a great education. In my opinion, there'd be no negatives about attending an Ivy League school to play football."