Royal Treatment

2010 Pius X Royals Football Season

Pius X High School, located in Roseto, Pennsylvania with approximately 260 students in grade 7-12, is one of the smallest schools playing football in the Keystone State. Pius has 63 boys enrolled in school for Pennsylvania Interscolastic Athletic Association classification purposes. Roseto itself has only 1,600 residents as of the 2000 United States Census.

During the 2010 high school football season the Royals and first-year head coach Phil Stambaugh will be profiled here at High School Football America. While Pius X may be one of the smallest high school's in America, it's football team has a rich history dating back to the school's opening in the early 50's. In 55 seasons, the Royals have amassed a record of 327 wins, 226 losses and 15 ties.

On August 16th, Trish Hoffman and Jeff Fisher traveled to northeast Pennsylvania to provide readers with preseason stories as the Royals prepare for their first season in the All-American League.

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AJ Long Named to U.S. Air Force All-Freshman Team

January 10, 2011

by Jeff Fisher

Honors continue to roll-in for Pius X freshman quarterback A.J. Long, who last season set the Pennsylvania record for yards passing as a freshman.

Sunday, the 6-0, 160-pounder Long was named to the U.S. Air Force 2010 All-Freshman team presented by MaxPreps.com. Long, who completed 202 of 307 passes for 2,852 yards and 28 touchdowns, was one of two freshman chosen for first team honors. He was joined on the first team by Cole Ousley of Lone Oak High School in Paducah, Kentucky.

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Phil Stambaugh Named Coach-of-the-Year

December 12, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

For those of you who have followed this year's story of the Pus X Royals, it should come as no surprise that first-year head coach Phil Stambaugh was named Express-Times Coach-of-the-Year.

Stambaugh took one of the youngest, most inexperienced teams in the eastern part of Pennsylvania to the District 11 Class A finals where the Royals lost to Schuylkill Haven, which advanced to the second round of the state tournament. In addition to the team's 8-4 record, Stambaugh, who graduated from Pius in the mid 90s, helped the team to the All-American Conference championship while directing an offense that amassed nearly 5,000 yards in total offense.

Not bad for a team that started the season 0-3!

To read more about the honor bestowed on him by the Easton newspaper, click here to read reporter Michael LoRe's story.

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Pius X Loses to Schuylkill Haven in District Final

November 20, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

Led by a strong ground game, Schuylkill Haven captured the District 11 Class A championship Saturday night 37-14 to advance into the PIAA state tournament.

After battling to an 8-8 draw at the half, the Hurricanes led by running back Tyler Nauf were able to score on the opening drive of the second half, and never looked back. Nauf carried the ball 31 times for 165 yards and two scores.

Pius X's14-year old freshman quarterback AJ Long added to his state freshman passing record for yards in a season. Long was 20-for-35 for 218 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Boise Ross scored two touchdowns...one rushing, one receiving.

The loss snapped the Royals eight-game win streak. After an 0-3 start to the season, the Royals finish the season 8-4.

It's the second straight year, the Royals lost in the district championship game. Last year, Pius lost to Tri-Valley in the gold medal game.

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Royals Advance to District 11 Final

November 14, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

Tower City, PA - In Week 11 you can't call a team young anymore. However, a team made-up of mostly underclassmen (7 seniors, 44 juniors, sophomore and freshman), can come of age with each-and-every snap.

Saturday night in the District 11 Class A playoffs, the third-seed Pius X Royals grew-up in a hurry with a come-from-behind win over #2 seed Williams Valley in enemy territory.

Riding the arms and legs of 14-year old freshman quarterback AJ Long, the Royals outscored Williams Valley 42-35 to advance to next Saturday's district final against top-seed Schuylkill Valley, which beat Shenandoah Valley 29-14.


Long amassed 421 yards in total offense with 357 yards through the air and 64 on the ground. Long, who completed passes to seven different receivers, was 22 of 34 with four touchdowns.

Junior receiver Matt Camilletti, who caught six of Long's completions, became the Royals all-time leading receiver. Camilletti, who now has 120 career receptions, passed Wade Williams (Class of '08), who had 115 catches in three seasons. Williams was a two-time 1st Team All-Stater during his career in Roseto.

The Royals, who have now won eight straight after an 0-3 start, trailed 35-28 heading into the fourth quarter. Pius tied the game at 35 when Long connected with Josh LaBar on a 26-yard touchdown pass. They then took the lead with 5:51 to go in the game when Long tossed his four touchdown pass to George Dalessandro on a 76 yard catch-and-run.

The game was iced when linebacker Adrian Bernard sacked Viking quarterback Mason Shomper with a little over a minute to play.

First-year head coach Phil Stambaugh was extremely happy with his team's overall intensity, but feels the team needs to cut down on its mistakes if it hopes to win a district gold medal next week. Stambaugh also pointed out that the victory was a total team effort as 30 of the 46 players that suited-up, played in the game.

Click here to read a game story written by Keith Gary of The Express-Times.

Score by Quarters

1 2 3 4 F

Pius X 14 8 7 13 42

Williams Valley 7 12 16 0 35

Scoring

PX - AJ Long 30 yd. pass to Matt Camilletti (Camilletti kick)

WV - Logan Fetterhoff 15 yd. run (Kayla Dietrich kick)

PX - Nick DeRea 1 yd. (Camilletti kick)

WV - Fetterhoff 5 yd. run (Kick Blocked)

WV - Mason Shomper 11 yd. (Run Failed)

PX - AJ Long 9 yd. pass to George Dalessandro (Long pass to Camilletti)

PX - Adrian Bernard 19 yd. run (Pass Failed)

WV - Fetterhoff 3 yd. run (Dietrich kick)

WV - Safety

WV - Shomper 1 run (Dietrich kick)

PX - Long 26 yd. pass to Josh LaBar (Camilletti kick)

PX - Long 76 yd. pass to George Dalessandro (Camilletti kick)

Statistics

Rushing - AJ Long 13-76 yds., Boise Ross 11-38 yds., Adrian Bernard 1-19 yds. 1TD, Nick DeRea 5-10 yds. 1 TD, Dashon Russell 3-8 yds.

Passing - AJ Long 22-34 357 yds. 4 TDs

Receiving - Josh LaBar 6-64 yds. 1 TD, George Dalessandro 4-127 yds. 2 TDs, Matt Camilletti 4-70 yds. 1 TD, Nick DeRea 2-27 yds., Boise Ross 2-25 yds., Dashon Russell 1-12 yds., Joey Dalessandro 1-9 yds.

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Pius Third-Seed in District 11 Playoffs

November 8, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

The Road to Hershey begins Saturday night when the third-seeded Royals travel to second-seeded Williams Valley in the opening round of the District XI Class A playoffs.

The Vikings finished the regular season with a 8-2 record overall, finishing second in the Twin Valley Conference with 6-2 record. The Vikings are currently on a six-game win streak.

Williams Valley is a run-oriented team with junior running back Scott Sherman leading the way with 1,052 yards on 160 carries. Sherman also leads the team in scoring with 15 touchdowns (13 rushing, 2 receiving). Owen Daniel (755 yards) and Logan Fetterhoff (564 yards) have also played big roles in the Vikings' ground game that has averaged 274 yards a game this season.

Junior quarterback Mason Shomper hasn't thrown a lot, but he's been effective. Shomper has completed 59% (52-for-88) of his passes for 1021 yards and 14 touchdowns while only throwing five interceptions. Daniel with 17 catches for 382 yards and six touchdowns is Shomper's favorite receiver.

This is the third year in a row that Williams Valley has qualified for districts. Last year the Vikings were seeded #2 and lost to Tri-Valley 39-13 in the first round. In 2008 the Vikings lost in the finals 43-7 to Schuylkill Haven.

The winner of Pius/Williams Valley gets the winner of Schuylkill Haven and Shenandoah for the District 11 championship.

2010 Twin Valley Conference Standings

W L

Line Mountain 8 0

Williams Valley 6 2

Millersburg 5 2

Tri-Valley 5 3

Pine Grove 4 3

Newport 4 4

Halifax 2 6

Nativity BVM 1 7

Upper Dauphin 0 8

Williams Valley 2010 Schedule

9/3 - Minersville (W) 16-13

9/10 - Tri-Valley (W) 34-20

9/18 - @ Line Mountain (L) 47-27

9/24 - MIllersburg (L) 35-22

10/1 - @ Upper Dauphin (W) 42-0

10/8 - @ Halifax (W) 48-6

10/15 - Nativity BVM (W) 54-13

10/22 - @ Newport (W) 47-28

10/29 - Pine Grove (W) 41-14

11/5 - Annville-Cleona (W) 28-17

Pius Wins All-American Conference and Qualifies for Playoffs after 0-3 Start

November 7, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

Senior Day turned-out to be very special for the seven Royals, who may have stepped-on their home field for the final time in their careers Saturday.

After an 0-3 start to the season, the Royal senior could have felt like their final season on-the-hill was going to be a bust. However, the Royals have now ripped-off seven straight wins after their 49-28 victory against East Juniata, that not only gave the team the All-American Conference championship, but also the #3 seed in the District 11 Class A playoffs that begin next weekend.

The day was highlighted by senior co-captain George Dalessandro coming-up big on both sides of the ball. Dalessandro caught four passes (86 yards), two for touchdowns; plus he intercepted two passes and had 116 yards in kickoff (4-90 yds.) and punt returns (1-26 yds.). He also had three pass deflection while being named the game MVP of the annual Blue & White Game.

While Dalessandro was doing it on the field, fellow senior co-captain Zack Cinelli, who's missed his entire senior season with a knee injury, gave the team second half inspiration when he came-out of the locker room wearing his full uniform for the first time this season.

While it was definitely a day to honor the seniors (Kenn Benn, Adrian Bernard,Cinelli, Dalessandro, RJ Kolmet, Josh LaBar and Matt Martino), 14-year old freshman quarterback AJ Long continued his fabulous play by tossing five touchdown passes while setting a new record for passing yards by a freshman. Long has now passed for over 2,200 yards and 23 touchdowns this season while only throwing five interceptions.

Pius will play Williams Valley in the District 11 Class A semifinals next Saturday.

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"Game Day - Part 3" - Behind the Scenes with the Royals vs. Pottstown

October 23, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

It's Game Time!

This is the final part of our three-part look at the Pius X Royals season opener against Pottstown.

After arriving early to Amelio Scott Alumni Stadium to begin his head coaching career, Phil Stambaugh, who was a star quarterback for the Royals in the mid-90s, finally gets to take the field with his team that is very young team...only seven seniors. The Royals came-up short losing 27-20 to a Class AAA school...Pius is a Class A school.

Click here to watch Part 3

**Editor's Note: There is a spelling error in our Part 3 video. It should read Amelio Scott Alumni Stadium, not Ameldio Scott Alumni Stadium.

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Game Day - Part 2" - Behind the Scenes with the Royals

October 22, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

In Part 2 of High School Football America's behind-the-scenes look at the Pius X Royals season-opener against Pottstown, we take you into the locker room for the team's pre-game prayer before going out onto the field for warm-ups.

First year head coach Phil Stambaugh also talks about the importance of having former head coach Rob Goffredo on the sidelines for his head coaching debut, plus you'll hear from senior co-captain Zack Cinelli, who has to watch his final season in Roseto from the sidelines because of a knee injury.

The final part of the series will take you to the field for an inside look at the game itself.

Click here to watch Part 2 in the Pius X video gallery.

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"Game Day" - Behind the Scenes with the Royals Part 1

October 20, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

The term "young" can't be used anymore for the 2010 Royals. After an 0-3 start, Phil Stambaugh's team has grown-up and responded with four straight wins and now is in first place in the All-American Conference with a perfect 3-0 mark with two games to play.

Before looking ahead to Saturday's non-conference home game against Susquenita, it's time to take a look back at where the Royals were at the start of the season.

With the support of Coach Phil, I been able to captured 35-hours of footage of the Royals. Included in that footage is an all-access look inside the first game of the season against Pottstown.

Stambaugh wore a microphone from the time he arrived at Amelio Scott Alumni Stadium at 7:15 on September 4th until the end of the game. I've broken the day into three parts to give fans an inside look at how Stambaugh's first game as a head coach unfolded.

The Royals lost their opener to the Class AAA Trojans, who have lost six straight since their 27-20 victory.

Click here to go to the Pius Video Gallery to watch Part 1.

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Royals Improve to 4-3 with win over Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech

October 17, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

14-year old freshman quarterback AJ Long tossed four touchdown passes to lead the Royals above the .500 mark with a 43-6 road victory over Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech.

The victory was a big one for the Royals, who now have sole control of first place in the All-American Conference. It was CMVT's first league loss.

Long, who completed 15-of-19 passes for 267 yards, spread the ball around to six different receivers. Matt Camilletti (5 receptions, 113 yds.) caught two touchdown pass.

Boise Ross (64 yds.) and Nick DeRea (61 yds.) led a balanced running attack. Pius

Score by Quarters

1 2 3 4 F

Pius X 2 13 21 7 43

Columbia-Montour VT 0 0 0 6 6

Scoring

PX - Safety; QB tackled in end zone

PX - AJ Long 27 yd. pass to Matt Camilletti (Camilletti kick)

PX - Long 9 yd. pass to Boise Ross (kick failed)

PX - Long 37 yd. pass to George Dalessandro (Camilletti kick)

PX - Long 52 yd. pass to Camilletti (Camilletti kick)

PX - Ross 19 yd. run (Camilletti kick)

CMVT - John Gavinn 5 yd. run (Run failed)

PX - Nick DeRea 7 yd. run (Camilletti kick)

Individual Statistics

Rushing - Boise Ross 7-64 yds. 1 TD, Nick DeRea 13-61 yds. 1 TD, AJ Long 8-5 yds., Dashon Russell 1-2 yds., George Dalessandro 1-1 yds.

Passing - AJ Long 15-19-0 267 yds. 4 TDs

Receiving - Matt Camilletti 5-113 yds. 2 TDs, Joey Dalessandro 3-62 yds., George Dalessandro 2-48 yds. 1 TD, Josh LaBar 2-19 yds., Boise Ross 2-17 yds. 1 TD, Anthony Martino 1-8 yds.

All-American Conference Standings (through 10/16/10)

League Overall

W L W L

Pius X 3 0 4 3

Columbia-Montour VT 3 1 4 3

East Juniata 1 1 2 4

Bucktail 1 3 3 4

Lourdes 1 3 1 6

Carson Long 0 1 0 7

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Pius Wins Third Straight to Climb to .500

October 10, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

The Royals 57-0 shutout of Lourdes Saturday showed that Phil Stambaugh's team is maturing.

After a slow start against Bucktail the previous week, Stambaugh's troops came-out ready to play from the opening whistle in the game between the two smallest enrollment schools (Pius 63 boys, 45 boys) in Pennsylvania.

The Royals jumped-out to a 26-0 first quarter lead on Homecoming Day at Amelio Scott Alumni Stadium, and never looked back while running only 27 offensive plays.

Nick DeRea became the first Royals' running back this season to top the 100 yard mark in a game. DeRea, who scored on touchdown runs of 25 and 65 yards, finished the game with 111 yards on five carries. His fellow back Boise Ross also scored twice while gaining 72 yards on just three carries.

Freshman quarterback AJ Long was a perfect 13-for-13 for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Matt Camilletti and Joey Dalessandro catch the two scoring throws.

It was the second straight game that Pius put 57 points on the board. In the last three games, the Royals have outscored its opponents 176-50.

Scoring by Quarters

1 2 3 4 F

Lourdes 0 0 0 0 0

Pius X 26 12 13 6 57

Scoring

PX - George Dalessandro 34 yd. interception return (kick failed)

PX - AJ Long 58 yd. pass to Matt Camilletti (Long pass to Camilletti)

PX - Nick DeRea 25 yd. run (kick failed)

PX - Boise Ross 6 yd. run (kick failed)

PX - Ross 38 yd. run (kick failed)

PX - Long 20 yd. pass to Joey Dalessandro (kick failed)

PX - Johnal West 85 yd. kickoff return (kick failed)

PX - DeRea 65 yd. run (Tyler Saylor kick)

PX - Dashon Russell 44 yd. run (kneel down)

Individual Statistics

Rushing - Nick DeRea 5-111 yds. 2 TDs, Boise Ross 3-72 yds. 2 TDs, Dashon Russell 2-50 yds. 1 TD, Joey Palmisano 2-23 yds., Kenn Benn 1-7 yds., Eric Provosty 1-2 yds.

Passing - AJ Long 13-13-0 187 yds. 2 TDs

Receiving - Matt Camilletti 4-75 yds., 1 TD, George Dalessandro 2-29 yds., Joey Dalessandro 2-24 yds. 1 TD, Josh LaBar 2-25 yds., Boise Ross 2-26 yds., Anthony Martino 1-8 yds.

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No Time to Weight

October 6, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

Conditioning and weight training doesn't end when the season begins.

In the latest video vignette (above) from High School Football America, Jeff Fisher takes you inside Pius X High School's tiny weight room in the basement of the school to one of two workout sessions that head coach Phil Stambaugh conducts in-season. Stambaugh puts the team through circuit training twice-a-week with players rotating around 20 stations in 30-second intervals.

Stambaugh believes these sessions give his players an edge in the game, especially when comes down to the fourth quarter.

The video also gives you an idea of how one of Pennsylvania's smallest schools playing football, uses every ounce of space in the tiny school on the hill in Roseto.

Slow First Half, but Royals Roll in All-American Debut Against Bucktail

October 4, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

After 10 years of traveling thousands of miles in search of opponents as an independent football team, the Pius X Royals began a new chapter Saturday with a 57-14 win over Bucktail in the team's first-ever game in the All-American Conference.

A turnover in the Royals' opening series resulted in Bucktail taking an 8-0 lead. Pius then put-up 43 unanswered points, but first-year head coach Phil Stambaugh wasn't happy with his young team's first half performance.

"Too many mental mistakes," said Stambaugh after the Royals improved to 2-3 with its second straight win. "This team is young, but we're now five games into the season. We need to improve every week, if we stand a chance to achieve our goal of qualifying for the District 11 playoffs. We can't take any week off."

14-year old freshman quarterback AJ Long shook-off the opening drive fumble to complete 13-of-17 passes for 248 yards and four touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Matt Camilletti caught two of the TD throws. Sophomore running back Boise Ross rushed for 99 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown; he also scored on a 58 yard punt return to start the 2nd half improvement.

You can check-out the game highlights, plus listen to Stambaugh's in-game comments in the Pius X HS Video Gallery.

Scoring by Quarters

1 2 3 4 F

Bucktail 8 0 6 0 14

Pius X 15 14 14 14 57

Scoring

Buck - Brock Peck 1 yd. run (Peck run)

PX - AJ Long 14 yd. pass to Anthony Martino (Matt Camilletti kick)

PX - Boise Ross 3 yd. run (George Dalessandro run)

PX - Long 25 yd. pass to Camilletti (kick failed)

PX - Long 43 yd. pass to Josh LaBar (Long pass to George Dalessandro)

PX - Ross 58 yd. punt return (Camilletti kick)

PX - Long 74 yd. pass to Camilletti (Tyler Saylor kick)

Buck - Steffon Reeser 30 yd. pass to Ryan McGregor (run failed)

PX - Nick DeRea 15 yd. run (Saylor kick)

PX - Dashon Russell 29 yd. run (Saylor kick)

Individual Statistics

Rushing - Boise Ross 11-99 yds., 1 TD, Nick DeRea 9-75 yds. 1 TD, Dashon Russell 3-42 yds. 1 TD, AJ Long 7-4 yds., George Dalessandro 1-3 yds., Joey Palmisano 1-3 yds.

Passing - AJ Long 13-17-0 248 yds., 4 TDs

Receiving - George Dalessandro 5-60 yds., Joey Dalessandro 3-27 yds., Matt Camilletti 2-99 yds. 2 TDs., Josh LaBar 2-48 yds. 1 TD, Anthony Martino 1-14 yds. 1 TD

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Pius X Readies for First League Game in a Decade

September 30, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

There's no better tonic than a "W", and last Friday's big win over Marian has resulted in a solid week of practice so far.

Aside from building on the momentum of the team's first win of the season, head coach Phil Stambaugh is using the fact that Saturday's home game against Bucktail will be its first league game in the All-American Conference.

In addition to the excitement of the team's first league game in a decade, Saturday will be Hall of Fame Day in Roseto at Amelio Scott Alumni Field. Two players (Shawn Brice - Class of 2005 & Quintin Lopez - Class of 2006) that Stambaugh coached while he was the Royals offensive coordinator will be inducted into the Pius X High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Also being inducted will be the 1966 Royals football team that was 8-1, plus Cheryl Stewart (Class of 2004) and Dave Ceraul (Class of 1973).

Above you can listen to what Coach Stambaugh had to say about how the team responded in the first two days of practice this week.

Click here to read what Bucktail head coach Bruce Ransom told The Express prior to the match-up.

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Royals Roll to First Win of 2010 with Big Win Over Marian Catholic

September 25, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

A very young Royals team may have come of age Friday night with a solid 62-36 win over arch-rival Marian Catholic (1-3) in Hometown, Pennsylvania.

Not only was the road victory the first of the season for Pius (1-3), it was also the first in Phil Stambaugh's head coaching career.

Senior co-captain George Dalessandro played a key role in the win with three touchdowns...an 85-yard punt return, an 83-yard kickoff and a 27-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback AJ Long. Long finished the night 15-of-27 for 174 yards and three touchdowns, plus he ran for two scores on 93 yards rushing.

After the game, Stambaugh said, "I just watched AJ grow-up before my eyes."

Click here to check-out the game highlights in the Pius X Video Gallery.

Click here to read game story from the Standard Speaker.

Scoring by Quarters

1 2 3 4 F

Pius X 7 15 27 13 62

Marian Catholic 0 14 8 14 36

Scoring

PX - George Dalessandro 85 yd. punt return (Matt Camilletti kick)

MC - Anthony Damiano 2 yd. run (Dominick Richards pass from Ryan Karnash)

PX - George Dalessandro 27 yd. pass from AJ Long (Josh LaBar pass from Long)

MC - Richards 9 yd. pass from Karnash (pass failed)

PX - Nick DeRea 5 yd. pass from Long (Camilletti kick)

MC - Damiano 1 yd. run (Damiano run)

PX - Long 5 yd. run (Camilletti kick)

PX - Long 13 yd. run (kick failed)

PX - Sam Bacon 58 yd. interception return (run failed)

PX - Boise Ross 48 yd. pass from Long (Dashon Russell pass from Long)

MC - Damiano 1 yd. run (Karnash run)

PX - George Dalessandro 83 yd. kickoff return (pass failed)

PX - Ross 38 yd. run (Camilletti kick)

MC - Damiano 4 yd. run (run failed)

Individual Stats

Rushing - AJ Long 15-93 yds. 2 TDs, Boise Ross 6-65 yds. 1 TD, Nick DeRea 7-37 yds., Kenn Benn 1-4 yds. , Dashon Russell 1-0 yds.

Passing - Long 15-27-1 174 yds. 3 TDs

Receiving - Josh LaBar 4-31 yds., George Dalessandro 3-36 yds. 1 TD, Matt Camilletti 3-34 yds., Boise Ross 1-48 yds. 1 TD, Dashon Russell 1-3 yds., Joey Dalessandro 1-12 yds., Anthony Martino 1-5 yds., Nick DeRea 1-5 yds. 1 TD

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Pasta for Pius

September 23, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

An 0-3 start hasn't dampened the spirits at Pius X, and everyone is pitching-in to help the team.

After what head coach Phil Stambaugh called a good final practice before Friday night's game against arch-rival Marian Catholic, the players and coaches were treated to a homemade pasta dinner by the school's cheerleaders. The cheerleaders, led by cheerleading coach Jacki Douglas, served the team spaghetti with meatballs and sausage in the school's cafeteria.

The dinner was just the start of the build-up for the Royals' second straight road game. Before the team leaves on its 50-mile journey to Tamaqua on Friday, it will gather in the gym for a pep rally.

Bishop Joseph Barres, the head of the Allentown Diocese, will be on-hand to watch the game between the two small catholic schools.

Click here to see video from the pasta dinner.

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Coach Stambaugh Talks About Week 3 Game vs. Schuylkill Valley

September 16, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

After some technical difficulties with our server this past week, we are back-up and running...Royals head coach Phil Stambaugh is hoping the same is true this week as his team takes to the road for the first time this season after back-to-back home losses to Pottstown and St. Joseph By-the-Sea.

In my weekly podcast conversation with Stambaugh, the first-year coach talks about the development of his young squad as it prepares for a 1-1 Schuylkill Valley squad that opened the season with a 55-21 loss to Cocalico, but bounced back last week beating another District XI Class A team Panther Valley by a score of 26-14.

Click here to hear a preview of the Schuylkill Valley contest.

St. Joseph by the Sea Runs by Royals

September 11, 2010

St. Joseph by the Sea (1-0) from Staten island, New York ran 64 plays on Saturday...59 of them on the ground...on the way to a 42-14 win over the Royals (0-2).

The Vikings, who ran a double-wing attack, rushed for 336 yards on the way to opening a 36-0 third quarter lead.

Pius X will look for its first win of the season next Friday when it takes to the road the first time this year against Schuylkill Valley

Score by Quarters

1 2 3 4 F

St. Joseph by the Sea 14 6 16 6 42

Pius X 0 0 6 8 14

Scoring

SJ - Chris Murphy 7 yd. run (Murphy run)

SJ - John Diaz 1 yd. run (pass failed)

SJ - Matt Bowers 2 yd. run (run failed)

SJ - Matt Bowers 6 yd. run (Murphy run)

SJ - Justin Mangiacasace 1 yd. run (Mangiacasace run)

PX - Matt Camilletti 25 yd. pass from AJ Long (pass failed)

SJ - Diaz 3 yd. run (run failed)

PX - Camilletti 18 yd. pass from Long (Boise Ross run)

Individual Stats

Rushing - St. Joseph - Chris Murphy 24-190, John Diaz 20-103, Justin Mangiacasace 7-23, John Lorenzo 1-1, Charles Pickering 1-0, Ryan Smith 1-(-5), Matt Bowers 4-(-8); Pius X - Nick DeRea 4-24, Dashon Russell 1-15, George Dalessandro 1-15, Boise Ross 2-5, AJ Long 9-3

Passing - St. Joseph - Matt Bowers 1-5-0 32 yds.; Pius X - AJ Long 18-30-0 174 yds. 2 TDs

Receiving - St. Joseph - John Diaz 1-32; Pius X - Matt Camiletti 5-82, Joey Dalessandro 5-20, George Dalessandro 3-15, Josh LaBar 3-43, Nick DeRea 2-14

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Pius X Loses Season Opener to Pottstown

September 4, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

The Royals showed just how young they are in Saturday's season opening 27-20 loss to Pottstown on a beautiful afternoon in Roseto.

With senior co-captain Zack Cinelli sitting-on the sidelines with crutches from season-ending knee surgery on Wednesday, the Royals fought hard, but couldn't overcome mental and physical errors against the Trojans, who are a 3A program from southeastern Pennsylvania.

Pottstown put the ball on the ground with nine fumbles in the game, but the Royals only came-up with four of them. On defense, the Royals allowed 508 yards in total offense with Trojan running backs Marc Smith and Malik Brinkley each topping the 200 yard rushing mark....Brinkley rushed for 221 and Smith 219 yards.

In spite of the inconsistent play, the Royals did have a lot of positives, starting with the fact that they bounced back from every Trojan score to keep the game within reach into the fourth quarter.

That was a good sign for head coach Phil Stambaugh, who was making his head coaching debut at his alma matter. The Royals are playing a lot of juniors, sophomores and freshman...most of them being inexperienced at the varsity level. With Cinelli out, the Royals only have seven seniors on the roster.

Freshman quarterback AJ Long showed flashes of future ability completing 18 of 25 passes for 191 yards; he also ran for 58 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown.

Senior co-captain George Dalessandro played a solid all-around game; catching four balls for 78 yards, plus he caught Smith from behind at the Royal 1-yard line on what would have been a 90-yard touchdown run. Smith fumbled the ball on Dalessandro's tackle...the ball rolled-out of the end zone for a touchback.

For his efforts, Dalessandro won the Matt Casciano Memorial Game MVP trophy.

Score by Quarters

1 2 3 4 F

Pottstown 7 6 7 7 27

Pius X 0 12 0 8 20

Scoring

Pottstown - Jeff Endy 2 yd. run (Dentler kick)

PX - Nick DeRea 6 yd. run (kick failed)

Pottstown - Malik Brinkley 24 yd. run (kick failed)

PX - Dashon Russell 1 yd. run (pass failed)

Pottstown - Marc Smith 10 yd. run (Dentler kick)

Pottstown - Malik Brinkley 78 yd. (Dentler kick)

PX - A.J. Long 28 yd. run (Long pass to Camilletti for 2 pt. conversion)

Individual Statistics

Rushing - Pottstown - Malik Brinkley 16-221, Marc Smith 15-219, Monroe Hampton 2-23, Mishon Coppock 4-17, Jeff Endy 9-11; Pius X - Boise Ross 16-58, AJ Long 14-58, Nick DeRea 9-41, Dashon Russell 2- (-1)

Passing - Pottstown - Jeff Endy 2-9-0, 17 yds.; Pius X - AJ Long 18-25-2, 191 yds.

Receiving - Pottstown - Marc Smith 1-10, Monroe Hampton 1-7; Pius X - Matt Camilletti 5-33, George Dalessandro 4-78, Boise Ross 3- 5, Joey Dalessandro 2-32, Adrian Bernard 1-14, Petey Hernandez 1-8, Anthony Martino 1-6, Nick DeRea 1-5

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The Little Royals Return

August 28, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

Everyone knows that the key to a good high school football program is having a solid youth program to feed kids up through the system.

After nearly four decades of being dormant, the Little Royals are back in Roseto.

When youth camps opened earlier this month, the numbers were encouraging...28 players came-out for the 3rd & 4th grade team; 25 players were out for the 5th & 6th grade program.

The Little Royals are being led by John Bacon, who's son Sam is a junior on the high school team.

"Phil's (Stambaugh) given us the entire playbook, and we're working hard to get the kids to understand his system," said Bacon, who is President of the Little Royals. "While we won't be using all of the technical passing plays the the high school uses, we will have some in the system.

"While it will take a few years to reap the benefits, the Little Royals WILL help the whole program in the future," said head coach Phil Stambaugh.

Anthony Casciano, who Phil's uncle and the high school team's assistant head coach, is believed to have played on one of the last Little Royals teams in the late 60's or early 70's says the rebirth of the youth program is the start of something big for the high school program.

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Leader Goes Down

by Jeff Fisher

August 27, 2010

If you've been following our videos since the start of camp, you have gotten to know senior Zack Cinelli.

You saw Cinelli get elected co-captain and speak eloquently on what it means to be a leader. You saw him joke about his "stylish and functional" mohawk that was for team unity.

Today, we're sorry to inform you that Zack will miss his entire senior year after injuring his ACL in last Saturday's scrimmage against Catasauqua.

His dad and assistant coach "Mooch" Cinelli describes the injury as devastating to his son and him personally.

Head coach Phil Stambaugh had this to say..."It is a major blow to our team to lose a leader like Zack...he is a co-captain and will retain that spot on our team, but losing him on the field is not going to be easy to overcome. I am very sad for him and all the hard work he poured into Pius X Football. I would do anything to give him the opportunity to play his senior year because he truly deserves it. I have been extremly proud of his attitude and continued leadership even through this traumatic process - not something that is easy for any 17 yr. old to endure"

Hair Come the Royals

August 23, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

For the second year in a row, junior Nico Goffredo gathered his teammates before the start of camp for a voluntary hairstyling that was designed to build team unity.

Most of the Royals took part by sporting a mohawk haircut, but some players decided to be a little more creative. The result was a samuri warrior cut; a "Friar Tuck" that didn't quite turn out the way it was planned; and one style that goes beyond description that you'll have to see to believe.

**Editor's Note: The haircuts were all done on a voluntary basis.

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Coach Phil Talks About Scrimmage Against Catasauqua in Weekly Podcast

August 22, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

Sunday wasn't a day of rest for head coach Phil Stambaugh and his coaches. Stambaugh was heading to the coaches office Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock to break down Saturday's Catasauqua's scrimmage film when I caught-up with him for a six-minute interview about the first week of camp.

Stambaugh's biggest concern was the play of the offensive line against Catty.

Click here to listen to the entire interview in High School Football America's podcast section.

Co-Captain Elected

August 20, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

The Royals' slogan is "Pride & Tradition". That slogan was living and breathing when I interviewed newly elected co-captains Zack Cinelli and George Dalessandro on Wednesday morning.

Both players were excited and humbled by the honor, which was bestowed on them by a vote of their teammates. Both spoke about growing-up watching the Royals and dreaming of putting on the blue-and-white school colors. Both spoke about leading by example.

I was inside the coaches' office when the votes were tallied. Check-out the video in the video gallery.

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Coach Phil Breaks Down First Two Days of Camp Royal

August 19, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

The best way to describe the Pius X is they are YOUNG.

The Royals only return four starters on both sides of the ball. In all, there's only 10 returning lettermen from last year's 9-3 team that finished runner-up in District 11's Single-A classification. 13 seniors were lost to graduation, including four-year starter at quarterback Anthony Casciano, who is Stambaugh's nephew.

Stambaugh, who threw for nearly 5,600 yards and 52 touchdowns in his three years as quarterback at Pius, says freshman A.J. Long stands to follow in Casciano's footsteps as a four year starter at QB.

Here are Pius' returning starters...

OFFENSE

WR- George Delessandro, Sr.

WR- Matt Camilletti, Jr.

RB- Nick DeRea, Jr.

OL- Steve Juarbe, So.

DEFENSE

DL- Zack Cinelli, Sr.

LB- Pat Douglas, Jr.

LB- Nick DeRea, Jr.

DB- George Dalessandro, Sr.

To hear what Stambaugh thought of the first two days of camp, go to our video gallery.

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Eating Like Royalty

August 19, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

The old saying is an Army travels on its stomach. The same can be said of the Pius X football team during two-a-days.

Lots of hard work goes into making Camp Royal, which is now a four-year tradition, successful. However, the biggest job is that of keeping the 50-plus players fed.

That's where a troop of moms and volunteers come together as "Loyal Royals" and turn the stadium's refreshment stand into a makeshift restaurant. Every day beginning a 6 A.M. the cook staff arrives to prepare a full breakfast for the players, who eat around 7 o'clock. The chow-down then begins around 7:15 after the team prayer.

During the three-days I was there, breakfast was awesome with a selection of scrambled eggs, pancakes, waffles with bacon, ham and scrapple...see Day 2 Story if you don't know what scrapple is.

Lunch was sandwiches with a local Subway donating to the cause on Monday. And, speaking of donating to the cause, several of the dinners were donated, including Monday night's turkey and ham dinner.

Check-out Trish's interview with the donor, Joyce Cinelli in our video gallery.

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Camp Royal - Day 3

August 18, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

Trish and I are back in Chicago after three action-packed days at camp and around town. We captured over a dozen hours of footage that we will begin posting here tomorrow. We'd like to thank everyone for helping us during our stay, and we look forward to our return trip for the season opener against Pottstown on September 4th.

Before leaving today we had a chance to talk with head coach Phil Stambaugh, plus this season's co-captains, George Dalessandro and Zack Cinelli, who were elected by their teammates on Tuesday. You'll be able to hear what Coach Stambaugh had to say about the first couple of days when we post that interview tomorrow, and that will be followed by a conversation with the co-captains on Friday.

We will be posting new clips of video every day, so check back often.

The Royals first scrimmage will be this Saturday at Catasauqua at 10 A.M. Then on August 28th, the Royals travel to Wilson for their second scrimmage.

Again, thanks to all for your hospitality!!

Jeff & Trish

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Day 2 at Camp Royal at Pius X High School (AM Session)

August 17, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

Another early rise this morning. After basically standing and shooting video for 15 hours Monday, my body feels like I've been through a couple of two-a-days!

However, the warm reception we've received from the Pius family made it a little easier to actually jump out of bed when the alarm sounded at 5 o'clock.

If I hadn't, I would have missed this awesome sunrise around 6:15 over Amelio Scott Alumni Stadium. You can feel the heat building...today is going to be a hot one in the 90s!

Once again when I arrived the moms and team boosters were hard at work getting breakfast ready for the team. Today's breakfast waffles (they were awesome), scrambled eggs, ham and scrapple. For those of you not from Pennsylvania Dutch country, scrapple is an acquired taste, it's also known as pon haus that is traditionally made with a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and flower that is formed into a loaf that is then sliced and panfried.

For the second straight day, the kids were summoned from sleep in the wrestling room by assistant coach Frank "Mooch" Cinelli, who walked around the room banging on a metal trash can lid. I'll be posting video a little later that shows the joy that Mooch gets from pretending his in a heavy metal band.

Practice in pads began once again at 9 A.M.

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Camp Royal Day 1

August 16, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

With assistant coach Frank "Mooch" Cinelli banging on a metal trash can lid at 6:40 A.M. to wake-up the 50-plus football players, who spent the night sleeping in the wrestling room, the curtain was lifted on the 2010 high school footall season in Pennsylvania.

The day began with a cool mist that kept temperatures around 70 degrees for most of the morning session.

By 7:10 the players and coaching staff had already said their pre-meal prayer and were lined-up for pancake and eggs that were made and served by a group of moms and volunteers, who just love to help-out their Royals.

The pads were on by 9 A.M. and here are some photos from the morning session. You can find more in the photo gallery.

Amelio Scott Alumni Stadium - August 16, 2010 A.M. Practice

The sun came out, and so did the heat and humidity, for the two later sessions. During the afternoon session, the team worked on special teams. The evening session featured the team working-out side-by-side with the junior high and youth teams. Yes, you read right, the Little Royals are back after a nearly 40-year hiatus.

The day ended with another feast. The players were treated to a meal of turkey and ham with all the trimmings. The turkey and 90-pounds of mashed potatoes were made and donated by Coach Mooch's wife

Camp Royal Opens

August 16, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

It's 4:52 A.M. Eastern Time and my adrenaline is flowing as I'm up early to catch the first day of high school football practice in Pennsylvania.

When I'm finished with this post, I'm out-the-door of the Hampton Inn in Bethlehem to travel to Pius X High School for the first of the Royals three practices today. As I've been mentioning since last Wednesday, I will be profiling Pius throughout the season, and it all starts today when the sun rises on the new season.

Camp Royal officially opens at 6:45 A.M. EST when the players, who are spending the first week staying at the school all-day and sleeping in the wrestling room, get there wake-up call. I'll be there with camera in-hand as the players awake with blurry eyes that will then begin focusing on the 2010 season.

You'll be able to check-out tons of video from the first three days of camp at High School Football America throughout the week.

It's going to be a long day that will last until the players eat dinner on-campus around 8.

Royals Find a Home in All-America League

August 14, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

One of the big stories at the start of the season is that the Royals, for the first time since 1999, have a league to call their own. After playing a decade as an independent, which carries all kinds of scheduling problems, Pius X is now part of the six-team All-America League that includes Bucktail, Carson Long Military Academy, Columbia Montour Vo-Tech, East Juniata and Lourdes.

In the late 90's, the Royals were part of the Mid-Penn League, and won three straight championships from 1997 through 1999. For years Pius has tried to join the Colonial League, which includes Slate Belt neighbors Bangor and Pen Argyl, but the Royals have been rejected every time.

Earlier this week, Pocono Record sports reporter Joe Miegoc spoke with Stambaugh about what being part of a league means to his program.

2010 Pius X Royals Schedule

9/4 - Pottstown
9/11 - St. Joseph-by-the-Sea (NY)
9/17 - @ Schuylkill Valley
9/24 - @ Marian Catholic
10/2 - vs. Bucktail
10/9 - Lourdes Regional
10/16 - @ Columbia Mountain Vo-Tech
10/23 - Susquenita
10/30 - @ Carson Long
11/6 - East Juniata

Remember, beginning Monday, August 16th High School Football America have video reports as the Royals opening training camp in Roseto.

High School Football America to give its readers the Royal treatment

August 11, 2010

by Jeff Fisher

As I contemplated what I could do special for the 2010 high school football season, one thought came to mind...think SMALL!

Yes, I said SMALL.

You see, as Ive been telling my readers for the past year, High School Football America is all about covering good stories. Its almost like were miners looking for those hidden gems of high school football stories that are buried deep beneath national rankings and recruiting stories.

So with that in mind, I wracked my brain for something small that could be turned into something big.

It didnt take me long to come-up with the answer. I wanted to chronicle a small town football team for an entire year to give fans a feel for how the line between a community and its football team blurs, and the team becomes part of the fabric of the community.

But the question was which team?

Once again, it didnt take long to come-up with the answer.

I just had to look a little north of my hometown of Easton, Pennsylvania to the tiny borough of Rosetohome to the Pius X Royals, a small catholic school with an enrollment of approximately 260 students in 7-12 grades. The Royals play in Pennsylvanias smallest classification (Class A).

That definitely qualifies as small, but what the school and the football program have accomplished through the years in sports is big, including an NFL quarterback in Phil Stambaughand thats where the story begins.

Stambaugh, who just celebrated his 32nd birthday on Tuesday, is preparing to open his first camp as a head coach at his alma mater on Monday, August 16thand High School Football America will be there with him.

Even after spending time as a quarterback in the NFL and NFL Europe, Stambaugh is your typical Pius X alumonce a Royal, always a Royal.

What seems to make this story feel right is Stambaugh and I have a history that includes me covering him while I worked at WFMZ-TV while he was leading his team to a 1995 District 11 Class A championship, plus his brilliant career at Lehigh University where he spent his four years re-writing school and Patriot League record books.

What appeals the most to me about Pius is how it truly is a family affair for the approximately 1,600 people that reside in the community.

Like Stambaugh, eight of his eleven assistant coaches attended the old school brick school building on 3^rd Avenue. Heck...Stambaughs mom Connie currently is the athletic director at the school. His dad, Mike, coached football, volleyball, girls softball and wrestling at Pius.

Roseto is a little bit like the imaginary TV show bar Cheerseveryone knows your name.

Hopefully, between now and the end of the season, America will know the Pius X Royals.

Editors note: Beginning Monday, August 16^th, High School Football America, The High School Football Huddle and the Pennsylvania High School Football Huddle will have daily stories on the Royals.

To learn more about the upcoming season, go to the Pius X Royals football website

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