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Pottsgrove's Kayvon Greene wishes he had paid more attention to his studies early in his high school career.
"I wasn't focused the way I should have been," said Greene, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior stalwart as a fullback and middle linebacker. "It was football, football, and more football. I finally started getting it toward the end of my junior year."
Greene, quite the physical specimen and a handful for opponents to tackle, credits longtime Falcons coach Rick Pennypacker for helping him see the light.
"I took him under my wing a little more," Pennypacker said. "He was a little immature, and he's matured quite a bit."
With colleges waiting for the results of his latest SAT, Greene has heard the most from Temple, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia, Pennypacker's alma mater.
Against Pioneer Athletic Conference rival Spring-Ford on Friday, Pottsgrove, missing fleet-footed senior quarterback and Pittsburgh recruit Terrell Chestnut (shoulder injury) on offense in the first half, relied mostly on Greene and senior tailback Maika Polamalu.
Greene rushed for 125 yards and Polamalu 146 as the host Falcons held off the improved Rams, 20-14.
"They must have had at least three spies on me," Greene said. "They were tired of me getting all that yardage. The more they hit me, the harder I ran."
Pottsgrove (5-1 overall, 4-1 PAC-10) netted 324 rushing yards on 56 attempts. Greene's 17-yard burst set up Chestnut's winning 26-yard touchdown run with 2 minutes, 11 seconds remaining.
Leading the charge up front were center Danny Foust, guards Eric Bonenberger and Chris Nester, tackles Scott Schollenberger and Madison O'Connor, and tight end Steve Ambs.
"That's the best the line has played all year," Greene said.
Spring-Ford (4-2, 2-2) was sparked in the loss by Drew Thomas. The 6-foot, 180-pound senior blocked a first-quarter punt, grabbed a 23-yard TD pass, and returned a kickoff 86 yards for a score.
Greene, who has bench-pressed 300 pounds and squatted 420, is a small forward in basketball and competes in track and field in the spring. His best mark in the 100-meter dash is 11.3 seconds. In the high jump, it's 6 feet, 3 inches.
Mooney to Towson. Malvern Prep's Sean Mooney received interest from several Division I-A programs, including Vanderbilt and North Carolina State, but the senior two-way end recently committed to I-AA Towson.
"Towson was the first to offer a scholarship," the 6-6, 220-pound senior said. "While I'll probably be a tight end, they said they liked that I also could possibly play on defense."
In addition to Towson, Mooney, of Chester Springs, visited Vanderbilt, N.C. State, Boston College, Maryland, and Elon. Elon, a Division I-AA school in North Carolina, also offered a scholarship.
Mooney and the Friars (2-3) will open Inter-Ac League play at 3:45 p.m. Friday at Penn Charter (2-3). Quakers senior quarterback John Loughery is a family friend. The two visited Boston College together.
Mooney's brother, C.J., a former Malvern standout, is in his second year at Penn. The 6-4, 250-pound defensive end is sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Good-hands people. We ranked Southeastern Pennsylvania's top wide receivers in Sunday's column. However, because of space limitations, the best-of-the-rest list did not appear.
Here are some of the other pass-catchers to watch (listed alphabetically).
Nick Barndt, Quakertown, senior, 6-0, 180; Bill Bell, Central Bucks West, senior, 6-4, 190; Michael Bolte, Malvern Prep, senior, 6-2, 190; Jeff Buchanan, Upper Dublin, senior, 6-0, 175; Sean Coleman, La Salle, sophomore, 5-9, 160; Austin Constable, West Chester Henderson, senior, 6-1, 175; Daquan Cooper, George Washington, senior, 5-10, 165; Chris Cordivari, Bishop Shanahan, senior 6-1, 185; Norm Donkin, Ridley, senior, 5-11, 185; Richard Drayton, Central, junior, 6-0, 205; Quran Kent, West Catholic, senior, 5-7, 155; Kyle Kerrick, Coatesville, junior, 6-3, 195; John McGilligan, Monsignor Bonner, junior, 6-0, 190; Shane Morrell, Episcopal Academy, senior, 6-3, 180; Anthony Nash, West Chester Rustin, junior, 6-5, 175; Rich Orth, Upper Dublin, senior, 5-8, 165; Matt Pinzka, Lansdale Catholic, senior, 6-0, 195; Damiere Shaw, Cardinal O'Hara, junior, 6-0, 165; Gerard Wendowski, North Penn, senior, 6-2, 195; and Josh Williams, Central Bucks South, senior, 6-2, 185.
Contact staff writer Rick O'Brien at 610-313-8019
or robrien@phillynews.com.
