Phil Anastasia: Taking measure of St. Augustine football

One way to measure the growth of St. Augustine Prep football is by the standings.

Another is by the silence.

The Hermits are 6-0. They are in a virtual tie for first place in the Cape-Atlantic National Division with fellow unbeatens Holy Spirit and Buena.

But St. Augustine two-way senior lineman Pete Dandrea doesn't need to look at the records to gauge the increased stature of the football program. He can tell by conversations with his friends.

"I've got buddies who go to Holy Spirit and St. Joseph's," Dandrea said. "They used to always joke with me about Prep football. Now, they don't say anything."

Once a second-level program in its division, and at its school, St. Augustine football is a gathering storm that could upset the balance of power in the Cape-Atlantic League and maybe in South Jersey as well.

With a strong academic reputation, state-of-the-art facilities, and a commitment from the administration, the Hermits have the elements to create a football program that rivals the school's athletic powerhouses in basketball, swimming, ice hockey, tennis and lacrosse.

"I thought it would happen, I just didn't think it would happen this quickly," St. Augustine Prep coach Dennis Scuderi said. "The number one thing is the support of the administration."

Scuderi is a Pennsauken guy who went 53-21 as head coach at Camden Catholic from 1998 to 2004, revitalizing an Irish program that had just five winning seasons from 1980 until his arrival.

Scuderi left Camden Catholic to serve as an assistant coach to his son, also named Dennis, at Middle Township.

"I didn't think I wanted to be a head coach anymore," Scuderi said. "But when they [St. Augustine officials] approached me, they were like: 'Just come and take a look around.' "

Scuderi saw facilities on the drawing board: a new football stadium, with lights and artificial turf, plus a $22 million complex that includes a new gymnasium, swimming pool and locker room, meeting room, and weight-training area.

"It's like a college down here," Scuderi said.

The Hermits went 4-6 in 2006, Scuderi's first season, with freshman Dustin Thomas at quarterback and lots of other young players at key positions. Last season, the Hermits went 8-2 but lost a heartbreaker at home to St. Joseph, a perennial power in the Cape National.

"I told the kids last year, 'You hear St. Joe's, you see the red uniforms, you get intimidated,' " Scuderi said. "They put their pants on the same way we do. It's what's inside the uniform that counts."

On Saturday, St. Augustine went to Hammonton and scored a 14-6 victory over St. Joseph. It was the Hermits' first victory over the Wildcats in 13 years.

"I can't tell you how many alumni came up to me and thanked me for that win," said Dandrea, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound athlete from Longport who hopes to continue his career at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Hermits have outscored opponents, 220-25. They play home against Pleasantville tonight and home against Holy Spirit in what figures to be a huge showdown Nov. 7. Still ahead are a Nov. 26 clash with Buena, plus the Non-Public Group 4 tournament.

"We still need to improve," Scuderi said. "But we're only losing two kids off the defense, plus two offensive linemen and a receiver, so the future looks bright."

Thomas, running back Darnell Laws, two-way ends Billy Giberson and Gabe Voumard, safety/slotback Jim Goodroe, and guard/linebacker John Bowden are juniors. Two-way tackle Andrew Baumgardner is a sophomore.

More help is on the way. Given the school's academic reputation, facilities and recent success, St. Augustine is likely to become more of a destination for football-playing eighth graders looking for a private education in a boys-only environment.

That's where the Hermits' emergence as a football power will impact Holy Spirit and St. Joseph and Gloucester Catholic - especially after the Rams move to Mullica Hill, likely in 2011 - as well as public schools such as Williamstown and Washington Township, among many others.

"Football used to be on the back burner at the Prep," Dandrea said. "It was like it was a second-tier sport. That's not the case anymore. . . . People are talking about football."

Or in the case of some of Dandrea's friends, making even more of a statement by not talking about it.