Rick O'Brien: Dan Connor tops all-decade team

Strath Haven football coach Kevin Clancy first saw Dan Connor play when Connor was a fifth grader competing for a local CYO team.

"You could tell he was a very good athlete," Clancy said. "You could see he had a really good feel for the game."

Connor more than fulfilled his potential in high school. He was an incredible two-way force, as a linebacker and running back, while starting in 58 of a possible 59 games for the Panthers.

In his brilliant high school career, Connor, listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds as a senior, recorded 451 tackles, intercepted 19 passes, and made six fumble recoveries. Similarly outstanding on offense, he rushed for 4,556 yards and scored 77 touchdowns.

For his jaw-dropping performances, Connor, who went on to star at linebacker for Penn State and is now with the NFL's Carolina Panthers, is The Inquirer's Southeastern Pennsylvania football player of the decade.

On our all-decade team, Connor, the area player of the year in 2003, is listed as a first-team linebacker.

"He's so intense and quick," former Upper Merion coach Andy Toto said shortly after Connor had wrapped up his career at Strath Haven. "When it comes to playing linebacker, he's almost an instructional tape."

While it was hard to overlook a player's success at the college or pro level, our all-decade selections were based on the statistics and accomplishments a player had in high school. The impact a player had on his team's overall success also played a factor.

In his senior season, Connor racked up 118 tackles and rushed 251 times for 1,807 yards (7.2 yards per carry) and 28 touchdowns as the Panthers went 13-1 and advanced to the PIAA Class AAA state semifinals before being nipped by eventual champion Manheim Central, 3-0.

Earlier that year, in a 41-20 romp over Central League rival Conestoga, Connor carried 26 times for 193 yards and four TDs. He made 14 tackles, including nine solos.

Our offensive player of the decade is former Downingtown East quarterback Pat Devlin, who in 2005 set a state record (broken last season by Lancaster Catholic's Kyle Smith) for career passing with 8,172 yards.

In his sophomore season at Downingtown East, Devlin, now at Delaware after a two-year stay at Penn State, burst onto the scene by passing for 2,950 yards and 22 TDs. That year, he threw for 511 yards (then a single-game state record) and five TDs in a 53-34 loss to Ches-Mont League rival West Chester East.

The decade's top defensive performer is George Washington's Sharrif Floyd. At tackle, the 6-foot-3, 310-pounder's quickness, strength, and ability to corral ballcarriers paved the way to a full scholarship to Florida.

Last season, in helping the Eagles to their third straight Public League championship, Floyd, arguably Philadelphia's most-sought-after football recruit, registered 60 tackles, including 36 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He also played guard on offense.

Finally, our coach of the decade is North Penn's Dick Beck. In eight seasons with the Knights, he has compiled a 93-16 record (.853 winning percentage). The ex-Central Bucks West and Temple lineman produced a 15-0 campaign and a PIAA Class AAAA state championship in 2003.