Rick O'Brien: Panichelli gets on board with Bishop Shanahan

While the idea of playing football had crossed Chris Panichelli's mind before, the lacrosse standout did not embrace it until watching Bishop Shanahan play West Chester Henderson, his old school, on Oct. 1.

"While I was sitting and watching the game with friends, I thought to myself, 'I have four more years to play lacrosse, but this could be my last chance to play football,' " he said.

A few days later, Panichelli approached Shanahan coach Paul Meyers during lunch period about joining the squad. He was given the nod only after the varsity and junior-varsity players, in a vote, unanimously agreed to his midseason arrival.

"If just one person had said no, then I wouldn't have been able to play," Panichelli said. "I completely understood that. The players had put in a lot of work and sweat into the team since mid-August and before then."

Why didn't Panichelli pull the trigger on playing football sooner?

"I just had so much going on with lacrosse," he said. "It was in the back of my head, but I never seriously considered playing."

The 17-year-old played youth football for the Little American Football Association (LAFA) at Kelly Field in West Chester. He was a wingback and safety for Henderson's freshman team.

Panichelli's first practice with Shanahan was on Wednesday. On Saturday, the 6-foot-2, 165-pounder was in uniform, wearing a No. 86 jersey, and playing cornerback for the Eagles against Ches-Mont League National Conference rival Coatesville.

"I had never played cornerback in my life," he said. "It was a little different for me. I just tried to soak in whatever the coaches were teaching me. Also, I watched a lot of game tape to pick up some things."

Panichelli's first assignment? He was matched against Coatesville's Kyle Kerrick, a 6-3, 185-pound wideout who has committed to Michigan State. Yikes!

"I heard all week about him and what he could do on the field," Panichelli said. "I knew he was legit. He's going to play football at Michigan State. That alone says a lot. It's a big accomplishment."

Early on, the athletic Kerrick beat Panichelli for an 18-yard touchdown catch. "I should have forced him to the inside," he said. "After that happened, I knew I had to step it up and play better. From there, I think I did OK."

Kerrick finished with three receptions for 50 yards in the Red Raiders' 42-21 win. "For his first time out there, Chris did a terrific job," Meyers said. "He's real smart. You can teach him something in a second."

In lacrosse, Panichelli, who spent two years at Henderson before transferring to Shanahan in 2010, is a top-notch defenseman/long-stick midfielder. He has orally committed to play at Drexel.

Last season, the West Chester resident helped the Eagles to a 14-5 mark and the second round of the PIAA District 1 playoffs.

Panichelli, who played for the Dukes Lacrosse Club, plans to major in business at Drexel and take part in the school's renowned co-op program.

Final preparation. In its last warm-up for Inter-Academic League play, Penn Charter, fueled by junior tailback Eric Neefe, netted 310 rushing yards and easily downed host Archbishop Carroll, 41-21, in nonleague action Saturday night.

The 5-foot-10, 215-pound Neefe carried 27 times for 240 yards and five TDs in the first three quarters. In the first half, he produced 183 yards and four TDs on 24 attempts.

"Eric did a great job of finding the holes," junior two-way tackle Mike McGlinchey said. "He's pretty elusive for how big he is, and he's really tough to take down."

In addition to the 6-8, 275-pound McGlinchey, the Quakers' offensive line included center Mark Opaliski (5-11, 235), guards Tucker Colton (5-11, 205) and Patrick McInerney (5-11, 185), tackle Tyler Mercer (6-1, 285), and tight end Tom Monzo (6-1, 190).

On defense, Monzo (four solos) and fellow linebacker Eric Berger (six) each made six tackles. McGlinchey, a first cousin of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, had five tackles (four solos), two batted passes, and a hurry.

Penn Charter, which held the Patriots to 83 rushing yards, is 3-2 entering Friday's 3:45 p.m. league opener at home vs. Episcopal Academy.

"We haven't had a winning nonleague record in I don't know how long," said McGlinchey, who has scholarship offers from Boston College and Virginia. "It's good to be 3-2 going into the league."

Extra points. St. Joseph's Prep second-year coach Gabe Infante and his players were in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in June to help the area recover from a tornado. While there, they handed University of Alabama coach Nick Saban a $1,000 check to go toward relief efforts. The money came from school fund-raising events. . . . Archbishop Wood's first-team defense has not allowed a score since the Vikings' season-opening loss to Pittsburgh Central Catholic. . . . Wood's Nate Smith is expected to announce his college decision this week, possibly Thursday at the Warminster school. A projected defensive back in college, the 6-0, 190-pound senior is considering Temple, West Virginia, and South Carolina, among others. . . . In Saturday's 31-3 loss to St. Joe's Prep, Archbishop Ryan tackle Chris McMonagle notched 13 stops, including seven solos. Next in line for the Raiders were linebacker Jesse Wireman (12 tackles) and backs Mark Ostaszewski (nine) and Sam Dumond (seven). Linebacker Lamar Richardson made six tackles and had a first-quarter fumble recovery. . . . In Carroll's loss to Penn Charter, linebacker Sage Stevenson recorded nine tackles, including four solos. Linemen Evan Harvey and Matt DeSipio were each in on six stops.

Team Record

Last week's rankings in parentheses.

1. Archbishop Wood (1) 5-1

2. La Salle (2) 5-1

3. Abington (3) 6-0

4. Downingtown East (4) 5-1

5. Malvern Prep (5) 5-1

6. Roman Catholic (6) 5-1

7. Coatesville (8) 5-1

8. Unionville (10) 5-1

9. Pennsbury (NR) 5-1

10. North Penn (NR) 4-2

Under consideration (listed alphabetically): Council Rock South (5-1), Father Judge (4-2), Garnet Valley (5-1), Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-1), West Chester Henderson (5-1).

- Rick O'Brien
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