DOWNINGTOWN — The Bishop Shanahan football team under head coach Paul Meyers has always featured an open, innovative offense that confounded opposing defenses and put itself in a position to score from anywhere on the field. The 2024 edition of the Eagles should be similar. One season after reaching the District 1 4A championship game, where they lost to Pope John Paul II, there is a lot of optimism in the Eagles camp.
“We were very young last season and I think we should take advantage of the experience of all those guys,” Meyers said. “We have seven guys back on both sides of the ball and I think the strength of our team will be our skill position players. We’ll continue to play the spread offense and utilize the RPO (run-pass option) with our quarterback a little more than we have in the past.”
“The key for us is depth up front. If we can keep our linemen healthy and fresh for the fourth period, we should have a good season. Depth is always an issue for us because we have about eight or nine guys that play both ways.”
One lineman the Eagles will count on is 6’2″, 250-pound junior Mike Cleary. Meyers says Cleary had a great season last year and believes he is one of the best linemen in the Ches-Mont League. In the tough Ches-Mont North Division, featuring heavyweights Coatesville, Downingtown West and Downingtown East, the line play will be crucial for the Eagles.
“I think we’re going to have a really good season,” Cleary said after a recent practice. “We’re very strong at running back and wide receiver. And our line is coming together. I want to be a leader with these guys. I try to be a leader by example and I can be a vocal leader as well. And playing against teams like Coatesville and the Downingtowns only makes us better, I think.”
“These teams usually have some Division 1 college players on them and that’s a good benchmark for me as a player and for our team to see how we stack up against top competition. We love the fact that we’re moving up as a small school and are prepared for our district playoffs.”
One of the wide receivers Cleary talked about is Aidan Civitella. Meyers said Civitella is being eyed by teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision and Division 2. Civitella is a speedster who can spread the field wide. He was part of the team that won the 4×100 relay at the Penn Relays last spring.
“I like to stretch the field or catch a short pass,” Civitlella said. “I just want to do whatever I can to help our quarterbacks and give them a lot of options in the passing game. We have a lot of guys that play both ways, so if we stay healthy, I think we have the talent this season to get to the 4A championship game and win the district this season.”
“I also love playing against the big schools in Ches-Mont,” he added. “It’s a good opportunity to play in front of a big crowd and show what you can do. We’re very well prepared for districts after playing against those 6A schools.”
The quarterback position is still undecided, but Anthony Aquila will see plenty of action for the Eagles. Aquila was named an All-League selection as a safety last season. Meyers believes he can use Aquila as both a passer and a runner.
“He’s a very good athlete and has really good football instincts,” Meyers said. “He was an all-Chess-Mont safety last year and we expect big things from him this season.”
With the league split into three divisions this season, the Eagles were under pressure to move up to a division with the smaller 5A schools, but Meyers didn’t want to hear about those talks.
“We were once again under pressure to move,” Meyers said. “They wanted us to move to the South Division, but we like where we are. We want to play top-completion and see this as a challenge for us. We will always be with the big schools. That was part of the agreement when we joined Ches-Mont.”
In addition to divisional games with Coatesville, Downingtown East and Downingtown West, Shanahan will play Pope John Paul II and open the season at home against Jules Mastabuam of the Philadelphia Public League.
Bishop Shanahan Schedule 2024
Fri., Aug. 23 – vs. Mastbaum, 7 p.m.
Friday, August 30 – School of the Future (South Philly Supersite), 7 p.m.
Friday, September 6 – in Methacton, 7pm
Fri., Sept. 13 – vs. Pope John Paul II, 7 p.m.
Friday, September 20 – in Unionville, 7 p.m.
Friday, September 27 – in West Chester Henderson, 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 4 – vs. Sun Valley, 7 p.m.
Thursday, October 10 – Downingtown West, 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 18 – vs. Downingtown East, 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 25 – vs. Coatesville, 7 p.m.
Coach: Paul Meyers
Record 2023: 6-6 overall, 1-3 Ches-Mont National
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