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The Good Shepherd Rams started in 1955 as the first parochial school on the West Shore to sponsor organized Midget Football Teams in the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) football league. Fourty-nine years later, we are the senior member of the Catholic Football Association (CFA).
The Rams enjoyed four CYO Midget titles in the 60's, one under the direction of Bill Grass, and three under the direction of Harry DeFrank, who went on to become the head coach of Trinity High School girl's basketball. The Rams also had a twenty-two game winning streak in the early 60's.
In 1976, the Rams enjoyed a visit to the Superbowl under the direction of Jack Mitchell and Bob Ott. And, the Superbowl was a challenge for the Midgets again in 1983 and 1984, under the coaching of Bob Ott and Rolla Snyder.
Chuck Bissell's Ponies won a Divisional Title in 1987. In 1988, Ram PeeWees, with Lou Delutis' fine coaching, were also Divisional Champs.
In 1992 and 1993, a new era began for the Rams. Paul Mattus would take PeeWee teams to the Superbowl. In 1997, that same group would again make it to the Superbowl. Though the Rams played a tough game, they fell to the New Cumberland Saints 0 to 6.
In 1995, Good Shepherd celebrated its 40 year anniversary. And, to cap it off, the Rams PeeWees, under Jack Brennan, brought home the Superbowl trophy! It was "A Season To Remember".
In 1999 and 2000, the Rams would repeat under Brennan. The 2000 PeeWees, whose record was 7-1-1, were a part of what has been called the Greatest PeeWee Game Ever Played. The game, against Swatara, lasted over two hours spanning four over-times!
In 2002, Tim McMullen, a Good Shepherd coach for over 15 years, along with Brad Humer, Mark McMullen, Byron Hudson, Keith Newkam, and George Madden carried the Ponies to the
2002 Superbowl. In a hard fought game, the Rams fell to the East Shore Royals.
This same group of players would make it to the superbowl one more time in 2004,
only to fall short against St. Joseph. This athletic group has names that are
now familiar to high school sports followers like: Kuntz, Donahue, Weber, Shover,
and Stroup.
In 2006, Good Shepherd faced a new challenge. With approval to build a new
school, the decision was made to build on the old field. The remaining area was
not big enough for a new football field, so our program had to find a new home
field. After a lot of searching and prayer, an idea presented itself. How about
the field behind Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Enola? It was a
well-known fact that Father Acri there was an avid sports fan. He was approached
and almost immediately said, "Yes". And OLOL field is our new permanent home.
In 2007, Good Shepherd finally reached 50 years, 35 of which were under the
steady leadership of Jack Mitchell. Jack is a rare type of man. He gave to the
community and to his church and to everyone he met, and never asked for anything
in return. In 2007, Jack decided to retire from Good Shepherd, passing the torch
onto Jim Durham, a PA transplant from Texas.
In 2008, the Rams placed TWO teams in the Super Bowl. The 9-0-1 Midgets
slugged out a tough game
with Holy Name, only to fall in a valiant effort. The 10-0 Ponys made Good
Shepherd history. They won the first GS Pony Super Bowl title ever to become the
2009 Pony Football Champions! Behind
awesome blocking by young men like DeCinti, Simpson, Huffine and Nikolai, they
dominated opposing defenses. Their defense was superb with solid players Ford,
Gothier, Spinelli, and Smith swarming the field. Their backfield was as tough as
they come with Williams, Hergenroeder, Miller and QB Robinson raking up yard
after yard. Their perfect 11-0 season will be long remembered.
Good Shepherd, like many of its players, had weathered many storms and
trials, but we are happy to say that we feel we provide excellent fundamental
football instruction to all those who come through our program. It will be that
way for the next 50 years, too.
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