Patriots

Tonight at 8:15 Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. TV: NBC10 Radio: WYSP-FM (94.1) Line: Patriots by 24 How They Match Up Eagles defense vs. Patriots offense It is scary to even think about, but the Eagles should not feel too bad, because Tom Brady and his new toys at wide receiver have made every opponent - except Indianapolis - look like overmatched amateurs. The only hope for any team facing the Patriots is to apply pressure on Brady and force him into throwing some picks.

Playing undermanned finally caught up to Central Bucks East. The Peters Township Indians defeated the injury-plagued Patriots, 2-0, in yesterday's PIAA Class AAA boys' state quarterfinal at Trojan Stadium. The victory advanced the Indians (22-2-2) into Tuesday's semifinal round at a site to be determined. They will play Pine Richland, a 2-1 winner over Bethel Park. C.B. East finished the season at 20-5-1. "Tonight, we just didn't have it," Patriots midfielder Sean Peckham said.

Strath Haven fired off 22 points at the start of its Wednesday night matchup against Penn Wood, but it wasn't enough to stave off the host Patriots. The Patriots rallied for a 62-59 victory over the Panthers in their third win of the year. Both clubs played Friday - Penn Wood won against Monsignor Bonner and Strath Haven triumphed against Upper Darby. The Pats are now 4-0 while the Panthers are 2-3. "We came out slow and they came out hot," said Chip Cifuni, Patriot coach.

For Germantown Academy this season, the mistakes of youth have been a problem. Fortunately for the Patriots, most of those mistake have been in games that Germantown Academy has won. In The Hill School Tournament in Pottstown over the weekend, one of those youths came through for coach Dave Hoch. Brian Costello, a junior guard, scored only 2 points in the Patriots' 48-45 win over Choate School yesterday afternoon in the fifth-place game, but Hoch credited him with turning the tide.

Germantown Academy had the game plan for stopping Penn Charter's twin towers, but just didn't have the horses to pull it off. The Quakers' duo of 6-foot, 9-inch, 215-pound senior Steve Goodrich and 6-7, 230 junior Shawn Peterson teamed up for 38 points as the Quakers dropped the host Patriots, 72-67, in each team's Inter-Ac opener on Friday. With the victory, the Quakers improved to 13-1 overall, and 1-0 in the league, while the Patriots dropped to 8-5 and 0-1. "I knew we couldn't handle both of those big guys," GA coach Jim Fenerty said.

Bruce Stankavage continues to play in pain, but the senior guard at Central Bucks East also continues to be a significant force in the Patriots' offense. Despite playing with a possible stress fracture in his right foot, Stankavage scored 29 points Saturday. Nonetheless, the Patriots lost to Chester, 77-60, in the championship game of the Chester Kiwanis Tournament. Stankavage also starred for the Pats in their 69-61 opening-round victory over Strath Haven on Friday. In that game, Stankavage, who is 6-foot, 2-inch and a Division I college prospect, scored a game-high 34 points, 15 in the second quarter, as the Pats (2-5)

Penn Wood has made a habit of winning Del-Val League championships, but even head coach Mike Guille had doubts about contending in 1989 after the Patriots lost their first five games. "I didn't think we had a chance," Guille said after the Patriots beat Chichester, 13-8, Saturday afternoon. "Our fourth and fifth losses were close. Our kids could have gone south, but they didn't. It's a credit to them that we've come back. " The Patriots have reeled off four straight wins after losing, 17-16, to Episcopal Academy in their fourth game of the year and 13-6 to The Haverford School in their fifth.

Fresh off its fine showing in Trenton's rugged Eastern States Invitational Tournament over the holidays, Germantown Academy got the new year off to a rollicking start Friday afternoon with a heart-stopping 62-61 victory over the previously undefeated Hun School of Princeton. With the Patriots trailing, 61-60, and the clock showing 3 seconds to play in Germantown's storied and raucous gym, Pats center Mark Nori gathered in a rebound off the offensive glass and was fouled in the act of shooting.

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski underwent a fourth surgery on his forearm Monday and doctors believe his previous infection is gone, a league source told ESPN.com. Doctors put new plates in to repair the previously broken left forearm. The estimated timetable for recovery is around 10 weeks, assuming there are no setbacks. Gronkowski originally broke the arm Nov. 18 in a game against the Indianapolis Colts. He returned to action on Dec. 30 in the regular-season finale, then broke the forearm again in the AFC divisional round of the playoffs on Jan. 13 against the Houston Texans.

Rutgers defensive back Logan Ryan was chosen by the New England Patriots with the 21st pick of the third round in Friday's NFL draft. The Patriots acquired the pick from the Minnesota Vikings, and Ryan joined former Rutgers teammates Devin McCourty and Justin Francis with the Patriots. "I feel great about things," Ryan said in a phone interview. "I did [think New England might take him]. I didn't know when, but I knew they needed a corner. " New England was one of the teams that met with Ryan leading up to the draft.

EVAN HARVEY enjoys no gimmes in battles vs. family members for sports recognition. His brother, Joe, a product of the now-closed Kennedy-Kenrick High in Norristown, is a righthanded pitcher for the University of Pittsburgh. His cousin, Chris Harvey, who skipped his senior season at Germantown Academy to enroll early at Vanderbilt, is a part-time catcher. "You have to bring something to the dinner table," Evan Harvey said, smiling. "You don't want to come home every night and just hear about what those guys did. You want to tell your own stories.

The play wasn't drawn up for Bryce Reid. It was drawn up for his cousin. Tanner Peck, a junior on the Avon Grove lacrosse team, had already scored four goals in the Red Devils' game Saturday at Central Bucks East. He helped his team survive a Patriots run that tied the game late. Early in overtime, Avon Grove coach Eric Jackson wanted the ball in Peck's hands again. But, Jackson said, the Red Devils have "a quick, little freshman that had no choice but to go to the goal. " Reid scored the winner in overtime of a 9-8 victory over the Patriots at Central Bucks West in a matchup of two of the area's best teams.

NEW ENGLAND Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has an infection in his broken left arm, which could keep him sidelined into next season, it was reported on Sunday. The Boston Herald reported that Gronkowski has an infection in the area where a metal plate was installed to repair his left forearm. Doctors will have to wait for the infection to go away to replace the plate, and Gronkowski would need 10 weeks after that to recover, the paper said. ESPNBoston.com also reported the story.

Caroline Schoenewald was pretty clear about the significance of Friday's softball matchup against North Penn. The second baseman for Central Bucks East knew the energy would be different against a team such as the Maidens, a perennial favorite in the Suburban One League's Continental Conference. Her squad would have to be at the top of its game, Schoenewald said. On Friday afternoon, the Patriots were on top of their game and then some. So was Schoenewald, who had a hand in seven of the Patriots' runs as East defeated the Maidens in a conference showdown, 11-3, at North Penn.

The play is called "Drexel. " Emily Scullin, a sophomore on the Great Valley girls' lacrosse team, flips the ball to a teammate to the left of the net as the Patriots get into position for their go-to offensive play. The ball is then moved behind the net, where a Patriot waits to pass to Scullin, whose job it is to elude a defender and get in position to score. More often than not, Scullin said, the play results in a goal. Scullin used the play to score the fifth of her six goals in host Great Valley's 14-5 nonleague win Saturday over Hatboro-Horsham.

The play is called "Drexel. " Emily Scullin, a sophomore on the Great Valley girls' lacrosse team, flips the ball to a teammate to the left of the net as the Patriots get into position for their go-to offensive play. The ball is then moved behind the net, where a Patriot waits to pass to Scullin, whose job it is to elude a defender and get in position to score. More often than not, Scullin said, the play results in a goal. Scullin used the play to score the fifth of her six goals in Great Valley's 14-5 home win against Hatboro-Horsham on Saturday in a nonleague game.

Caroline Schoenewald was pretty clear about how big a game Friday's softball matchup against North Penn was. The second baseman for Central Bucks East knew the energy would be different against a team such as the Maidens, a perennial favorite in the Suburban One League's Continental Conference. Her squad would have to be at the top of its game, Schoenewald said. It just so happens that on Friday afternoon, the Patriots were on top of their game and then some. So was Schoenewald, who had a hand in seven of the Patriots' runs as East defeated the Maidens in a conference showdown, 11-3, at North Penn.