2026 Team Preview: The Upper Perkiomen Indians
Tagged under: District 1, pfn, Team Previews
Willie McGonigle | July 29, 2026
The Upper Perkiomen Indians
Head Coach: Dan Heinrichs
PIAA District 1
Class 5A
Conference: Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division
2025 Season Record: 7-4
| Key Starters lost |
| #34 Brody Weiss (MLB, RB) #33 Kane Krier (OLB, FB) #50 Maddux Diaz (DT, OT) #53 Tice Hallman (OT) #11 Ethan Scharneck (TE, DE) #13 Tucker Ruch (CB, WR) #9 Zane Saeger (SS, SLOT) #2 Logan O’Donnell (FS, OLB, WR) |
| returning starters (name, Position, HT, WT, Class Year |
| #19 Grayson Sabo, QB, 6’3″ 225 SENIOR #6 Zach Adam, RB, 5’9″ 205 SENIOR #56 Cael Martin C/DE, 6’4″ 220 SENIOR #63 Dylan Marshall OG, 5’11” 265 SENIOR #12 Aaron Maiden WR, 5’11” 190 SENIOR #52 Carter Zola OG, 5’10” 225 SENIOR #97 Nate Schramm DE/TE, 6’0″ 210 SENIOR #2 (#22) Braeden O’Donnell DE/FB, 5’10” 215 SENIOR #17 Benjamin Sands CB/WR, 5’9″ 160 SENIOR #64 Gabe Good OL/DT, 6’3″ 255 SENIOR #55 Gage Trimbur OL/DT, 5’10” 230 SOPHOMORE #95 Estrela Kubola DT, 6’0″ 220 SENIOR |
| Key Newcomers name, position* |
| #24 Corbin Engle RB/LB #23 Parker Munio FB/LB #44 Tyde Ruch OLB/TE #3 Jacob Pedrick ATH #14 Liam Weiss CB/WR #7 Ethan Zola CB/WR |
| Season Outlook |
| “The seniors returning for us this season (2026) were freshmen when this new staff took over. This class understands the work it takes to be Division Champions and grind out the tough days to get where we want to be. Staying healthy is always on a program’s mind, but if this can be accomplished, we have a very experienced offense with a young defense that may take its lumps early, but better be ready to adjust on the fly. The good thing is we have a roster that is hungry to compete once again for a Division Title and PAC Championship appearance. It is going to have to involve us doing the little things right and coming together as a family to execute on a Friday night. With an experienced rotation of offensive line and running backs, we expect to move the football and win up front on offense. We are returning about 90% of all offensive positions with the loss of key players. All of the guys getting reps will most likely have seen significant Friday night time.
Defensively, we will be overall young with some high-level experience at both safety and defensive end. Defense only works if everyone operates as a unit and does their 1/11. The 11 guys that win those jobs and will compete on Friday night are the guys who compete and execute with other 10 guys on the field. We are excited about this season as a program and hope to see this class of seniors take on the challenge of returning to the top of our league and another playoff birth. There are many long weeks ahead before we know where we will stand amongst the other great programs in our league, and the tough schedule we will face this season early on. Senior leadership is key, and we expect this group of experienced young men to take this team where it MUST get to. Our staff is excited to work with the players and see the competitions for different positions that have not been competed for in 2 seasons.” Dan Heirichs |
08-22
|
vs. Northampton (0-0) |
– |
08-28
|
@ Boyertown (0-0) |
– |
09-03
|
vs. Fleetwood (0-0) |
– |
09-10
|
vs. West Chester East (0-0) |
– |
09-18
|
@ Kennett (0-0) |
– |
09-25
|
@ Phoenixville (0-0) |
– |
10-02
|
vs. Pottstown (0-0) |
– |
10-09
|
vs. Pottsgrove (0-0) |
– |
10-16
|
@ Upper Merion (0-0) |
– |
10-23
|
@ Norristown (0-0) |
– |
10-30
|
vs. TBA (0-0) |
– |
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