PINE TWP — Longtime Pine-Richland varsity football coach Clair Altemus hopes the future is now.

Even if it's not, the future itself looks pretty good.

The Rams (1-1) invade Butler (1-1) for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday night at Art Bernardi Stadium and may have as many as six sophomores in their starting lineup.

“Our quarterback is a sophomore, so is our running back and three of our offensive linemen,” said Altemus, in his 16th year at Pine-Richland. “We've got a couple of sophomore receivers who can catch the football, too.

“We think these kids can help us now. They are sophomores, though, and we as coaches have to be patient with them. But it's a pretty darn good group of kids.”

Quarterback Ben DiNucci has completed 31 of 51 passes for 418 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He was 23 of 34 for 311 yards and two scores in last week's 50-26 loss to Seneca Valley.

Sophomore running back Connor Slomka has 49 carries for 249 yards and two TDs through two games. He has also caught three passes for 62 yards.

“I look at DiNucci and Slomka and I think back to where Seneca Valley was when Jordan Brown and Forrest Barnes were sophomores,” Altemus said. “That team got better and better as those two got better and better.

“I feel like we may be in for a similar type of progression and that's exciting to us at Pine-Richland.”

Slomka is seeing ample playing time because senior running back Brock Baranowski has yet to see the field in 2012 because of an achilles injury.

Baranowski rushed for 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns last season.

“We're taking our time with him,” Altemus said. “When he's 100 percent healthy, Brock will play. It's a day to day thing right now.

“I'm being patient with him, he's being patient with me. He has a future in college football — I believe he can play I-AA — and I'm not going to mess things up for him.”

While Baranowski is sidelined, fellow seniors Luke Merhaut and tight end C.J. Jackson have been picking up the slack.

Merhaut, a wide receiver, has 14 catches for 200 yards, including 10 catches last week, while Jackson has eight catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns.

“Those guys have been starting for us since they were sophomores and they're showing the on-field leadership we expected them to do,” Altemus said. “We've been talking to Ben (DiNucci) about becoming a field general in much the same way.

“He's played a couple of varsity games now. As coaches, we can't expect too much from a sophomore, but it's time to put away the toys and start acting like a man now.”

Altemus said that as DiNucci becomes more settled in as a varsity player, the coaches will expand the offense accordingly.

“That's how a quarterback and an offense grow together,” he said.

Mike Merhaut and Luke Everett are a pair of sophomore receivers Altemus believes will grow with DiNucci.

Defensively, the Rams are led by inside linebacker Nico Elms with 14 tackles and two quarterback sacks. Luke Merhaut has 11 tackles as a defensive back.

Pine-Richland has intercepted four passes — one each by the Merhaut brothers, Mike Burnham and Nate Roberts. Placekicker Grant Goldberg hit a 45-yard field goal last week.

“He's the goalie on our soccer team and does the punting as well,” Altemus said. “Grant's a college prospect because he can do both.”

Altemus said Butler's 60-point performance against Shaler last week “served notice around the league that there are no homecoming opponents around anymore.

“There are no weak sisters. You can't take anybody lightly on your schedule and that's how high school football is supposed to be,” he added.