Football: It takes Royal comeback to beat Garnet Valley

UPPER DARBY >> The best Upper Darby High football game Rich Gentile had ever seen, and he’d only been around the place in various capacities since 1975, wasn’t over for 15 minutes, and already he was thinking about the next one.

Or maybe considering all history, distant and recent, it truly was the only one.

“Thanksgiving Day,” the Royals’ coach said, eyes gleaming, chest just a little bit out after a spectacular fourth-quarter rally and a 41-34 triumph over Garnet Valley. “That will be the best one in 40 years. Haverford. For the outright Central League championship.”

When Christoff Minott raced 46 yards for a touchdown with 1:26 left to cap his 386 all-purpose-yard night, the Royals were 9-1 overall, 7-0 in the Central and deeper involved in the state tournament scene. But the Upper Darby-Haverford routine, dating to 1921, will have that additional flavor, given the Fords’ equally perfect conference record. To make that happen, though, first required some faith. That, Gentile showed in his coaching staff, which recruited him at halftime to try an onside kick to begin the third quarter. The Royals down, 20-7, at that point, Gentile agreed, the trickery ensued, the loose ball was recovered and the rally was on.

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Garnet Valley’s Derrick West, right, gets the ball over the goal line for one of the three touchdowns he scored as Upper Darby’s Prosper Saydee tries to stop him. West had a monster game with 245 yards on the ground, but the Royals rallied to claim a 41-34 victory in the Central League game. (Times Staff/Tom Kelly IV)