Football: Garnet Valley has Faith in its standout linebacker

Garnet Valley coach Mike Ricci feels strongly that his team is playing its best football of the season. It’s easy to see why. The Jaguars disposed of Central Bucks South, 35-15, in the opening round of the District One Class AAAA playoffs. The No. 7 Jags (9-2) now have the difficult task of playing at No. 2 Pennsbury (10-1), which put up 63 points in a wild shootout win over Downingtown West. Buoyed by dual-threat quarterback Steve Flanagan, 1,000-yard rusher Derrick West, a steady offensive line and a defense that has allowed two touchdowns or less in all but two games this year, Garnet Valley is in a good spot to pull off the upset Friday night.

“I’m thrilled with where our team is right now,’ Ricci said. “I think we played our best game of the year last week against C.B. South and we continue to get better and better each week. We’re a much better team right now than even a couple of weeks ago. I’m so proud of the effort and the focus our guys have to continually try to get better. Our execution on both sides of the ball was really big for us last week.’

Defensively, one player who has continued to impress Ricci is senior linebacker Connor Faith, a three-year starter with the program. A huge reason for the Jags’ success on defense has been the play of Faith, who excels at both stopping the run and in pass coverage. “His instincts are as good as anybody we’ve ever had here,’ Ricci said. “He’s a physically strong, fast player. He plays outside linebacker for us and he’s a force on the run. He’s a great blitzer and does a little bit of everything. He’s a complete player.’

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