PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | October, 2014

Prior to the start of the PIAA District One Class AA and Class AAA doubles tournament, the district had to go through some last minute venue and date shuffling before the action even started.

With the dates and venue finally set, the tournament began on October 16th at Legacy Youth Tennis and Education Center and finished on October 18th at the Healthplex in Springfield (Delco).

When the action finished up early Saturday evening it was especially sweet for the doubles teams from Villa Maria Academy and Conestoga High School, who clinched automatic berths in the upcoming PIAA Class AA and Class AAA state tournaments, respectively.

In Class AAA action, the Conestoga duo of senior Kaylee Yan and freshman Amy Zhang knew in order to clinch one of the four automatic berths in the state tournament they would have to take a difficult path that featured the possibility of facing the No. 3 seed of Rylee Power and Emma Clancy from Marple Newtown.

Entering the tournament as the No. 6 seed, Yan and Zhang won their first two matches dropping only three games in four sets. Power and Clancy also did their part winning their first two match-ups to set up the showdown on Saturday with the winner clinching a berth to Hershey.

What was expected to be a close match, things did not start out exactly like everyone may have expected. Power and Clancy opened the first set with a 6-2 win. After making a few adjustments, Yan and Zhang rebounded to win the second set 6-3 setting up a decisive third set.

As expected, the third set went back and fourth before eventually going into a tie-break after Clancy held serve with her and Power trailing 6-5. In the tie-break, Yan and Zhang took control jumping out to a 5-1 lead before posting a 7-2 win that punched their ticket to the state tournament.

“I am so thrilled for the two of them,’ said Conestoga coach Fran Tomaselli. “I am especially happy for Kaylee who is a senior. Her and Amy never gave up and it’s great to see them earn a trip to Hershey.’

Despite the loss, Power and Clancy will return to Legacy on October 22 to try and earn the alternate spot while Yan and Zhang will playoff for the 3rd and 4th spot following their loss to the Garnet Valley tandem of Emma Blake and Marina Zhang in the semi-finals.

In other Class AAA action, Harriton High School’s Gav Rubenstein and Becca Shapiro won their first match upsetting the 12th seeded duo of Chloe Rigogne and Joanna Kwon from Council Rock North before falling to the West Chester Henderson duo of Monica Clark and Harshitha Palegar, the 5th seed.

Lower Merion High School’s Simone Burde and Neve Brennan also won their opening match before falling in the second round to Blake and Zhang.

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MIDDLETOWN — The Penncrest Lions ran into something Tuesday night in their District One Class AAA opener they hadn’t seen all season. The 18th seed from Council Rock North posted three players at the net, all of them standing six feet or taller.

“They put up a great block,’ said Penncrest coach Jennifer Shrader. “It was a matter of us figuring it out.’

In the first game, the Indians’ height made the difference. North blocked Penncrest’s shots at the net. The Lions overhit others in an effort to avoid the tall defenders. But good teams adjust, and Penncrest is a good team.

“We had to play smart on offense,’ Shrader said. “We saw the line was open on the outside. We took advantage.’

After dropping the first set 25-16, the 15th-seeded Lions responded with three straight wins (25-20, 25-18, 25-22) to take a 3-1 home victory.

“We always tend to finish strong,’ said Bridgette Devlin, one of two Penncrest seniors. “Once we got our energy up we knew we’d be fine.’

Devlin so often provided that energy. As the lone libero on the team, Devlin played the entire match, and well. She dove to keep balls alive that otherwise would’ve fallen for points.

“Her energy and leadership keeps that team together,’ said Shrader.

Her outside hitters also turned it on in the final three sets. Sophomore Diana Balta and junior captain Emily Hopkins combined for 31 kills and 40 digs.

“When you have a tall block in front of you, you need to adjust and go around them,’ Hopkins said. “I think the final three games I figured out how to use the blockers for my advantage.’

It showed in the second game. The Lions led from start to finish to regain their confidence. The third set produced a similar result, while the fourth provided the stiffest test for Penncrest. The Lions trailed 19-18, but rallied to take the 25-22 win.

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RIDLEY TWP. — Ridley’s up-tempo offense unofficially ran off a remarkable 66 plays on offense against Strath Haven Friday night at Phil Marion Field, but the Green Raiders could only put 20 points on the scoreboard.

As it turned out it was just enough for Ridley to walk off with a 20-14 win over the Panthers.

With the victory Ridley improved its record to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in Central League play. Strath Haven fell to 0-6.

Obviously the Raiders can only think about their next game which is against Harriton, but head coach Dennis Decker said he told his player to also think about the big picture.

“I told the kids when we were 1-2, we have an opportunity,’ Decker said. “We have three games left. We can run the table, make the playoffs at 8-2 or we can pack it in and have fun and do whatever you want to do. But our kids didn’t quit. They are going to battle you for four quarters now for seven games and they’re giving me everything they have.’

Decker knows he has some things to make right if his team is going to make any noise this year. Three long drives by the Green Raiders ended on downs and one with a fumble.

That cannot happen against the top teams they will face down the road.

“We didn’t execute well offensively,’ Decker said. “We had the ball inside the ten and didn’t score. I didn’t think special teams played particularly well, but defensively they bailed us out and played a big game.’

Strath Haven fell behind 20-6 in the third quarter when Malik Young followed his blocks, including a big one by guard Jesse Leshner, scoring on a 23-yard run.

The Panthers answered by taking advantage of a fumble by Ridley quarterback Jake Hoffman at the Strath Haven 7-yard line and recovering it at the 5.

The Panthers went 95 yards to make the score 20-14. The key plays were a 58-yard run by Dalton Leach and a nine-yard TD run by Nick Milone, his second touchdown of the game.

Both teams had long drives that fizzled to start the fourth quarter.

With under two minutes left in regulation, The Panthers appeared to have one more chance.

Ridley had driven the ball to the Strath Haven 9-yard line where the drive stalled.

The Raiders tried a field goal to ice the game.

But the 26-yard kick by Esteban Munoz was wide left.

Unfortunately the Panthers were flagged for roughing the kicker and a chance for game-winning drive was gone.

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First, he needed to make an interception.

Second — he thought, at least — he was going to have to motion for a medic.

“I really thought,’ he said, with the usual sports embellishment, “I was going to have a heart attack.’

Because he crossed that first item off the list by making his second interception of the night to seal Springfield’s 34-33 victory over Upper Darby with 28 seconds left, Spence was thankful that he didn’t need to worry about Plan B.

With a victory formation and a kneel-down, the 7-0 Cougars knew they would be taking a perfect record into a Central League collision the following Friday against visiting Garnet Valley, both teams at 6-0 in the conference.

By then, however, the Royals (3-4, 3-3) had made Spence’s uneasiness contagious.

“Was I nervous?’ Springfield coach Chris Britton said. “I’m always nervous. Of course I was nervous in this one.’

Linder Divos scored on an 11-yard touchdown run to give Upper Darby a 33-28 lead with 4:32 to play. Already, though, the Royals had become a threat to that Springfield perfection. With two Christoff Minott touchdowns in the first 8:10, including a 64-yard quarterback-keeper, Upper Darby had a 13-0 lead … and Springfield’s attention.

“We knew it would be a tough game,’ Britton said. “We knew with the mismatches, they had some things going in their favor. But they coached a great game. And we’re lucky to get out of here.’

The Cougars took advantage of 229 total yards from quarterback Brian Allen, 119 on the ground, including 66 of the game’s most vital. They came on the first play from scrimmage after the Divos TD, on a keeper right through the gut of the Upper Darby defense.

“I prepared for this my whole life,’ said Allen, who rushed for three touchdowns. “And tonight was one of the greatest games I’ve ever played. This was a team effort, all around. No one gave up. No one put their heads down. We fought back and battled.’

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A 6-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Brandon Jones to senior receiver Malik Ward with 10 seconds to go gave Lower Merion a 14-10 win against Harriton at Arnold Field Saturday afternoon.

Jones said, “We ran four verticals [with our receivers], and [Ward] cut in, and I hit him on the break. He was right there to make the catch, and I give a lot of thanks to my [offensive] line [for the touchdown].’

Lower Merion head coach Bryan Scopelliti said, “We usually don’t use that play down at the goal line, but during the [prior] timeout, [the coaching staff and Jones] talked about using that play, and Brandon was confident it would work.’

The Aces controlled the ball for much of the second half, running 36 plays to Harriton’s 17, thanks to its offensive line — junior left tackle Mike Berg, junior left guard Tanner Eisenhardt, junior center Jake Weinberg, junior right guard Oscar Wegbreit and junior right tackle Ryan McConnell.Scopelliti said, “I tell the team, and particularly the offensive line, to be like stonecutters – if we keep hitting, they’ll eventually crack. Our offensive line was tough today.’

Lower Merion junior running back Isaac Iglesias, who Scopelliti calls “a tough runner,’ helped the Aces control the ball with 94 yards in 22 carries.

The Lower Merion coach praised his entire defensive squad: “Defensively, every we could have given [an award] to the whole defense, because they all did the job out there — we knew we had to do the job out there today, because we know how good [junior quarterback Patrick] Stewart is.’

Stewart was coming off a 32-27 win against Penncrest in which he threw for 323 yards. And in the opening drive against Lower Merion Saturday, he hit four passes as the Rams moved downfield for a first down at the Lower Merion 15. But they could not bring home a score from there.

Harriton head coach Justin Mellor said, “We didn’t finish our drives today, and we couldn’t run the ball [consistently]. But I give Lower Merion credit — they come to play every week, and they [earned the win] today. I told [my players] after the game to put [this game] behind them, and to start focusing on our next game.’

After a scoreless first quarter, Lower Merion got a lift when junior defensive back Marquis Gee intercepted a pass at the Harriton 33 yard line. The Aces faced a fourth-and-two at the Harriton 25, but the Rams committed a personal foul that gave Lower Merion a first down at the 12. Iglesias burst up the middle down to the one-yard line, and Jones plunged into the end zone to give the Aces a 6-0 lead with 7:45 to go before halftime.

Late in the first half, a Harriton drive fizzled at midfield and a Ram punt put the ball at the Lower Merion 6. The Aces couldn’t move the ball, and a punt was followed by a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Lower Merion that gave the Rams the ball at the LM 19.

Two plays later, Stewart hit senior wide receiver Jordan O’Donnell for a 19-yard touchdown down the left sideline to give the visitors a 7-6 lead going into the locker room at halftime.

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SPRINGFIELD — Adam Krauter gave his version of a motivational speech late in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon.

The All-Delco linebacker and Springfield leader kept it short and sweet on the sideline before the Cougars defense would hit the field and came up with another remarkable defensive stand against Garnet Valley.

“Hey — let’s go!’ Krauter shouted. “This will be the biggest stop we’re going to have all year.’

The defense rose to the occasion every time, enabling Springfield to celebrate a historic 7-0 victory. The Cougars (8-0, 7-0) are all alone at the top of the Central League standings with two weeks to go in the regular season.

“Everyone was bringing their pads, bringing their leather on every single play,’ Krauter said. “I’ve never seen our team come together this way and just play out of our minds and give 110 percent. It sounds cliche, but I believe everyone gave 110 percent today.’

Garnet Valley drove the ball to the Springfield 21-yard line on its final possession. With one minute to play, junior Pat Smyth intercepted Garnet Valley quarterback Steve Flanagan on a fly route, sealing the greatest win for a Springfield football team in probably 20 years.

“I knew they were going to run the play, it was just a matter of time,’ Smyth said. “I just made my drops, did what I was supposed to do and the ball came to me.’

Make no mistake, this game was won by Springfield’s defense. Pure and simple. Linemen Brian Layden, Matt Cella, Joe Sweeney, Charlie Carbin and Dan Archibong gave Garnet Valley’s big, physical and talented O-linemen the fits. The Cougars got plenty of penetration and disrupted the Jaguars’ triple-option offense. It was all-hands-on-deck for the Cougars, and they delivered superior results. In particular, Layden was a mad man. The defense was buzzing the entire day, less than 24 hours after the game was postponed due to an electrical failure inside Springfield’s athletic stadium.

The extra rest did the Cougars some good.

“I woke up three or four times during the night. It was extremely hard,’ Krauter said. “At the end of the day, we still had to play a game. We just came to play. It gave us an extra few hours to prepare. ”

Springfield’s Dylan Power unleashed a hard tackle — think Sheldon Brown on Reggie Bush — on Garnet Valley wide receiver Jake Buttermore with three minutes to play, forcing the Jags to turn the ball over on downs for the fifth time. Moments later, after the Cougars offense stalled, Power came up clutch on special teams with a long punt that pinned Garnet Valley back on its 24-yard-line. While the Jags’ no-huddle offense eventually found the red zone — but never the end zone — Power’s boot put them in a tough spot from the get-go.

Everyone who suited up for Springfield found a way to contribute.

“Today was all about assignment football. If we could keep our assignments, we knew we could stop their offense,’ fullback/linebacker Ricky Sterling said. “We just kept pushing each other. We’re a great defense and we play as one.’

Springfield quarterback Brian Allen would be the first to admit the Cougars offense should have had a better performance Saturday. But Allen and Co. made the Jaguars pay on one particular play, and sometimes that’s all it takes.

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The senior goalie, who has posted nine shutouts (as of Oct. 13), recorded three 1-0 shutouts in a week, against powerful Methacton (with six saves), Garnet Valley (five saves) and Avon Grove. Against Avon Grove, he scored the only goal of the game on a 40-yard free kick, then saved a penalty kick with five minutes to go. Last fall, Rosenbaum, a first team All-Main Line selection and first team All-Central League goalie, posted 16 shutouts for the Aces, who were undefeated in the regular season.

Main Line Media News: You had three shutouts in one week, all 1-0 wins, against Garnet Valley, Avon Grove and Methacton. Is there one save that you made during those three games that stands out in your memory? Was it the penalty kick you saved against Avon Grove with five minutes to go? Can you describe how the play unfolded?

Will Rosenbaum: The penalty kick in the waning moments of Avon Grove was probably my favorite in that three game series. Avon Grove had done a great job of holding us off the entire game, but I was fortunate to find the back of the net on a free kick. We were preserving a 1-0 lead when the penalty was given. Everyone had stepped up at some point during that game, so I knew that it was my turn to do the same. I picked a side, and I was fortunate to guess correctly and make the save.

Main Line Media News: As a goalie, does on-field communication with the defense play a big role in your success? Can you give us an example?

Will Rosenbaum: I would venture to say that on-field communication has been the reason for my success. I have always received a lot of credit for shutouts and low goals-against averages, but the fact of the matter is that I would be nowhere without the boys in front of me. Just as they have been able to help me, I have been able to help them, though. The nature of the goalkeeper position allows me to see the entire field and to see things that may not be clear to someone in the back line. I think that the best example of this is when I alert my backs to the presence of an off-the-ball run that may otherwise go unchecked.

Main Line Media News: Who have been your most influential mentors as a soccer goalie? What has been the most important thing you have learned from each of them?

Will Rosenbuam: In 15 years of playing, naturally, I have had a myriad of coaches. Each has taught me something valuable that I incorporate into my play. I have learned that high school soccer is a completely different beast than club soccer and ODP (Olympic Development Program), and that the game requires a very particular understanding and awareness. These understandings have come from coaches Jorge and Nico Severini.

Main Line Media News: What, to you, has been the most memorable save of your Lower Merion soccer career? Can you describe that save for us?

Will Rosenbaum: Last year when we played Strath Haven, we had posted seven straight shutouts to begin the season. With that in mind, Haven came out very strong in the opening moments. Off of the tap, they played a long ball that found a striker’s feet at the corner of the box. From there he dribbled towards the end-line (still in the box) to try and get a cross off. I left my line and made a breakaway save, which resulted in a corner. On the ensuing play, Haven hit a long corner that was headed back across the face of the goal where it found the head of another player just outside of the six. I had been shuffling across my line to keep myself in a good position. The ball was headed towards the top corner; I went airborne and tipped the ball over the crossbar.

Main Line Media News: What, to you, has been the most memorable experience in your soccer career outside of Lower Merion High School?

Will Rosenbaum: Lower Merion Soccer Club offers goalkeeper training to its travel team players. When I was younger, in addition to the regular team trainings I had with the Lower Merion Lightning, I would frequently attend goalkeeper training. Recently, LMSC has been generous enough to take me on as a goalkeeper coach. Working with kids at these trainings has been especially meaningful to me because I was in their shoes about a decade earlier.

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The season passed the halfway point last week. Seven weeks of play have been completed with six (or more ahead depending how deep into the playoffs various local teams go) yet to be played. Drama is building up on several fronts.  To begin with, both Springfield and Garnet Valley kept their perfect Central League records (6-0) intact making for, appropriately enough, the perfect showdown this coming Friday night when the two teams square off at the Cougars’ home turf at Leamy Avenue Field. To add even more intrigue and suspense to this fascinating showdown both teams showed vulnerability this past weekend while escaping with victories.

Springfield trailed a resilient Upper Darby team by five points deep into the fourth quarter. It looked as if the rugged Royals were going to pull an upset of monumental proportions before a delirious crowd at Memorial Field. However, the Cougars rallied for a touchdown to pull out a thrilling 34-33 win.

While that drama was playing out in Drexel Hill Garnet Valley was very uneven in an error-prone 28-7 triumph over a 1-6 Penncrest club. Even though the Jaguars were never in any real trouble their erratic play was disconcerting, especially heading in to this crucial match up against their biggest competition for the Central League title.

Meanwhile, in other key contests, Haverford (5-2 overall; 4-1 Central League) clearly remains in both the Central League hunt as well as the PIAA playoff competition on the strength of its solid 21-0 victory over Radnor last week. Several of the crucial contributors to this win were players whom Gallagher singled out during his preseason analysis.

“Danny Boyce is a very capable player and Nick Costello is a player who will tear the league up. Jack Donaghy is going to be a special player,” noted the Ford coach.

Boyce and Costelllo snared several important catches from the steady arm of their quarterback Donaghy. The latter has just continued to improve since he broke in as the starting signal caller for Haverford his freshman year. The rock solid junior continues to lead and inspire the Fords.  Just a whisper away from Haverford in the standings are the Ridley Green Raiders (5-2 overall; 4-2 league) who had to hold off a determined Strath Haven club, 20-14.

Friday, Oct. 17
Garnet Valley at Springfield, 7 p.m.

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RIDLEY TWP. —  Last Thursday, Garnet Valley bested Strath Haven in a three-set match that could have gone five to clinch the Central League regular-season title. Anyone who felt robbed of great volleyball six days ago was rewarded Wednesday night in a championship rematch at Ridley High School. In five scintillating games, the Jaguars outlasted the Panthers, 25-27, 25-21, 25-22, 22-25 and 16-14 to claim a 3-2 victory.

The rivals treated the lead like the ball — they traded it back and forth like it was part of the game. Strath Haven appeared to grab the momentum with a late rally in the fourth set. The Panthers, facing elimination, trailed the Jaguars, 20-16. But spurred on by two Bree Fisher aces, the visitors closed with a 9-2 run to force a fifth set.

In that frame, the Panthers rolled out to a 5-0 lead. Garnet Valley coach Mark Clark called timeout to settle down the girls. Only, he said nothing. Jenna Hostetler spoke up before her coach could utter a word.

“She gave one of the best motivational speeches I’ve ever heard,’ Clark said. “I’m going to use it again.’

What did she say exactly?

“It’s a now-or-never type of feeling. We’ve got to stick together because this is what we’ve been working for all season,’ Hostetler said. “We have a lot of heart.’

It worked. The Jaguars earned the next seven points on their way to a critical, and championship-winning, 16-14 set victory.

At one point, Strath Haven coach Kevin Haney, even as his team surrendered yet another advantage, admired what he was watching.

“I caught myself midway through the fifth game just enjoying it,’ Haney said. “You forget how much fun it is coaching in a championship. I was so happy that we had a chance.’

Each set featured ties into the final five points. Garnet Valley and Strath Haven were even on the scoreboard 14 times in the second game alone. Both teams refused to back down. It made for a long evening.

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