PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | January, 2015

RIDLEY — Through the fall, two things stood out most prominently about Brian Layden: That the Springfield senior was so drastically undersized as a nose tackle, and that opposing offensive lineman had no chance at corralling him on the way to the quarterback.

But from time to time among his Cougars teammates, mention of Layden’s other sport would crop up.

“Yeah, it comes up a lot actually,’ Layden said with a knowing laugh last week before practice at Ridley High School. “Because I’m very small and play defensive lineman, if I messed up, I’d hear, ‘˜how about you get back on the diving board, Bri?’ And I was like, ‘˜yeah, thanks guys. That’s helpful.”

From being a standout defensive lineman in the fall, Layden has stepped seamlessly into his other area of sporting expertise: Diving, a pairing that isn’t the most natural.

A year ago, Layden qualified for the District One championships, finishing 16th and coming up short of the top-10 finished required for a states berth. This season, Layden is the pace-setter among a very strong Central League contingent, his score of 277.96 from a dual meet two weeks ago breaking the Springfield program record.

His success last winter transitioned into a stellar football season, in which Layden — despite the 5-9, 155-pound stature that draws a brief eye roll from Layden through the sheer repetition with which it’s been recited to him — recorded 21 quarterback sacks, believed to be the most in Delco history. The All-Delco was an integral cog in Springfield’s fearsome defense, which mauled the Central League into submission with a 10-0 regular season and earned a place in the District One Class AAA championship game.

Despite his success on the gridiron, diving isn’t a passing fancy for Layden. His diving creation story is pretty common: From days horsing around with friends at the Ridley Township Swim Club, Layden quickly discovered a real aptitude for the sport.

Click HERE to read the remainder of the article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

RIDLEY — Drew Hanna was braced Saturday for what he called “a typical dogfight against Ridley.’ In the end, the host Green Raiders proved to be the side better equipped to pull out a hard-fought win. Behind 19 points each from Nick Czechowicz and Brett Foster, the Green Raiders captured a 64-48 victory that could prove vital in the Central League standings. How the teams arrived at that final was befitting the dog-eat-dog nature of the Central League this season. The teams battled through three technical fouls, a slew of hard fouls near the basket and an increasingly heated atmosphere in a game that was questionably officiated at best. As much as the emotions see-sawed, the players also dealt with the ebb and flow of runs back and forth in a hectic game.

“You’ve definitely got to keep your composure,’ Czechowicz said. “When you get an energy play like a fast-break layup or a block or something, it keeps building up, the momentum. Then you get a stop on defense and each player just plays off each other.’

Penncrest orchestrated a 9-0 run, capped by Mike Doyle’s three-point play on a runner to the hoop that gave the Lions a 23-22 lead with 2:30 left in the half. That, however, would be the last time Penncrest (11-5, 6-4) would lead. Ridley closed the half on a 6-0 run, four of the points coming from Julian Wing. That run grew to 12-0 out of the break, and a Foster step-back 3-pointer a few possessions later put the Green Raiders up, 37-25.

“I’m just trying to help my team be aggressive,’ Foster said. “They were coming back on us then, so I just wanted to expand the lead again.’

Doyle, who scored 14 points, led the charge in the fourth to get the Lions to within two at 43-41, a 16-6 run since Foster’s triple. But with Foster back in the game, Ridley closed the game by scoring 21 of the final 27 points, including nine from Ameer Staggs thanks to his work on the offensive glass.

A large part of the equation was Ridley’s defense, with its long and agile defenders preventing Penncrest from executing its screening, catch-and-shoot offense. They limited the Lions to just 6-for-18 from 3-point land, including 0-for-6 for Doyle, while they limited Carroll, Penncrest’s leading 3-point shooter, to just one attempt from the field in the first half.

“They get up and pressure the ball, but we knew coming into the game that off ball screens, they’re going to double and we can always look for the slip,’ point guard Hanna said. “It didn’t always work to our favor because they always had help defense on the back side, but I’ll give them credit. They did their jobs; we didn’t do ours.’

Part of that job was maintaining calm amid a crazy game in the middle of a crazy league. That job was certainly best performed Saturday by Foster and company.

“You have to be poised, have composure and just keep my teammates calm so that we can make the right plays and make it easier on ourselves,’ Foster said.

Click HERE to read the entire article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

CONCORD — In what has the makings of a banner year for boys diving in the Central League, meets involving Garnet Valley have featured some of Delaware County’s best divers. The only catch is that not all of them have been on the board. The Jaguars have an unusual and enviable predicament this season: With a 14-strong male diving contingent, 11 of whom have achieved cuts for the Central League Championships and four of whom have qualified for the District One Championships, each dual meet features a handful of serviceable divers filling the role of spectators. With teams limited to three entrants in a dual-meet diving event, competitors that would be automatic selections for most other teams are often left to await their turn, relegated to the role of scorekeeper or cheerleader. It’s a board-sharing arrangement that is only possible through the cohesiveness of the squad.

Each meet, diving coach Ron Leraris makes the call on who will compete. Leraris said that there’s some consideration with swim coach Clark Bickling about how vital the diving score is to the meet result, but ultimately the decision of which diving options to deploy rests primarily with Leraris, who weighs various factors like commitment and performance in practice. He’s freed somewhat knowing that in many meets, any selection from his stable of divers can do the job of scoring points for the Jags. There’s no shortage of options. Dean Allred, who competed at districts last season, has the group’s top score this season at 214.70. Nigel Moore, John Fitzpatrick and Gray McKee are also into districts this season, each over the 190-point cut and among the top 13 scorers in the Central League.

Five divers — Fitzpatrick, McKee, Allred, junior Dillon Smart and senior Andy Crisp, the Jags’ fifth-leading scorer — have won competitions in dual meets this season.

The divers have managed to harness the competition as a positive motivator, something Leraris credits to their self-motivation and the maturity of a senior-heavy group. The scarcity of meets puts a premium on performance in practice, driving the athletes to make the most of chances to state their cases.

“There’s a lot of dedication,’ McKee said last week after a meet with Ridley. “Everybody has to come to all the practices, and we’re lucky that we get to do two diving boards at a time, so it’s split sort of even. We have a great coach who helps us with everything, and everyone just gives it their all. When it’s their time, they get to go up and show what they’ve got.’

“My teammates help me out a ton,’ Allred said. “I always get critiques from my coach and also from the kids that are around me because they’re all unbelievable divers. It’s a great environment.’

Divers that have their cuts are more concerned with getting in the practice time to ready their programs for Centrals and Districts. The entire squad wears as a badge of honor the number of divers qualified for the postseason, and the desire to see their peers join them at Centrals or Districts mitigates the disappointment of not competing. The postseason offers more freedom for the Jaguars’ full contingent. There’s no limit to the number of divers a team can enter into a meet like the Central League Championships, which will approach a dozen. District One constrains teams to four diving entries per gender, which means no decisions have to be made yet on who goes. The hope among the Jaguars is that the sacrifice and deference in the regular season will pay dividends in the postseason meets.

“It’s really exciting,’ McKee said. “We’re all happy that we’re lucky enough to get this many kids who can go to Centrals and Districts, and we just try to get as many kids as we can to this spot.’

Click HERE to read the entire article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

It was the summer of 2004 when Mike Doyle got the kind of offer many coaches dream of. Fresh off an unbeaten regular season and a run to the Elite Eight, Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli offered Doyle, wrapping up his first season at the helm of Penncrest, a job on his staff. The position represented a chance for Doyle to return to Hawk Hill, the basketball family he’d married into, where he’d spent nine seasons on three coaches’ staffs. For most coaches, it would’ve been an easy decision, to work again for the reigning Associated Press national Coach of the Year. After careful deliberation of the benefits and drawbacks, though, one item in particular led him to decline.

“I made a positive and negative list,’ Doyle said this week after a Penncrest practice, “and I think one of the big things on that positive list was the ability to coach my son.’

The McCormicks are meticulous about forging a line between court and home, dictating when interactions are between father and son or coach and player. For the Doyles, the line faded long ago.

“It’s our life,’ Doyle Sr. said. “We talk about basketball. We go home, we watch basketball. Those boundaries, it’s like people say, ‘ oh you don’t discuss it on the car ride home.’ The whole car ride home, we’re talking about the game.’

One of the biggest apprehensions Doyle Sr. harbored in piloting his son’s high school career was the immense responsibility he felt not to squander the innumerable hours Mike Jr. had put in to reach this level. Their relationship was occasionally contentious in Mike’s freshman and sophomore seasons, but the son’s increasing maturity and ability to see his father’s viewpoints have lessened the squabbles.

“He’s a yeller as a coach, and that’s just the kind of person he is,’ Doyle Jr. said. “And I would always yell back at him. Even if he was right and I was right, I would always yell back. Now I kind of let him coach me, and I’m like, ‘ OK, why don’t we try this.’ I won’t yell back. I’ll kind of let him coach me.’

Despite the challenges, each player appreciates the rarity of his on-court relationship with his dad and believe it’s brought them closer. Even with the adversity along the way, the fathers agree.

“It’s also something I wouldn’t give back,’ McCormick Sr. said. “… I would never trade it, these three years. I certainly wish we had more victories, but that’s not the be all and end all. It’s the experiences, with Kevin and his friends.’

Doyle illustrates what he calls the “most rewarding thing that I’ve ever done in my basketball career’ with an anecdote, from last year’s win over defending state champion Lower Merion, one of the best wins in the program’s recent history.

“(Mike) hit a big 3 that on film, we’re up with two with 40 seconds to go, and I’m like, ‘ what’s he doing?,” Doyle said. “And it goes in, game over, the crowd storms the court. And he came up to me and the first thing he did was he hugged me and said, ‘ we did it dad. We did it.’

“You just don’t get those moments, and I wouldn’t trade it for all the games at St. Joe’s.’

Click HERE to read the entire article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

HAVERFORD — Garnet Valley junior Nina Gambacorta spent the last two winters as a member of the school’s swimming team. She started training seriously in the shot put after her sophomore year, and Wednesday she took part in the Delaware County Girls Indoor Track and Field Championships at Haverford College for the first time. Gambacorta’s second throw sailed 41 feet, 10 inches, and easily gave her her first gold medal. She became the fourth Delco thrower to pass the 40-foot mark indoors, joining Ridley’s Joylyn Brown, Karen Shump of Penncrest Anna McCloskey of Cardinal O’Hara in going past 40 feet indoors.

“I had a throw of 39 feet, 11½ inches earlier this season,’ Gambacorta said. “That really made me want to work to get past 40 feet. Now that I’ve done that, my goal would be to try to reach 45 feet.’

Gambacorta has been training with former Glen Mills Schools coach Barry Swanson, who also worked with Shump during the time that the Penncrest standout earned four consecutive outdoor state championships in the shot.

“He’s really helping drive me to be better,’ Gambacorta said. “Speed and strength are a big part of it, but I know I have to concentrate on getting my form to be better. I’m just trying to be more comfortable.”

Penncrest junior Alicia Collier took first place in the 55- and 200-meter dashes and anchored the Lions’ team that included Mariah Kozub, Brianna Artis and Zoe Gabel to victory in the 4 x 200 relay.

“After finishing second to a girl from Penn Wood two years in a row in the 55, I really wanted that one tonight,’ Collier said. “In the trials, I was the last one out of the blocks, but I just wanted to make it to the final. In the 200 I wanted to get out the best I could, and I did. The 4 x 200 we wanted good handoffs and a good time. I really felt like I could run another race after that, one, but it was all right that I was done then.”

Penncrest’s Katie Arbogast claimed first place in the 400-meter dash in 1:00.01 and helped the Lions close out the meet with a victory in the 4 x 400.

“I had a (personal best) 58.9 at the (New York City) Armory last week,’ Arbogast said. “I’ve been running better than I expected. I’m really hoping to medal at states, and we want to get our relays there, too.’

Ridley’s team of juniors Jess Higgins and Kelly McGeehan, senior Brianna Wallen and freshman Jamie Green held off Strath Haven and Penncrest to take first place in the distance medley relay. Green and Haven junior Maia Mesyngier were a stride apart as they started the final lap, then Green gradually increased the lead, winning by more than three seconds.

“I didn’t really know where she was,’ Green said of Mesyngier. “I could hear my coaches and my dad (James) yelling. I just wanted to run as fast as I could. We came here trying for a good place. Actually, we came here to get first place.”

Upper Darby’s Joanne Mason was the gold medal winner in the 55 hurdles and triple jump.

Click HERE to read the entire article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

The senior 145-pounder and team co-captain posted a 10-1 record with seven falls the week following Christmas. He finished second at the Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament, then posted a 5-0 record at the Ram Duals hosted by Harriton, winning all of his matches by fall. Last winter, he posted a fine 20-13 record. He was named to the Central League Pennsylvania All-Academic Wrestling Team, and won the Diamond in the Rough Award for wrestling in 2012. Fink has some impressive accomplishments off the wrestling mat as well — he’s a National Honor Society Member; a three-year member of the Harriton Stock Club, winning the 2012 mock portfolio contest for that club; a member of the Harriton Physics Olympics Team 2013 and 2014, winning a medal for his designs this past year; and won the 2013 American Mathematics Competition with the highest math score in the competition for all of Harriton High School.

Main Line Media News: What do you think has been the biggest reason for your recent success?

Victor Fink: Honestly I think it is a mix of my development as a wrestler, and finally falling into the correct weight class. In all 11 matches, even the one I lost, I was able to secure the first takedown of the match. That gives me momentum and a big advantage at the beginning of the match. In wrestling, a lot of close matches will end 3-2, and the deciding factor is the first takedown. I have been a dominant neutral wrestler, something I’ve always strived to be, as I have won the Takedown King award all three seasons with the team. To go along with that, I have been able to pin a lot of opponents, something I’m not really used to. Only a third of the way through the season, I already have more pins than I did last year. This is because I am finally in the correct weight class. Last year I wrestled 145 as well, when I probably should have been at 138. This year I’m at 145 again, but I’m a stronger, tougher wrestler than last year. It takes a lot of strength along with technique to pin someone, and in years past I’ve always been the weaker wrestler in the match.

Main Line Media News: What (to you) has been your best match so far this season? What to you was the key moment of that match — can you describe it for us?

Victor Fink: The best match of the season for me was my second match at the Jim Thorpe Invitational, against a wrestler from North Schuylkill high School. I was going against a stronger wrestler, yet I was able to secure two takedowns during the match, never allowing him to score from neutral. The key moment was the first takedown with short time in the first period, giving me a lead I never let go of. I had great shot defense, and the only time I was on bottom, I was able to score quickly in the period. At the end of the match I successfully fended off his final attacks, giving me a close win 7-5.

Main Line Media News: Can you tell us a little about the Diamond in the Rough Award — what did it mean to you to win that?

Victor Fink: The Diamond in the Rough Award is a scholarship award that recognizes a wrestler that the coaches believe has the potential to develop into a very strong wrestler. My freshman year, I went 12-22, with four forfeits, meaning I really only won eight matches. I was regularly matched up against bigger more experienced wrestlers, and i was unable to escape from anyone on bottom. Even through a lot of failure, I was named takedown king, meaning I had the most takedowns of everyone on the team. I showed that I had good neutral technique, and the quickness to get in deep on my shots. The Diamond in the Rough Award meant that I could build off my neutral positioned base, and turn into the strong wrestler I am today.

Main Line Media News: What was the most important thing you learned last year in the postseason, at the Central League Tournament?

Victor Fink: Sectionals, or for us [Central League wrestlers] the Central League Tournament, has taught me a lot, not only last year, but the year before as well. The biggest lesson that Sectionals taught me is to expect the unexpected. Both my sophomore and junior years, I went into a match with one loss on the day, where if I won I went to Districts, but if I lost I would be going home. In both scenarios I faced an unexpected opponent. Neither had I seen during the regular season. Last year’s opponent from Penncrest had been injured during most of the season, and in my sophomore year, my opponent from Springfield had been suspended. Neither had wrestled many matches that year, and both were seeded lower than I was. My sophomore year, the wrestler turned out to be a senior with only one loss on the season. He not only upset me, but beat two more wrestlers to place third in the tournament, as the ninth seed. Last year, the wrestler turned out to be their captain, and after a close match he eked out the win. This year I will enter the tournament expecting the worst, and hopefully I will emerge successful.

Main Line Media News: What do you think is the strongest aspect of your wrestling? What aspect of your wrestling are you working on the most currently?

Victor Fink: The strongest aspect of my wrestling is at the neutral position. I have been takedown king all three years on the team, and I have won the neutral battle in all 11 matches this year. I work on my shot, and try to dominate on my feet. I have worked to be able to attack both legs, with a series of different takedowns. I also strive on shot defense, scoring a lot of points after defending an opponent’s initial shot.

Main Line Media News: What is your favorite class in school? What do you think you might like to major in at college? Will you be attending MIT, or are you considering other colleges as well? Is there a career path that particularly interests you at the present time?

Victor Fink: My favorite class in school is physics. I have taken both AP Physics Mechanics and Electromagnetism. I have always enjoyed math, but I lose interest in some of the abstract parts. Physics allowed me to take math and apply it to real world situations. What makes it enjoyable as well is that it came very easily to me, and I excel in the class. Other than MIT, the only other school I am looking at is the University of Pennsylvania. I don’t know if I will be accepted there yet, but I’m not going to make a decision until I visit MIT for a weekend later this winter. I’m going to major in engineering, but I don’t really have a specific major or career path I am committed to yet.

Victor Fink’s favorites

Book: Series titled “A Song of Ice and Fire,’ written by George R.R. Martin.

TV show: Game of Thrones.

Movie: “I don’t really have a favorite movie, but I’ve always been a big fan of both Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. I also loved the Dark Night Batman movies.’

Pre-match pump-up song: “I don’t have a favorite pre-match pump up song. In fact I change my warm up music every match depending on how I’m feeling.’

Person I most admire: “My dad and my grandfather. I have tried to model my life after them, and I hope to turn out like them when I’m older.’

Team: Philadelphia Eagles.

Place to visit: “Florence, Italy — mostly because I love pasta.’

Click HERE to read the entire article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

CONCORD — As she stepped onto the pool deck at Garnet Valley Tuesday, Skyler Berardi’s plan was just to watch and cheer. In the push-and-pull she’s undertaken for the last four years, the Garnet Valley senior knew that this week, with the Delco Championships just 24 hours away, indoor track would take precedence over swimming. But when she saw her Jaguars in a pitched battle with Ridley after the diving break and heard the offhand suggestion of coach Clark Bickling that, ‘˜hey, we’ve got an extra suit hanging around,’ well she couldn’t resist. Berardi jumped in to anchor the Jaguars’ winning 200 freestyle relay, then led off the victorious 400 free relay to help GV to a 104-82 win.

The result was the reverse in the boys meet, with Ridley topping the hosts, 96-88.

Tuesday’s division of time has been par for the course for Berardi. The Colgate track signee enters Delcos Wednesday with the fastest mile time in the county this season. As a freshman and sophomore, waiting for the spring outdoor season was enough to satisfy her obligations on the track, allowing the winter to be devoted to swimming.

As the recruiting process ramped up, though, the value of the indoor track season and a winter’s worth of training became apparent to Berardi and her prospective college coaches. Now, most of her training during the swim season — including about a half hour of light practice earlier Tuesday afternoon prepping for Delcos — occurs out of the pool, and while there’s plenty of overlap in aerobic training, each has its particulars that allow someone like Berardi to perform at such high levels.

Then there’s the emotional connection to the swim team that Berardi hasn’t been able to maintain. While she enjoys being a track co-captain, it’s different — not better or worse — than the position of leadership she’s occupied in the pool.

“The hardest thing, I think, is how much I miss being on the swim team full time,’ she said. “I’m so close to so many of the people here. Obviously I still see them, but it’s just so different because swimming has always been such a big part of my life.’

Those emotions meant Tuesday, with her team nursing a two-point lead and looking for boost, she couldn’t help but volunteer.

“This is still so much my team,’ she said. “I feel a sense of ownership of it a little bit. I want to make sure that we do as well as we can, and if that means swimming in a few extra relays, that’s what I’ll do.’

It came at a perfect time, too. Sans Berardi, it wasn’t often that a Jaguar got her hand to the wall first. Prior to the relay triumph, only Jordan Stansfield in the 100 free and diver Morgan Kovatch had managed to win. The relay — where Berardi (dubbed by Stansfield as the team’s “secret weapon’) joined Stansfield, Jenna Buttermore and Lucy Townend — ballooned the lead to eight points at 74-66. When Buttermore captured the 100 ******, the Jags were able to hit the 94-point plateau and clinch the win before the concluding relay.

Click HERE to read the remainder of the article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

HAVERFORD — With the seconds ticking away on another Haverford victory, sophomore forward Brianna Blair dove to the ground for one last rebound as if would make a difference. A miniscule detail in a 59-43 win over Upper Darby, but indicative of what this year’s Fords team is all about. Play to the final buzzer, no matter what the scoreboard says. Senior wing Rosie O’Halloran bought into that mindset last year, when she transferred in from Bonner-Prendergast along with junior guard Mollie Reynolds, to play under coach Bridget DiCave. The Fords (11-1) went from Central League cellar dweller to District One playoff qualifier last season. In 2014-15, Haverford finds itself in the middle of a heated race for the top spot in the Central League.

Friday’s blowout over Upper Darby (1-11) is not the measuring stick. The true test begins next week, when the Fords enter the murderer’s row stretch of their Central League schedule: Strath Haven (home), Conestoga (away), Marple Newtown (away) and Garnet Valley (home). Haverford faces Garnet Valley and Conestoga twice each before the end of the year. As the hottest team in Delco, Haverford has reeled off 11 consecutive victories. The success has not been a surprise.

“No, not really,’ said O’Halloran, who netted a team-high 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting. “We’ve been practicing hard since the beginning and I think that playing together last year, even though we lost a lot of seniors, our varsity has been really the same. We play well together and enjoy playing as a team.’ Reynolds, one of the best pure point guards in the county, finished with nine points and five steals. Haverford was in control from the outset and the outcome was never in doubt.

The Fords, impressively, had eight assists on their first eight made baskets.

“They’re a team that runs the floor well,’ second-year UD coach Diamon Beckford said of the Fords, who led by as many as 24 points. “They have a group of kids that play together well and it’s one of those things where it’s hard to key in on one player. It’s pick your poison. You can try to stop No. 14 (Reynolds), she’s the engine that makes them run. Trying to stop her is our main focus, but then you see their other kids start to step.’

Click HERE to read the remainder of the article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

NEWTOWN SQUARE — Springfield coach Kevin McCormick wanted his team to have a quick start in overtime of Friday’s Central League contest against Marple Newtown. In a four-minute game, he said, anything can happen. Well, his Cougars had a quick start. And it didn’t stop until the clock hit zero. They won, 69-59, holding Marple Newtown to two points in the extra session. Brian McCloskey, a reserve senior forward, connected on a three-point play on the opening possession of overtime to set the tone. He added another bucket later on to push the lead to five, then Springfield’s defense and foul shooting iced the game. The Cougars (6-6 overall, 3-4 league) outscored Marple Newtown (6-7, 3-4) 12-2 in overtime.

“Took us extra minutes,’ McCloskey said, “but we got it done.’

McCloskey had nine points. Kevin McCormick, the coach’s son, had 11 before fouling out. With big man Quideer Wimes in foul trouble, those two stepped up. So did Jordan Collins. The 6-3 senior center went for a team-high 25 points and controlled the pace down low. He hit two free throws down the stretch. He hit a smooth turnaround jumper from the low block to give Springfield a 56-55 lead with 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Collins was clutch and never let the moment get to him. With his team coming off two loses and with Wimes and the younger McCormick in foul trouble, he knew what he needed to do.

“Stand up for the team,’ Collins said. “Get to the rim more, try not to settle as much.’

Collins, the nephew of former Penn Wood and Lafayette star Frank Barr, knew that Springfield had the size advantage. Marple Newtown’s front line barely touches six feet, if that. The Cougars, and Collins, took advantage.

“Jordan recognizes it’s his time to step up,’ the elder McCormack said. “He just did a phenomenal job.’

The same could be said for McCloskey, who played his most extended minutes of the season. He’s been battling a knee injury, but that wasn’t evident Friday, especially with two key players stapled to the bench.

“I gotta step up, I’m a senior,’ McCloskey said. “I’ve got to take charge of my team, lead them.’

Click HERE to read the remainder of the article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

In Division I:

Hunter Small had quite the crowd chasing him Saturday, and the result was a state meet qualifying time. The Garnet Valley senior turned in a time of 51.83 to win gold in the Division I 400-meter dash at the Track and Field Coaches Association of Greater Philadelphia Meet No. 4. Just behind Small was Haverford’s Justin Moscoe (52.33) and Chester’s Kamil Jihad (53.65), both in Meet of Champions qualifying times.

There was also a 1-2-3 Delco finish in the shot put, with Nataar Henderson of Upper Darby claiming gold ahead of Haverford’s Stephen Pierce and Chester’s Khalaf Jihad.

Haverford’s Tyler Green won the 200 in an MOC time of 24.02,  while Chester’s Ryan Rucker also achieved an MOC cut en route to gold in the 800, with Haverford James Abrahams third and GV’s Jack Armand fourth.

The best relay finish among the Delco boys came via Upper Darby, which finished third in the 4×800.

In Division II:

On the track, Strath Haven’s 4 x 400 relay claimed a win in a MOC time, two spots ahead of Glen Mills. Distance medley runnerup Radnor qualified for the Meet of Champions. Springfield’s Liam Galligan booked an MOC berth with his silver in the mile. His teammate Justin Miller was second in the 3,000. Strath Haven’s Nick Milone was third in the 55-meter dash.

Girls Indoor Track

Garnet Valley’s distance medley relay of Skyler Berardi, Diana DeMaio, Julia Hellman and Amanda Kodis turned in a time of 12 minutes, 55.72 seconds to lead the Jaguars to a win in the Delaware Valley Girls Track and Field Coaches Association Meet No. 4 late Friday night. They needed all that speed, just narrowly topping the Cardinal O’Hara squad of Elizabeth Mancini, Eleanor Mancini, Uloma Onyemachi and Sara Hayes. Strath Haven took fifth in both the 4 x400 and 4 x 800 relays, Grace Haase taking part in both of those.

Joining Garnet Valley in the winners’ circle was Haven’s Claire Wolters, who won the 3,000 in 10:35.90 before taking part in the medaling 4 x 800 relay.

Ridley’s Val McLaughlin captured gold in the 200,  teammate Maddy Moore was second in the 400, while Jamie Greene claimed third in the mile.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)