PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | April, 2015

Baseball: Pitching, defense have Haverford High on a roll

HAVERFORD — Kevin Clancy had to raise his voice over a little postgame music in the Haverford dugout, but the noise only served to emphasize his point rather than obscure it.

“The confidence is pretty high right now,” the right fielder was saying after his Fords’ 5-0 win over Springfield Wednesday. “We’re pretty excited. When we get wins like this and we play well, everyone’s pretty excited and we want to come out and play well.”

Clancy’s point centers not just on the result but how the Fords arrived there. They played sound baseball Wednesday, getting excellent pitching and timely offense to make for a speedy and comfortable afternoon on the diamond. The Fords committed three errors on the infield, but Clancy and his fellow outfielders created that many outs with spectacular plays on hard-hit balls.

Click HERE to read the article. Haverford starting pitcher Corey Hunt went six shutout innings against Springfield. (ROBERT J. GURECKI — DAILY TIMES)

 

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Boys Lacrosse: Penncrest rebuilding quickly

It certainly lacked the gravitas of Bobby Orr’s diving goal in the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals, but Drew Hanna’s sprawled-out, all-out lacrosse goal was a thing of beauty. Well, to everyone except the 6-foot, 150-pound Penncrest senior.

“I just jumped and belly flopped right in,” Hanna said Monday after Penncrest beat host Lower Merion, 15-6. ” It was really ****. Everyone was telling me it was really pretty, but I know deep down it was a very **** goal. Who wants to see me belly flop on the lacrosse field? Save that for the swimming pool.”

Click HERE to read the article.

Penncrest senior Drew Hanna. (Aaron Carter/Staff Photo)
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Baseball: Fillman helps Marple Newtown bats heat up

NEWTOWN SQUARE — With four runs in four games and a weekend to stew on their offensive shortcomings, Marple Newtown was looking for a spark Monday for its languishing offense.
The source may have seemed unlikely: A freshman second baseman.  Reilly Fillman stepped up anyway, hitting the first of back-to-back homers in the third inning, one of three long balls on the day as the Tigers busted out with a 12-7 Central League win over Garnet Valley.

Click HERE to read the article. Marple Newtown s Ricky Collings is congratulated by manager Steve Smith as he rounds third after connecting for the second of back-to-back home runs by the Tigers in the third inning of their 12-7 victory ovewr Garnet Valley in a Central League game Monday. (Robert J. Gurecki)

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Softball: Jenkins delivers in seventh to boost Ridley

Sophomore Leigh Ann Jenkins continues to deliver in big way for the Ridley softball team. Jenkins’ two-RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh inning walked the Green Raiders off with a 3-2 triumph over Radnor in Central League action Monday.

Click HERE to read the article. Ridley's Leigh Ann Jenkins delivers a pitch during a game last week. Monday, the sophomore aided her own cause by smacking a two-run triple in the seventh inning to lift the Green Raiders to a 3-2 victgory over Radnor in a Central League thriller. (Robert J Gurecki)

 

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Baseball: 2015 Preseason All-Southeastern Pa. Teams

Congratulations to the following members of the Central League who were named to the Preseason All Southeastern PA Baseball Teams.

 

FIRST TEAM

P Brendon Little Conestoga Sr.
SECOND TEAM

P Rob Brown Penncrest Sr.

INF Ryne Ogren Conestoga Sr.

OF Ben Faso Garnet Valley Sr.

Conestoga's Brendan Little

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Wrestling: All Delco Teams

Congratulations to the following members of the Central League for making the All Delco Teams.

First Team

Vince Tavani, Haverford High: Tavani was the young man who set the standard for a resurgent Fords team that finished third in the Central League. He won the individual league title at 106, took second in the districts, and narrowly missed out on a state berth with a sixth-place finish in the regionals.

Jake Mejias, Upper Darby: The junior doubled his win total from the season before, going from 15 to 30 for a deep Royals squad. Most impressively, Mejias went the entire year without getting pinned. He won the Central League title at 113 and earned a fourth-place medal at the districts.

Matthew Marino, Garnet Valley: The sophomore became the third Marino brother to reach the PIAA AAA Wrestling Championships when he took bronze in a brutal weight class in regionals. A 120-pounder, Marino beat eventual regional champ Derek Gulotta in the district semifinals before falling in the finals.

Nick Puliti, Garnet Valley: A late-season surge spurred Puliti to the state meet. He finished a disappointing third in the Central League but rallied to claim second in the district and then fourth in the regional. Puliti joined Jaguar teammates Marino and Rowe in Hershey.

Colin Cronin, Upper Darby: The lone regional champ in the county, Cronin lived up to the hype that’s surrounded his immersion in the Upper Darby program. He cruised through the 132-pound weight class, taking the regional title with a 13-2 major decision in the final

Pat Rowe, Garnet Valley: Rowe thrived as one of the few seniors on a young Garnet Valley team. He posted a 34-10 record and reached Hershey with a fifth place finish in the regional. Rowe closes his Jaguars career with 83 wins, 63 of them coming the last two seasons.

Tommy Meyers, Radnor: The senior 170-pounder carried an undefeated record into the regional final where he finally fell in the title bout. Meyers surpassed 30 wins for the second consecutive season to push his career record to a staggering 118-18. He’ll play lacrosse at the University of Massachusetts next year.

Joe Pyfer, Penncrest: Pyfer was named outstanding wrestler at the Central League Championships when he bested Radnor’s Zac Taylor 1-0 in the 182-pound final. His mixed martial arts background made him a formidable standup wrestler. Takedowns were his specialty, although he improved all aspects of his wrestling technique. Pyfer finished third in the regional and is considering a possible collegiate career at Bacone College (OK).

Joshua Yeboah-Gyasi, Upper Darby: With a rare blend of size and athleticism, the leader of the Royals lost just twice all season, both times to eventual state champ Jordan Wood of Boyertown.  A concussion in the second of those bouts, the regional final, cost the Upper Darby senior a chance to wrestle at states. He still made the trip to Hershey, though, ceremonious as it was.

n a battle of All-Delco s, Garnet Valley s Nick Puliti (front) takes on Upper Darby s Colin Cronin in a 132-pound match during their regular-season dual meet. Cronin scored a 7-4 victory on that day. (Bill Rudick)

Second Team

Thomas Reif, Upper Darby, So., 106, 22-11

Matt Young, Penncrest, Sr., 160, 28-8

Zak Taylor, Radnor, Sr., 182, 33-5

Justin Fremont, Strath Haven, Sr., 285, 21-5

 

Honorable Mention

Zak Elfernani, Marple Newtown, So., 120, 18-9

Samika Kromah, So., 120, 23-6

Noah Frantz, Jr., 126, 26-6

Chris Sciarrino, Springfield, Jr., 145, 26-8

Max Livingston, Upper Darby, So., 145, 26-12

David Moore, Strath Haven, Jr., 152, 22-9

Mark Peters, Garnet Valley, Jr., 160, 23-15

Lawrence Alkins, Ridley, Sr., 182, 27-8

Madhat Fares, Upper Darby, Sr., 195, 19-11

 

 

 

 

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Track and Field: Marple’s Rai shows he’s more than a puddle jumper

MARPLE — Two of the premier pole vaulters in Delaware County gathered here Wednesday. Unfortunately, so did the rain, in puddles.

The deteriorating conditions ended the showdown before it began.

First-team All-Delco Gurjeet Rai of host Marple Newtown High took first place with just one jump, a 9-footer. Second-team All-Delco Colin Waitzman of Strath Haven scrapped the event and won the 100 meters and the triple jump to lead his squad to runaway victories over the Tigers (101-40) and Conestoga (111-30), while Marple earned a 71-70 win over Conestoga.

 

Click HERE to read the article. pole vault

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Ice Hockey: All Delco Teams

The following members of the Central League have been named to the All Delco Ice Hockey teams.

First Team

Michael Lassik, Garnet Valley: A quick glance at his statistics would justify Lassik as an easy choice, but he may be the unlikeliest member of the first team given his path to Garnet Valley stardom. Lassik suffered a gruesome broken leg during a game his sophomore year, and there was a thought that he might never play hockey again. The Jaguars senior recovered to become one of the Central League’s top point producers over the last two seasons. In 2014-15, he led Garnet Valley with 28 goals and 63 points. Lassik’s finest performance came against then-undefeated Springfield in early February. He scored twice in a 2-1 win, including a highlight-reel goal in which the captain danced around a Cougars defenseman before going top shelf on the goaltender. Garnet Valley was expected to regress this season. Instead, the Jags finished 15-6 with Lassik setting the tone.

Joe Moran, Haverford High: “Moran’ was a name that showed up on plenty of Haverford score sheets throughout the season. Shane, a sophomore, provided heroics down the stretch as the Fords won the Central League title. But it was Joe’s leadership that keyed Haverford’s success. The senior paced the Fords with 41 points in 21 games while wearing the captain’s “C.’ He was also the team’s best penalty ******, best skater, and arguably its most clutch player. In the dying moments of the Central League Championship game with the score tied 2-2 against Ridley, Joe calmly circled the net on a rush before finding Shane in front for the winning goal. Undersized and without a blistering shot, Moran instead relied on guile and strong balance to beat defenders and goaltenders alike.

Sean Dolan, Ridley: No one in the county drove his team quite like the senior defenseman Dolan. He relished contact and took advantage of every opportunity to lay a big hit. A two-year captain, Dolan played a hard-nosed but clean game that inspired his Green Raiders teammates. He was effective in the offensive zone as well. Dolan finished with four goals and 10 assists, none more important than the one that came in the Central League semifinals. His point shot rebounded to the stick of Nick Catona, who ended a thriller with Springfield in the third overtime. Despite losing to Haverford in the Central League title game, Dolan and company rode the momentum into the Flyers Cup where they reached the semifinals in the AA division.

Josh Vershinski, Garnet Valley: There was an element of ruefulness when it came to Vershinski’s presence on the Garnet Valley blue line. How far would the great Jaguars team of 2013-14 have gone had the 6-3 defenseman played high school as a junior in addition to club hockey? It’s a moot point, but one that comes to mind given just how good Vershinski was for Garnet Valley in 2015. He used a booming shot to score 11 goals from the point. And he wasn’t just a power-play specialist. Of Vershinski’s 34 points, 30 came at even strength or shorthanded. On the defensive end, his long reach served as a barrier for all opposing forwards. A tremendous skater, especially at his size, Vershinski is being recruited by several Division I schools.

Joey Harant, Haverford High: The two-time All-Delco received strong consideration for Player of the Year after backstopping Haverford to a Central League title. Harant led the league in wins (15), save percentage (.932), and shutouts (7). A rash of injuries to the Fords’ blue line early in the season makes Harant’s statistics all the more impressive. The senior made his mark with positionally-sound goaltending so good that it hinged on boring. If Harant saw the puck, more often than not, he saved it. For all he won during his Haverford career, Harant’s finest hour came in defeat. In the Flyers Cup AA quarterfinal against top-seeded Council Rock South, the netminder stopped 39 of 40 pucks sent his way. Alas, the one that beat him came in overtime. Harant was the rare goaltender who also served as a team captain.

 

Haverford High goalie Joey Harant led the Central League in wins, save percentage and shutouts as the Fords won a league title and Harant earned a second

Haverford High goalie Joey Harant led the Central League in wins, save percentage and shutouts as the Fords won a league title and Harant earned a second straight All-Delco nod. (Times File)
Second Team

Nick Catona, Ridley Jr. F

Steve Cavaliere, Springfield Sr. F

Gannon Stuart, Garnet Valley So. F

Ryan McNelis, Haverford High Sr. D

Brendan Brawley, Ridley Jr. G

Jake Branyan, Penncrest Sr. G

 

Honorable Mention

Garnet Valley: Anthony Starzi, Max Selverian, Greg Schenk

Haverford: Beau Dougherty, Shane Moran, Joe Gibbs

Haverford School: Otis Baker

Marple Newtown: Matthew Merrone

Penncrest: Matthew Dougherty

Radnor: Brandon Curtis, Donald Sucher

Ridley: Michael Giampapa, Nate Dunning

Springfield: Rich Brown, Tom Coll, Dan Madonna

Strath Haven: Matthew Quon, Logan Simonian

Upper Darby: Michael Strofe, Matthew Strofe, Joe Pozzuolo

 

 

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Ice Hockey All-Delco: Springfield’s Riddle too tough for foes to solve

The Springfield centerman raced to the net midway through the second period of a Flyers Cup A quarterfinal against Wissahickon. He calmly dragged the puck across the crease and deposited it in the back of the net even as a Warriors’ defenseman, on the wrong side of a 14-0 shellacking, broke his stick over the attacker’s leg.

It was Tyler Riddle’s fifth goal of the game.

“I didn’t feel it. I didn’t see it,’ Riddle said of the vicious slash. “I heard it was real bad-looking.’

No one, by any means it appeared, could phase Riddle that night. Then again, few could all season.

 

Click HERE to read the article.

The 2014-15 hockey player of the year is Tyler Riddle of Springfield. (Tom Kelly IV)

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Softball: Ridley Lockes up win over Garnet Valley

CONCORD — Larissa Locke knew the ball would find her in the seventh inning Tuesday afternoon.

“Sometimes,’ the Ridley third baseman said, “I can imagine something happening before it actually happens.’

That’s a good trait to have. Meanwhile, in the circle, sophomore Leigh Ann Jenkins was pitching against Garnet Valley … with a sprained right thumb. It may be worse. She’ll find out more Wednesday.

 

Click HERE to read the article.

Ridley's Lauren O'Brien, left, gets in safely at second ahead of the tag by Garnet Valley's Sam Tomasetti during a Central League game Tuesday. O'Brien and the Green Raiders pulled out a 3-2 victory. (Robert J Gurecki)

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