PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | March, 2016

Congratulations to the following Central League players on being names to the All Main Line teams.

FIRST TEAM

Darryl Caldwell, Conestoga – Senior point guard and captain scored 1,270 career points, was first team All-Central League and first team All-Chester County. Averaged more than 16.1 points per game, and nailed 46 three-pointers.

Terrell Jones, Lower Merion – A first team All-Central League selection, the 6-foot-4 junior guard averaged 14.7 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per contest.

Jeremy Horn, Lower Merion – Senior 6-foot-8 forward was a dominating inside presence for the Aces. Pulled down 5.6 rebounds per game, scored 11.6 points per contest and received All-Central League honors.

SECOND TEAM
Conestoga – MJ Lezanic, senior guard; Andrew Larkin, senior guard; Charlie Martin, junior forward; Andrew Shapiro, junior guard.
Harriton – Will Esposto, junior guard.
Haverford High – Jack Donaghy, senior point guard.
Lower Merion – KJ Helton, senior guard; Noah Fennell, junior guard.
Radnor – Vinnie Kelly, senior guard; Mason Ressler, junior guard.

HONORABLE MENTION
Conestoga – Angus Mayock, junior forward; Jack Baker, senior center.
Harriton – Idris Ransom, junior guard.
Haverford High – Connor Guilfoil, senior forward.
Radnor – Mike Li, senior guard; Jake Bodenger, senior guard.

Conestoga senior guard Darryl Caldwell named 1st Team All Main Line.

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Congratulations to the following Central League basketball players on being names to the All Delco teams.

First Team

Maddie Ireland, Garnet Valley: The senior guard was the engine that drove the Jaguars to their greatest season in program history. While Ireland led the team in scoring average (13.6) and 3-point field goals (42), she benefitted from having a strong supporting cast. This resulted in Ireland becoming a better all-around player as the season progressed. She was a playmaker while maintaining her ability to shoot efficiently and drive to the basket. The two-time All-Central League selection and Markward Award honoree led the Jags to their most wins in school history and a pair of victories in the PIAA Class AAAA tournament, where they almost overcame a 20-point deficit to upset Cardinal O’Hara in the quarterfinals. Ireland will continue her career and major in nursing at Widener.

Second Team
Emily McAteer, Garnet Valley
Mollie Reynolds, Haverford
Katie Fisher, Strath Haven

Third Team
Brianne Borcky, Garnet Valley
Kristin Hamill, Radnor
Jordan D’Ambrosio, Springfield

Honorable Mention
Garnet Valley: Nicole Barnes, Sam Tomasetti
Haverford: Amanda Battista, Ashley Murphy
Marple Newtown: Megan Lynch, Julia Lynch
Penncrest: Megan Arndt, Grace Harding, Katie Russo
Radnor: Allison Lanzone, Nicole Massimino
Ridley: Izzy Hamlin, Hailee Mayer
Springfield: Madison D’Ambrosio, Belle Mastropietro, Maggie O’Connell
Strath Haven: Rachel Vresilovic
Upper Darby: Emma Blewett

Garnet Valley’s Maddie Ireland was named 1st team All Delco.

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UWCHLAN >> Jeff Conner couldn’t help but thank all of his teammates for his hot start to the season. Conner has been the bulk of Strath Haven’s offense this year, but the burden hasn’t been too big for him to handle. Instead, he just keeps on shooting.
“Everyone is doing their job in this offense right now,” Conner said. “They’re setting up the plays and allowing me to work toward my best attributes. At that point, I was just feeling it and the shots were dropping.”
Conner put on a clinic with five goals on the afternoon as Strath Haven rallied from an deficit in the fourth quarter to put Downingtown East away late in a 9-6 nonleague victory at Downingtown East’s upper turf field Tuesday.
The Cougars (1-1) rallied from an early deficit behind Brooks Poli’s three goals, but were unable to maintain control of the lead once they got ahead early in the fourth quarter. East trailed 3-0 late in the first quarter before slowly working its way back into the game.
“We just didn’t show up in the beginning,” said East head coach Todd Cliggett. “Out of 48 minutes, we played 45 of them. You just can’t do that against a team like that.”
Poli was able to get the Cougars back into the game with two goals to cut the deficit to 3-2 before Colin Armburst hit the first equalizer with 8:52 left in the second quarter to tie the game 3-3. Poli scored his third and final goal with 1:41 left in the second, bringing the score to 4-4 at halftime.

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Competition in the Central League isn’t a novel phenomenon, and it’s hardly idle chatter when coaches offer preseason assessments about the league’s strength and depth being as prevalent as ever. Consider that last year, the title was split between Garnet Valley and Penncrest. Neither survived the District One tournament (won by Springfield) to qualify for the PIAA tournament (won by Radnor), which featured a fifth Central League squad, Conestoga. That elite oligarchy won’t abate this season.

Springfield loses its biggest attacking piece, three-time All-Delco Lucas Spence. But the spine of the team remains intact. As always the Cougars will be a bear to score against, with long-stick midfielder Zac Methlie, defender Pat Smyth and goalie James Spence all back. Sophomore Kyle long will orchestrate the offense from midfield, while Mike Gerzabek (44 goals last year) assumes Lucas Spence’s role as primary sniper. Mike Vent and Joey DeBernardi will occupy larger roles.

Co-champs Penncrest looks different this season thanks to a wealth of experience on the defensive end. The backline of Ryan Granger, Ryan Schultz and Zack Kaut that contributed to the state championship in 2014 is back for one more go-round in front of goalie Steve Nolan. Zach Granger is capable of contributing defensively, while Zach Groses’s defensive aptitude in midfield is also notable.

That base is fortuitous given the losses in attack, though the cupboard is hardly bare. All-Delco Ryan Kinnard (46 goals, 23 assists) and leading scorer Alex Bonnett (56, 23) will fuel the offense, Kinnard providing two-way play in midfield. But identifying the secondary scorers could take time. Sophomores Matt Gress and Max Daugherty and junior Jack Kirchoff will get chances. Midfielders like Joe Quintiliano, Tom Parson, Quin McIntyre and Jon Batipps could also bolster the attacking numbers.

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Garnet Valley All-Delco midfielder Matt Moore, left, returns as the Jaguars hope to defend their share of the Central League title. (Times file)

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After cruising to a second consecutive Central League title, a target remains squarely on the backs of Springfield. Last spring, the Cougars went 19-0 in the regular season before a stunning first-round loss in the District One Class AAAA tournament. The gap may be closing in the Central League, as other teams continue to improve; however, it will be hard to pick against a proven commodity.

Two years removed from winning Delaware County’s only PIAA championship in softball, the Cougars return All-Delco pitcher Tori DePietro and fellow senior catcher Jenny Caggiano, an experienced and quite effective battery. DePietro is the ace of the team after she split time at pitcher and shortstop her first three years. Also returning to the lineup are juniors Nikki DePietro (second), Ashley Scarpato (first) and designated player Victoria Ciasullo. Seniors Kaylee Lennon and Hannah Sweeney are back in the outfield. Todd Odgers is back for his 19th season.

All-Delcos Courtney Scarpato (Hofstra) and Taylor Winkelman (Bloomsburg) are gone, but the Cougars should be in good shape.

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All-Delco Tori DePietro will have a big say in whether Springfield can claim a third straight Central League championship. The Cougars’ only loss in 2015 was in the first round of the District One Class AAAA tournament.

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ROSEMONT >> As Ellie Mack walked off the court for the final time in a Conestoga uniform, emotions were mixed as the senior accomplished a feat she never thought was possible entering the season. Even though the Pioneers fell 60-42 to Garnet Valley in the second round of the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs at Harriton Tuesday night, Mack scored 22 points to eclipse the 1,000-point mark for her career. She finished her career with 1,001 points.
Scoring 1,000 points was a pipe dream for Mack 14 months after tearing her ACL prior to the start of her junior season. Mack gave up trying to accomplish the goal since November.
“I wasn’t going to go for it this season,” Mack said. “There was no need to be selfish with the ball. The focus was getting this team as far as we could go. We had the right team, the right girls and the right coach to do it.”

Thanks to Conestoga’s first state playoff victory this century, Mack was in striking distance of scoring 1,000 points. She accomplished the feat on the final basket of her career, a baseline jumper over Sydney Fail to cut the Conestoga deficit to 50-40 with 3:38 left.

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Conestoga’s Ellie Mack scores her 1,000 point.

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LOWER MERION >> The Garnet Valley and Conestoga players and their coaches knew plenty about each other as they got ready for the PIAA Class AAAA girls basketball second-round game at Harriton High Tuesday night. The Jaguars had defeated the Pioneers twice during the regular season on their way to a third consecutive Central League championship. They also picked up a win when the teams met in the district playoffs.

“This was our next game,” said GV sophomore Nicole Barnes, who contributed six points, a pair of steals and an assist as Garnet Valley rolled to a 60-42 decision to set up a state quarterfinal meeting Friday night with Cardinal O’Hara, a 56-36 winner over Easton. “We knew what they would be doing, and we knew who we had to shut down.”

The Jags kept a pair of ’Stoga starters off the scoreboard, and the Conestoga offensive and defensive efforts were not up to par with three starters being charged with two fouls and another with three in the first half.

“Sure we would have liked to have had a few of those calls go our way,” Conestoga head coach Chris Jefferies said. “But we needed to make more plays to keep ourselves in the game.” Garnet Valley’s five-point lead after two periods didn’t shrink in the third period, when the Jaguars (24-5) were 7-for-10 from the floor. Barnes and Brianne Borcky (17 points on 7-for-11 shooting) hit two baskets and Maddy Ireland, Emily McAteer (10 points, six rebounds) and Sam Tomasetti added one apiece during the quarter.

Garnet Valley’s Brianne Borcky splits a pair of Conestoga’s defenders in Tuesday’s PIAA AAAA second round game.

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After Tuesday’s 56-36 victory over Easton in the second round of the PIAA Class AAAA Tournament,  it dawned on Cardinal O’Hara All-Delco Mary Sheehan that she has never faced a Central League team. It’s true. The Lions, like most Catholic League girls basketball programs, avoid the Central League altogether. Sheehan and O’Hara get their first crack against the Central’s top dog, Garnet Valley, in an all-Delaware County showdown Friday night at Spring-Ford High School. It’s the second half of a doubleheader with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m. The winner advances to Tuesday’s PIAA Class AAAA semifinal round.

O’Hara (24-3) made it to this round a year ago with the same starting lineup of Sheehan, All-Delco Hannah Nihill, Maura Hendrixson, Kenzie Gardler and Molly Paolino.  Sheehan (Saint Joseph’s), Nihill (Drexel) and Gardler (Villanova) are bound for Division I programs in a few years.

“I think we can only focus on us at this point,” Sheehan said. “We can watch film, we can see (Garnet Valley),  but as long as we come out and play to our strengths and play with the same energy as we did (Tuesday), I think we’re going to score. It will come down to our defense and just playing hard. Once you’re in states, it’s one and done, so  you just have to have the same energy and mentality every time.”

The Lions’ starting five all play in the same club ball organization (AAU Comets) with Garnet Valley senior guard Maddie Ireland, who leads the Jaguars into the quarterfinals on the heels of a 23-point performance against Conestoga in the second round of states. The Central League rivals battled for a fourth time this season, with the Jags winning every time, including a 60-42 rout Tuesday night. The Jags hadn’t won a state playoff contest before this season. In the opening round, they manhandled Governor Mifflin, as excellent freshman Emily McAteer led with 19 points.

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Garnet Valley’s Nicole Barnes, right, celebrates with teammates Brianne Borcky (42) and Sam Tomasetti (23) after the Jaguars’ PIAA Class AAAA Tournament second-round win over Conestoga Tuesday. Cardinal O’Hara presents one of the Jaguars’ toughest challenges of the season in Friday’s all-Delco quarterfinal round matchup at Spring-Ford High School. (ROBERT GURECKI – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA)

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HERSHEY >> Until Colin Cronin hung on for a win at 138 pounds, it was beginning to look like Delco wrestlers would be shut out on the first day of the PIAA state wrestling championships at the Giant Center. Five wrestlers were beaten in their first matches Thursday. Archbishop Carroll’s Nick Poulos was eliminated at 126 pounds in Class AA competition before the AAA county contingent had even warmed up.

The states are about survival and Cronin did just that in a match where he almost heaved in the third period. It was one of three stoppages in the match, the others to clean up the blood of Michah Hoffman of Northern York, who was on top at the buzzer but on the wrong side of an 8-6 decision. Cronin led the bout by scores of 4-0 and 8-3.

“It feels good,” Cronin said. “But I know I definitely was supposed to win. Tomorrow is really what I’m worried about. I’ve got to come out and win and get into the semifinals and then I’ll have a definite spot in the tournament.”

The victory made Cronin 40-1 and put him into the quarterfinals Friday. It gave the next Delco wrestler momentum.

Brian Kennerly, also of Upper Darby, Matt Marino of Garnet Valley and Abraham Charles of Penn Wood are the Delco survivors. Marino lost his first bout at 120 pounds, a 9-3 decision to Zurich Storm of New Oxford. Marino (37-7) bounced back with an 11-6 decision over Trevor Tarsi of Nazareth, a match in which he showed his grit.

“I refocused, got my head on straight and went out there and wrestled my match,” Marino said. “It was a tough match coming off that first one.” In his first match, Marino trailed, 6-3, and couldn’t finish a reverse and takedown that would have knotted the score at 6 in the second period. Storm got a reverse and a takedown near the buzzer.

“I almost turned him and that would have tied him but he was just strong and ready to wrestle and he came out on top,” Marino said. “I wouldn’t say he’s a better wrestler. But he was better today.” Marino won his first match in the states last year, then was beaten in two bouts.

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Garnet Valley’s Matt Marino fights for positioning against Nazareth’s Trevor Tarsi in an 11-6 win in the first round of consolations at 120 pounds. (NATE HECKENBERGER – FOR DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA)

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FRANCONIA >> When Garnet Valley’s Matt Marino dropped his 120-pound semifinal bout a week ago in the District One East tourney, it cost him more than just a shot at a district title. Finishing third made this week’s run at the Class AAA Southeast Regional all the tougher, giving him a first round match instead of the bye reserved for champs. That meant a first-round battle with West Chester Rustin’s Brett Kaliner, himself a victim of the upset bug a week ago, making it an unlikely opening-round tilt between two returning state qualifiers.

“Coming in here today, I would have thought that we were the top two in the weight class,” said Marino. “So to come here and have to face him right off the bat meant I had to be at my best right away.”

Marino scored a pair of takedowns, added an escape, and fended off a game Kaliner, save for a late takedown, and held on for the 5-3 win. Marino then tacked on a 9-3 win over top-seeded Gunar Fuss of Harry S. Truman to advance to Saturday morning’s semifinal round, where he’ll meet Boyertown’s David Campbell.

Marino is one of six county wrestlers still with a shot at a regional title. Joining him in the semis are Interboro’s Eric Thomas (145), Penn Wood’s Abraham Charles (138) and a trio of Upper Darby wrestlers: Colin Cronin (138), Brian Kennerly (195) and Peter Augustin (285).

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Penncrest’s Liam Frank, left, nears a reversal in a 6-4 loss to Council Rock North’s Josh Shalinsky in the 170-pound quarterfinal match. (For Digital First Media/Nate Heckenberger)

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