PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | November, 2016

UPPER DARBY >> Memories of last year’s 91-point shootout faded in the first quarter of the 2016 installment of the Haverford High-Upper Darby Thanksgiving Day rivalry, when the teams exchanged punts on the first four drives and combined for zero first downs. Defense, at least temporarily, was back again after a taking a season off. Fords linebacker Jack Farrell couldn’t have been happier. The senior All-Delco inspired a 35-21 victory that made it seven in a row for Haverford (7-5 overall, 6-3 Central League) against Upper Darby (5-7, 4-5). If last year’s squad took the identity of its record-setting quarterback Jack Donaghy, this season’s team followed in the footsteps of Farrell: tough, resilient, smart.

“He leaves here as the all-time leading tackler. He’ll be a two-time All-Delco,” said Fords coach Joe Gallagher of Farrell’s legacy. “He’s one of the best football players I’ve coached. Quite simply.”

“He’s special,” said Kareem Bernard. “He’s special.”

On the defensive side, Farrell led a group that held a high-flying Royals offense without a first down until the 6:29 mark of the second quarter. That conversion came via an offsides penalty against the visitors. By the time halftime rolled around, Upper Darby had accumulated just 28 yards of total offense. Still, the Royals broke the early deadlock with Obadiah Asare’s 34-yard fumble recovery, giving them a seven-point lead. Haverford bounced back from consecutive three-and-outs and that fumble-recovery touchdown to race out to a 21-7 lead.

“You know what, I think we were a little rusty,” said Gallagher. “Three weeks is a long time without playing a game. But we seemed to shake it off. We got it together.”

Haverford’s Jake Ruane floated a deep ball that Jordan Mosley came down with in the end zone to knot the game at seven to close the first quarter. Ruane finished the season with 2,119 passing yards, the 14th-best single-season total in county history. The Fords then took advantage of favorable field position to double-up the hosts. John Klee’s five-yard scamper capped a short drive sparked by Bernard’s running. Bernard made sure to get into the end zone himself before the half was over. A jet sweep with 3:31 left did the trick as Bernard broke left and split the Royals’ secondary for six.

“He ignited us,” said Gallagher. “Kareem Bernard really ignited us. Clearly.”

But Upper Darby responded after the break, as any team with Nate Rimel at quarterback would.

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TOWAMENCIN >> It was not the speech that Mike Ricci wanted to give. The Garnet Valley head coach wanted one message to resonate with his players following Friday night’s 48-38 defeat to top-seeded North Penn in the District 1 Class 6A final: celebrate what you did. The Jaguars (11-3) advanced as far as they did when many people weren’t giving a 10th seed from the Central League much of a chance. And that makes what they accomplished so special. The Jags won three games and played for a title in the highest classification in District 1. That is, until the 2016 Jaguars came along.

“It’s a high school football game and you can’t win every game. We’re big on controlling what we can control,” said Ricci, the coach at GV since 1986, except for one season. “We control our attitude, we control our attitude and we control how we play together. We did a phenomenal job with that throughout the year. Are we disappointed we didn’t win the game? Absolutely, but we’re going to choose to celebrate all the great things we did throughout the season because this team — and this season — deserves to be celebrated.”

The Jags didn’t claim a Central League title, but in many ways what they achieved in the postseason is more satisfying than winning a league title. They hit the road and they conquered.

“Making it this far, seeing all the alumni coming out and showing their support, it means a lot,” said senior Jacob Buttermore, who ended his spectacular year with more than 1,000 yards rushing and the school’s single-season scoring record. Buttermore had a rushing and a receiving touchdown and also kicked a 33-yard field. “It means more than winning a Central League title because of who we beat. We’re road warriors.”

The Jags set many records, both team and individual. They scored more points in a season (528) than ever before. “We can appreciate what we did,” Buttermore said, “but it might just take a little while.”

Not only was Garnet Valley vying for its fourth straight win away from home, it was looking to spoil yet another undefeated season. First it was No. 3 Neshaminy, and then it was No. 2 Perkiomen Valley. Two monsters down, but still one to go. North Penn was simply too talented.

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The junior center back is called “the backbone of our defense,” by Conestoga boys’ soccer head coach David Zimmerman, who notes that every Pioneer was subbed out of games for a period of time with the exception of McCarthy and teammate Gabe Harms.  The state champion Conestoga defense surrendered nine goals during the regular season (0.5 goals per game), which was second-lowest of any team in District One, and in the post-season yielded just four goals in eight games.  McCarthy also scored some big goals this season including a game tying goal in a come-from-behind win against West Chester Henderson and a game-winning goal in overtime against the Haverford School. 

Fun facts – Mike McCarthy

Favorite TV show: Game of Thrones.

Favorite movie: The Incredibles.

Favorite athlete: Paul Pogba.

Favorite team: Atletico Madrid.

Favorite place to visit: Emerald Isle, N.C..

Favorite pre-game meal: Spaghetti.

Favorite color: Red.

Person I most admire: “I admire my brother Joseph because we are always so competitive and he is the reason I **** losing.”

Birth date: Dec. 21, 1999 in Upper Darby.

Family members: Parents Kevin and Lisa, older brother Joseph, older sister Annie.

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Amidst the pageantry and tradition of Thanksgiving morning, a significant bit of Delaware County football history will be made Thursday at Upper Darby High School. For the first time in county history, two quarterbacks toting 2,000-yard seasons will play when Haverford High sophomore Jake Ruane and Upper Darby senior Nate Rimel take their first snaps under center. Then, 20-some hours later, the other extreme will be expressed on the turf at North Penn, when Garnet Valley — a team that has racked up 86 points the last two weeks in dominant fashion with a grand total of one completed forward pass — plays for a District 1 Class 6A title.

It’s a perplexing dichotomy. In the midst of the most prolific season for Delaware County passers, the two teams that advanced the farthest in Class 6A, Ridley and Garnet Valley, are among the most pass-averse in the county.

“No matter what you’re doing, you have to execute,” Marple Newtown coach Chris Gicking said Monday. “In Garnet’s case, they’re executing very well at a very high level with their offense. No matter what you do, have to practice it, you have to execute it. The coaches can diagram whatever they want, but the players have to execute it.”

It may seem like a stock answer, but it rings true, though the historical weight of this season requires more digging. No Delco football season prior to 2016 had featured multiple quarterbacks throwing for 2,000 or more yards. This season features three — Ruane, Rimel and Gicking’s charge, Marple Newtown junior Anthony Paoletti, who last Friday set the Delco single-season record for yards in a season at 2,793. On only four occasions (1993, 1994, 1996 and 2015) had two signal-callers surpassed 1,800 yards; 2016 includes four such passers (with Archbishop Carroll’s Stephen Honick) and a fifth, Haverford School’s Tommy Toal, at 1,767 and under the standard only by dint of his team being limited to 10 games.

Let’s put that another way: Three quarterbacks this season have topped the 2,000-yard plateau. That’s the same total as the period stretching from 2007 to 2015. Before this season, there were only 15 total 2,000-yard quarterbacks. Heading into Thanksgiving, current passers sit first (Paoletti), 13th (Rimel, 2,163 yards) and tied for 15th (Ruane, 2,039) on the single-season list. And yet, of the three surviving playoff teams in District 1, two are run-first and one is as close to run-exclusive as you can get.

Then there’s the matter of Dennis Decker’s long-standing record for yards in a season. It survived a scare last year when Haverford High’s Jack Donaghy fell 21 yards shy at 2,706. But Paoletti erased the 26-year-old mark, leading his Tigers to a District 1 Class 5A semifinal in the process. With 1,888 yards in 2015, the junior has 4,681 in his career, fifth-most all-time, nudging past Strath Haven great Mike Connor. With his senior season ahead of him, Paoletti has a chance to surpass Gicking’s career mark (5,897). Yet it’s fair to wonder if Ruane, with a 2,000-yard season as a sophomore, could leave them all in the dust.

That begs the question, why the long dormancy now awakened to historical proportions? There’s no definitive answer.

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UPPER DARBY >> Nate Rimel was in the Upper Darby locker room, the place that would soon become his sanctuary, when he got the call from his aunt. The sophomore was prepping for a baseball game May 4, 2015, when Amanda Jansen called, needing to meet with him urgently. The news was devastating: There had been a fire. Four people, including Rimel’s younger sister Abby, had escaped the multiple-alarm blaze at a relative’s house in Coatesville. But Nate’s grandmother, Rolanda, aunt Sally and cousin Angel hadn’t. Three people that had a constant presence in Nate’s life, impassioned cheerleaders for Nate (and his three younger siblings) as he played baseball and football, were gone.

So Rimel did what felt most comfortable in that heartbreaking moment: He put his head down and tried to tough it out towards first pitch.

“I was just in denial for a long time,” Rimel recalled last week. “I got back in this locker room, and I wanted to play because they wanted me to play, and I just broke down.”

Rimel didn’t play baseball that day. But in the 18 months since the tragedy, sports have become a refuge, an escape where he can express the sadness. And the passion Rimel has channeled into his athletic endeavors has paid dividends, particularly on the football field, where he can make history Thursday. Rimel enters the Thanksgiving Day rivalry against Haverford High well within striking distance of Bob McLaughlin’s school record for passing yards in a season. It’s one of many objectives Rimel will be chasing in his high school finale. Separating Rimel’s success on the football field from what he and his family refer to often as, “the event,” is impossible. Rimel came to understand that quickly in dealing with his grief.

“There’s two things you can do: You can keep thinking about it, go on, keep feeling sorry for yourself, get addicted to crazy stuff like drugs,” Rimel said. “(Or) I just figured as long as I have these sports and I stick with them, they’ll help me get through it and stay out of trouble.

“They’d love to be watching me, and they are still watching me upstairs.”

All of it — the Rimel family’s athletic connections and Nate’s particular toughness in pursuing his goals — are tied together. It was the same for Nate’s father, Don, who played football and baseball at Penn Wood. Rolanda would always be there for him, and the same applied to her grandson.

“They were always around; they were his biggest fans,” Don said. “My mom was always there for me and my sporting events, too. She was a single mom, never had a license, but if we played at Chester or somewhere, I’d turn around and she’d be there. She’d take the bus there or get a ride, but she’d always figure out how to get there.”

Rolanda, Sally and Angel were similarly omnipresent in Nate’s life. Residents of Colwyn, Sally and Angel were involved with numerous volunteer efforts, including UDHL and Llanerch Hills baseball leagues and the Drexel Hill Raiders Wrestling Association. Among the first sports memories that Nate associates with his grandmother is her purchase of baseball gloves for Nate and younger brother Justin for Christmas. The glove is a physical token of the spirit Nate takes out on the field with him, whether the diamond or the gridiron.

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SPRINGFIELD >> When two defenses the caliber of West Chester Henderson and Springfield collide, it can take just one play to make a game-breaking difference. Friday night, Joe Kennedy provided about a half-dozen. In his wake, the Springfield wide receiver left the Warriors utterly and completely defeated. Kennedy caught 10 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, plus he contributed to a peerless defensive performance as the top-seeded Cougars booked a spot in the District 1 Class 5A final with a 21-0 domination of Henderson.

It began with Kennedy, the offensive spark in a game where the Cougars struggled early and Henderson sputtered throughout. He found himself on the business end of touchdowns of 16 and 44 yards from Johnny Fanelli in the second half to nail shut the coffin on a lifeless Henderson team — one that failed to alter its coverage schemes to account for Kennedy.

“They wanted to stay in their defense, and we just wanted to take advantage, if it was Joe or whoever was out there,” Fanelli said. “We just wanted to take advantage of it.”

It was Joe, time and again. Fanelli targeted Kennedy on 15 of 18 dropbacks. He found him for 10 of his 11 completions. The first score, a 16-yard corner route Fanelli feathered over a defender with 1:27 left in the third quarter, ended any realistic chance of Henderson coming back. His second score — an out route that Kennedy grabbed, turned the corner, then sprinted down the sidelines through tacklers to pay dirt with 5:02 left — erased any doubt.

“We felt like we had this team from the beginning,” Kennedy said. “We knew if we just executed what we had to do, if our line held its blocks … if we just did our job, we knew we could get it.”

Beyond the scores, Kennedy’s knack for big plays at big moments perpetuated Springfield’s albeit limited first half momentum and suffocated Henderson (9-4). On third-and-11 in the first half, Fanelli found Kennedy for 12 yards. On third-and-19, it was a 22-yard linkup. Then on fourth-and-3, Kennedy broke free down the seam for 23 yards, providing the Cougars a first-and-goal at the 7, which was cashed in two plays later by Ja’Den McKenzie’s four-yard dive.

Though some of the early receptions didn’t yield points, they controlled the clock. Springfield ran twice as many offensive plays (32-16) as Henderson in the first half. The edge for the game was 58-33. With the luxury of an indefatigable defense, Springfield could afford a little patience getting up the field.

“With our defense, we want to score a lot, but we know if we get enough points, they’ll hold it down for us,” Kennedy said. “And we’ll be able to get out of here with a win.”

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GRATERFORD >> Mike Ricci has been coaching football at Garnet Valley High since 1986, guiding his program from small-school status into a class of football so large that its designation seems like half an eye chart. He coached the Jags when it was necessary for him to write letters to every young man in the school, suggesting that perhaps football would be a worthwhile after-school pursuit. He still coaches them, now that they need to squeeze into the weight room in shifts, just to accommodate all the bodies.

So he knew how to grow something. He also knew when not to change anything at all. “Old-fashioned?” Ricci was saying with a smile Friday night, on the field at Perkiomen Valley High. “I love old-fashioned.”

His Jaguars had just rolled previously unbeaten PV, 44-27, to advance to the championship round of the PIAA’s District 1 Class 6A tournament. And they had done it the 1986 way, and the 1996 way, and the 2006 way, and the only way Ricci will see that they play that game. They won with power. How else to explain running up a legitimate 44-spot on a regional power while completing somewhere between zero and two passes?

One? One completion in a lopsided district semifinal triumph? What? Was quarterback Nick Juliano on a pitch count? “We can pass the ball,” Ricci shrugged. “We just don’t believe in doing it unless we have to.”

That resourcefulness is what got the Jags started in what has become a surprising run into the postseason. For without two touchdown passes, and entertaining ones, too, from Juliano to Colin Davis in the postseason opening victory at Central Bucks South, the Jags would have been through. But Matt Lassik was sick and did not play in that game, perhaps contributing to Ricci revealing some of that wild side. But with Lassik back, the Jags won at Neshaminy, then tormented Perkiomen Valley with a running attack elegant in its simplicity.

“We don’t run too many plays,” said Lassik, who ran at least four of them Friday for touchdowns. “We have about four plays that work for us and if they are not working, we adjust to the defense that is ahead of us.”

They run four plays, with options off each, rolling behind a big offensive line. That separates them from the contemporary football trend of the short-pass attack. Nor does it necessarily have to be that way. From the inside, Juliano has been praised for his ability to hit runners in stride and to whistle passes into tight gaps. One teammate in training camp likened his skills, adjusted for the level of play, to Aaron Rodgers. And his critical connections with Davis at C.B. South were the result of an overload of offseason reps, two teammates trying to get the passing game right for their senior season.

But as Ricci said, there is no reason to make a ball available to everyone by putting it in the air when the ground game is so efficient. For that, Juliano was as happy as any Jag Friday, even though he connected only with Jon Ricci, who made a clever, juggling reception.

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HERSHEY >> With a fierce wind blowing an unrelenting downpour of freezing rain on Saturday evening at Hersheypark Stadium, David Zimmerman was calm and composed, as usual. The veteran Conestoga boys’ soccer coach’s low-key demeanor belied the high stakes of his program’s second appearance in the finals of the PIAA State Tournament. And even after the Pioneers secured the Class 4A state title with a 1-0 triumph over Elizabethtown, Zimmerman’s celebration was heartfelt, but more on the reserved side.

“I’m barely alive,” he laughed, when asked about his demeanor. “The image I try to project is calm. Our players look to the coaching staff. If you are losing it or are angry, they are going to feel that.”

Zimmerman is not a screamer – never has been. A teacher and a tactician, yes, but not the kind of fire and brimstone you commonly associated with the coaching profession. As a result, his team’s plays a cerebral, measured style, with a focus on preparation and trusting the process.

“He is very low key. He doesn’t raise his voice very often,” said senior Gabe Harms. “If we are not playing well, he will give us a stern talking to, maybe even a few choice words,” added another senior, Blaise Milanek.

Now with a pair of state championships in the last six years, Zimmerman and his staff – Blake Stabert, Angelo Capetola and Jamie O’Neil – have developed the ’Stoga program into one of the true gold standards in Pennsylvania. In the last seven seasons, for example, the Pioneers have made five appearances in the quarterfinals of the PIAA State Tournament.

“That whole staff is phenomenal. They get the kids to buy in,” said Conestoga Athletic Director Kevin Pechin. “This staff has been together for seven, eight years,” Zimmerman pointed out. “Our goal is to try to set an example of composure, and the players on the field read that.”

The Pioneers’ ascent into a state power wasn’t exactly a quick rise, but more of a steady, gradual build — which kind of fits Zimmerman’s no-frills persona. “Dave will outwork you,” Pechin said. “He is very calm, almost flat-lined. He doesn’t get too high or too low. As a result, his teams are very poised.”

Zimmerman’s first season as the head coach came back in 2002, and it took eight seasons for Conestoga to make its first deep postseason run in 2010.  The following season, the Pioneers captured the District 1 title and went on to notch their first state crown under Zimmerman. It was the school’s second overall, with the first coming back in 1988.

“The coaches talk about the 2011 team a lot, we think of them as role models,” said senior Mason Miller. “And I’m so excited that a picture of this team will go right up next to that one.”

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HERSHEY >> As the final seconds ticked off in Conestoga’s 1-0 win against Elizabethtown for the PIAA Class AAAA boys’ soccer state championship Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium, the Pioneers (25-1) reveled in the feeling of their first state title since 2011. Conestoga senior midfielder Blaise Milanek said, “All my emotions started kicking in. I realized all the hard work we did the entire year, since last August, had paid off. All the memories from last year [losing in the state semifinal] came flooding back, and I realized this time we won it all. It’s beautiful.”

Pioneer junior forward Chris Donovan, who scored the game-winning goal with 18:48 left in the game, said while holding a large Hershey bar, “I was astonished, overwhelmed, when I realized we had just taken the biggest prize we could win.”

Conestoga senior defender Gabe Harms, who couldn’t stop smiling, said, “My first thought when the game was over was that we achieved the goal I set for myself when I walked into Conestoga High School my freshman year. And to win this title in front of 3,000 fans is the best feeling in the world – it makes you feel like a professional soccer player.” Pioneer senior midfielder Mason Miller said, “My first thought was just reminiscing [about my Conestoga soccer career]. I’m just taking in the moment.”

This was the third state title for Conestoga, who also won it in 1988 and 2011, the latter one under current head coach David Zimmerman. This year’s team had a trio of players – Milanek, Miller and Harms, known by their teammates as “The Three Amigos” – each of whom had played at least two dozen post-season games in a Conestoga uniform.

Zimmerman said, “When the game ended, I felt tremendous relief. The first day after our tryouts, we set a goal for ourselves to win the state title. This isn’t something I normally do. And it’s tough when there’s high expectations, there’s a lot of [self-imposed] pressure to live up to them.” Conestoga pretty much dominated possession against Elizabethtown (22-5-1) Saturday evening, keeping the ball deep in Bears’ territory much of the game, including the last couple of minutes. And they made numerous shots on goal, and Elizabethtown junior goalie Austin Denlinger, who made more than a dozen saves in the Bears’ riveting state semifinal win, stopped 13 Conestoga shots Saturday evening. But Donovan’s shot got by him in the second half, and it was all the Pioneers needed.

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By Eric Millinder
For Digital First Media

JOHNSTOWN >> In a fantastic display of tenacity and talent, the Garnet Valley Jaguars rallied from down a game to win its first PIAA Class 4A volleyball championship, 3-2, over Parkland Saturday at Richland High School. On paper, it did not look like the Jaguars had much hope against Parkland, the two-time reigning state champions. But on the court, Garnet Valley made the victory look like anything but an upset.

“We came in here thinking that, if we played our best, we could definitely beat them,” Garnet Valley setter Gabby Davis said. “We really played our hearts out. We just kept pushing and pushing and played the best we could. We worked so hard to get here. I think the reason we won is because we just wanted it so badly.”

Davis, a senior, led her squad with 48 assists and chipped in nine digs. Nicole Loan tallied 14 kills and four blocks. The Jaguars again did their damage defensively. Lizzie Herestofa came up with 42 digs, joined in double figures by Sydney Portale (15), Amber Goldberg (13), Cassidy Gallagher (12) and Meagan Scott (11). Jaguars coach Mark Clark thought the tough road his team took to the final helped it rally to win games four and five.

“The last two matches, we went five,” Clark said. “Against Baldwin, we were down 0-2 and came back to win 3-2. The other night (against State College), it was 2-2 and we won game five. The game five experience definitely helped us.

“My girls really stuck together.” Garnet Valley set the tone with a win in the opening set. The Jaguars won eight of the first 11 points with kills from Erin Patterson, Julianne Hurley, Portale, Loan, and Gallagher.

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