PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | January, 2018

MALVERN >> Following Conestoga’s 43-42 win against Villa Maria Monday, both coaches saw the bruising defensive battle as a valuable tune-up for their respective powerful squads coming down the stretch.

“This was a fun game, a district playoff-level contest,”  Conestoga head coach Chris Jefferies said. “It’s good for us to play a team of this caliber — Villa Maria gave us a lot of defensive pressure. Our guards made some important plays for us tonight.”

With the victory, the Pioneers improved to 12-6, while the Hurricanes dropped to 14-5. Conestoga was led by 6-foot-5 senior forward Katie Mayock (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Villa Maria was paced by 6-1 sophomore Paige Lauder (21 points, 13 rebounds).

“One of the things we learned today that we need to improve is our game management,” said Villa Maria head coach Kathy McCartney, whose squad plays Mount St. Joseph in an important AACA matchup Tuesday. We had the ball three times in the final minute, but didn’t score – that’s my fault.”

No one scored in the final 39 seconds after Mayock hit two free throws to put the Pioneers up 43-42.

The Pioneers held a seemingly secure 37-30 lead after three quarters, but the Hurricanes rallied in the fourth quarter to make things interesting.

“We focus on our defense and our goal is to keep teams under 40 points,” Jefferies said. “For the first three quarters we met our goal.”

Mayock, who is averaging 11.3 rebounds per game and 3.0 blocks per contest this season, helped the Pioneers’ defensive cause with a number of key rebounds Monday. The SJU signee also scored 15 points, mostly from underneath with the help of some pinpoint passes (senior point guard Julia Weiss had seven assists)

During the first three quarters, Conestoga got a trio of treys from sophomore guard Emily Lortz. Nia Scott, who has been averaging 8.1 ppg for the Pioneers, added 10 points.

“Nia is a dynamic wing player for us,” Jefferies said. “She made some plays off the dribble tonight that were awesome.”

In the fourth quarter, Villa Maria came back, led by Lauder, who scored nine points in the final stanza. Following steals by guards Julia Samar and Myla Warley, Lauder scored twice to cut Conestoga’s lead to 39-37, then Lauder was fed twice underneath, and converted both times to give the Hurricanes a 41-39 lead.

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The Conestoga junior is the 2017 PIAA 100 yard butterfly and 100 yard backstroke champion and an All-American in both events.  On Jan. 22, Burns not only broke three Garnet Valley pool records, he set two national public high school swimming records for Short Course Meters (SCM) in both events.  His 100 meter fly time of 52.41 broke the pool record by 4.76 seconds. His 100 meter back time of 53.66 broke the pool record by 4.39 seconds. He has qualified in all eight district swimming events, and is undefeated this season in the 200 free, 200 IM, 50 free, 100 free, 500 free, 100 fly and 100 back. Last year, Burns swam 1:42.94 in the 200 yard fly, second fastest time ever by a 15/16 year old behind only Michael Phelps (1:42.2) in U.S. swimming history.

Fun facts – Brendan Burns

Favorite book: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

Favorite author: Roald Dahl.

Favorite TV show: Spongebob Squarepants.

Favorite movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Favorite athlete: Aaron Judge or Rob Gronkowski.

Favorite pre-meet pump-up song: “Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mill or the U.S. National Anthem.

Favorite team: New York Yankees or New England Patriots.

Favorite place to visit: any and all beaches.

Favorite pre-meet meal: Anthing with pasta, red sauce, sausage/meatballs/chicken, and salad.

Favorite color: Blue.

Person I most admire: “Derek Jeter. A true class act and played for the love of the game. Additionally, no one in baseball history was more clutch than the Captain.”

Family members: parents Eric and Heather, younger sister Delaney (also swims).

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RADNOR >> It’s been 34 years since Tom Robinson grabbed the reins of the Radnor swimming program. But at his heart, Robinson remains imbued with the spirit of a track coach. And on the pool deck, one way that has manifested is in wondering why, unlike the two terrestrial endurance sports he’s coached, swimming lacked a single meet uniting Delaware County’s best athletes.

He rectified that, after many years of pondering, with this weekend’s first Delco Invitational at Radnor, bringing together nine schools for what Robinson hopes is the first of many such events.

“The idea was to have a meet like cross country and track has with a Delaware County championship,” Robinson said. “It’s something I’ve wanted to have for a long time. So yeah, it fills a void in that respect.”

Robinson’s considerations were both practical and jocular. The pragmatic side introduces swimmers to a trials-and-finals format akin to the PIAA Championships, with preliminary heats on Saturday and finals on Sunday. The atmosphere, though, injected the levity lacking in stodgy meets like Centrals and Districts where so much is on the line. Each event included a procession for the A finalists with introductory music (chosen by the top qualifier from Saturday) as well as prizes for event winners, most emblazoned with “Delco” and provided via a partnership with apparel company Blue Rooted.

The sight of, for instance, top qualifier in the 200-yard freestyle Abby Krissinger of Haverford walking to the blocks in gold parachute pants while MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” played, would raise more than a few eyebrows at a staid setting like the District 1 Championships.

Robinson was underwhelmed by the inaugural turnout. While invitations were offered to more than 20 programs, only five of the Central League’s nine-strong Delco contingent (Haverford, Ridley, Radnor, Upper Darby and Marple Newtown) joined Valley Forge Military Academy, Delco Christian and Cardinal O’Hara in sending representatives (Strath Haven and Springfield submitted divers only, contested midweek).

When you weigh the benefits and challenges of launching such a meet, it’s understandable why Robinson’s brainchild took so long to germinate. A day of racing (much less two) is one fewer day of workouts, particularly when yardage is being ramped up for the taper to February’s championship season. Weekends are rife with practices not just for high school teams but club squads, and avoiding calendar conflicts was a particular challenge.

But chances to line up for a trials-and-finals format, any high school coach will admit, are vanishingly rare. Save for the Catholic League’s de facto PCL/District 12 weekend double, most high school swimmers don’t get a chance to learn the rhythms of two consecutive swims until the meet where it matters most, states. Add in the light atmosphere to break the doldrums of a heavy training month like January — with its dark before morning practice/dark after evening practice tedium — and the chance to earn cross-league bragging rights, and you get a welcomed change of pace for many.

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he 5-foot-10 junior guard is averaging 21.4 ppg and 3 apg (as of Jan. 29). In a recent four-day stretch, she scored 30 points in a win against Lower Merion, then followed it up with 29 points in a victory vs. Upper Darby. As a sophomore, she received both All-Central League and All-Main Line girls basketball honors.

Fun facts – Christina Brown

Favorite TV show: Star.

Favorite basketball player: LeBron James.

Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Solar Eclipse is.

Favorite place to visit: Florida.

Favorite pre-game meal: Chicken fingers.

Favorite color: Red.

Person I most admire: “I admire my parents because they support me through everything, they make sure I have everything I need and want, and take me places. Mostly they push me each and every day and they make me a better person in and outside of basketball. Also I admire Messiah Reames because he helped me become the person I am, and continued to believe in me.”

Your family members: parents Kenny Brown and Nicholette DiFrank, twin brother Nicholas, brothers Kenny Jr. and Ronald.

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The senior co-captain of the Fords’ swimming team is a two-time state qualifier in the 500 free and currently ranks in the top three in the Central League for 500 free, 100 fly and 100 back. A versatile swimmer, he ranks in the top 10 in the Central League in six events. Pettit was a first team All-Main Line swimmer in 2017, and was first team All-Central League in 2016 and 2017.  Last winter, Pettit was Central League champion in the 500 free; eighth in the 200 free and seventh in the 500 free at the District One championships; and 17th in the 500 free at States. 

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Conestoga swimmer Brendan Burns broke three Garnet Valley pool records in the Pioneers’ 100-73 win Monday.

Burns, Evan Zhou, Oliver Brown and Owen Neuman set a new mark of 1:48.41 in the 200 medley relay, breaking the previous mark of 1:52.15 set in 2015 by Garnet Valley. Burns then broke Haverford’s Shane Ryan’s 2012 record in the 100 fly (57.17) with a blistering 52.41.  He followed that up by breaking Garnet Valley’s Ivan Michalovic’s 2014 record time of 58.05 in the 100 back with a new mark of 53.66.

Burns made headlines earlier this season when he swam the second fastest 200 fly SCY by a 15-16 year old in US swimming history with a 1:42.94 at the 2017 Winter National Championships at Ohio State University. That time is second only to Michael Phelps’ national 15-16 age group record of 1:42.10 set in 2002.  Burns added the fourth fastest time in the 100 yard fly (47.62) and the 14^th fastest 200 yard IM (1:47.20).

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NEWTOWN SQUARE >> Rocco Fantazzi had a look of dismay upon his face following his team’s first two matches of the night. The Garnet Valley wrestling coach wanted his wrestlers to salvage some points, but didn’t get what he wanted when the Jaguars dropped 182- and 195-pound matches to get things started. His team needed a spark. It received it from two unlikely individuals. Freshmen Coltin Deery and Griffin Hollingsworth won by pin as Garnet Valley tallied five wins by fall in the first eight matches to upend Marple Newtown, 51-24, for a crucial Central League victory. The win keeps the Jaguars tied atop the league standings heading into its matchup against Upper Darby at home next Wednesday. The Royals downed Strath Haven to remain unbeaten in league play.

A major part of why Garnet Valley remains in first place was the performance of Deery, who pinned the Tigers’ Scott Novak in 1:09 in the 220-pound match. Hollingworth followed that up two matches later by recording the quickest pin of the night, defeating Gabe Farhan at 113 in 1:02 to put Garnet Valley (12-7, 6-0 Central League) up 24-9.

“One of the things we did do after the first two matches was stop the bleeding,” Fantazzi said. “We stopped their momentum and started our own by getting a few pins. We shut them down and shut the crowd down. We didn’t get off to the start we wanted, but that was something I wanted to see from our team.”

Hollingsworth came in with 10 wins, but his outlook for each match is the same.

“I just go out there and think I’m going to win my match,” he said. “That’s all it is. If I think I’m going to win, I’m going to win, then I’ll go out there and battle. I do whatever I have to in order to get that win.”

Frankie Reagan (106), Kevin Puliti (120) and Matt Flicker (126) pinned their opponents in consecutive matches to put the Jaguars in the driver seat, up 36-9 after eight matches. Desmon Perry added a pin in the 145-pound match in 3:26, and Austin Filippone pinned Nolan Rufo in 1:44 to close out the 160-pound match.

Marple Newtown (3-6, 2-2) did not back down from the challenge the Jaguars presented. Armen Dervishian came out and set the tone early, winning the 182-pound match in a 1-0 thriller over Brian West. Immediately following that, Stephen Bradley pinned Griffin Salus in 2:30, and the Tigers were out to a 9-0 lead.

Freshman Jimmy Nania put on the strongest match for the Tigers as he dominated in a 14-7 major decision at 132 pounds over Alex Rosata. Mohammed Iyoun was patient in the 138-pound match and eventually pinned Ethan Cooper in 5:58. Marple Newtown’s final victory came as Jake Bullock pinned Dillon Conlon in 3:59 at 152 pounds.

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PETE BANNAN – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Marple Newtown’s Stephen Bradley pins Garnet Valley’s Griffin Salus in the 195 pound weight class Wednesday evening.

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MIDDLETOWN >> It takes about 30 seconds after the coy, “you shouldn’t have” smile and silver balloons spelling out “200” recede into the distance for Mike Doyle to turn the conversation away from himself.

As the Penncrest coach recounts all the figures that led to the 199 wins before Tuesday’s 56-26 pasting of Ridley, the discussion meanders away from the coach’s contributions. It veers toward players and assistant coaches he’s been fortunate to work with. It ambles toward what Doyle calls his “classical training” as a coach, a path studded by notable mentors — Buddy Gardler at Cardinal O’Hara, Herb Magee at Philadelphia University, Jim Boyle and Phil Martelli at Saint Joseph’s.

And finally, Doyle finds himself at the point he really wants to sink his teeth into: How good was his team’s defense today, especially Justin Heidig?

“He was gold,” Doyle said, squarely rooted in his post-game wheelhouse. “He was unbelievable. He has really stuck with it and we were just waiting. I believed in him and knew he was ready for a breakout game.”

Nice as the photo op was, Doyle is always more heartened by talk of his team, not his coaching. So it was Tuesday, with the way his team dominated Ridley, holding them to 10 second-half points in a display of execution that had blinked on and off in alternating wins and losses the last two weeks. But Tuesday, Penncrest (14-2, 9-2 Central) assembled all the elements it knows it’s capable of, the ones that powered 11 straight wins to start the season.

The defense, led by seven steals from Heidig, caused 19 turnovers and allowed just 10 Ridley field goals, none in the first 6:22 of the second half to set the stage for a decisive 13-2 run.

The offense ran smoothly, even with Tyler Norwood limited to a pedestrian 14 points. That was again thanks to Heidig, who dished six assists and keyed big days for Matt Arbogast (15 points) and Chris Mills (seven points). Heidig also scored five points and grabbed five rebounds in an all-around stellar outing.

“They find open space and they know when it’s coming,” Heidig said of the bigs. “They always are looking for the ball and they’re ready to score every time. It makes my job easier.”

“We just do our thing,” Arbogast said. “We get open space when they’re all on top of Ty, so we just move to open space and make our layups.”

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PETE BANNAN – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Penncrest basketball coach Mike Doyle’s is honored for his 200th win following the Lions 56-26 victory over Ridley Tuesday evening.

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NEWTOWN SQUARE >> Marple Newtown captain Minh Tran belatedly landed on the court via a string of successive opportunities that the guard has received and taken full advantage of.

Like when coach Sean Spratt stepped in two years ago and instituted open gyms, at which Tran made himself a fixture, undeterred by falling short in JV tryouts as a freshman and sophomore. Or when in the spring of his junior year, Spratt found himself short on bodies for an offseason tournament and gave Tran a nod.

Or when Tran’s work ethic earned him a varsity spot as a junior with the understanding he’d play primarily on JV, where injuries vaulted him into a primary role.

“Working hard is the number one thing. I just had a goal in mind,” Tran said last week. “I never really made it to the team before, and when (Spratt) came in, I was like, this is my opportunity to show the coach that I have something. That summer I just worked my **** off and that’s why I’m here right now.”

Born in Vietnam, Tran gravitated toward basketball after coming to the United States just before his third birthday. Aunt took to calling him “Jordan” from a young age for the volume of basketball videos he consumed. When his family moved from Upper Darby to Marple when Tran was in eighth grade, he made the pilgrimage to New Ardmore Park in his neighborhood on a daily basis with friends, shooting for hours on end.

Tran faced cultural boundaries. He said his parents, Michael and Phuong, don’t understand the game much, and with Minh being the first in the family to play sports, there are distinctly American norms with which to grapple. The most basic was getting his parents to sign off on participation.

“My dad didn’t want to let me play because it was too much time,” Tran said. “He said, ‘You can go find a job or whatever.’ And I was like, no, I worked too hard that summer to not play. So I just was like, ‘Dad, you’ve got to let me play.’”

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PETE BANNAN -DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Marple Newtown (2) Minh Tran dribbles past Penncrest (2) Aidem Carroll Wednesday evening.

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NETHER PROVIDENCE >> When Strath Haven and Garnet Valley retreated to their locker rooms at halftime Wednesday night, the Panthers were easily the more satisfied side in their game-plan execution. They pounded the ball into the post to Cooper Driscoll. They hit 3-pointers via Jordan Graves. They dampened the tempo to a languid pace and were rewarded with a three-point lead. But when the Jaguars adapted and zigged, the Panthers didn’t have a corresponding zag. And they didn’t have Austin Laughlin, either.

The Garnet Valley guard poured in a game-high 28 points, including the go-ahead basket early in the third quarter and the first eight points of the fourth to salt away a 68-47 Central League win, Garnet Valley’s eighth consecutive victory. Laughlin’s scoring brilliance aside, he was the effect of the comeback, with Garnet Valley (10-3, 7-2) trailing for the first two and a half quarters. The cause was a bolstered interior defense that denied Driscoll after halftime.

The Strath Haven senior forward scored nine points, grabbed four rebounds and dished three assists in the first half, dictating the Panthers’ halfcourt offense. But after the break, he didn’t attempt a field goal, thanks to the combination of Cade Brennan’s fronting defense, help-side D from Greg Vlassopoulos and others and the constant harassment of the Panthers guards by Garnet Valley’s backcourt.

“We just really wanted to put pressure on them,” Brennan said. “I just wanted to not let the ball in the post, and I think I accomplished that. I got a lot of help from my teammates because I was playing the front side of him and I would get a lot of help from the back.”

Without the low-post element of the Panthers’ potent inside-out game, less room was afforded perimeter shooters, leading to a 6-for-16 day from 3-point range. Driscoll scored 10 points, as did Jordan Graves (eight in the first half). Ryan Morris led the Panthers (7-6, 4-5) with 16, but they were doubled up, 48-24, after halftime as Garnet Valley turned up the pressure and the pace of play.

“Garnet Valley did a great job, fronting (Driscoll), doubling him, making sure we didn’t go to him. And that led to some frustration,” Strath Haven coach Dan Spangler said. “We don’t necessarily rely on Cooper to do everything. We have other guys that are strong enough and good enough to make plays. We just couldn’t make shots. They just made more plays than we did.”

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PETE BANNAN -DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Strath Haven’s (21) Chris Rosini pulls down a rebound as Garnet Valley (23) Cade Brennan defends.

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