PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | October, 2018

RIDLEY TWP. — Myles Turner and the Ridley High defense embraced the challenge that stood before them Friday night at Phil Marion Field.

They had to stop, or limit, bruising Upper Darby running back Kareem Adams, the fourth-leading rusher in Delaware County. Adams is 5-10, 210 pounds of solid rock and is a chore to take down.

“We’re always looking forward to the challenge,” said Turner, a 5-11, 250-pound senior. “After a while, we got to him. He’s got all that weight, I’ve got all this weight. So it was an even trade. I eventually started to figure out how to get him down.”

McAdams was held in check. He ran for only 61 yards, six after halftime. Ridley’s defense sacked UD quarterback Kevin Kerwood three times and picked up a safety when Mike McDonnell tackled McAdams a yard deep in the end zone in a wild third quarter that included a combined four touchdowns and 30 points.

But Ridley’s resurrection from laughingstock to District 1 Class 6A playoff contender has much more to do with the team’s improved play on offense than anything else. The Green Raiders routed Upper Darby, 32-14, to win their fifth straight contest and get above the .500 mark for the first time. The Royals (7-2, 5-2) saw their winning streak snapped at six games.

Ridley produced 392 yards of total offense against, statistically at least, the top-ranked defense in Delco. UD started the night giving up only 176 yards per game. The Green Raiders (5-4, 5-3), though, dominated up front and essentially controlled the tempo the entire night.

“When you look at the first half, they only had three possessions. We said a couple of weeks ago that we are getting better, better and better. We’re running the football on a very, very good football team,” Ridley coach Dave Wood said. “All of the O-linemen, led by Tommy Bramwell, have done an excellent job. (Quarterback) Jack Bakey continues to do an excellent job running the offense. You’ve got (Dylan) Staley and Yak (Elijah Yakpasuo) who are running the ball really well. We got off to a good first half and it’s because of those guys who are carrying the ball. They’re doing a tremendous job.”

Yakpasuo’s 27-yard scoring scamper late in the first half gave Ridley its first touchdown and a 10-0 cushion. The senior, who got an interception on the final play of regulation, ran for 181 yards on 22 carries and was dazzling at times.

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Ridley running back Hassan Chandler dives for the touchdown against Upper Darby in the third quarter. Ridley went on to a 32-14 victory.

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The versatile senior “changes the game more than any player I have ever coached in my 11 years of coaching at Haverford,” said Fords’ girls soccer head coach Jeff Jackson. She has tallied 14 goals (as of Monday), including a hat trick on Senior Night. Last fall, she was a first team All-Central League, All-Main Line and All-Delco selection for soccer. Off the pitch, she will be entering her fourth year on the Fords’ varsity basketball team and earned second team All-Main Line honors last winter. “She is a tremendous leader for her teammates, and probably the best athlete in our school,” said Jackson.

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Fun facts – Annalena O’Reilly

Favorite book: The Girl on the Train.

Favorite author: Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games series).

Favorite TV show: Ozark.

Favorite movie: Mission Impossible movies.

Favorite athlete: Carson Wentz.

Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Guatemala by Rae Sremmurd.

Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles.

Favorite place to visit: Norway and Ireland.

Favorite pre-game meal: Baked ziti.

Person I most admire: “My mom because she always puts others first.”

Family members: parents Aiden and Gro, brother Sean-Erik.

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RADNOR — Anyone who thought Garnet Valley’s 3-1 victory over Archbishop Carroll Wednesday night was nothing more than a nonleague match to fill out the volleyball schedule at the end of the regular season was sadly mistaken.

The showdown between two of the top teams in the area was a tune-up for the District 1 and Catholic League tournaments, which start next week.

“I’ll go and play a game like this any time,” Carroll coach Brian McCann said. “That’s a great team, and Greg is a great coach. It was two really good teams slugging it out. It was a really good match.”

“It was a great test,” Garnet Valley coach Greg Wood said. “That’s why we wanted to play it now, right before the playoffs. They’re a scrappy team, good players all around.”

Wednesday was everything you would expect from a Garnet Valley team that just completed its third straight undefeated run through the Central League and is ranked eighth in the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association Class 4A poll and a Carroll squad that is vying for its third consecutive Catholic League title.

The Jaguars (16-2) had to dig deep to come out with the 25-20, 27-25, 23-25, 25-18 victory. Garnet Valley overcame a six-point deficit in the first set and climbed out of five-point hole in the second to extend its winning streak to five.

“We didn’t pass the way we normally do, which hurt us,” Wood said, “but we were able to dig out of it with some good serving and some good blocking.”

Wanting a little payback for a five-set loss to the Patriots a year ago didn’t hurt, either.

“There always is a little revenge when you lose the year before,” senior Gwen Clark said. “The big thing, for us as a team, was that we were able to come back and win after being down in those first couple of sets.”

Clark had a hand in the rally. She was on the service line during a seven-point run in the first set that turned a 16-13 deficit into a 20-16 lead. The Patriots (14-3) cut the deficit to 21-20 before Sam Mann slammed one of her 15 kills to start a four-point run to clinch the set.

Mann also had the final **** as the Jaguars crawled out of a pair of five-point holes in the second set to take a 2-0 lead. Mann had four blocks and a staggering .737 hitting percentage.

Fellow senior Emma Rokosky finished with 10 kills, 12 digs and three aces. Ally Hartney collected eight kills, five blocks and had a .500 hitting percentage. Alanna Hagerty added eight kills and one block. All-Delco setter Rachel Cain dished out 41 assists and registered five digs.

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Archbishop Carroll’s Paige Monastero, left, hits a ball into the block of Garnet Valley’s Rachel Cain, center, and Ally Hartney Wednesday. The Jaguars picked up a 3-1 nonleague win. (Pete Bannan/Digital First Media)

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The Harriton duo of the Rams’ top two singles players, Sophia Sassoli and Saige Roshkoff, captured the Central League Doubles championship Oct. 13, defeating Radnor’s Kanon Ciarrocchi and Lucy Hederick in the finals, 6-0, 6-2. The third-place match was won by the Conestoga duo of Priya Aravindhan and Olivia Dodge, who defeated the Pioneers’ pair of Ananya Krishnan and Leena Kwak, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Fifth place went to the Radnor duo of Annie Burton and Bridget Dougherty.

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MIDDLETOWN – The rejuvenation of Ridley’s season took another big step forward Friday night when the Green Raiders turned in a strong performance with a 42-20 victory over Penncrest.

For Ridley coach Dave Wood, it was the continuation of a string of solid efforts for the Green Raiders after a rocky 0-4 start to the season.

“We made a couple of adjustments a couple of weeks ago, we redefined some things, made some personnel changes so not as many kids were going both ways and it’s really shown,” Wood said. “When you look at what the offensive line has done and what the (Jack) Bakey kid, our quarterback, is playing really well. With the (Elijah) Yakpasuo kid, the (Dylan) Staley kick, we’re really mixing it up and doing a great job that way.

“The (Tahmir) Wilmore kid came to our defense and he’s all over the field. We’re still young in spots, but I think we’re better off for what we did and the kids are really playing hard.”

While the Green Raiders put forth a dominant effort, it was Penncrest who struck first with an explosive start. The Lions went deep on the game’s first play when quarterback Nick Benecke connected with Jayden Brown for a 76-yard touchdown and quick 7-0 lead for Penncrest.

From there, however, it was all Ridley. The Green Raiders, who improved to 4-4 overall and 4-3 in the Central League, used an overpowering running attack to wear down the Lions (1-7 overall, 1-6 Central) defense. Bakey and Yakpasuo did the majority of the damage for Ridley.

Yakpasuo, who tallied 103 yards on 10 carries, scored on runs of seven and four yards, respectively, but it was Bakey who completely took over.

Ridley’s quarterback was efficient through the air as he completed two of four passes for 54 yards early on. Using his speed and superior vision, Bakey dipped, shook, and danced his way to 118 yards on nine carries for four touchdowns.

It was a superior performance for the senior signal caller.

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NETHER PROVIDENCE — On Monday night, Jake Ruane was sitting on his couch watching the Washington Redskins play the New Orleans Saints. In that game, he saw Saints quarterback Drew Brees throw a 62-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to Tre-Quan Smith, setting the record for most passing yards in NFL history.

Four nights later, Ruane was a copycat.

He threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Trey Blair in the second quarter and on that play surpassed Jack Donaghy for the most passing yards in the history of Haverford High football.

“I thought about it afterward,” Ruane said. “I was like, ‘I just watched this a couple days ago.’”

It was a play indicative of the Fords’ offense all night long, as they rolled through Strath Haven 40-20 at George L. King Field.

Haverford (7-1, 6-1) amassed 523 yards of total offense. Ruane, who threw two touchdowns and ran for two more, amassed 210 yards passing and another 96 via the ground.

“He’s just an animal,” Blair said of his quarterback. “He just played his heart out.”

Ruane has 5,437 passing yards, passing Donaghy (5,296). He’s just the fourth passer in Delco history to surpass 5,000 career yards.

Blair wasn’t too bad himself. If Ruane was copying Brees, then Blair was putting on a Saquan Barkley-esque show. Blair rushed for 123 yards and caught four balls for 101 yards. He, too, had two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.

“He’s a freak,” Ruane said. “He does everything. It’s not just on offense. He plays safety. He even kicks off for us. He’s unreal.”

An animal. A freak. That makes two unique characters that coach Joe Gallagher is thrilled to have on his team.

“They make me look good,” Gallagher said. “They’re both incredible talents. Haverford has been playing football for 100 years and to be able to coach the most prolific quarterback in all that time means I’m blessed and I’m a lucky coach. And Trey is a special talent. Anybody who’s seen us play knows just how special he is.”

But in order for that offense to hum along as it did Friday, it needs some help from more than just the skill players on the team. And that’s what has Gallagher so excited as the Fords prepare for a couple of big Central League games coming up against Springfield and Ridley.

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RADNOR – When Garnet Valley quarterback Cole Palis got the go-ahead to attempt a two-point conversion in overtime Friday night, he didn’t question the decision. He was willing to do whatever was necessary to get across the goal line and send the Jaguars home undefeated and still alone in first place in the Central League.

Palis lined up under center, received the snap and ran to his right. It was an option play. Palis decided to keep the ball himself, then leaped over the pile and across the goal line.

Garnet Valley was victorious, 29-28, surviving a spirited effort from an excellent Radnor team. GV and Radnor entered the night ranked first and fifth, respectively, in Delaware County.

“We’re designed to read the ends,” Palis said. “If the end goes out, I’m just going to keep it and look to pitch to our running back. But I saw the hole and my linemen did the rest. I just jumped over. There was a little pile, so I knew I had to jump.”

Garnet Valley senior tackle Kyle McCullough had the utmost confidence that Palis would reach paydirt.

“We had no doubt,” McCullough said. “Cole is a great quarterback and I knew he was going to make a great decision. It seems like he’s never wrong, honestly.”

And the loss was about as disappointing for Radnor as one might imagine. Senior quarterback Sean Mullarkey tried to look on the bright side.

“Nobody thought we could hang with these guys, just like nobody thought we could beat Marple, just like nobody thought we could beat Springfield, just like nobody thought we could beat Ridley,” said Mullarkey, who completed 7 of 13 passing attempts for 126 yards and a touchdown. “We’d obviously love to win but… we still have a goal in our mind and that’s to win a district championship. This doesn’t stop us.

“It was gutsy by them (to go for the two-point conversion), but that’s why they’re a really good program. I wouldn’t say it’s fun right now, but we played really well. It was cool to see the community have Radnor football’s back.”

GV coach Mike Ricci wanted to end the game in the first OT. Radnor had scored first when Taylor Margolis rumbled across the goal line for his third touchdown of the night. Margolis, who also excelled at linebacker, received most of the carries in place of Matt Cohen, the third-leading rusher in the county who did not play due to injury.

Ricci’s thought process was simple: Don’t give Radnor another chance.

“At the end, we were having a hard time stopping Radnor so we didn’t want to continue the overtime. We just tried to end it,” he said. “We felt like we had a good play call. Cole made a great play to get in the end zone.”

GV had a chance to win it in regulation. After Danny Brady’s scoring scamper tied the game at 21, Radnor (6-2, 5-2) fumbled the ball away on its next offensive play. Garnet Valley (8-0, 7-0) drove the ball to the 1 with eight seconds to go. Colin Robinson (153 yards, two touchdowns) was stopped a half-yard short of the end zone. Ricci could’ve called upon kicker Bryce Stansfield for a field goal, but he felt strongly that his offense deserved to win this game.

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Cole Palis celebrates after converting a two-point run in overtime to lift Garnet Valley to a 29-28 overtime victory against Radnor. (PETE BANNA/DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA)

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CONCORD — Only minutes earlier, Radnor High’s football team had defeated Springfield. Already, then, the countdown had begun. In seven days, Garnet Valley would visit Prevost Field. In seven days, the Raiders would be defined.

Though Radnor had not watched one film of the Jaguars, had not peeked at one scouting report, had not to that point dared even to mouth “Beat Garnet Valley” through their facemasks, the situation was clear. No Central League opponent, not this year, not in many years, would be as tough.

How did they know that?

“Reputation,” said Matt Cohen, the dynamic Radnor running back. “Reputation throughout the whole league, about them being the big school, the biggest, the 6A school, the team beating everyone. We know we have to come out with our ‘A’ game this entire week if we want to have a chance with them.”

Mike Ricci is the Jags’ coach, and has been since 1986, when he began to build that reputation that has been threaded through the Central League and beyond. So when he hears such stories, he smiles, appreciating the respect, understanding how it was achieved.

Ricci’s Jags won the Central League in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013, were PIAA Class 3-A finalists in 2007 and won district championships in 2006 and 2007. But he doesn’t believe as much in a Maroon Mystique, to twist a longstanding Central League theme, as he does in the methods that have made the Jags so widely admired.

For long before the rest of the league braces for the Jags, the Jags literally had been lining up for access to the fitness floor, doing some bracing of their own.

“I’m really proud of the program we’ve built here at Garnet Valley and most proud of the kids who make up the program,” Ricci said. “And one of the things we talk to the kids about every year is that their job is to continue the tradition of excellence that was established before you. And they take that to heart.”

Ricci rejects comparing Garnet Valley’s best teams, aware that each has a particular endearing trait. This year, the difference is muscle, with strength coach John Paul Battiste reporting to Ricci that no Jaguars ever have been as successful at lifting heavy objects. For that, and for a rushing game that literally began the season with a 14-play, no-turnover, no-pass touchdown march against Unionville, Ricci and assistants Rich Boyd Jr., Jeff Allison, Greg Mink, Lance Panarello, Julius Flynn, Marc Panepinto, Paul Graham, Dave Wrezesniewski, Rick Stroup, Erik Van Wyk, Mike Frawley, George White, Jeff Hill, Craig Stephenson and Battiste just may have produced the best team in the proud history of Garnet Valley football. At 7-0 and 6-0 in the Central, the Jags have had only two scares, but won 14-7 at Haverford and 6-0 at Springfield.

“We can be something special,” quarterback Cole Palis said. “We just have to take it one day at a time, one game at a time. And we can be special.”

One issue: That next game is at Radnor, which is 6-1 and 5-1 in the Central, having lost to Haverford but having won that Springfield game by 35-23. An emphasis on youth-development programs finally has yielded Tom Ryan a 25-senior program and a bubbling, Garnet Valley-level confidence.

“Radnor is very impressive,” Ricci said. “I’m thrilled that Radnor is having a great season. I love when different teams in the league step up and have great years. They are a fun team to watch. And they are really playing at a high level right now.”

Garnet Valley is averaging 422.9 yards per game, tops in Delaware County. Radnor, at 370.6, is third. The Jags average 37.6 points, Radnor 33.9. Garnet Valley has Delco’s third best defense, Radnor its sixth.

“We know,” Ryan said, “Garnet is Garnet.” But Garnet is Garnet for more than the stats. That distinction has been developing for generations under Ricci, who has come to coach the sons of his earliest players.

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Garnet Valley football coach Mike Ricci let loose a smile of relief after a recent tight victory over Springfield. (Pete Bannan/Digital First Media)

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SPRINGFIELD — Relentless in their pursuit of the quarterback, there was no telling when, if ever, Garnet Valley’s defensive linemen would become fatigued.

Locked in another low-scoring classic with Springfield, the Jags’ fast and physical front four consisting of seniors Cade Brennan and Adam Oldrati and juniors Evan Hrivnak and Alex Westburg ensured a successful result Friday.

Nobody scored until late. Danny Bradley’s 15-yard scamper to the end zone was all that was required of GV’s normally potent offense on this night. Springfield quarterback Jack Psenicska hung in there in the face of continuous pressure, and his receivers gave the team a shot to pull off a victory, but a pass on fourth down in the waning sailed out of bounds. Garnet Valley left town with a 6-0 victory.

With the win, the Jaguars (6-0, 5-0) have grabbed sole possession of first place in the Central League and are the last undefeated squad in Delaware County.

“We say we have to keep (the quarterback) back there for three seconds because, after three seconds, we’re going to get there,” said Brennan, who was a monster. “I think we accomplished that tonight.”

Springfield hadn’t lost a regular season game since Oct. 21, 2016, against Garnet Valley. In recent seasons, they have played some of the best games you’ll see in the county all year, two teams that never disappoint.

“They’re really well-coached and it’s just a dogfight with them every year,” Hrivnak said. “I thought they fought really hard all game and gave it their all on every play. They were doing what they’re supposed to be doing. I’m just … proud of our guys because we worked really hard.”

Bradley ran for 105 yards on 16 carries. Colin Robinson added 81 yards and quarterback Cole Palis amassed 35 yards on the ground. The leading offense in the county, averaging 435 yards and 41.6 points per game, was limited to 239 yards of total offense. But thanks to the Jaguars defense’s stellar performance, it barely mattered.

“We always say that if they can’t score, they can’t win. Tonight, I’m really proud of everybody,” said Brennan, a Bucknell recruit. “We kept them out of the end zone, ultimately, and that’s why we won the game.”

The Jags’ last regular season defeat came at the hands of the Cougars last year, a stunning home setback that paved the way for Springfield to capture the Central League crown. Friday night, Garnet Valley returned the favor.

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PETE BANNAN – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA
Garnet Valley’s Cade Brennan blocks a pass by Springfield quarterback Jack Psenicska in the third quarter. The Jaguars won 6-0 to remain undefeated.

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