PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | April, 2019

RADNOR – You brace for the cliché of it, but the more you analyze the facts, the truer it rings.

Springfield’s defensive strategy isn’t just a 10-man plan just because that sounds good in a huddle or forces everyone to focus in defensive drills. From the smallest detail to the actual job of defending one-on-one, it’s all in service of the objective of keeping the ball out of the net, the characteristic that the Cougars have ridden to a pair of state championships.

So you have Saturday’s 6-5 overtime victory over Avon Grove at the Katie Samson Lacrosse Festival, a collision of two programs that have combined for three PIAA titles and three District 1 titles in the last five years. Nominally, the game was won by Jack Spence on a solo move at 1:59 of OT to lead the Cougars in a clash of top teams in the District 1 Class 3A standings at Radnor High School.

But so many small moments were executed perfectly before Spence’s shot tickled the twine. The five goals owed in part to three Jimmy Donegan saves, but that wasn’t a prime factor, either.

What was? Springfield (13-1) outshooting the Red Devils, 33-10, keeping them without a shot in the first quarter. And to follow the logic, that level of dominance (roughly 80 percent of possession would be a fair guess), traces to two factors: Getting the ball, and keeping it.

Zach Broomall was central to the first part by dominating on faceoffs. The converted attackman has come into his own, handling the three guys Avon Grove threw at him with aplomb, going 12-for-13.

Most of those draws were against Avon Grove’s top defender James Chastain, not just a pole designed to prevent Broomall going forward but one of the better defenders in the area. Yet still Broomall rarely lost possession and, combined with Jake Methlie’s cameo to win a draw, the Cougars lost just one of them.

“It’s a fun thing for me when the team relies on you to get the ball for you and keep possession as much as possible,” Broomall said. “It helps us win games when we keep the ball out of their sticks.”

“He’s been ******* it,” Spence said. “Freshman year, he was an attackman, and over the course of his career, he’s grown into one of the best faceoff men in PA. It’s fun to watch.”

Click HERE to read the full article.

Springfield’s Jack Spence, seen in a 2017 game, scored two goals include the overtime-winner to beat Avon Grove, 6-5, at the Katie Samson Lacrosse Festival Saturday at Radnor High School. (Digital First Media/Pete Bannan)

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

RIDLEY TWP. — No one wanted the game to end more than Ryan Schreiber.

The Ridley High catcher  stood in the batter’s box with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, no outs and a chance to be the hero.

Schreiber smoked a pitch by Penncrest relief pitcher Andrew Rosenberg the opposite way to right field, sending the Green Raiders home happy with a 5-4 Central League victory.

“I knew Schreiber was going to get a hit,” said TJ McNeely, who started the inning with a triple. “I knew if I got on base, we were going to win. I wasn’t trying to hit a triple, I was just trying to get on base.”

Schreiber had somewhere important to be and couldn’t stick around for a post-game interview. After the game winner, he more or less hugged a few of his teammates and ran to the parking lot. He was being honored by The Community’s Foundation at its 18th annual Recognition Reception at Springhaven Club in Wallingford. Schreiber was one of 15 local high school seniors to receive a scholarship award at the ceremony.

Later in the evening, though, he found time to call the Daily Times and discuss his walk-off hit.

“Unfortunately I got the hit, shook hands and had to get going. I didn’t even get to be in the huddle after,” he said. “It just feels great being able to help the team win, you know? Ridley hasn’t been to the playoffs (in a long time) and if we can get a league win and help with that, it’s pretty nice.”

Schreiber almost didn’t get the chance to be a hero. After McNeely’s three-bagger, Trent Pierce hit a ball deep in the hole and reached base without a throw. McNeely stood his ground at third. Cleanup hitter John Lockhart worked a 2-0 count before Penncrest coach Steve Smith called for an intentional walk. That set the stage for Schreiber.

“I was trying to make them sorry for walking the guy in front of me,” Schreiber said. “So, I don’t know if you saw my first swing, but I kind of gave myself one pitch to let me take a big hack at it. After that, I tried to shorten up and put the ball in play and give our team a shot to win.”

Schreiber was clutch with the bat, but he saved the game in the top of the seventh with his arm, throwing out Jeff Lunger attempting to swipe third base. It marked the second would-be base stealer that Schreiber threw out. Ridley reliever Ethan Pecko, who started at shortstop, retired the next two hitters on strikes to retire the side.

Click HERE to read the full article.

With the bases loaded Ridley catcher Ryan Schreiber forces out Penncrest runner Kevin Mills at home in the fourth inning. The Green Raiders came from behind to win on a single by Schrieber in the bottom of the seventh. (PETE BANNAN/MEDIANEWS GROUP)

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Ridley’s hurdlers showed Wednesday that they can clear just about any obstacle.

Meghan Lynch won the girls 100-meter hurdles at the Rustin Invitational, and Tony Graham swept the boys 110- and 300-meter hurdles for the Green Raiders.

Lynch clocked in at 15.55 seconds over 100 meters. She added the triple jump gold in 36 feet, 3.5 inches. Graham bested the 110-meter field in 15.22. He was even further in front over the longer distance, breaking the tape in 38.96.

Ridley’s Brianna Foster finished second in the 200, Rylie Butler was third in the long jump and Anna Borcky took third in the javelin. On the boys’ side, Angelo Blythe was the runner-up in the pole vault. CJ Mills took third in the triple jump, and Tahmir Wilmore paired fifth in the discus with second in the shot put. Ridley’s girls finished second in the 4 x 400 and 4 x 800 meter relays.

The former relay was won by Garnet Valley. In the 400, Grace Zamrowski took the crown in 59.89 seconds, with teammate Gabby Stuart third. Garnet won a pair of boys events via Sean Garrett in the 1,600 (4:27.84) and Chandler Koehler in the 200 (22.33). Andrew Biesecker was third in the 400.

Radnor’s Zoe Metzger took second in the javelin. Ethan Zeh was the runner-up in the 800, followed in order by teammates Luke O’Malley and Frank Brown. Meredith Schrock of Marple Newtown finished second in the 1,600.

At the Coach Joe Valley Father Judge Relays:

Haverford High took home three individual golds and the team title. Mike Donnelly won the boys 1,600 in 4:27.96. Canaan Curry was tops in the 300-meter hurdles in 41.31. And Chasen Wint won the discus with a throw of 143-3 to go with silver in the shot put.

Haverford took second in all three relays. Trey Blair was second in the 200, Curtis Weh took third in the long jump and Aiden Tomov landed third in the 800. Haverford scored 93 team points, easily besting Union Catholic in second with 73.

Bonner & Prendergast’s Kyle Love earned gold in the 110 hurdles in 15.39 seconds. It augmented the gold won by Hannah Bierling in the girls shot put, Bierling also taking fifth in the javelin.

The other Delco winner was Cardinal O’Hara’s Christine Mancini, who handled the field in the girls 800 in a time of 2:14.97.

Archbishop Carroll’s Malachi Hansen finished second in the long jump and third in the triple jump. Teammate Aidan Doherty was fifth in the 1,600, and Mary DeSimone was fourth in the girls 1,600.

Jada Hanson of Penncrest was fourth in the girls 300 hurdles (a spot ahead of Chester’s Taniyah Lawler) and fourth in the high jump. The Lions took third in the girls 4 x 400, and Camryn Taliaferro was the runner-up in the shot put. On the boys side, Jalen Chin (1,600) and Patrick Theveny (3,200) tallied thirds for Penncrest.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Ridley’s Tony Graham ran a 15.22 to edge Downingtown West’s Ethan Robinson to win the 110 hurdles at the Rustin Invitational track and field competition Wednesday. (Pete Bannan/Digital First Media

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Congratulations to the following members of the Central League for being named to the All Delco Girls Basketball Teams.

First Team

Emily McAteer, Garnet Valley– Click HERE to read the article on the Player of the Year.

Brianne Borcky, Garnet Valley: The senior forward was a four-year starter throughout Garnet Valley’s school history-making era of three Central League titles, a District 1 Class 6A championship, and a trip to the PIAA final. Borcky’s height and tremendous athleticism enabled her to excel at all positions. Borcky averaged 10.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game. She scored 16 points to help Garnet Valley win its first District 1 title over Neshaminy. She finished her career with 1,207 points and was selected to play in the All-Star Labor Classic. She will continue her playing career at Drexel University. Said Garnet Valley coach Joe Woods: “Like Emily, Brianne was both a leader on and off the court in taking us to the championship game of the state tournament.”

The 2018-19 Girls Basketball Player of the Year is Garnet Valley’s Emily McAteer. (Pete Bannan/Digital First Media)

Second Team

Erin Doherty, Sr. G, Haverford
Jordan D’Ambrosio, Sr. F, Springfield
Alisha Lewis, Sr. G, Strath Haven

Third Team

Ellie Mueller, Jr. F, Radnor
Belle Mastropietro, Sr. F, Springfield
Jasmine Forrester, Jr. G, Upper Darby

Honorable Mention

Garnet Valley: Morgan Falcone, Madi McKee, Jillian Nagy
Haverford: Lindsey Lane, Sara Walsh
Marple Newtown: Lindsay Kane
Penncrest: Kylie Chelo
Radnor: Holly Holtsberg, Brienne Williams
Ridley: Lindsay Boyd, Shannen Hinchey
Springfield: Alexa Abbonizio, Rachel Conran, Alyssa Long
Strath Haven: Cayden Frazier, Danielle McNeely, Faith Raymond
Upper Darby: Gabby Liberio

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Congratulations to the members of the Central League named to the All Delco Boys Basketball teams.

First Team

Malcolm Williams, Penncrest: The senior guard/forward leaves Penncrest with the most wins in school history at 86, having been part of three states trips and two District 1 Class 5A crowns. This year, the Lions fell short of a third straight district crown but still won 22 games and advanced to the second round of the PIAA Class 5A tournament. Williams was the most stable cog of a rotation that lost three key players for extended stretches. He averaged 18.0 points per game, the only double-figure scorer on the Lions and responsible for 35.4 percent of their points, the third-highest share in Delco. He shot 55 percent from the field, contributing 6.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game while also assuming the defensive responsibility of matching up with the opponents’ best player, both guards and forwards. Williams scored 34 points in the second game of the season and 30 in the District 1 third-place game against Pottsgrove. He topped 20 points in 13 outings for a team that averaged a shade over 50 points per game. A first-team All-Central pick, he’ll continue his career at Arcadia.

Malcolm Williams’ 26-point effort propelled Penncrest to a 67-36 shellacking of Pottstown in the first round of the District 1 Class 5A playoffs Thursday

Third Team

Enoch Clark, Sr. F, Ridley
Greg Vlassopoulos, Sr. G/F, Garnet Valley

Honorable Mention

Garnet Valley: Neel Beniwal, Cade Brennan, Tyler Pendergrass, Carl Schaller
Haverford: Canaan Curry, Dan Roe, John Seidman
Marple Newtown: Tommy Gardler, Aziz Khammassi, Joe Pettinelli
Penncrest: Matt Arbogast, Aidan Carroll, Isaiah Rice, Marquis Tomlin
Radnor: Jack D’Entremont, Sean Mullarkey, Lew Robinson
Ridley: Josh Howard, Nasir Santiago, Malachi Williams
Springfield: Cole Rhodes, M’khai Terry, Brian Ward
Strath Haven: Luke Edwards, Brady Mutz, Ibo Pio
Upper Darby: Shareef Jones, Diby Keita, Kymir Roper, Mamadou Toure

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Congratulations to the members of the Central League selected to the All Delco Ice Hockey teams.

First Team

Mike Irey, Strath Haven: Click HERE to read the article on the Player of the Year.

Jakob Moleski, Bonner & Prendergast/Upper Darby: The Upper Darby senior was voted to the ICSHL second team and with good reason. Moleski led the area in goals with 42 in just 17 games. But it wasn’t just Moleski’s goal-scoring prowess that made him a standout. It was also his commitment to the sport in general. The team was a cooperative sponsorship between Bonner & Prendergast and its neighbor on Lansdowne Avenue and struggled with numbers all season, which meant Moleski played big minutes at both forward and defense. He relished the extra ice time and was a threat to score every shift. Moleski produced a dozen multi-goal games and finished his career with a six-goal, two-assist performance in a win over Interboro, Bonner’s third victory of the season.

Blayden Reid, Strath Haven: With 41 points during the regular season and eight in the Flyers Cup, one might have thought Reid, the top-scoring defenseman in the ICSHL, was a purely offensive blue-liner, but that wasn’t the case. The senior played every other shift and more for the Panthers the whole season and took on the toughest assignments. Reid eased that burden with fluid skating and an innate ability to close gaps and read plays. He did his best work on opponent’s blue lines, where he either shot pucks through traffic or stepped into space created by forwards Mike Irey, Ryan Spanier, Liam Carney and the like.

Matt Wood, Garnet Valley: A rebuilding Jaguars team relied heavily on its senior captain. After an **** 0-4 start, all four losses coming by five or more goals, the blueliner led a resurgence as Garnet won four of its next five. The most impressive of those results came at home against eventual Central League champion Conestoga. Wood, a 200-foot player, scored twice in a 4-3 victory over the Pioneers, knowing when to sit back and when to push the pace. “Without him, we’re a different team,” Jags coach Keith Crowley said. “It’s very rare that you have one guy that can make all the difference.” Wood led Garnet Valley with 34 points — more than double his closest teammate — and was named to the ICSHL second team.

Strath Haven forward Mike Irey is the 2018-19 Daily Times Hockey Player of the Year. (Pete Bannan/Digital First Media)

Second Team

Ryan Spanier, Sr. F, Strath Haven
Liam Carney, Sr. F, Strath Haven
Josh Peabody, Fr. F, Strath Haven
Aidan Smith, Sr. F, Springfield
Jagur McClelland, Fr. F, Haverford High
Tyler Cassidy, Jr. G, Haverford High

Honorable Mention

Bonner & Prendergast/Upper Darby: Pat Jensen, Tyler Ruppert
Garnet Valley: Patrick Vaughn, Nicholas Port
Haverford: Jacob Orazi, Daniel Morris, Daniel Quartapella
Marple Newtown: Liam Rode
Penncrest: Declan Casey, Shane Kokoska, John Mundy
Radnor: Teddy Girton, Jack Hamilton, Luke Winnick
Ridley: Ron Higgins, Anthony Smythe, Nick Giuliano
Springfield: Thomas Yocum, Steven Griffin
Strath Haven: Lukas Bernaus, Trevor Lowe

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

Congratulations to the following members of the Central League who were named to the All Delco Swim Teams.

First Team

Noelle DiClemente, Garnet Valley: The senior sprinter is on the first team for the second straight season. She was quickest in the 50 at 23.52 seconds, an All-American consideration time, and second in the 100 free at 51.69. DiClemente finished fifth in the 50 free at states and seventh in the 100 while leading the Jags to a pair of relay B finals. The 200 free relay took home 13th place (with DiClemente anchoring in 23.47 in finals) and the 400 free was sixth thanks to DiClemente’s blistering anchor split of 50.69. DiClemente added a third-place finish in the 50 at districts and a pair of relay medals. She’ll further her career at Washington University in St. Louis.

Catherine Weaverling, Garnet Valley: The sophomore makers her All-Delco debut as the county’s premier fly/back specialist. Weaverling was fastest in Delco in the 100 back in 56.33 and second to Abruzzo in fly with a best time of 55.34, worthy of All-American consideration. She also had a top-five IM time, and the split of 51.51 she posted in the 100 free at states would’ve been in the top five had it been a flat start. Weaverling finished second in districts and fourth in states in the 100 fly. She went from seventh at districts to winning the B final of the 100 back at states for ninth. Weaverling was also on both of the Garnet Valley relays that reached the finals at states.

Alexandra Pastris, Marple Newtown: The freshman garnered a states medal in her first year of varsity competition. Pastris finished fifth at the District 1 championships with a score of 431.95 points. Under the tougher eyes of states judges, she scored 407.95, earning eighth place and the final spot on the podium. Her score of 477.35 won the Central League title and downed the six-year-old Delco record set by Haverford’s Alli Butera (467.85). Pastris’ top six-dive score was 271.40 in a dual meet with Upper Darby. She is the first Marple Newtown girls swimming and diving All-Delco since Dana DePaul in 2007.

Alex Boeckx, Ridley: The junior was one of the revelations of the PIAA championships, becoming the first Ridley male swimming medalist and first Ridley boys swimming All-Delco. He went from the 27th seed in the 200 IM and 15th in the 100 ****** into a pair of A finals. Boeckx finished seventh in the IM, his time of 1:51.44 second-fastest in Delco and worth All-American consideration. In breaststroke, he was sixth after prelims but bumped up to third in 56.30. It’s the third-fastest time in Delco and an All-American consideration cut. Boeckx posted top-10 times in Delco in the 100 fly, 100 back, 50 free and 200 free.

Pat Cullen, Radnor: The senior sprinter lands on the All-Delco squad for a second time. He was second to Brennan in both sprint events, though his time of 20.58 in the 50 was still an automatic All-American time. He was second in the 100 free with a time of 45.84. Cullen returned from states with a pair of medals and four finals swim. He took sixth in the 50 free and was 13th in the 100. He led off the 200 free relay at states to get Radnor fourth place and did the same to pilot the 400 free relay to ninth. Cullen captured the District 1 title in the 50, helping the Raiders’ 200 free relay to a runner-up result. Cullen is bound for Boston College.

Garnet Valley’s Noelle DiClemente gets ready to take off for the anchor leg of the 400 freestyle relay as teammates Amy Townend, center, and Anastasia Erley look on. DiClemente rallied the Jaguars from eight to sixth at the PIAA Class 3A Championships.

Second Team

Sydney Bergstrom, Fr., Strath Haven
Claire Walsh, Sr., Penncrest
Casey Cullen, Fr., Radnor
David Abrahams, Sr., Haverford
Kieran Clark, Jr., Penncrest

Honorable Mention

Garnet Valley: Carson Chapman, Lindsey Chapman, Anastasia Earley, Madison Hines, Alexa Hipp, Avery Malek, Kiera Scudder, Amy Townend, Jimmy Greek, Matthew Hurford, Griffin Young, Aidan Zipf
Haverford: Julia Curran, Elsley Hazell, Brooke Jamieson, Abby Krissinger, Grace Myers, Laura Seavey, Abby Vantrieste, Dean Carson, Zach Given, Jackson Graham, Jon Meyer
Marple Newtown: Kayla Hammond, Gabby Vanderslice, Matthew Gray, Mike Hannig, Tyler Smith, Williams Thomas, Demetrios Tsitsios
Penncrest: Lindsay Cave, Julia Colizzo, Madison Dickert, Emily Hannemann, Samantha Woolery, Sean McGroary, Erick Wade, Steven Woolery
Radnor: Avery Barber, Audrey Collins, Kelsey Wakiyama, Brian Chettle, Rhett Cosgrove, Wil Cosgrove, Andrew Davis, John El-Deiry, Nick Mlodzienski, Jack Undercofler
Ridley: Ashley DePrinzio, Meghan Lynch, Grace Reagan, Marisela Rechner, Zach Anderson, Mason Beck, Mario Costa, Eric Tanzosh
Springfield: Kylie Carney, Brandon Decker, Logan DeConti, Nick Lombrana, Tom Ronayne, Matthew Seifried
Strath Haven: Ava Dijestelbloem, Kelly Rainey, Mia Yancey, Luke Hatzell, Andrew McLaughlin, Will Resweber
Upper Darby: Chloe Lam, Emily Lehman, Carlo Constantine, Kevyn Daly, Patrick Rankin, Hunter Youngblood

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

HAVERFORD — As she entered the final 100 meters of her anchor leg in the southern sprint medley relay Saturday at the Girls Delco Relays, Marple Newtown’s Rebecca Ritchie was not thinking of winning the race.

“I wanted to pass the runner in front of me so my team would finish third and medal,” Ritchie said.

Once she moved into third place, however, Ritchie had a change of heart.

“I realized I could take first,” Ritchie said. “I was like, ‘Wow, they’re slowing down and I have more in me.’”

Julia Fallows, who ran the leadoff leg, realized something special was about to happen, too.

“When she came around (PA announcer Bill Coren of Strath Haven) kept saying the two teams in front of her, but she just kept going,” Fallows said. “We were screaming for her.”

With Fallows and teammates Piper Walton and Donna Holt offering words of encouragement down the stretch, Ritchie passed the anchor runners from Springfield and Ridley to give the Tigers the victory in the event that consists of legs of 100-, 100-, 200- and 400-meters.

The victory touched off a wild celebration among the runners and coaches Robin McNally and Nancy McNally, because it was believed to be Marple’s first victory at the Delco Relays.

“Most of us PR’d in our splits so they were absolutely thrilled for us,” Holt said. “We haven’t won in a long time, especially at a big meet like this so this really means a lot.”

Holt had enough energy in reserve from her 200 meter leg that she sprinted across the turf at Haverford’s A.G. Cornog field twice to urge Ritchie on.

“I had just finished passing off to her and I immediately ran to the other side of the track,” Holt said. “I thought the girl in fifth was going to pass her, but then I saw her speed up and knew she had more in her. I ran back to the other straightaway to watch her finish and when I got there she was passing everyone. We were just screaming. We were all together and we knew she was going to win.”

Click HERE to read the full article.

From left, Marple Newtown’s Julia Fallows, Piper Walton, Donna Holt and Rebecca Ritchie show off the gold medals they won in the southern sprint medley relay at the Girls Delco Relays Saturday

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

CONCORD — With baby No. 2 on the way, Haverford High coach Jill Marshall has a few games left with her 2019 team.

The Fords will be sad to see Marshall go, but the seniors recall the last time she went on maternity leave. Things went pretty well …

“She was pregnant the last time we won the Central League (in 2017),” said Ali Murphy, the Fords’ All-Delco center fielder.

For now, Murphy and the Fords want to shower Marshall with as many wins as possible before she says her goodbyes. Fords assistant Bob Newman will handle head coaching duties the rest of the way.

Freshman Emma Taylor pitched the Fords to a 7-4 victory over Garnet Valley Wednesday. Marshall and the baby were happy.

Tess Smiley, Addison Joseph and Annabelle Donald all had two hits as the Fords improved their overall record to 3-1.

“The young players are hungry,” Marshall said. “It’s not easy to come in as any freshman or sophomore , but we’re a team filled with essentially seniors and sophomores. We have one freshman on varsity,we depend on the young players to step up. We’re looking forward to having a few good years with them.”

Everything starts with the left-handed-hitting Murphy, the fastest player in the league, who tripled in a run and scored twice Wednesday.

“I feel like we’ve had a lot of time in the offseason to really get to know each other,” Murphy said.

With the exception of the third inning, Taylor kept Garnet Valley’s sluggers at bay. She struck out her pitching counterpart, Becca Halford, in the seventh after GV scored two unearned runs to make it 7-4.

Taylor didn’t act like a freshman in the circle as she navigated a difficult Garnet Valley lineup. All-Delco senior Diane Torregrossa reached safely twice but was held hitless. Two-time All-Delco catcher Lindsey Hunt was intentionally walked twice, including in the seventh to load the bases, but was held in the yard and without an extra-base hit. That’s a win for any pitcher in the Central League.

Audrey Shenk laced a run-scoring single in the third off Taylor, followed by a sacrifice off the bat of Kelly McLaughlin. Nine-hole hitter Makenna Valente doubled and scored, and Olivia DiCampili stroked an RBI single in the seventh for Garnet Valley’s final run.

Nonetheless, Taylor limited the damage, allowing seven hits and one earned run while striking out four.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Haverford teammates (5) Anna Mefford, (31) Addison Joseph and (16) Amber Moscoe congratulate (1) Ali Murphy after she scored against Garnet Valley. The Fords went on to a 7-4 victory.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)

SPRINGFIELD — The mercury at Halderman Field Tuesday told you it wasn’t playoff time.

Then there was the look in Regan Nealon’s eye, and the blood gushing from a cut over Kathryn Toohey’s eye, indicative that the encounter between Springfield and Garnet Valley had plenty of postseason elements, early schedule and frigid temperatures notwithstanding.

The level of play between the perennial state title contenders didn’t disappoint, either.

Nealon helped orchestrate a second-half rally for the Jaguars, who scored seven unanswered goals after the Cougars had taken their first lead of the game on the way to a 13-7 Central League victory.

“We love playing Springfield and all the Central League teams like this,” Nealon said. “So this was a huge rivalry win, and for us seniors, since they’re not in our (district) playoffs any more, we’re not going to play Springfield ever again, so we really wanted to go out on a win against them because we love playing them and it’s always a fun game.”

Nealon and her sister, Kara, certainly played like it. Of that seven-goal run, only two didn’t have a Nealon’s fingerprints on it. Toohey tied it at five with 17:11 to play, and Kara Nealon gave Garnet the lead for good with a fast-break goal at 14:09.

That play was made on the other end of the field, though. Springfield’s Erin Gormley lost possession but picked up a vital groundball to extend the attacking spell, but Regan Nealon ended up poking away a loose pass in the arc, starting the counterattack that her sister buried.

Regan scored 12 seconds later, then Kara, Toohey and Regan scored in successive minutes from eight meters, in all a 6-0 run of 6 minutes, 28 seconds. Regan provided the capper from eight meters with 6:28 to play, putting Garnet Valley up 11-5.

That marker came on the heels of the latest star turn at the other end: A denial by goaltender Sierra McLaughlin of a free-position shot by Alyssa Long. It was save No. 10 of 12 on the day for the sophomore, who has stepped between the pipes and performed impressively.

Click HERE to read the full article.

[!] Flag as Inappropriate

Processing your request, Please wait....

Report as:	Violent or Repulsive Content|Hateful or Abusive Content|Harmful Dangerous Acts|Child Abuse|Spam|Infringes My Rights
Write in Words: (Optional)