PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | November, 2020

CONCORD — The gadget play by Marple Newtown to begin Wednesday night’s Central League championship game startled Garnet Valley.

Later in the first quarter, when senior quarter Kevin McGarrey was injured in the end zone, tackled at the completion of a 60-yard scoring run, the Jags were fired up. McGarrey suffered a serious upper-body injury and did not return.

The quick strike by the Tigers and loss of McGarrey fueled Garnet Valley’s furious offensive explosion. Down by as many as 14 points, the Jags rallied to score the next four touchdowns. What appeared to be a competitive game turned into a laugher by the fourth quarter, with coach Mike Ricci’s team cruising to a 52-30 victory.

Winners of 25 consecutive league games, the Jaguars completed the shortened season with a perfect 6-0 record.

Junior running backs Shane Reynolds and Sean Gallagher powered the offense after its slow start. Reynolds exploded for 142 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, while Gallagher amassed 214 yards of total offense.

“Kev’s going to put his body on the line, no matter what, and he’s a big team guy,” Reynolds said. “It really lit a fire under us because I know whenever I’m back there on offense I can look to Kevin. I knew we were going to get this done for him. Seeing him upset after he got hurt, I think we really kicked it into another gear.”

Gallagher finished with 90 yards on the ground and five catches for 124 yards. He caught a pair of touchdown passes, including a 75-yarder on a quick slant in the third quarter. And for good measure, he threw a halfback pass to Matt Marowski for a five-yard TD in the final stanza.

“I knew after they scored their second touchdown (in the first quarter), I looked around and I saw a bunch of warriors on our team,” Gallagher said. “We weren’t fazed at all.”

After Shane Mulholland played a series as the back-up quarterback, Ricci called on junior Max Busenkell, one of the team’s standouts in the defensive secondary. Busenkell hadn’t played the position in a live setting since his freshman year, yet flourished when the Jaguars were desperate for someone to take control of the offense. He completed 8 of 9 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Garnet players celebrate as the last seconds tick away in their Central League

Championship over Marple Newtown. (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)

LOWER MERION — Some things never change.

Anyone who has played volleyball for Mark Clark over the years, either at Penncrest or Garnet Valley, has heard him yell, “Little things,” from the sideline too many times to count.

“That’s his slogan,” Garnet Valley senior outside hitter Caitlyn Hagerty said. “He says that to keep us on our toes.”

With Garnet Valley trailing Lower Merion in the third set of the Central League volleyball final Saturday at the Bryant Gymnasium, Clark turned to his go-to saying more than a few times to get the Jaguars back on track mentally.

Clark would yell out those same instructions again several times in the fourth set, always with a purpose.

“We’re not worrying about the big kills,” Clark said. “We’re worrying about covering our hitters, being there for the over-passes, if they happen, shifting to our proper spots on defense, calling the ball, communicating with each other, all the little things. They add up to the great passes, the great sets, the big kills. If you do all the little things correctly, everything else falls into place.”

Clark’s constant reminders paid off as the Jaguars rallied from a four-point deficit in the third set and climbed out of a three-point hole late in the fourth to win their fifth straight league title with a gritty 3-1 triumph over the Aces.

“We were making mistakes,” Hagerty said. “There were service errors, and we weren’t really playing as a team. After the second set we were like, ‘OK, let’s do this. We have to fight.’ We got back on the court and fought. We were doing the little things right, as Mr. Clark likes to say. We were talking and doing almost everything right.”

The payoff was a 25-23, 25-27, 25-23, 25-22 victory over a Lower Merion team that handed Garnet Valley its only loss of the season and was looking for its first league volleyball title.

Behind the strong play of outside hitter Abbie Lane, middle hitters Jasmine Plack and Sophia Shin, setter Sara Beqiraj and libero Talia Bierschwale, and a solid defensive performance, the Aces (10-2) pushed the Jaguars (11-1) to the limit.

After winning the second set, Lower Merion had an 18-14 advantage in the third set and a 19-16 edge in the fourth set.

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)

HAVERFORD — When Alex Nicolaides intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter Friday night, the Garnet Valley co-captain thought he could return it all the way.

“I had to run a long way,” he said

That’s not a problem for Nicolaides, one of GV’s speedy defensive backs who helped steal the show against Haverford High. In a game that determined the Class 6A division’s representative in next week’s Central League final, the Jags leaned on their power running game and their excellent defensive secondary to pull out the victory.

Nicolaides’ 81-yard pick-six put an exclamation point on a 39-8 win at A.G. Cornog Stadium.

“I knew I had my boys out there, ready to block for me,” Nicolaides said. “Our defense just flies to the ball. As soon as we see a pick, it’s let’s go, we’re going off running, and everybody starts heading to the end zone until we’re in there.”

Garnet Valley (5-0) will play for the Central League championship Wednesday night at home against Marple Newtown (5-0). The Jags are vying for their third consecutive title.

Late in the first half, when the score was much closer, Max Busenkill intercepted sophomore quarterback Tommy Wright in the end zone to thwart an impressive Haverford drive. At the time GV was clinging to a 16-8 advantage.

“They gave us a fight, especially in that first half,” said Shane Reynolds, who opened the scoring with a 50-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. “We took the challenge head-on and I think we overcame it. I think we were really excited to play them and we were ready for the challenge.”

After George Moscony picked off GV quarterback Kevin McGarrey in the end zone in the waning seconds of the first half, Haverford felt pretty good about its chances at intermission.

But Garnet Valley executed a perfect onside kick to start the third quarter, a turning point in the game. The Jags would score 23 unanswered points in the second half against a Fords defense that allowed only 17 points all season prior to Friday.

GV’s offense controlled the tempo — as it normally does — by running the ball. On this night, it was Reynolds and Brian Bradley who carried the load. McGarrey also had a pair of keepers go for big games and ran for a pair of touchdowns in the second half. In the end, GV’s offensive line and ground attack grinded down Haverford’s stout defenive front.

In recent weeks, coach Mike Ricci has entrusted McGarrey to air the ball out. In fact, both McGarrey and Reynolds were among Delco’s leaders in passing and receiving yardage, respectively. For a Ricci-coached team, that’s … unusual.

Friday night, the Jags got back to the basics and leaned on their excellent ball carriers. Reynolds gained 89 yards on 13 carries, while Bradley amassed 78 yards on 21 carries.

“They’re a great team,” McGarrey said of the Fords. “They knew exactly what we wanted to do and stopped us in the first half. They did a great job and they stopped the pass really well. Their defensive backfield did an awesome job, but we just came back and we changed it up a little bit, just pounding the ball like we usually do. We went back to our roots and we were successful.”

Haverford was without head coach Joe Gallagher, who was quarantining at home after recently coming in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. At halftime, Garnet Valley coach Mike Ricci sent Gallagher a text to let him know he was missing a good one.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Garnet Valley’s Alex Nicolaides (15) celebrates with teammates after his interception return

for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Jaguars’ 39-8 win over Haverford.

(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)

SPRINGFIELD — Marple Newtown’s lead had been threatened. Springfield had one minute in which to attempt to get into a position to be able to at least tie the score.

Tigers defensive lineman Johnnie Ebert saw the challenge presented to him and was ready to pounce and did two plays before the final whistle made Marple Newtown’s 24-21 Central League victory official Friday night.

An Ebert sack of quarterback Jake Rama, who had hit seven of eight throws in leading his team to a pair of touchdowns, forced Springfield to throw on fourth down from its 5-yard line.

The resulting incompletion and an MN kneel-down put the finishing touches on the Tigers’ fifth consecutive victory.

Marple Newtown and Garnet Valley, which also is 5-0, will play for the Central League’s 2020 championship next week, bringing the curtain down on a most unusual season which has turned out to be rewarding for all who had the chance to make it happen.

“This is just huge,” Ebert said of his team’s success. “I’m not much for words. About all I can say is that this is huge.”

Ebert and his teammates led, 3-0, at the end of the first quarter then fell behind 7-3 in the second before coming back to earn a 14-7 halftime advantage.

A 14-play Tigers drive, which took up 7½ minutes, ended in the team’s third field goal of the game to open the third quarter, then Marple claimed the ball on the kickoff and used up four minutes before turning the ball over on downs.

Joey Small’s interception and return put the visitors six yards from the end zone, and 31 seconds before the third had ended the Tigers were up, 24-7.

Springfield then came back with a scoring run by Connor Roche and a Rama TD pass to Brett Gougler to cut its disadvantage to 24-21 with 6:03 to play. Jack Clark made a key defensive stop for the Cougars inside the 10 before Springfield made its last drive.

“I was ready for them to throw,” Ebert said of the third-and-four play on which he dropped Rama for a 10-yard loss. “I was just going to put it all into my rush. I got around my guy and there was the quarterback. He hadn’t thrown the ball, so I made sure I got to him.”

Click HERE to read the full article.

Marple Newtown defensive back Joe Paoletti has Springfield quarterback Robby Longo by the

shirt in the second quarter. (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)

MIDDLETOWN — Last year around this time, Strath Haven was making another epic run through the Class 5A football playoffs. This year the Panthers been living out of coach Kevin Clancy’s trunk, the locker room basically off limits to comply with strict COVID-19 protocols.

In 39 years of coaching, including 30 at Strath Haven, Clancy has never experienced anything as challenging as guiding a team through coronavirus protocols. And he’s never been more satisfied with the enthusiasm and grit his players have shown along the way.

“It’s a weird season but the kids are still having fun playing football and that’s what it’s all about,” Clancy said Friday after the Panthers defeated Penncrest 49-7. “The kids have worked hard, they’re easy to coach, they’ve got a great attitude and that’s made it fun. We’re a week from getting through this and we have not had an exposure (of COVID-19) on the field transmitted from football. I feel like it’s been a successful season from that standpoint.”

The Panthers (4-1) prevailed over the Lions for the 31st time in the 39-year history of the Hometown Bowl, the label attached to these opponents, their schools sandwiched around Media.

Seniors Jaris Adams and Chase Barlow rushed for two touchdowns each, Adams going over 100 yards in the first half with a 71-yard jaunt with 10 seconds remaining to stake the Panthers to a 21-7 cushion at the intermission. Barlow tallied both of his TDs in a 21-point third quarter that put the Lions on ice.

After a sluggish and scoreless first quarter, junior Matt Shuler rolled 18 yards to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead. The points came off a fumble by the Lions, one of a small handful of turnovers on the night.

The Lions (1-4) bounced back with a 12-play, 65-yard march. Quarterback Nick Chelo went over from three yards to knot the score at 7 with 4:51 remaining in the second quarter.

“We were competing,” Lions coach Ryan Smith said. “It was a football game. But when we do things like open up the doorways for our opponents with mistakes they’re not going to walk through them. They’re going to own the house.”

The Panthers took control shortly thereafter. Adams lifted off for a 37-yard touchdown, twisting inside and outside before turning on the jets. Then he ran away from everyone on the 71-yarder late in the second quarter.

Barlow had another long run in the third quarter nullified by a penalty. All three of Strath Haven’s touchdowns in the frame were two-yard runs, quarterback Jack Ryder adding the other. Junior Greg Belville got the last TD on a six-yard run with 5:11 remaining.

When the game ended, the Panthers hoisted the Media Bowl trophy. They play Class 6A team Haverford next week in the Central League’s Runners-up Bowl.

Postseason or not, this is a year Clancy always will remember. His trunk is full of footballs and other gear the Panthers practice with, one of the sacrifices made to play football. The Panthers’ locker room is full of desks that were taken out of classrooms to satisfy the social distancing protocol for students.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Jaris Adams and Jack Ryder of Strath Haven show off the Hometown Bowl hardware after the Panthers defeated

Penncrest, 49-7, Friday night at Louis Scott Field. (DFM Staff)

[!] 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)

LOWER MERION — When a soccer game endures at nil-nil, even an entertaining one like what Garnet Valley and Lower Merion waged, it can seem a goal is never going to come.

As such a game hurtles into overtime, it can seem nothing will break the deadlock. Then in a flash, all that can change.

Elly Slensky provided the flash, her shot from outside the box lasering through the freezing night and sending top-seeded Lower Merion to the Central League tournament championship with a 1-0 overtime win over the Jaguars.

The final sequence was the last in a number of them in a balanced, taut affair. A throw-in, a wayward clearance, a knock-down by Grace Downey, then Slensky put her foot through the ball and through 82-plus minutes of scoreless soccer.

“We had a nice play; Grace had a nice layoff,” Slensky said. “I just took a shot. But it all led up to that with our fight.”

The No. 1 Aces will host No. 3 Radnor, which upended second-seeded Conestoga in the other semifinal, Saturday.

The fifth-seeded Jags showed plenty of fight. The best chance came early, forward Alyssa Wert drawing out Lower Merion goalkeeper Audrey Brown with a teasing run in the 16th minute, Brown fouling her in the box. But when Wert stepped to the spot against the University of Cincinnati signee, she skied her PK way over the bar.

Despite the setback, it didn’t stop Wert from having an active game.

“Her stamina is insane,” Garnet outside back Sophie Latella said. “She’s never not trying, but especially when something like that happens, you have to bounce back.”

Brown was called into action for three saves. Latella tested her with a shot from outside the box that kept carrying in the sixth minute, Brown catching. Wert was played into space down the left channel in the 39th by Anna Goldkamp and could’ve done more with a low shot that Brown smothered. Goldkamp volleyed from 20 yards out in the 71st, but Brown was equal to the task as GV surged late.

More often, it was the front three for Lower Merion – Hannah Blodget, Maya Masotti and Downey – controlling play. But with Latella, center backs Mikayla Anderson and Lindsey Earley in the middle and a rotating cast at left back led by Bridget Stoops, the Jags performed admirably.

“We worked on that all season, so it wasn’t anything that we haven’t seen before,” Latella said. “But their pressure was really high and they were playing wide a lot, which was hard to defend. I think our shape made up for it a lot.”

Click HERE to read the full article.

Lower Merion’s Elly Slensky celebrates her overtime goal with Ella Braunfeld (18) and

Sadie Cohen (15) Thursday night. (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)

LOWER MERION — It was only a matter of time, you had to figure. With all the dangerous runs down the wing by Shane Brown, or Sam Nyenka, or insert-name-of-Lower-Merion-winger here, and all the dangerous balls served into the box, sooner or later, Garnet Valley would be breached.

The Jags were living dangerously in the face of the Aces’ incessant pressure. And all it took was the right combination of Brown’s service and a run by Josh Axelrod to get the only goal LM would need.

Brown and Axelrod connected in the 32nd minute, and center back Will Pitonyak added an insurance tally off a corner kick in the second half as the No. 3 Aces claimed a 2-0 win in the Central League semifinals at Harriton Thursday night.

Brown tormented the Jaguars’ defense time and again, coach Nico Severini subbing liberally to keep him and the other wingers fresh. Eventually, a breakthrough came, courtesy of Axelrod, who made the back-post run and nodded home the right-wing delivery.

“It was just a matter of how many times I was getting through the back,” Brown said. “I knew I could beat the man. It was just about putting the right weight on the ball and I saw Josh back post, and I just lifted it perfectly and he had a nice header down.”

The Aces showed how many ways they can beat an opponent. Their wingers pinned the defense back all night, which meant limited pressure when Pitonyak or Lincoln Blouin sprayed balls across the field from the center of the park. Add in the hold-up play of forward Owen Downey, willing to use his big frame to get others involved, and it seemed inevitable that the one-way traffic would pay off eventually.

Garnet Valley goalie Chase Woolard made 10 saves, plus a half-dozen assorted crosses and punches off his line. But there was hardly a pause in the action around his penalty area.

“We know that we can play a lot better than a lot of other teams, just playing the ball on the ground and playing actual soccer,” Pitonyak said. “And we try to do that as much as we can when we have the ball. It really helps us get forward and get what we need.”

“They were moving the ball back and forth on us,” Woolard said. “We didn’t put enough pressure (on). They had a lot of pressure on the back. They move the ball really well, they’re a really good team. It’s definitely difficult. … It’s a lot of communication, and you can’t get them all. One slipped through, they capitalized. They’re a good team. They’re going to do that.”

Click HERE to read the full article.

Lower Merion’s William Pitonyak, center, celebrates his second-half goal en route to a

2-0 victory over Garnet Valley in a Central League tournament semifinal game Thursday

night at Harriton High School. (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)

A senior captain, Trey (TJ) Gannon finished second at the Central League Cross Country Championship Meet, just 0.6 seconds behind champion Charlie Miller of Conestoga. Gannon helped lead the Aces to an undefeated season and a first-place finish at the Central League Championship Meet, and he earned the honor of first team All-Central League. Lower Merion boys’ cross country coach David Van Houten said, “As a captain, TJ helped keep the team motivated and focused through summer training and early in the fall when the competitive season was in doubt.” Gannon’s two siblings, Andrew (a sophomore) and Anny (a freshman) both run for Lower Merion’s cross country teams.

Fun facts – Trey Gannon

Favorite book: Barbarian Days, by William Finnegan.

Favorite author: Douglas Adams.

Favorite TV show: Money Heist.

Favorite movie: Dazed and Confused.

Favorite athlete: John John Florence.

Favorite pre-meet pump-up song: Can’t tell me nothing, by Kanye West.

Favorite team: Chelsea.

Favorite place to visit: The beach.

Favorite pre-meet meal: Scrambled eggs and toast.

The person I most admire, and why: “My parents (Trey and Amy) – their athletic work ethic helps inspire me to apply myself to running.

Click HERE to read the full interview.

[!] 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)

A senior and three-year starter in central midfield, Koziol has played a key role in the Pioneers winning consecutive Central League titles and a District 1 4A Championship, and qualifying for the PIAA AAAA State Tournament twice, including a trip to the PIAA 4A state final last fall. This year, she bounced back from a torn ACL suffered in the PIAA 4A state final last fall and has been a key factor (tallying three goals, five assists in nine games, takes most of the team’s corners and close-range free kicks) in leading the Pioneers to the Central League tournament semifinal. Last fall, she received All-Central League, All-Main Line and Daily Local News All-Area honors. Her father, Joe Koziol, played midfield for the Villanova University men’s soccer team from 1987-1990. Off the pitch, Koziol participates in the Key Club at Conestoga.

Fun facts – Sophie Koziol

Favorite TV show: Stranger Things.

Favorite movie: Bridesmaids.

Favorite athlete: Morgan Gautrat (nee Brian).

Favorite team: Philadelphia Union.

Favorite place to visit: The beach.

Favorite pre-game meal: Chicken Caprese sandwich from Tropical Smoothie.

Click HERE to read the full interview.

[!] 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)

Ellie Fisher and Olivia Dumont came up big, as usual, to keep Strath Haven alive in the Central League volleyball playoffs with a 3-2 victory over sixth-seeded Conestoga in the quarterfinals Monday.

The 21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 15-6 victory sends Strath Haven into Wednesday’s semifinals against second-seeded Garnet Valley, a 3-0 winner over Penncrest.

Fisher recorded 42 digs, 32 kills, three blocks and three aces in the five-set marathon. Dumont’s numbers were equally impressive: 21 assists, 19 kills, 10 digs, four blocks and two aces.

Gabby Zweier contributed 21 assists, five digs and two aces. Emily McGinn (seven kills, three blocks, one aces), Gigi Fiordimondo (15 assists, one ace), Emily Crowther (11 digs, two aces) and Megan Prendergast (28 digs, two assists, one ace) also made significant contributions for the Panthers.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Strath Haven’s Olivia Dumont, center, goes up to block a shot by Springfield’s Maddie Sitley last season.

(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)