PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | August, 2021

DOWNINGTOWN >> Downingtown West boasts one of its biggest offensive lines in its history, but Friday, in the season opener, Garnet Valley dwarfed the Whippets in physicality.

From the fourth play of the game — when Shane Reynolds broke free for a 61-yard touchdown, to the final drive — when the backups milked away the final nine minutes, 35 seconds, the Jaguars delivered quite the resounding message at Kottmeyer Stadium.

Garnet Valley dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and cruised to a 41-7 win.

“We had a great offseason in the weight room, and we have goals we want to accomplish,” Garnet senior offensive and defensive lineman, Nolan Brennan, said. “We wanted to come out and show District 1 who we are and what we want to be, and I think we accomplished that.”

The Whippets have four linemen listed at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds and up, including Penn St. recruit Drew Shelton, but Garnet set the tone early with eight in the box, and pressured Whippet quarterback, Evan Wickersham, all night.

“They out-played us and out-physical’d us,” West coach Mike Milano said. “They’re good at what they do and executed double dive. We stepped in the wrong window and all of a sudden the band is playing … To me, it came down to five plays, but they out-played us all night and we made no plays, none.”

The Jags (1-0) have now won 15 straight regular season games, dating back to a 42-19 loss to West to start the 2019 season. The Whippets won the district that year, so Garnet is hoping its dominating revenge ends in similar fashion.

The season couldn’t have started worse for the Whippets, who, after giving up that long score on the opening drive, had their first offensive play tipped and intercepted by Drew Van Horn, who ran it in for a TD from 11 yards out.

Down 14-0 after 97 seconds of game time, West put together a drive that reached Garnet territory, only to have a personal foul penalty thwart any momentum.

The next two Whippet drives started at the Garnet 38 and 39, but the Jaguars stymied them each time, and responded with a 76-yard score from Max Busenkell to Sean Gallagher, midway through the second.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Garnet Valley’s Shane Reynolds gets the edge against Downingtown West. (Nate Heckenberger – For 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)

HAVERFORD – The zero on the scoreboard ultimately owed to the length of Colin Reynolds’ grasp.

But that was really a matter of semantics. The bulk of the defense from Haverford in its 49-0 win over Central Friday night in the opener for both teams was utterly dominant, whether or not a Central player leaked through, as Robert Martin nearly did on a kick return.

Beyond that 76-yard dash, the Fords owned the day in the first game under coach Luke Dougherty. They held Central to 21 yards of total offense, including minus-2 rushing on 28 carries. The Lancers didn’t get their first first down until the fourth quarter, at which point the Fords’ regulars were long done.

It took Reynolds tugging down Martin at the 17 late in the second quarter to save a touchdown in what would be the Lancers’ furthest offensive progress. But Reynolds wasn’t alone on the defensive effort.

“It’s big,” linebacker Justin Marciano said. “That’s what we work for. That’s what we do defensive reps for, everything. We want the shutouts, always.”

Marciano did his part, with four tackles for loss in the first half. Ethan Mahan, who opened the scoring with a 22-yard touchdown reception, added a pick-six on the next Central series. And the Fords added a touchdown on special teams, with Nahshon Arrison-Fobb, as the up man on a punt, returning it 23 yards for a score, the only touchdown of the second half.

By the time Dougherty called off the dogs at the break, Central sat at a minus-30 on total offensive yardage, and they lost starting quarterback Elijah Glaser to injury.

“My mindset is just that we’ve got to get started early,” Marciano said. “You can’t wait for the first quarter, second quarter. You’ve got to get going, set the tone early.”

Mahan had the dream start. He hauled in a 22-yard score form Tommy Wright on the first play of the Fords’ second series. He then jumped an out route on the next series and tiptoed 24 yards to paydirt.

Wright hooked up with Tommy Caruso for a 28-yard touchdown on the first play of the next possession. That shifted the Fords to the ground, where Christian Pergolese (10 carries for 67 yards) ran for a pair of scores in the second quarter around a Jake Snell touchdown.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Haverford High School’s new football coach Luke Dougherty

on the first day of practice ahead of the fall football 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)

By Bruce Adams

TREDYFFRIN >> Resilience paid off for Conestoga in a 17-14 overtime win over Owen J Roberts Friday evening in the Pioneers’ season opener at Teamer Field.

A weather-related delay pushed back the start of the game for 45 minutes, then, on OJR’s first play from scrimmage, standout running back Avrey Grimm broke free for a 94-yard touchdown.

But the Pioneers kept bouncing back, scoring two touchdowns in the final 7 1/2 minutes of regulation.

“The key for us tonight was perseverance and the kids believed,” said Conestoga head coach Matt Diamond. “We have a saying around here for a success equation – event plus response equals outcome. I told them, ‘You don’t always control the events, like the weather before the game, the delay with the officials (due to bad weather), but your response is 100 percent in your control. I told them, Respond, respond, respond,’ and they did that and I’m so proud of this football team.”

After Grimm broke free to give OJR a 7-0 lead, the visitors held that lead until early in the fourth quarter. The Pioneers were pinned on their own 6 yard line, but Conestoga quarterback Calvin Shirley lofted a long pass down the right sideline that standout receiver Peter Detwiler grabbed for a 37-yard gain. Five plays later, Shirley hit Patrick Reilly down the right sideline for a 47-yard gain to the OJR 1 yard line. Shirley scored on a quarterback sneak, and with 7 ½ minutes left in regulation, the game was tied at 7-7.

Just one minute later, Grimm broke free down the left sideline for a 59-yard touchdown run to give the visitors a 14-7 lead with 6:14 left.

Then it was Conestoga’s turn to bounce back again. On fourth-and-3 from the Pioneers’ 39 yard line, Conestoga went for the first down, and Shirley hit Reilly with a short pass down the left side. Reilly made a couple of nice moves and eluded tacklers for a 61-yard touchdown. Jonah Stein’s extra point tied the score at 14-14 with 4:20 left in regulation.

“[Shirley] settled in, and did a good job, and that was a big fourth-and-3 conversion,” said Diamond. “Patrick Reilly came up big for us as well.”

Neither team moved the ball appreciably in the remaining 4:20 of regulation, and the game headed to overtime. Conestoga got the ball first at the 10-yard line, and on fourth down, Stein booted a 30-yard field goal to give the hosts a 17-14 lead.

Then it was Owen J Roberts’ turn. A five yard penalty against the visitors was followed by a couple of short runs by Grimm, then an incomplete pass. OJR’s 31-yard field goal attempt was blocked, and the Pioneers had their opening-game victory.

The Pioneers’ defense held strong Friday, and linebacker Mike Austin made some timely stops throughout the contest.

“He made some great stops tonight,” said Diamond. “I told him tonight it would take 48 minutes. Well, it turned out to be a little more than that (laughs).

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)

NETHER PROVIDENCE — The calendar read August 27: ‘Just Because Day.’

So just because it was the first game of his senior season, Strath Haven’s Matt Shuler gained 186 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns, the first a 90-yarder on his first carry Friday night.

Just because it was the first game of his senior season, the Panthers’ Chase Barlow picked up 115 yards on seven rushes, with four of his final five tries ending up in the end zone.

Finally, just because it was his first varsity start, Haven junior linebacker Bobby Fooskas stole the ball from an Interboro back and ran 48 yards for six points as Strath Haven claimed a 49-7 season-opening decision at George L. King Field.

“It can be tough to win your opener,” said Kevin Clancy, who began his 31st season as Strath Haven’s head coach. “That’s why I’m pleased with the way the game came out. But I know we have things that we have to do better, like covering kickoff returns.”

Dennis Lux began his first full fall season as Interboro’s head coach. He knows his offense must generate more yards and his defense can’t allow opponents to have three rushers with more than 100 yards the way it did Friday.

Lux will be happy to look at the films of Zakee Brooks’s 68-yard return of the opening kickoff and his 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter as well as a 49-yard return by Abu Kamara following Fooskas’s score.

Interboro’s first offensive drive got as far as the SH 12 before an Aiden Sutherland interception. On second down, Shuler took a handoff, started right, cut back toward the middle of the field and was on his way to his first touchdown.

“Whenever I get the ball I want to try to score,” he said. “The guys on the line like Nick Filios, Ethan Barrar and Jake Millett were really doing their job. I know Ethan’s dad (Bob) was an All-Delco player for Interboro, so this was a big game for him.”

Barlow’s scoring runs in the first half were 10 and seven yards. His only carries of the second half were 19- and 42-yard TD rushes.

“All of us have been excited about being able to do things that we couldn’t do last year, like have training camp and starting the season on time,” Barlow said. “It was great to be able to run when you’re get holes to run through like our line gave us tonight.”

Click HERE to read the full article.

Strath Haven Austin Conner, left, and linebacker Bob Fooskas celebrate after Fooskas returned a

fumble for a touchdown in the third quarter to sent the Panthers on the way to a 49-7 win over

Interboro Friday 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)

CONCORD >> Six up, six down. Six challenges, six blowouts. Six chances to win, no stumbles. A championship achieved, as usual.

Such was the story of Garnet Valley’s 2020 season. It was a story of perfection, of a 6-0 rampage through the large-school division of the Central League, and of the Jags outscoring opponents, 291-56.

Yet it was also a season of mystery, for all along there was the awareness that there would be no PIAA postseason due to COVID-19 concerns. So it was for that reason during the ensuing offseason that another massive swarm of Jags, including a stunning 40 seniors, crammed the weight room, flooded the practice fields and planned not just to win a fourth consecutive league championship but to carry the Garnet Valley brand beyond Delaware County.

“This class wants to leave its mark, and they want to carry on from last year’s seniors and show them that part of this is to finish the job for them,” coach Mike Ricci said. “I honestly believe that they want to do that.”

Ricci has coached at Garnet Valley since 1986, has a record of 246-124, has reached the postseason 16 times, including the last eight. He announced in July that this will be his final season at the helm of the Jaguars, having transformed them into a District 1 juggernaut.

So just as the perfect season of 2020 was not an asterisk-worthy quirk, so would a complete-the-project 2021 goal be reasonable.

“If I had to pick one word for this class, it’s ‘leadership,’” Ricci said. “One of the things we always pride ourselves in here is senior leadership. This group is exceptional in terms of that. We have kids that are not only good athletically but are phenomenal academically.”

The colleges interested in some of the Jags, according to Ricci, provide supporting evidence. Quarterback Max Busenkell is bound for Notre Dame, one of his class’s top lacrosse players and an All-Delco last spring. Receiver Sean Gallagher has committed to Navy, also for lacrosse. Fullback Shane Reynolds is headed to Annapolis to play football. Ricci’s son, running back Matt Ricci, is also considering the Naval Academy and West Point.

“And I could go on and on about our leaders,” Mike Ricci said. “Will Wrzesniewski. Nolan Brennan. It’s just a class of selfless leaders.”

Click HERE to read the full article.

Garnet Valley’s Max Busenkell tosses a pass during a game last season.

The senior lacrosse All-Delco will be under center full time this 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)

NETHER PROVIDENCE >> Kevin Clancy figured he had seen at least some of everything in his first 30 seasons as the head football coach at Strath Haven.

There were state championships and All-Americans, NFL pros-to-be and overachieving winners, good seasons, great seasons, some rebuilding seasons, and even the mini-season of 2020.

But Clancy never enjoyed the kind of sight that was before him recently as he gathered his Panthers on King Field to prepare for his 40th overall season as a head coach.

“Never,” he said. “Not once. Not that I can remember.”

What the longtime coach at Strath Haven and Archbishop Carroll saw was a show of offensive line experience that has the chance to drive the Panthers to Central League success … and more.

Not only does Strath Haven welcome back every offensive line starter from a 5-1 team — including center Jack Beck, guards Nick Filos and Ethan Barrar, and tackles Jake Millett and Ben Farabaugh — but also tight ends (plural) Nate Perlman and Mason Green.

That’s seven returning offensive line starters, most with size, and all with the determination to block for halfbacks Matt Shuler and Chase Barlow in Clancy’s ever-dangerous Wing-T attack.

“We’re huge,” Barrar said. “We don’t want to take all the credit, but one of the reasons we did so well last year is because everything starts on the offensive line. We were all juniors. We had one sophomore (Farabaugh). I think we played really well and it really helped us out.”

With pandemic protocols reducing the Central League to a six-game sprint without district playoffs last fall, the Panthers could have lamented a missed opportunity, with their only stumble coming in a 33-27 loss at Marple Newtown. Instead, they took the challenge almost as a way-too-early 2021 preseason, allowing that strong offensive line to add to a comfort level that many had enjoyed since they were 8-year-olds with the Rose Tree Colts.

“It just kind of brought more excitement to us for this year,” Filos said. “It was good to have that season, but it was a disappointment, too, because I felt like we could have gone far in the playoffs. But we did what we could. It was really good to beat Haverford (in a crossover playoff game), and we were this close to beating Marple.

“That just gives us more confidence for this season.”

Click HERE to read the full article.

Strath Haven running back Matt Shuler breaks free for a touchdown during a game against Radnor 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)

MIDDLETOWN >> Jimmy Cage and Nick Chelo have been battling for playing time at the same position since they were freshmen at Penncrest.

They haven’t let ego get in the way of a long-standing, and friendly, battle.

Both seniors, Cage and Chelo always put in the hard work to get the opportunity to lead the offense on Friday nights.

“It’s a unique situation, at least from my perspective in all my years of coaching, to have two kids who are just so competitive and who push each other so much,” said coach Ryan Smith, who enters his third season with the Lions. “It’s not just one year either; it’s been throughout their careers. They’ve found a way to make a positive competition out of everything they do, whether it’s in the weight room or on the field. And they’re buddies. I think it puts the rest of the team in a position to see, you know, this is what competition truly looks like.”

Cage (5-11, 170) is a triple threat. If he’s not quarterbacking the offense, he’s lining up outside as a wide receiver. He is also a standout defensive back.

“It goes back to when we were on the same basketball team in the third grade,” Cage said. “When we were young, he was quarterback of the lightweight team and I was quarterback of the heavyweight team in middle school, and then we kind of just came together. We love each other and are great friends. We never let our friendship get in the way of being competitive.”

Chelo (6-1, 180) is the younger brother of Chris, who played quarterback at Penncrest a few years ago. His dad, Chris Sr., played college ball at Williamson. After an 0-3 start to the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Smith moved Chelo under center, and the Lions went on to win two of their final three games, including a dramatic season-ending victory over Upper Darby.

“Ever since freshman year, we have been trying to make the program better than what it was before we got here,” Chelo said. “As seniors, we just want to have a positive impact on the program and make sure that everyone follows our lead so that together we can get the program to where it was years ago.”

It’s been a rough decade-plus for the Lions, who haven’t enjoyed back-to-back winning seasons since they won seven games in 2008 and 2009. The Lions haven’t won more than three games in a season since the 2013 campaign, when they finished 6-4 overall.

“We’re getting better every day,” said 6-1, 260-pound lineman Connor McCarney. “This group has been together for so long. We’ve gotten better every year. Coach Smith has really done an amazing job to get this program on the right track.”

McCarney and classmates Jerry Coia (5-10, 245) and AJ Walters (6-0, 180) give the Lions a solid core on both sides of the line, the bulk of which, has experience at the varsity level

“We have a pretty sizable line now and good numbers,” McCarney said. “But I feel like all around we’re just a well put together team with some good experience.”

Regardless of who mans the No. 1 quarterback position, the Lions have the utmost confidence in both Cage and Chelo.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Mike Burke, left, and Dylan McDougall are two of several

Penncrest seniors with varsity experience at the linebacker

position. McDougall expects to have “one of the strongest

linebacker corps in the Central League.” (DFM Photo)

[!] 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 >> There is one uncontested fact about the 2021 Haverford High football team: The starting linemen are big and mean.

“We want to get after it, and we know we can be really good,” Mario Tascione said.

The Fords’ four senior linemen, all of whom started on varsity in 2020, are Pete Corcoran (6-4, 260 pounds), Mike McNichols (6-2, 255), Mike Powel (6-2, 285) and Tascione (6-2, 270).

The line is the one area where the Fords should have an advantage over most teams in the Central League. They are positioned to dominate in the trenches.

“We’re all brothers, we’ve all known each other since the eighth and ninth grade,” Corcoran said. “That’s a big reason we feel really good about this year.”

The Fords are looking to build upon 2020’s truncated season in which they finished 4-2 and in fourth place in the Central League.

“We have a great program. Going into the season, now that we’ve been training all summer, I definitely think we’re going to be better,” Tascione added. “It’s working out and training hard. We’ve been doing it every day.”

Luke Dougherty is now the man in charge of the Fords, who for nearly 30 years had been led by Joe Gallagher. Health reasons prompted “Gal” to retire after 29 seasons, opening the door for one of his protégés to take the helm.

Dougherty, whose background includes grooming strong quarterbacks — he was instrumental in Daily Times Player of the Year Trey Blair’s development in 2019 — has high expectations for second-year starter Tommy Wright, who threw for the third-most yards (751) in Delaware County last season with six touchdowns.

“Gal and I both agreed on this last year: If you’re going to have a six-game season, that’s the best opportunity to get a sophomore’s feet wet,” Dougherty said of Wright. “There were no playoffs at the end of the tunnel, it was an isolated, controlled environment. He had moments.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Haverford lineman Mario Tascione goes through a blocking drill during a recent training camp

practice. (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 >> Football players are fixated on scoreboards and clocks.

That’s pretty much the way it is for Springfield, witch is eagerly locked in on an online counter ticking off the days, hours, minutes and seconds until Friday’s season opener against Perkiomen Valley.

That game can’t come soon enough for offensive lineman Ethan Johnson, the goalie who helped lead the lacrosse team to the District 1 Class 3A championship last spring.

“It’s exciting,” Johnson said. “We’re waiting to play the game we love for however long it’s been. And it’s a lot of fun to have a regular season back with all the guys coming back for senior year. A full season and hopefully past the season, it’s really exciting.”

Johnson and his offensive linemates are among the keys to a successful season for the Cougars, who finished 3-3 in the COVID-shortened fall campaign. Johnson, Carlo Cantando, Raheem Stevenson, Gavin Boggs, Jack Lavery and Tyler Klambara are a combination of size, strength and quickness in the trenches.

In the skills department, junior quarterback Jake Rama can throw to wide receivers Robbie Longo, Aiden Kreydt, Matt Dickinson and Jack Tropiano. Running back Connor Roche is another guy to be reckoned with. Roche, among others, also plays lacrosse.

“We’ve got a big line, a strong line and guys in the backfield that really know what they’re doing,” Johnson said. “They carry the ball well. I think if we stick to what we do best then we can be very successful and go really far.

“I think we’re looking pretty good in both the skills and linemen positions. We’re going to be a fast team. We’re going to hit them hard up front and then get our guys offside and get them off the field.”

Defensively the Cougars can look for stops from first-team All-Central Brian Layton and an experienced line. Dickinson, who also plays safety and linebacker, and Colin Crawford figure to contribute heavily on defense.

With more than 25 players returning, Cougars coach Chris Britton is cautiously optimistic his team has enough experience to make a run.

“We had a new offense and defense last year,” Britton said. “Just their attitude while we were dealing with the COVID, of just being able to adapt, we appreciated because we were always changing fields. We only had one field because the other one was being built (at Springfield’s new high school). We were practicing at 7 o’clock every night. Rules were changing every day.

“They showed the ability to adapt, and they never complained about it. They would just deal with the situation and play. They’re resilient.”

Click HERE to read the full article.

Springfield will rely heavily on a hungry offensive line this season,

led by, from left, Carlo Cantando, Raheem Stevenson, Tyler Klambara,

Gavin Boggs, Ethan Johnson and Jack Lavery. (DFM Photo

[!] 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. >> Head coach Dave Wood is looking at significant changes as his Ridley football team gears up for a season that begins with a difficult three-game stretch.

Wood was hoping he could begin to see some clarity during camp amid the Green Raiders’ search for starters to fill double-digit openings from last season.

At least they had their fill in other ways.

While camp can be a grind with practices, weightlifting sessions and film study, the Green Raiders already were feeling support from the community in the culinary offerings of alum Jeff Palladino, Class of 2001. Reviews of Chef Jeff’s Hot Meals To Go, based in the Milmont Park section of town, suggested that chow time was going to be the best part of the hot camp days, with offerings including chicken parmesan, meatballs and pasta and barbecue pork with mac and cheese for dinner, and homemade hoagies and mini cheesesteaks for lunch.

If only the football decisions were as easy as choosing between a cheesesteak with or without onions.

The Green Raiders have a ton of holes to fill on the heels of a 3-3 season in which COVID-19, in various ways, scared away part of the talent pool. Wood had 25 to 30 seniors returning in each of his first five years with the Green Raiders. Those numbers are down by more than a third this fall.

“We’re kind of a younger football team in general with 16 seniors this year,” Wood said. “They’ve been great kids, but some haven’t played a ton of football. The junior class is a pretty good class. We have some freshmen we think can help us.

“We open up at Central Bucks East so that will be a big test for us early. Then, we have Upper Darby and Springfield. That will kind of tell us where we are.”

The Green Raiders are much more experienced on offense than defense. Pro-style quarterback John Heller returns along with Khalil Blagmon, a key component of the offensive line, and running back Tahir Mills.

The Green Raiders also can look at juniors Steve Gerace and Alante Smith at running back, and senior Hayden Brown joining Blagmon to anchor the offensive line. Anthony Berry also saw action on the line in 2020.

The wide receiver position has the most depth as it boasts juniors Paul Jackson and Stephen O’Donovan, who have starting experience, plus seniors Sean Harrington and Anthony Nasella and sophomore Kimir Stephenson.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Ridley running back Tahir Mills, breaking a tackle during a 2020 game against Garnet Valley, is part of

an offensive unit that the Green Raiders will need to set the tone in 2021. (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)