PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | September, 2022

NEWTOWN SQUARE — When Marple Newtown hosted Radnor for Military Appreciation Night Friday, the Tigers players wore camouflage jerseys bearing the word “Pennsylvania” on the back where their names would have been.

Two young men who once proudly wore the orange and black of Marple Newtown before they displayed the colors of the United States Army on their military uniforms had to appreciate what they saw as their alma mater remained undefeated with a 32-6 Central League decision.

Dan Ervin, a recruiter for the National Guard, and Ryan Fillman, who served four years in the Army, watched with interest as coach Chris Gicking’s Tigers improved to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in Central League play.

“We’re proud to have contributed for our state and our country,” Ervin said. “Doing something for our state is a big part of (the National Guard’s) mission.”

Fillman played under Gicking before he joined the Army.

“I was here for his first season,” Fillman said. “So I go back a little with some of the coaches. It’s great seeing the way the community has come together to get behind this team.”

The Tigers weren’t sharp throughout the contest, but their offense ran up 265 yards on the ground and junior David Bertoline (9-13-1) threw for 196 yards. On the other side of the ball, the Marple defense limited Radnor to 23 yards on the ground and 37 in the air in the second half.

“That shows you what can happen when you play a Central League team,” Gicking said. “(Radnor) has some good backs in (Amir) Byrd and (Tommy) Deshan, and their quarterback (Tucker Graham) can throw. We didn’t get the start we wanted, but if you hold a team to six points you should win the football game. It was a good job by our defense, but we know we’ve got some things to fine-tune before we go to Conestoga next week.”

Radnor’s Deshan had a solid return on the opening kickoff, and Graham got off an 18-yard run to the Marple 18 before the Tigers’ defense closed the door on the Raptors. Jimmy Hally threw Graham for a loss on third down to halt Radnor’s momentum.

Bertoline’s first pass went for 13 yards to Alex Gillan. Eight plays later he teamed with Ty Can for 27 yards and a touchdown to end a 79-yard march.

Radnor answered with a 79-yard drive of its own, Graham covering the final six yards on the first play of the second quarter.

Marple Newtown claimed a 13-6 halftime lead following a 93-yard drive that featured 10 plays and used four of the last 5½ minutes of the quarter. After a penalty put the ball at the Radnor 12, Bertoline ran to the 2, and Brian Box (157 yards on 22 carries) had a pair of short runs, the second resulting in a touchdown.

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Marple Newtown’s Brian Box runs past Springfield defenders in a game in 2021. (PETE BANNAN – DAILY TIMES)

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NETHER PROVIDENCE — It wasn’t long after the final whistle Tuesday night that Clara Davis asked coach Gino Miraglia when he needed her goalkeeper’s jersey back.

It’s a loaner for Davis, listed on the Strath Haven girls soccer roster as a freshman forward. Though Tuesday, with Radnor visiting, that position was hastily scratched out in favor of “GK.” With regular goalie, junior Laura Shea, out and no one else on the roster with those two magical letters next to their game, Miraglia left it open for volunteers.

Davis, who serves as the backup for her club team, raised her hand. Before she could put it down, Miraglia put a glove on it.

“I knew that I could play goalie really well,” Davis said. “My coaches have encouraged me at it. I was like, I can do this.”

Davis proved she could, though her evening ran the gamut. She conceded an unseemly opener three minutes in, then supplied eight saves in a valiant performance to allow two goals and an assist from Annie Dignazio, setting up Ruby Lane’s game-winner, to pace the Panthers to a 3-2 overtime win.

Davis had, shall we say, a suboptimal. Selah Koleth, Radnor’s midfield magician, caught her off her line in the third minute, lofting a 35-yard shot into an unoccupied half of the net.

But Davis took it in stride, with a little inspiration from center backs Elise Molloy and her twin sister, Adelyn Davis.

“I was defeated, but I came back up and I was like, we can still win,” Clara Davis said. “… (Elise) kept saying that I could do this and I was perfectly fine and that we could make it back.”

The second goal, no one was stopping, Ivy Chaskelson clipping a shot from the top of the penalty area off the underside of the crossbar. But otherwise, she stood tall. It helped that Strath Haven, led by Lily Ostiguy, controlled the field-position game in midfield in the first half. That forestalled Radnor flooding forward en masse.

But Radnor (2-3-1, 1-1-1 Central) shifted the game after the break. The midfield is a work in progress, having lost three outstanding seniors – Kate Boujoukos, All-Delco Jane Diautolo and Player of the Year Emily Daiutolo – from last year’s PIAA Class 3A runner-up. Koleth pulls the strings, but a shift of Sarah Kelley centrally with Olivia Jacobs as the holder providing a shield to maintain high possession.

“During halftime, our goal was to keep it on the ground, get passing combinations,” Kelley said. “I think we did that in the second half. … It’s like a puzzle. We’re still trying to figure out where everybody works best and who they work best with.”

Lucky for Strath Haven (4-2, 2-1), they don’t need the ball to create chances. Not as long as they have the irrepressible presence of Dignazio, closing down defenders and poaching goals. She evened the game in the 25th minute, getting her head to a corner-kick second ball by Adelyn Davis. Dignazio stuck her head bravely into a challenge an instant before Malloy Toomey’s fists made contact with one of the round objects in her airspace.

Chaskelson’s goal in the 71st, with Jacobs getting the assist with a bombing run down the left, set loose the Panthers to chase an equalizer. Two minutes from time, Dignazio found it. Toomey (6 saves) appeared to snuff out Dignazio’s first attempt, but the ball hopped up just enough for the forward to poke it loose, take a touch, turn and fire a shot from the right channel nestling inside the far post.

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Strath Haven goalkeeper Clara Davis grabs a free kick in the first half Tuesday. The freshman filled in as the Panthers’ goalie for a 3-2 overtime win over Radnor. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)

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CONCORD TWP. — Garnet Valley figured to put points on the board Friday. But five touchdowns in the first half was a pleasant surprise even for Jaguars head coach Eric Van Wyk, who substituted liberally in a 49-0 win over Radnor.

Senior Jake McDowell got the Jaguars started on a 50-yard pass from Matt Mesaros, dragging a tackler into the end zone to start the scoring at Moe DeFrank Stadium. The distance McDowell carried the defender is becoming legend.

“I’m not really sure,” McDowell said. “I heard 10, I heard 15, I heard 20. I’ll have to watch the replay. But it’s incredible to start like that. You’ve really got to set the tone and that play got us going. We got all pumped, the offense and the defense and we just clicked.”

McDowell later registered back-to-back sacks of quarterback Tucker Graham to end a Radnor threat late in the third quarter.

The Jaguars (3-0, 2-0 Central) have won their first three games for the third straight season. Seven players scored touchdowns, Mesaros threw two touchdown passes and Drew Van Horn kicked five PATs in place of regular kicker Timothy Comers, shelved with a knee injury.

“He did pretty well,” Comers said. “Pretty well.”

The Jaguars pitched yet another shutout in their bid to carve out an identity separate from the powerhouse squad that advanced to the Class 6A semifinals last year. It’s their 36th straight Central League win, dating to 2017.

“People didn’t think we would be able to measure up to last year,” McDowell said. “But this year’s mentality is proving it. I really think we’re proving it so far.”

Ronnie Leraris and Jack Westburg ran for touchdowns of 27 and 34 yards, respectively, in the first quarter. Mesaros found Van Horn for a 29-yard touchdown to make it 27-0 after a quarter. Both of Mesaros’ completions went for scores.

Luke Mingioni added a 50-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Garnet Valley ran 48 times for 316 yards, no one carrying more than five times. Leraris led the way with five carries for 68 yards.

The Raptors (0-3, 0-2 Central) played their 22nd straight road game while awaiting the completion of Prevost Field. Coach Kyle Yeiter was encouraged with the way his players fought to the end, a last-ditch drive ending deep in Jaguars territory with 21 seconds left. Brandon Skabla completed a 60-yard throw to Aiden Roselle to get the Raptors close.

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Garnet Valley football coach Eric Van Wyk (white hat) after the Jag’s 49-0 win over Radnor Friday.

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MIDDLETOWN — Penncrest and Upper Darby put on a show as the Central League foes went toe-to-toe Friday night.

The Royals ultimately edged the Lions 35-27, but it was a back-and-forth battle that featured many wild swings of emotion and a dynamic performance from Upper Darby quarterback Montez Ellis.

Ellis finished the game with 284 yards on 19 carries and four touchdowns. It was just the type of performance the Royals (1-2, 1-1 Central) needed against a very tough Penncrest squad.

“We knew it was going to be a good fight,” Ellis said. “We never expect a game to be easy. We always say the hardest thing to do is win a football game. I was trying my best as a captain and a leader of the team to help the team.”

Ellis was quick to note that he could not have performed like he did without an offensive line of Justin Batemen, CJ Hassan, Ahmad Dixon, Tommy Wetling and Jake Crowding. That was music to the ears of coach Dave Barr.

“We showed some resilience, which was good, but Penncrest did some things offensively that gave us some trouble and that’s a credit to their coaching staff and players,” Barr said. “(Ellis) is our guy, the offense runs through him. There aren’t a whole lot of guys who can make something out of nothing and he just seems to be able to do that. The offensive line played their butts off and did well. Montez was special tonight.”

Upper Darby took an early lead when Andre Henneghan ran the opening kickoff back 89 yards for a touchdown. It would mark the beginning of a heavyweight fight.

Ellis added a 49-yard scoring run, but the Lions were equally as effective in the first half. Ethan Ryan scored a rushing touchdown, and quarterback Sean O’Donnell hit Matt Ferry with a touchdown pass to have the game knotted at 14-14 entering halftime.

The teams continued to trade blows in the second half, but Ellis was nearly unstoppable, adding three touchdowns. Kamar Perlote had two sacks to help lead the Upper Darby defense as well.

O’Donnell was great at quarterback, passing for 108 yards and rushing for 89. Asher Wynne (100 yards rushing), Ferry (115 total yards) and Ryan (50 yards rushing) were all strong and reached the end zone.

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Upper Darby quarterback Montez Ellis runs during a Week 1 game against Bonner & Prendergast. Ellis scored four touchdowns in a win over Penncrest Friday. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)

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A trip to Unionville yielded a pair of gold medals for Haverford High runners on Saturday.

Patrick Lawson and Olivia Cieslak won the boys and girls races, respectively, as the Fords produced a strong showing at the Unionville Two-Mile Bash.

Lawson led the boys race with a time of 9:43.8 over the two-mile course. He was 4.5 seconds up on the runner-up, Owen J. Roberts’ Andrew McGonigle. Third in the race was Lawson’s teammate, Quentin Ryan, in 9:56.1.

Haverford finished fourth as a team, with scores credited to the highest finisher from each school in each grade-level. The Fords had the top senior and third-fastest freshman, Sean Lawson in 11:00.3.

Radnor’s Luke Bodden finished eighth overall in the boys race, in a time of 10:02.1. Strath Haven’s best finisher was Dan Wuenschel in 28th.

Haverford’s girls team also finished fourth in the team standings, with Cieslak the fastest sophomore and the fastest overall. She covered the two miles in 11:23.2, giving her a gargantuan winning margin of 22.4 seconds over runner-up Kaitlyn Highduch of Governor Mifflin.

Upper Darby’s Loralei Golemsbiewski was 12th overall in 12:03.5, with teammate Gabriella Fralin 15th. Joining them in the top 25 were Radnor’s Zoe Margolies (20th), Haverford’s Camryn McGeehan (22nd) and Avery Lustgarden of Garnet Valley (24th).

Haverford High School’s Patrick Lawson. in action durng track season last spring, wom the boys race at the Unionville Two-Mile Bash Saturday. (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group).

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SPRINGFIELD — Last week against Ridley, Haverford High senior receiver Ethan Mahan made 10 catches, but the Fords were on the losing end of the final score.

At Springfield’s Cougar Stadium Friday night, Mahan had only two receptions, but the second was a crucial 14-yard scoring strike from Tommy Wright with 1:49 to play that sealed the Fords’ 28-13 victory.

“I don’t care how many catches I have when we run the ball like we did here,” Mahan said. “And you’re going to have a lot to write about for the next three years with (Zeke Bates). You saw what he did.”

Bates, a sophomore playing his first season of varsity football, gained 127 yards on 24 carries, including a 12-yard scoring dash with two minutes to play in the third quarter, helping Haverford (1-2, 1-1 Central) become the first team to score against Springfield (2-1, 1-1) this season.

“We felt good about running the ball when we were preparing for this game,” Haverford coach Luke Dougherty said. “We know (Springfield) Coach (Chris) Britton does an awesome job. They had shutouts in their first two games. So we challenged our kids and told them we wanted to be able to run the ball in this game.”

Senior back Collin Cassidy, who had been a key runner for the Fords in 2021, took on the job of leading the way for Bates in Friday’s game. Linemen Tommy Touhill, Henry Gillespie, Derek Kaercher, Julien Burke, Tommy Dixon and Will Cascarina and tight end Justin Marciano opened holes and pushed the Springfield defenders back well enough that Haverford ground out 237 yards. Wright, who’d led a pass-heavy attack the last two weeks, was 6-for-10 passing for 60 yards.

“(Wright) has done such a good job bringing our inexperienced linemen around and getting them up to speed,” Dougherty said. “And when we needed him to throw, he came up with a huge play.”

Wright didn’t have to hesitate when asked what it’s been like working with his offensive line.

“Trust,” he said. “Believing in them in everything we do.”

Haverford’s opening drive demonstrated what the Fords were all about Friday night. Wright scrambled nine yards on the first play, then after Cassidy got nine yards and a first down, Wright had his only completion of the nine-play sequence, a six-yarder to Mahan.

Cassidy’s 17-yard run was the biggest play of the 66-yard march, then Bates got his first three carries and Cassidy went seven yards to the 1, from where Wright scored 3:35 into the game.

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Haverford’s Collin Cassidy carries the ball in the third quarter of a game last year against Springfield in 2021. Cassidy and the Fords ran the ball effectively Friday in a 28-13 win. (PETE BANNAN – DAILY TIMES)

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NETHER PROVIDENCE — Strath Haven senior Sam Milligan’s primary focus in Friday’s Central League contest with Conestoga was find a way to contribute.

It didn’t matter that the quarterback of last year’s District 1 Class 5A championship team wasn’t quite ready to lead the offense under center. Sporting a bulky cast on his right arm, Milligan is a couple of weeks away from throwing a football again.

But he can make his presence felt on defense.

After suffering an injury in the Panthers’ season opener and missing last week’s game altogether, Milligan was cleared to return Thursday. He made a big impact in Haven’s 25-0 rout of the Pioneers at George L. King Field.

“It’s a lot of coaching,” said Milligan in his temporary role as a one-way player. “The coaches, they’re able to get you ready to be in the right spots. I knew where I had to be today. The coaches really drilled it into me and that’s all it is. You get in the right spot and you try to make a play.”

Milligan made two plays to end Conestoga drives. Off a deflection, he was able to secure his first interception inside Strath Haven territory in the second quarter.

Conestoga quarterback Peter Costigan tested Milligan on a deep ball in the fourth quarter, but Milligan outran the receiver and hauled in the pass. It was a very athletic interception for the three-sport athlete and the third takeaway of the night for the Haven defense.

The cast is a bit cumbersome, but Milligan showed that all he needs is one arm to make a pick.

“I get a lot of weird looks,” he said, laughing.

Milligan’s performance as a defensive back was crucial. The Panthers lost top defensive back Aidan Sutherland, who tied for the team lead in interceptions last season, due to an apparent leg injury in the first half.

“When Aidan went down, he stepped up for us and got two picks,” running back/linebacker Austin Conner said. “That was awesome.”

Strath Haven stuck to what it does best on the offensive side of the ball.

The Panthers (3-0, 1-0 Central League) called 59 run plays and zero passes. The offensive line of Cole Miller, Jackson Geremia, Carter Law, Will Leuthold and Billy Brown and tight end Ben Farabaugh dominated the Pioneers (2-1, 1-1) at the point of attack all night long.

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Strath Haven defensive back Sam Milligan grabs an interception in the second quarter against Conestoga Friday night. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES

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The senior co-captain has been on fire early this fall, shooting a 3 under par 32 at Merion West Aug. 29 (vs. Haverford High), a 1 under 33 at Philadelphia Country Club Sept. 7 (vs. Conestoga) and a 1 under 35 at Turtle Creek (vs. Springfield). Harriton golf coach Brian Dobak said, “Jack has made incredible strides in each of his four years in our program. His strides I attribute to three things: One, he has a beautiful swing that he crafted with the help of Brian Quinn at The 1912 Club, plus he spends a lot of time on his short game. Two, Jack has a strong mental game – he has a calm, humble, patient mind where it seems as if his good golf comes to him instead of him chasing after it all the time. Three, Jack has the desire to compete – there is no better way to improve your game than to put yourself into the fire of competition. Jack consistently plays in junior tour events throughout the year. He has a competitive nature about him. Jack is a wonderful captain for us and we look forward to him finishing his high school career strong this season.”

Fun facts – Jack Chodkowski

Favorite TV show: Narcos.

Favorite movie: Cars.

Favorite athlete: Odell Beckham Jr.

Favorite pre-round pump-up song: Wasted On You, by Morgan Wallen.

Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles.

Favorite place to visit: Nantucket.

Other extracurricular activities at Harriton: Varsity basketball, Leadership Council and Ronald McDonald Club.

Favorite pre-round meal: Pasta.

Person I most admire, and why: “My Dad because he’s given me the tools to become the person I want to be.”

Family members: parents Gregg and Chris, younger brother Cole.

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Liz Kurcon became the first volleyball player at Penncrest to reach a major career milestone Wednesday.

The senior outside hitter tallied her 1,000th **** as the Lions defeated Springfield, 3-1, in four competitive sets. The scores were 25-20, 23-25, 27-25, 25-17.

Kurcon compiled 27 digs, 18 kills and seven aces. Maddy Bachovchin contributed 29 assists and 12 digs, Fiona O’Loughlin had six aces and four kills, and Chloe Breeze totaled 26 digs.

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HAVERFORD — On a night of big plays one of the shortest players on the field stood tall.

Senior Paul Jackson rushed for 97 yards, including a backbreaking 78-yard touchdown, turned a hitch into a 26-yard scoring play, played outside linebacker and drilled a 44-yard punt despite an all-out rush to spark Ridley to a 28-10 win over Haverford in Central League action at AG Cornog Stadium.

All in a night’s work for the 175-pound Jackson, among the few who didn’t suffer from cramps in the still somewhat muggy conditions.

“To be honest with you, I didn’t think it was going to be that good of a punt,” said Jackson, who also played Wildcat quarterback. “I thought they were going to block it. But it was probably my best punt throughout the years. I played Wildcat quarterback, too. And I’m happy we added Wildcat this year. It’s a good thing for our offense.”

It was a much-needed confidence booster for the Green Raiders (1-1) and sophomore quarterback Ryan Carroll, who were thumped rather soundly by Crestview (Fla.), 50-28, in their opener last week.

Kelly Connor caught a three-yard touchdown pass and Kimir Stephenson ran 37 yards for a score to take the pressure off Carroll, who threw for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

“I thought he made some good throws,” Ridley coach David Wood said. “At times he sets our offense, he gets our offense into a check game and he’s getting better week to week. Everything revolved around him, but we were able to spread the ball around and come up with some big plays like we did last year.”

The Fords (0-2) grabbed the early lead on a 25-yard field goal by Googie Seidman in the second quarter.

The Green Raiders responded with Jackson turning a five-yard hitch into a TD for a 7-3 lead. The Fords then began fumbling the ball away. Connor and Stephenson scored to stake the visitors to a 21-3 lead at the intermission. Fords quarterback Tommy Wright was intercepted by Sean Farley.

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Seniors Paul Jackson, left, and Jayson Howarth were among the big play makers who lifted Ridley to a 28-10 Central League win over Haverford Friday, (MediaNews Group photo).

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