PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | October, 2022

The Lower Merion High School girls’ soccer team, which clinched its third consecutive Central League title Oct. 18, features an impressive group of five seniors who have been an integral part of the Aces’ success the past four years.
During the last four seasons (as of Oct. 23), the Aces have posted a 60-5-1 record (39-2-1 in the Central League), winning league titles the past three years and placing second in 2019. Lower Merion has been ranked No. 6, 8 and 10 in Pennsylvania over the last four years. (No. 6 in 2020, No. 8 in 2021 and No. 10 in 2022).
Those five senior Aces are three captains — Elly Slensky, Grace Downey, and Sadie Cohen — plus defender Abby Braslow and midfielder Emma Burke.
Slensky, the Aces’ Most Valuable Player last fall, has started at center midfield for the past four years. She was a first team All-Central League and All-Main Line selection last year, and will play soccer for Boston College next fall.
“Our team looks for Elly to lead us on and off the field,” said Lower Merion girls soccer head coach Kevin Ries. “She will be the most decorated player in school history.”
Downey, a forward, and Cohen, a center defender, were both second team All-Main Line girls’ soccer selections last fall.
“Grace, Sadie and Elly have been the centerpiece of our team for four years,” said Ries. “We look to them to lead and encourage the team.”
Lower Merion (16-1-1 as of Oct. 23 and seeded fourth in the District 1 A tournament) has outscored its opponents 65-12, and the Aces’ offense has been led by Downey, freshman Dylan Steinberg, and Emma Barrabee, who have combined for 37 goals.
The Aces’ defense has been airtight, giving up just seven goals in the past 15 games. LM’s defense has been led by center defenders Cohen and sophomore Casey Forman.
“Sadie and Casey both are quick to press out of the back, and possess recovery speed,” said Ries. “They are both great 1v1 defenders and communicate well with one another. Abby Braslow and Gabby Jarvis, who were starters for us last year, play on the wing and do a great job of getting out of the backline and supporting our midfield. Gabby is great at winning head balls and Abby tackles as hard as any defender to play for Lower Merion. And Kate Cantu has played really well for us.”
Cantu, a freshman, has recorded a 0.5 goals against average, and has allowed only three Central League goals all season.

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The junior attack midfielder leads the Pioneers (14-2 and ranked No. 2 in District 1 4A as of Oct. 21) in goals scored and is the Central League scoring leader as well. Ramirez has tallied a number of crucial goals, including a game-tying goal against Lower Merion with just over a minute to go in the game to send the game into overtime and an eventual Conestoga win, and a game-winning goal against Harriton with eight minutes to go for a 1-0 win. Conestoga boys soccer head coach Dave Zimmerman said, “Some of the qualities I admire most about Diego are his ability to communicate effectively on the field, his incredible work ethic and his ‘team first’ mentality. Diego suffered a torn ACL that caused him to miss all of the 2021 season, and he worked incredibly hard to return to play. I could not be happier about the success he has had this season. He’s earned every bit of it!”

Fun facts — Diego Ramirez
Favorite book: Mamba Mentality: How I Play.
Favorite author: Stephen King.
Favorite TV show: The Office.
Favorite movie: Toy Story.
Favorite athlete: Cristiano Ronaldo.
Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Dance Now by JID.
Favorite place to visit: Puebla, Mexico.
Favorite pre-game meal: Pasta with chicken.
Person I admire the most: “My dad and my mom because they both work hard for everything.”
Family members: father Julio Ramírez, mother Jana Garanicova, sister Alexa Garanicova.

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Tredyffrin >> Staring into the morning sun at Conestoga’s Teamer Field on a perfectly crisp late October day isn’t nearly as idyllic as it sounds.

For opposing teams, it means it’s playoff time, and the Pioneers aren’t playing host so they can hand out treats.

The experience became even less ideal for Spring-Ford after just 59 seconds of Saturday’s District 1 Class 4A quarterfinal.

Junior Diego Ramirez got the final touch on senior right back Peter Miller’s long throw-in for a first-minute goal and Ramirez doubled his total in the second half as Conestoga clobbered the Rams, 2-0 to advance to the District 1 semifinals for the third time in four years. The reigning District 1 and PIAA champions dominated the matchup with No. 12 seed Spring-Ford, not allowing the Rams a shot on goal.

“That was the game plan, to dominate, move the ball, play to the best of our ability,” Ramirez said. “We have the mentality of going 1-0 every game. After this game we’re going to put it in the past and focus on the next one.”

Conestoga’s (18-2) next one is a semifinal visit from No. 11 Pennridge (1-0 winner over Downingtown East Saturday) on Tuesday back at Conestoga. Spring-Ford (13-4-4) enters into playbacks where it will travel to No. 3 Downingtown East on Tuesday with a PIAA tournament spot on the line.

The intensity has ratched up in the postseason for longtime coach David Zimmerman’s Pioneers and the proof was all over Saturday’s win.

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Conestoga’s Diego Ramirez (14) is congratulated by Peter MIller after his second goal against Spring-Ford Saturday in a District 1-4A quarterfinal at Conestoga. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

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BERWYN >> In a defensive battle, one chance is all it takes. The problem was, that chance wasn’t coming for Conestoga or Owen J. Roberts in regulation. It finally came in the early moments of the first overtime, as Keira Kemmerley scored to send the top-seeded Pioneers to a 1-0 victory over the Wildcats in the quarterfinals of the District 1 Class 4A Girls Soccer Tournament on a beautiful fall Saturday afternoon at Teamer Field.

Conestoga (17-1-2) moves into the semifinals, where they will host fifth-seeded Neshaminy on Tuesday.

“Everyone is super excited,” said Conestoga coach Deane Mariotti. “Going to the next round guarantees a trip to States, where the girls want to be. The girls have high expectations for themselves, but they’ve been doing a really good job of taking one game at a time. I think they are mentally prepared and technically sound and they work really well together.”

“I think we played all so well together,” said Kemmerley. “I think out of this whole season and postseason, this definitely has been our best game. We worked our butts off and worked hard for each other.”

It was a game where scoring opportunities were hard to find. Both defenses were well organized and hard to break down. There were 10 shots and five saves in total.

“It’s a game that should’ve been played in the semifinals,” said Owen J. Roberts coach Joe Margusity. “We were injured early in the season and took three, now four, overtime losses. But, Conestoga is a great team. We did what we could against them.”

The eighth-seeded Wildcats (16-5) had their best chance when, off a corner kick, Meryn Primanti’s header went just over the top.

The Pioneers came within inches of taking the lead with almost two minutes left. They earned a free kick following a foul about 30 yards out. Mia Galaro stepped up and hit a well-struck shot that hit the underside of the bar and bounced down. The follow up header from Amelie Stewart was easily handled by goalie Colby Wasson.

The remaining time ticked off, so it was off to overtime. The Pioneers started to slowly own more of the territorial play, which they kept into the extra session. They held the Wildcats for most of the OT and they ended it a little more than 2:30 in.

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Conestoga’s Keira Kemmerley carries the ball through the midfield as Owen J. Roberts’ Sabrina Marks defends during a District 1-4A quarterfinal Saturday. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

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CONCORD TWP. — Garnet Valley went into the locker room Friday night feeling, with a certainty that few programs in the area can claim, that it didn’t play its way.

Being up just a touchdown on Springfield was not ideal, sure. But rushing for just 39 yards, passing for more than twice as many and being unable to consistently chew up yardage between the tackles? That’s not in the Jaguars’ DNA.

The halftime speech from first-year coach Eric Van Wyk was self-evident from the bruising, in-your-face drive that it inspired after the break.

Joe Checchio finished off the march with a one-yard dive, and Garnet Valley killed the clock in the second half on the way to a 20-7 win, the Jaguars’ 38th straight Central League triumph.

“We came in the locker room, he (Van Wyk) was like, this isn’t how we play. We need to be much more physical. You guys have it in you, you need to play more physical. They’re out-physicaling us, and we’re the most physical team in the Central League,” running back Luke Mingioni said. “It really motivated us to go out and grind it, play as hard as we can.”

Mingioni, a depth cog in Garnet Valley’s backfield stable, provided runs of 16 and 17 yards on that opening series of the third. The Jags (5-0, 4-0 Central) covered 71 yards on eight plays, all runs. They ran 40 plays in the second half to Springfield’s 17, suffocating the Cougars and controlling the clock.

Jack Westburg made it 20-0 on a seven-yard jet sweep with 1:07 left in the third. It complemented a seven-yard run by Jason Bernard on the Jags’ first snap of the game, after Tyler Lassik had picked off a pass and returned it 37 yards to the 7.

The Jags carried the ball 50 times for 230 yards. Six players had at least four carries, led by Bernard’s 16 for 71. Mingioni added eight for 65. Matt Mesaros was 10-for-17 through the air for 111 yards, hitting six receivers. The backbreaker was to backup running back Ronnie Leraris, who took a fourth-and-9 screen 13 yards through four tacklers to set up Westburg’s score.

“It’s nice because we can give guys breathers,” tight end/defensive end Jake McDowell said. “Our depth is incredible, we have so many guys who are ready to step up. But it’s also a nightmare for defenses because they don’t know who to cover. If they cover one guy, we’ve got another weapon. We just have so many playmakers who are able to do a good job.”

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Garnet Valley quarterback Matt Mesaros picks up a first down in last week’s game against Ridley. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)

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MIDDLETOWN — In what will surely go down as one of the games of the season, Haverford stormed back from a 21-point first half deficit to stun a hard-luck Penncrest squad 30-28.

Quarterback Tommy Wright used his arm and legs to power the Fords’ comeback. Wright completed 22 of 32 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns. The signal-caller also rushed for 81 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown with 51 seconds left in the game.

Wide receivers Ethan Mahan (11 catches for 107 yards) and Ben Fleming (seven catches for 96 yards) played central roles in the rally as well. Mahan had two touchdowns, and Fleming grabbed an interception for Haverford (4-5, 3-3 Central).

For Wright, a game like this was the product of a lot of offseason work with his receiving corps.

“A lot of the work comes unseen, off-the-field, during the offseason,” Wright said. “We practice all of this stuff more than anyone could ever realize. Our coach told us that we were going to need to step up and we realized that as captains and seniors. We had to be responsible enough to execute and get the job done.

“Penncrest is a very good football team. I think a lot of people underestimate them. Going into halftime, I was focusing on not getting down on myself and staying positive.”

It was a game that tested — and showed off — the Fords’ resilience.

“We’re not big on getting down on the kids, so our halftime M.O. was figuring out what adjustments we can we make,” Haverford coach Luke Dougherty said. “Penncrest battled, and they’re a good football team. (Lions coach) Paul (Graham) is an unbelievable coach. Jeff Allison is an unbelievable defensive coordinator, so we knew they were going to make it hard on us. My guys didn’t hang their heads at halftime, there was no negativity.”

Dougherty was particularly impressed with the play of Wright, Mahan, and Fleming.

“I challenged then this week – those three specifically,” Dougherty said. “I told them I thought we could move the ball through the air a little and they delivered for me.”

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Haverford’s Tommy Wright, seen in a September game against Garnet Valley, threw for 288 yards in a 30-28 come-from-behind win over Penncrest Friday. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)

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NEWTOWN SQUARE — As Ridley’s football schedule became ready for print, Dave Wood would hope only for the one thing not historically in deep supply in Folsom – patience.

“We put the schedule together that way,” the Green Raiders’ coach said. “We knew we would go down to Florida and play a really, really good football team in Crestview. We had the Garnet Valleys of the world. We’d play Plymouth-Whitemarsh, which is big and physical. We had a sophomore quarterback who would still be learning.

“So it could take time before we put it all together.”

Not that the Raiders had been outclassed as they inched toward late October, but they rarely appeared quite complete. That changed Friday with a 42-7 victory at Marple Newtown that signaled Ridley’s readiness for a second consecutive fruitful PIAA District 1 Class 6A postseason run.

Outgaining the Tigers, 455-176, the Raiders controlled both lines and improved to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Central League. Not only did they hold tight around the 11 spot in the district power ratings, but they showed they will be business-minded when the single-elimination fray begins.

“We are hitting our strides at the right time,” said running back Owen Bosak, who mixed a 54-yard touchdown burst into his 136-yard rushing night. “We’re just playing great.”

That showed immediately Friday, Stephen O’Donovan returning the opening kickoff to the Marple Newtown 48. Seven plays later, Jackson charged two yards for a touchdown and Timmy Abdel-Latif began his 6-for-6 PAT performance.

From there, Jackson would turn relentless, running for another touchdown, catching a touchdown pass, recovering a fumble and making an interception.

“I just want to help the team,” he said. “They build energy off of that, and it helps them drive. It’s going to help us in the playoffs, and we are very confident right now.”

Sophomore quarterback Ryan Carroll completed 12 of 14 passes for 178 yards, including scoring passes to Kamir Stephenson (nine yards) and Jackson (20 yards.) He also had a TD run early in the second, one play after his 20-yard pass to Jackson sent the Raiders to the Marple Newtown 1-yard line.

The Tigers, however, quickly countered when Brian Box returned the ensuing kickoff to the Ridley 37, setting up a 22-yard scoring toss from Dave Bertoline to Paul DeFruscio. But the rally was punctured when Ridley recovered the resulting onside kick at its own 48. The field shortened, the Raiders restored their two-touchdown lead when Carroll connected with Jackson for a 26-yard score with 1:34 left in the half.

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PETE BANNAN – MEDIANEWS GROUP Ridley’s Owen Bosak, right, runs for a first down in the first half of a 42-7 win over Marple Newtown Friday night.

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BERWYN >> Conestoga field hockey’s death grip on the Central League title continued on Tuesday
Addie DelOrifice and Shae Wozniak scored a pair of goals each as the Pioneers (15-1) topped Radnor, 4-2, at Teamer Field to complete the three-peat.
“We still have Harriton for senior night Wednesday, so we have to keep focused on that first,” said Conestoga coach Regan Marscher. “But obviously, this was a big one, and it feels really good to win the league for the third year in a row.”Radnor (13-4) entered Tuesday’s contest ranked number two in District 1 Class 2A, while the Pioneers held the number one spot in Class 3A. A scoreless first period showed why these two teams are among the best in Southeastern PA.
“We made some adjustments after the first period,” said Marscher. “We knew Radnor was going to be tough, so we wanted to come out like the Eagles did Sunday, and just come out strong. We didn’t get much of a practice in yesterday (Monday), but we made the adjustments, including moving Shae (Wozniak) up to forward, and I think we got the job done offensively.”The move of Wozniak paid nearly immediate dividends, as the sophomore sensation scored unassisted barely two minutes into the second period.
“Our offensive movement, coming in and out of the pocket, was fantastic,” said Wozniak. “We did a really good job working the sidelines. We have such great skill at our left and right mids. They do a great job attacking from the outside to move it up inside the circle.”
The Pioneers struck again midway through the second. Awarded a penalty corner, Kate Galica put the ball in play on the insert, sending it up to Addie DelOrifice at the top of the circle. DelOrifice navigated around a defender, then let loose with a shot that found the back of the cage.

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Conestoga celebrates a goal from Addie DelOrifice (BILL RUDICK for MediaNews Group)

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Tredyffrin >> Ridley’s strong first-half defense proved to be a tough nut to crack for host Conestoga in the Raiders’ 28-14 football win at Teamer Field on Friday.

The Green Raiders (5-3, 4-2 Central League) held the host Pioneers’ offense to one first down in the first half, and did not allow Conestoga to penetrate Ridley territory until the third quarter.

Ridley controlled possession in the first half and by halftime built a 21-0 lead against the Pioneers (5-3, 4-3). With six minutes to go in the game, the visitors led 28-0.

“In the first half, even for three quarters, I thought our defense did a great job of mixing up some things, putting on a little pressure when we had to, play some coverage,” said Ridley head coach Dave Wood. “I think Conestoga is very dynamic on offense, they have some good wide receivers and their quarterback [Peter Costigan] runs the heck out of the football. No. 7 [Brody Eaton] is a great tight end. We came in tonight with a defense that was moving around a little bit, throwing some multiple looks at them, and did a good job.”

The first quarter was scoreless, but Ridley drove all the way down to the Conestoga 11 yard line before a Raider fumble gave the ball to the Pioneers.

Early in the second quarter, from midfield, Ridley began its first touchdown drive, punctuated by several Ryan Carroll passes for solid gains. On 4th-and-7 at the Conestoga 12 yard line, Ridley junior wide receiver Khameen Powell reached high in the end zone to grab a Carroll pass for a touchdown.

“I thought (Powell) got a little bit of inside coverage, so he changed that to a fade route, and it was a really nice throw by our quarterback,” said Wood.

With 3:19 to go before halftime, on 3rd-and-5 at the Conestoga 24-yard line, Carroll, under pressure, passed to senior wide receiver Kimir Stephenson, who was wide open near the goal line. Stephenson went in for the score for a 14-0 lead.

Following a three-and-out, Conestoga boomed a 59-yard punt to pin Ridley at its own 7, but an 18-yard run by senior running back Owen Bosak put the visitors in better field position, then two plays later, Bosak broke open down the left side and outran the Pioneer defenders for a 74-yard touchdown to give Ridley a 21-0 lead with 59 seconds to go before halftime.

“That was a big, big run that gave us a huge lift going into halftime,” said Wood.

Meanwhile, the Ridley defense held Conestoga’s offense in check for the first half, as the Pioneers punted four times by halftime.

“I thought our inside linebacker, Connor Kelly, played really well,” said Wood. “I thought Joey O’Donovan, one of our safeties, had a lot of tackles – he came up on the outside and made some key plays for us. His brother, Stephen O’Donovan, played well too.”

Stephen O’Donovan scored the final touchdown for the Raiders with 10:25 left in the game, a 14-yard TD pass in which he was wide open on the right. The TD drive began with a 46-yard punt return by Powell that took the Raiders down to the Conestoga 26 yard line. The touchdown gave Ridley a 28-0 lead.

“(Powell) did some really good things tonight,” said Wood. “Same thing with Paul Jackson when we ran the wildcat offense – he made some great plays tonight. In these big games you expect your good players to step up and make big plays, and between Stephen O’Donovan, Paul Jackson, Kimir Stephenson, Owen Bosak, Khameen Powell, they really played well.”

In the final six minutes, Conestoga scored its two touchdowns. From midfield, Conestoga quarterback Peter Costigan led the first touchdown drive, highlighted by an 18-yard run, a 14-yard pass to his brother Tommy, and the scoring play, an 11-yard pass to Brody Eaton on fourth-and-goal. Eaton reached up over the Ridley defender in the end zone to make the catch and cut Ridley’s lead to 28-7.

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Ridley defensive lineman Billy Bair intercepts a pass in a game last week against Strath Haven. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES

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NETHER PROVIDENCE — Anthony Crawford rushed for 228 yards and two touchdowns, Austin Conner got into the end zone twice and the red zone defense came up big Friday to carry Strath Haven to a 42-0 win over Radnor in Central League football at George L. King Field.

The surging Panthers (8-0, 6-0 Central) are two games from securing an undefeated regular season.

With 19 touchdowns this season, Crawford is within range of joining Panthers all-time greats Dan Connor, the leader with 29, Dan Mulhern and Chase Barlow, all of whom have tallied 25 or more times.

“Any time you mention my names with those guys it’s an honor,” Crawford said. “But I mean, I’m getting the ball a lot, the O-line is playing great and so is the defense. The O-line these past couple weeks, they’ve been blocking better than they ever have. And our defense came out and just shut (Radnor) down.”

Crawford was five yards short of breaking his personal single-game rushing standard, set earlier this season.

The Raptors (2-5, 1-5) are working their way through a difficult season compounded by stadium issues that have forced them to play 25 straight games away from their field. That streak will end next weekend when they host Conestoga and finish the season with three consecutive home games.

“They’re a machine, an absolute machine,” Raptors coach Kyle Reiter said of the Panthers. “Coach (Kevin) Clancy is a legend and they run those core plays so well. At the end of the game when we were talking to the kids, we were telling them Strath Haven and Garnet Valley, they’re the cream of the crop program-wise when it comes to the Central League. We told them we have a long way to go but as you can see we’re closer.”

Amir Byrd rushed for 110 yards for the Raptors, who were stopped twice in the red zone in the first half. The Panthers brought a 21-0 lead into the break on a five-yard run by Conner, a five-yard scoring pass from Sam Milligan to Conner and a 54-yard run from Crawford, who rushed for 150 yards in the half.

Crawford tallied on a 10-yard run in the third quarter. Bob Fooskas, who rushed for 72 yards, made it 35-0 with a five-yard touchdown run in the first two minutes of the final frame.

Shane Green’s 44-yard run in the final minute ended the scoring.

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Anthony Crawford, left, breaks a Radnor tackle on his way to 228 rushing yards and two TDs amid a 42-0 win Friday night. (MediaNews Group Staff Photo)

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