PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | October, 2022

LIMERICK >> As the two-day District 1-3A girls golf championships came down to the last few holes on Tuesday, the scores at the top of the leaderboard kept getting closer and closer, with the battle for the title eventually boiling down to the final holes at Turtle Creek Golf Course.

Steadiness down the stretch was rewarded and that left Lower Merion’s Sydney Yermish at the top of the pack, winning the close two-day fight with a 4-under score of 139. She made two birdies in the final six holes to close with a second-day 70.

Kate Roberts (Phoenixville), Stefania Fedun (Owen J. Roberts) and Rhianna Gooneratne (Plymouth Whitemarsh) wound up tied for second place, three strokes back. Phoenixville freshman Kayley Roberts tied for sixth.

The top nine finishers advanced to the PIAA Championships next Monday and Tuesday at Penn State.

Fedun shot a 4-under 67 on Monday at Raven’s Claw to take the lead, one stroke better than Gooneratne and two ahead of Yermish. She trailed Yermish by one heading to the final hole on Tuesday, but finished the day with a double bogey after hitting a ball into the water.

“I didn’t do myself any justice putting my second shot on the hill,” Fedun said. “I two-putted and shot a seven.

“Everything was consistent today. My driver was a little off, but my putts were definitely better.”

Despite the problems on the final hole, the OJR senior was happy to make it back to states for the first time since her freshman year.

“It feels great,” she said. “All of the girls I was playing with today were really fun. I’m glad we all made it through.”

Phoenixville junior Kate Roberts was fifth after shooting a 73 on the first day and finished at 142 after a 3-under 69 to qualify for a repeat trip to states. Last season she was the only PAC girl to advance and finished in a tie for 12th place.

“I was just really happy to play my best,” she said. “Definitely my driver was working and today I was putting really well from the 10-15 foot range.”
She is also happy that she’ll be heading to states with her sister Kayley.

“That will be awesome,” said Kate Roberts. “I’m so happy for her to make it her freshman year.”

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Lower Merion’s Sydney Yermish poses with her first-place medal after winning the PIAA District 1 Class 3A individual girls golf title at Turtle Creek Golf Course Tuesday. (Evan Wheaton – MediaNews Group)

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The sophomore runner finished first at the recent Paul Short Run Brown race with a school record time of 17:42, and helping the Fords to place sixth as a team. She also finished first at the Unionville 2-Mile Bash this fall by a wide margin. Last spring, she finished first in the girls 800 meter run at the PIAA District 1 3A track championships, and was part of the 4×400 relay that won a medal. Off the track, she has participated in Best Buddies, and now is involved with an organization called Haverford Against Hunger.

Fun facts – Olivia Cieslak

Favorite book: Reminders Of Him by Colleen Hoover.

Favorite author: Colleen Hoover.

Favorite movie: McFarland, USA.

Favorite athlete: Emma Coburn.

Favorite pre-race pump-up song: Country Girl (Shake It For Me) by Luke Bryan.

Favorite place to visit: Florida.

Favorite pre-race meal: Eggs on toast, avocado, and banana.

Person I most admire, and why: “Emma Coburn because she never gives up, she always fights till the end and I aspire to be like her.”

Family members: Mom, Dad, brother Allen, dog Marley.

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A senior midfielder/forward, Sam Nyenka has supplied some key offense for the Lower Merion boys soccer team (ranked No. 1 in PIAA District 1 4A as of Oct. 10) this fall. He tallied the game-winning goal in a recent 1-0 win against Garnet Valley and tallied two goals and several assists in a win against Harriton. After playing soccer for Lower Merion as a freshman and a sophomore, he played for the FC Delco MLS NEXT soccer program as a junior, then returned to Lower Merion to play soccer this fall. Next fall, he will play soccer for the University of West Virginia.

Fun facts – Sam Nyenka

Favorite book: The Blind Side.

Favorite author: J.K Rowling.

Favorite TV show: Friday Night Lights.

Favorite movie: Rocky.

Favorite athlete: Cristiano Ronaldo.

Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Viva La Vida.

Favorite team: Manchester City.

Favorite place to visit: Georgia.

Favorite pre-game meal: Pasta.

Person I most admire: “My mom.”

Your family members: Parents Abu and Pam, sister Grace, brothers George and Fred.

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UPPER PROVIDENCE — Olivia Cieslak has developed a highly successful strategy for cross country. She goes out conservative in the first mile, and then takes over the race.

That approach has worked out quite well for the Haverford sophomore, who is four-for-four in races this season.

Cieslak’s latest victory was a nearly eight-second triumph over teammate Camryn McGeehan in the girls varsity race at the 58th Delaware County championships Saturday afternoon at Rose Tree Park.

Cieslak cruised to victory in 18:42.20 to become the first Haverford runner to win the title since Tess Meehan in 2012.

“I knew there were going to be a lot of people on me,” Cieslak said. “So I kind of just stayed back and went for it in the last two miles.”

That approach has helped her to win the Brown race at the Paul Short Invitational last week in a personal-best time of 17:42.70. She also won the Unionville Two-Mile Bash and the only Central League dual meet in which she competed.

“I think my finish is better than actual pacing,” Cieslak said. “So I kind of let other people take the lead and then take over.”

Radnor’s Zoe Margolis (19:40.19) placed third. Loralei Golembiewski of Upper Darby was fourth (19:44.41) and defending champ Therese Trainer of Notre Dame claimed fifth (19:02.14). Garnet Valley’s Avery Lustgarten, Upper Darby’s Gabriella Fralin, Strath Haven’s Chloe Browne, Mary Rossano of Notre Dame and Springfield’s Lexi Patterson rounded out the top 10 places.

The course at Rose Tree was a good test for Cieslak’s left calf, which she said she strained earlier in the season but has recovered.

“I was feeling it on the second uphill,” Cieslak said. “That’s where I really felt it in my legs but I knew was I could do and pushed through it.”

The 1-2 finish by Cieslak and McGeehan, who covered the 5,000-meter course in 18:50.78 enabled the Fords to claim their second team title since 2019 with 42 points, well ahead of runnerup Notre Dame’s 98. Seniors Kelly Murray (11th) and Olivia Thompson (13th) and freshman Ryan Danakis (15th) rounded out the scorers for the Fords.

“We’ve were going for this,” Cieslak said. “We want to qualify for states (as a team). Our team looks good this year.”

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Haverford’s Olivia Cieslak pushes through to the finish line to win the girls varsity race at the 58th Delco cross country championships Saturday at Rose Tree Park. (Submitted Photo/Courtesy of Ryan Comstock)

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UPPER PROVIDENCE — Patrick Lawson admitted feeling a little pressure as he lined up for the start of the 58th Delaware County cross country championships Saturday at Rose Tree Park.

As the top runner for Haverford a lot was expected of the All-Delco senior. The last three individual boys winners were Fords, Ethan Fingerhut last year and Mike Donnelly in 2019 and 2018. (The meet was not held in 2020.)

“All of my teammates were saying that one of us had to win it, me or Quentin (Ryan),” Lawson said.

It wouldn’t be easy. The field was loaded with the likes of Penncrest’s Gavin Mogck, Radnor’s Luke Bodden and Aidan McHugh of Episcopal Academy.

Lawson, though, was able to best that field and claim the individual title with a time of 16:00.96 to edge Ryan by less than four seconds.

“I was pretty happy to make it a four-peat,” Lawson.

It was a tight race throughout as Lawson, Ryan, Bodden, Mogck and McHugh, who finished one through five, respectively, ran as a group and jockeyed for position for most of the way.

“I just wanted to see how the race went out,” Lawson said. “I didn’t want to lead any part of it until the last mile. I just wanted to watch everything happen and pace with everybody in the front pack.”

Lawson made his move with about 1,000 meters to go. As he approached the finish line he glanced over his left shoulder just to make sure his victory was assured.

“I was pretty tired at that point and I wanted to make sure I had enough distance where I didn’t have to kick too hard,” Lawson said. “I wanted to make sure I didn’t get caught in the last couple of meters.”

While Lawson kept Haverford’s individual streak alive, Episcopal Academy used a pack mentality to claim its first county team title.

The Churchmen placed five runners in the top 10 to out-point Penncrest, 36-57. McHugh placed fifth, followed by Dakin Ebmeyer in sixth, Dawson French seventh, Connor Hanrahan eighth and Michael Woolery 10th. Penncrest’s Brendan Hefferan finished ninth to break the EA bloc.

“It was our first (county title) in school history so we’re pretty excited about that,” McHugh said. “That was our goal coming in. We knew we had a strong team but we knew we had strong competition from the other guys, but a the end of the day the goal was to come in and get the win.”

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Haverford’s Patrick Lawson flashes a smile as he approaches the finish line to win the Delco boys cross country championship Saturday at Rose Tree Park. (Submitted Photo/Courtesy of Ryan Comstock)

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TREDYFFRIN — Springfield’s defense stood tall Friday evening, which the Central League is finding to not be anything out of the ordinary.
The Cougars shut down ‘Stoga for a 15-0 win, the third shutout they’ve posted this season.

Springfield held the Pioneers’ offense to just a couple of first downs in the first half. The Cougars intercepted two passes and limited Conestoga to less than 150 yards off offense.

Offensively, the visitors controlled the ball with a solid running attack that collected 192 yards on 48 carriers. Quarterback Jake Rama was 9-for-11 through the air for 97 yards.

“I thought we played well in all three phases today,” Springfield coach Chris Britton said. “I think we had a great week of practice; our coaches did a great job working with them. From top to bottom our kids put in a lot of focus this week. It was a team effort, everyone did their job. They’ve bought in, they’ve practiced, they’ve learned, and now we’re starting to see the fruits of it.”

The Cougars (4-3, 3-3 Central) have won two in a row, helping to create a Central League logjam of sorts that includes Marple Newtown and Conestoga (5-2, 4-2).

“We really stuck together all week, had great practices and great energy,” Rama said. “We were coming off another big win, this was a huge win and we’re set up good now. We’re a young team and we’re going to be good for a couple of years.”

The game was scoreless until late in the second quarter, when Springfield put together a 13-play, 56-yard touchdown drive. Facing a third-and-15 at the Conestoga 28, Rama hit senior Mike O’Donnell in stride in the middle of the field for a touchdown. Freshman running back Brad Barber scored on a two-point conversion to give the visitors an 8-0 lead.

“It was a play we were practicing all week,” Rama said. “It’s a pump, kind of a double move by the receiver. All week I knew I had to stick in the pocket on that play and make a good throw. Our offensive line did a good job protecting me; it’s a long pass pattern and it takes time to develop. I put it to a spot and I trust (O’Donnell).”

One of the key plays on the touchdown drive was a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-inches by Rama with the ball at the Conestoga 24. Several times, the Cougars faced fourth-and-short situations and came through with key running plays to keep Conestoga’s offense off the field.

On one drive early in the fourth quarter, Springfield ran the ball 10 consecutive times for 65 yards and a touchdown. Along the way, Barber ran for gains of 12, 13 and 16 yards. Sophomore fullback Nate Romano gained key yardage up the middle, including a five-yard run on a fourth-and-two. The drive culminated with a Romano one-yard touchdown plunge with 10:08 left.

“It’s really easy when you have a nice O-line in front of you, like we do,” Romano said. “I trust them with my life. I can always count on them to block for me. … Even when we messed up, we never got down on ourselves. We picked each other up.”

For Conestoga, the loss at home was a disappointment.

“Coming into tonight, we knew Springfield was a good team. They’ve played every opponent tough,” Conestoga coach Matt Diamond said. “They were coming off a big win against Marple Newtown. But tonight we didn’t help ourselves offensively; we had too many penalties. … At times, we were moving the ball but then some penalties would move us back. It’s disappointing.”

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Springfield’s Fred Withrow takes down Radnor’s Zack Fluck during a September game. (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group

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NEWTOWN SQUARE — The signals were coming daily, the thuds defining every football practice at Upper Darby High. One night, the Royals believed, their defense would show the ability to be one of the best in the Central League.

Friday was that night, a 7-6 victory over Marple Newtown the end result. And a late drive suppression was the proof.

Limiting the Tigers to 114 total yards and denying an offensive score, the Royals bumped their league record to 3-2 and, with precision and fury, hinted that there would be more to come.

“We all talk about playing hard,” said safety Jihad Cave, who successfully ruled the passing lanes and, in his role as a leader, kept the defense steady. “And we work hard in practice. Tonight, everybody flew right to the ball. It wasn’t one person making the tackle, it was everybody making the tackle.”

In on more tackles than most, defensive tackle Kaleel Mclaughlin was a night-long force, helping to limit the Tigers to 28 rushing yards on 29 attempts, four times assisting on sacks.

That effort was of particular value when Marple Newtown assumed possession at its own 24 with 2:05 to play. With quarterback Dave Bertoline finding Bryan Bogan with a 21-yard pass, a pass-interference boost and a Brett Wolski reception, the Tigers would advance to the Upper Darby 43 with a minute remaining. But responding to the test, the Royals forced a four-and-out to snap a two-game losing streak.

“At that point, I had to get my defense together,” Cave said. “I told them, ‘Keep your eyes on the backfield. No eyes on the QB. Worry about your man.’”

It was the kind of leadership Royals coach Dave Barr had come to expect from his senior safety.

“He is our leader,” Barr said. “He got us lined up the whole night and did everything we needed him to do.”

While also solid on defense, the Tigers were stung early when Montez Ellis uncorked a 56-yard sprint along the right sideline to put Upper Darby at the 10. That put Lavar Jackson in position to drag at least six defenders across the goal line for a six-yard TD run.

Bility Abraham added the PAT, which quickly proved to be vital, as Bryan Box returned the ensuing kickoff 91 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown. The two-point conversion pass failing, the Royals spent the rest of the night preserving the one-point lead.

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Upper Darby’s Lavar Jackson picks up yardage in the first half against Conestoga last week. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)

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CONCORD — Jack Westburg has been going to football games at Garnet Valley since he was in third grade. Having two older brothers – Nick, in the class of 2019, and Alex in 2020 – who played prominent roles for the Jaguars will tend to monopolize your Friday night plans.

Those kids darting along the hill above Moe DeFrank Stadium for Friday’s Homecoming against Penncrest, Westburg was there once upon a time, with friends growing into varsity teammates. He was one of the freshmen and sophomores given a run in the second halves of lopsided games like Friday’s 47-7 win over Penncrest, too.

Now atop Garnet Valley’s proverbial mountain, he’s appreciative of the journey to get there.

“I loved watching my brothers play,” the senior running back/defensive back said. “They inspired me to play, especially Nick. We’ve been in the same positions, and he’s been training me how to be a great football player.”

Westburg’s workload was light Friday: Two carries, 66 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown on GV’s third play from scrimmage to stake the Jaguars to a 13-0 lead. It was one of five touchdowns of 45 yards or more, and his robust yards-per-carry average was in line with the Jags racking up 412 yards on 34 carries. That’s 12.1 yards per tote, down from 13.5 in a first half where the starters rushed for 283 yards.

It was more than enough for the Jaguars (7-0, 6-0) to extend their Central League winning streak to 40 games. The scoring started 14 seconds in, when Ronnie Leraris took a carry off right end 69 yards to the house. Westburg’s touchdown owed to a stellar block from tailback Jason Bernard to seal the outside edge and give Westburg a clear cut-back lane to dance through traffic.

“We call him Bus, and he absolutely ran over that guy,” Westburg said of Bernard. “That’s what set the block to get me in the end zone, and it was awesome.”

Joseph Checchio’s one-yard touchdown was set up by a 45-yard connection between Matt Mesaros and Leraris to make it 20-0 less than nine minutes in. Mesaros hit Drew Van Horn for a 69-yard score in the second quarter, then pulled an option handoff at the last moment to dash for a 45-yard score.

The starters made way with the lead at 40-0 late in the first quarter. Garnet Valley would tack on in the fourth, Dean Koehler bobbling a pitch, dodging two attempts by the Lions to drag him down in his own end zone for a safety, then jetting 96 yards.

Even with his day done, Westburg and the starters remained locked in on the sidelines. They once used the experience of garbage time to prepare for their moments in the spotlight. It’s the way standards and tradition and all those pillars of Garnet Valley identity are passed down.

In addition to his brothers, Westburg had All-Delco wide receiver Sean Gallagher showing him the ropes. He’s now honored to serve in that role for others.

“It’s just awesome seeing them grow,” Westburg said. “My biggest mentor was Sean Gal. He taught me everything, and he texts me every game about how I played, and I love that. That’s how I want to be when I’m done playing football.”

Penncrest (1-6, 1-4), down a handful of regulars due to injury, battled on offense, stringing together a few promising series. But the Lions struggled when they fell behind the chains, leading to six punts and two lost fumbles. One, a bad punt snap, led to a 10-yard touchdown return by Trevor Saccomandi. The second, recovered by Nick Romaniello, short-circuited a drive at the 5.

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Garnet Valley’s Jack Westburg looks to make a move on Haverford defensive back Ethan Mahan during their game last month. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES

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RIDLEY TWP. — Strath Haven secondary faced its biggest test of the season Friday night. Ridley’s receiving corps, led by Paul Jackson, Kimir Stephenson and Khameen Powell, is one of the best in Delaware County.

The Panthers defensive backs came to ready to play. They intercepted sophomore quarterback Ryan Carroll four times in the first half, powering a 41-14 victory.

Strath Haven (7-0, 6-0) remains unbeaten and tied with Garnet Valley for first place in the Central League. The teams do not play this season.

James Fisher had two of the four interceptions. Sam Milligan and Chase Nangle grabbed the other two.

“Our coaches said Ridley had some of the best receivers and said they were the fastest,” Nangle said. “I thought we played really well. They didn’t get much action against us.”

Fisher’s interceptions were game changers. On its first possession of the game, Ridley drove inside the Haven 5-yard line. But when Carroll tried to dump off a lob pass in the end zone, Fisher cut across to pick him off in the end zone.

“Everything changed right there,” Nangle said. “The momentum wasn’t going our way … but that pick in the beginning really helped us a lot.”

Strath Haven capitalized on the ensuing possession when Anthony Crawford rambled 48 yards to the end zone.

“Shoutout to James Fisher. They were driving on us and he made that huge pick,” Crawford said. “That flipped the whole momentum. And then the (offensive) line just made huge holes all night.”

Crawford ran for 196 yards and four TDs on 21 carries. Milligan was back under center for the first time since August – he had been limited to playing the defensive secondary due to a hand injury – and amassed 64 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Bob Fooskas (54 yards) also ran the ball well behind an impressive offensive line that included Gavin Pilson, Cole Miller, Jackson Geremia, Carter Law, Billy Brown and tight end Ben Farabaugh.

Milligan nearly brought his interception to the house, but he was tripped up after a return of 50 yards. It was Milligan’s fifth pick of the season. Moments later Crawford plowed ahead from three yards out to put the Panthers up 19-0 in the second quarter.

Fisher’s second pick was returned 45 yards to the house to give Haven a 28-0 advantage late in the first half. Nangle made a leaping interception along the Ridley sideline about a minute before halftime.

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Strath Haven’s Bob Fooskas takes a handoff from Sam Milligan. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)

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The sophomore center midfielder has been a key factor in the Aces’ fine soccer season (the team is 11-1 as of Oct. 3, and ranked No. 3 in the PIAA District 1 4A girls soccer rankings). “Carolyn has been instrumental in our success this season,” said Lower Merion girls soccer head coach Kevin Ries. She has great vision and anticipates the next pass really well. Carolyn is a true box to box midfield with a high motor, and does a great job linking up with our forwards. She wins 50/50 balls in the midfield, and is tough on the ball.” Off the pitch, Kelly participates in Best Buddies.

Fun facts – Carolyn Kelly

Favorite book: We Were Liars.

Favorite author: Kwame Alexander.

Favorite TV show: The Great British Baking Show.

Favorite movie: The Parent Trap.

Favorite athlete: Julie Ertz or Frances Tiafoe.

Favorite pre-game pump-up song: International Love (ft Chris Brown) by Pitbull.

Favorite team: Liverpool FC.

Favorite place to visit: Atlantis, Bahamas.

Favorite pre-game meal: Chicken or pasta.

Person I most admire, and why: “My mom because she is always doing what is best for everyone around her and has a big heart.”

Family members: parents Paul and Debbie and sister Michelle.

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