PA – Central Athletic League | Archive | November, 2022

GLEN MILLS — It was a balanced machine that Garnet Valley brought to the District 1-6A championship game Friday night, and quarterback Matt Mesaros was at the controls.

The senior rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown, threw for 69 yards and another score, and helped lead the top-seeded Jaguars to a commanding 35-7 victory over Central Bucks West.

“We love to compete,” Mesaros said of this group, which defended its district title in style. “We live for it. And we stick together. We’re all so close and we work so well together.”

The win advances the Jaguars (13-0) to next week’s state semifinals, to take on the winner of Saturday’s contest between Parkland and St. Joe’s Prep.

A tremendous season came to a close for the Bucks (9-5), who had their deepest postseason run in 22 years.

“The thing that hurts the most is not being able to play with the same guys again,” said senior Eli Boehm, who had 72 yards rushing and an outstanding, 33-yard catch and run for a touchdown. “When we started out 1-3, we had doubts of even making the playoffs. And then we completely switched things around.”

Vinny Cherubini added 66 yards rushing for the Bucks and Ganz Cooper had 90 yards through the air.

Garnet Valley opened the scoring on its second possession of the contest.

With power back Jason Bernard (134 yards, two TD’s) off to a great start, the Jags caught the West defense off balance, as Mesaros threw to a wide open Drew Van Horn for a 26-yard touchdown and 7-0 Garnet Valley lead.

“We finally came back to it,” Mesaros said of the play, which the Jags had been crafting for a couple weeks. “It was a great look – Drew Van Horn was wide open. All I had to do was get him the ball and he did the rest.”

CB West looked to be on its way to a tying score late in the second quarter, but two costly penalties pushed the Bucks back to the Garnet Valley 30, and on 4th-and-Goal, the pass fell incomplete to end the drive. The Bucks were penalized 11 times for 99 yards in the contest.

Garnet Valley then marched 70 yards to enhance its lead to 14-0 at the break, with Joseph Checchio pushing in from the one. The Jags would have 303 yards rushing and 69 through the air.

“The line – they work so hard and spent so much time watching film,” Mesaros said. “And the backs, the receivers – everyone works so well together.”

The Bucks’ opening series of the third quarter was capped off by Boehm’s 33-yard TD reception from Cooper. Boehm made a nice snag and battled his way into the end zone for the score that cut the margin to 14-7.

Said Boehm: “At a point, I knew I was having my last runs of the game, and I just wanted to have fun while it lasted.”

The No. 11 Bucks had seized momentum, and regained possession late in the third with a chance to tie it.

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Garnet Valley quarterback Matt Mesaros picks up a first down in a game against Ridley earlier this season. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)

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UPPER DARBY — One thing that bothered Upper Darby senior Namir Jeffries was not knowing who he could talk to for advice.

Jeffries was a sophomore when he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Symptoms include fatigue, stomach pain, malnutrition and weight loss. He will have to manage the symptoms for the rest of his life as there is currently no cure.

“When I was a sophomore, I knew something was wrong. That’s when I had all the tests done and was diagnosed,” Jeffries said. “It’s chronic. Every four to six months I take Remicad (via an IV infusion). It depends how my levels are. It’s just something I have to deal with.”

Jeffries didn’t have to look far to find someone sympathetic to his condition. Upper Darby offensive coordinator Ryan Dabney has lived with Crohn’s for most of his adult life.

“He has helped me a lot and he tells me what medications I should consider taking. He knows a lot about it,” Jeffries said. “I feel like we are connected a little bit more because of it. Before my diagnosis I never knew anybody with it until I talked to Coach Dabney one day. He said that he has it and I was like, ‘Oh, snap, you too?’ It’s like we are paired together.”

Dabney, a standout running back at Haverford High in the early 2000s, has undergone several surgeries. He was in so much pain he spent time in the ICU. He has attended support groups for Crohn’s and knows the importance of having someone to talk to when there’s nobody else in your life who can possibly understand the day-to-day struggles.

“I try to tell him good things to eat, things that have helped me. I tell him that every day is a battle, every day is different,” Dabney said. “You’re going to be tired, but you’ve just got to push through it. The pain is something you have to deal with. Luckily for me I take medical marijuana because I’m an adult. That has let me sleep and walk around pain free. Once you get the medicine, that really helps, but the medicines only work for so long. It relaxes your intestines and you feel that right away.

“It’s embarrassing to talk about,” Dabney added. “I couldn’t imagine having this in high school. I didn’t get diagnosed until about three years after high school, so I can’t imagine what it is like to be his age and going through it.”

Jeffries is a two-way lineman and track and field athlete. When he was a sophomore, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the symptoms became so unbearable that he could not compete in outdoor track.

“I’ve had really bad complications with it. In the spring track season my sophomore year, I couldn’t run. It was too painful,” he said. “It was bothering me during football season my sophomore year, but I didn’t know what it was. I was going to school, but it was virtual. It wasn’t until I started going into school again that it got real bad. I didn’t do winter track that year and spring track I couldn’t physically do it because of my complications. I went to one track meet and that was it for the spring season.”

Jeffries has maintained excellent grades throughout high school. He loves chemistry. For a long time he wanted to be a veterinarian, but these days he has his eyes on athletic training.

“I’m just a big science guy,” he said.

Jeffries knows that his athletic career could have gone in a different direction if not for his disease, but he’s never been one to complain.

“It feels like I have missed a lot, like I’ve been catching up,” he said. “There was the (COVID) year when I was a sophomore. I was able to play football last year. By that time I knew what I was dealing with. I started (junior year) in football and had a good year. I had a good track season last year (in the) 4×400 relay. I believe we were 0.3 seconds away from going to states. And football this year has been great.”

Jeffries hasn’t made it through his senior season unscathed. In September he called Upper Darby head coach Dave Barr to tell him he couldn’t attend practice because he had to undergo emergency surgery. Jeffries missed the Royals’ fourth and fifth games. Incredibly, he was back on the field in time for their sixth.

“It is what it is,” Jeffries said with a smile. “You just have to learn to fight through it. That’s what I have learned to do.”

Jeffries is without question a key part to the team, someone who can fill a void on a depleted offensive line unit while also playing full time at defensive end. Barr appreciates Jeffries’ talent and determination, and most of all, admires the well-rounded person he has become. He is a beacon of positivity and strength and a role model for everyone on the team, regardless of class.

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Upper Darby senior Namir Jeffries takes a minute from football practice Monday to speak about overcoming Crohn’s Disease. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group

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For a while Wednesday night, it appeared that Chris Gicking would have to wait until next season to become the winningest football coach in Marple Newtown history.

The Tigers’ defense had trouble stopping Penncrest’s veer offense while the MN offense was slow to get on track, and the Tigers found themselves in a 21-point hole early in the second quarter.

Then the defense stiffened, the offense came to life and Marple Newtown rallied for a 32-28 victory to give Gicking his 66th career victory. It breaks the mark he had shared with Ray Gionta, who went 65-55 from 2003-2013.

Gicking is 66-37 in nine seasons as the head coach. The win over the Lions was the third in their young Thanksgiving series.

It wasn’t easy. Quarterback Sean O’Donnell had the Penncrest offense humming as he ran for two scores, threw for one and directed four touchdown drives to help the Lions (1-10) build a 28-7 lead early in the second quarter.

O’Donnell scored on runs of 1 and 7 yards. He found Kolby Poole for a 45-yard score to put the Lions up 21-7 heading into the second quarter. Nico Tozzi raced 36 yards less than three minutes into the period to up the advantage to 28-7.

That’s when the Marple Newtown defense buckled down.

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RIDLEY TWP. — Owen Bosak’s final football game as a Ridley Green Raider was one he’ll remember for a very long time.

Bosak scored two touchdowns and eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing for the season to lead Ridley to a 47-7 victory over Interboro on Thanksgiving.

The 5-11, 180-pound running back/defensive back was one of several seniors who went out with a bang Thursday. Bosak’s TDs came on passes from sophomore quarterback Ryan Carroll, including a 34-yard connection that opened the scoring in the first quarter. In the third quarter, with the game tied 7-7, Carroll rolled out to his left and found Bosak in the flat for a six-yard score.

“With all the work that I’ve put in here the last four years,” Bosak said, “it feels good to know that I did something positive for the team and the community.”

Paul Jackson is another of those big-time senior weapons, the Green Raiders’ Swiss army knife. Jackson lined up out of the wildcat formation and scored from three yards out during Ridley’s 27-point explosion in the fourth quarter. He finished with 31 yards rushing and made three catches for 30 yards.

Stephen O’Donovan racked up 90 yards receiving on five receptions and played outstanding defense in the secondary.

“When everyone comes out for this game, the energy is insane,” O’Donovan said. “It’s like a playoff game and it means a lot for us and the community.”

Ridley and Interboro has been a lopsided rivalry. Thursday’s win gave the Green Raiders a 40-13 record all time on Thanksgiving against the Bucs. Since 2007, the Green Raiders have won 10 of 13 battles.

“All around the community you heard people talking about this game,” O’Donovan said. “We knew we couldn’t lose no matter what.”

Ridley had three weeks off to prepare. Interboro had five days. The Bucs played two more PIAA playoff games than the Green Raiders. After winning the District 1 Class 4A title two weeks ago, the Bucs lost to Bonner & Prendergast in the first round of the state tourney last Saturday at Ridley. It was evident that Interboro had run out of juice in the second half Thursday. Ridley took advantage.

Ridley’s game plan was to stop senior Abu Kamara, who began the day with 2,802 yards rushing, a single-season Delco record. Kamara was bottled up to only 31 yards on 14 carries. He suffered a game-ending injury in the third quarter.

“We had to stack the box and have our linebackers play downhill,” Jackson said. “Every snap of the game we had to play downhill and win at the line of scrimmage.”

Ridley’s defense limited Interboro to less than 100 yards on the ground and forced five fumbles and an interception. Following the injury to Kamara, the Bucs leaned on senior fullback Theo Demopoulos, who had 77 yards on 14 carries.

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Ridley’s Owen Bosak hauls in a touchdown pass in the first half. The Green Raiders broke the game open in the second half in route to a 47-7 victory on Thanksgiving. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)

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HAVERFORD — Quarterback Tommy Wright and offensive lineman Tommy Touhill snuck away from coach Luke Dougherty’s postgame speech following Haverford’s 20-14 victory over Upper Darby Thursday at A.G. Cornog Field.

Wright and Touhill weren’t being disrespectful. They were on a mission.

As soon as Dougherty finished speaking, the two seniors reappeared to douse the Haverford coach with a Gatorade bath.

“That’s a tradition here,” Wright said.

Wright didn’t want to break from that time-honored, postgame ritual, especially following the 100th Thanksgiving Day meeting between the Fords and the Royals, a game steeped in tradition.

“This is one of the best feelings ever,” Wright said. “Last year, unfortunately, we got skunked out of a win in this game so we really wanted it this year. We wanted to prove ourselves.”

That was evident early as the Fords (6-5, 4-4 Central League) jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead and then had to hold on for dear life to avenge a 28-21 loss to the Royals (4-7, 3-5) last season. Wright and the defense had a lot to do with that.

Wright completed 7 of 15 passes for 197 yards and two TDs, a 65-yarder to Ethan Mahan and a 50-yarder to Tyler Rogers. Mahan caught three passes for 105 yards. He set the Haverford single-season (12) and career (22) records for receiving touchdowns. Wright also ran 13 times for 57 yards and a score. Wright was named the game’s offensive MVP.

Meanwhile, the Haverford defense held the Royals to 32 total yards in the first half and 14 for the game. The Fords had 10 tackles for loss, three by defensive end Chris Cassidy, and held Upper Darby to minus-3 yards rushing for the game.

“It was hard moving the ball against them,” said UD’s Montez Ellis, who managed 85 all-purpose yards in the first half. “We were hurting ourselves, beating ourselves, shooting ourselves in the foot and they took advantage of every opportunity that we gave them.”

The Fords may have been in the lead, but they weren’t resting on that advantage.

“We knew they were going to give us a fight, especially in the Turkey Bowl,” Wright said. “We knew that the game wasn’t close to over. That’s what we stressed.”

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Haverford quarterback Tommy Wright, right, smiles as Collin Cassidy kisses the Turkey Bowl Trophy after the Fords held on to a 20-14 over Upper Darby Thursday. (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group)

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CONCORD — For the Garnet Valley defense, it was an inauspicious start to the District 1 Class 6A semifinal Friday night at Moe DeFrank Stadium.

Senior running back Bo Horvath and Downingtown East’s hurry-up offense gave the Jaguars fits in the opening minutes. Horvath ran the ball five times for 60 yards and scored the game’s first touchdown, two minutes into regulation.

The Jags responded with a quick-strike drive when Jason Bernard rambled 47 yards to the end zone. Horvath found paydirt again on East’s second possession, and quarterback Matt Mesaros sprinted 15 yards to draw the Jaguars back even. There were four touchdowns scored in the first 12 minutes of regulation. The Garnet Valley defense knew it couldn’t sustain that pace. It needed to find a way to slow down the Cougars and did just that, keeping Horvath and Co. out of the end zone the rest of the way.

Mesaros threw TD passes to Ronnie Leraris and Jake McDowell in the fourth quarter as No. 1 Garnet Valley defeated 12th-seeded Downingtown East, 28-17. The Jags (12-0) look to claim their second consecutive District 1 Class 6A title next week when they host 11th-seeded Central Bucks West, which upset No. 2 Perkiomen Valley, 14-13, in the other semifinal.

After rushing for 107 yards on 16 carries in the first half, Horvath, who accumulated 530 yards and eight touchdowns in the first two rounds of the tournament, was held to 20 yards on six totes in the final two periods.

The Jags stopped over-pursuing on Horvath, who had the tendency to pinball his way through congestion at the line of scrimmage for big gainers. One standout on the GV defense was linebacker Joe Checchio.

“I give all the credit to Coach P (defensive coordinator Marc Panepinto), he called a great game, and also the defensive line. They were opening things up for our linebackers making it a whole lot easier for us to get back there and make plays on (Horvath),” Checchio said. “He’s a great player. He’s still going to get some yards on plays, but it’s all about just managing that and keeping it to a minimum.”

The Jags forced East to air the ball out. Quarterback Jamy Jenkins was 11 of 24 for 122 yards and seven of his final 10 passing attempts went for incompletions.

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Garnet Valley’s Jake McDowell pulls in a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Matt Mesaros. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

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UPPER DUBLIN – The first set of the PIAA Class 4A volleyball semifinal was over Tuesday, and for Garnet Valley High it would have to serve as a decision point.

That’s when Maddie Wood took command. As she had done all through what continues as a remarkable season, the senior setter and reigning Daily Times  All-Delco Player of the Year called her teammates together for perspective.

The message: Cherish the moment.

“I said, ‘This is how it supposed to be at this level,’” Wood said. “’It’s a dogfight and we have to fight harder.’”

Her point: Though Garnet Valley was down early to an unbeaten Parkland team that had lost just one set all season, there was still a full night of volleyball to embrace. With that nudge, the Jaguars won the next three sets and a trip to Cumberland Valley High for the state championship game Saturday evening at 6.

With Wood everyplace at neutral site Upper Dublin, the Jags improved to 24-1 with a 3-1 victory. After dropping that first set, 25-21, they swept the rest, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-20, dominating at the net and never allowing the top-seeded Trojans to sustain momentum.

Garnet Valley will face five-time defending state champion North Allegheny – a 3-1 victor over Pine-Richland Tuesday – in the state final.

Wood knows the Jags will be ready.

“I know this team is hungry and they’re excited,” Wood said. “We didn’t come this far to only go this far. We’re not done yet.”

That refusal to settle was clear against Parkland, which won five of the final six points to take that 1-0 lead. But after Wood’s calming talk, the Jags jumped to a 4-0 lead in the second set to establish the tone for the rest of the evening.

“That happens every game,” said Jags coach Mark Clark. “I go and write my lineup and then I come in and I huddle with the girls. But she huddles with them first. I don’t even know what she said, but whatever it was, it worked.”

With that pep talk came the responsibility to set an on-court example. That, Wood did by finishing the night with 48 assists, plenty of the big-moment variety.

“She played great,” Clark said. “She betters the ball every time. Her setting is unbelievable. Top tier.”

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Garnet Valley’s volleyball team isn’t accustomed to being the underdog. The Jaguars have only been in that situation twice before this season, in both of their matches with Unionville.

The Jaguars (24-1) split those meetings, falling 3-2 in the regular season and beating the Longhorns by the same score in the District 1 Class 4A volleyball final two weeks ago. They will be the underdog again when they take on undefeated District 11 champ Parkland (25-0) in the PIAA Class 4A semifinals Tuesday (7 p.m.) at Upper Dublin High School.

That’s just fine with Garnet Valley coach Mark Clark, whose team is making its fourth trip to the state semifinals in the last seven seasons and first since 2018. It’s also the Jaguars’ first meeting with Parkland since beating the Trojans, 3-2, for the Class 4A title in 2016.

“In order to be the best you have to beat the best,” Clark said.

The Trojans are ranked No. 1 in the state by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association and for good reason. Parkland has lost just one set and that came in a 3-1 victory over Bethlehem Catholic back on Oct. 18. Parkland’s only loss last season was to North Allegheny in the state final.

“They’re solid,” Clark said. “They have very good outside hitters. They’ll move the ball around and hit from outside and the middles, so they’re not afraid to swing, but their main hitters are on the outside.”

Clark was referring to senior Ava Adamson and junior Allie Reimer, who have 341 and 242 kills, respectively, according to Maxpreps.com. Senior middle hitter Elena Pursell is tough, too, with 305 kills. Junior setter Maggie Smith sets the attack in motion with 1,025 assists.

Garnet Valley is also on a roll. The Jaguars, ranked third by the PVCA, have won 19 in a row since that loss to Unionville on Sept. 9. The only two sets they dropped in that span were to the Longhorns in the district final.

“We’re playing well,” Clark said. “If we play our game, I think we can beat anybody. There’s no doubt in my mind about that, but this is going to be our biggest challenge. Unionville was formidable and you saw what happened to them. They lost in five to Pine-Richland, which won District 7 and District 7 is no slouch. I think it’s going to be a good match. It’ll be tough, but I think we’re ready for it.”

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The Lower Merion High School girls’ volleyball team achieved their best-ever finish in the PIAA postseason this fall, finishing third in the District 1 4A tournament and advancing to the PIAA 4A state quarterfinals. One big reason for the Aces’ high level of success was 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter Claire Hamilton.

The Lower Merion senior captain featured a strong all-around game for the Aces (21-5), with 374 kills, 231 digs and a school-record 89 aces. Hamilton, who recently was named to the first team All-Central League squad for the second year in a row, was a first team All-District 1 4A pick and an all-state selection last year.

Fun facts – Claire Hamilton

Favorite book: Everyday by David Levithan.

Favorite author: Colleen Hoover.

Favorite TV show: New Girl.

Favorite movie: The Visit.

Favorite athlete: Jennie Finch.

Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Icy Girl.

Favorite team: Phillies.

Favorite place to visit: Jupiter, Fla.

Favorite pre-game meal: Harvest Bowl from Sweetgreen.

Person I most admire, and why: “My grandma because she has watched every one of my games live on YouTube this season.”

Family members: parents Hugh and Krista, sisters Marie and Anne.

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In building their 31-game winning streak against District 1 opponents, the Garnet Valley Jaguars followed a formula that’s almost as easy to explain as it is difficult to overcome.

The Jaguars run the ball downhill – dives, sweeps, keepers, mixed in with just enough play-action passes to keep a defense honest … and confused.

Eventually, opponents go where Garnet Valley wants them to go. They get out of their lanes; they lose track of assignments. Physical exhaustion meets mental fatigue, and the Jaguars win by football’s version of a TKO.

It’s an effective approach. After all, Garnet’s District 1 winning streak now stands at 32 games after Friday night’s 30-27 overtime win over No. 8 seed Spring-Ford.

But the victory came with a question 12-0 Garnet Valley had to answer for the first time this year: what do you do when your opponent just won’t go away?

In an area more than familiar with heroic underdog performances in sports – both real and cinematic – Spring-Ford’s unwavering resolve against the class of District 1 nearly resulted in a seismic victory at Moe DeFrank Stadium, leaving fans of the hosts with an unfamiliar reaction – relief.

And while the ending was more Rocky or Friday Night Lights than it was Miracle, Spring-Ford provided a blueprint for underdogs everywhere by simply refusing to believe that they were, in fact, expected to lose this game.

The Rams trailed by double digits midway through the second quarter yet were undeterred and managed to battle back to a 10-all tie by the eight-minute mark of the third period. That was when the fun really began.

Garnet Valley would break their 20-minute scoreless streak – an eternity for their offense – with a short touchdown run in the first minute of the fourth period. The score came at the end of a 16-play, 84-yard drive, the type of possession that typically heralds Garnet Valley assuming permanent control over yet another conquered opponent.

But Gage Swanger wasn’t being toppled. The Spring-Ford senior kept hope alive with a thunderbolt of a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to re-establish the tie game.

That was when something changed for the hosts. A murmur through the crowd, an exchange of glances on the sideline. Spring-Ford wasn’t going away, Garnet Valley would have to put them away. The Rams had designs on more than just ‘hanging around.’

Surely, however, this marked the beginning of the end. The Rams’ defense had been on the field for almost an entire quarter, Swanger’s kick return their only brief respite. Fittingly, the Jaguars charged down the field on a 58-yard drive that took only two minutes to re-establish the lead.

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Garnet Valley’s (36) Jason Bernard carries the ball in the first half against Spring Ford in the quarter-finals of State 6A playoffs Friday night. The Jags went on to win by a score of 30-27. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)

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