Seeds don’t matter for Garnet Valley, Springfield in playoffs

Seeds are just numbers, most coaches will tell their players come playoff time. Such a mantra has become truth in some places, however, nowhere truer than Garnet Valley.

There was no shock Tuesday night when Garnet Valley, as a 14 seed, booked its third straight states berth with a 63-49 win over No. 3 Spring-Ford. Just as there may not have been much surprise for 24th-seeded Springfield when it pulled its second straight upset, downing No. 8 Bensalem, 47-42.

Those upsets make three Delaware County boys teams headed to states in Class 6A, with fourth-seeded Chester taking the more conventional favorite’s path, booking its place via a 59-54 win over reigning district champ Plymouth Whitemarsh. That two of the trio defied the pre-tourney seeding process shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, given the volatility of District 1 hoops.

“The seed only means something to everybody outside of Garnet Valley,” Jaguars guard Jack Krautzel said after scoring 20 points against Spring-Ford. “We know how good we are, so we don’t care about the seed. It just shows how well-coached we are every single year, because I don’t know how many teams can say they’ve made it to the district quarterfinals four years in a row.”

In a bit of kismet coincidence, Springfield is following the path last blazed by Garnet Valley.

The Jaguars (17-8) entered the 2022 tournament as the No. 24 seed. They promptly upended the No. 9 seed, Upper Dublin, by a 48-46 margin, then downed No. 8 Spring-Ford, 53-50, to get to states.

Springfield (13-11) has ridden a similar road to get back to states for the first time since 2018. Kevin McCormick’s team endured the heartbreak of missing districts by miniscule margins each of the last two years. They’re living proof of the importance of just getting in.

Colin Treude scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half to lead a 58-42 win over No. 9 Abington in the first round. TJ Valletti, normally a defense-first role player, stepped up with 14 points.

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Garnet Valley's Jack Krautzel takes a shot in a recent game. (Pete Bannan - MediaNews Group)