Radnor vs. Marple Newtown a battle of unbeatens

Football Friday comes one day early this week. Here are five games to watch from around the county in Week 4.

Thursday
Radnor (3-0) at Marple Newtown (3-0), 7 p.m.

It’s somewhat unexpected to see these two teams sitting undefeated after three weeks, but calling it shocking would be offensive. Though still early, the Raiders and Tigers are showing they are not the same teams that combined to go 8-13 last fall.

Tom Ryan’s greatest win in his nine seasons as Radnor head coach occurred last week when the Raiders defeated Springfield, 27-26. Josh Simpson hauled in the game-winning touchdown pass from Pat McDermott with 1 minute, 14 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

The victory marked Radnor’s first 3-0 start since the 2002 campaign.

Sophomore quarterbacks Bobby Siderio and Anthony Paoletti continue to share the duties manning the offense for the Tigers. Paoletti was 10-of-13 for 118 yards and two TDs in the Tigers’ 37-0 Week 3 shellacking of Harriton.

Don’t expect a similar lopsided outcome in this one.

“I have so much respect for Tom Ryan and the job that he does over there,” Marple Newtown coach Chris Gicking said. “I expect a very good football game. It has the chance to be something special.”

Interboro (2-1) at Penn Charter (2-1), 4 p.m.

The Bucs travel to the alma mater of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, searching for their third consecutive victory. In last week’s 26-6 success over Sussex Central (Del.), Chris Thomas rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns while Danny Mea passed for 124 yards and a touchdown. Mea was also a force on defense at linebacker.

The Quakers christened their new turf field with a 19-12 triumph over Bishop Shanahan of the Ches-Mont League. Junior quarterback Mike Hnatkowsky passed for 175 yards and two touchdowns. One of the Inter-Ac League’s top-flight signal callers, Hnatkowsky has already eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark in his career.

Friday
Ridley (2-1) at Upper Darby (2-1), 7 p.m.

The Green Raiders could never build on a hot start in last week’s 28-10 loss to Garnet Valley at Phil Marion Field. Allen Martin returned the opening kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown and Jamie Fisher kicked a field goal to extend Ridley’s first-quarter lead to 10-0, but the visiting Jaguars took control the rest of the way.

Garnet Valley scored 28 unanswered points while holding Ridley’s offense to just 18 yards in the second half. Speedy tailback Malik Young, who rushed for 159 yards and two TDs on opening night, has totaled just 108 yards on the ground over the last two weeks.

The Royals couldn’t get their offense flowing in a 28-0 defeat at State College High. Isaiah Bruce rushed for 93 yards on 24 carries, but the Royals turned the ball over twice and had no answer for the Little Lions’ running attack, which amassed 329 yards on 36 carries. Senior wide receiver Justin Durbin had three catches for 41 yards in the loss.

Lansdale Catholic (3-0) at Academy Park (3-0), 7 p.m.

Academy Park continued its tear through the nonleague portion of its schedule with a 32-0 rout of Bonner-Prendergast last week. Jawan Collins had four catches for 88 yards and two TDs. Jermaine Wesley is the top rusher in the county with 436 yards and six TDs.

The Crusaders have notched impressive blowout victories over Penn Charter, Springfield (Montco.) and Hatboro-Horsham. They are the second highest-scoring team in the Catholic League with 115 points. Leading the way is senior running back Ryan Quigley, who is the reigning Catholic League AA Player of the Year. Quigley has accounted for 10 touchdowns and 436 yards rushing.

Saturday
Bonner-Prendergast (0-3) at Chester (0-3), 10:30 a.m.

Something has to give.
The Friars and Clippers look to turn around what have been disappointing seasons, but someone is still going home 0-4.
B-P didn’t stand a chance to beat Academy Park last week, even though Joe Hartley-Vittoria grinded out 54 tough yards on the ground. Chester suffered an excruciating, 20-17 overtime loss to Father Judge at the Chester Athletic Complex. Nahmir Ishmail threw for 177 yards and Jaquan Flood had a career day with 130 yards receiving on eight catches.