Football Friday Games to Watch: Unbeatens Haverford, Garnet Valley collide
Cardinal O’Hara, Episcopal Academy and The Haverford School all won their season openers last week.
Two Central League contests came down to the wire. Springfield rallied in the final seconds to defeat Upper Darby, while Radnor went into Marple Newtown and won a double-overtime thriller.
What does Week 3 have in store? Here’s a look at five games to watch:
Friday
Garnet Valley (2-0) at Haverford (2-0), 7 p.m.
The Jaguars and Fords are the game of the week in Delco.
Garnet put on a rushing clinic in its 53-21 shellacking of Ridley last week. Coach Mike Ricci’s option-based offense accrued 527 yards on 55 carries, with running back Colin Robinson (115 yards, two TDs) and quarterback Cole Palis (145 yards, two TDs) leading the way. Kyle McCullough dominated on the offensive line. Nick Westburg and Brandon DiCamillo were excellent in the defensive secondary.
It was the Jake Ruane show in the Fords’ 44-15 rout of Conestoga. The senior quarterback threw for 217 yards and three TDs (all to wide receiver Kevin DePrince) and ran the ball 14 times for 146 yards and three scores. Sean Leyden (lineman) and Eric McCallion (linebacker) shined on defense.
Garnet Valley and Haverford are ranked first and third, respectively, in this week’s Daily Times Super 7.
Springfield (2-0) at Ridley (0-2), 7 p.m.
The Cougars outdueled Upper Darby last week, 19-16. Thank goodness for senior Geo Dotsicas, who scored all three touchdowns, including the game-winning in the final minute of the game. Dotsicas, along with All-Delco Pat Clemens, was stellar at the linebacker position as well.
The Green Raiders find themselves in uncharted territory as they begin a season with losses in two straight. No Ridley team this century has started 0-3. One bright spot has been Elijah Yakpasuo, who has been excellent in all facets of the game. Yakpasuo had a 90-yard kick return for a touchdown and ran for a team-high 93 yards on eight carries in last week’s loss at Garnet Valley.
Strath Haven (1-1) at Penncrest (1-1), 7 p.m.
The Panthers and Lions battle in the Media Bowl. Last Friday, Strath Haven leaned on its ground assault (260 yards, 57 carries) and overcame a sluggish start to beat a stubborn Lower Merion squad, 22-18. Zack Hussein ran for 165 yards and two scores, while the Panthers defense held the Aces to three rushing yards.
The Lions posted a 14-0 win over Harriton. Senior quarterback Nick Benecke was 12-for-19 through the air for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Jay Brown led the receiving corps with six catches for 79 yards and a score. Dave Cage and Kyle Speese played shutdown defense in the secondary as Penncrest held Harriton to 67 yards of total offense.
Academy Park (2-0) at Great Valley (1-1), 7 p.m.
The Knights have been Delco’s road warriors, as they play a third straight game away from home. Last week they jumped out to a three-touchdown lead at Unionville and held on despite a comeback attempt by the host Indians.
AP’s stingy defense limited Unionville to 39 yards on the ground. Quarterback Skylor Fillis ran for 75 yards and two TDs for the Knights.
The Patriots suffered a 20-14 loss on the road to Chester last Saturday as their offense committed four turnovers. Shifty tailback Amani Christopher ran for 146 yards and a touchdown.
Cardinal O’Hara (1-0) at Sun Valley (2-0), 7 p.m.
Better late than never for the Vanguards, who postponed the unveiling of their new turf field last week. They instead traveled to Upper Moreland and rolled to a 35-0 victory. All-Delco athlete Julz Kelly picked up three touchdowns, upping his county-leading total to nine. Senior quarterback Anthony Ellis leads the county in passing efficiency rating (251.65) and completion percentage (82.6) after two games.
The Lions kicked off their season last Saturday with a 14-6 win over visiting Hudson Catholic (N.J.). Max Much made a spectacular leaping interception in the end zone, one of four takeaways for the O’Hara defense. Senior quarterback Luke Sprague was impressive, going 16-for-22 with 118 yards and a touchdown.
