Haverford’s Denman going out in style at Barrett Game
MARPLE — Paul Denman was on his way to Hero Bowl practice when he received a phone call that brought a gigantic smile to his face.
Denman was in the back seat of a car that included Haverford High teammates Erik McCallion and Steve Peta when Denman found out that he and Cardinal O’Hara’s Brett Craskey were named as the scholarship recipients for the 35th annual Joseph J. Barrett Memorial All-Star baseball game.
“It was incredible,” Denman said. “I was giddy the whole way down. It made practice that night a lot better.”
Denman and Craskey will be honored when festivities for Delaware County’s annual high school all-star game commence at 11:30 Saturday morning at Neumann University, followed by the game at noon. Denman is on the Central League roster while Craskey will suit up for the Del Val League, which also includes Archbishop Carroll, Cardinal O’Hara, Malvern Prep and Shipley School. Shipley was added to replace Glen Mills.
Denman and Craskey will receive $2,500 each toward their college educations.
“I’m so happy for him,” Haverford baseball coach Paul Bogosian said. “He deserves it. He’s a great kid.”
Cardinal O’Hara’s Rob Benedict will be feted as the county Coach of the Year. He guided the Lions to the District 12 Class 4A title and a berth in the PIAA tournament. Former Sun Valley great and New York Mets farmhand T.J. Chism will present the Cakey Dougherty Award to the top pitcher in the country. Chism was the Cakey Dougherty Award winner in 2006.
Tickets are $6. T-shirts, hats and raffle tickets will be on sale. All proceeds benefit the event and the scholarship fund.
Denman earned second-team All-Delco honors at defensive end as a senior after helping the Fords to a 9-3 record and a berth in the District 1 Class 6A football playoffs. In baseball, he batted .235 with a .409 on-base percentage as a catcher and served as a captain for both teams.
The Barrett Game will be his second all-star game in three days. He played for the West squad, which dropped a 22-12 decision to the East, in the Hero Bowl Thursday night at Cardinal O’Hara. The Barrett Game will be the culmination of his athletic career, as he will not be participating in varsity sports when he enrolls at Temple in the fall to study actuarial sciences.
“I’m going to do some intramurals in college, but as far as competitive sports, I think is it,” he said. “It stinks, but I’ll try to stay involved somehow. Football is a great game and baseball is a great game so I want to stay involved somehow.”
Denman may be a little tired when he arrives at Neumann. Haverford had its senior prom at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia followed by a post prom back at the school until 5 a.m.
“It’ll be rough, but it’s not the first early morning I’ve had,” Denman said.
Since its inception, the Barrett Game has awarded nearly $102, 000 in scholarship aid to worthy, academically deserving student-athletes from 25 schools. The Del Val League snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 5-3 win in 2017, the last time the game was played. The 2018 game was cancelled because of weather. The Central League has a 22-11 lead in the series.
