Delco Football Friday: Never too early to look at power rankings

Is it too early to start looking at the District 1 power rankings? For most teams, yes, since the district’s system makes it exceedingly difficult to miss the postseason, as long as (in Class 5A especially) you finish within a stone’s throw of .500.

However, the only Delco team residing among the top eight in Class 6A after three weeks is, perhaps surprisingly, Chester. Both Upper Darby in 18th and Haverford in 26th are outside the 16-team field. The Fords, in particular, face a can’t-lose game against Interboro, as far as the rankings are concerned.

In 5A, a win for Penncrest over Lower Merion could put them above the line for the time being, with 16 of the 25 programs in 5A making the postseason. It’s a low bar.

Now for the games to watch this weekend:

Friday

Academy Park at Simon Gratz, 6:30

Both teams beat Trumans last week. Academy Park (3-0) used a Brian Daniels kick return in the fourth quarter to rally past PA’s Harry S. Truman, 17-14, while Gratz (2-1) romped over Truman of the Bronx, 42-0, its second shutout.

AP’s bread and butter is defense, which translates for Gratz, too, behind defensive backs Tawfiq Smalley and Amir Savage. Expect a tight contest.

Episcopal Academy at Northeast, 6:30

A 49-6 waxing of Brooklyn Tech wasn’t the most taxing outing for EA (2-0) last week. But it allowed them to stretch their offensive legs. Maurcus McDaniel is orchestrating the attack as you’d expect from a veteran, and with Billy Adams and Malcolm Folk getting in on the act, the Churchmen are off to a strong start.

Northeast (3-0) has enough wins against Delco opposition to crack the Super 7. It blanked Haverford School two weeks ago by causing nine turnovers, then induced Penn Wood to cough it up four times in a 32-0 win last week. The Vikings can score on both sides of the ball, the defense accounting for four TDs the last two weeks, Zaire McLaurin getting one each game. Shoes Brinkley is the guy EA must contain.

Springfield at Garnet Valley, 7

This isn’t the Springfield-GV matchup we’ve grown accustomed to, a rivalry featuring teams that have won at least a piece of six of the last eight Central League titles. The Cougars (1-2) were three minutes from entering winless, until a late comeback and Brett Barber’s clutch field goal at the gun led to a 10-7 win over Radnor. With quarterback Kevin Rechner hurt and Matt Ellison filling in ably, the Cougars face a question of who will be under center in an offense that has produced 24 points in three weeks.

The Jags (2-1) come off a short week, albeit from a 58-12 romp over Lower Merion last Saturday.

Penn Wood at Upper Darby, 7

The Patriots were humbled last week by Northeast, 32-0, Desman Johnson held to five completions and 66 yards in rainy conditions. That comes after the Patriots (2-1) scored 80 points in their first two games.

Upper Darby (2-1) has allowed seven points to Conestoga and Harriton the last two weeks, including a 38-0 blanking of the Rams. Last week’s offensive plan of Kareem Adams (240 yards, three touchdowns) setting up the passing of Kevin Kerwood (118 yards and two TDs on just seven pass attempts) is the blueprint.

Saturday

Chester vs. Bartram at South Philly Super Site, 1

The Clippers (3-0) are the story of the young season. They’ve outscored opponents 114-0, which correlates strongly to winning. Across Pennsylvania, per MaxPreps data, Chester is one of three schools with 0 points allowed: Southern Columbia Area has outscored opponents 160-0; Laurel is at 120-0. (Boys’ Latin Charter in Philadelphia hasn’t allowed a point in two games, and only six teams, including Neumann-Goretti, are in single-digits over three games.) So yeah, the Chester defense has been great.

There’s a strong chance the shutout streak ends this week against a solid Bartram side. The Braves (2-1) haven’t allowed a point in the last two weeks after an opening loss to Bishop Shanahan, blanking Overbrook and George Washington in succession. The game also begins Chester’s stretch of four straight road games, culminating with an Oct. 4 trip to Penn Wood.