Malvern Prep football squad explodes for big win in season finale
MALVERN >> On Senior Night, the Malvern Prep football team’s final game of the 2022 season Thursday, the most visible 12th-grader was Yaahdir Nash, who ran for more than 200 yards and scored a trio of touchdowns in the Friars’ 41-14 win against Springside Chestnut Hill.
“Yaahdir has really had a strong second half of the season,” said Malvern Prep head coach Dave Gueriera. “He ran hard and hit the seams, and is really hard to bring down. He had a great effort and his offensive line did a great job. It just all came togther for him tonight.”
Nash picked up 237 yards on 28 carries, and passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season, for the Friars, who finished with an 8-2 record (3-2 in the Inter-Ac) and were ranked as one of the top high school football teams in the state.
“Our team has a lot of grit,” said Nash. “At the beginning of the season, no one really believed in us. A lot of people wondered if we could live up to last year’s team. But beating Imhotep (Charter) and Roman (Catholic), two of the best teams in the state, we made our statement about how tough we were.
“Winning this game tonight means everything to me. I’m going to carry (the memory of) this game with me for the rest of my life. Winning this last senior game, passing 1,000 yards, seeing a lot of the guys I’m going to war with get in the game ans show wat they can do is great.”
Malvern had a 13-0 halftime lead — getting field goals of 30 and 36 yards from Jack Ploszay — and exploded for four touchdowns in the second half, three of them scored by Nash.
“The first half was a little rough, but in the second half, our (offensive) line came out and did what they had to do,” said Nash. “I was proud of them, that second half was crazy.”
On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Malvern sophomore Andrew Pellicciotta scored on a run-pass option, choosing to run down the right side for a 57-yard touchdown to give the hosts a 20-0 lead. In the second quarter, Pellicciotta broke free for a 44-yard touchdown run down the left sideline on another run-pass option.
“Andrew is an athlete – you put the ball in his hands, he’s going to make something happen,” said Nash, who broke free for a 37-yard touchdown run up the middle near the end of the third quarter to give the hosts a 27-0 lead.
While Springside Chestnut Hill quarterback Tommy Markey was completing many short passes at midfield, the Friars’ defense kept tightening up when the visitors entered the red zone.
“That’s kind of been our defensive philosophy all season – bend but don’t break,” said Gueriera. “We got some turnovers tonight that really gave us a short field.”
The Friars intercepted three passes Thursday, and Gueriera mentioned several standout seniors on defense – inside linebacker Bobby Mears, outside linebacker Hayden Pegg, defensive end Colin McHugh.
In the fourth quarter, shortly after SCH scored a touchdown to make it 27-7, Nash found holes up the middle for 20 and 23 yards, the second for a touchdown to give the hosts a 34-7 lead.
Springside scored one more touchdown with 3:27 left in the game, but two plays later, Nash found an opening down the right sideline for a 50-yard gain, all the way to the Blue Devils’ 1. A couple of plays later, Nash notched his third touchdown of the night, and Malvern had a 41-14 lead.
Gueriera reflected on his successful senior class.
“This group of seniors won 20 out of 24 games (in three years),” said Gueriera. “They had a great run, and won an Inter-Ac title (in 2021). This year we had to replace 15 starters that we lost to graduation last spring, and we were nowhere near the top of the rakings at the beginning of this season. This year’s seniors leave behind a great legacy. The next guys coming up have big shoes to fill.”
NOTES: After Ploszay booted two field goals and two extra points, the Friars turned over the conversion chores to Drew Della Vecchia, who was 3-for-3.
“Drew’s a soccer player, and we wanted to give him a little love on Senior Night and he did a great job,” said Gueriera.
