ASTON — As the official opening of football training camp at Sun Valley drew near, head coach Ernie Ellis, his assistant coaches and the players focused on one word: “Next.”
The Vanguards want to be better the next day than they were the day before as they prepare for their next opponent, which for opening night on Aug. 25 will be the visiting Penncrest Lions.
There are those times when any member of the Sun Valley football program is allowed to – briefly – think about the annual Thanksgiving Day matchup with Chichester.
Senior running back Noah Griffin (6-0, 165 pounds) and senior linebacker Ryan Cregan (6-0, 210) have pleasant memories of a 26-7 win over Chi in the 2022 Turkey Bowl.
Griffin, who had a pair of interceptions in a 21-0 loss at Chichester in 2021, gained 118 yards on 18 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns. Cregan’s heavy hitting caused a pair of Eagles fumbles during the game. Sun Valley finished the season with a 6-6 record, which included a PIAA District 1 Class 5A playoff loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Before this year’s Turkey Bowl game (Nov. 23), Griffin knows what he hopes his team will be doing earlier that month.
“We want to have a home playoff game,” Griffin said. “We want to be an improved team, and we want to go the playoffs again and be successful (in the postseason) this year.”
After the 2022 Thanksgiving Day game, Cregan said “now we can start thinking about doing what we need to do to be an even better football team next year.”
That has included “a lot of hard work,” Cregan said. “When you’re a senior, everything about your season means so much. This is all you have been working for for three years. You put all that time in, and you want to get something out of all that work.”
Ellis knows the challenges that await his team in the Ches-Mont League’s American Division, which includes West Chester Rustin, West Chester East, West Chester Henderson, Unionville, Kennett and Oxford.
“I think we’ll have a pretty dynamic offense,” Ellis said. “We have a sophomore at quarterback (RJ Scharrer, 5-11, 170). And we’re counting on our strong group of seniors to help him out.”
Among the senior offensive linemen are Matt Howard (6-2, 230) and Sean Curley (5-10, 220). Junior tight end Aiden Cook (6-1, 195) and sophomore JP Griswold (5-8, 220) also have varsity experience on the offensive line.
Juniors Josh Panonis (a 6-3, 168 pound wide receiver) and running back Jack Penzone (5-7, 160) also should contribute on offense.
Defensive experience will be provided by junior end Elijah Jones (6-2, 178), linebackers Braden Kmett (5-11, 175, senior), Rocco Radico (5-9, 158, junior) and Ryder Strickland (5-10, 180, sophomore).
Senior Matt Jackson (6-2, 165) will be back at free safety, and freshman Jhamil Smith (6-0, 160) has impressed with his play at defensive back.
“One of the keys will be keeping everyone as healthy as possible,” Ellis said. “As we’ve been getting ready for the season, we’ve all talked about the long-range goal, and that would be a playoff game.”
He paused and then looked toward his team’s home stadium, Dr. Wally Field.
“We really want to have a home playoff game right there this year,” he added.
