After shutting down McDonogh, Malvern Prep faces another tough test in Berks Catholic
Malvern >> Seven days after holding nationally-ranked McDonogh School to just two first downs in a 19-3 win in Maryland, Malvern Prep faces another football heavyweight.
Friday evening, the 3-0 Friars will host Berks Catholic, ranked 18th in Pennsylvania by MaxPreps.com, at Quigley Field. Berks Catholic has captured four District 3 titles in the last five years, has posted a 66-8 regular season record (3-1 this year), and defeated McDonogh School 14-13 two weeks ago.
While Malvern Prep has outscored its opponents 103-43 so far this season, the Saints feature a fast defense rated as one of the best in Berks County.
At the heart of the Saints’ defense is senior all-state linebacker Brandon George, a 6-4, 240-pound Pitt recruit. Last year, he had 66 tackles and four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
“Brandon George is a heck of a player – very physical,” said Malvern Prep head coach Dave Gueriera. “I think Berks Catholic is really fast defensively, they swarm to the ball. They’re good, smart, heady players. And they have good size on the defensive line.”
One sizable force on the Saints’ defensive line is senior defensive end Luke Painton (6-7, 245).
“They do a good job capitalizing on opponents’ mistakes, particularly turnovers,” said Gueriera. “They’re well coached [by veteran coach Rick Keeley] and they’ll definitely be a very tough challenge for us Friday night.”
Malvern senior Jake Hornibrook, a Stanford commit who anchors the Friars’ potent offensive line, said, “We’ll need to establish the run, but on pass protection, it looks like [Berks Catholic] sends a lot of blitzes, so we’ve got to be ready to ready for that [also].”
Malvern senior TyGee Leach, a Lehigh commit whose 75-yard touchdown on a pass play helped ice the Friars’ 19-3 win against McDonogh, said, “We have to be physical [on offense], deliver the hit instead of receiving it, make sure we keep attacking.”
Offensively, Berks Catholic grinds out yardage with its Wing-T offense. George is a strong ballcarrier who averaged 7.3 yards per carry last season, and junior Abdul MacFoy (5-7, 165), who returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown against Boyertown last Friday, has excellent speed.
“They have that 1-2 punch of ‘thunder and lightning,’” said Gueriera. “Brandon George pounds it on the inside, and then Abdul MacFoy hits them on the outside.”
Hornibrook said, “They’re a downhill running team. They’re definitely going to be physical Friday, so we’ve got to be ready for that.”
While Berks Catholic scored 64 points last Friday against Boyertown, three of those touchdowns were by special teams – a 90-yard kickoff return by MacFoy, a 65-yard punt return by Anthony Myers and a blocked punt and recovery in the end zone by Jaden Vazquez.
“It will be a defensive challenge,” said Leach, a first team Daily Local News All-Area defensive back last year. “With the type of [Wing-T] offense they run, they grind you out the entire game.”
Malvern’s defense rose to the challenge last Friday against McDonogh, and Leach mentioned that his most vivid memory of the 19-3 win was a hard-hitting defensive play.
“On third down, [McDonogh] threw a slant, and I came up and made a hit,” said Leach. “That helped to give us the energy, the spark that we needed to realize that this is our game, and we took control. We stopped their speed, read our keys and stayed disciplined.”
Malvern has featured many offensive weapons this season, including senior quarterback Drew Gunther, who has thrown for more than 700 yards and six touchdowns; senior wide receiver Ryan Iacone, who has caught 15 passes for 228 yards; and senior running back Nick Gueriera, who totalled more than 200 yards rushing in the first two games.
Interestingly, a player mainly known for his defensive prowess currently leads Malvern Prep in scoring – senior middle linebacker/ running back Keith Maguire, a Clemson commit who was the Inter-Ac MVP last year. Maguire has scored 26 points, which includes two interception returns for touchdowns as well as one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown (and a two-point conversion). Coach Gueriera calls Maguire, “the best two-way player in the state.”
With 23 seniors on the Friars’ roster, many of them Division I recruits, the 2018 campaign is shaping up as a special season for the undefeated-to-date Malvern Prep squad. But the Friars, who face Peddie School (Sept. 28) and Avon Grove (Oct. 5) before beginning their five-game Inter-Ac schedule, aren’t looking beyond Friday’s contest.
“We want to take it one game at a time, go 1-0 every week, that’s how we’re taking it,” said Gueriera. “We have tunnel vision, just thinking about Berks Catholic and thinking about going 1-0 this week.”
Hornibrook said, “We’re just taking it week by week – Coach G has been preaching the whole season that we’ve got unfinished business, so we’re just taking it week by week, looking for a win Friday night.”
