Barr, Upper Darby finally get taste of victory

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LOWER MERION — Upper Darby senior Stephen Goetz wanted to win Saturday’s game for himself and his teammates, but most of all, he wanted it for his head coach.

Dave Barr, the first-year head coach of the Royals, has endured a tough week. His father was ill in the hospital for several days before returning home Saturday.

After three straight losses to start 2020, Barr remained in search of his first victory as the boss of the Royals. The Aces and Royals were two of three winless teams in the Central League, but the Royals are no longer part of the club.

Goetz’s sack of Lower Merion quarterback Jack Lledo on fourth down late in the fourth quarter sealed UD’s emotional 28-14 victory.

Barr thanked his players and expressed to them just how important the win was to him from a personal level.

“It all came down to that last defensive play and it felt really good to get the sack,” said Goetz, a starting linebacker. “With Coach Barr’s dad in the hospital, we were fired up today. We wanted to win the football game. I’m happy that he got his first win, finally. It feels really good.”

Defensive coordinator Brad Gilbert had senior captain Darryl Farmer present Barr with the game ball. Barr said he would give it to his pop.

“These kids have been through a lot this year and it’s great they are able to enjoy this win together,” Barr said. “You know, with the virus and having to do class online and having to walk to school for practice – and not having locker rooms – everything is so different. For them to have this outlet, I am so grateful for our school officials and administration that stuck with us … it’s like, let’s keep giving the kids this chance because they could easily decide not to.

“Every day we see it as a gift and they have the outlet, the coaches have the outlet and I have the outlet … and we all need it. … They deserve it and they work hard.”

This was a defensive game for the Royals, who forced turnovers. Goetz had two of his team’s four fumble recoveries. Pat Kerwood and Moleek Jones registered key sacks in the fourth quarter.

“This win feels good because it’s for Coach Barr,” said Farmer, who ran for a touchdown and had a sack in the first quarter. “Our mindset was, no matter who we play, let’s just get him one. Especially this week, it was tough for us. We played real good today. We’ve been up there but, like, the past couple games we’ve had too many mental mistakes.”

The defense’s performance allowed the Royals’ offense to work with a short field on multiple occasions. UD scored three touchdowns in the second half, including a pair of one-yard sneaks by sophomore quarterback Donte Shaw.

“It’s definitely a great feeling, especially with the pandemic going on and spending a lot of time at home,” Shaw said. “We really didn’t have an offseason to prepare and to build chemistry as a team, so we kind of just had to put it together as we went on throughout the season and that’s what we did today. With me being a sophomore, this means a lot and it’s great because I work hard for it. When you work hard for something and you accomplish it, it’s the greatest feeling ever.”

Sophomore Montez Ellis contributed 67 yards on 14 carries and scored the final touchdown with 1:42 to play. Show (43 yards) and Farmer (27 yards) also had solid days carrying the rock.

The Aces (0-4) hung tough for 3½ quarters. They tied the game in the second quarter on a four-yard run by shifty running back Jay Zheng, who amassed 91 yards of offense.

Lledo connected with Andre Gilmore on a fade route for a 15-yard touchdown with 4:46 left in regulation. Upper Darby punted on its next possession, but its defense saved the day. A caused turnover on downs, thanks to Goetz’s sack on fourth-and-long with less than two minutes to play, brought home win No. 1 for Barr and the Royals (1-3).

The stingy Royals limited Lower Merion to 99 yards of total offense. They racked up 11 negative yardage plays and LM’s runners produced 14 yards on 33 carries. Through three weeks, the Royals were outscored 120-6. While the defense at times showed flashes of its potential, it finally put forth a complete performance Saturday.

On this day, the defense passed the Barr exam.

“Those guys on defense are incredible,” Barr said. “It felt like every big moment someone different on defense made a play. Stephen Goetz, Justin Leo, Pat Kerwood, Darryl Farmer … everybody, when we needed it, seemed to find a way to make a play for us.”

Matt Smith

Matt Smith
Matt Smith is a sports writer with the Delaware County Daily Times. To contact him, email msmith@delcotimes.com or follow him on Twitter @DTMattSmith.

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