De George: Garnet Valley defense made a classic finish possible

CONCORD >> If you would’ve told Garnet Valley coach Mike Ricci early in the week leading up to the District 1 Class 6A final that his Jaguars would hold Coatesville’s vaunted defense to one second-half touchdown, he probably would’ve signed for that.

If you’d said the Jags would force four Coatesville punts, would hold 1,600-yard back Aaron Young to 24 yards on 10 carries, would make an offense that has put up 44.7 points per game look mostly average and occasionally uncomfortable, then that just might have sufficed.

So when a wild final few minutes finally ticked away at Moe DeFrank Stadium Friday night, all Ricci could offer about a defense deflated by the final result was that he was proud — once, twice, a hundred times.

“We played phenomenal defense the whole game,” Ricci said after breaking the final huddle in a 35-28 loss to the Red Raiders. “I couldn’t be more proud of our defense. I couldn’t be more proud of our offense. Breaks didn’t go our way at the end of the game, and (Coatesville) made a play. And we came right back after they made the play, we came right down the field and had a chance to tie it up again.

“I’ve said it a hundred times, I couldn’t be more proud of our team.”

Those final two minutes could spawn hundreds of words, but the condensed version: Garnet starts a drive at its five-yard line with 3:20 left, tied at 28. On third-and-3, quarterback Cole Palis hits Jon Ricci for 45 yards. Four plays later, on fourth-and-3 at the Coatesville 35, Avery Young picks off a Palis pass and weaves 72 yards for a touchdown with 19.1 seconds left. Unsportsmanlike penalty on Coatesville, Kevin Doherty kick return to midfield, Doherty takes a lateral from Danny Guy to the 20. Then Avery Young seals the Red Raiders win with another INT in the end zone, capping an exhilarating classic.

Avery Young the pick 6 my goodness!!!!!!!?!!! pic.twitter.com/Bc82s3QicS

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) November 25, 2017

But before those hectic dozen plays, the story of Friday’s 6A district final was how the Jags bottled up the Red Raiders offense. Stud sophomore quarterback Ricky Ortega was 14-for-26 through the air for 178 yards. But even he knew the offense wasn’t flowing with its usual indefatigability.

“They slanted a lot and they did all this movement that got us confused,” Ortega said of the Jags’ defense. “We didn’t know what they were in half the time. They did a great job and they had a great game plan coming in.”

At halftime, with the score tied at 21, this appeared destined to be a first-to-40 shootout. By the time Guy busted off left end on fourth-and-1 for a 13-yard score with 10:14 left to give the Jags their first lead of the day at 28-21, it had become a nip-and-tuck defensive affair through sheer force of the Garnet Valley defense’s will.

With 11 in the box, they find Jon Ricci for 50!!!!? pic.twitter.com/DrnUNIJZdk

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) November 25, 2017

“We knew coming in that they’re ridiculously talented as a football team,” senior defensive end Josh Ciarrocchi said. “We knew the coaches had a great scheme and we were able to come out and execute. We came to play. We knew this wasn’t going to be given to us. We knew we had a special challenge, and I think we came to play tonight. I’m very proud of all of us.”

The Jags didn’t force many plays for loss, sacking Ortega just once (via Cade Brennan). They didn’t cause a turnover and failed to pick off Ortega — no shock given that his two touchdowns Friday bring his season TD/interception ratio to a mind-boggling 36-2.

It wasn’t flash or big hits or huge statement plays. It was just the understated, solid execution that had driven the Jaguars (12-2) to a second straight District 1 final, the kind that had them pegged by pundits as underdogs at home against a lower seed. But when you tally it up — 427 yards of Garnet Valley offense to 292 for Coatesville; holding the explosive Red Raiders and their hurry-up offense to less than six yards per offensive snap — the defensive stats evinced a winning effort.

“They’re really good up front, so we just tried to keep battling with them and eventually we got a little pressure on them and hurt them a couple of times and that forced some bad throws,” Brennan said. “In the second half, we definitely did a better job on the D-line.”

How to internalize the final result then? The astute Ciarrocchi defaulted to a, “that’s just football,” explanation; cliché as it sounds, he’s not wrong. One moment of brilliance from Avery Young, who also caught a first-half touchdown on a halfback pass from Mekhi Alexander as the Red Raiders brandished all their offensive options, made the difference. One ball thrown into traffic by Palis that could’ve found friendly hands instead of an opponent’s. One fourth-down gamble that didn’t pay off after the Jags converted on their first four (two of them scoring plays, counting a Palis touchdown to Colin Robinson.)

“It’s hard to explain,” Ciarrocchi said. “It’s hard to look back. Looking at the film, you’re able to pick apart every play from every side, but looking back on it, I think the coaches called a great game, I think we executed very well, and it just didn’t go our way tonight. The way the ball bounces, it didn’t go our way tonight.”

Or he could go Ricci’s route. In a collision of two excellent football teams, one had to lose. And difficult as it is to swallow, through no fault of the defense’s, Friday was Garnet Valley’s day to be on the wrong side of the ledger.

“It’s a testament to the character of the guys who make up this team,” Ricci said. They never quit, they stay together, they do what they have to do, they rise to the challenge. Everything you want them to do, they celebrate the success of each other, they pick each other up.

“I just couldn’t be more proud.”

To contact Matthew De George, email mdegeorge@delcotimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @sportsdoctormd.