Delco Football Notebook: Chichester’s Jones recovering after scary scene
Chichester’s Kahsi Jones is making a full recovery after suffering a serious injury in the Eagles’ loss to West Chester Rustin last Friday.
Jones, a senior running back/defensive back, was stretchered off the field and taken to a nearby hospital. He gave a thumbs up to concerned teammates as he was being carted off the field.
Chichester’s Twitter account (@chi_football5) tweeted the following message the next day:
“Thank you to the many people who reached out about our brother @kahsi_jones3. He has informed us that he is healthy and out of the hospital. Thank you for all of your support and love! We expect to see Kahsi back soon. #ChiPride #RideOrChi #BeAnEagle”
Jones has run for 131 yards and one touchdown to go with seven receptions for 68 yards for the Eagles (3-4), who host Academy Park Saturday.
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This year’s Radnor-Lower Merion game, which is one of the longest active football rivalries in the country, takes place Saturday afternoon at Prevost Field. Kickoff is at 2.
The Raiders have won every meeting since 2012 and look to even the series at 56 wins, 56 losses and 11 ties.
The Raiders (3-4) need a win to get back to .500 on the season. The Aces (0-7) have struggled mightily, totaling only six points in their last three games.
“We want to get things turned around and focus on Lower Merion,” Radnor coach Tom Ryan said after a 27-20 loss to Upper Darby last week. “It’s always a big game, it’s always competitive, and we have to be ready.”
More information on the rivalry can be found at the new website Radnorfootballhistory.com.
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Despite having a defense that continues to thrive, Chester is looking to stop a three-game slide Coolidge (D.C.) visits Saturday afternoon.
Chester hasn’t posted a .500 or better record since 2008 when it shared the Del Val League crown with Glen Mills and Interboro. The Clippers have only seven winning seasons since 1989.
Defensively, the Clippers are first among Delco teams in points per game (8.7), yards per game (141) and turnovers (24).
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Upper Darby’s Corey Robinson was thrown into the fire three weeks ago when starting quarterback Kevin Kerwood went down with a knee injury.
The junior Robinson is gaining more confidence in his new role. Prior to being inserted at quarterback, Robinson was a slot receiver for the Royals.
After throwing three interceptions in his debut, Robinson has completed 17 of 26 passing attempts for 218 yards and a touchdown over his last two games.
“I’m really happy with the way Corey has developed as a quarterback” UD coach Rich Gentile said. “He throws the ball well and he runs the offense well. He’s not as good as Kevin, obviously, because it takes time, but he runs it well enough and is doing a lot of good things for us.”
Robinson and Upper Darby (3-4) will try to upset first-place Garnet Valley Friday night.
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AROUND THE STATE >> The PIAA last week voted in favor of reducing the number of transfers required to prompt an increase in enrollment classification. The news was first reported by Chris Harlan of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The number of football transfers which will precipitate a classification increase has been reduced from five to three. In basketball, a school could move up a class with the addition of one transfer instead of two.
There’s one caveat: Before being forced to play up, a team must accumulate six “success points” during a two-year PIAA cycle. This applies to football and basketball only. Between one and four points are earned based how far a team advances in the state playoffs.
PIAA executive director Robert Lombardi told the Tribune-Review the vote was a necessary step because “the board felt that those lower numbers more fully addressed competitive balance.”
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Academy Park’s Barry Brown has been named the Del Val League’s player of the week.
The senior quarterback, who ranks first in the county in quarterback rating (168.15) and tied for second in touchdown passes (10), ran for three TDs and threw for three scores in the Knights’ 47-21 victory over Interboro.
The Del Val coaches issued positional awards to Academy Park’s Brown (quarterback), Alphonso Hayes (receiver), Xavier Newman (offensive line) and Isaiah Rogers (defensive line), and Chester’s Anton Sterling (running back), Aasim Muhammad (linebacker), Starling Reaves (defensive back) and Malachi Langley (specialist).
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DISTRICT 1 RANKINGS >> We are less than a month away from the start of the District 1 playoffs and the majority of Delco teams are alive and well (sort of).
In Class 6A, Ridley (6-1) is the highest seed among the Delco contingent, sitting in sixth place, three spots ahead of Garnet Valley (6-1). The Green Raiders and Jaguars meet Oct. 25.
Haverford (5-2), which travels to Ridley Saturday night, is in 16th place. The top 16 teams qualify for the district tournament. Upper Darby (3-4) is 22nd and would need to win out to have any shot.
In Class 5A, 6-1 Academy Park (No. 2) and Strath Haven (No. 3) are battling for the top seed with Cheltenham, which sits atop the rankings. Penn Wood (No. 6), Marple Newtown (No. 8), Chichester (No. 12), Radnor (No. 13), Springfield (No. 14) and Penncrest (No. 16) are in the mix. Of those six teams, only Penn Wood and Marple Newtown boast winning records.
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MOVING THE CHAINS >> Penn Wood’s Desman Johnson is 108 yards shy of breaking Delco’s career passing record of 6,994 yards, set by Marple Newtown’s Anthony Paoletti in 2017. The Patriots are at winless Interboro Friday night. … Sun Valley’s losing streak has reached 14 games following a 36-0 setback to Bishop Shanahan last week. The Vanguards will try for their first win since last September when they host Upper Moreland. … Marple Newtown sophomore Charlie Box notched his county-leading seventh interception in last week’s 35-21 loss to Ridley. … Garnet Valley’s top-ranked run offense has gained 917 yards in the last two weeks.
To contact Matt Smith, email msmith@delcotimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @DTMattSmith
MATT SMITH’S SUPER 7
1. Garnet Valley (6-1)
2. Episcopal Academy (5-0)
3. Academy Park (6-1)
4. Bonner-Prendergast (5-1)
5. Haverford High (5-2)
6. Haverford School (3-2)
7. Strath Haven (6-1)
