Football Friday: Penn Wood, Academy Park vie for Del Val League title

It’s Week 10 of the high school football season in Delaware County and it’s last-chance time for District 1 teams. As many as 14 Delco teams can qualify for the postseason. Everyone gets a participation trophy.

In the Catholic League, Cardinal O’Hara travels to Truman High Saturday night to play Blue Division champion Conwell-Egan. O’Hara is guaranteed at least one more game beyond this weekend. Archbishop Carroll and Bonner & Prendergast meet in the PCL District 12 Class 4A play-in next weekend at at O’Hara. The winner returns to O’Hara to take on the Lions Saturday, Nov. 10.

Here we go with the top five to watch in Delco this weekend …

Friday
Penn Wood (8-1) at Academy Park (8-1), 7

No one should be surprised, the Patriots and Knights are battling for the Del Val League championship. These two foes are hands-down the best teams in the conference and, frankly, no one in the Del Val came close to challenging either one.

As it stands the Patriots and Knights sit in second and third place, respectively, in the District 1 Class 5A rankings. If capturing the league title isn’t enough motivation, the winner could earn the top seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Patriots are the top-rated defense in the county, allowing an average of 170.8 yards per game. Their pass defense, led by Edmund Dennis and Omar Ba in the secondary, has been excellent. Opposing QBs are averaging 63 yards per game, completing just 38.9 percent of their attempts.

Behind junior quarterback Desman Johnson, the Patriots are vying for their second straight Del Val crown. Johnson has passed for the most yards (2,049) and touchdowns (25) in the county. His primary target is Kennedy Poles, who has totaled a county-leading 976 yards.

The Knights will lean on quarterback Skylor Fillis, who has 988 yards and nine touchdowns through the air. Also a threat when he takes off with the football, Fillis is the 10th-ranked rusher in Delco with 741 yards and 13 scores. Zion Bradley, Devon Covert and Darren Gibli give the Knights plenty of firepower in the backfield.

This winner-take-all matchup pits two of the highest scoring teams in the area. The Knights are third in total offense (370 yards) and fourth in points (34.6). The Patriots are sixth in total offense (336 yards) and seventh in scoring (33.1).

Ridley (5-4) at Haverford (8-1), 7

If the Green Raiders can pull off the upset of the year in Delco, you’ll likely see their name among the field of 16 in the District 1 Class 6A postseason. Dave Wood’s squad jumped five spots in the rankings, 22nd to 17th, following a 32-14 win over Upper Darby last week. It was Ridley’s fifth consecutive victory after a dreadful 0-4 start.

The offensive line, buoyed by 6-5, 300-pound tackle Tommy Bramwell, has been outstanding and quarterback Jack Bakey has thrived in the option attack. Elijah Yakpasuo is having a big year as Ridley’s do-everything standout on offense, defense and special teams.

Notwithstanding Garnet Valley, has there been a better all-around team in Delco than Haverford? The answer is no.

Unstoppable since a 14-7 setback to Garnet in September, the Fords rank second in total offense (381 yards) and third in scoring (35.2) in the county. Their plus-12 turnover margin is best in the county. Senior Jake Ruane has passed for 1,559 yards and 15 TDs. The Fords earned their first shutout of the year last week against Springfield, 20-0.

Upper Darby (7-2) at Garnet Valley (9-0), 7

The Royals look to rebound after seeing their six-game winning streak end last week. The 32-14 defeat to Ridley cost the Royals several spots in the District 1 Class 6A rankings. A loss to GV and a Ridley win could doom Upper Darby’s postseason hopes. The Royals enter the weekend in 13th place.

Marson Weh had a touchdown catch and run off a fake punt in the Ridley game. Running back Kareem Adams is the third-leading rusher in the county and is 19 yards shy of 1,000.

Even with a victory Friday, the Jaguars are unlikely to earn the No. 1 seed in the District 1 Class 6A tournament. North Penn (9-0) and Coatesville (9-0) have the upper hands in the power-points department among the big schools.

Nevertheless, the Jags are poised to make another run at the district final. All-Delco Cade Brennan is having an amazing year at defensive end. Last week, in a 43-0 rout of Conestoga, Dom LaBricciosa ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns and Danny Bradley hauled in a 55-yard scoring pass from quarterback Ryan Gallagher, who filled in for starter Cole Palis.

Radnor (6-2) vs. Lower Merion (2-6) at Harriton, 6

If for no other reason, it’s the longest continues public school rivalry in the country. Originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon, the game was moved to Friday at Harriton High due to fear of inclement weather.

The Raiders are looking for a solid challenge before the district playoffs. They sit in fourth place in Class 5A with the chance to climb the standings a spot or two before all’s said and done. Running back Taylor Margolis and quarterback Sean Mullarkey each rushed for two touchdowns in last week’s 62-24 shellacking of Penncrest. Radnor is averaging 36.3 points per game, second highest in Delco.

The Aces blanked Harriton, 28-0, for their second win in four weeks. Jalen Goodman ran for 96 yards and a touchdown, while John Trainor had an interception and a pair of sacks to lead LM’s defensive effort.

Saturday
Chichester (3-5) at Chester (2-7), 11 a.m.

Believe it or not this one has playoff implications.

For Chi, it’s win or go home until Thanksgiving. The Eagles are looking for their first Del Val triumph and to snap a four-game slide. They are 15th in the 16-team field for the District 1 Class 5A tournament.

For Chester, a win could help Haverford High’s cause. The teams met back in Week 1 and the Fords could earn some added bonus points with a Chester victory. Of course, the Clippers are looking to end the season on a high note. With a 2-1 home record, they have played well at the Chester Athletic Complex.