Football: Lower Merion only a warm-up for focused Garnet Valley

CONCORD — The conditions and the opponents change, but the north star for Garnet Valley football doesn’t.

So no matter how much it rained Friday night at Moe DeFrank Stadium, no matter how large the on-paper gap to Lower Merion, no matter that the Jaguars had already been fitted for their fourth straight Central League crown, the overarching goal remained consistent.

“It’s just keeping focused, knowing that we have a new challenge every week,” senior linebacker Will Wrzesniewski said after a 38-14 win over the Aces. “We’re going to be seeing teams that we’ve already seen, so that’s an even bigger challenge I think, seeing a team twice. So no matter what happens, we need to stay focused on our goals.”

The 10th win in 10 weeks for the Jaguars came easy – not as easy on the scoreboard or on the clock as some weeks, but never in jeopardy, either. The Jaguars (10-0, 9-0 Central) led 31-0 at half on just 16 offensive plays, the first-teamers doing their work against a game but undermanned Lower Merion squad before exiting.

Then came the common-sense decisions by coach Mike Ricci, both to get the starters prepped for what they hope is a long playoff run and get the understudies reps in case they’re needed.

Ryan Saunders a 3 yard TD. Garnet Valley leads 24-0. Don’t make me go outside again pic.twitter.com/eUPXuogfPR

— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) October 29, 2021

The numbers don’t flatter. Garnet Valley rushed 31 times for 207 yards. Ryan Saunders ran for touchdowns of three and 13 yards, to augment touchdowns by Sean Gallagher and Shane Reynolds. The most heavily taxed player was deep reserve Trevor Saccomandi, with eight carries for 31 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Max Busenkell neither threw a pass nor had a carry.

But then Friday was merely a means to an end. From the outside, that looks like preparing for the playoffs. From within, it’s a focus on the process, right down to how Ricci’s players talked about it after the game.

“The mindset is to get better,” Wrzesniewski said. “Get better week from week. Last week we struggled a little bit, struggled running the ball a little bit. So the best thing was getting back to us and figuring out who we are and getting the right mentality going into the playoffs.”

Nothing about the game was pretty. For evidence, the interception thrown by LM quarterback Mekhai Smith in the third quarter that Luke Mignioni returned 22 yards before fumbling away. The teams combined for 12 fumbles, losing three each, in a game blighted by constant rain, occasionally driving sideways. It made the exploits of GV kicker Zach Liberatore (four-for-four on extra points, 38-yard field goal, five touchbacks) all the more impressive.

The Aces (3-6, 2-6) didn’t give up, generating some momentum for next week’s rivalry clash with Radnor. Without lead back Jay Zheng, Jack Lledo transitioned to running back to let Smith, a sophomore, get a jump on developing. Lledo ran 20 times for 83 yards, including a five-yard dash through a pair of tacklers. Smith was 8-for-19 for 59 yards, with a 26-yard scoring connection to Lance Kim.

Getting the job done, under whatever conditions, wraps up goal No. 1 of the Jags’ season. Only now can Wrzesniewski and company turn their focus to what can be beyond.

“Now,” he said, “a new season starts.”