Football Notebook: Central League plays on as PIAA tournaments begin
Some Central League teams may experience a severe case of FOMO this weekend.
While many in District 1 prepare for district or state tournament competition, the fear of missing out is a harsh reality for the 12 teams in the Central League.
It’s certainly understandable for players on undefeated teams such as Garnet Valley, Haverford, Marple Newtown, Ridley and Springfield to feel upset, frustrated or angry over their lack of participation in the playoffs. You can second guess or wonder what could have been had the Central League decided earlier to bring back fall sports in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s disappointing that we won’t be playing in the playoffs, but we are still motivated,” Ridley senior Gavin Kingsborough said last month. “We want to win every game we get to play and everyone on the team has that same goal and the same mindset.”
“I think everyone is very positive,” said senior Will Higson, Haverford High’s All-Delco linebacker. “We waited long to be out here practicing for games and I think everyone realizes that (this season) is different. Everyone is excited to play and hopefully we will play for a championship.”
There are three weeks remaining in the Central League’s regular season. The top team from the Class 6A and Class 5A divisions will meet for the league championship later this month.
Winning a Central League title definitely holds more significance this year. If everyone can get through the season of COVID-19 unscathed and we get a final that is truly representative of the best teams in the league, all the players’ hard work and sacrifice since March will be worth the wait. As for districts and states … so what?
Who are the favorites in the Central League? It’s no surprise the usual suspects are in the running. Last year’s champion Garnet Valley looked dominant against a pair of weak Class 6A teams in Lower Merion and Conestoga. The Jags have leaned on their normal potent ground attack to score 110 points in two games. Shane Reynolds has rushed for a team-high 169 yards and four TDs, but seven players have racked up least 50 yards on the ground. Kevin McGarrey (10-for-13, 194 yards, four TDs) has done an excellent job running the offense in his first year as the Jags’ starting quarterback. CJ Woods and Alex Nicolaides are among the standouts on a defense that has allowed only 12 points.
Despite their varsity inexperience, Haverford has posted back to back blowout wins via shutout over Upper Darby and Lower Merion. Sophomore quarterback Tommy Wright, senior running back Jimmy Wright and senior wide receiver Tommy Caruso have powered an offense that is averaging more than 300 yards per game.
Ridley is another team rebuilding on the fly. Quarterback John Heller passed for three TDs in a rout of Upper Darby to lead the Green Raiders to a 2-0 start. The Class 5A leaders — Marple Newtown and Springfield — have leaned on stellar performances by their running backs. All-Delco Charlie Box continues to amaze for the Tigers.. Meanwhile the Cougars are getting big returns from senior Jayden Baiden, who is having a breakout campaign. Baiden (234 yards, four TDs) and Box (297 yards, five TDs) are the top rushers in the county.
“We have to keep focusing on the little things that we have to get better at to be a good team,” Box said after last week’s win against Strath Haven. “We are confident and we all believe in each other. The O-line has been awesome. I love all of those guys, they were huge tonight and they keep getting better which is great to see.”
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Last Saturday, Archbishop Carroll nearly came back from a 28-6, fourth-quarter deficit to beat Neumann-Goretti in a contest that determined the District 12’s state representative in the PIAA Class 3A tournament.
It was announced Monday that Neumann-Goretti shut down its football program for the remainder of the season due to a coronavirus outbreak at the high school. As a result, Archbishop Carroll will take the Saints’ spot in the state tournament, which gets under way Friday evening. The Patriots (1-2) will play New Hope-Solebury of the Bicentennial League at Cardinal O’Hara. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The only other Delco team competing in the state tournament is Bonner-Prendergast (3-0), which has outscored its three opponents, 101-7. The No. 1-ranked team in Delco will host a PIAA Class 4A first-round game Friday against Upper Moreland at 6:30.
“We’ve come a long way from from where we were a couple years ago,” Bonner-Prendie coach Jack Muldoon recently said. “Our coaches have done a great job with these guys. We were kind of building to this year, so for the kids to get out here and show what they can do together, that’s something they deserve.”
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Around the State >> According to the Daily Local News, Unionville had to forgo its District 1 tournament seeding due to a COVID-19 outbreak. This marks the third time in the last month that a Ches-Mont League program has been forced to suspend operations due to a positive coronavirus test by a member of the team. Oxford and Sun Valley met that same fate in October. Kennett has taken Unionville’s spot in the District 1 Class 5A playoffs.
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Delco’s Inter-Ac League schools, Episcopal Academy and The Haverford School dropped their season openers over the weekend. The league is playing a four-week, non-championship season.
The Churchmen and Fords both feature first-year varsity quarterbacks and Week 1 delivered varying results. Junior Jake Fant ran for a touchdown in EA’s 26-13 loss to Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and Michael Galasso looked sharp at times in Haverford’s 28-13 setback to Germantown Academy.
Although they were unable to lead their teams to victory last week, the future is bright for both young signal callers.
“We’re pretty excited for him. Having four games this season, it’s going to be interesting for his first year,” Episcopal coach Todd Fairlie said of Fant. “He’s a smart kid and a talented kid. He has some good weapons around him and that should help him a little bit in his first year.”
To contact Matt Smith, email mattsmith@21st-centurymedia.com.
