Marple Newtown, Radnor fight for district tournament berths

Marple Newtown is feeling good about its District One Class AAA playoff chances.  Radnor, on the other hand, will keep its fingers crossed.

Both programs are thrilled at the possibility of playing in the postseason.

Marple Newtown hasn’t made the tournament since 2011, but came close a year ago. Under second-year boss Chris Gicking, the Tigers have enjoyed a solid 7-2 season and sit in the No. 7 spot in the District One Class AAA power rankings (the top eight teams qualify). But you can expect Kevin Clancy to have his Strath Haven (1-8) players prepared to pull off an upset.

Radnor, on the other hand, has been one of Delco football’s pleasant comeback stories in 2015.

After years of developing players that have advanced to the college level, but without much team success to show for it, longtime coach Tom Ryan has his Raiders knocking on the door of a playoff berth.

Never has Radnor played in a District One football playoff game.

The Raiders are the ninth-place team in the district power rankings, one spot behind Springfield. They are heavily favored to beat Harriton, and will need some help from other teams along the way.

Oh yeah, and Radnor hasn’t clinched a winning season since 2002.

So, if you like underdog stories, Marple Newtown and Radnor are worth rooting on the final Friday night of the regular season.