Radnor QBs turn to Rider to roll past Harriton

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RADNOR — Sam DiLella trotted in from the sideline with the play as Radnor executed its two-minute offense, and wide receiver Jahmair Rider didn’t give it a second thought.

To the senior wide receiver, it didn’t much matter whether DiLella was under center or if starter Sean Mullarkey was making the call. In this instance – second and goal at the 9 with 30 seconds left in the first half – Rider knew he was running a slant, cutting hard to throw off his corner back. And either QB, Rider knew, was more than capable of having the ball waiting for him when he broke off his route.

Rider made that catch just before halftime Saturday, his first of two TDs from DiLella to go with a kick return score in Radnor’s 42-8 win over Harriton in a game postponed from the evening before.

“Nothing really changes,” Rider said. “They’re both excellent quarterbacks. I have faith in both of them. We lined up and Sam, just like Sean would’ve done, gave the slant signal, and that’s when I knew he saw it.”

Rider caught a five-yard score from DiLella with 2:20 left in the third quarter, capping seven catches for 118 yards. He added an 87-yard kick return in the fourth quarter after the Rams (1-2, 0-2 Central) got on the board.

Quarterback switches have become routine for Radnor the last couple of years, with Saturday’s juggling benefitting from Radnor coach Tom Ryan doing so by choice. Two years ago, Mullarkey stepped in as a sophomore when starter Pat McDermott was injured. Last year, the hard-running Mullarkey missed a game, allowing DiLella to pass Radnor to a win over Conestoga. The junior DiLella will be plenty prepared to take over as the starter next year, but until then, he’s contributing in the present.

Mullarkey was 4-for-6 through the air for 81 yards, finding Vernon Harper for a 35-yard touchdown on a lovely double move by the wideout. Mullarkey also carried six times for 49 yards.

DiLella was 6-for-9 for 90 yards and two scores.

The commonality was Rider, who’s emerging as one of the Central League’s premier playmakers for the Raiders (3-0, 2-0). And the whole operation was aided by Radnor gashing the Rams on the ground early, thanks in large part to Matt Cohen.

The senior running back toted 13 times for 149 yards, all in the first half. He provided 68 yards on the opening drive, capped by Taylor Margolis’ one-yard score, then Cohen busted a 49-yarder to the end zone.

“It opens it up more,” Rider said of the run setting up the pass. “After Matt scores his touchdowns and everything, the corners and other safeties aren’t ready for the passing game, so it opens everything up.”

Radnor’s defense was tested early but responded. Harriton produced two big plays on its first drive – a 42-yard connection between Mike Stewart and Sam Segal on the first play from scrimmage, then a 24-yard run from Jack Rosenfeld – to get to the 17. But Radnor’s defense stiffened.

“We knew we were the better team going into it, but we also knew they’d come out firing,” Radnor linebacker Kieran Sheridan said. “That first play of the game got them momentum, and later that drive (Rosenfeld) broke a big one. We held them and got the turnover (on downs), and we got it going from there.”

Rosenfeld was the workhorse with 17 carries for 75 yards. Stewart went 5-for-10 for 116 yards, including a 35-yard scoring connection to older brother Brian on fourth-and-18 in the fourth quarter.

“That felt good,” Brian Stewart said. “We needed one of those to go. We’ve been playing for years and we haven’t gotten that, so that felt good.”

But that wasn’t enough to slow Rider and company, who have the Raiders unbeaten heading into next week’s test against Ridley.

Matthew De George

Matthew De George
Matthew De George is the Asst. Sports Editor and the lead Union writer for The Daily Times.

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