Without Palis, Garnet Valley still cruises past Harriton

LOWER MERION >> Not all went according to plan for Garnet Valley in its visit to Harriton Friday night. Although the Jaguars took care of the Rams, 43-0, to remain undefeated, they went 0-2 as it pertained to the formula for lopsided games: Avoid mistakes and stay healthy.

Garnet Valley turned the ball over three times with two fumbles and an interception. All those turnovers managed to do, of course, was delay the inevitable. But it was the latter part of that formula — the health part — that put a slight damper on this victory.

After the Garnet Valley defense forced Harriton to take a safety to open the scoring, the Jags marched down the field on the ensuing possession. Behind a 19-yard scamper from Colin Robinson and bullish rushes from Austin Patton, Garnet Valley moved deep into Rams territory.

Cole Palis, the Jags’ do-everything quarterback, took a 14-yard keeper to the one. But at the end of the run, he stayed down for several moments. Eventually he walked off on his own power, although he didn’t return to action. An apparent right leg injury kept him on the sidelines.

Still, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Jags. Patton scored two plays later and an offensive onslaught began. The mantra of all superior teams is next man up. Ryan Hamby, who finished the half behind center, knows that better than most.

“Ryan was our starter. He got hurt the third game of the season,” Jaguars coach Mike Ricci said. “Ryan’s one of the hardest working kids on our team. He does a great job. We’re very fortunate that we have two starting quarterbacks in Cole and Ryan.”

Hamby connected on four of his first five throws — three for touchdowns — as the Jaguars, against character, took to the air. A quick five-yard out to tight end Jon Ricci made it 15-0. A perfectly thrown pass to Kevin Doherty ended in an 81-yard catch-and-run to take the score to 29-0.

But it was the middle touchdown pass that stood out. Hamby stepped through the pocket to avoid a sack and looked right to Patton, who had broken out of the backfield. Hamby threw low and ahead of his back. Patton, though, extended his right arm and corralled the ball. With a head of steam, he shook off tacklers on his way to the end zone.

“Maybe one of the only reasons I caught that ball was because our offensive coordinator makes us get at least 40-50 touches a day,” Patton said. “I didn’t usually have the best of hands, but I think through that I was able to catch the ball.”

At the very least the three scoring plays offered a look at a new wrinkle in an offense that likes to keep things on the ground.

“We’re definitely still a ground and pound team,” Hamby said. “That’s our bread and butter. But being able to throw the ball and being able to hit big plays in the air helps open the run game.”

The Jaguars (8-0, 7-0 Central) did tack on second-half rushing scores from Sean Snyder and Damian Czapp, and that air-ground combination could prove crucial when they host undefeated Springfield (8-0, 7-0) next Friday.

Will Palis be ready? It’s something to watch with the league title on the line.