Billy Scully

NEWTOWN – North Penn’s (13-1) big first half led to a 42-6 win over Neshaminy (12-2) Friday night in the PIAA Class AAAA District One championship game at Council Rock North.

On Neshaminy’s first drive, they were faced with a fourth-and-one from North Penn’s 46-yard line. The Redskins went for it and the Knights defense came up with a big stop. The next play Craig Needhammer went 54-yards for the score and the Knights never looked back.

The Knights made it 14-0 when Corey Ernst hit Ralph Reeves for a 12-yard touchdown pass. They added one more score right before the first half ended. Dominic Taggart’s one-yard score put them up 21-0.

The Knights got three more rushing touchdowns in the second half. Brandon Mercer scored on runs of 49 and 5. James Fielder added a one-yard run.

With the backups in for North Penn, Neshaminy’s Cole Creighton got their only score in the fourth quarter on a three-yard touchdown run.

With the win North Penn waits for the winner of the Easton Area vs. LaSalle game.

            Halfway through the regular season the West Chester Henderson Warriors were at a very high note sitting at 5 and 0. Then they had a three game losing streak which consisted of a 10-0 shutout loss to Coatesville. Then entering the final two games of the regular season they both were must wins to even make the playoffs. The Warriors went on to beat Avon Grove and got a big win over a tough Downingtown East team on the road to put them as the last team to get into the playoffs as the sixteenth seeded team.

            Being the last ranked team in the AAAA District One playoff tournament meant the Warriors would have to play the number one seeded team, the undefeated Ridley Raiders. Do you believe in miracles? Well, nobody was even counting West Chester to come close against the Ridley Raiders.

            It looked like Ridley was on route to a blowout early on in the game as it only took less than two minutes to score. Senior quarterback Sean Blundin threw a 59 yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Dion Shaw to go up early 7-0.

            The Warriors offense took advantage of a big turnover by Ridley. After Blundin was hit hard the ball came loose and the fumble was recovered by senior defensive lineman Jorge Mejias near midfield which gave the ball back to the offense.

            Young sophomore Warriors’ quarterback, Strafford Foster made himself look like a senior tonight. After a few long runs down to the goal line, Foster threw a two yard touchdown pass to junior, Jacob Richard. After catching the touchdown pass, Richard went on to hold the football for the extra point which was good and tied the game, 7-7.

            Ridley was just about to answer back with a touchdown of their own on their very next possession. On fourth down Blundin threw to senior Shahaid Smith and with his quickness he ran all the way to the goal line but was stopped at the one yard line. On the very next play the Green Raiders went to Smith, but Smith bobbled the handoff from his quarterback and West Chester Henderson recovered the fumble on their own one yard line. It was a big stop by the Warriors.

            On a night with no wind at all Ridley attempted a 41 yard field goal before the half. Senior kicker, Aaron Kellet kicked a line driver which went just left and kept the game tie. The missed long field goal was points Ridley needed in such a close game.

            West Chester Henderson’s defense continued to make Ridley turnover the football. On another bobbled snap, senior Quincy Rhoades recovered the fumble on Ridley’s 45 yard line. Next for the Warriors would be a trick play; A flea-flicker. Foster handed the ball off to Zachary Jones and he flipped the ball back to Foster, which threw off the defense and went deep to senior wide receiver Austin Constable for a big 45 yard touchdown. The Warriors went up 14-7. Constable said, “Coach called the play and we were excited. We worked really hard all week at practice. Strafford threw a perfect ball and it was just a great play.”

            Once again Ridley missed an opportunity to score as they were on the one yard line and Smith was stopped again. The Raiders went to Smith three times but the Warriors defense wasn’t letting anything up. For the second time in a row Smith and the Green Raiders were stopped at the one.

            Since Ridley’s offense couldn’t score it was up to the special teams. West Chester Henderson deep into their territory punted to Dion Shaw and he ran a 47 yard punt return into the end zone; the crowd erupted and gave Ridley new life with just 3:48 to go in the game. The only thing was the extra point was hooked just right and was missed. An extra point that would have tied the game left Ridley behind by just one point, 14-13.

             Ridley had to stop the Warriors offense with just one time out left to even get the football back into their hands. Three plays later, Ridley with no timeouts left and the Warriors facing a third down, Jacob Richard rushed for a first down and wrapped up the game. West Chester Henderson (number sixteenth seed) upset Ridley (number one seed) in the first round of the District One AAAA playoffs by a score of 14-13.

            “This is probably the biggest win in my career; I have been doing this for a long time. These kids just came out of nowhere and we are playing our best football right now” said Warriors head coach Joe Walsh. He added, “It’s high school football and anytime you go out on the field you have a shot of beating the other guys. We were dinged up during our three losses and we thought we should have done a better job there, and now were rolling.

            Next week the Warriors will play their big rival, Bayard Rustin, and will be looking for revenge. In Week 7 of the regular season Rustin beat Henderson 27-18. Coach Walsh said, “Rustin’s gotten our number the last couple years and they beat us this year. We weren’t at this level when we played them before, hopefully we will be able to do a good job against them too.” After this big win by West Chester Henderson, anything can happen as the Warriors proved that by knocking off the number one seed in District One AAAA.

            The Garnet Valley Jaguars and the Strath Haven Panthers have become a heated rivalry in the past three years. Ever since Garnet Valley joined the Central League they have given the Panthers trouble. Coming into tonight’s game both teams had identical records (5-1).

            Garnet Valley’s senior running back Alex Warden returned to the lineup tonight after missing three games. Warden who is a big piece in the Jaguars offense was ready to go and you could tell early on. Warden scored a touchdown in the first quarter (3 yard touchdown run) and the second quarter (five yard touchdown run). The Jaguars went up early 13-0 over the Panthers but missed the extra point which was crucial after Warden’s first touchdown.

            With senior running back Thurman Fortune out due to an injury James Griffin needed to step up for the Panthers. Griffin played at the defensive back position as well. Griffin also had a pair of touchdowns. His long touchdown runs consisted of 66 yards and 77. “Basically the line did a great job tonight. I just hit the holes I saw and openings. I had great down field blocking and after that it’s off to the races” said Griffin who rushed for a total of 150 yards.

            The Panthers went on to score 15 unanswered points in the second half. After Brent Collins scored nearing the end of the third quarter and the extra point was good the Panthers took a surprising 21-20 lead which was the final score.

            It was like watching a new team in the second half. What inspired the Panthers at halftime? Well that was their head coach, Kevin Clancy. The Panther’s head coach was in the hospital for a few days and the second he was released he rushed to the game for his players. Unexpectedly when the Panthers returned to the locker room their head coach was waiting for them. When I asked James Griffin what the coach told them at halftime Griffin said, “Our coach was in the hospital and when he came back at halftime it was like a whole new spirit in the building and everything got pumped up and our adrenaline started going and then we came out to play.”

            Head coach of the Panthers Clancy said, “The kids played with a lot of heart tonight. They showed a good competitive effort on both sides. We are real proud of our kid. In the second half they came back and really battled hard.”

            The Jaguars senior quarterback Jake Helmes missed tonight’s game due to an injury and playing his first ever varsity game was sophomore Ryan Corkery. “It was good; I had a lot of confidence in my team and my running backs. I was very confident with my team. We gave it all we could tonight.”

            Head coach of Garnet Valley Mike Ricci said, “They made some great plays, we were close a couple times. We had a couple fourth downs that we missed by an inch or so and you have to make those to win the game.”

            Garnet Valley’s next game will be their Homecoming game at 2:00pm on Saturday. The Panthers bring their six game winning streak to Upper Darby at 7:00pm. on Friday night.

            The Upper Darby Royals headed into Morris “Moe” DeFrank Stadium at Garnet Valley with a three game winning streak and still had something to prove. Head Coach of the Upper Darby Royals Rich Gentile said “I think it helped coming into this game with people figuring we didn’t have a shot tonight. It was like those three games we played didn’t matter because we are playing Garnet Valley and their undefeated and their just going to run over us. I think our guys had a chip on our shoulders and they played angry tonight.” The Royals proved that they may be more than just a threat in the Central League.

            Jaguar’s senior running back, Obi-Tabot rushed for 56 yards and scored on the Jaguars five minute opening drive. That was all the Jaguars had offensively in the first half of the game. Upper Darby’s defense wouldn’t let them see the end zone again until late in the fourth quarter.

            The Royals went on to score five touchdowns without the Jaguars responding. First Amara Kamara tied the game on a 15 yard touchdown run. Scoring second was John Townsend catching a 16 yard touchdown reception. Sonkarly Winpea dove into the end zone for the third score from the one yard line. Cory Harrison caught a nine yard touchdown reception, and to cap off the scoring Chris Wallace returned an interception for a touchdown. The Royals literally scored in every way they could; running, catching, and defensively.

            On the nine yard touchdown reception Harrison said “McGee put it up there and I knew he was only going to put it a place where I can get it. McGee knows what I can do I know what he can do so I just kept on running kept my eye on the ball and it fell in the right place.” Harrison added, “Coach has a saying if you punch them in the mouth first then they’re not going to get back up first and you just keep pounding on them and pounding on them, and that’s what we did and we kept the momentum all game.”

            Players were leaving the game left and right with injuries, especially for the Jaguars. Entering the game they were already without their two big running backs, Alex Warden and Justin Pyle. To make things worse for the offense senior quarter back Jake Helmes left the game due to a right ankle injury. Helmes played through the first half but did not return to the second half of the game.

            With the big win over the Jaguars, Coach Gentile said “We are back to what Upper Darby football is, power running. It’s been that way for as long as I’ve been coaching here. When you have a back like Kamara and Winpea, that run hard and have speed that can get you three or four yards we control the football and that’s how we win.”

            Next week it doesn’t get any easier for the Jaguars as they travel to Strath Haven to play the Panthers at 7:30pm. on Friday night. Head Coach of Garnet Valley Mike Ricci said, “Strath Haven is playing great football right now, so we are going to need to play a lot better.”

            Upper Darby takes their four game winning streak to Harriton at 7:00pm on Friday night. “Our motto going into this season and especially after we started on this winning streak is to reacquaint people with Upper Darby football” said Royals Coach Gentile. 

            The Upper Darby Royals headed into Morris “Moe” DeFrank Stadium at Garnet Valley with a three game winning streak and still had something to prove. Head Coach of the Upper Darby Royals Rich Gentile said “I think it helped coming into this game with people figuring we didn’t have a shot tonight. It was like those three games we played didn’t matter because we are playing Garnet Valley and their undefeated and their just going to run over us. I think our guys had a chip on our shoulders and they played angry tonight.” The Royals proved that they may be more than just a threat in the Central League.

            Jaguar’s senior running back, Obi-Tabot rushed for 56 yards and scored on the Jaguars five minute opening drive. That was all the Jaguars had offensively in the first half of the game. Upper Darby’s defense wouldn’t let them see the end zone again until late in the fourth quarter.

            The Royals went on to score five touchdowns without the Jaguars responding. First Amara Kamara tied the game on a 15 yard touchdown run. Scoring second was John Townsend catching a 16 yard touchdown reception. Sonkarly Winpea dove into the end zone for the third score from the one yard line. Cory Harrison caught a nine yard touchdown reception, and to cap off the scoring Chris Wallace returned an interception for a touchdown. The Royals literally scored in every way they could; running, catching, and defensively.

            On the nine yard touchdown reception Harrison said “McGee put it up there and I knew he was only going to put it a place where I can get it. McGee knows what I can do I know what he can do so I just kept on running kept my eye on the ball and it fell in the right place.” Harrison added, “Coach has a saying if you punch them in the mouth first then they’re not going to get back up first and you just keep pounding on them and pounding on them, and that’s what we did and we kept the momentum all game.”

            Players were leaving the game left and right with injuries, especially for the Jaguars. Entering the game they were already without their two big running backs, Alex Warden and Justin Pyle. To make things worse for the offense senior quarter back Jake Helmes left the game due to a right ankle injury. Helmes played through the first half but did not return to the second half of the game.

With the big win over the Jaguars, Coach Gentile said “We are back to what Upper Darby football is, power running. It’s been that way for as long as I’ve been coaching here. When you have a back like Kamara and Winpea, that run hard and have speed that can get you three or four yards we control the football and that’s how we win.”

            Next week it doesn’t get any easier for the Jaguars as they travel to Strath Haven to play the Panthers at 7:30pm. on Friday night. Head Coach of Garnet Valley Mike Ricci said, “Strath Haven is playing great football right now, so we are going to need to play a lot better.”

            Upper Darby takes their four game winning streak to Harriton at 7:00pm on Friday night. “Our motto going into this season and especially after we started on this winning streak is to reacquaint people with Upper Darby football” said Royals Coach Gentile.

            Last week Marple Newtown didn’t score a point at home against Upper Darby, 25-0. The Marple Newtown Tigers knew it wasn’t going to get much easier playing against an undefeated Garnet Valley Jaguar team if they had the same performance as last week. Their goal was to get on the score board first; and that’s what they did, ending their scoring drought. Junior running back Cimirrow Moat found a running lane and rushed for a 60 yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 6-0.

            After the early touchdown by the Tigers, the Jaguars answered back, not once, but twice. With injuries in the backfield for the Jaguars senior running back Thomas Obi-Tabot stepped up and ran for a total of 86 yards. Garnet Valley’s Head Coach, Mike Ricci said, “We knew he (Obi-Tabot) was ready and all he needed was an opportunity and he got it tonight, he did a great job.” Obi-Tabot scored early in the first quarter on a one yard touchdown run. On second down and fourteen yards to go on the Tigers fourteen yard line senior quarterback Jake Helmes threw a screen pass to Obi-Tabot and he scored again; back to back to put the Jaguars ahead, 14-6. Obi-Tabot described the play and said, “I didn’t think I was going to get into the end zone for a certain point of time (on the fourteen yard screen pass touchdown) but I just lowered my head and saw a guy there, but scored”

            Jake Helmes threw again, this time deep down the field and junior wide receiver Andrew DePietro caught the over the shoulder catch and ran into the end zone for a 75 yard touchdown with 3:13 to go in the first half as the Jaguars extended their lead, 28-13. Helmes would finish the game throwing for 150 yards. “That was a crucial play, we really needed that. The play just opened up; we went through that play all week at practice and we executed it perfectly” said Helmes.

            There were a lot of long runs. Right before halftime Tigers senior running back Ryan White scored on a 69 yard touchdown run. After some long runs Tigers junior quarterback decided to go to the air. Jamie Ridinger on third down and thirteen yards to go on the nineteen yard line threw into the end zone and the pass was brought down by Ryan White.  The game got even more interesting as the Tigers tied up the score after Ridinger threw to Mario Dioguardi to convert the two point conversion.

            With 10:13 to go in the fourth quarter on their own nine yard line the Jaguars once again put together a winning march down the field. In an almost eight minute drive the Jaguars used Keyser, Obi-Tabot, and Helmes to march down the field and win the game. Garnet Valley’s Head Coach, Mike Ricci said, “Our offense has been executed well all year and that was another time we did that. Jake does a great job leading the troops out there, and we’ve done a really good job of consistently putting together long drives.”

            Obi-Tabot scored the game winning touchdown on a two yard carry. Obi Tabot said, “Really it was all the offensive line, the offensive line was carrying me on their back, instead of me carrying them on mine.”

            Marple Newtown gave Garnet Valley a very tough test and almost tied the game again. On fourth down and eight yards to go with just forty seconds left in the game on the 25 yard line, White who ran for a total of 86 yards, came up short of the first down and the Tigers came oh so close to beating the undefeated Jags.

            Marple Newtown will have another tough test next week on the road against Strath Haven at 7:30pm. The Garnet Valley Jaguars stay home for a second week in a row and will host Upper Darby, a team that is on a three game winning streak at 7:00pm on Friday night.

Both the Conestoga Pioneers and the Garnet Valley Jaguars entered Thursday night’s game at Conestoga undefeated (2-0). Last year the Pioneers shocked the Jaguars and won at Garnet Valley 14-7. The Jaguars wanted revenge for last year’s game and they knew it was going to be a tough test on a rainy night.

To start the game the Pioneers scored in just 14 seconds as senior Brian Dailey returned the kickoff for a touchdown. The Pioneers wanted to go up not just by 7, but 8. On the two-point conversion senior quarterback Bill Flatley was sacked by the Jaguars.

Garnet Valley senior Jeremy Irving almost followed up for a touchdown on his return but after a long run reached Conestoga’s 35 yard line. The Jaguars’ offense took advantage of the good field position. Garnet Valley senior quarterback Jake Helmes helped get the Jaguars near the end zone. On the one yard line, second and goal, Jaguars senior running back Alex Warden dove for a touchdown to put the Jaguars on top after the extra point, 7-6.

The running game continued for the Jaguars. Warden found the end zone again for a second time in the game scoring on a four yard touchdown run. Jaguars junior running back Justin Pyle scored on a three yard touchdown carry.

To start the second half the Jaguars put together a six minute and thirty five second scoring drive. This time Jaguars junior running back Kyle Keyser added into the running game along with Pyle and Warden. Helmes found some room at the line and ran into the end zone to put the Jaguars up 27-6.

The Jaguars defense gave the Pioneers a headache. The Pioneers began to drive down the field using their senior running back Blair Brooks. As Flatley threw to the right corner of the end zone his pass was intercepted by senior David Arkus. Flatley also fumbled the football as it was knocked out by Jaguars linebacker Ryan Van Horn. The Pioneers quarterback also felt the pressure and was sacked later in the game by Jeremy Irving. Head Coach of the Pioneers John Vogan said “They flat out beat us tonight; they deserve a lot of credit. Their players are strong and quick.”

Halfway through the fourth quarter the Pioneers cut the score to 27-14. After the touchdown the Jaguars botched the kickoff and started their drive on their own four yard line. The Jags went on a 96 yard scoring drive and scored on Pyle’s second touchdown of the game.

Believe it or not, the Jaguars did not throw the ball once, the whole game. The Jaguars rushed the entire game with their three running backs, Warden, Pyle, and Keyser. None of those three though rushed as more as quarterback Helmes. The quarterback rushed for just over a 130 yards. After a big 34-14 win Helmes is saving his arm for next week, another tough opponent on the road against Radnor. Head Coach of the Garnet Valley Jaguars Mike Ricci said “Radnor is going to be another tough test for us; the whole Central League has become tough.” Next week’s game starts at 6:30 pm. at Radnor. Conestoga will try to get back on a winning streak as they travel to Harriton for a 7 pm. game.

The Penncrest Lions and the Garnet Valley Jaguars met once before tonight’s game. In week four of the regular season the Jaguars traveled to Penncrest. In that game it was a game winning touchdown that helped the Jaguars beat the Lions on their home field. After that loss the Lions went on a tear, winning five out of their last six games in the regular season. Senior fullback for the Lions Jerry Boyer said “I consider this a revenge game.”

On Friday the 13^th the Jaguars and Lions met again, only this time it was a first round Playoff game. It wasn’t 65 degrees or a beautiful night either; it was cold and rainy.

The Lions first offensive series took eight minutes and six seconds off the first quarter clock. Penncrest began to use their running game with Boyer and junior running back Juhwan Young. On the Lions opening drive they went 70 yards and took the lead. After two long runs by Boyer, he finally scored on a one yard touchdown run on third and goal. Boyer said “I turned it up a notch tonight. I considered tonight my break out night; I really haven’t had a break out game and Garnet Valley is a great team so I knew I had to break out.”

Garnet Valley had trouble responding back with an answer. The Jaguars quickly found themselves in a hole, down by fourteen points after Boyer struck again. Boyer scored on another one yard touchdown run after a 13 yard quarter back keeper by the senior quarterback, Matt Atkinson.

Midway through the second quarter Garnet Valley finally put the ball in the end zone. Taking charge was senior running back Marcellus Irving. Scoring on an 11 yard rushing touchdown, Irving cut the Lions lead in half, 14-7. The Lions answered right back though. Atkinson dumped a pass off to wide receiver Phil Barbieri and gave the Lions another two touchdown lead. Right before halftime senior quarterback for the Jaguars, Mark McHugh threw a lobbing pass and was caught by Irving for his second touchdown of the day.

Down only by one touchdown McHugh began to get the Jaguars back into the game. Scoring on a 63 and a 10 yard touchdown keeper that gave the Jaguars a 28-21 lead. The game began to become a shootout. Penncrest answered right back with a 13 yard touchdown run by Young to tie.

With the Jaguars up by only seven points there defense stopped Penncrest short of a first down but Penncrest decided to kick a field goal. Junior kicker for the Lions, Tom Weathers kicked a 31 yard field goal on a very windy night to cut the Jaguars lead to only four points. That field goal turned out to be the turning point of the game. With only four minutes to go in the first round of the Playoffs senior quarterback Atkinson stepped up and scored on a 25 yard keeper to give the Lions a 38-35 lead and the win. Next week Penncrest will travel and play Downingtown East in the second round of the District I Playoffs.

Penncrest may have shocked the Jaguars but still Garnet Valley had another winning season. The Jaguars reached the playoffs for the fourth year in a row, they were Central league co-champions, and they went 9 and 2. Head coach of Garnet Valley Mike Ricci said “I can’t tell you how proud I am of our program and the kids that participate in it. They played with everything they had; they played hard and they gave us a great effort all year, great leadership and great effort.”

The Jaguars senior class witnessed four years they will never forget. In 2006 and 2007 the Jaguars were crowned District I Champions in AAA. 2007 was the season they will never forget when the Jaguars went all the way to the AAA State Championship game and played at Hershey Park Stadium. In 2008 the Jaguars went undefeated in the regular season in their first year in the Central league and in quad A. This year (2009), as seniors, the Jaguars went 9 and 1 in the regular season and were crowned co-champions of the Central league. This senior class was a part of history in their four years as a Garnet Valley Jaguar.

After beating the undefeated Ridley Raiders last week the Garnet Valley Jaguars were looking to cruise in their final regular season game against the Lower Merion Aces. Coming into this game the Aces only had two wins the whole year while the Jaguars were 8-1. All the Jaguars had to do was win tonight and would at least share the Central League Championship with Ridley, and that’s what they did.

The Jaguars didn’t waste anytime and was scoring early and often. After senior quarterback for the Jaguars, Mark McHugh ran the ball for a 26 yard gain; junior running back Alex Warden also had a big run with a 20 yard carry. For the Jaguars first touchdown McHugh went to the air. Catching the football with a 13 yard touchdown reception was senior running back Marcellus Irving.

Just a few minutes after Irving’s touchdown junior running back Alex Warden darted for a 38 yard touchdown run to give the Jaguars a 13-0 lead. Early in the second quarter again the Jaguars found the end zone, scoring back to back touchdowns. Warden carried the football into the end zone (15 yard carry) for a 19-0 lead. Head coach of the Jaguars, Mike Ricci said “Alex has been outstanding all year. He is a very good athlete, he’s fast, and he really sees the field well. We’ve been thrilled with the plays we have had from him all year.”

The Aces tried to get something going running the football with junior running back Joshua Novak. On third and eight, defensive end Jeremy Irving recovered a fumble on the 20 yard line and the Jaguars offense did the rest. This time scoring on a 17 yard touchdown run was senior running back Kyle Moore. About the defense, coach Mike Ricci said, “We have some good athletes on defense, we have pretty good team speed, they have been working hard and they have been doing a great job.”

On the Aces next possession things only got worse for the offense. On the cold night the Aces lost the football again and picking it up was Irving. He put the Jaguars up 33-0 after dashing into the end zone. The way Irving has been running the past few games you would think he was a running back.

McHugh rushed on a 22 yard keeper to get the Jaguars into scoring position. Moore added to the already large lead with a 13 yard touchdown run which made it 40-0. The second string offense and defense entered the game before the second half even began.

Even though the second string offense entered the game it didn’t stop the hot Jaguars offense from scoring. Junior running back Bob Herbster scored on a 44 yard touchdown run and the second string quarter back, junior Jake Helmes capped off the high scoring affair on a quarterback keeper for 50 yards and a touchdown.

Finally the Aces got onto the score board. With just a couple of minutes to go Novak scored on a one yard touchdown run. The two point conversion failed for the Aces and the final score was 52-6. The final regular season game of the season went very well for the Jaguars as they can now prepare to see who they will play in the first round of the playoffs at Garnet Valley.

The Jaguars finished the season winning seven in a row and for the second year in a row having some part of the Central League title crown (Ridley defeated Upper Darby). Their only lost of the season was nearly two months ago. Lower Merion has now lost four games in a row. The Aces head to Radnor to play on Saturday afternoon (November 14) at 1:30pm. Next week Garnet Valley will play at home in the first round of the District I Playoffs against Penncrest. This is Garnet Valley’s fourth straight playoff appearance.

The last time the Garnet Valley Jaguars and the Ridley Green Raiders met was almost a year ago at Garnet Valley. The Jaguars won big, 41-28, and were crowned Central League Champions in just their first year in the Central League as the Jaguars ran the table. This year the Jaguars head to Ridley to try and defend their title. With a win the Garnet Valley Jaguars would only co-share the Central League Championship with Ridley since Ridley is undefeated and Garnet Valley lost earlier in the year to Conestoga. The 8-0 undefeated Green Raiders were looking to beat Garnet Valley and take the title back.

On the Jaguars second offensive series they put the football into the hands of their junior running back, Alex Warden. After a 73 yard run down to the goal line by Warden, he finished off the long run with a short one yard touchdown carry to quickly quiet the Ridley crowd and put the Jags up 7-0.

 The Green Raiders would tie the game six minutes later on a play action keeper by Ridley’s senior quarterback, Colin Masterson. Nearing halftime Ridley threatened to score again. On a field goal attempt by senior Tom Bongiorno the football was miss held and fumbled. Garnet Valley recovered the fumble at their own 14 yard line.

The Jaguars once again marched down the field. The Jaguars did not reach the end zone but did setup a field goal attempt for their senior kicker Dan Acchione. The 30 yard field goal was good and Acchione put the Jaguars on top 10-7 heading into halftime. Again Acchione stepped up and kicked another 30 yards plus (31yards) field goal mid third quarter to give the Jaguars a six point lead.

Ridley led Garnet Valley for the first time of the night after Masterson hooked up with Dion Shaw in the left corner of the end zone for a 9 yard touchdown pass. With Ridley up by one point the only way the Jaguars were to come back would be their defense. Junior linebacker for the Jaguars, Jeremy Irving, had three huge second half sacks in the game. Irving was all over the field. Whether he was rushing Masterson or defending the pass, Irving was on a mission. “I was looking at state rankings and Ridley was top ten and we were in the 40’s, many said we couldn’t hang with Ridley, nobody gave us a chance but I like that; I like being the underdog” Irving said.

With just over nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter Garnet Valley’s defensive linemen, senior Andrew Weber recovered a fumble on Ridley’s 34 yard line. With the Jaguars down by one point senior quarterback Mark McHugh dropped back, and with the Green Raiders pressure coming, threw a hail mary into the end zone. Coming down with the spectacular 34 yard touchdown reception was Warden for his second touchdown of the night to give the Jaguars a six point lead after the extra point, 20-14. “Honestly I do not know how I caught that ball. I think I have one of the worst set of hands on the team but I have been working with the wide receiver coach all week. We have been practicing that play he’s been telling me to just keep my eye on the ball, and that’s what I did” Warden said.

Over the next five minutes the Jaguars’ defense gave Ridley’s offense a headache. With the Jaguars senior linebacker Tom D’Alonzo knocking the ball away on fourth and long and with Irving continuing to sack Masterson, forced Ridley into territory they haven’t seen all year.

With only 1:24 to go in the game the Green Raiders began on their own 39 yard line. The Green Raiders just wouldn’t give up. Quickly the Green Raiders moved into Garnet Valley’s territory. On fourth and three on Garnet Valley’s 18 yard line with just 14 seconds to go Masterson connected with senior Alex Nicolino for a first down. The clock read nine more seconds and Ridley was now on Garnet Valley’s 11 yard line. Ridley was just 11 yards away from tying the game or even possibly winning. After a tip ball there was only two seconds left in the game. You could hear Garnet Valley’s crowd cheering from a mile away and Ridley fans hoping to take the title back; Masterson with the undefeated season on the line dropped back, spanned the field and began to scramble, but with a swarm of Jaguars he couldn’t go anywhere and the Jaguars won an intense Central League Championship game, 20-14.

Once again the Jaguars defense came up big in the end. Head coach of Garnet Valley Mike Ricci said “The defense has been playing great all year and tonight was no exception, we did a great job.” With the win tonight and a win next week against Lower Merion the Jaguars will be Co-Champions with Ridley. “It’s a great feeling, anytime you beat Ridley it’s a good feeling. They’re a great program with a great tradition” Ricci said.

The Marple-Newtown Tigers and the Garnet Valley Jaguars had an identical record, 5-1. Before tonight’s game the Tigers won their last three games. In the last three games the Tigers scored a total of 90 points. The Jaguars also had won their last three games scoring a total of 82 points. Many people would guess this game would be a high scoring affair. Both of these teams even lost the same week. The Tigers lost week three to Penncrest; and the Jaguars lost to Conestoga.

With a Nor’easter lingering over Delaware County and Harry H. Harvey Field, it was a wet, cold, dreary night at Marple-Newtown’s Homecoming. The rain certainly was a factor in the game early on. On the Tigers’ first possession they decided to punt on fourth and one on their own 49 yard line. Once the center snapped the wet football it went over the head of senior kicker, Adam Fender about 20 yards. Adam calmly picked up the ball and booted as quickly as possible. Once the football landed it basically was punted back to the line of scrimmage.

The Jaguars then marched down the field. Most of the drive consisted of hard running by junior running back, Alex Warden. The junior rushed for nearly 100 yards. After a five yard carry by Warden for a first down, senior running back, Marcellus Irving, scored on a 15 yard touchdown run with two minutes to go in the first quarter. Jaguars took the lead 7-0. Head coach of the Jaguars Mike Ricci said “Alex did a great job running the ball, when they started crashing in on Alex then Marcellus was able to get outside for the touchdown on the toss”.

In this game the Jaguars’ defense was potent. On third and long for the Tigers the Jaguars brought pressure and in came senior linebacker McGrath for a sack which forced the Tigers to punt. Also Alex’s brother, senior linebacker Eric Warden piled up tackles and made a few huge plays.

Midway through the third quarter the Tigers looked like they might tie the game after driving the ball just six yards shy of the end zone. On fourth and goal on the six yard line the Jaguars defense continued to bring the pressure. As six foot one senior quarterback for the Tigers, Kevin Johnson, tried to rush the football for a touchdown, he was met by a swarm of Jaguars. Johnson only gained two yards and not scoring meant the Jaguars’ offense could try to march down field and take time off the clock; that’s exactly what they did. 

Taking more than six minutes off the clock helped the Jaguars’ defense to catch a break and come out ready to go again, knowing they were only up seven points. Marple’s offense found themselves in Jaguar territory on their next drive. On second down Eric Warden blitzed and sacked Johnson which forced a third and long. Johnson threw up a prayer to his receiver but the football was intercepted by a Jaguar, senior Ryan Woods. Eric Warden said “We knew we had to stop them and their momentum because they were driving on us. We sent the blitz on second down, sacked them for a loss and on third down our safety Woods was sitting there ready to make a play, and he did.”

The Tigers wouldn’t get to touch the ball again on offense. With only 3:50 left in the fourth quarter the Jaguars’ offense ran out the clock and won by seven points, 7-0. The Jaguars’ defense was stellar. Mike Ricci, commented on the Jaguars’ defensive effort and said, “The defense against a very solid Marple offense played very well. They came up with big plays when they had too, we gave up a couple drives and we knew Marple was going to do a good job of executing and they did, but we had to make the big plays and we did. Eric Warden made a huge play and the entire defense stepped up down near the goal line.”

It was the Tigers second shutout loss of the year. On the other side it was the Jaguars second time only scoring seven points in a game, but it was the defense first shut out of the season. Next week the Marple-Newtown Tigers (5-2) travel to Upper Darby on October 23 at 7pm. The Garnet Valley Jaguars (6-1) head back home to play their Homecoming game at 1pm Saturday October 24 against Radnor.

In week six the Garnet Valley Jaguars traveled to Upper Darby Memorial Stadium to play the Upper Darby Royals. Last week the Jaguars won by 15 points against Springfield-Delco. The Royals suffered a 19 point loss to Penncrest. Even though the Royals’ record coming into this game was 1-4, the Jaguars knew they couldn’t take them lightly. “We knew coming in Upper Darby was not a 1-4 team. I know that was their record, but we had the utmost respect for Upper Darby. We knew they had great athletes” said Mike Ricci, head coach of Garnet Valley.

On the opening kickoff the Jaguars muffed the kick and the Royals recovered the football on the 30 yard line. It was the start the Royals were hoping for. The Royals didn’t waste any time capitalizing on the turnover. Junior quarterback, Terrance Bridgers, led the Royals down the field. On fourth and six on the 12 yard line, Bridgers gave his team the first score of the night. Just three minutes into the game and the Royals were on the score board first with a 7-0 lead.

Early on in the game the Jaguars had trouble moving the ball down field offensively. For the whole first quarter the football didn’t leave the Jaguars’ territory. Entering the second quarter the Royals decided to attempt a 32 yard field goal by John Sneh. The football sailed between the post and the Royals led by ten points, 10-0.

With the first half winding down the Jaguars wanted to put points on the board before halftime. With just over three minutes to go in the first half, the Jaguars needed to go 41 yards to score. After a 15 yard carry by junior Alex Warden and a 16 yard run by senior quarterback Mark McHugh the Jaguars were a few yards away from scoring. On second and goal senior running back Marcellus Irving delivered a three yard touchdown run to cut the Royals’ lead down to only three points going into halftime.

With the Royals threatening to score, Jaguars’ Ryan Woods intercepted. Again, the Jaguars didn’t miss out on the opportunity that was given to them. Irving scored again with a 39 yard touchdown run down the sidelines to give the Jaguars a four point lead, 14-10.

This game was all about capitalizing on turnovers. In the fourth quarter the Royals went for a first down on fourth and senior running back Robert Cornish was stuffed as he hit the Jaguars’ defensive wall and again the defense forced a turnover on downs. After McHugh threw a 19 yard pass to senior Ryan Woods he again went to the air, again to Woods. He caught an 8 yard touchdown reception to give the Jaguars a ten point lead. Coach Ricci said “The kids came out determined to execute on offense. We did not do a good job executing on offense in the first half because Upper Darby played well on defense, but I was really proud of our guys the way we came out in the second half and the way we played them.”

The Royals would not go down without a fight. Bridgers began to convert on third and fourth downs. With his quick speed it looked like the Royals were running a wildcat offense. He could either throw the ball or keep it. With the Royals continuing to try to find a way to win, their school band began to play the song, Don’t Stop Believing. While the band continued to play, the Royals answered their band and scored a touchdown with just over two minutes to go. The Royals were down by just four points and they weren’t going to stop believing.

Sneh attempted an onside kick but failed. Jaguars’ junior Jake Helms recovered the football as it bounced high into the air. After a turnover on downs by the Jaguars, the Royals had one last drive yet to try and win the game. Bridgers moved the ball down field with not much time left.

With just ten seconds left and the Royals only 30 yards away from scoring, Bridgers took the snap threw a prayer deep into the middle of the end zone but it was intercepted by Woods and the Jaguars won 20-16 in a wild finish! Woods said “We knew we couldn’t let them get in the end zone; they came out in trips and I was over the top and there was only a couple seconds left and they had to throw it into the end zone and I got the interception.”

The Garnet Valley Jaguars continue on the road and play Marple-Newtown, which will be the biggest game of the season so far for both teams. Marple-Newtown and Garnet Valley have identical records, 5-1. Upper Darby will travel to play Radnor as they look for their second win of the season.

Coming into this game the Garnet Valley Jaguars and Penncrest Lions had identical records, 2 wins and 1 loss. The team to win this game knew they would be at least in second place in the Central League standings. This was a huge game for both the Jaguars and Lions, and it certainly was a fight to the end.

The Jaguars opened their season with two wins and last week suffered a tough loss to Conestoga. The past two weeks for Penncrest, they have been on fire. After losing by just three points to Downingtown West (40-37) to open the season, the Lions in just two games have outscored their opponents 80-7 beating Radnor and Marple-Newtown. The Jaguars knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task.

The Jaguars didn’t waste any time and scored first. After a long 32 yard run by junior running back Alex Warden and quarterback senior Mark McHugh getting the football near the goal line, senior running back Kyle Moore finished the scoring drive on a two yard touchdown run to open the game.

To open the second quarter the Jaguars’ seniors continued to show their leadership. On fourth down and four yards to go on the eight yard line, McHugh dropped back and threw an eight yard touchdown pass to senior running back Marcellus Irving; to give the Jaguars a two touchdown lead, 14-0.

After a big “somersault” catch by Matt Bundy from senior quarterback Matt Atkinson, the leader of the Lions in the backfield, fullback Jerry Boyer, fired right back with a touchdown run of his own to cut the Jags lead in half.

McHugh and senior wide receiver Ryan Woods started to connect. Nearing the goal line after two receptions by Woods, again Moore scored his second of the day for a three touchdown lead, 21-7.

Atkinson began to show the Jaguars’ defense he wasn’t afraid to throw the long ball. Atkinson connected deep throwing to Matt Bundy again. Bundy scored on a 54 yard touchdown reception. At the half the Jags were still leading 21-14. The Lions showed they would not go down without a fight.

To open up the second half the Lions took five minutes and eighteen seconds off the clock. On this drive the Lions continued using their running game using Boyer and senior Adam Yee. Just nine yards away from tying the game, again Atkinson threw the football in Matt Bundy’s direction, and he came down with the football for a nine yard touchdown reception and tied the game at 21 points each.

In the middle of the fourth quarter the Jaguars began to hurt themselves. On third down conversions they began to jump offside’s and give Penncrest the yards they needed for first downs. Atkinson, who didn’t rush with the football much, decided to take off for a 64 yard gain all the way down to the goal line. Atkinson stunned the Jaguars’ defense with the long run and Jerry Boyer finished the job. Boyer dove into the end zone for the touchdown and the lead. For the first time of the night the Lions were winning. Penncrest missed the extra point, which later hurt them. The Jaguars were only down 6 points, 27-21 with six minutes left in the game.

With only three minutes to go, the Lions began to control the game and it began to look like they might clinch it. On fourth and one at midfield Atkinson with pressure coming bobbled the ball and tried to hand the football off but was fumbled and sophomore, Kyle Keyser recovered the football. It was Keyser’s biggest play yet as he is only a sophomore. Head coach of Garnet Valley Mike Ricci talked about how tough Penncrest played and said, “Penncrest is a great team, we really worked hard to try and contain their offense. Their offense is great and we were able to do that when we had to.”

With the momentum shifting towards the Jags McHugh went to the air again to his wide receiver, Woods. A short pass to Woods led to a 49 yard touchdown reception after he shook a few defenders off. With that touchdown the Jags tied the game and then with everyone counting on senior kicker Dan Acchione, he came through with the extra point and gave the Jags a one point lead. On that big play Woods said “The play was set up real nice, we got a guy in jet motion, it just cleared out one on one with me and him. Mark put the ball right on the money; the down field blocking was nice too. All I had to do was run down the field and get into the end zone.”

In the past four games Mark McHugh has been easily finding his fellow senior, wide receiver Ryan Woods either deep or short. Woods who didn’t start playing football until eight grade said “Me and McHugh since freshman year we’ve always been me at wide receiver and Mark at quarterback. We’ve always have had a nice mesh going, we have always been working on plays even after practice we continue to work on stuff.”

Penncrest had the opportunity to try to put a winning drive together but the Jaguars’ defense brought pressure. Six foot seven Andrew Weber sacked Atkinson for a six yard loss as the clock continued to run. On a last effort by the Lions the offense couldn’t get the ball moving. The Jaguars came back to win 28-27. Coach Mike Ricci said “The difference between this week and last week; last week we didn’t make any plays this week we did. We had a lot of guys step up and make plays.”

Now that the Jaguars are back on a winning edge (3-1), they play against Springfield-Delco (2-2) at home on October 2 at 7pm. Penncrest (2-2) will travel to Upper Darby (1-3) and also play on October 2 at 7pm.

Just five days ago the Garnet Valley Jaguars defeated Haverford by 13 points on the road after the game was postponed on Friday night. For the Conestoga Pioneers they also won their game on the road against Upper Darby, shutting them out 17-0. With just four days between games and a short week of practice, the Garnet Valley Jaguars were ready to play their first home game of the season.

Receiving the ball first was the Jaguars. On the Jags’ first series, after a pitch to senior running back Marcellus Irving, he fumbled and Conestoga’s linebacker, Kyle Morrison recovered the ball near midfield.

After Conestoga’s offense gained about 25 yards, they also turned over the football. In the second quarter the Jaguars continued on offense using running back Marcellus Irving and junior running back Alex Warden. The Jaguars stumbled though, on fourth and five on the 17 yard line the Jaguars went for it and was penalized due to an illegal shift. Conestoga declined and started their second drive of the night.

The Conestoga Pioneers continued to use their running attack with junior Blair Brooks who gained 13 yards and senior Leighton Dennis as the Pioneers marched all the way down to the two yard line. Number five, junior Gene Gibson, drove his way into the end zone for a touchdown to cap an 83 yard scoring drive. After the kick, the score was 7-0, Conestoga.

The Jaguars tried to answer back on the next drive before halftime but couldn’t. The Jaguars went into halftime down by one touchdown. To start the second half the Jaguars’ kicker Dan Acchione booted a spiral which gave Conestoga’s junior Dexter Bridge trouble. He muffed the kickoff and Connor MacNeal recovered the fumble for the Jaguars at their own 13 yard line. The Jaguars had the momentum but couldn’t take advantage of the turnover. After another penalty and an incomplete pass on fourth down, the Pioneers again received the football back from the Jaguars. Head coach of Garnet Valley Mike Ricci said “We had a couple great opportunities inside the 20 yard line, we had penalties that killed drives, and we can’t afford to do that.”

Both teams continued to go back and forth but neither could find the end zone. The Pioneers brought pressure, got through the offensive line and started to sack Jags’ Mark McHugh. In the fourth quarter with the Jaguars defense having trouble getting off the field Conestoga made the score 14-0. After a long 28 yard run down to the goal line by junior Gene Gibson the Pioneers’ quarterback Bill Flatley rushed into the end zone on a quarterback sneak.

Down by 14 points with only 9 minutes to go in the game the Jaguars knew they had to get on the score board quick. After Kyle Moore took the Jaguars kickoff to the 43 yard line the seniors stepped up. Mark McHugh threw over the middle to Marcellus Irving and Irving took off for 69 yards after the catch. McHugh went again to the air near the end zone and connected with senior wide receiver Ryan Woods for a 9 yard touchdown reception, which cut the lead in half, 14 to 7 with Conestoga still leading.

With only 6:04 left on the clock the Jaguars would have to stop the Pioneers’ offense. Pioneers’ head coach John Vogan couldn’t have been happier of how the Pioneers winded down the clock. Mixing up the offense on this drive with Bill Flatley throwing, and rushing with Blair Brooks the Pioneers took 5:57 off the clock before handing the ball back to the Jaguars with 7.7 seconds left on their own 10 yard line. On the drive the Pioneers converted on two third downs and one fourth down.

With 90 yards to go and only 7.7 seconds left McHugh couldn’t find a wide receiver open and when the pressure came the ball was dumped off to an ineligible receiver to end the game. The Pioneers shocked the Jaguars on their home opener with a 14-7 win. After the big win quarterback Bill Flatley said “This was a huge game, we came in here prepared, and we knew what we had to do. We had to come here on their home opener and just take it from them, and that’s what we did.” Since Flatley led his team to beat the defending Central League Champions when asked about the possibility of becoming the Central League Champions of this season, Flatley yelled, “We’re going for it all”.

Next week the Jaguars try to bounce back in the win column as they travel to Penncrest on Friday night at 7pm. The Pioneers will travel to Marple-Newtown as they play their fourth game in a row to start the season on the road.

Garnet Valley traveled to Haverford Saturday afternoon since Friday’s night game was postponed due to rain. Last week the Garnet Valley Jaguars won their season opener against Unionville 15-14 in a very close game that came down to the final minutes. Last week the Haverford Fords defeated Chichester by 30 points, 36-6. For both the Jaguars and Fords this game was their first league game (Central League) of the season.

With the nonstop rain the day before the field was not in the best condition and was still very soaked and muddy. The muddy field didn’t hold up the Jaguars. Receiving the ball first they started quickly moving down field using their running backs, senior Marcellus Irving and junior Alex Warden. Once the Jaguars got near the goal line, senior quarterback Mark McHugh handed the ball off to Irving for a nine yard touchdown run just minutes into the game to give the Jaguars an early 7-0 lead.

The Fords had trouble early on moving the ball down the field against the Jaguars’ defense. On the Fords’ second series on third and two on their own 29 yard line, quarterback sophomore Mike Clancy rolled out in shotgun to the left side and was tripped up for a sack, by senior linebacker Mike McGrath. On fourth and five the punt was blocked by senior Jonathan Smith for the Jaguars and the ball was recovered on the Fords’ fifteen yard line. The first quarter ended 7-0, Jaguars.

On the four yard line McHugh handed the ball off to Alex Warden for a touchdown. It was Warden’s first touchdown run of his career. After the extra point by senior kicker Dan Acchione the score was 14-0 Garnet Valley.

The Fords started to move the ball down field as Clancy started to connect with his receivers. Clancy started warming up and threw it down field to Keith Stewart for a 32 yard reception to the six yard line. After a few runs, finally senior running back Matthew Moriarty ran in the end zone for a three yard touchdown run and after the extra point was good. The Fords cut the Jaguars lead down to 7.

Again the Jaguars reached the red zone on their next series. In the red zone the Jaguars fumbled the ball. Fords’ defensive back Shane Newman recovered the fumble on their own 13 yard line. With just over thirty seconds to go and since the Fords stopped the Jaguars from scoring they decided to not run anymore plays and just knee the ball. The Fords went into halftime down by a touchdown with the Jaguars leading 14-7.

On the Fords’ second series in the third quarter they started at their own 39 yard line. After Clancy converted on three straight third downs, the Fords were just six yards away from scoring. After a three yard gain by Matthew Moriarty again the Fords went to the air with a six yard touchdown pass to Keith Stewart. The game was tied after the kick, 14-14. It was a sixty one yard scoring drive for the Fords.

Early in the fourth quarter the Fords had to punt the ball after not going for a first down, just one yard away. The Fords’ punt was blocked once again and the Jaguars watched the ball roll out of bounds on the 36 yard line. It was the Jaguars second blocked punt of the day. Head Coach of Garnet Valley Mike Ricci talked about the two big blocked punts and said, “The punt blocks were huge, anytime you get a chance to make a play on special teams and block a punt, that’s a real momentum shift, and I was happy to see that.”

The Jaguars took advantage of the blocked punt and after a long 20 yard run on fourth and one by Irving down to the 11 yard line, Alex Warden finished the job. Warden ran an 11 yard touchdown run for his second of the day. The extra point was blocked but the Jaguars still led, 20-14.

The Fords and Jaguars then went back to back, turning over the ball. Clancy threw an interception to Ryan Woods and Haverford recovered a fumble which gave them the ball back. The Fords just couldn’t get down field and had to punt back to the Jaguars after recovering the fumble and missed out on an opportunity to take the lead.

The Jaguars continued to go to Warden. On third and two from the 22 yard line, Warden gained 12 yards and a first down. Once again the Jaguars went to Warden for his third touchdown of the day. Warden third touchdown was a five yard run. The Jaguars lead was now 27-14. Alex Warden commented on his performance “I don’t think it was really me, it was more the offensive line that did the work, the holes were really big and I just had to run through them.” Warden also added “Last year I had a few reps when we were up by a lot, but I think Bonacquisti taught me a lot and he was a good mentor to me.” Last year Bonacquisti was one of Garnet Valley’s captains and ran for 14 touchdowns and over 1000 yards. Warden just so happens to wear former running back Jared Bonacquisti’s number 20.

With a thirteen point win by the Jaguars they head home where they will play for the first time this season on Thursday night against Conestoga. The Fords will travel to Ridley to play another tough opponent on Thursday night as well.

Last year the Garnet Valley Jaguars went undefeated in the regular season and were crowned Central League champions. It was also the Jaguars first year in class AAAA, moving up from AAA. In the playoffs, Garnet Valley won their first two games and lost to Neshaminy in the District I semifinal. The Jaguars finished the year with a record of 12-1. This year the Jaguars are back, hoping to repeat what they accomplished in the regular season and more.

As for the Unionville Indians last year was an average season in the Ches-Mont League. The Indians finished the year winning six games out of ten and did not make the playoffs. They did end the regular season winning four games out of their last six. This year the Indians’ senior running back Greg Carroll looks to carry the Indians to another winning season and playoffs beyond.

To open up the 2009 football season these two teams played at Unionville. Garnet Valley and Unionville have really become a big rivalry. The Jaguars and Indians have played each other several times in the past years, both in the regular season and playoffs. Head coach of Unionville Pat Clark said, “It’s a huge neighborhood rivalry. It goes back to the Southern Chester County League when we played Garnet Valley and we were competing for the league championship. It’s a great rivalry, so we know it is going to be a good football game.”

With a full house at Unionville and both student sections filled with excited fans, the Jaguars and Indians were ready to kick off the 2009 season. Garnet Valley’s defense was stellar early on in the game. On Unionville’s first possession on third and six Unionville’s quarterback, Connor Gades, was sacked by Jaguars’ Eric Warden. On their second series, Unionville couldn’t get a pass off and gave the Jaguars the ball after a turnover on downs.

After a couple of long gains by senior running back Marcellus Irving, the Jaguars were primed for a touchdown. The Jaguars fumbled, but recovered the ball and had to settle for a 25 yard field goal by senior Dan Acchione. Jags took a 3-0 lead into the second quarter.

In the second quarter the Jaguars’ offense took advantage of a fumble recovery by Eric Warden. Senior quarterback Mark McHugh dropped back and found a wide open receiver, Justin Pyle, for a 23 yard touchdown reception. With the extra point blocked the score was 9-0 going into halftime.

The second half started in Unionville’s favor. Mason Popham ran the kickoff back for a 90 yard touchdown, which cut the Jaguars lead to only two points, 9-7.

After Unionville’s starting quarterback Connor Gades was injured, senior Greg Carroll took over. The Indians continued to threaten to score again and once near the goal line Greg Carroll handed the ball off to Brittingham for a three yard touchdown run. That score gave the Indians a 14 to 9 lead after Grimes kicked the extra point.

Unionville started controlling the game, rushing for first downs one after another. They seemed to have all the momentum. Then after a big sack by Jeremy Irving the Indians had to punt. The Jaguars started on their own four yard line, and with only just over five minutes to go the seniors showed their experience.

Mark McHugh started converting on third downs by throwing to Ryan Woods, along with Marcellus Irving rushing the ball. The Jaguars got as close as the 13 yard line and now it was fourth and six. With the full moon shining on the field and everyone holding their breath McHugh took the snap, looked right to left, and rolled out to the right side just nearing the sideline. He threw the ball into the right corner of the end zone and found Marcellus Irving for the score the Jaguars needed. The touchdown gave the Jaguars a 15-14 win!

It was a long 5:22, 96 yard drive for the Jaguars’ offense and for Mark McHugh who couldn’t have started the season better. McHugh said, “I dropped back, looked around and saw no one was open so I bailed right. I was running and I threw it to Irving for the touchdown when I noticed his man came up. The offensive line did a great job on that play; they added so much protection I was just sitting back there forever.”

Head coach of Garnet Valley Mike Ricci talked about the winning drive, “That last drive was huge! One of the things I think we have an advantage of over a lot of teams is our ability to play guys both ways. Our conditioning comes into play and enables us to make some big plays down there at the end.”

Next week Garnet Valley stays on the road and travels to play Haverford, while the Indians travel to Phoenixville.

            With the snow falling and the cold blistery air whipping around Moe DeFrank Stadium, the Garnet Valley Jaguars were hoping to move on to the next round. First the Jaguars had to get through the Neshaminy Redskins. The Redskins entered this game with a record of 11-1, while the Jaguars were undefeated, 12-0.

            With Tim Keyser and Paul Dunn in the backfield to receive the opening kickoff, Neshaminy’s kicker Seth Jeffries sent the football high and deep and Keyser took off to the Redskins 31 yard line. You could certainly tell the Jaguars wanted to come out and set the tone.

            On the Jaguars first offensive series after a long return from Keyser, the Jaguars continued to run with senior Jared Bonacquisti and Keyser. After two powerful runs by Bonacquisti, Jared passed the 1000 yard rushing mark for a season, the first time in his career. Before you knew it the Jaguars were near the goal line, and ready to score. Junior quarterback of the Jaguars Mark McHugh handed the ball off to Keyser and Keyser dashed into the end zone for a three yard touchdown run and put the Jaguars up 7-0, after an extra point from Dan Acchione.

            After a long kick by the Jaguars, Neshaminy fumbled on the kick return and the football was recovered by the Jaguars on Neshaminy’s 39 yard line. Garnet Valley couldn’t take advantage of the turnover and punted the football away. Neshaminy did the same on their very next offensive series as well.

            Nearing the end of the first quarter, once Garnet Valley got the ball back, they fumbled and the Redskins recovered. On Neshaminy’s first and next offensive play they fumbled too. It was back-to-back fumbles. This time the Garnet Valley Jaguars offense didn’t want to lose the opportunity of a fumble recovery. The Jaguars again marched down field using their two 1000 yard rushing running backs, Bonacquisti and Keyser. With all the attention focused on the two running threats senior Chris Palaio scored rushing the football into the end zone right near the goal line. After another Acchione extra point the Jags went up big, 14-0.

            The first quarter ended and it seemed like the Garnet Valley Jaguars had all the momentum needed. Then Neshaminy’s offense started clicking. They began to rotate their running backs and scored on a two yard touchdown run by Jay Colbert with 4:25 left before halftime. The Redskins cut the Jaguars lead in half, 14-7.

            After Garnet Valley struggled to get first downs, Neshaminy didn’t waste any time. Nearing the end of the half the Redskins were in the red zone thanks to their quick running backs, Quilan Arnold and Bryan Dean. With just 25 seconds left in the first half Jay Colbert struck again. Colbert rushed into the end zone from the one yard line. After the extra point the game was tied 14-14 heading into halftime.

            In the third quarter Neshaminy started to heat up in the cold weather. The Redskins continued to get first downs on third and five or third and long and eventually was right back near the goal line. This time Neshaminy’s junior quarterback Brian Titus faked the hand off and went to the air for a three yard touchdown pass to the future tight end of Rutgers, Paul Carrezola. The touchdown and extra point made the game 21-14. The score stayed the same going into the fourth and final quarter.

            In the fourth and final quarter of the District One Semi-final game it was all about defense for both teams. On fourth and one Garnet Valley decided to pass and it was incomplete which gave Neshaminy the football on their own 18 yard line.

            After Neshaminy got a few consecutive first downs, the Jaguars defense stepped up and on fourth and short the Redskins quarterback, Titus, was sacked by senior Nick Garcia. After the sack the Jaguars offense started on their own 26 yard line with just 3:50 left to go in the game. They needed to score.

            Quarterback Mark McHugh and the Jaguars offense took a few close shots to the end zone but they were not completed. With less than two minutes to go in the playoff game the season came down to fourth and eight. The Jaguars would have to get over eight yards to keep the game, and the season alive.

            With the crowd on both sides on their feet and everyone holding their breath, as their hearts were racing, McHugh stepped back threw but the pass was incomplete. Neshaminy took over and watched the clock tick down to zero. The final score in this great playoff game was 21-14. Neshaminy will now move on to the District One Championship and face North Penn.

            Head coach of Garnet Valley Mike Ricci commented on his group of seniors and said “The seniors have been great leaders, they displayed great character, and our philosophy at Garnet Valley is selflessness, hard work, and character. If I had to pick three words to describe our senior class those would be the three words. Junior Mark McHugh had a few comments about the class above him and said “We had a great group of seniors, we had great talent. The seniors taught me about leadership, and how to handle myself during the game in pressured situations.”

            The Garnet Valley Jaguars finished the season with a record of 12-1. In their first year in Classification (AAAA) and their first year in the Central League they not only went undefeated in the season, they were crowned Central League Champions and won two playoff games. The Jaguars certainly had a great year for being brand new in (AAAA) and the Central League. Coach Mike Ricci said “We’re proud of what we accomplished, we have no regrets, and we gave it everything we had. Neshaminy did a great job, and they were able to get a win tonight. We’re going to choose to celebrate our season instead of being upset about the loss.”

            One season ago the Jaguars finished second, just one win shy of a State Championship in (AAA). Now after moving up to the top classification level in high school football (AAAA), the Garnet Valley Jaguars showed throughout the entire season just how successful their football program continues to be. Once again this will be another year that the community of Garnet Valley, the coaches, and everyone on the team will never forget……another triumphant season from the Garnet Valley Jaguars.

            On Friday night the Garnet Valley Jaguars will host the Neshaminy Redskins in Glen Mills. It will be about an hour drive for the Redskins, but once they arrive the hard-hitting game of football will begin.

            Head coach of the Redskins, Mark Schmidt, has led his squad to an 11-1 record. The Redskins only lost of the season came against the Souderton Indians. The loss came on opening night, August 29. The Indians won by a final score of 14-13. An extra point was missed late in the game. Neshaminy is just two points shy of an undefeated record. After losing opening night, the Redskins have won some big games; however, there have been a few close calls. Neshaminy shutout Abington but the Redskins only scored seven points in that game. Council Rock South gave Neshaminy a run but, could not pull off the victory and lost 20-13. The closest final score came on Halloween night before entering the Playoffs against their rivalry, Pennsbury. Neshaminy beat Pennsbury by a final of 16-13.

            Neshaminy’s three captains are Jay Colbert, Dan Shirey, and Paul Carrezola. Senior Jay Colbert is the Redskins fullback. Colbert has done a lot of the blocking for the Redskins. Senior Dan Shirey is on the offensive and defensive line. The last captain, senior Paul Carrezola, is the Redskins tight end. Carrezola, who will be playing for Rutgers next year, has caught a few passes in each of the games this season but has mostly been a blocker.

            The Redskins quarterback junior 6’2 Brian Titus, usually plays a running game, but when he does pass it is usually to junior Rick Brebner or senior Tyler Orr. Also at wide receiver is their lengthy 6’7 Keelan Adams.

            Running the ball has come easy for the Redskins with multiple running backs. Neshaminy has a few running backs they rotate in and out of the offense. The Redskins key running back has been senior Quilan Arnold. Scoring over double digits in touchdowns, Arnold has been a huge threat to the Redskins’ opponents. Arnold has even run a few touchdowns back on kick returns. The Redskins other main running back is junior Bryan Dean. Their back up, who is very quick on his feet, is Ricky Williams.

            Out of all the aspects of the game of football for the Redskins, their kicker has been a huge weapon. Senior Seth Jeffries has notched six field goals in the last three games including a 39 yarder against Ridley right before halftime. Jeffries has also made most of the extra point attempts.

            Defensively the Redskins are only given up an average of eight points a game. The defense can swarm to the ball and tackle in a gang. The defense has only given up four scores in the second half all year. The Redskins biggest stat, which may be the most dangerous, is they are outscoring teams in the second half, 131 points to 26.

            For the Garnet Valley Jaguars their Head Coach Mike Ricci has seen his team stay undefeated throughout this season, 12-0. Last week the Jaguars beat Pennsbury by a score of 14-12. After Pennsbury scored a late touchdown, still down by two points, the Pennsbury Falcons could not get through the tough defense of the Jaguars to tie the game.

            The Garnet Valley Jaguars have the same attack as the Redskins. The Jaguars can run the ball and pass when needed. The Jaguars have run the ball with their senior fullback Jared Bonacquisti 149 times. Bonacquisti is just 12 yards shy of the 1000 rushing yards mark and has scored 14 touchdowns. Their other quick threat is Tim Keyser. Running for over 1000 yards this season, Keyser has scored 15 touchdowns and two receiving.

            The Jaguars quarterback, junior Mark McHugh, can not only throw the football but rush as well. McHugh has thrown the ball for nine touchdowns and is just 56 yards shy of the 1000 passing yards mark. The junior has even rushed the football into the end zone six times and has rushed for 411 yards.

            McHugh’s biggest target to throw to has been Paul Dunn. Last week Dunn caught his fourth touchdown reception of the year to open the game. Marcellus Irving has been another threat catching the ball. Irving is averaging 17 yards a reception.

            The Jaguars defense has also stepped up the last two weeks in the Playoffs. In the last two games the defense has only given up a total of 19 points. The Jaguars defense is only given up an average of 11 points a game. In the playoffs so far the defense has really helped out Garnet Valley to succeed to the next round.

            For the Garnet Valley Jaguars it will be important to score on the Redskins in the second half. For the Redskins their linebackers will have to try and tackle Jared Bonacquisti and Tim Keyser, or the Redskins defense will have to stop the pass if it begins to succeed. Will the Jaguars find running lanes to get through against the Redskins huge defensive line? Will the Redskins keep up with Garnet Valley’s speed? Which junior quarterback will prevail? Can the Jaguars out score Neshaminy in the second half?  This game will feature a physical running game. Whoever wins this game will play next week for the (AAAA) District One Championship.

            Friday night at Garnet Valley, on Morris DeFrank Field, the Garnet Valley Jaguars and the Pennsbury Falcons played for a chance to move onto the District One semifinal game. It was going to be a tough battle on the ground since both teams are known to run. After all Pennsbury’s slogan is “ground and pound”.

            The Falcons received the opening kickoff and returned the ball down to the 42 yard line. After a few plays, the Garnet Valley Jaguars’ defense stepped up and made a big play. Senior Pat McGroarty came up with a fumble recovery and helped the Jaguars set the tone for the game. Head coach of Garnet Valley, Mike Ricci, said “Any time we get a turnover it’s a big thing and our defense played great especially in the first half, we played great defense.” After the Jaguars went three and out they had to punt, but before the ball was punted away there was a face mask penalty which gave the Jaguars the football back and they continued to drive down the field.

            On fourth down on Pennsbury’s 25 yard line the Jaguars went for the first. Junior quarterback Mark McHugh threw an incomplete pass on fourth down which gave Pennsbury the ball. The first quarter ended scoreless. Once the Jaguars’ offense received the ball again, senior Pat Cantrell of Pennsbury sacked McHugh on third down which forced the Jaguars to punt.

            With nothing on the scoreboard yet the Jaguars knew if they scored first it would give them momentum. After getting downfield with senior Jared Bonacquisti and senior Tim Keyser, McHugh threw a high fade pass into the back of the end zone and wide receiver, Paul Dunn, came down with the 27 yard touchdown reception. Paul Dunn said “McHugh threw a great ball, and the line gave him an amazing amount of time, that made it a lot easier to make that catch. He put it in a position where only I could get it, and it worked out good.” McHugh also commented on the offensive line and said “Our line gave great protection, it was great to have that much time and when I threw it up, Dunn just brought it down.” The first score of the game didn’t come until 3:16 of the second quarter, and gave the Jaguars the lead, 7-0.

            Before halftime with Pennsbury trying to answer back, the Jaguars’ defense continued to bring the pressure. Ryan Canzanese sacked Pennsbury quarterback Brandon Pepper. Pennsbury came up empty before halftime but the Jaguars weren’t done scoring. After a few lengthy runs by Bonacquisti and Keyser, McHugh threw a 29 yard pass to Marcellus Irving down to the one yard line. On the very next play, after a quick handoff from McHugh, Keyser dived into the end zone right before halftime. It was 14-0 Garnet Valley at the break.

            The Jaguars received the ball to open the second half. After a kick return by Paul Dunn down to their 43 yard line, the Jaguars continued where they left off. Driving all the way to the three yard line McHugh fumbled the ball on the one and Pennsbury took over with the end zone at their backs. Third quarter ended still 14-0, Jaguars.

            Pennsbury started to run the ball using their quarterback and Richie Applegate. Finally Pennsbury scored on an 11 yard touchdown run by Applegate but Pennsbury missed the extra point, which hurt them later. Jags still led by 8 points.

            After the touchdown the Jaguars turned the football over after McHugh threw a pass over the middle. Coming down with the interception was senior Zack Stegers. Pennsbury took advantage of the turnover and scored using their quarterback Pepper. After the touchdown Pennsbury was still down by two points and decided to go for two and try to tie the game. On the two point conversion Pepper handed the ball off to Jordan Lollis and he was swarmed by a hound of Jaguars as the two point conversion failed. Coach Ricci said “That was the biggest play of the game. They did an awesome job.”

            Pennsbury tried an onside kick but the kick failed after the football bounced out of bounds easily giving the ball to the Jaguars. Pennsbury still had all their time outs but had to stop the Jaguars from getting at least two first downs. The win was sealed for the Jaguars after Bonacquisti and McHugh rushed for a few first downs. The final was 14-12, Garnet Valley. Pennsbury finished the season with a record of nine wins and three losses.

            Next week the (12-0) Garnet Valley Jaguars will play their final home game of the year. After week three all playoff games are at neutral sites. Neshaminy is the next test for the Jaguars after beating Ridley by a score of 31-3. Coach Ricci said “It’s going to be another challenge, these teams that we are playing are all good teams, and Neshaminy is a great team. They beat Ridley pretty soundly and anybody that beats Ridley soundly knows they are a good football team.”

            The (9-2) Pennsbury Falcons will take a one hour drive to try and upset the (11-0) Garnet Valley Jaguars on Friday night. While the Jaguars are undefeated, the Falcons have lost only two games in the regular season. Their first loss came against Glen Mills on September 12. Their second loss didn’t come until Halloween night against Neshaminy. The Falcons only lost by three points against Neshaminy in a very close game before entering the playoffs.

            The Pennsbury Falcons’ head coach Galen Snyder has called for the Falcons to mostly run the ball on offense. Senior running back Richie Applegate has carried the ball 129 times and is now just ten yards shy of the 1000 yards rushing mark. Applegate is also the Falcons’ touchdown leader with 13 rushing touchdowns. Last week against Penncrest Applegate ran the ball for 136 yards and three touchdowns.  Junior running back Dante Devine has over 500 yards rushing along with seven touchdowns to add to the Falcons running total.

            Falcons quarterback Brandon Pepper isn’t known for his arm. Pepper has rushed the ball for over 860 yards and he has scored eight touchdowns. He is also averaging 6.4 yards a carry. Throughout the entire regular season Pepper went without throwing one touchdown pass until last week against Penncrest. Pepper threw his first and second touchdown pass of the year. Both of Pepper’s touchdown passes went to Devine. The first touchdown pass was an 11 yard reception and the second was a 13 yard catch, which came in the second half of the game.

            With the Falcons mostly running the ball their 6’4, 225 pound, tight end, Steve Marck has led the way for the runners. Steve has played tight end and linebacker the last two years. He has four D1 offers already from Syracuse, Akron, Buffalo, Miami of Ohio, and maybe UConn and Pitt. Steve is also a leader on defense along with Jake Allen as they both combine for almost 100 tackles.

            Just like the Falcons the Jaguars will run the ball too but they can also pass. Jared Bonacquisti, Tim Keyser, and Marcellus Irving have led the running attack for the Jaguars. Bonacquisti is just 72 yards shy of the 1000 yards rushing mark. Along with Bonacquisti, Keyser is just 20 yards away from the 1000 yards rushing mark. Combined Keyser and Bonacquisti have 30 touchdowns. Jaguars’ quarterback Mark McHugh has also rushed for some touchdowns, six to be exact.

            McHugh has thrown the football for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. McHugh is only a junior and is showing how well he can play as a quarterback in the classification AAAA level.  His top two receivers have been Paul Dunn and Tim Keyser. Dunn has scored three touchdowns on 18 receptions.

            Last week the Jaguars beat Pennridge by a score of 21-7 in a hard fought game. Pennsbury cruised past Penncrest last week, 45-14. The Jaguars will have trouble if they cannot stop Pennsbury’s quarterback Brandon Pepper. For Pennsbury they must stop the running attack of Bonacquisti, Keyser, and Irving. This should be another great early playoff game. Will Pennsbury upset the Jaguars? Will the Jaguars decide to run or pass against the Falcons? Could we see three athletes surpass the 1000 yards rushing mark? In this game you should see a lot of rushing yards between both teams and a high scoring affair at Morris DeFrank field. Whoever wins this game will play either Neshaminy or Ridley.

        The Pennridge Rams will travel to Garnet Valley on Friday night to try and upset the Jaguars. The Pennridge Rams finished the regular season with a record of 6 wins and 4 losses. The Garnet Valley Jaguars stayed undefeated going 10-0 in the regular season. Now for both teams, it’s the time of the year where every game counts.

        Three of four Pennridge's losses have come at the hands of Northeast Catholic, Souderton, and Central Bucks East all within three weeks. The Rams' fourth lost was their season finale against North Penn by a score of 42-21. The Rams biggest win of the year came on opening night against Archbishop Wood as they won by one point, 43-42.

        Senior quarterback Brad Herrmann has thrown for seven touchdowns but he has also thrown for 11 interceptions, which may hurt the Rams against the Jaguars' defense. Herrmann can rush the ball too. He has rushed for six more touchdowns than he has thrown (13). Receiving wise, six different wide
receivers have one or more touchdowns. The ball has been passed evenly in the end zone.

        The Garnet Valley Jaguars have not lost a game all year. Their biggest win came last week after winning the Central League title against Ridley. The Jaguars won by a 13 point margin, 41-28.

        The Jaguars running game has been their biggest threat all year long. Tim Keyser is just 20 yards away from the 1000 rushing yard mark and Jared Bonacquisti has rushed for over 800 yards. Keyser and Bonacquisti have scored 29 total touchdowns in just ten games. Senior quarterback Mark McHugh has thrown eight touchdown passes and only three interceptions. One of McHugh’s biggest targets has been Paul Dunn as he has three touchdown receptions and almost 300 yards receiving.

        Both teams will keep the ball on the ground and try to wear down their opponent. The team to win this game will either play Penncrest or Pennsbury. Will the Rams upset the Jaguars? Will Garnet Valley win and continue their quest to Hershey? Find out at Moe DeFrank stadium when the Jaguars and Rams
kickoff at 7pm on Friday night.

            On Halloween night at Moe DeFrank Stadium at 7:30pm the Garnet Valley Jaguars will host the Ridley Green Raiders. Everyone who enjoys high school football will really enjoy this game on a cold fall night. This showdown is for the Central League Championship. If the Garnet Valley Jaguars win they will be crowned Central League Champs. If Ridley wins they will share the title with Garnet Valley and Penncrest, if Penncrest beats Conestoga on Friday night.

            Head coach of Garnet Valley, Mike Ricci, has led his team to an undefeated record (9-0) and outscored teams all season, scoring 315 points this year. While the offense has been scoring, the defense has allowed only 85 points to the opponents so far this season. Garnet Valley’s closest game was on October 3^rd when the Jaguars won by a touchdown against Haverford. Other than October 3^rd the Jaguars have been beating teams by more than twenty points a game.

            The Ridley Raiders’ head coach, John Waller, has led his team to a record of 8-1 losing only to the Penncrest Lions on October 10^th. The Raiders lost to the Lions by only seven points (26-19). Since then the Raiders have easily won against Marple Newtown and Strath Haven. The Raiders’ defense has done well against their opponents only giving up 63 points this season. On the other side of the football the offense has been moving the ball by throwing.  Other than Penncrest, Ridley has been outscoring teams with over 2000 yards of total offense.

            The Garnet Valley Jaguars will try to pound the Green Raiders with their running attack using fullback Jared Bonacquisti, running back Tim Keyser, and running back Marcellus Irving. Bonacquisti has trotted into the end zone 12 times and has rushed for 736 yards this season, while Keyser has scored 13 rushing touchdowns along with one receiving. Keyser is just 125 yards shy of 1000 yards rushing for this season as he is averaging 14 yards per carry.

            Garnet Valley’s quarterback Mark McHugh has thrown for 680 yards along with six touchdown passes and only two interceptions. McHugh’s three out of the six touchdown passes has been to wide receiver Paul Dunn. Jaguars’ receiver Dunn has caught the football 16 times from McHugh for 247 yards this season. Tim Keyser has also been a threat catching the football, as he has over 200 yards receiving.

            For the Ridley Raiders their senior quarterback, Andrew Pidgeon, has completed 77 of his passes for over 1000 yards and 17 touchdowns. In a 130 passing attempts Pidgeon has only thrown three interceptions. Pidgeon favorable receiver has been six foot one Troy Foster. In 24 receptions Foster has close to 400 yards receiving and four touchdowns. Foster is averaging almost 16 yards a catch.

            Five foot four sophomore, Shahaid Smith, has rushed the ball for five touchdowns and for 455 yards rushing. Alongside of Shahaid Smith is John Harshaw. Senior running back Harshaw has run for two touchdowns. Total the Green Raiders have rushed for over 1000 yards as a team.

            The Ridley Raiders have won the Central League title back to back in the past two seasons. Also last year the Raiders were crowned (AAAA) District One Champions. For Garnet Valley, the Jaguars have gone back to back winning the District One title in classification AAA. The Jaguars were also crowned Eastern PA Champions.

            Look for the Ridley Raiders to pass against Garnet Valley, while the Garnet Valley Jaguars try to pound the ball on the Raiders’ defense. Whoever wins this game will most likely win because of how well the defense performed, or didn’t perform. This game has the potential to be the game of the year. So after trick-or-treating on Halloween night, come see many tricks by the Jaguars and Raiders, and a treat by the winning team …… a Central League Championship.

            Before the Garnet Valley Jaguars and the Lower Merion Aces kicked off the game at Harriton High School the rain was pouring down. Even though the field was turf, the rain was so torrential there were puddles which made the field very slippery.

            On Lower Merion’s first offensive series, with the ball wet, the Aces fumbled, which was recovered by Pat McGroarty of Garnet Valley. The Jaguars took advantage of the turnover like they have all season. Jared Bonacquisti scored on a 16 yard touchdown run. The Jaguars offensive series took only three plays to score and go up 7-0.

            Again the Jaguars’ defense stepped up and after a sack by Sean Van Horn the defense handed the offense back the ball. Head Coach Mike Ricci said “Our defense played great, Lower Merion’s offense is dangerous, they execute very well, their quarterback runs the ball real well, and our guys did a good job shutting them down.  After Tim Keyser and Marcellus Irving rushing the ball near the goal line, senior fullback Jared Bonacquisti scored to open the second quarter on a five yard touchdown run and gave the Jaguars the two touchdown lead.

            With the rain continuing to fall throughout the entire game it certainly didn’t look like it was affecting the Jaguars running game as they continued to run all over the field. Half way in the second quarter Tim Keyser scored on a long 67 yard touchdown run. It only took two plays for the Jaguars to lengthen the lead which made the score 21-0. Coach Mike Ricci of Garnet Valley said “We have been really doing a good job executing on offense and tonight we continued with that, a great team effort by everybody.”

            Nearing the end of the first half after another fumble recovery by Garnet Valley, Jared Bonacquisti scored his third touchdown of the game rushing in a 10 yard touchdown. Senior fullback Jared Bonacquisti said “I give a lot of credit to the offensive line they did a great job opening up holes, also Tim Keyser, Marcellus Irving, and Paul Dunn; they did a great job on the outside blocking. All the touchdowns we had was all team work put together.”

            In the third quarter Marcellus Irving caught a screen pass from Jaguars quarterback Mark McHugh and Irving took off and ran 45 yards for a touchdown. With the touchdown the score was 35-0 which made the clock continue to run unless a timeout was called or an injury timeout. With the running clock the Jaguars second team played the rest of the game.

            Lower Merion did get on the score board in the fourth quarter as the Ace’s quarterback scored on a 35 yard touchdown run. With just four minutes left in the game after multiple lighting strikes the referees and coaches decided to call the game which made the final score 35-6, Garnet Valley.

            The Lower Merion Aces will travel to Haverford Township to try and end their eight game losing streak next week. For the Jaguars next week it is a game everyone has been looking forward to. The Garnet Valley Jaguars will host the Ridley Green Raiders at 7:30 on Halloween night. A game which will determine who will be crowned Central League Champions. Head coach of the Jaguars Mike Ricci said “We’re excited to play them; we think Ridley is a great team, we have our work cut out for us and we’ve got a busy week ahead of us.”

           The Radnor Raiders entered Saturday’s afternoon game at Garnet Valley on a three game losing streak while the Garnet Valley Jaguars were looking to stay undefeated on their homecoming day at Morris DeFrank Field.

            The Radnor Raiders received the ball first and after quickly being stopped the Raiders had to punt the ball away. As the Raiders tried to punt the ball away the football was blocked by senior Ahmed Taha. Brendan Miller easily picked up the ball and trotted into the end zone to open the homecoming game with a bang to put the Jags up 7-0.

Head coach of Garnet Valley Mike Ricci commented on how well the special teams did to start the game, “It was great, the first play we had senior Ahmed Taha block the punt and senior Brendan Miller picks the ball up and scores, and it’s a great story on senior day, senior parent day, and I was thrilled for those guys that they were able to do that. It set the tone for the game, we have been working hard on our special teams all year and they were able to come through.”

            Following the next couple series after Jaguars senior Jared Bonacquisti ran an 18 yard run down into the red zone; Marcellus Irving rushed for a six yard touchdown run and put the Jaguars up 14-0 after Dan Acchione kicked the extra point at the end of the first quarter. Irving said “I’ve been getting the ball close to the end zone; I just like to power the ball in there.”On Radnor’s next series quarterback Tyler Anderson threw an interception to Pat McGroarty as Radnor was threatening. The Jaguars took advantage of the turnover and senior running back Tim Keyser scored on a 39 yard touchdown run to lengthen the lead 20-0 Jaguars.

            After Radnor continued to have trouble finding the end zone the Jaguars offense continued to pound the ball. After bouncing around defenders and finding running lanes Tim Keyser ran a long 78 yard touchdown run to give the Jaguars a 26-0 lead. Another senior came up big and recovered a fumble on a bobbled handoff from Radnor, Ryan Canzanese landed on the fumble for the Jaguars. The offense once again took advantage after a turnover, and after a big catch by Marcellus Irving down to the one yard line quarterback Mark McHugh scored on a sneak into the end zone. Jaguars lead now by 32 points.

            Then to seal the deal for the Jaguars Mark McHugh scored on a five yard touchdown run. The Jaguars starters came out at the end of the third quarter which gave the young guys some playing time. After a scoreless quarter the game ended with the Jaguars staying undefeated (8-0) after winning 39-0. The Jaguar seniors came up big on Senior Day.

            Next week The Radnor Raiders will try to end their four game losing streak home against Haverford Township. The Jaguars will play Lower Merion at Harriton High School stadium. Coach Mike Ricci of Garnet Valley said “Lower Merion is another great offensive team; last week they had over 300 yards against Strath Haven, and we’re going to need to play better defense and we will work on that this week.”

            Last year the Garnet Valley Jaguars won by a large margin, a score of 42-7 in the first round of the PIAA playoffs, shocking the Strath Haven Panthers on their home turf. All preseason and leading up to this game all the Panthers talked about was that one score, 42-7. Coming into this game the 3-0 Jaguars and the 2-1 Panthers were hyped and ready to play this big rematch early in the season, just week number three. Both of these teams are well known to be a powerhouse and run the ball. The Jaguars have been crushing teams as of late, while the Panthers haven’t given up a point in the last two games. With the cool breeze on Friday night at 7:30 pm the Jaguars and Panthers were ready for this huge Central League matchup, a game in which the Panthers have been waiting to play since losing early in the playoffs last year.

            At kickoff this game certainly had a playoff atmosphere. The Jaguars received the kickoff and on their first series after nearly fumbling, the Panthers got the ball right back. Just about the entire first half of this football game was all defense. Defensive lineman, Nick Garcia, was rushing Strath Haven’s quarterback Marco Kopac all night. At one point, senior Garcia had no interest of playing football in tenth game.  Now he has become a big part of the team on defense and has received a lot of attention from colleges. Garcia said “I worked very hard during the summer and that has helped me, and it’s a big plus to come back and work your heart out.”

            With nine minutes to go in the half, the Jaguars tried a 33 yard field goal to try to take a 3-0 lead, but it was no good. Finally with 2:20 to go in the half, the Jaguars put seven points on the board thanks to a four yard touchdown run by senior fullback Jared Bonacquisti.  It was just the beginning of Bonacquisti’s night. The Jags quickly got the ball back. With under a minute to go, the Jags were in Strath Haven’s territory. With quick passing and completions by quarterback Mark McHugh, the ball was near the goal line but time ran out with some tough calls and the Jaguars went into halftime with a touchdown lead.

            Because of their conditioning, the Jaguars have been a second half team. Head coach of Garnet Valley, Mike Ricci, said “We feel like that’s one of the advantages we have with having guys going both ways as a conditioning factor, and we hope we can get better as the game goes on, and play better in the second half.”

            With the Jaguars not as tired as Strath Haven, the second half started out well with Ryan Woods intercepting the ball, but the interception was called back on a holding penalty. The Panthers took advantage of the penalty and drove down the field with Lonnie Richardson, who finished the game with 100 rushing yards, and scored with Nick DeCindis. Nick rushed in from four yards out and tied the score with 5:20 left in the third. Once the Jaguars got the ball back they started to rush the ball with Bonacquisti. From six yards out Bonacquisti pounded the ball into the end zone to give the Jaguars the lead and never looked back.

            Jared Bonacquisti said “The team as a whole played well and in the second half we just wore them down, and the offensive linemen did a great job tonight.” Quickly in the fourth quarter the Jaguars scored rushing with Bonacquisti again plowing his way four yards into the end zone to give the Jags a 21-7 lead. Bonacquisti tallied up three touchdowns along with 18 touches for nearly a hundred yards rushing to end the night.

            The defense continued to stop the Panthers. Senior linebacker Joe Lombardi sacked Strath Haven’s quarterback Marco Kopac which pushed the Panthers to a fourth and fifteen, and could not convert on a long pass down the sidelines as Garnet Valley continued to bring the heavy pressure.

            To seal the deal, Tim Keyser scored rushing in from four yards out to increase the Jags’ lead.  Final score 27-7 Garnet Valley. Winning this game certainly proves Garnet Valley can handle being in this strong well-known league. Coach Ricci said “All the teams in the Central League are good; Strath Haven came out and played well. I was just glad that when they came out and got us in a hole we bounced back and played well.”

            Next week the (2-2) Strath Haven Panthers will travel to play Haverford Township while the (4-0) Garnet Valley Jaguars continue their road trip to Conestoga, a team which has lost their past two games but they are still an elite team in the Central League. Coach Ricci commented on Conestoga and said “Conestoga’s been one of the powers in the league just like Strath Haven. We know their very athletic, their a big-play team, they play good defense, and we’re going to have to come and play better than we did this week.” Expect another tough test for Garnet Valley next week.

           The Marple Newtown Tigers traveled to Garnet Valley looking for their first win of the season, while the Garnet Valley Jaguars were looking to stay undefeated on Friday night. The Jaguars received the ball first and drove right down the field and running back Tim Keyser scored easily rushing in from six yards out.  Marple Newtown almost evened things up receiving the kickoff and was one block shy of running the kickoff back to the end zone. Even after running the football back deep into Jaguars territory, the Jaguars defense came up big and the Tigers quickly punted the ball.

            On the Jaguars next possession they handed the ball off  to Jared Bonacquisti, he got a few yards but then on the very next play he found a lane to run through and darted 64 yards into the end zone to give the Jaguars a lead of 13-0, early in the game. In the Jaguars next offensive series Tim Keyser made a zigzagging touchdown 53 yards into the end zone. He caught the ball from Jaguars quarterback Mark McHugh, saw a few Marple Newtown defensemen, zigzagged across the field from left to right, and finally with some strong blocking from his teammates, Keyser dove into the end zone. “We worked on that all week at practice, I broke the first tackle, I got some great blocks, and I was lucky enough to make some cutbacks and get into the end zone.” Keyser said. It sure looked like everyone made a block for the Jaguars on that play so Tim could score. Keyser added “That was probably the best down field blocking I have ever seen, everyone one made great blocks and everyone was around the ball the whole time, it was excellent.”

            From then on out it was all Jaguars, as they continued to score with running back Chris Palaio, quarterback Mark McHugh, and Marcellus Irving. The Jaguars went into halftime with a healthy lead and the starters did not play in the second half.

            Marple Newtown’s running back Phil Graziano rushed for 103 yards and the Tigers finished the game scoring with Mario Dioguardi along with Kevin Johnson to make the final score 41-13, Garnet Valley.

            Quarterback Mark McHugh had a very good game at his position throwing ten times and completing eight of them for two touchdowns and 165 yards passing. Jared Bonacquisti, Tim Keyser, and Chris Palaio all rushed the ball well which helped the Jaguars to the high scoring victory.

            The Jaguars have a strong kicker in Dan Acchione. Last week Acchione kicked a 25 yard field goal along with that Dan has made 15 extra points, he has been a big part for Garnet Valley in special teams. “I’ve been coming out just about every day, kicking field goals, punting, and working on kickoffs, lifting, everything, and just trying to do my best. Kicking the field goal last week has given me so much confidence, and I am ready for the next one.” Acchione said.

            Next week Marple Newtown will host Haverford Township while the Garnet Valley Jaguars travel to Strath Haven. Dan Acchione also added about this matchup saying “They’re going to be gunning for us, I can’t wait, and they have been talking about the score all year (42-7).” This upcoming game is already building a lot of hype since Garnet Valley put up a big score 42-7 last year to knock Strath Haven out of the playoffs. Even running back Tim Keyser said “It’s going to be tough, there is definitely some bad blood there from last season, we will see, it’s going to be a good challenge.”

       Coming into this game, junior Mark McHugh started at quarterback for the first time in his high school career. “I was nervous for the first play but after that I felt good.” said McHugh.

       The Garnet Valley Jaguars kicked off the season against the Harriton Rams after finishing as Eastern PA champions a season ago. Just two minutes into the game Chris Palaio rushed into the end zone from four yards out to give the Jaguars the lead, and they never looked back. After Harriton struggled to get a first down, the Jaguars’ offense came right back and Jared Bonacquisti rushed from three yards out to score and extended the lead.

       With seven minutes left in the first quarter senior Ryan Canzanese ran an interception back into the end zone for 20 yards, to give the Jaguars a lead by 21 points. Then quarterback Mark McHugh settled in and rushed for a 20 yard scoring drive nearing the end of the quarter, putting the Jaguars up by a score of 28-0. McHugh threw four passes and completed two of the passes to Tim Keyser for a total of 50 yards. Head Coach Mike Ricci of the Jaguars said “Any time you get a first year starter at quarterback to get some game experience and to gain some confidence is always good. Mark did a good job tonight, he came out and executed our offense. He’s been working hard and the guys have a lot of confidence in him, and I am glad for him that he was able to come out and do what he did.”

       In the second quarter running back Chris Palaio scored his second of the day on a long 57 yard touchdown run. Harriton gave the ball right back to the Jaguars and Tim Keyser rushed in from four yards out which made the score 42-0.

       After Keyser scored with six minutes to go in the first half, the Jaguars first string was taken out, which gave the young guys a lot of playing time. Finally in the fourth quarter Harriton punched a score in thanks to Troy Iskarpatyoti as he rushed in from seven yards out.

       The Jaguars’ kicker Dan Achione made all six extra points. Coach Ricci said “He’s been working hard all summer, improving his kicking and he had the opportunity tonight, and he did very well.”  The final in this opener was 42-6 Garnet Valley.

       Next week the Jaguars will travel to Penncrest. A team which also won their opener against Strath Haven, 14-0. Coach Ricci said “Penncrest is a team that is on the rise. They have been playing well in their scrimmages, they played well against Strath Haven and they are a team that is going to be a force in the Central League. We need to be prepared to play well against them.”