By Marc Narducci
Photos by: Lou Rabito
MALVERN, PA--The Inter-Ac Football League is the last in the area to open up with league play and sometimes with the late start and the fact that there are only six teams, the league gets lost in the publicity shuffle.
Yet Malvern Prep’s 41-21 win over visiting William Penn Charter on Saturday showed once again that this is a league with plenty of muscles to flex.
Malvern Prep is without doubt one of, if not the favorite win the league and the Friars certainly did not do anything against Penn Charter to change that perception.
Yet what really showed the strength of the Inter-Ac was Penn Charter.
The Quakers have a young team, not expected to be in the same zip code with the contenders, yet here they were making Malvern sweat on a gorgeous Saturday where both teams barely escaped some messy late-afternoon weather.
malvern Prep vs. William Penn Charter in League Opener. (Gameday highlights by Marc Narducci)
When Malvern Prep took a 24-7 first quarter lead, it looked like blowoutsville, but Penn Charter showed some grit and talent and cut the margin to 31-21 at the half.
It was just 34-21 after three quarters, the only additional scoring a 48-yard field goal by senior Jake Reid.
This is a good time to point out the outlandish talent in the Inter-Ac and starting with Reid isn’t a bad place. A Navy commit, Reid has a booming right leg as the 48-yarder would attest. Malvern Prep has such confidence in him that he was able to try a 60-yarder in the first half. He didn’t make it, but it certainly appears as if Reid has a 60-yarder or two in him in the future.
He didn’t get to punt in the game, but his punting warmups were breathtaking.
“He’s probably almost a better punter,” Malvern Prep coach Dave Gueriera said.
Malvern Prep senior kicker Jake Reid in game vs. Penn Charter. (Photo/Lou Rabito for PSD)
Either way, Reid is just one of many outstanding players on this Malvern Prep team.
Senior offensive lineman Coltin Deery (6-3, 285) has committed to Maryland. Fellow lineman Max Bowman (6-6, 300) is headed to Harvard. Receiver-defensive back D’Angelo Stocker, who had a catch-and-run 21-yard score, has committed to Richmond.
There are plenty of other players from all three grades who are being recruited, including senior running back-free safety Isaiah Wright.
At 5-foot-8 and a sturdy 185-pounds, Wright can run through or around defenders and does both frequently. He rushed for a career-high 260 yards and scored the game’s first touchdown on a 28-yard run. For good measure he also added a leaping interception and was the choice as Philadelphia Sports Digest’s.com Player of the Game.
Afterwards, Wright was as humble as he was dominating.
“I got to give all glory to God, first and foremost,” he said. “Also, very thankful for my parents for them to send me here.”
Then he praised his teammates.
“I got to give a shout-out to my o-line… and also my receivers, they were working their butts off out on the sideline, I was following them, following their blocks...Shout-out to all those guys.”
Malvern Prep senior RB/S Isaiah Wright Named PSD Player of the Game -Video by Marc Narducci
Gueriera said he was so gratified to see Wright have such a big day.
“It’s just great to see the spotlight on him and to have this day which was an amazing day,” Gueriera.
Several FCS schools are among those recruiting Wright.
“He is a kid that doesn’t go down when you bump into him,” Penn Charter coach Tom Coyle said of Wright. “He’s a kid that if you take him to the ground, you better make sure you wrap him up and finish and take him down.”
Penn Charter managed to take him down quite a bit, but only after one sizable gain after another.
In addition, Malvern Prep senior linebacker Andrew Connolly had two interceptions, including one that he took to the house for a 23-yard interception return.
Another big-play specialist, junior running back Yaahdir Nash, scored on an 88-yard kickoff return. One big play after another was delivered by Malvern Prep, which put things out of reach with quarterback Jack Capaldi’s fourth quarter 6-yard scoring run.
That said, the team on the other sideline, never gave in.
Malvern Prep junior RB Yaahdir Nash scores on an 88-yard kickoff return in game vs. Penn Charter. (photo/Lou Rabito for PSD)
“We hung in the game,” Coyle said. “We were obviously out-manned in a couple of areas, but we played pretty well.”
They sure did.
Penn Charter has a game-breaker in junior running back Ohifame Ijeboi, who returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score.
The Quakers also had Colin Shumm throw an 8-yard scoring pass to Zack Curtin and Liam Rowan score on a 70-yard interception return that made it 31-21 at the half.
With a large group of non-seniors, the future appears bright for the Quakers and the present doesn’t seem too bad either. Depth will be a key in attempting to survive the brutal Inter-Ac schedule.
Penn Charter junior RB Ohifame ljeboi in game vs. Malvern Prep. (photo/Lou Rabito for PSD)
If this indeed is the team that everybody expects to be sixth in a six-team league, then this is a really strong league top to bottom.
The Inter-Ac’s strength should surprise nobody. This is a league that has produced among others, current NFL players Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (Penn Charter), Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nasib (Malvern Prep) and San Francisco offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey (Penn Charter), just to name a few.
Strong teams and individual players are part of the annual make-up of the Inter-Ac and the Malvern Prep-Penn Charter game shows we are seeing that tradition continue this season.