BY: RICH FLANAGAN
MALVERN, PA--Malvern Prep has had one asset that no other Inter-Ac team has been able to match over the last three seasons: D’Angelo Stocker. When counting Lonnie White, perhaps only the Friars could match the explosiveness between those two elite players.
Stocker, the 5-foot-10 senior wideout, is as quick and elusive as any player in the league and he affects the game in so many ways. He can turn a screen pass from quarterback Jack Capaldi into a long touchdown. He can take a handoff on an end-around to the house. He can also return kicks, which might be the most dangerous part of his game. On Saturday, he made his presence felt from the opening whistle.
Malvern Prep vs. Germantown Academy - PSD Game Highlights by Rich Flanagan:
Stocker returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown that ignited the crowd and paved the way for a dominant 31-7 victory over Germantown Academy. Stocker, the Philadelphia Sports Digest.com Player of the Game, hauled in the ball at the five-yard line, followed his blocks toward the left side of the field and sprinted down the middle for the first score of the day.
With the speed and agility Stocker possesses, he had one goal in mind on that kickoff.
“Before everything happened, I told myself I was going to score,” Stocker said. “I envisioned myself scoring and that’s what I did. The blocking was perfect and I ran through the alley. Nobody touched me.”
The 2022 class was being honored on Senior Day and no one did more to spark a celebration than Stocker. He later added an interception to add to his list of impact plays, which came on the heels of a blocked punt against the Haverford School last week. The Friars move him around on offense, from the backfield to the outside and the threat he poses as a return man, whether on punts or kicks, gives head coach Dave Gueriera a lot to work with.
“He makes stuff happen when he has the ball,” Gueriera said. “He’s a tough guy to cover. We try to get him the ball and he really creates with his phenomenal speed and ability to make plays.”
Malvern Prep senior wide receiver D’Angelo Stocker named PSD's Player of the Game after igniting the Friars' offense on the opening kick-off - PSD Photo by Rich Flanagan
Stocker’s kick return touchdown became even more crucial after what transpired on the Patriots first offensive possession for more reasons than one. Starting running back Isaiah Wright, who has nine rushing touchdowns on the season and also plays safety for the Friars, injured his knee on that first defensive stance. He did not return and Gueriera was unsure of the extent of the injury after the game. Gueriera stated, “He’s a big loss on both sides of the ball. He’s a leader on and off the field. I love how the guys picked him up and continued on.”
It was a day where the two premiere running backs in the league were slated to go head-to-head with Wright and Germantown Academy‘s Brian Allen both having had dynamic senior campaigns but that was dashed less than two minutes into Saturday’s contest.
Allen took his first handoff 30 yards then accumulated 50 more yards on the first drive, including a three-yard touchdown run, to tie the game at 7-7 with 8:26 left in the opening quarter. Allen finished with 113 yards on the ground, his seventh consecutive 100-yard game.
Malvern Prep (6-2, 3-0 Inter-Ac) responded by sticking to the ground game where they racked up 187 rushing yards on the day. Junior running back Yaahdir Nash, who earlier this season had a kickoff return touchdown of his own, took the lead in the backfield, rushing seven times on the Friars first possession and capped things off with a three-yard rumble to put his team ahead, 14-7.
The combination of a senior backfield composed of Nash, Jaylin Evans (48 yards) and Tommy Czarzasty (40 yards) ran over and through the Patriots. Evans took the bulk of the carries starting in the second quarter, accruing 22 yards and putting Capaldi in possession for his two-yard quarterback sneak touchdown. On the ensuing drive, he picked up 16 yards on the ground and set up Jake Reid’s 33-yard field goal to give Malvern Prep a 24-7 lead heading into halftime.
Capaldi, who only had 50 yards through the air, was impressed with how all of the running backs made their mark on the game in Wright’s absence.
“It’s always real tough when you lose a guy like Isaiah but the mentality was next man up with Yaahdir, Jaylin and Tommy,” Capaldi said. “They were able to step up and have a good game to help us.”
Malvern Prep vs. Germantown Academy Photos by Rich Flanagan:
It was a struggle throughout the day for Germantown Academy (4-3, 1-2) as they could not find an answer through the air while Friars controlled the clock. They punted the ball five times and turned it over twice, one on Stocker’s interception and the other on downs late in the fourth quarter. Stocker caught a 17-yard reception then Evans finished his strong day off with a one-yard touchdown run to put the game officially out of reach at 31-7 with 2:56 remaining in the third.
The Friars, who played as an independent last season, turn their focus to next week’s matchup against Episcopal Academy, a team they have not played since 2019 when the Churchmen took home the last Inter-Ac title (there was no champion last year). Malvern Prep had won two straight, outright Inter-Ac titles then fell to Episcopal Academy, 29-27 in 2019. Next week’s game will be a battle between the last two league champions.
The gaze of Capaldi and his teams has been on Episcopal Academy for more than two years.
“We’ve had this game marked on our calendar since the last time we played them,” Capaldi said. “Everyone is really looking forward to this week and trying to get the title back after losing two years ago.”
Stocker echoed those sentiments as he tries to cap off his high school career with an Inter-Ac title.
“They have the Inter-Ac trophy and that’s what they took from us,” Stocker said. “We’re going to come back as strong as we can and push them out.”