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FOOTBALL: Malvern Prep Taking Advantage of the Bye After Weekend Win Over Roman Catholic

By Quinn Riley Malvern Prep '25, 09/27/22, 1:15PM EDT

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PHOTOS/VIDEO BY LOU RABITO FOR PSD

BY QUINN RILEY MALVERN  ‘25

MALVERN, PA -- Malvern Prep accumulated 10 points Friday night, though it was just enough, as the Friars head into the bye week 4-0 on the season.

While Skyler Smith came back after leaving last week's win early, his hand/wrist still isn't 100 percent despite X-rays coming back negative -- as the Friars will definitely take advantage of the bye.

Malvern has been banged up not just in the quarterback room, as offensive linemen Kevin Miller, Liam Horan, and Dylan Kraiza have all seen the trainer’s room.

"We're totally banged up," head coach Dave Gueriera said after the win. "They need this extra time. Getting us healthy is paramount. And during the bye, we can also take an extended look at the last four games and see what we can work on."

Malvern beat Roman Catholic (RC) 10-0 Friday, with Gueriera admitting that it was "absolutely" too close for comfort -- but Malvern's defense held RC scoreless, and their 10 points were enough to get them by.

The Friars also didn't hold just the Cahillites scoreless -- they held five-star junior wide receiver Tyseer Denmark scoreless. Denmark still had eight catches for 108 yards but was kept out of the end zone.

Gueriera says the win wasn't exactly pretty.

Malvern Prep vs. Roman Catholic, (video/ Lou Rabito for PSD)

"It was definitely an ugly win for us, something I was nervous about this week," Gueriera said. "We were coming off a huge win against Imhotep and getting everyone’s mentality to be hungry was a priority. Our defensive coordinator Joe Carr did a great job."

"I’m super impressed with our mentality. I feared this would be a letdown week. But this game proved we’re mentally strong and they bought in. Denmark is an incredible talent. He’s unbelievable and the fact that we kept him out of the end zone is unbelievable."

While it was a very uneventful second half, the first half had plenty of things to note.


Roman Catholic junior Tyseer Denmark rushed for 108 yards in game vs Malvern Prep. (Photo/ Lou Rabito for PSD)

Just as some were still finding a parking spot, Chris Smith took the opening kick return back 65 yards to set Malvern up in strong field position. It wasn't an ideal outcome for the Friars though, with them fumbling two plays later and giving the ball back to Roman.

The Cahillites had the same outcome on their opening drive, however, as they fumbled to give Malvern the ball back. Coincidentally, the two sides traded possessions of the same outcome once again -- both failing to convert on fourth down as the first quarter came to a close.

Malvern, who got the ball back, finally got on the board, as junior kicker Jack Ploszay split the uprights to give Malvern a 3-0 lead.

Later in the half, sophomore Andrew Pellicciotta grabbed an interception at the Roman 43 and took it all the way back to the four-yard line. Senior Yaahdir Nash then punched it in for six as the Friars took a 10-0 lead.

From there, it was a game of missed opportunities for Roman Catholic, as they missed several chances to get on the board and also had nine penalties for 77 yards. The Malvern defense stepped up when it had too.


Malvern Prep senior Yaahdir Nash takes it over the line to seal the Friars' victory. (Photo/ Lou Rabito for PSD)

With that, the Friars receive a much-needed bye week before they take on Capital Prep and then Delaware Military Academy in their final two games before Inter-Ac play.