Photos/Videos: Lou Rabito, Patty Morgan & James Quinn
By: Marc Narducci
All six Inter-Ac football teams had successful runs during the course of the non-league season, but this past weekend the real action began.
Inter-Ac play is here. Five weeks of intense action, where the play is elevated simply by the overall talent in the league.
Consider, that every Inter-Ac team was .500 or better in non-league action. Inter-Ac teams were 26-3 in non-league games.
Four of the teams – Malvern Prep, Episcopal Academy, The Haverford School and Germantown Academy were 20-0.
Yikes.
So, for some teams, returning to league action was a humbling experience and for others it was just an extension of what they have been achieving this year.
Here is our Pick Six, a look at the first week of action.
PICK ONE: EPISCOPAL ACADEMY'S CADDEN KICKS OFF INTER-AC SEASON IN STYLE
Episcopal Academy senior receiver-safety and return man TJ Cadden kicked off his Inter-Ac season in style.
Cadden didn’t waste any time providing fireworks.
The 6-foot,185-pound senior returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, setting the tone for Episcopal Academy’s 49-7 win at Germantown Academy in a game between 5-0 teams.
“Obviously, especially the first league game, you want to set a good foundation for the next four games,” Cadden said.
We think that qualifies as a pretty solid foundation.
“Being up 7-0, the energy was so high after that, we just kind of used that as momentum and kept scoring,” he said.
The kickoff return was the result of some pretty intense film study.
“The whole week we watched their (GA's) kickoff on film and saw how they approached their kicks and who was blocking, and everything worked out perfectly,” Cadden said. “When I started running there was a wide open hole and they set up their blocks perfectly. I don’t think I was touched, it was so wide open.”
Then again, Cadden could have also studied some of his own film from last year when he returned two kicks for touchdowns.
Cadden is a slot back, but he also carries the ball quite a bit.
EA senior TJ Cadden moves the chains for the Churchmen - PSD Video by Lou Rabito
EA senior TJ Cadden - PSD Photos by Lou Rabito
“He is phenomenal,” Episcopal Academy coach Todd Fairlie said of Cadden. “He does a little bit of everything and he does everything well.”
The coach wasn’t kidding.
Cadden scored the first three touchdowns for the Churchmen, adding runs of 8 and 6 yards in the first quarter.
The lead would expand to 35-0 at halftime on a 10-yard touchdown run by junior Zeke Kane and
a 16-yard run by junior Chris Purnell.
All in all, it was a strong debut for the Churchmen (6-0, 1-0), who host Penn Charter on Friday.
PICK TWO: KEY DEFENSIVE MOVE PAVES THE WAY FOR HAVERFORD SCHOOL WIN
Before his team’s Inter-Ac opener with Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Haverford School coach Brian Martin made a defensive adjustment that paid dividends.
Martin placed Ryan Getz, a 5-11, 153-pound senior, at safety and he became a tackling machine.
“Ryan Getz filled in at safety for us this week and did a nice job helping with the run and the pass,” said Martin, as his team improved to 6-0, 1-0. We had some competition and personnel moves and he was up for the challenge and wanted to get on the field.”
Now the challenge will be getting Getz off the field after he registered nine tackles and another six assists.
Getz was playing mostly slot receiver earlier in the season, but now he gives Martin yet another defensive option.
And on this defense, there is plenty of competition to make tackles.
Haverford School’s leading tackler was senior linebacker Louie Atkinson (6-2, 205), who had 11 tackles, including one of loss, and five assists.
As for the offense, it took time to get rolling, but once it did, the ground and pound worked to perfection. And the passing game was also effective.
After a scoreless first quarter, senior Gavin Wright found junior tight end Shawn Brodnik on a 13-yard scoring pass.
#11 Ryan Getz, Haverford School senior - PSD Photo by James Quinn
A beautiful catch by Matt Brosko, called out of bounds - PSD Video by James Quinn
After SCH tied the score, Haverford School went up for good scored on a short touchdown run late in the second quarter and added two more in the third.
Junior Matt Brosko, who runs much harder than his 5-9, 180-pound frame suggests, rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
Wright also rushed for a short TD and was an efficient 5 of 7 for 44 yards and the one touchdown passing.
Freshman Jaidyn Rivera chipped in with 50 yards on nine carries.
All in all, it was a solid effort as the Fords prepare for Saturday’s 1 p.m. showdown at Malvern Prep.
PICK THREE: CALLING ALL SENIORS AT SPRINGSIDE CHESTNUT HILL ACADEMY
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy coach Rick Knox saw plenty of positives in the Blue Devils’ opening 28-7 loss to Haverford School.
“The score wasn’t indicative of how close the game was,” he said.
He was right.
It was just 14-7 at halftime but two third quarter touchdowns gave the Fords the distance they needed.
Knox isn’t into moral victories but he has been around long enough to realize that even in defeat, there can be overall gains.
“Haverford is one of the top teams in Southeastern Pennsylvania and it’s positive to know if we played a little cleaner we could be in a close game with them with a chance to win,” Knox said.
Left unsaid is how relatively inexperienced SCH is this year.
On the experience meter, SCH will come out on the short end against virtually anybody.
There are just four seniors on the team.
The fightin’ four are wide receiver-safety-punter Tommy Andrews (5-10, 170), two-way lineman Brandon Trent (6-2, 220), two-way lineman Darrion Rascoe (5-11, 235) and C-DL Grant Guzik (5-11, 250).
The seniors take their leadership role seriously, especially since there are so few of them.
Haverford School vs. Springside Chestnut Hill Academy - PSD Photos by James Quinn
“One hundred percent,” Andrews said. “We do take that leadership role seriously but everybody is stepping up as leaders, even the juniors and sophomores.”
Andrews said the four seniors have formed quite a bond.
“We have been playing since freshman year and we are all pretty tight,” he said.
One of the great stats that will never find its way in the statistic column was provided by Andrews in the offseason.
He led the team in attendance during offseason workouts.
“My goal was to lead the team in offseason workouts,” he said.
Actually, few players in the Inter-Ac are asked to do more. Against Haverford School, Andrews was on the field for every play.
Besides also being the punter, he is on all the other special teams.
“The weather was in the high 60’s, low 70’s and it got hot,” Andrews said.
Yet not too hot to have him leave the field. That’s where attending all those offseason workouts, really paid off.
SCH scored its touchdown on a 1-yard pass from the junior combination of quarterback Tommy Markey to tight end Danny Reagan.
PICK FOUR: BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD FOR GA
Germantown Academy coach Matt Dence has been around long enough to know how competitive his league is, but after going 5-0 in non-conference play, he thought the Patriots were ready for the rigors of Inter-Ac competition.
That’s why it was humbling to suffer a 49-7 loss to Episcopal Academy.
Of course he also understands that there is nothing else to do but move forward and prepare for Saturday’s 1 p.m. game at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.
“Looking at the film, I am disappointed,” Dence said. “I thought two 5-0 teams were more evenly matched, but we were beaten in all three phases of the game.”
Assessments don’t get more forthcoming than that.
The lone touchdown came on an Anthony Lara 5-yard run.
Germantown Academy vs. Episcopal Academy - PSD Gallery by Lou Rabito
Dence had praise for his quarterback, senior Tristan Machado, a second-year starter.
“He was tough as they come at quarterback and made some nice plays,” Dence said.
Despite a tough loss, the veteran coach remained positive.
“We’ve got a good football team, we just didn’t play well,” he said. “We will bounce back.”
PICK FIVE: TOUGH OPENER FOR PENN CHARTER
Talk about difficult openers.
All Penn Charter had to do was face defending Inter-Ac champion Malvern Prep in it first league game.
This is a Malvern Prep team that doesn’t appear eager to relinquish its title very easily.
So the opening result wasn’t overly surprising – Malvern Prep 35, Penn Charter 0.
“We were beaten in every aspect of the game,” Penn Charter coach Tom Coyle said.
The Quakers won their first four games of the season, but ran into buzz-saws the last two weeks, losing 31-10 to Lawrenceville and then to Malvern Prep.
Penn Charter vs. Malvern Prep - PSD Gallery by Patty Morgan
“Malvern Prep is the best team in the league until proven otherwise,” Coyle said. “We have to shake this out of our system.”
All teams have injuries, but the Quakers have really missed junior running back Ohifame Ijeboi, who has been sidelined with injury. Coyle said it is not known if or when he will return this season.
PICK SIX: MANY HAPPY RETURNS FOR MALVERN PREP
Malvern Prep got off to a good start in defense of its Inter-Ac title with the aforementioned 35-0 win over Penn Charter.
Two of the Friars’ touchdown came on returns, with senior Cam Paquette scoring on a 32-yard interception return in the first quarter and sophomore Jake Bower adding a 40-yard interception return at the end of the first half.
While the D was suffocating, the offense did its share. Senior Ryan Falkenstein opened the scoring with a 33-yard touchdown reception from sophomore Skylar Smith.
Smith was lost for the game in the second quarter with a twisted knee.
Malvern Prep senior Cam Paquette #2 - PSD Photo by Patty Morgan
So the Friars went from young to younger at quarterback, with freshman Jackson Melconian (5-11, 160) taking over.
Melconian had replaced Smith earlier in the year during a 17-13 win over Imhotep when the sophomore suffered a hand injury.
Malvern Prep senior Yaahdir Nash #17- PSD Photo by Patty Morgan
Against Penn Charter, Melconian threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to junior Chris Lake, who at 6-4 and 190-pounds, is a pretty inviting target.
The other touchdown was a 35-yard run by explosive 5-10, 175-pound senior Yaahdir Nash, his fifth rushing touchdown of the season.
For good measure, junior place kicker Jack Pioszay connected on all five PATs.
This was a game where coach Dave Gueriera got to get a lot of players into the game, which helps for building future depth.
On Saturday the Friars will host Haverford School in a 1 p.m. game between teams that are 6-0, 1-0.
“Every time you get in a game like with with high emotion and intensity you have to be disciplined and can’t make mistakes,” Gueriera said about facing Haverford School. “You have to capitalize on turnovers you create.”
The Friars certainly did that in their Inter-Ac opener.