Photos/Videos: Mike Nance, Lennie Malmgren & Ryan Nix
By: Marc Narducci
After another successful non-league schedule, the Inter-Ac football teams got down to business last week for the beginning of a five-week journey into some of the most competitive football this area offers.
Each Inter-Ac week is like a mini-playoff, especially since there are only five of them.
The Inter-Ac teams went 22-8 in non-league play, a testament to the strength of the league.
Here is our opening look at opening Inter-Ac week. Buckle up as league play has begun and so has our Pick-6 Inter-Ac Coverage.
Pick 1: Haverford School’s Campbell-Williams makes the right business decision
Haverford School senior Colin Campbell-Williams has been a key contributor at linebacker, but there was something that always made him want to go to the other side of the ball.
In the past, he has played a little receiver, but the 6-foot, 191-pound Campbell-Williams always had a desire to carry the ball. He was persuasive enough to have coach Brian Martin and his staff give him a try.
“We had been going with that one side of the ball mentality, and the last couple of years we had the luxury of doing that,” Martin said. “This year we were like, ‘we need to play guys both ways.’”
One of those guys was Campbell-Williams.
The more Martin sees Campbell-Williams run the ball, the more he likes it.
“He’s coming into his own, getting his feel making the right cuts and hitting the hole hard,” Martin said. “It’s not easy, though.”
Campbell-Williams has made it look easy. In Haverford School’s opening 40-26 win over Germantown Academy in a back-and-forth game, Campbell-Williams was a dominant force.
Haverford School’s Colin Campbell-Williams talks about scoring 3 touchdown's in opening league victory vs. GA - PSD Video by Marc Narducci
Haverford School senior #24 Colin Campbell-Williams - PSD Photo by Mike Nance
Campbell-Williams’ performance will be even more needed since standout running back Jaidyn Rivera was sidelined during the game with an ankle injury. Rivera rushed for 102 yards on 12 carries and scored on a spectacular 26-yard run.
Campbell-Williams rushed for 192 yards on 18 carries and scored on runs of 3, 3 and 5 yards. His 5-yard run with 1:43 left ended the scoring and sealed the win for the Fords.
For years, Campbell-Williams dreamed of carrying the ball and now he is getting the chance.
“It was a business decision,” he said about adding running back duties. “I just wanted to play a little offense this year.”
Even though he never played running back before, Campbell-Williams tries to keep things simple.
“You just run where the other guys aren’t,” he said.
Good strategy.
Haverford School vs. Germantown Academy - Second Half Highlights by Marc Narducci
In addition, junior quarterback Zach Faragalli, making his second start, rushed for 15 yards and two touchdowns on three carries. He also threw for 94 yards, while Jude McClave added four receptions for 58 yards.
Led by senior defensive lineman Walt Frazier (6-3, 285), Haverford School limited Germantown Academy to 10 second half points. The defense will keep Haverford School in many games and the young offense continues to gain its footing, led by Campbell-Williams.
He has become a quick learner at a new position and already he has quickly discovered how to navigate himself quite frequently into the end zone.
Next: Friday at Malvern Prep, 7 p.m.
Pick 2: Penn Charter strong in defeat
After going 5-0 in non-league games, Penn Charter found itself in a dogfight in its Inter-Ac opener before losing to Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 21-7.
The game came down to the fourth quarter. Penn Charter, on the basis of a 25-yard scoring pass from junior Tom McGlinchey to senior Tate Taylor, trailed SCH, 14-7 entering the fourth quarter.
With about 11 minutes left in the game, Penn Charter was driving for the tying score, with the ball on the SCH 25-yard line. Then a couple of penalties moved the ball back and the Quakers couldn’t overcome them.
“We had a chance but didn’t get it done in the fourth quarter,” Penn Charter coach Tom Coyle said.
McGlinchey had a big game for Penn Charter against a stingy SCH defense, completing 13-of-25 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown. He has thrown 10 touchdown passes this season in six games.
Penn Charter junior QB #8 Tom McGlinchey - PSD Photo by Ryan Nix
Against SCH, Taylor had two receptions for 76 yards, including the TD. Senior Eian Kilpatrick had four receptions for 57 yards and Matt Furda added four catches for 50 yards.
On the other side of the ball, Kilpatrick had an interception, his third of the year.
Senior linebacker and tackling machine Hugh Maley led the defensive effort with 11 tackles and one forced fumble and junior linebacker Jaden Black added eight tackles and two sacks.
“The difference was that they ran at us, and we weren’t able to stop the run,” Coyle said.
SCH ran for more than 300 yards.
A positive note was that Penn Charter caused two turnovers and didn’t commit any. If the Quakers continue to play this mistake-free ball, they could reap the benefits moving forward.
Next: Saturday vs Episcopal Academy, 2 p.m.
Pick 3: Getting the line on SCH
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy got plenty of push up front in its opening 21-7 win over Penn Charter. The offensive line was dominant in helping the Blue Devils rush for more than 300 yards
“The offensive line is where it starts,” said veteran SCH coach Rick Knox. “This is the best line I have had in a while.”
The line consists of junior RT Kyle Cameron (6-3, 300), senior RG Matt McTamney (6-1, 250), junior C Kyle Knox (6-2, 275), senior LG Jeff Carter (5-10, 250) and senior LT Grayson Scott (6-4, 275).
The leader is Scott, a first-team All-Inter-Ac selection, who according to Knox is receiving FCS interest.
As for some of the other standouts, wide receiver Aaron Clark had five receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns. New starting quarterback Liam Zelman completed 7 of 9 passes for 85 yards and two scores. The 6-3, 215-pound Zelman ran for 125 yards on 14 carries. Finn Whittle rushed 190 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
Springside Chestnut Hill vs. Penn Charter - PSD Gallery by Ryan Nix
Knox was also happy with the way his defense played, stopping a high-scoring Penn charter offense.
Junior Harry Kull and sophomore Colin McFadden were both disruptive at linebacker as were junior defensive linemen Sadiek Willis and Amari Fallen.
Next: Saturday at Germantown Academy, 1 p.m.
Pick 4: A top QB at Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy junior Xavier Stearn is considered among the top quarterbacks in the area, and he showed why during the Patriots 40-26 loss at the Haverford School.
The 6-6, 210-pound Stearn completed 28 of 43 passes for 308 yards and one touchdown. He also had two 1-yard touchdown runs on quarterback sneaks.
Stearn was playing against a top-flight defense and several times he had to scramble away from a fierce pass rush.
“I thought we had a great game today, but we fell a little short,” Stearn said.
GA led 16-13 at halftime and trailed just 26-23 after Stearn scored on a quarterback sneak with 9:42 left in the fourth quarter.
This looks like an improved Germantown team under first-year coach Kyle Donahue.
The Pats have already matched last year’s win total when they went 4-5 and 0-5 in the Inter-Ac.
Not only do the Patriots seem to be improved, but the same can be said for Stearn.
“Xavier should be proud of his growth,” Donahue said. “To throw for more than 300 yards against one of the better defenses in the state, shows his growth as a complete quarterback.”
Haverford School vs. Germantown Academy - First-Half Highlights by Marc Narducci for PSD:
Haverford School vs. Germantown Academy - PSD Gallery by Mike Nance
Among the other standouts in the opener was sure-handed senior AJ Towsen, who had eight receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown. Junior Mike McKee had eight catches for 65 yards, while junior Jack Durkin recorded five receptions for 42 yards and rushed for 23 yards.
Senior Cole Grim had a signature moment, kicking a 50-yard field goal.
Next: vs. Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Pick 5: A Bright spot on the DL for Episcopal Academy
Episcopal Academy went 3-2 in the Inter-Ac last season, but the Churchmen were hit hard by graduation. Then to top that off, this young team had to open its league schedule against perennial Inter-Ac titan Malvern Prep, the defending league champ that doesn’t seem very interested in relinquishing its title.
Episcopal Academy hung in there early, training 7-0 after one quarter, but then Malvern hit another gear.
“They fumbled twice, and we were able to keep it close early,” EA coach Todd Fairlie said.
Then the depth of Malvern Prep took over.
Final: Malvern Prep 41, Episcopal Academy 0
“It was a humble learning experience,” Todd Fairlie said.
Episcopal Academy vs. Malvern Prep - PSD Gallery by Lennie Malmgren
One of the positives that came out of the game was the play of senior defensive end Garrett Hickey, who was all over the field, against a much bigger Malvern Prep offensive line.
“He was outstanding all night,” Fairlie said. “He is not a big kid but plays so hard.”
Next: Saturday at Penn Charter, 2 p.m.
Pick 6: Bauer set the tone for Malvern Prep
In Malvern Prep’s 41-0 win over Episcopal Academy, the tone setter was linebacker-running back Jake Bauer, who recovered two fumbles and scored on one of them and added a rushing touchdown. The 6-1, 220-pound Bauer, who is a Navy commit, was his usual swarming self.
“He had a couple of bone-crushing hits and that really made an impact,” Malvern Prep Dave Gueriera said of Bauer, who had three tackles.
Zade Johnson had a team-high five tackles, including a sack for a defense that limited EA to 63 total yards. Senior linebacker Ben Kumpon added an interception.
The offense also did its share led by junior QB Jackson Melconian. A Vanderbilt commit for baseball, Melconian completed 8-of-10 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns.
Episcopal Academy vs. Malvern Prep - Game Highlights by Lennie Malmgren for PSD:
“His command of the offense was really impressive,” Gueriera said.
Now it’s on to hosting rival Haverford School on Friday.
“It will be a heavyweight matchup for sure,” Gueriera said. “It’s a great rivalry.”
Next: Friday vs Haverford, 7 p.m.
Inter-Ac Standings:
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 1-0, 6-0
Haverford School 1-0, 4-2
Malvern Prep 1-0, 4-2
Penn Charter 0-1, 5-1
Germantown Academy 0-1, 4-2
Episcopal Academy 0-1, 2-4
Special Thanks to Ed “Huck” Palmer for providing Malvern Prep and Penn Charter stats, Dan Moyer for the Haverford School stats and the other Inter-Ac coaches for providing statistics.