Inter-Ac Notebook (4/22)
Bickel shines for Malvern Prep; Haverford School’s Morsell with a big effort; Episcopal Academy’s Keegan Nash talks recruiting, SCH with a split last week, young players scoring for Penn Charter; PAISAA to add two powerhouse teams.
Photos/Videos: Marc Narducci, Ryan Nix, Grayson Rupp, & Michael Szczepkowski
By: Marc Narducci
Inter-Ac Standing (through April 18)
Episcopal Academy 4-0
Malvern Prep 3-1
Haverford School 3-1
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 2-2
Germantown Academy 0-4
Penn Charter 0-4
Bickel shines for Malvern Prep
HAVERFORD, PA -- In a game between two of the best teams in the area if not beyond, Malvern Prep senior Jake Bickel stood out in a group of heavyweights.
Yes, both Malvern Prep and Haverford School, as they routinely do, fielded teams that resembled All-Star squads.
The talent on the field was plentiful and that made Bickel’s performance in Malvern Prep’s 10-9 win in OT at Haverford School that much more impressive.
Marc Narducci catches up with Malvern Prep senior Jake Bickel after his OT Game-winning goal vs. Haverford School:
On this day, he was clearly the best player on the field. That’s a tough distinction, but Bickel went beyond what the stat sheet said and that also spoke volumes.
He ended with four goals including the game-winner with 1:29 left in OT. In addition. Bickel had two assists.
He scored a hat trick by halftime, when Malvern was just trying to stay in the game. Then for a while he was held in check before getting two crisp assists on goals by Dan Riely, the second which gave the Friars a 9-8 lead with 1:23 left in regulation.
Of course, nobody expected Haverford School to just fold at that point, but even by the Fords’ standards, the way they sent the game into overtime was truly impressive.
As time was winding down, sophomore Conor Morsell took an excellent feed from senior Penn commit Reese Childs. Running on goal, Morsell deposited the tying goal at a difficult angle with 3.8 seconds left in regulation.
While it would have been easy for Malvern Prep to put its collective heads down, the Friars did the more prudent thing – they gave the ball to Bickel and let him operate.
He got in a one-on-one situation on the left side, bought himself enough room and then cranked up a blistering shot from about 20 yards out.
Game over.
Bickel’s biggest challenge then was eluding what seemed like hundreds of Malvern Prep players looking to congratulate him during the spontaneous post-game celebration.
More than the skill he showed was the fact that in every crucial instance, Bickel wanted the ball, wanted to be the person who decided the outcome.
“He played with a lot of confidence and that is what he does,” Malvern Prep coach Matt Mackrides said of Bickel. “He’s a very tough guard for anybody and that kind of confidence, you can’t coach and sometimes you can’t coach that ability either.”
Mackrides said that Malvern Prep has many players with the ability to take over a game, but this was clearly Bickel’s day.
Malvern Prep vs. Haverford School - PSD Highlights by Marc Narducci
Jake Bickel talks about the intensity of playing against The Haverford School - PSD Video by Marc Narducci
“We have a lot of guys that are capable, but the game he was having, it was kind of predestined there,” Mackrides said.
Bickel, who is a Georgetown commit, savored being part of another great chapter is one of the great rivalries in any sport.
“Every time game-day against Haverford it feels a little different, it feels like it is worth a little more, we’re rivals in the Inter-Ac,” he said. “…It’s always a wonderful game, always close, always a battle so we just love those games.”
More on Malvern Prep
Besides Bickel and the two goals from Riely, a junior Cornell commit, sophomore attack Daniel Lucovich scored twice, and single goals were scored by freshman Joey Murphy and senior Owen Mears (Duke).
Malvern followed that up with a 13-1 win over Penn Charter. Mears, Murphy and senior Mike Ortlieb (Duke) each had two goals for the Friars.
Plenty of top performer for Haverford School vs Malvern Prep
In Haverford School’s loss to Malvern Prep, there were plenty of outstanding performances. Morsell scored a hat trick and added one assist. Senior Evan Large (Rutgers) had two goals and an assist along with five ground balls and senior Reed Campbell (Trinity College) scored twice. Sophomore Chris Burnetta and senior Max Fertels (Washington & Lee) each had a goal and senior Griff Meyer (Virginia) was 14 of 20 on faceoffs.
Haverford School senior Evan Large #23 - PSD Photo by Mike Nance
Haverford School coach Brendan Dawson was philosophical in defeat.
“It was two good teams going at it and we have a ton of respect for them,” Dawson said. “Our kids know a lot of their kids and have relationships with them and so there is a lot of mutual respect between two places and two good teams.”
During its next game, Haverford School beat Germantown Academy, 21-4.
Freshman Henry Ingersoll had 10 ground balls and was 10 of 12 on faceoffs. Burnetta, Morsell and Fertels each scored a hat trick.
Episcopal Academy’s Nash talks recruiting, and Rutgers
Junior midfielder Keegan Nash has played a major role in Episcopal Academy winning its first four Inter-Ac games of the season.
As with many top players, Nash got his recruiting situation settled early in his junior season.
Nash committed to Rutgers on September 25, and as with many recruits, it ended a frenzied period.
Episcopal Academy junior Keegan Nash #6 - PSD Photo by Ryan Nix
“It was crazy because you can’t talk to coaches until September (of your junior year) and then you have to juggle a bunch of different schools,” Nash said. “Talking to coaches the first few days was really tiring, you are on the phone the whole time, but it makes it worth it.”
Nash said he felt fortunate to have many schools recruiting him.
“It’s a lot, but it’s a great problem to have,” he said. “It’s a huge honor when a coach wants to be able to reach out to you and it was a really awesome, great experience.”
He said he chose Rutgers for many reasons, but one stood out.
“The team culture they have there is great,” he said.
The fact that Rutgers plays in the Big 10 and is less than a two-hour drive, were other factors.
Nash wasn’t sure what to expect when the phone calls from coaches started coming in.
“There were probably more schools than I expected,” he said. “I definitely put in the work, and I was really happy that coaches were able to look at me as a possible prospect.”
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Episcopal Academy won its two Inter-Ac games last week, beating Germantown Academy, 14-4 and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 14-8.
Junior Parker Smith (West Point) scored five goals against Germantown Academy while Nash added two goals and one assist.
In the win over SCH, Smith scored five times, junior Jackson Orcutt (Georgetown) had four goals and Nash contributed two goals and one assist.
Junior David Brickman (Fairfield) had one goal, three ground balls and six caused turnovers while junior Rees Piontek (Brown) was 7 of 14 on faceoffs and added an assist.
Episcopal Academy vs. Germantown Academy - PSD Photos by Ryan Nix
A split for SCH
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, which has been very competitive this season, split its Inter-Ac games last week. The Blue Devils began with a 15-1 win over Penn Charter as junior Spencer Meile (Navy) led the way with four goals and one assist and junior Zach Silverman scored a hat trick.
Junior Henry Bertelsen (Johns Hopkins) was 13 of 14 on faceoffs, had seven ground balls and one assist while junior Cole Carberry (Brown) provided two goals and two assists and Micah Weiman scored twice.
Young Scorers for Penn Charter
It’s been a tough season for Penn Charter, a young team that is hoping to use the experience from this season for the future.
In last week’s 16-5 loss to Episcopal Academy, all the goals were scored by non-seniors Junior Michael Banks and sophomore Jack Sheward each scored twice while freshman Charlie McNamee had a single goal.
Penn Charter vs. Springside Chestnut Hill - PSD Photos by Grayson Rupp
Donovan continues to excel for GA
Even though a young Germantown Academy team has struggled, senior goalie Jack Donovan (Michigan) has continued to provide outstanding play.
In losses last week to Episcopal Academy and Haverford School, Donovan totaled 48 saves, including 28 against Episcopal.
In that game, junior Ryan Maxwell scored twice for the Patriots. Senior Sean Walsh contributed a goal and an assist and junior Rowan Harbert scored once.
In the loss to Haverford School, sophomore Chris Weber scored twice, freshman Landon Amorim provided a goal and an assist and junior Paul Rambo scored the other goal.
Germantown Academy senior goalie Jack Donovan #12 - PSD Photo by Michael Szczepkowski
Haverford School, Malvern Prep to compete in PAISAA
Last year Haverford School and Malvern Prep both competed in the National Prep Tournament at Loyola University in Baltimore after the Inter-Ac season.
This year both have decided to compete in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) tournament.
That should certainly add to the quality of the tournament.
Westtown beat Episcopal Academy, 14-13 in last year’s championship game.