BY JEREMY GOODE

FORT WASHINGTON, PA--Last year, Germantown Academy finished last in their Inter-Ac schedule, 0-10.

Episcopal Academy finished 2-8, good enough for fifth place… second to last. Their two wins in the league? To Germantown Academy. 

Five games into Germantown Academy’s 2025-26 Inter-Ac schedule, they are 3-2, after most recently earning a double digit win against defending league champion William Penn Charter, as the Patriots beat the Quakers 66-53 at home on Fri., Jan. 23 in front of a packed gymnasium. 

Not to mention, their third league win came at the expense of their arch rival, a rivalry that has dated back 139 years and is in fact the oldest continuous prep school rivalry. 

It is significant even for the newcomers to the school like captain James Brenner, who is a junior transfer from Unionville High School. 

“I’m new this year, but the rivalry is insane,” Brenner said. “They’ve [teammates] been talking about it the whole time.”

It is certainly hard to imagine something lasting as long as the PC/GA rivalry has lasted. It was a different world back in 1887 — the 19th century. The Wright brothers would not conduct their first successful flight for 16 years. North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington were not admitted to the Union until two years after this rivalry between the two prep schools began. And indeed, the sport of basketball itself was not invented until four years after the PC/GA school rivalry was put in place. 

The list goes on. 

One thing that has remained the same for the past 139 years? A deep competitiveness.

Historically, there is a lot to be envious of if you are Penn Charter reflecting on Germantown Academy’s boy’s basketball program. Until his retirement in 2018, Germantown Academy boy’s basketball team was led for 30 years by legendary coach Jim Fenerty. During his tenure, Fenerty won over 600 games, 17 Inter-Ac titles, and one state championship in 2013. 

However, the rivalry tally has been pretty one sided in the opposite direction over the past few years, and that’s putting it mildly. Penn Charter had won the last nine outings between the schools, 

“They’ve been kicking our butts for the past five years,” junior Finn Reckner said. “So, finally, to get it back is huge.”

Germantown Academy had been looking for the next Jim Fenerty for six years. They may have finally found that guy in first-year head coach John Cox, who has already flipped the program positively only five games into their league schedule. 

The biggest difference in Germantown Academy’s win against Penn Charter? Shooting. 

Germantown Academy made at least two three pointers in every quarter, and finished with 12. Penn Charter made five three pointers, but on 31 attempts. 

Of the eight players that saw the court for Germantown Academy, five of them made at least one three pointer. It was Reckner who set the tone, as 15 of his 16 points came off of shots beyond the arc. 

Interestingly enough, he was cold going into the rivalry game. 

“Throughout our past four games,  I’ve been really struggling from three, I was shooting 2-19,” Reckner said.

Reckner shot 50 percent from beyond the arc, a major increase from his 10 percent shooting in league play prior to the Penn Charter game. 

“We try to play fast, I want to play with pace,” Cox said. “We want guys to play aggressive, be confident. If you’re open, shoot the ball. And if not, you’re playing with your teammate.”

When Germantown Academy is at their best, Brenner sees the formula that makes it hard for other teams to keep up.

“We do a lot of stuff. We drive, we kick, we shoot, I mean, we can do it all,” Brenner said. “We just have to come ready every game. I thought we were really prepared coming into the game today.”

While Germantown Academy maintained their high level of shooting and defense, they improved their rebounding in the second half on both ends.

After securing an eight-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, Germantown Academy hit seven free throws to hold onto their lead, four coming from Brenner. Brenner scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter. Senior captain Mick McKee scored throughout the game, getting to the rim off the dribble from the top of the key often, and he scored 12 points. 

The win against Penn Charter places Germantown Academy momentarily in third in the Inter-Ac and two games behind first place Haverford. Cox, Brenner, and Reckner all raved about the support, noting that the atmosphere made a difference in the end result. 

“This has been going on forever, the rivalry,” Cox said. “Regardless of what the stakes were, it was going to be a tough game. The guys just really, really competed their tails off. Not that Penn Charter didn’t; they did as well. But, I thought we defended well. Our defense was really good.”