Penn Charter Football - PSD File Photo
Malvern Prep Football: PSD File Photo
INTER-ACADEMIC LEAGUE GAME OF THE WEEK
Who: Malvern Prep vs. Penn Charter
When: 3:45 PM Friday, October 12
Where: Penn Charter High School, Philadelphia, PA
Records: Malvern Prep 6-0; Penn Charter 4-1
Most Recent Performance: Malvern whipped Avon Grove, 35-7; Penn Charter dispatched Blair Academy (NJ), 45-21.
Importance: This is the league opener for both squads. A loss here, and the best a team can hope for is an eventual tie, and Inter-Ac coaches and players will admit both on and off the record that they can’t stand sharing a title.
All-Time Record: Malvern Prep leads, 44-24-1.
Malvern Prep Notes:The Friars (6-0) are a team loaded with four returning senior first-team, all-league selections on offense (quarterback Drew Gunther, wide receiver Keith Maguire, lineman Jake Hornibrook, and all-purpose performer Quincy Watson) and two seniors on defense (linebacker Keith Maguire and back TyGee Leach) . . . Senior Nick Gueriera is a second-team linebacker and leads the team in rushing with 275 yards and five touchdowns . . . Gunther is among the area’s finest, with 79 completions for 1,338 yards and 13 scores, including tossing a three-spot in consecutive games and a school-record 386 yards against Berks Catholic . . . Malvern’s receivers are difficult to stop. Senior Ryan Iacone (22 catches for 340 yards), Leach (7 for 301), sophomore Lonnie White (16-256), and junior Ryan Maguire (9-216) share the spotlight . . . Aforementioned senior Keith Maguire is the undisputed leader on a defense that has intercepted 12 passes. Maguire, who joins junior teammate James Hayes for a team-leading three picks (junior Cade Szostek and Leach have two apiece), has committed to play at Clemson University next year. He has already scored eight touchdowns – four rushing, two receiving, and two on interception returns.
Penn Charter Notes: The Quakers have won three straight and have scored 35 or more points in four games . . . Senior Eddie Saydee is one of the best in the business at both running back and defensive back. He will remain local at the next level, having committed to Temple University. Thanks in part to sophomore center Ryan Wreath, Saydee has averaged more than 10 yards per carry (70 for 768) and has found the end zone on 15 occasions – 11 via rush, two by kickoff, one by punt, and another by interception. Now the all-time record holder for PC rushing yards, Saydee currently has a three-game streak of scoring four touchdowns, believed to be a Quaker first . . . Junior Kyle Jones plays quarterback and moves the chains with his legs, highlighted by five touchdown rushes . . . With senior linebacker Terence Thompson out with a leg injury, PC’s defense has remained strong behind Saydee at safety, Jones and sophomore Dean Bergmann at linebacker, senior Ryan Maloney at end, and senior cornerback Brendan Thomas.
FRIAR CHAT: “This game is very important for our team,” said senior left tackle Jake Hornibrook. “It’s the first game of the Inter-Ac, which is what we have been preparing for all year. To win Friday, we need to execute the game plan. We are well prepared for this game. We just need to come ready to play.”
“This game is important to us as a program because it sets the tone for our second season,” said senior free safety TyGee Leach. “League play is what we’ve been preparing for all season, and now the time is here to show the rest of the league how special our team is this year. For us to win this game, we will have to execute our game plan and dominate in all three phases of the game.
Malvern Prep Football Highlights - By Zamani Feelings
We have to come into this game physically and mentally ready to do what we have to do.”
“This game is one that we’ve had circled all season because it’s our first Inter-Ac game and Penn Charter is a great team,” said senior defensive tackle John Turley. “We gave them their only loss last year so they’re definitely going to come out strong. Everyone always hears it from Coach (Dave Gueriera). We just need to do our jobs and execute the little things.”
“This is a huge game for us,” said senior linebacker and wide receiver Keith Maguire. “It’s the first game of the Inter-Ac and we need to start off on the right foot. I need to do my job on defense and play my game. They have a very talented running back, so it will be a good game playing against him. On offense I just need play my game. I need to block hard and run my routs hard and I know Drew (Gunther) will find me. It’s a huge game for us, and I know we will be ready to play.”
QUAKER CHAT:“To us, this is essentially a championship game, and that’s how we have been treating it all week,” said junior quarterback and linebacker Kyle Jones. “In our eyes the winner Friday is the favorite to win out and be champions of the whole league. Personally, I’ve never been more excited for a game in my life because we have a chance to knock off the former champs and set the tone for the rest of our games. They have a lot of talent all over the field, but if we stick to our game plan, trust in our coaches, and attack their weak spots, I believe we have a great shot at winning.”
“This game is as important as a playoff or championship game,” said senior running back and safety Eddie Saydee. “Malvern feels that they are the best team in the Inter-AC; we feel that we are the best. It’ll be a great game to watch, but an even better one to play in. In order to win, we plan to keep our offense on the field more than theirs in order to control the pace of the game. On offense, we want to give the ball to our skilled players.
Penn Charter Football Highlights - Video by Zamani Feelings
On defense, we plan to put them in uncomfortable situations like third and long, make open-field tackles, and try not to let anything go over the top. Overall, we plan to make them play PC football instead of Malvern football.”
“This game is very important for all of us as a team,” said sophomore safety and running back Matt Marshall. “You have seniors who won’t play this team again, so we have to give it our all. In order for us to win, we have to be able to stay positive, communicate, be smart, and play as hard as we can. This team is very physical and we can match their physicality. We have to play at a fast pace. We’ve been preaching ‘win’ all week, and we all are looking forward to winning.”
“This game is a championship-level game for us,” said senior defensive end and tight end Ryan Maloney. “It’s a must-win game. We are 4-1 right now and they are undefeated, so this will really be a competitive game for us. They have some playmakers, but so do we and in order to win, we have to make some big plays on offense. On defense, we have to force some turnovers and make it difficult for them to throw the ball on us.”
Prediction: Even though Penn Charter is an excellent squad and will be playing at home, wouldn’t it be kind of silly to pick Malvern to lose right now? Yep. But there’s something going on with the Quakers that suggests an upset is brewing. No one is picking them to hand the mighty Friars a loss, except yours truly. In a classic, Penn Charter wins late, 26-23.
(John Knebels can be reached at Jknebels@gmail.comor on Twitter @johnknebels.)