Germantown Academy Football - PSD File Photo
Springside Chestnut Hill Football - PSD File Photo
INTER-AC LEAGUE GAME OF THE WEEK
Who: Springside-Chestnut Hill Academy vs. Germantown Academy
When: 1:30 PM Saturday, October 20
Where: Germantown Academy High School
Records: SCHA 6-2, 0-1; Germantown Academy 5-1, 0-1
Most Recent Performance: SCHA dropped a 35-26 decision at Episcopal Academy; Germantown Academy fell to visiting Haverford School, 38-11
Importance: It’s an Inter-Ac game. Enough said. While it’s not realistic to imagine first-place Malvern Prep losing two games, it’s within the possibility for the Friars to lose one and create an eventual tie for the crown, which means that both of these squads find themselves in a must-win situation.
All-Time Record: Germantown Academy leads, 29-23-3.
SCHA Notes: The chemistry between second-team all-league senior QB Aaron Angelos (70 for 121, 1,269 yards, 17 touchdowns) and senior first-team all-league WR Pat Elliott has resulted in 23 completions for 425 yards and seven touchdowns, but what’s scary is, Angelos’ connection with junior Ke’Shawn Williams has been even more productive, with 32 snares for 636 yards, nine receiving TDs, and 13 altogether . . . Junior Aaron Rascoe’s 619 yards on 65 carries includes 520 yards on 50 hauls over the past four games . . . Defensively, the Blue Devils have intercepted eight passes. Mainstays include senior end Brian Richardson, senior cornerback Phil Wrede, senior cornerback Rob Gentile, junior middle linebacker Nick Shragher, and the aforementioned duo of Rascoe and Elliott at safety and outside linebacker, respectively.
Germantown Academy Notes: Win or lose against the Patriots, teams are going to be reaching for Tylenol because this team is physical. The line play of four-year-starting senior tackles Elijah Wroten and Justin Wajda, and senior guard Avery Samuels has helped junior Trae Vance accrue 692 yards and eight touchdowns rushing . . . Senior QB Matt Brittingham replaced injured starting sophomore Jordan Longino(out for the season with a knee injury) last week and completed 16 of 30 for 157 yards and a score. He will rely on sophomore wide-out Jerry Griffen-Batchler(25 catches for 375 yards and five touchdowns) . . . On defense, Duke University-bound tackle Wroten again leads the way, along with senior linebacker Jack Sheridan, junior rover (linebacker/safety hybrid) Shane Harkins, and senior cornerback Gunnar Bogorowski.
BLUE DEVIL CHAT: “GA is always a big match-up for us,” said senior quarterback Aaron Angelos. “We are looking forward to getting back on track in the league this week following a tough loss on Friday. Our team is very motivated. We are confident on both sides of the ball. Offensively we have been able to score a lot of points this season, and we’re looking to do that again this week."
“This game could make or break our season,” said senior wide receiver/outside linebacker Pat Elliott. “We're ready to put our team back on track after last week. The games against GA have been very competitive in the past, but we have a stronger, tougher team this year. We want to make people realize how good we are, and we want to do it by getting a huge win over GA.”
SCHA Football Highlight Video - By Zamani Feelings
“Last week’s loss against Episcopal has given us a vengeful attitude and a chip on our shoulder to play and practice with extra intensity this week,” said senior running back and cornerback Rob Gentile. “Germantown Academy has always been one of our biggest rivals over the years, and it’s very motivating for us to play them on their home field. Our team is feeling confident on both sides of the ball and can’t wait for this big matchup against GA.”
PATRIOT CHAT: “This game is going to give off a vibe that is unlike any game we’ve played this year,” said senior right tackle Justin Wajda. “We hadn’t experienced a loss as a team this year and it truly threw us off. We sat down as a team and talked everything out that was on our minds. We assured ourselves that as a unit we would not let that happen again. I fully believe we are going to be a completely different team coming into this week.
“We all felt pretty disappointed after our last game, but we knew that it wasn’t our best and that we can do better,” said senior guard Avery Samuels. “We had our first practice of the week today, and I feel as though we are all on the same page as to what we have to do in order to be successful. This week we are taking everything day by day, grinding every day, and focusing on winning each day individually while knowing that SCH is our goal right now.
GA Football Highlight Video - By Zamani Feelings
“We aren’t worried about any other team besides them. This game means a lot to us, especially us seniors since this is the last time we will ever play SCH and one of the last times we get to suit up next to each other.”
“This game is really important for us because we need to get back on track after last week’s setback against Haverford,” said senior wide receiver Gavin Derham. “SCH is always a close game and I’m really looking forward to it. The crowd should be great, too, because both schools usually show out. We have four more weeks left of the season, and we just have to make sure we are playing our best football come November.”
Prediction: Both squads were world-beaters until dropping their league openers in what, at the time, seemed like upsets. The offense of SCHA – very strong in both running and throwing – appears to be too much for the Patriots to handle, plus GA is still getting accustomed to a new quarterback. Despite playing on the road, Springside-Chestnut Hill will upend Germantown Academy, 32-20.
(John Knebels can be reached at Jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)