Home Care In Garnet Valley, PA

EAST ROCKHILL >> Garnet Valley’s second-quarter surge Wednesday night assured the Jaguars go into states with a sharpened edge.

“We’ve had a tough schedule all year so our record (14-9) isn’t what we would like it to be, but we’re hot and playing good lacrosse right now,” said the Jaguars’ Kris Henning. “So we’re in a good spot.”

The 13th-seeded Jaguars went on a 7-1 run in the second quarter to pull away to a 13-7 victory over No. 3 Pennridge in the District 1-3A Fifth-Place Game at Helman Field.

The win means that Garnet Valley will take on District 12 Champ La Salle in the first round of the PIAA Tournament on Tuesday while the Rams, who captured the program’s first ever state berth this season, will take on District One Champion Springfield Delco in the first round.

Pennridge led 2-1 early on Wednesday on its home turf but then Garnet Valley shifted into its top gear.

“We got off to a slow start but we got our game together,” said Henning, who scored a hat trick for the Jags. “We started making plays up in transition and it felt good to get a win.

“The offense was moving, the defense was doing its job.”

Andrew Goldt scored a game-high five goals for a high-powered Garnet Valley attack. The Jaguars would build a 13-3 lead by the third quarter.

Despite the loss, the Rams are still in the midst of a tremendous season. Pennridge had locked up its first ever states spot with its victory over Conestoga.

“We were ecstatic. We broke the training table in the locker room jumping on it after the game,” said senior Ben Souder. “It was crazy in there.”

Souder and Drew Ferguson were the lone senior starters on a much improved squad in 2023.

“Guys got a year older and we returned nine guys. It was just everyone being used to each other and getting better over the summer,” said Souder.

Landmark wins over Central Bucks East and Central Bucks West helped spur the momentum.

Said Ferguson: “Beating them was monumental for the program. It kind of told us that this might be a special year.”

The Rams benefited from coach Chris Pianko’s first full offseason as coach (second year overall).

“I think we bought into what we were doing a little bit better. We were pretty young last year and another year of experience was huge,” said Pianko. “We’re executing better, we got a few good bounces along the way and we gained the confidence that we can play with some of these teams.”

District 1-3A Fifth-Place Game Garnet Valley 13, Pennridge 7 (13) Garnet Valley 1 7 5 0 – 13 (3) Pennridge 2 1 0 4 – 7 Garnet Valley goals-assists: Colin Smith 2-1; 14 Kris Henning 3-2; Andrew Goldt 5-2; Zach Myers 1-0; Josh Graham 1-2; Kai Lopez 1-0. Pennridge goals-assists: Frankie Fanelli 3-1; Levi Souder 1-2; Matt Seiler 1-0; Ryan Carickhoff 1-0; Rocco Fanelli 1-0.

BERWYN: After losing their first Central League game since 2017 last week to Strath Haven the Garnet Valley Jaguars were looking to bounce back and were ready to work. The Jaguars entered Friday Night’s Central League contest against the host Conestoga Pioneers has the 9th seed in the District 1 6A Playoffs, while the Pioneers entered the contest on the playoff bubble sitting at 15^th seed with the top 16 making it into the playoffs. In the end, it was the Jaguars who got back into the win column with a hard-fought 27-14 victory at Teamer Field.

“What I really liked was our guys showed up Monday ready to work.” Jaguars Head Coach Eric Van Wyk said, adding “They knew they didn’t get the job done last week and they were ready to work on building it this week.”

It was the Pioneers that came out swinging right from the opening kick taking their opening drive 68 yards on 14 plays behind the running of QB Jude Cook who accounted for 27 yards rushing on the drive but it was Tommy Costigan that capped the drive which ate nearly 8 minutes off the clock with a 7-yard touchdown run. Cook would finish the game with 91 yards rushing on 19 carries.

On their opening drive of the game, the Jaguars matched Pioneer going 69 yards on 14 plays all on the ground before Luke Vaughn bullied his way into the endzone from a yard out. But the Jaguars extra point was no good and the Pioneers led 7-6.

On the ensuing Pioneer drive, Cook took to the air connecting with Landon Ross for a 15-yard touchdown to extend their lead to 14-6. But the lead would be short-lived as on the ensuing Jaguar drive Tyler Lassik took to the air connecting with Dante DeVuono twice including a 13-yard touchdown the Jaguars would get the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14.

The Jaguars came out of the locker room strong to start the second half driving 74 yards on six plays including a 41 Lassik to Kai Lopez that put the Jaguars on the Pioneer 2 and on the next play Vaughn powered his way into the endzone giving the Jaguars the 20-14 lead.

It was a Vaughn interception that led to the final Jaguar score which was a five-yard touchdown run by Ronnie Leraris.

With under a minute to go and the Pioneers driving Lassik intercepted Cook to seal the deal for the Jaguars.

Lassik who returned to action last week after missing four games due to a high ankle sprain received high praise from his head coach. “Tyler is our leader he gets our offense and defense going. “ Van Wyk said, adding “I’m just really proud of him with how resilient he’s been with the injury and how he’s battled back and you saw it on display tonight.”

With the win the Jaguars improved to 6-2 and next week they will travel to Marple Newtown for a showdown with 7-1 Tigers. The Pioneers fall to 4-4 and will travel to Penncrest both games are scheduled to kickoff next Friday at 7 pm.

Tyler Lassik & GV coach Eric Van Wyk

GLEN MILLS, PA — There is a nuts-and-bolts quality to Garnet Valley senior quarterback Tyler Lassik. Whatever needs to be done, he’s willing to do it. Maybe that attitude comes from being the ninth and youngest of nine, and it explains why he wears the No. 9 for the Jaguars, the two-time defending PIAA District 1 Class 6A champs.

The Jags entered this year’s District 1 Class 6A tournament as the No. 8 seed. But they still hold that title until someone knocks them off, which is what visiting No. 9 seed Owen J. Roberts intended to do Friday night.

After some tense moments, Captain Nuts-and-Bolts Lassik, a two-year starter and three-year member of the Jags, bailed his team out by completing seven of eight passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-21 victory over the Wildcats (8-3).

Garnet Valley (9-2) now advances to the district quarterfinals to play what has turned into a District 1 rivalry with No. 1 seed undefeated Central Bucks West next Friday night at West’s historic War Memorial Stadium in a rematch of the season opener for both teams.

Garnet Valley and CB West will face each other for the fifth time in two years. The Jags have won three of the previous four games, which includes last year’s District 1 Class 6A championship and 2021 second-round victory over the Bucks on their way to the district crown. The explosive Bucks got back at Garnet Valley in their season opener, 17-13.

But the Jags were not going to be going anywhere if not for Lassik managing to pick apart the OJR defense in the first half and drain the clock in the second.

“We did find a way,” said Lassik, who rushed for 77 yards on 17 carries. “They showed a three-down front and they sent their linebackers a lot, so over the middle should be there with play-action. When you send a lot of guys, you can’t account for all the receivers. You just pinpoint your best matchup.”

Lassik was the long snapper as a sophomore and started as a defensive back as a junior, where he still starts.

He knows what it is like to win because it is all he has been used to at Garnet Valley. But this season the seniors wanted to put their stamp on the program, though still aware of what they are carrying as the two-time defending District 1 Class 6A champions.

“We talk about among ourselves as branding ourselves as our own group,” Lassik said. “We know we are carrying something, but you have to evolve with a new team. We have to do it our own way, and it’s not because we are Garnet Valley and can show up and do it, we have to earn it.”

The Jags earned it Friday night.

They never trailed, but after losing a fumble with 6:22 to play at its 43, and clinging to a 28-21 lead, the Garnet Valley defense had to clamp down. After reaching the Jags’ 32, OJR fell apart. The Wildcats were flagged for a false start then a delay-of-game penalty and were facing a fourth-and-20 at the Jags’ 42. What looked like a hook-and-lateral play fell apart when the Wildcats’ last gasp fell incomplete.

From there, Lassik and the Jags took over, running out the remaining 3:39.

Lassik’s 10-yard scoring run on the last play of the third quarter proved to be the winning difference, as Garnet Valley staved off the second-half push of OJR quarterback Derek Hinrichs and receiver Matt Gregory, who connected for nine completions for 104 yards and one touchdown.

“This is a new season with new guys, and this senior class really worked hard from the start,” Jags’ coach Eric Van Wyk said. “It’s starting to really pay off now.”

Garnet Valley took a 21-7 lead into halftime on the arm of Lassik. He completed his first six passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns, a 50-yard connection to Luke O’Donoghue with 5:59 left in the half, and a 23-yard TD completion to tight end Caden Olinger for a two-score lead with 1:29 remaining.

The Jaguars had shredded the OJR defense for 225 total yards of offense over the first two quarters.

Credit the Garnet Valley offensive line, left tackle Max D’Antonio, left guard Joe Anzalone, center Dylan Bledsoe, right guard Lucas Possenti, right tackle Brayden Green, and Olinger the tight end for most of that.

“I thought our guard play, Lucas Possenti and Joey Anzalone, really stepped up tonight,” Van Wyk said. “That collective group did a really nice job. We have thrown the ball that much, and it’s mainly because of Tyler, who has the ability to throw the ball. I think he’s showing that right now. The challenge was to be physical this week, and I thought we did match that. They stick together. It seems like it is a theme every week that we have battled adversity every single game.”

The Wildcats did not help themselves in the first half.

A muffed punt, recovered by the Jags’ Chase Wilt at the OJR 20, led to Garnet Valley’s first score, a 20-yard Ronnie Leraris run through the middle. The Wildcats then stung themselves in the second quarter with an interception by the Jags’ Nolan Carroll at the Garnet Valley 2, which resulted in the Jags’ second score.

OJR was able to move the ball, picking up 132 yards of total offense and seven first downs, but the Wildcats were stymied by the two turnovers that translated into 14 Garnet Valley points.

Scoring Summary

Owen J. Roberts (8-3) 0 7 7 7-21

Garnet Valley (9-2) 7 14 7 0-28

1st Quarter

GV – Ronnie Leraris 20 run (Mike Medici kick), 4:42

2nd Quarter

GV – Luke O’Donoghue 50 pass from Tyler Lassik (Medici kick), 5:59

OJR – Derek Hinrichs 5 run (Ryan Touhey kick), 3:35

GV – Caden Olinger 23 pass from Lassik (Medici kick), 1:29

3rd Quarter

OJR – Matt Gregory 58 pass from Hinrichs (Touhey kick), 2:17

GV – Lassik 10 run (Medici kick), :00

4th Quarter

OJR – Adam Stahl 5 pass from Hinrichs (Touhey kick), 7:32

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

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CB West’s Cooper Taylor

DOYLESTOWN, PA — It looked like Cooper Taylor sprung a million leaks. There was a jagged line of blood on his right thigh. A bandage covered his bloody right elbow, and every fingernail seemed to be spouting crimson droplets.

The Central Bucks West senior quarterback was not phased by it. Nothing seems to rattle him, says his coach, Rob Rowan.

On Friday night, Taylor had the right demeanor to survive a war—because he did.

CB West, without its star Navy-bound speedster Conor McFadden, sidelined by an injury, and two-time defending PIAA District 1 Class 6A champion Garnet Valley mauled each other for 48 minutes and beyond until Ryan Clemens’ extra-point boot gave the Bucks a dramatic 28-27 overtime victory in the district quarterfinals at CB West’s historic War Memorial Stadium.

The Bucks, the No. 1 seed, are 12-0 for the first time since 2000 when they reached the PIAA Class 4A state championship for the last time. Garnet Valley saw its season end at 9-3—with two of the three losses coming by a combined five points to the Bucks.

CB West advances to the district semifinals, where it will play archrival Central Bucks South, 35-19 winners over Spring-Ford, next Friday at 7 p.m. at War Memorial.

The Bucks would not be heading anywhere if not for Taylor, who had a career game, rushing for each one of CB West’s scores, picking up a career-best 186 yards rushing on 21 carries, two touchdown-saving tackles and an interception.

What’s more, he wasn’t even supposed to be the Bucks’ starting quarterback. That job was going to projected four-year starter Ganz Cooper. But when he tore his ACL over the summer, Cooper was the first to call Taylor to let him know him the job was his.

“I wasn’t supposed to be starting quarterback, and it was Ganz who called me to let me know,” said Taylor, who is going to Washington and Lee to play linebacker. “I found out I would be starting the week before the first game. I want to help this team any way I could, and Ganz, this team, Coach Rowan, everyone believed in me.

“The last time I played quarterback was in grade school when I was 14, so it’s been a while.”

The game took on a frenetic pace in the fourth quarter and into overtime. Trailing 14-7 entering the fourth quarter, Taylor scored on a 47-yard run down the sideline on the first play of the quarter to tie it at 14-14. Garnet Valley answered with a five-play, 74-yard drive, capped by Ronnie Leraris’ 26-yard scoring run.

The Bucks answered right back on the ensuing drive, when Taylor scored his third TD, a 19-yard run with 5:04 to play, which eventually put the game into overtime.

“There’s not enough I can say about Cooper and what he means to this program, he’s an absolute warrior in every sense of the word,” Rowan said. “I don’t know if I trusted a player more than Cooper Taylor. He is the type of kid, where he doesn’t blink. Cooper welcomed the opportunity when Ganz went down.

“Cooper Taylor is like a son to mean, that is how much he means to me. In my six years here, I never saw a performance like this, both ways. Our offense I would say can be complex. We have a lot of moving pieces and for him to manage all that, and making two touchdown-saving tackles (on defense), it’s the best performance I’ve seen in my six years.”

Overtime topped it, when Taylor scored to tie it at 27-27, and Clemens, who rushed for 139 yards, nailed the extra point ignited the crowd.

The teams went into halftime knotted at 7-7. The numbers that produced that score were also close to even, with Garnet Valley amassing 170 yards of total offense to CB West’s 168 yards over the opening two quarters.

The Bucks took their first possession and poured through the Garnet Valley defense like water.

Left tackle Hayden Mulligan, left guard Gio Pellegrino, center Cole Patterson, right guard Christian Pudlo, right tackle Finn McGowan, and tight end Shane Dillon opened nice causeways for the Bucks’ runners to move 68 yards over 11 plays.

The key plays were Taylor’s 17- and 16-yard runs. The Bucks bit themselves on a deadball personal foul call, though quickly compensated for the loss when Clemens bolted 11 yards up the middle to the Garnet Valley 33.

Three plays later, Taylor rammed into the end zone for a 7-0 Bucks’ lead with 5:11 left in the first quarter.

Midway through the second quarter, Garnet Valley responded with a 13-play, 76-yard drive, which ended on Luke Vaughn’s three-yard scoring plunge with 1:51 left in the half.

Both teams hurt themselves over the first 24 minutes.

CB West was flagged twice for personal foul calls and were penalized a total of five times for 50 yards.

Garnet Valley, which turned the ball over five times when met CB West in the season opener, turned the ball over early in the second quarter when Cooper made a diving interception of Garnet Valley’s Tyler Lassik at the Bucks’ 11.

“They were a physical tough football team that played a great game,” Jags’ coach Eric Van Wyk said. “We didn’t do a great job of stopping their sweep, but they blocked it well. I have to say my team was resilient, and I’m very proud of the seniors. This is the fifth time in three years that we have played CB West, and this has certainly become a rivalry. It’s good stuff.

“Their kid, Cooper Taylor, I have to give a ton of credit to, for jumping into the quarterback position and for just being a great football player. He is a complete football player. I have total respect for him.”

Scoring Summary

Garnet Valley (9-3) 0 7 7 7 6-27

Central Bucks West (12-0) 7 0 0 14 7-28

1st Quarter

CBW – Cooper Taylor 3 run (Ryan Clemens kick), 5:11

2nd Quarter

GV – Luke Vaughn 3 run (Mike Medici kick), 1:51

3rd Quarter

GV – Kia Lopez 13 pass from Tyler Lassik (Medici kick), 1:19

4th Quarter

CBW – Taylor 47 run (Clemens kick), 11:50

GV – Ronnie Leraris 26 run (Medici kick), 9:37

CBW – Taylor 19 run (Clemens kick), 5:04

OT

GV –Lassik 9 run (kick blocked)

CBW – Taylor 6 run (Clemens kick)

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

Welcome to District 2 News! Here you’ll find news updates related to your District!

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© Copyright 1999-2024 easternpafootball.com. No portion of this website may be reproduced or duplicated without the express written consent of easternpafootball.com.

GLEN MILLS, PA — While there may not officially be a Central League title game, this sure felt like one.

After Strath Haven and Garnet Valley both went undefeated in the conference in 2022 because they did not play each other, they met up at “The Moe” once again undefeated in the Central League with a lot at stake. It was ultimately Strath Haven who prevailed with a 28-19 win, giving Garnet Valley their first Central League loss in six years.

The Strath Haven defense set the tone early as they forced a three-and-out, giving their offense great field position to work with. They were able to capitalize on that when Sheen Green scored on a two-yard run to get the first points on the board.

Strath Haven strikes first!

The Panthers with a dominant first drive, all rushes, capped off by a Shane Green two-yard TD.

7-0 Strath Haven with 7:05 left in the first @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/jeoCibIQcc

— Brendan Ricciardi (@BPRicciardi) October 6, 2023

The next two drives for both teams told the same story, as the Strath Haven defense came up huge with a turnover inside Garnet Valley territory as they recovered a fumble. Once again, it was Shane Green who capitalized, this time from 18 yards out to give Strath Haven a quick 14-0 lead.

It is ALL @StrathHavenFB here early as Shane Green picks up his second touchdown of the game, this one from 18 yards out.

It’s 14-0 Strath Haven here with 2:50 left in the first quarter @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/3301SuMr8q

— Brendan Ricciardi (@BPRicciardi) October 7, 2023

For a team like Garnet Valley that has been so good for so long, you knew that they weren’t simply going to roll over and let Strath Haven take it to them all night.

The Jaguars put together a huge drive when they needed it most, with Nolan Carroll punching it in from the goal line to get Garnet Valley on the board and make it a 14-6 game after a missed PAT.

Garnet Valley was never going to go away quietly, as Nolan Carroll punches in a huge 4th and 1 from the goal line to cut the lead to 14-6 after a missed PAT.

8:03 left in the half @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/mZXaSaL6Ea

— Brendan Ricciardi (@BPRicciardi) October 7, 2023

Strath Haven looked like they were ready to go up 21-6, but a fumble on the goal line that was recovered by Garnet Valley shocked the crowd and flipped momentum right back to the Jags. Garnet Valley wasn’t able to do anything with that, and the Strath Haven offense picked up right where they left off following a punt.

With just 1:09 left in the half, James Fisher took a pitch and ran it in for seven yards to open up that 21-6 lead, and the Panther offense was looking unstoppable. If it wasn’t for the fumble, they would have had four touchdowns in four drives.

Touchdown Strath Haven!

Garnet Valley has had no answer for the Panthers run game, as James Fisher takes a pitch seven yards for the touchdown to give the Panthers a 21-6 lead with 1:09 left in the first half @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/3fAzJklE3u

— Brendan Ricciardi (@BPRicciardi) October 7, 2023

Garnet Valley needed a spark coming out of the half, and they got it when they were looking for when Head Coach Eric Van Wyk called for an onside kick, and it was recovered by the Jags. It was a gusty move, and one that could have severely backfired if Strath Haven recovered it and went up 28-6.

The decision certainly paid off as Garnet Valley took it down the field and make it a one-score game after Luke Vaughn rushed for a touchdown on their first possession of the half.

We have a one score game!

Luke Vaughn gets one back for Garnet Valley on a short run to cut the lead to 21-13.

It was a gusty decision for Eric Van Wyk to go for the onside kick, but it paid off @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/MI8M1FvG9i

— Brendan Ricciardi (@BPRicciardi) October 7, 2023

After making a huge fourth down stop, Garnet Valley now had the ball with a chance to take the lead. After a long drive, QB Tyler Lassik made an absolutely incredible play as he scrambled around to avoid pressure and ultimately found Drew Keaveney for a touchdown. Unfortunately for Garnet Valley, their two point conversion came up just short to leave the score at 21-19.

WHAT A PLAY BY TYLER LASSIK!!

Lassik scrambles around all over the field to find Drew Keaveney for a Garnet Valley touchdown, a massive 2PC is coming here as it is now a 21-19 Strath Haven lead @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/dCpRpA0njE

— Brendan Ricciardi (@BPRicciardi) October 7, 2023

Strath Haven looked like they were going to take full control of the game after QB Jake Kitchin found James Fisher down the sidelines for an incredible catch, but the offense stalled after that. It was starting to look like the Garnet Valley magic was in full effect, as the Jags had the ball with a chance to take the lead.

That magic just wasn’t there for them today, as they fumbled the ball right back to the Panthers in their own territory. With just four minutes left and a 21-19 deficit, that was a killer.

Marco Kaufman made Garnet Valley pay as he became the third different Panther to rush for a touchdown, making it a 27-19 score. After an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Ben Milligan drilled a 35 yard PAT to metaphorically put the game away as it was now a nine point contest.

Marco Kaufman to the HOUSE!

Strath Haven now leads 28-19 after Ben Milligan drills a 35 yard PAT after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the TD.

The streak is in serious jeopardy for Garnet Valley with just 2:15 left @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/Zbu5kEITYD

— Brendan Ricciardi (@BPRicciardi) October 7, 2023

Garnet Valley made a little noise at the end, but they ultimately were turned away from the end zone as they suffer their first Central League loss since 2017, a remarkable stretch of perfection that has come to an end.

But for Strath Haven, this night is about them.

“This is amazing, this win was about us,” said Ben Milligan. “We’re controlling our destiny now, and that’s how we want it to be. We don’t want to have to rely on another team to win the Central League we want to win it outright.”

Strath Haven now improves to 7-0 and 6-0 in the Central League, but it certainly has not been a cake walk for them.

They beat Springfield 19-15 on a late comeback, they beat Ridley 21-20, and Penncrest 20-14. It’s no mistake that this team keeps getting it done when it matters most late in games.

“The heart that some of the kids on this team have is incredible, we just never give up,” said Marco Kaufman. “We’ve been down so many times but we just keep coming back, all year long we just keep fighting and that’s kind of what we’re getting used to now.”