Spring-Ford High School had 13 athletes recently make their academic and athletic commitments. They are listed below with their sport and school. 

Jason Smiley, Baseball, Immaculata University

Spring-Ford baseball player Jason Smiley has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at Immaculata University, where he will major in business management. He is seated center with his father Scott Smiley, left, and mother Shirleen Smiley. Standing behind is head coach Jamie Scheck.

Bridget Sharkey, Softball, Shippensburg University

Spring-Ford softball player Bridget Sharkey has committed to continue her academic and athletic careers at Shippensburg University, where she will major in criminal justice. She is seated center with her mother Jenna Sharkey, left, and father Michael Sharkey. Standing from left are head coach Tim Hughes, her sister Katie Sharkey and her sister Megan Sharkey.

Tori Alexander, Tennis, Hampton University

Spring-Ford tennis player Tori Alexander has committed to continue her academic and athletic careers at Hampton University, where she will major in business. She is seated center with her mother Kantese Alexander, left, and father Michael Alexander. Head coach Todd Reagan is standing behind.

Katie Parker, Swimming, Monmouth University

Spring-Ford swimmer Katie Parker has committed to continue her academic and athletic careers at Monmouth University, where she will major in business. She is seated center with her father Rob Parker, left, and mother Tracy Parker. Standing from left are head coach Mark Agnew, her brother Colin Parker and club coach Ryan Kennedy.

Grace Kraft, Volleyball, Arcadia University

Spring-Ford volleyball player Grace Kraft has committed to continue her academic and athletic careers at Arcadia University, where she is undecided on her major. She is seated center with her mother Kristin Kraft, left, and father Jack Kraft. Standing from left are her sister Claire Kraft and head coach Josh McNulty.

Sean Morris, Running, Gwynedd Mercy University

Spring-Ford cross country and track athlete Sean Morris has committed to continue his athletic and academic careers at Gwynedd Mercy University, where he will major in business management. He is seated center with his mother Mandi Morris, left, and father John Morris. Standing from left are assistant coach Jack Kraynak and head coach Danielle Stauffer.

Shane Reynolds, Wrestling, University of Scranton

Spring-Ford wrestler Shane Reynolds has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at the University of Scranton, where he will major in kinesiology. He is seated center with his mother Leisha Reynolds, left, and father Trey Reynolds. Standing behind is head coach Tim Seislove.

Josh Brauer, Golf, Stevenson University

Spring-Ford golfer Josh Brauer has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at Stevenson University, where he will major in business administration. He is seated center with his father Dave Brauer, left and mother Sharon Brauer. His brother Zach Brauer is standing behind.

Aiden Hudon, Soccer, Hood College

Spring-Ford soccer player Aiden Hudon has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at Hood College, where he will major in special education. He is seated center with his mother Terry Hudon, left, and father Edmond Hudon. Standing from left are his sister Faith Hudon and head coach Brent Kissel.

Johnny Guimaraes, Soccer, Penn State University-Berks

Spring-Ford soccer player Johnny Guimaraes has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at Penn State University Berks, where he will major in international business. He is seated center with his mother Nivalda Guimaraes, left, and father Paulo Guimaraes. Standing from left are head coach Brent Kissel and his brothers Pedro Guimaraes and Felipe Guimaraes.

Walter Molishus III, Football, California University of Pa.

Spring-Ford football player Walter Molishus III has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at California University of Pennsylvania, where he is undecided on his major. He is seated center with his mother Sherri Molishus, left, and father Walter Molishus II. Standing from left are head coach Chad Brubaker and Sean Lawlor.

Stephen Brill, Football, Ursinus College

Spring-Ford football player Stephen Brill has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at Ursinus College, where he will major in business. He is seated center with his mother Veronica Brill, left, and father Steve Brill. Standing from left are head coach Chad Brubaker, his sister Vianna Brill and brother Mason Brill.

James Begg, Footballl, Gettysburg College

Spring-Ford football player James Begg will continue his athletic and academic careers at Gettysburg College, where he will major in political science. He is seated center with his mother Cindy Begg, left, and father Jim Begg, right. Standing from left are head coach Chad Brubaker and his sisters Hannah Begg and Emma Begg.

Pope John Paul II High School recently had 15 athletes make their college choices. They are pictured below with their name, sport and school.

Matthew Moroz, Football, Dickinson College

Pope John Paul II football player Matthew Moroz has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at Dickson College. He is pictured with his parents Mary and Mark Moroz.

Bryan Bendig, Football, Moravian College

Pope John Paul II football player Bryan Bendig has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at Moravian College. He is pictured with his parents Florence and Scott Bendig.

John R. Wagner, Gwynedd Mercy University

Pope John Paul II baseball player John A. Wagner has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at Ursinus College. He is pictured with his parents Jackie and Paul Wagner.

Grace Harvey, Softball,  Lafayette College

Pope John Paul II softball player Grace Harvey has committed to continue her academic and athletic careers at Lafayette College. She is pictured with her parents Bernadette and Chris Harvey.

Ethan Slover, Golf, Jefferson University

Pope John Paul II golfer Ethan Slover has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at Jefferson University.

Elise Sylvester, Basketball, Gwynedd Mercy University

Pope John Paul II basketball player Elise Sylvester has committed to continue her athletic and academic careers at Gwynedd Mercy University. She is pictured with her parents Fred and Leslie Sylvester.

Mickaela Davis, Lacrosse, Emmanuel College

Pope John Paul II lacrosse player Mickaela Davis has committed to continue her academic and athletic at Emmanuel College (GA). She is pictured with her parents Kristine and Michael Davis.

Julie Cherneskie, Lacrosse, Ursinus College

Pope John Paul II lacrosse player Julie Cherneskie has committed to continue her academic and athletic careers at Ursinus College. She is pictured with her parents Kirsten and John Cherneskie.

Sean Lapree, Baseball, Immaculata Univ.

Pope John Paul II baseball player Sean LaPree has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at Immaculata University. He is pictured with his mother Margaret LaPree.

Jack Cossa III, Baseball, Alvernia University

Pope John Paul II baseball player Jack Cossa III has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at Alvernia University. He is pictured with his parents John and Kristen Cossa, brother Chris Cossa and grandmother Arlene Cossa.

CJ McCafferty, Baseball, College of Mount Saint Vincent

Pope John Paul II baseball player CJ McCafferty has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. He is pictured with his parents Lynne and Joe McCafferty.

John A. Wagner, Baseball, Ursinus College

Pope John Paul II baseball player John A. Wagner has committed to continue his academic and athletic careers at Ursinus College. He is pictured with his parents Jackie and Paul Wagner.

Madeline Mulcahey, Volleyball, Elizabethtown College

Pope John Paul II volleyball player Madeline Mulcahey has committed to continue her academic and athletic careers at Elizabethtown College. She is pictured with her parents Cheryl and James Mulcahey.

Mikaela Monroe, Volleyball, West Chester University

Pope John Paul II volleyball player Mikaela Monroe has committed to continue her academic and athletic careers at West Chester University. She is pictured with her parents Stephanie and Michael Monroe.

Simone Sparano, Volleyball, Rowan University

Pope John Paul II volleyball player Simone Sparano has committed to continue her academic and athletic careers at Rowan University. She is pictured with her parents Joan and Carl Sparano.

Once upon a time and an era ago, there was a little thing called the All-Delco banquet.

OK, let’s not make it sound that mystical. It was held in a hotel ballroom with seating charts, check-your-choice dinner plates and nervous sportswriters remembering why public speaking wasn’t listed on their resumes. But what assembled in that room each June for 26 straight years was something quite special — a yearly accounting of the best and brightest high school athletes in Delaware County. The list of attendees has only grown more illustrious in retrospect, as those athletes have gone on to great success, in college and the pros, on the field and off, literally the world over.

The days of banquet programs and featured speakers are long gone. But the spirit that event fostered — one that we recognized in the late 1980s and informed us more than we informed it — continues. With the school year wrapped up, then, we wondered if we could find a way to bring it back in some small way.

One of the cornerstones of the banquet each year was the Male and Female Athletes of the Year. As reporters, we consulted coaches and assembled teams of the best athletes in each sport, the All-Delcos that populated the banquet. But part of the night’s festivities allowed athletes to pick for themselves who they thought was the best athlete of the year, an award determined by their peers.

Like any other year, the candidates are plentiful. On the girls side, two athletes took home multiple player of the year honors – Olivia Dirks of Episcopal Academy in lacrosse and soccer, and Strath Haven’s Grace Forbes in track and cross country. The backbone of the Springfield lacrosse state championship squad and Garnet Valley’s District 1 Class 6A basketball squad will be well represented.

The boys’ candidates include a slew of distinguished scorers in basketball, from Player of the Year Christian Ray to 2,000-point scorer Isaiah Wong to Vinny DeAngelo of Sun Valley, one of the top 15 scorers in Delaware County history. Two soccer teams played for state titles in the fall, and a thrilling football season produced a bevy of records.

These days, our shared conversation space is social media, so we’re taking the Athletes of the Year there.

For the next three weeks, we’re going to let you, the readers of Delaware County and its sports teams, pick the Male and Female Athletes of the Year via our Instagram page. Here’s how to vote:

Follow our Instagram account, @delcotimessports. On Monday through Thursday starting July 8, we’ll post each morning to our “stories” (click the circle with the logo at top left of the profile) to narrow down a list of the top 16 male and top 16 female athletes in head-to-head votes. The first round for the girls will be July 8-9 (4 poll questions each day), with the boys July 10-11. You can also follow along with the hashtag, #DelcoAOTY.

Winners will advance to the next week (again girls on Monday and Tuesday, July 15-16; boys on Wednesday and Thursday, July 17-18), and by July 24 and 25, we’ll have our finalists. Make sure to check in and vote every day, since the stories are only up for 24 hours; we’ll have them up in the morning, perfect for when you finally get to the beach for the day or when you take your lunch break to get some fresh air.

We’ll feature the winners in the paper, and while we don’t have the budget for plaques that we once did, you can’t like a plaque on Instagram. Nominees will be provided by our All-Delco teams and in consultation with our sports department.

So get ready to log on and join us as we relive the highlights of the high school year … and maybe make some new traditions in the process.

KENNETT SQUARE – Outside of Chester County, Dave Whitcraft is regarded as one of the preeminent coaching authorities for soccer goaltenders. But around here, he’ll always be remembered as the longtime, well-respected head coach at Avon Grove.

“As far as starting a foundation as a goalkeeper, he was the guy that could drive you to be an all-conference high school player and get you to college,” said Jon Crowder, who played for Whitcraft and is on Ryan Castle’s coaching staff at rival West Chester Rustin. “I would say that nationally he is known more as a goalie specialist than the Avon Grove coach.”    

Now age 57, Whitcraft has decided to retire from teaching and step down from his coaching post after 32 seasons leading the Red Devils. Also on his second stint as the Red Devils’ head baseball coach, he has not yet decided whether he will continue in that capacity.

“There is never an easy time because you always have young players in the pipeline that you want to see come through,” said Whitcraft. “But I was always told that I would know when the time was right, and the timing was actually perfect.”

Whitcraft was recently married to his wife Linda and has relocated from Delaware to Kennett Square.

“She and I are in the same situation where she recently retired,” he pointed out. “It was time for me to retire from teaching and coaching soccer. I’m going out on a very positive note. There are no sour grapes and no negatives at all.”

A physical education teacher at Avon Grove since he was fresh out of the Temple Master’s Program, Whitcraft clearly remembers interviewing for the job back in the summer of 1987.

“I had played both baseball and soccer all the way through and Avon Grove was looking for a health and phys ed teacher, and a soccer and baseball coach,” Whitcraft recalled. “I thought this would be right up my alley.”

As a youngster growing up in South Jersey, Whitcraft didn’t even take up soccer until his freshman year of high school. But the sport grew on him.

“I was sort of a fish out of water with the ball at my feet but I was athletic enough to keep the ball out of the net,” he explained. “Then I started gaining some technique and started to grow with it.”

Whitcraft excelled and went on to be a four-year starting goalkeeper at the University of Delaware. By time he graduated in 1985 he was the program’s career leader in shutouts (20) and saves (441). He was a three-time all-league and all-region pick and was voted the East Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1983.

“He was an All-American at Delaware. He brought that high-level knowledge from his own playing career,” Crowder said.

“Dave was an amazing athlete himself and he understood what it took to play at the next level,” Avon Grove Athletic Director Vanessa Robtison added. “It was pretty cool being on the sideline and seeing adults come back to see Coach Whitcraft because of the connection they made when they played for him.”

During his early years at Avon Grove, Whitcraft turned the program into a Southern Chester County League power. He also found time to play pro soccer for the Delaware Wizards in 1993-94.

“We’ve had some tremendous highs, like going deep into districts, and some lows — but I don’t want to get into specific years,” Whitfield said.

In the mid-2000’s, he was a driving force that brought a new turf field and stadium to Avon Grove just prior to its entry into the Ches-Mont league. He remembers opening the stadium with a victory.

“(Whitcraft) was always really well prepared for the opposition,” Crowder recalled. “He would go and watch Ches-Mont teams play when we weren’t playing. Even he would admit that it was shocking in the level of play between the SCCL and the Ches-Mont. But he adapted.”

In the mid-1980’s, Whitcraft started running a training camp for goaltenders. It eventually grew into the Dave Whitcraft Goalkeeping Academy, which was held every summer in Delaware until 2018.

“I figure that if I am going to make the break, it is going to be a clean break,” he said.

“He’s built the Avon Grove program from nothing,” said Crowder, who trained at the camp before high school and later became an instructor.

“We’ve been really good friends ever since I left Avon Grove, and now we coach against each other every fall. Dave is just a real stand-up guy. I would say he is, if not the best, one of the best coaches I’ve ever competed against. He is able to relate to his players and is able to make a difference in somebody’s life off the soccer field.”

Robtison agreed: “Dave is a dynamic leader. One of his biggest strengths is his ability to make sincere true lifelong connections with students, especially the ones who weren’t making connections with other adults.”

Earlier this summer, Whitcraft spent two weeks cleaning out his desk at Avon Grove. Getting rid of the paperwork was easy, but going through all of the photos? That took some time.

“When you go through all your memories, it all just starts flooding back,” he said. “There are former players and I got the chance to coach their sons.

“Seeing student-athletes as a third or fourth graders that have come to your camps and eventually play for you, it’s pretty rewarding to see they still have a passion and you watch them grow. To see them develop into fine young men and women, it’s kind of a microcosm of what life it all about.”

Crowder was a player during the change in leagues. He graduated from Avon Grove in 2008 and went on to play collegiately at Eastern University. One of his teammates was Joey Wendle, who is now the starting second baseman in the Big Leagues with the Tampa Bay Rays. Castle is another Whitcraft protégé.

“I’ve looked to (Whitcraft) multiple times in my playing and coaching career for advice,” Crowder said. “And since we play a similar schedule at Rustin, we talk to him about scouting reports and tactics. It’s really been a nice partnership to have for Ryan (Castle) and myself.”

When asked about career milestones, records and such, Whitcraft genuinely didn’t have a clue.

“I’m sure I’ve tickled the 300-win mark at some point but nobody ever kept track of it,” he responded. “I wasn’t interested in that part of it.

“I can be proud that when anybody played Avon Grove, no matter what our record, they would get 80-minutes of solid competition.”

Robtison said that Whitcraft bled Avon Grove maroon and gold and will be sorely missed.

“This was his second home and we are his second family,” she said. “I can’t speak more highly of Dave. He dedicated his entire adult life to our school, our kids and this community.”

Luke McMahon looked at it as an opportunity.

With his Lehigh Valley United 2000 Black club soccer team about to head into extra time against tow-time defending champion Baltimore Celtic in the United States Youth Soccer U19 National Championship match, McMahon had been summoned to sub in. He’d watched his teammates battle to a scoreless draw after 90 minutes and saw a chance to make something happen.

Six minutes later thanks to a mis-hit ball that ended up being hit just right, he did by scoring the lone goal of the match as LVU hoisted the prestigious James P. McGuire Cup as national champions Sunday morning.

For McMahon and six other area players — Carter Houlihan, Reed Sturza, Bailey Moyer, Dylan Smith, Aidan Link and Kyle Bethel — it was the culmination of a year’s work and a childhood dream come true.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, I’m working a camp and all these people are asking me about it or congratulating us,” McMahon said. “It just shows how competitive our league is, we had guys coming from a couple different schools to win a national championship which speaks for itself and speaks to the volume of great players who come from the SOL.

“You may have some bad blood during high school season, but you can always put that aside and work together toward a bigger goal.”

All seven of those players, aside from their talent on a soccer pitch, shared a common bond as they all play for Suburban One League Continental Conference teams during the high school season. McMahon graduated from North Penn in June while Houlihan will be a senior with the Knights this fall, Smith and Sturza are Central Bucks West graduates with Moyer returning to the Bucks as a senior, Link just finished his time at Pennridge and Bethel is a 2019 graduate of Central Bucks South.

Under the guidance of former Central Bucks East coach Mike Gorni, now an assistant at DelVal, and North Penn coach Paul Duddy serving as an assistant, the LVU squad based out of Allentown supplemented its returning core with guys like Houlihan, Moyer and McMahon who were either moving up an age group or had their previous teams splinter.

While they’d given all they had against each other on the high school field, it wasn’t too difficult to put rivalries aside for a common goal.

“Them jumping on really changed the whole atmosphere of the team,” Bethel, who will play Drew University this fall, said. “We had guys stepping into key roles and they’re obviously all tremendous players. From high school competition and other local stuff, I’ve know them for a while so finally getting to share a field with them at the club level was really awesome.”

A handful of players on the LVU roster had already played a year of college soccer, but nobody on the team brought that type of ego to training or tournaments and everyone found the right role. While the end result was sweet, the journey there did have its challenges.

With so many new players coming in, the squad decided to get started early and organized training sessions at the tail end of the fall high school season when most players’ teams had been knocked out. For the players coming out the SOL, they knew the caliber of competitors coming to the workouts, it was just a matter of putting it all together.

“You have those guys you hate playing against but when they’re on your team, you love them,” Houlihan said. “Just by how hard they work and how much effort they put it, it’s not always the most fun to play against them.”

“I got to know them all so much better, we have a big group chat, we’d play after practices or get together during the week if anyone was bored,” Sturza said. “Once we built that bond with each other, everyone just connected. We were playing a couple hours twice a week and for most of us, it was an hour away to practice so we drove together and just bonded that way.”

The regular season provided a few hurdles. At points, the team just wasn’t meshing, balls weren’t finding the back of the net and there wasn’t a sense of urgency in their play.

It wasn’t enough to derail the season, but definitely something the players knew they had to get corrected before the major matches came around.

“I think again it’s all about the guys and getting excited about being able to play together,” Link, who is heading to Eastern University, said. “You don’t always get that in other places. It was really cool to play at such a high level and I think that’s what drew us in and kept us coming back.

“It shows how close we are and how much we enjoy the game that we can come together and have such a good time playing together even after all the games against each other in high school.”

LVU got back on course and ended up in the state tournament where it fell to rival Lower Merion Soccer Club in the championship match. While they’d still done well enough to move onto regionals and it wasn’t a crushing defeat, it did give the team a little extra push of motivation.

The two would meet again in the regional final, this time with LVU triumphing over LMSC. Moyer noted it was a close game and the Lower Merion-based club was just as loaded with talented players and had a good plan to play against the Lehigh Valley United side.

“For us it was a lot about resilience I think,” Smith, who will head to Eastern University for preseason this month, said. “It was having faith in the guy next to us and the coaching staff. Even if it didn’t seem as apparent at times, we were able to keep a clear head and just work through it.”

Once the team got to Overland Park, Kansas for the start of nationals, everything came together. The McGuire Cup is the oldest youth sports award in the country, contested annually since 1935 with a break during World War II and was given its name in 1975.

Sturza, who missed three weeks with a broken arm before a bout of knee tendonitis sidelined him until a couple weeks before the national tournament, chalked it up to a change in mentality. He said prior to going out to Kansas, Gorni told the squad they were going there to win it and it might mean a cutback in playing time or roles.

Hearing that was all Sturza and his teammates needed to get back on track.

“One of the most important things I think Gorni did at nationals was the talks before the games,” Sturza, who will be playing at Vermont this fall, said. “He motivated us, gave us the game plan, told us everything about the other team and made sure we respected the other team but not to the point where we would go on the field and they would trash us.

“Honestly, we were not playing that well coming into nationals and the fact we went in there and bossed it, it’s crazy and I think it’s due to Gorni.”

The day after winning the national title, a handful of guys from the team were right back on the field working as counselors at Gorni’s camp. Sturza said much of Gorni’s approach is very old school and joked he questioned a couple of the older drills he had the guys run through at practice but the end results were undeniable.

“He motivates us so well and he knows the game so well, he’s like the Godfather of soccer,” Moyer said. “He puts out this gameplan and tells us ‘if you do that, you’ll win and if don’t, it’s not going to work out.’”

Outside of their meetings and games, the entire team was very loose and prone to joking around with each other. Smith said there was plenty to do at the tournament site and in town but for the most part, the players just hung out at their hotel and kept their focus on the next game.

When match days came around, that same light mood stayed with the guys until Houlihan called everyone to order with about 45 minutes to go pregame. Once it was time to lock in, it was all eyes on the upcoming 90 minutes.

“You learn how to buy in and what it really means to play for your guys and not for yourself,” Bethel said. “Playing important games like a national semifinal, a national final or even a national group game, you know what’s on the line. After playing those games, you may never play for a national championship again and you understand the importance of every moment.”

Playing a defense-first brand of soccer, LVU gave up just five goals in its five games at nationals and four of them came in its group stage finale with a semifinal slot already locked up. LVU beat Golden State White out of California in its opener, then knocked off Baltimore Celtic for the first time in the second game to win the group.

After dropping its final group match to Michigan-based Kingdom SC Red, Lehigh Valley United drew a familiar foe in the semifinals. Yet another meeting with Lower Merion SC came about and LVU found its way past the longtime nemesis for a rematch with Baltimore Celtic.

“To face two teams that had been the toughest two teams for us, I’ve only been on the team two years but for the guys here longer than me, there was always a rivalry between them,” Link said. “To beat Lower Merion was an awesome feeling and then to face Celtic, who’s been the best team in our age group since probably U15 winning three national titles and everything, it made it really special.”

The night before the game, Moyer posted a tweet saying how his lifelong goal was in reach.

“My whole life, it was everything I worked for and I wanted people to know,” Moyer said. “I felt we were going to go out there and I’d get to complete my life’s dream.

“Seven or eight guys scored our goals throughout the tournament and before that, it wasn’t that way at all, we weren’t scoring like we should have been. At nationals, we didn’t have a star player, everyone was the star.”

In front of a packed crowd and with the match being streamed on ESPN3, it was a scenario unlike anything any of the players had experienced before.

“It was crazy, I don’t think I’ll play another game like that in my life,” Houlihan, who has committed to Lafayette, said. “Being on the field at the national finals with 18 of my best friends playing against a two-time national champ, we knew that we had to come out and show them we belonged. We did and it was one of the best feeling ever.

“Playing in that stadium early in the morning and seeing the sun rise up during warm-ups and ESPN3 being there, it’s one of the coolest things I ever got to experience.”

The match was intense but a stalemate as neither side could find the right combination to break down their opponent. At the same time, there were chances and LVU needed a couple of big defensive stands to keep a zero on the scoreboard.

With the defensive unit, which included Moyer at centerback and Houlihan playing a hard-nosed midfielder in front of the back line, leading the way all tournament, it was fitting the group came up large in the most pivotal moments.

“They had some great chances coming forward but our back line was able to do away with a lot,” Smith said. “There were definitely a few specific moments where you get out of it with a zero still on the board, you’re sweating it and you’re nervous but it definitely gives you that momentum forward and you’re able to turn that around and go right back at them.”

Six minutes into the first period of extra time, the chance came. LVU drew a free kick deep on the right side, which outside back Euan Forrestt drove into the 18-yard box.

Forrest told McMahon after the match he’d actually mis-hit the ball but his service carried right to the head of Patrick Adams, who flicked it toward net. There, making a delayed crashing run toward goal, McMahon found the ball.

“We like to make runs near and far and both on the service and secondary, so we have like six guys crashing the goal,” McMahon said. “I was making a far post run and our left Euan, he told me after he mis-hit the ball but Pat Adams was able to get a head on it while I was still making my run to the back post and it landed right on my foot so I volleyed to the far post just past the keeper.

“When Euan told me that, I told him he needed to start telling everybody he meant to do that.”

Link and Sturza were on the bench at the time, but it didn’t take long for them to join with the other guys on the field swarming around McMahon for a celebration.

“We ran all the way down to where they scored because it was on the opposite side of the field, we had to run past (Celtic’s) bench, which probably wasn’t good,” Link said. “But no one realized it in the moment, we were all just so happy.

“Luke came in, had like seven minutes and scored a goal. Every player had a role where they could really something and it was something Coach Gorni talked about a lot, we could bring a new level when we got into the game.”

Sturza, who accepted a reserve role as one of the first guys off the bench at either left wing or striker, came on right after and helped close out the victory. For him, Moyer and Smith, it was a perfect ending to their time together as teammates with a run that included a state semifinal in 2017 and a District 1-4A title in 2018.

“We didn’t do as much as we thought we would this year, we came up a little short but to end it on such a high note is awesome,” Sturza said.

“I think the first thing Bailey said was ‘what a way to go out,’” Smith said. “Going out on top is certainly special, but to do it with that group of guys meant the world.”

It was a similar feeling  for McMahon and Houlihan, who started nearly every game together the past three seasons at North Penn.

“It was incredible, we never got to experience that at North Penn,” Houlihan said. “Winning the conference is certainly exciting but never winning the district or state final at North Penn with Luke, it was a good last run and you couldn’t write a better script for it, it brought our time playing together to a good end.”

There were a lot of factors throughout the year that added up to LVU holding the oldest youth soccer trophy in the country on Sunday morning. Perhaps the most important was the way everyone on the team allowed themselves to be fit in just the right place to make everything work.

From waging wars against each other two or three times every fall to uniting under a single crest for a common goal, the seven SOL players of Lehigh Valley United created a week together they’ll never forget.

“We had a lot of downtime there so we made it a big thing that we were bonding, getting closer and making the most of the opportunity,” McMahon said. “For most of us, it was our last experience like that and we wanted to make sure it had the perfect ending.”

“If I would single in on one thing, it would be the bond and the friendship between all of the guys, especially us that live locally,” Bethel said. “They’re such strong players and it just helps tremendously, even coming from CB South, CB West, North Penn and Pennridge, there are such strong rivalries there but being able to have that and still build such a strong bond, it just helped us tremendously.”

“Many may disagree with the choices herein, but no writer is infallible and it is our opinion that the players selected are standouts in their positions.”

Those words graced the pages of what was then The Chester Times in the fall of 1933, an introduction to (and preemptive apology for) the paper’s all-star football team. Nearly a century later, the lead it set still resonates.

For nearly 100 years, the Daily Times and its antecedents have in one form or another picked teams that we’ve called All-Delcos. For a paper that has long elevated coverage of local (particularly high school) sports, in a place as uniquely proud and independent as Delaware County, it has been a perfect match. But for too long, that history was only hinted at, in occasional reminders in print, in the collective memory of those involved, in the hard-to-access recesses of archives and filing cabinets.

That changes today. Over the last couple of years, since the Daily Times move from our offices in Primos to our new digs in Swarthmore, we’ve been trying to wrangle our All-Delco history into an operable form, something accessible as more than just microfilm or dusty old clippings. We’re happy to present the product of that work: A searchable, interactive database of All-Delcos dating back as far as we can find them.

A little history

All-Delcos have in one name or another been picked for decades. The football teams, sprouting from All-Suburban teams, date to the 1930s. Basketball squads came into bloom in the 1950s, and the selection of girls teams started in the 1970s, as the Daily Times was a pioneer in the area of giving girls sports the attention they deserved.

The main inflection point came in 1987, when sports editor Chic Riebel conceived of the All-Delco banquet, annually honoring the best in high school sports. It spurred an explosion in the number of All-Delcos named, codifying our blanket coverage of Delco sports. Though the banquet has gone by the wayside, it peaked in the mid-1990s at more than 700 attendees.

“Looking at that and the fact that we were into the 1980s, with the proliferation of girls sports and all the other sports growing, it didn’t seem fair that all we did was represent a couple of traditional sports and that was it,” Riebel, a Delco Athletes Hall of Famer, said recently. “It seemed like a good way to honor more kids that were really good in sports.”

The changes deepened the meaning of the All-Delco label. Through the years, one thing has remained consistent: The schools we cover are clearly demarcated, stopping at the county’s borders. No matter how good the schools outside that line get, there’s no changing the population eligible for All-Delco. That constancy lends the award its authority, what Riebel called being the “king of your backyard.” Even as school jurisdictions shifted or consolidated, the award remained the same. Being an All-Delco is as recognizable to athletes now as decades ago, a constant for kids as their parents and even grandparents.

“Riebel wanted to do something more than run the All-Delco teams in the paper,” assistant sports editor Terry Toohey wrote in 2009. “He wanted being named All-Delco to be a memorable experience, an honor the athlete and his or her family would remember for a lifetime.”

Consider this project a way of grafting those memories into the digital present.

A couple of things to remember

The database that follows is interactive. (For more information on navigating Tableau software, this page has helpful links.). You can search through lists of past All-Delco winners; in many cases, you can sort by an individual name, school or year. We’ve also manipulated the data to tease out trends and tell a little bit of our story.

The first slide, “An All-Delco History,” offers a more in-depth history lesson. The second, “The All-Delco Database,” is the crux of the information: A searchable list of both All-Delcos and Players of the Year that allows you to sort by different parameters.

The third and fourth visualizations are where we have some fun with the data. “All-Delcos by Schools” breaks out selections based on school, sport, and players of the year. The data is also mapped across the county.

The fourth visualization starts “Digging into the Data.” We tease out a couple of special groups, looking at gender balance and multi-sport All-Delcos. For the three sports with most robust history of selections – football and boys and girls basketball – we also look at trends in which schools have filled the teams through the years.

The database we’ve built is anything but perfect, and failure points in documenting such a tract of time are myriad. Some teams weren’t archived in the panoply of technologies we’ve shuffled through. Some weren’t picked as the paper wasn’t printed due to labor strikes. In other cases, there are inconsistencies in when or if teams were picked, and the lines between teams picked explicitly by coaches as opposed to by the Daily Times in consultation (as has become standard practice) are blurry. It is important to note that only first-team selections are included, a cohort that includes nearly 8,000 honorees, and the names are as they appear at the time, not altered by any changes later in life.

All that is to say that this project is a starting point more than a finished product. There are holes in the data that require plugging, and putting this out into the world will let us continue that process (direct any questions to mdegeorge@21st-centurymedia.com). Our hope is that the database can be not only a resource to answer a specific question but something that brings up answers you didn’t know you were looking for. It would be only fitting if we could continue the conversation that All-Delco has kept going for so long.

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Bryn Mawr >> Philadelphia Union goalie Matt Freese, one of the featured speakers at Shipley’s 2019 AW7 Memorial Kickoff Aug. 23, reflected on the day-long affair held in honor of former Gator soccer star Austin Wylie, who passed away July 13, 2016.
“Austin and I knew each other since we were in pre-school,” said Freese, an Episcopal Academy grad. “He was ‘Mr. Do-It-All.’ It means a ton to me to be here today, and to have the play day named after Austin. He was an incredible person, and on and off the field changed lives. It’s incredible that we can honor him this way.”
In the fall of 2015, Wylie was named the Friends’ Schools League boys’ soccer Most Valuable Player, as well as All-State, All-Southeastern Pa. and first team All-Main Line.
“You couldn’t help but be amazed by his kindness, his hustle on the field and his work rate off the field to prepare for a season,” said Shipley boys’ soccer head coach Thom Schauerman. “Austin was everything you wanted in a student-athlete, a great young man. I remember all the conversations we had about soccer, all the intelligent questions he would ask. We love him, we miss him, and he’ll always be with us.”
The AW7 Memorial Kickoff (Wylie wore uniform jersey No. 7 for Shipley) included 11 varsity teams (Shipley, Harriton, Episcopal Academy, Malvern Prep, Bonner Prendergast, Kennett, Germantown Academy, Parkland, Conestoga, Germantown Friends and Springside Chestnut Hill) that played scrimmages at the Farm Fields from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the Gators competing in three of them. Junior varsity scrimmages were played at The Shipley School. The event used to be known as The Shipley School Play Day.
Schauerman said, “Earlier this year, we were trying to figure out the best way to honor Austin, and we thought the best way to honor him would be on the field, on a day that’s surrounded around soccer. It’s something that we want to keep growing. Not a lot of other play days have 11 teams.”
Brooksley Wylie (Austin’s mother), who was at the event, said, Austin really loved the Play Day; it’s hard for us [his family] to put into words what this [AW7 Memorial Kickoff] means, but knowing that he’s still remembered, loved and admired matters. I am so happy to see the Shipley soccer program thrive – Austin got so much out of his participation in soccer, it’s really nice to see other kids benefitting in the same way.”
One of the three scrimmages Shipley played at the AW7 Memorial Kickoff was against Harriton. Ram head coach Biff Sturla knew Wylie as a youngster, mainly through the Lower Merion Soccer Club.
“Austin was a great kid,” said Sturla. “He loved the game of soccer, played it with a passion and always gave 100 percent. His passing was a huge loss to the soccer world. I cried at his funeral which was attended by what had to be at least 1,000 people.”
When Wylie passed away in July 2016, it left a large void on the Bryn Mawr campus.
“I loved Austin,” said Shipley’s then-Head of School Steve Piltch a few days after Wylie passed away. “He was the kind of kid who, if he wanted to spend time with your sister, he would ask you if it was OK first. He remembered your birthday and found ways to surprise you. He was the hardest-working team player we had in any sport here at Shipley — I live next to the practice fields, and I would see him out there doing sprints and drills when no one else was around. When things went wrong on the field, he never made an excuse and never blamed a teammate.
“And it wasn’t only his teammates who loved, admired him, and respected him, everybody here at Shipley did. What seems clear is even though people felt as they did, he may not have known it. Moreover, though he had become a really fine player, I am not sure he knew he was as good as he was.”
At the AW7 Memorial Kickoff, Wylie was still remembered by the Shipley players.
“I can remember training with Austin in my freshman year, and this play day in Austin’s memory means a lot,” said Shipley senior midfielder and captain Umar Savinson. “It’s a great opportunity for us to get touches on the ball, play teams that we play during the [regular] season and improve.”
Shipley senior goalie Dean Maner added, “Austin had a big effect on this program, and this Play Day is a great tradition to keep Austin’s memory alive.”
Piltch added, “It’s hard to imagine that three years have past since Austin passed away. Many of us continue to think of him on a daily basis, and he continues to positively impact many people who knew him or know of him. The AW7 Memorial Kickoff is a perfect way to remember him and to reinforce his legacy. He was a terrific player and a better person.”
Shipley athletic director Mark Duncan said, “Austin represented everything that was great about our student-athletes, he was a hard worker, relentless, honorable on and off the field. He played some amazing games on this [Farm] Field.”
Schauerman wants to the see the AW7 event continue to grow, and contribute to the Shipley soccer community.
“We want to make this event more than just soccer, we want to give back to the soccer community and I want to get more people involved in this,” said Schauerman. “We’re going to start to incorporate different ideas from teams that come to this play day on how we can give back to the community through this event.
“AW7 will forever be in our hearts and forever on the field,”

The fall of 2018 certainly didn’t lack for drama with area boys soccer teams and ended with quite a few holding trophies.

From late winners to spot kick shootouts, it felt like every time Reporter/Montgomery/Times Herald squads met with something on the line, the matches delivered. District I 4A champion CB West and PCL champion Archbishop Wood headline the returning champions and both have to replace plenty of senior contributors.

Most teams have at least a few spots to fill, but there’s no doubt in the talent stockpile waiting to do it.

A theme for the fall was rematches in the SOL Continental. Conference co-champions CB West and North Penn met three times, the last a shootout thriller in the district playoffs while the Bucks also met Pennridge in three one-goal battles. All three sides lost terrific senior classes but have shown an ability to retool quickly.

Defending district champion CB West will be led by seniors Bailey Moyer and Jimi Leder, both multi-year starters. The Bucks were terrific in close matches last year, but lost four-year starting keeper Dylan Smith to graduation so there will be some changes on the back end.

North Penn’s high-energy attack lost a couple key cogs, but the Knights have one of their top players back in senior midfielder Carter Houlihan, a Lafayette recruit. Junior Josh Jones is back to anchor the defense while Jamie and Ryan Stewart are also back to add a dynamic element.

The Rams likewise lost some superb players in each third of the field, but have plenty of guys back ready to seize the opportunity in front of them and keep the program’s standard going. Pennridge comes into the season with confidence after a strong showing in the Lehigh Valley summer league, finishing second out of 30 squads.

It’s also never safe to count out the rest of Continental, with CB East and CB South usually fielding tough sides and Souderton banking on a host of experienced players upping their goal totals from last season.

In the PCL, the regular season saw plenty of great matches that built up into a dramatic playoff. Archbishop Wood emerged with the hubcap trophy, but only after surviving shootout wins over La Salle in the semifinals and Roman Catholic in the final. All-state pick Koty Taylor and goalkeeping hero Connor Ford along with plenty of other good seniors, graduated from Wood but the Vikings have talent in the wings ready to get back at it.

Roman and St. Joe’s Prep are always in the mix, as is Father Judge so La Salle will again face a tough road in the 4A end of the PCL. Coach Tom McCaffery again has to reload a roster hit hard by graduation but that’s not going to stop the Explorers from playing their usual rugged non-conference schedule along with the PCL grind.

Lansdale Catholic is now under the command of Casey Farrell, who moves up from the JV bench but he has a solid core back on the defensive end with keeper Kellan Ward and defenders Sean Cole and Owen Webster. All-everything man Matt McDonald graduated but LC has some players ready to step into the various shoes he filled on the pitch.

Abington’s first season in the SOL American ended with a conference title and a trip to the district final and state quarterfinals. The Ghosts will have to find a new scorer after finishing expert Sean Touey graduated and took his three seasons of 20-plus goals to Holy Family but senior Nevin Baer is back to power the team with his dynamic style.

The Ghosts will have to fend off a challenge from Hatboro-Horsham’s senior-heavy class while Upper Dublin is looking to bounce back off a down year and contend for another conference title. Wissahickon lost 15 seniors, but coach Stuart Malcolm’s teams usually save their best soccer for the end of the season while Upper Moreland is looking for back-to-back District I 3A playoff bids.

A youthful Germantown Academy team took its share of lumps in the always tough Inter-Ac last season, but with many of its top players, and a few more coming in healthy off injury, the Patriots will look to be a factor in the league this fall.

Faith Christian continued its run of success in Class A, winning a third straight district title and advancing to the state semifinals. The Lions graduated 10 seniors but had a large junior class capable of filling in, although last season’s district final opponent in The Christian Academy also returns a lot of key players.

ABINGTON
2018 Record: 21-3 (13-1 SOL American)
Coach: Randy Garber
Notable Losses: Sean Touey, Vincent Carosella, Liam Friel, Liam Campbell, Jack Failing, Alex Haycock, Nate Rose
Players to Watch: Nevin Baer (Sr, M), Reese Gibbs (Sr, D), Michael Burnstein (Sr, D), Gavin O’Neill (Jr, M), Bryce Lexow (Jr, M), Shawn McConnell (Sr, M), Antonio Ditri (Jr), Andrew Kulynin (Sr), Sam Dumas (Sr), Luke O’Donnell (Fr), Liam Hartman (Fr)
Outlook: The Ghosts must replace the prolific scoring of Sean Touey along with key contributors in the midfield and defense. Nevin Baer is a dynamic player and the Ghosts will go as he goes. “Should be a good year, lot of returning players, a lot of high level club experience.  Looking to compete in Suburban One.”

ARCHBISHOP WOOD
Coach: Hugh Kelly
Notable Losses: Koty Taylor, Bobby Hennessey, Connor Ford, Joe Trodden, Christian Petro, Sean Kerchack, Joe Trodden, Joe Baranoski, Zach Wheatley
Players to Watch: Ryan Morgan (Sr, F), Matt Murphy (Sr, D), Shane Collier (Sr, M), Brandon Gyza (Sr, F)
Outlook: The Vikings had a terrific 2018 as a large senior class finished things out in style. While numerous lineup positions need to be filled, Wood has a hard-working group of seniors back to solidify the midfield while younger teammates fill in around them.

CENTRAL BUCKS WEST
2018: 19-3 (11-1 SOL Continental)
Coach: Stefan Szygiel
Notable Losses: GK Dylan Smith, D Nick Centenera, M Carson Snyder, M Reed Sturza, M Colin Burn, D Luke Fehrman, M Kyle Holt, D Michael Redfield
Players to Watch: Bailey Moyer (Sr, D), Jimi Leder (Sr, M), James Lutz (Jr, D), Ryan Van Pelt (Sr, GK), Alan Zlotin (Sr, F), Reed Thompson (Sr, D), David Roy (Sr, D), Ian Munoz (Sr, D), Ben Danzis (Sr, M), Kanishk Nazareth (Sr, M), Sean Billemeyer (Sr, M), Blake Bensing (Sr, M), Krris Vellayappan (Sr, F)
Outlook: “The Bucks will look to compete for a 2019 PIAA AAAA State Tournament berth.”

FAITH CHRISTIAN
Coach: Ryan Clymer
Notable Losses: William Bolla, Josh Forker, Isaiah Robinson, Chase Peev
Players to Watch: Korey Schuster (Sr/M), Garrett Mikula (Sr, F), Max Schultz, Travis Harwick, David Brownell
Outlook: The Lions are looking to make it four in a row as they chase another District I A title. While they must replace 10 seniors, FCA had a large junior class last season and worked some underclassmen into the mix as they also try to take the next step off last season’s PIAA semifinal exit.

GERMANTOWN ACADEMY
2018 Record: 3-14-2
Coach: Kurt Wetzel
Notable Losses: Grant Giampalmi, Drew Budinsky, Jake Kotik                      
Players to Watch: Brendan Hasson (D), Shane Connolly (D), Connor Wetzel (D), Blake Battisto (D),  Ryan Fairlie (GK), Christian Combs (F), Chris Hackley (M)
Outlook: “With much of last year’s young squad returning, maturity and growth will play a key factor in how well the Patriots fair this The coaching staff has a positive outlook on the season and expects an increased number of wins as well as a stronger showing in the Inter-Ac. We have seen a side during preseason that is more focused and confident in their abilities and we are looking forward to the start of the upcoming season!”

HATBORO-HORSHAM
2018 Record: 11-8-1 overall (8-5-1 SOL American)
Coach: Kyle McGrath
Notable losses: Ryan Cole, Andrew Hurrell, Zack Kim, Jason Czaplicki
Players to Watch: JD Mallinder (Sr, M), Matty Harmon (Sr, F), Vince Buccafuri (Sr, D), Bradan Mallon (Sr, F), Jake Weiss (Jr, D), Caleb Hudson (So, D), Michael Cordero (Sr, M), Tyler McElrath (Sr, F), Fran Moio (Jr, D), Jake Freedman (Fr, M)
Outlook: “We return a strong senior class that has experience in tough games against good opponents within the league and outside of the league. We are replacing our starting goalkeeper of two years, where are goals going to come from?  We are excited to get this season started as we look to compete for a league title and a berth in districts. The group has experience in the district playoffs the last three years as well as high level club games. Our seniors will be an important piece of our success!”

LA SALLE
Coach: Tom McCaffery
Notable Losses: Owen Ranck, Nicolas Hammel, Chris Metzler, David Stenbach, Jack Kennedy, Edward Loftus
Players to Watch: Jake Crawford (Sr, M), Brendan Curran (Jr, F), Joe Cole (Fr, D), James Barton (So, F), Sean McCallum (Sr, M), Derek Hammel (Sr, D)
Outlook: The Explorers saw their season end in the PCL semifinals and despite graduating several multi-year veterans, will be looking for another Catholic League title. Joe Cole and Derek Hammel return to anchor a usually stout defensive unit. A young attacking core will have to replace all-league forward Chris Metzler.

LANSDALE CATHOLIC
Coach: Casey Farrell
Notable Losses: Matt McDonald, Kyle Kane, Danny McFadden, Steve Esterle, Ray Royds
Players to Watch: Kellan Ward (Jr, GK), Jimmy Alff (Sr, F), Matt McDougal (Jr, M), Owen Webster (Jr, D), Sean Cole (Sr, D), Alex Kulp (So, D)
Outlook: Casey Farrell, last season’s JV coach, takes over a LC team that has a strong group of returning defensive players. The Crusaders will have to replace Matt McDonald’s scoring and overall utility but the goal as always will be to qualify for the PCL playoffs and secure a state playoff bid.

LOWER MORELAND
2018 Record: 11-7-1
Coach: Bob Barnhart
Notable Losses: Andrew Buss, Andrew Gonzalez, Jake Himmelstein, Noah Diaz
Players to Watch: Devon Robinson, Ethan Horn, Emmett Cousins, Bennet Durand, Adam Aloush, Colin Clark, Javin Cooper, Braden Alicea
Outlook: “As the 2019 season kicks off under third year head coach Bob Barnhart, the Lions of Lower Moreland will have a different look this year on the pitch. The Lions graduated 10 seniors all who saw the field in different rolls for the squad over the last few seasons. The Lions will look to a handful of other returning Sophomores and a few talented Freshman to fill holes left by the graduating seniors from last season. This will be the third year for a hand full of seniors on the varsity field and they are eager to help the Lions return to the postseason.”

NORTH PENN
2018 Record: 18-3 (11-1 SOL Continental)
Coach: Paul Duddy
Notable Losses: Luke McMahon, Christian Snyder, Chris Caputo, Aidan Jerome, Jared Hudak, Brett Schwengels.
Players to Watch: Carter Houlihan (Sr, M), Josh Jones (Jr, D), Ryan Stewart (Sr, M), Jamie Stewart (Sr, D), Michael Chafee (Sr, F) Jake Sinn (Sr, D), Dan Sanchez (Sr, M), Pat Chester (Sr, M/F), Jonathan Durkin (Sr, D)
Outlook: “Should be good going forward; we need to solidify the defense. Goals like usual are to win conference, districts and states.  Carter, Josh, Jamie, and Ryan are some of the most exciting players in our area.”

PENNRIDGE
2018 Record: 13-5-2 (6-4-2 SOL Continental)
Coach: Pete Valimont
Notable Losses: Matt Stevenson, Aidan Link, Marco Grenda, Jack Taplett
Players to Watch: Dillan Natitus (Sr), Carloz Erazo (Jr), Dalton Guthrie (Jr), Ryan Cook (Jr), Aidan Castle (So), Shane Velez (Fr)
Outlook: “Graduated a tremendous core of seniors in 2018.  2019 squad is talented all over the field and hungry to get back to where we left off in 2018 and finish the job.  Our team goals never change; compete for a Continental conference league title, qualify for district 1 playoffs, qualify for PIAA state tournament.  Team took second overall out of 30+ HS teams in the Lehigh Valley summer league competing against top teams from district XI.”

SOUDERTON
2018 Record: 3-13-2 (3-8-1 SOL Continental)
Notable athletes lost: Luke Atiyeh, Mitchell Race
Players to Watch: Conor Kellough, Reece DiRenzi, Levi Gross, TJ Hibsman, Brody Emery, Thomas Smith, Dillon Barbieri, Tyler Bovell, Riley Finger, Anthony Palonis, Sage Scarlett
Outlook: “This year’s Souderton group returns a lot of varsity experience from a year ago and looks to build on that experience to finish higher in the SOL Continental.  The group will need contributions from all grade levels as they hope to score more goals and right some of the close results that went against them last season.”

SPRINGFIELD-MONTCO
2018 Record: 4-11-3 (1-11-2 SOL American)
Coach: Dan Meder
Notable Losses: Senior class
Players to WatchCole Hutchinson, Paul Richardson, Evan Hincapie and Anthony Forgione, Pierson Rubincam, Ian Short, Matt Leibfreid
Outlook: “Springfield hopes to improve our record from last year and qualify for District I playoffs.”

UPPER DUBLIN
2018 Record: 6-11-1 (4-9-1 SOL American)
Notable Athletes lost: Colin Asper, Pat Roller, Matt Yoon, Alex Goldenberg
Players to Watch: Jordan Kahny, Chris Kenney, Nate Hillman, Oliver Berman, Giovanni Astorino, Luke Rappaport, Josiah Kutai, Sean Seabrook, Ethan Hill
Outlook:  “This season we are looking to rebuild after 17 seniors left from our 2018-19 roster.  With our current group of seniors eager to set-up into the limelight and some exciting young prospects, we are looking to rebuild quickly and hopefully compete for a conference title.”

UPPER MORELAND
2018 Record: 7-9-3 (5-8-1 SOL American)
Coach: Matt Duffey
Notable Losses: Justin Mull, Christian O’Donnell, Ryan Cannon, Jake Navarra, Max Hernandez, Samuel Brown
Players to Watch: Dylan Swedberg, Jack Cowden, Greg Wiley, Travis Slear, Joe Kane, Josh Henderson, Mateo Infante, Tyler Holman
Outlook: “Our team improved by an additional five wins last year over 2017 and qualified for district playoffs losing to eventual state runner-up Strath Haven. Several core players have returned which gives our team good overall experience and depth. Addition of new younger players adds more to our depth and gives our team the ability to place players in different positions depending on what other teams are doing against us. We are looking to improve on our win total but it will be difficult as the overall league looks to be tough again this year.”

WISSAHICKON
2018 Record: 10-7-2 (9-3-2 SOL American)
Coach: Stuart Malcolm
Notable Losses: David Goldstein, Trey Schwartz, Jun Yuh, Liam Weiss, Eddie Fortescue
Players to Watch: Christian Vorcheimer (Jr, M), Jake Slackman (Jr, F), Leo Morales (Sr, M)
Outlook: “The team lost 15 seniors to graduation and returns only one starter. Due to the many changes in the varsity program, I am interested to see how the first half of the season goes. Looking forward to see the team develop.”

WILLIAM TENNENT

2018 Record: 8-9-1

Coach: Nick D’Andrea

Notable Losses: Max Schulze, Matt D’Ambra, Jon Lotrean

Players to Watch: Sean Zolk (Sr, F) Colin Hires(Sr, D), Ben Weir (Jr, D), Sean Metz (Jr, F), Dan Higgins (Sr, F), JT Stone (Jr, M), Mike Liddy (Jr, F), Joe Roller (Sr, F), Pat Corley (So, GK), Pat Molz (Jr, M)

Outlook: “Most talented team fielded at Tennent under current coaching regime. Looking to build on last year’s record and contend for a playoff berth.”

Robbie Geddes and Ryan Cantwell came up big to send Ridley into the championship game of the Vanguard Invitational with a 2-1 victory over Oxford Friday in the boys soccer season opener for both teams.

Geddes scored the winner and Cantwell made 13 saves in goal for the Green Raiders. Keah Tobey tallied Ridley’s first goal, and Christopher Vinci, the kicker for the football team, pitched in with an assist.

Ridley takes on host Sun Valley, a 4-1 winner over Bonner & Prendergast, in the final at 3 p.m. Saturday. Oxford faces Bonner & Prendie in the consolation game.

Sun Valley 4, Bonner & Prendergast 1 >> Chase Segool pumped home two goals to pace the Vanguards. Austin Whittington added one goal and one assist. Gavin McGinnis also scored, while goalie Ryan Vaughn turned back five shots.

Daniel Harper had the lone goal for the Friars, while Tom Denig made eight saves.

In nonleague action:

Episcopal Academy 1, Garnet Valley 0 >> Brendan DePillis tallied the winner on a penalty kick in the second half. Alez Geczy made four saves to post the shutout.

Chase Woolard had five saves in goal for the Jaguars.

Strath Haven 4, Rustin 2 >> Peter Boerth scored the winner and had an assist to help the Panthers open the season on a winning note.

Emmett Young also had one goal and one assist. Tim Wright and Jake Hooper added one goal each, while goalie Rob Gilday made five saves and had an assist. Charlie Schankweiler split the goalkeeping duties and also had five saves.

Penncrest 6, Interboro 0 >> The Lions got their season off to a good start with five first-half goals. Brandon Cairy led the way with three scores. He also had an assist.

Dan McLoughlin pitched in with two assists, and Nate Rodgers, Connor Kraycik and Ethan Emory had the other goals, while Justin Potts and Jackson Meile combined on the shutout.

Coatesville 1, Chichester 0 >> Shane Marks tallied the lone goal and the Red Raiders defense did not allow a shot to reach goalie Ian Maher.

Cameron Flanagan made five saves for the Eagles.

Cardinal O’Hara 2, Springfield 1 >> Brett Barber scored to give the Cougars a 1-0 halftime lead. No other details reported.

Boyertown 3, Abington 2 OT >> Nick Willson netted the game-winning goal three minutes into overtime for 10-man Boyertown as the Bears defeated Abington, last year’s District 1-4A runner-up.

Landon Wenger had two assists while Drew Benning scored unassisted in the 30th minute. Goalie Mason Kurtz made eight saves in the win.

Perkiomen Valley 0, Pottsgrove 0 >> Defense ruled the day for the Vikings and Falcons, who went regulation and two overtimes before finishing deadlocked in their PAC non-divisional game.

PV came away with a 7-5 lead in shots on goal, and a 5-4 advantage in corners.

Phoenixville 1, Great Valley 0 >> The Phantoms opened their season Friday by shutting out their neighboring rivals.

The game’s lone goal was scored by Kedaar Vyas (unassisted). Gavin Perillo made six saves in goal, including a PK stop.

Spring-Ford 2, Hempfield 0 >> The Rams started their 2019 season on a high note Friday, blanking Hempfield in non-league play.

Tommy Bodenschatz headed in a Brett Gulati service off a free kick, and Colin Trainor slotted a pass across the six to a trailing Brandon Duke for the second Ram goal. Tommy McPoyle needed to make just one stop in goal to record the clean sheet.

Upper Perkiomen 2, Daniel Boone 1 >> Mike Fisher scored the eventual game-winner on a free kick and goalie Patrick McHale came up with big saves as Upper Perk held off Daniel Boone in a non-league meeting Friday.

Cole Kendra scored UP’s first goal off a through ball from David Schwab. Caleb Rahn scored off an assist from Colin Bliss for the Blazers.

Marple Newtown 5, Pope John Paul II 0 >> The Golden Panthers dropped their season opener. Dylan Russ made 10 saves for PJP.

Hill School 3, St. Albans School 1 >> The Blues broke out early in the second half with three goals in 20 minutes to earn a season-opening win over St. Albans from Washington, D.C., Friday afternoon.

Tom Adams gave the hosts a late first-half lead in the 38th minute, but Noah Toole and Baba Kallie scored within five minutes of the start of the second half and Kallie doubled his total in the 60th minute. Toole finished a Baba Kallie pass to tie the match in the 42nd minute before Kallie put the Blues up to stay in the 45th minute. Kallie scored again on a pass from Sam Beckett to conclude the scoring. Hill keepers Blake Groff and Alan Kim each posted two saves.

Harriton 1, Methacton 0 >> Mikkel Anderson’s goal was the difference for the Rams in a non-league opener Friday. Harriton goalie Daniel Katz had four saves for a shutout while Methacton counterpart Tyler Andorn stopped two shots.

Brendan Purfield and Gavin McGinnis each netted a goal as the Sun Valley boys soccer team captured the Vanguard Invitational championship with a 2-0 win over Ridley Saturday.

Purfield opened the scoring a minute into the second half and McGinnis tallied an insurance goal off an assist from freshman Bobbo Chambers.

Ryan Vaughan made seven saves in the cage to earn the shutout.

Boyertown

Coach: Mark Chambers, 2nd season
Last year’s record/accomplishments: 5-4-1 PAC Liberty, 8-4-1 PAC, 11-7-2 overall, PAC and District 1-4A playoff qualifier
Players to watch: Seniors Ryan Foskey, def., Landon Wenger, mid., Jake Groff, mid.; Mason Kurtz, GK. Junior Matt Kerr, fwd.; Nick Willson, fwd. Sophomore Beckett Wenger, fwd.
Outlook: With a sturdy foundation returning, led by 2018 All-Area second team choices Ryan Foskey and Mason Kurtz and honorable mentions Landon Wenger and Nick Willson, the Bears look to be firmly in the PAC championship discussion. Second-year coach Mark Chambers will be looking to his underclassmen to fill in the spaces around the returning core. “We will be looking for returning senior leadership with growth and a greater impact from underclassmen and new varsity players,” he said. “We have new players in many areas so we will be looking to use players in various positions and play a deep bench.” Those principles are nothing new for a Boyertown program that annually keeps itself in the thick of postseason talks.

Daniel Boone

Coach: Shane Ferguson, 1st season
Last year’s record/accomplishments: 4-6 Berks I, 8-10 overall
Players to watch: Caleb Rahn, mid./fwd.; Brady Ferguson, mid.; Aden Slifer, mid./def.; Justin Fetrow, def.; Jason Bliss, mid./fwd.; Danny Salguero, mid.; Max Stefanelli, mid.; Colin Bliss, mid.
Outlook: Shane Ferguson takes over as head coach upon the departure of Kevin Morris. With last year’s leading scorers Caleb Rahn and Aden Slifer both returning, the Blazers could be poised to get on the right side of .500 after two straight years with a losing record. It won’t be the easiest task with Berks I always a battle and the 2018 PIAA 4A champion Wilson likely to sit atop the division.

Hill School

Coach: Chris Drowne, 14th season
Last year’s record/accomplishments: 13-8-0, MAPL Champions, PAISAA State Finalist
Players to watch: Seniors Zach Barrett, def.; Baba Kallie, fwd.; Josh Shepherd, fwd. Juniors Caleb Gerdeman, def. Sophomores Noah Toole, fwd.; Sam Beckett, mid.; Jordan Samuels, def.
Outlook: In 2018, the Blues kept the faith and were rewarded: after early injuries and struggles, Hill got healthy and hit its stride, claiming the MAPL championship for the first time since 2013 and making a run to the PAISAA championship game (falling to Springside-Chestnut Hill for the second straight year in the final). It’s hard to overlook the graduation of All-American and reigning Mercury All-Area Player of the Year Euan Forrest (Lehigh) and the highly-successful Class of 2019. But many Blues underclassmen gained serious experience last fall. Senior Zach Barrett, a returning All-Area first teamer, had the best soccer-related summer of anyone in the area: his Lehigh Valley United team won the U.S Youth Soccer U19 national championship in Kansas City. Barrett transitions to his natural position, defense, thanks in part to the addition of forward and Twin Valley transfer Baba Kallie. “On paper, our attacking experience should be a strength, but facing a number of sides featuring players who will bypass college for pro soccer straight away may not let that emerge for a few matches,” Hill coach Chris Drowne said. “Therefore, our depth should be a true strength. Last year’s injuries forced 19 different guys to start
multiple matches, 12 of whom return.” While quite a bit of the Blues’ deck has been shuffled, the game plan hasn’t: negotiate the annual early season who’s who of nationally-ranked sides and work into contention in the MAPL and PAISAA come mid-October.

Methacton

Coach: Dave Stevenson, 3rd season
Last year’s record/accomplishments: 4-5-2 PAC Liberty, 7-5-2 PAC, 9-7-2 overall
Players to watch: Seniors Andrew Kacala, fwd., Nick Ahlum, fwd., Brett Eberly, mid.; Michael Cinelli, mid.; Parker Stevenson, mid.; Joe Fusco, def.; Luca Numerato, def.; Ozzy Carbajal, def.; Tyler Andorn, GK. Juniors Zach Stevenson, mid.; Ryan Baldwin, def.
Outlook: The Warriors will have plenty of motivation for the new season after missing last year’s District 1-4A playoffs by three tenths of a point. A large senior class will be tasked with leading Methacton to brighter times and brush away the past late-season letdowns that have plagued past Warrior sides. Third-year coach Dave Stevenson sees a greater cohesiveness around his squad in the preseason, which shouldn’t be taken for granted. “The seniors display a camaraderie that in turn has produced a positive chemistry for this team. With that, we are better able to play possession-based soccer that will produce many scoring opportunities and defensive stops,” Stevenson said. The PAC Liberty expects to be ultra-competitive again in 2019 so those intangibles need to come together for the Warriors to join the lead pack and not leave district placement to any decimal points this fall.

Owen J. Roberts

Coach: Eric Wentzel, 7th season
Last year’s record/accomplishments: 5-5 PAC Liberty, 8-5 PAC, 13-7 overall, District 1-4A second round
Players to watch: Seniors Zeb Smith, GK; Christian Davis, def.; Garrett Bland, def.; Kyle Storti, mid.; Ethan Gawlik, mid.; Andrew Christoforou, fwd.; Ryan Angelo, mid.; Gavin Zorn, mid. Junior Julian Funaro, mid.
Outlook: Head coach Eric Wentzel’s blood pressure might go down if the Wildcats can avoid the trap that has gotten them in recent years – slow starts. OJR never seems to be short of deep senior classes and 2019 holds true. Even with the graduation of Mercury All-Area first team midfielder Josh Fonder, Wentzel is excited by the makeup of his new midfield. “Our midfield should be really strong this season. We have a lot of experience in the midfield which will
help. We are expecting big things from these guys,” Wentzel said. “Goalkeeping is another strength as Zeb has been playing really well.” Less of a known commodity is the goal-scoring of the WIldcats with the bulk of the scorers graduating. OJR figures to be in the conversation for the PAC playoffs and challenge every team in the strong PAC Liberty. “We hope to be in the PAC and district playoff hunt,” Wentzel said. “We know that our division is loaded with great teams so this will be no easy task.”

Perkiomen Valley

Coach: Zach Allen, 1st season
Last year’s record/accomplishments: 4-1-5 PAC Liberty, 7-1-5 PAC, 11-3-6 overall, PAC champion, District 1-4A qualifier
Players to watch: Seniors Alfredo Grimaldi, Jack Hodson, Declan Loughney, Josh Moyer, Mark Pirrone, Luke Speers, Christian Suarez, Alessandro Vennettill. Juniors Alex Chamorro, Matt Holmes, Steve Warren.
Outlook: It’s a new era for the Perkiomen Valley boys soccer program. But it doesn’t expect to look much different than before. Bob McCabe, after 22 seasons leading the Vikings, stepped away in the offseason and made way for top assistant Zach Allen. The defensive style of play that led PV to the state tournament in 2017 and PAC championship in 2018 was subscribed to in equal measure by head coach past and present. It was a dream finish for McCabe after winning the PAC championship, made possible by a departed senior class that featured All-Area first team defender AJ Hansen and midfielder Brian Love and second team midfielder Matt McCabe and forward Max Chamorro. Those losses will be felt, but Allen is preaching teamwork in the preseason. “We must remain organized and disciplined in our team approach throughout the highs and lows of the season,” Allen said. “We want to continue the tradition that has been established at PV and continue to improve and build upon it.”With so much departed leadership, it feels like a wait-and-see approach is right with the Vikings, though they should be in the mix for PAC and district playoff places.

Phoenixville

Head coach: Mike Cesarski, 6th season
Last year’s record/accomplishments: 7-2-1 PAC Frontier, 8-4-1 PAC, 12-6-2 overall, District 1-3A second round
Players to watch: Seniors Clay Kopko, mid./def.; Sean Clark, def.; Eric Schwartz, def.; Doug Smith, fwd./mid. Juniors Gavin Perillo,GK; RJ Wineburg, def. Sophomores Kedaar Vyas, fwd.; Liam Yeatman, def. Freshman Efe Ulcay, mid.
Outlook: The Phantoms will lead from back to front this fall, with an experienced defense led by All-Area first teamer Clay Kopko and three-year starting goalkeeper Gavin Perillo. With a largely new attack though, the Phantoms will be searching for cohesion up top to get the goals flowing. “We have a smaller-than-usual group of seniors and larger groups of underclassmen. We are looking to develop the next generation of players and also compete at the high level we’ve been used to over the past few years,” coach Mike Cesarski said. It will be a higher degree of difficulty to have the win percentages of the past two years, but the Phantoms shouldn’t be counted out of postseason contention.

Pope John Paul II

Head Coach: Sackda Viravong, 1st season
Last year’s record/accomplishments: 5-5 PAC Frontier, 6-7 PAC, 6-11 overall
Players to watch: David Lattanze, Sr., fwd/mid; Giacomo Badalamenti, Sr., mid.; Brett McMenamin, Jr., mid.; Anthony Capobianco, Jr., mid; Stephan Rist, So., mid.
Outlook: Sackda Viravong takes over at PJP with a vast coaching record that includes 18 years as a head coach at the high school level and as an assistant at the college level, most recently at Ursinus. Quick work is required with only three starters returning from a year ago. “Turnover due to graduation is nothing new, we just have to shuffle the deck and find out who can step up and play soccer at the varsity level,” Viravong said. “The defense is young and capable of winning balls. The midfield is strong and can adapt quickly to any given situation on the field. The forward is young and capable of scoring goals.” Viravong is preaching fitness to be prepared for the grind of high school soccer, taking a measured approach across the board. “If we can take care of the soccer ball and control how we play, then the result will be positive no matter the outcome,” Viravong said.

Pottsgrove

Head Coach: Jay Witkowski, 16th season
Last year’s record/accomplishments: 7-2-1 PAC Liberty, 7-5-1 PAC, 10-8-2 overall, PAC playoff and District 1-3A qualifier
Players to watch: Seniors Ryan Curnew, mid.; Collin Deckert, mid.; Ethan Pace, fwd. Juniors Shane Gleason, def.; Luke Kaiser, GK; Mike Troutman, def.
Outlook: This fall’s Pottsgrove team looks to be one of the strongest in recent years for a program that already annually flies atop the PAC Frontier Division. A whopping 10 starters return, including All-Area first team forward Ethan Pace, who surpassed the 20-goal mark in 2018. “This roster should be good in all phases of the game,” said Pottsgrove assistant Jeff Erb. The coaching staff especially like the makeup of the defense, which will feature Shane Gleason and Mike Troutman. “These guys are quick and gritty and have a strong workman-like attitude,” Erb said. The true test will be if they can build the collective mentality that was fractured too often in recent years. “The team must realize that coming together and playing for team gives them their best chance of achieving their goals,” Erb said. The Falcons should lead the Frontier field and contend for a District 1-3A championship.

Pottstown

Coach: Manuel A. Paez Sr., 4th season
Last year’s record: 0-10 PAC Frontier, 0-13 PAC, 0-17 overall
Players to watch: Demond Thompson, Sr., fwd.; Brice Cole, Sr., def.
Outlook: With one win in three seasons, the Trojans aren’t suddenly going to burst into contender status. But fourth-year coach Manny Paez is praising the mentality of his squad and its ability to navigate the rigors of the season ahead. “ Goals are staying together as a team throughout the season, building upon each game, demonstrating respect for the sport, the players, the schools and themselves,” Paez said. “Showing that a winning attitude is not just about the scoreboard.”

Spring-Ford

Coach: Brent Kissel, 4th season
Last year’s record/accomplishments: 8-0-2 PAC Liberty, 11-0-2 PAC, 18-4-3 overall, PAC runner-up, District 1-4A third place, PIAA 4A first round
Players to watch: Seniors Colin Trainor, fwd.; Brett Gulati, fwd.; Brandon Duke, fwd.; Ethan Mossip, mid.; Andrew Raser, def. Juniors Connor Lynch, mid.; Ekow Asomaning, def.; Tommy Bodenschatz, mid.
Outlook: If potential is the topic, this year’s Spring-Ford side has the highest ceiling of any Pioneer Athletic Conference team this decade (and longer). Colin Trainor (All-State, All-Area first team), Brett Gulati (first team) and Brandon Duke (second team) form one of the most dangerous front 3s in the state after combining for 40 goals and 25 assists in 2018. It’s a deep and talented roster behind the forwards, including last year’s team MVP Ethan Mossip in the midfield while the defense, led by Andrew Raser, got a boost from the addition of former Union academy player Ekow Asomaning. “No matter the amount of preparation, each season presents unique challenges,” coach Brent Kissel said. “How our players come together and respond to those challenges will determine how far we can go as a team.” For all the success of last year’s 18-win season, teams that took a fully defensive approach presented S-F some trouble and could frustrate the Rams at times. How this year’s edition manages to find solutions and keep their heads against teams not willing to try to out-score them will determine how long a run the Rams have. If things go to plan, the Rams should be playing for a PAC championship and into November.

Upper Merion

Coach: Philippe David, 1st season
Last year’s record/accomplishments: 3-7 PAC Frontier, 3-10 PAC, 4-14 overall
Players to watch: Seniors Sam Tepe, fwd.; Marcelo Pereira, mid./fwd.; Robert Plisiewecz, mid. Freshman Patryk Rojek, mid./fwd.
Outlook: Former UM 9th grade coach Philippe David takes over for longtime coach Tom Dodds and will be joined on the sideline by Patrick David, his father, who coached more than 25 years at Germantown Academy after playing professionally in France. Despite the graduation of standout midfielder Trevor Looby (West Chester), leading forward Sam Tepe returns while a couple intriguing additions enter in Marcelo Pereira, a new student from Venezuela, and freshman Patryk Rojek, an ODP East Region player. Close games troubled the VIkings a year ago with seven one-goal losses. David is hopeful to solve that puzzle this fall. “Winning these close games will be key to the success of our season,” he said. “Our goal is to have a winning record and make the playoffs.”

Upper Perkiomen

Coach: Kyle Fisher, 6th season
Last year’s record/accomplishments: 7-3 PAC Frontier, 8-5 PAC, 12-8 overall, District 1-3A second round
Players to watch: Seniors Joe McMichael, fwd.; Mason Powers, fwd.; Austin Dunar, mid.; Dean Miller, mid.; Bryce Lesko, mid.; Pat McHale, GK. Juniors Cole Kendra, mid.; Jack Cupitt, def.; Michael Fisher, def.; Keaton Durning, def.; Dillon Brendle, def.; Lucas Carpenter, mid.; Kyle Shemeley, fwd. Sophomore David Schwab, fwd.
Outlook: Upper Perkiomen was one of the feel-good stories of the 2018 season, putting behind many years of win totals you could count on one hand and becoming a contender in the PAC Frontier and advancing to the second round of the District 1-3A tournament. With eight starters returning, the Indians won’t be seen as the plucky underdog this year – there will be real expectations. Junior Cole Kendra (All-Area second team) is the engine of a midfield unit that returns entirely, as does honorable mention defenders Michael Fisher and Jack Cupitt and goalkeeper Patrick McHale. UP must finds some goals after last year’s leading scorer Ian Costanzo graduated. Seniors Joe McMichael and Mason Powers will be looked upon to give the spark. The experience of playing so many meaningful games last fall will only help Upper Perk’s progress as a team and program and make it ready to challenge for the PAC Frontier and another run in the District 1-3A tournament. “An experienced senior class including captains McHale and Lesko, along with Austin Dunar and Dean Miller, will be providing the leadership,” coach Kyle Fisher said. “We want our players to enjoy the game, enjoy their time with their teammates and hopefully experience some success.

– By Austin Hertzog, ahertzog@Pottsmerc.com