Bonner & Prendie, Upper Darby renew rivalry
The high school football season is here, commencing earlier than ever before ... but who cares?
The only teams from Delaware County not in action are Cardinal O’Hara, Episcopal Academy and The Haverford School. All three squads will kick off next weekend.
Here are five games to watch Friday and Saturday ...
Bonner & Prendergast at Upper Darby, 7 p.m.
Separated by less than a quarter-mile on Lansdowne Ave., the Friars and Royals meet on opening night for the sixth consecutive season.
Throughout the summer Upper Darby’s Twitter account (@UDFootball) has been actively trolling the Bonner & Prendie account (MBAP_Football), which has made for some entertaining social-media banter.
UD is coming off a 6-5 season that ended with a loss to Haverford High on Thanksgiving. Junior Kevin Kerwood takes the reins at quarterback after receiving a brief audition at the position last fall. Kerwood is lauded by the Upper Darby coaches for his poise and athleticism. One of his prime targets at wide receiver is Brylan Brown, while junior Kareem McAdams is slated to be the Royals’ new No. 1 running back.
As for Bonner & Prendie, there’s nowhere to go but up following a season in which they lost 10 of 11 games and were outscored, 410-79. Senior defensive end/linebacker Rushawn Lawrence had a great offseason and received scholarship offers from New Hampshire, Albany and Howard. Lawrence. quarterback Shon Nelson and running back Nasim Cooper are among 11 returning seniors for the Friars.
Unionville at Garnet Valley, 7 p.m.
A preseason favorite to win the Central League title, the Jaguars return to the gridiron following a stellar 2017 campaign. GV advanced to the District 1 Class 6A final for a second year in a row, and has aspirations to win it all this year. The offense is led by senior Cole Palis, who flourished last year in a back-up role and started in the Jags’ district championship loss to Coatesville. Junior running back Colin Robinson amassed 465 yards and four touchdowns in a secondary role last fall.
The Indians’ strength should be on the offensive line with three returning starters (Cole Sheehan, Declan Boyle and Matt Julier), which should help ease the transition to first-year starting quarterback Blake Charlton. Unionville will look vastly different than the team that captured its first District 1 Class 5A title last fall.
Sun Valley at Penncrest, 7 p.m.
Few players in Delco can electrify like Sun Valley’s Julz Kelly. An all-purpose weapon, Kelly made the AllDelco team last fall with 958 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. He was Sun Valley’s best wide receiver, too, catching 37 passes for 636 yards and three scores. Kelly amassed more yards from the line of scrimmage than any player in the county. He also plays defensive back, returner and punter.
Sun Valley also returns quarterback Anthony Ellis, who threw for 1,477 yards and eight scores last year.
The Lions are looking to make small steps at becoming a competitive program again. Nick Benecke will start at quarterback and Vinny Brown will be the team’s top running back. Look out for big athlete Giavanni Antonelli, who will play tight end, fullback and defensive end. Penncrest hasn’t won more than three games in a season since 2013.
Interboro at Strath Haven, 7 p.m.
To improve upon last year’s 5-7 record, Interboro seeks improvement from second-year starting players, none more prominent than quarterback Jared Dellipriscoli, an athletic player whom coach Steve Lennox trusts to throw the football. Of course, the groundand-pound Bucs will stick with what’s worked for decades, which means plenty of carries called for senior running backs Andrew Grieb and Mike Moore.
Strath Haven has many familiar faces returning from a team that advanced to the quarterfinal round of the District 1 Class 5A quarterfinals. Senior quarterback James Fisher is back for his second year piloting coach Kevin Clancy’s offense. On the other side of the ball, senior Ethan Belville is one of the top linebackers in Central League.
Interboro defeated Strath Haven, 26-13, in last year’s season opener.
Saturday Haverford vs. Chester at Lincoln University, 7 p.m.
The Fords should be right in the thick of the Central League title race. They’ll count on another big year from third-year starting quarterback Jake Ruane, who threw for 1,925 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2017. Ruane is easily a top-three QB in the county.
You can expect plenty of highlight-reel moments from junior athlete Trey Blair. Shane Mosley, a senior, is the Fords’ top defensive playmaker in the secondary.
For Chester, keep an eye on sophomore running back Anton Sterling to turn heads. Shaheem Pharr is an impressive talent in the receiving game for Clippers, who are coming off two straight twowin seasons.