Deja Vu, Garnet Valley and St. Joes Prep to meet again in State Semi’s

Tagged under: District 1, District 12, News, Playoffs

James Middleton | December 2, 2022

Credit: Willie McGonigle

Philadelphia, PA: Two familiar faces will be matching up tomorrow at Northeast High School; it will be the Garnet Valley Jaguars facing off against St. Joe’s Prep. The two powerhouses matched up in last year’s state semifinal game, with St. Joes stopping the Jaguar playoff run by a score of 49 to 13. However, the past is the past, Garnet Valley will be looking for revenge, and St. Joes will look to continue its playoff run. 

Thanks to being the number one seed in the District one playoff, the Jaguars have had the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. En route to the semi’s the Jags have taken down Quakertown, Spring-Ford, Downingtown East, and Central Bucks West. In last week’s District one final, the Jaguars steamrolled past the Bucks 35 to 7. The Jaguars have been able to get it done in many ways this season, on the ground, through the air, or holding the opposing offense to an average of 10 points per game all season. On offense, it has been Matt Mesaros, Jason “The Bus” Bernard, Drew Van Horn, Joe Checchio, and the list goes on and on. Checchio and Van Horn have also spearheaded the defensive side of the ball, the pair coming together for a momentum-swinging play last week against CB West. The Jaguar defense will face its most formidable opponent all season in the Hawks offense, but throughout the playoffs, people have counted out the Jag defense, and they have proved them wrong every week. 

St. Joes comes into the contest with a record of 10 and 1, with their one loss coming against national powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas. At the helm for the Hawks is Samaj Jones. The dual-threat quarterback has amassed 606 yards on the ground and 2092 yards through the air this season. Sharing the backfield with Jones is tailback Khaseem Phillips; Phillips has put together a season of 694 yards on the ground. On the outside is wide receiver David Washington who has 39 receptions for 484 yards this season. St. Joe’s defense is led by Cole Nilles, who has 67 tackles on the season, 49 of those being solo tackles. 

It is win or go home for both teams as they are fighting for a spot in the 6A title game. The Jaguars will look to play their style of football, tiring out the Prep defense with run after run and then handing it over to their trusty defense. Prep will look to play their up-tempo offense style, whether through the air or on the ground. The winner of this game will face the winner of the other semifinal game, which is between State College and Harrisburg.

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