Garnet Valley Pulls Away in Second Half to Beat Undefeated Ridley @GarnetValleyFB @GVAthletics @hs_ridley

Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News

Alec Eskin | October 2, 2021

Picture taken by Tbone Smith (@trsmith296)

This was a game where the best of the best in the Central League faced off with Garnet Valley going on the road to Ridley. John Heller and Tahir Mills, were leading the way on offense and gaining massive chunks of yards at one time. They certainly presented a challenge the entire game, especially in the first half as Garnet Valley trailed going into half time for the first time since playing Coatesville in the 2019 District One Semifinals. But, in the second half, Garnet Valley was able to figure out the Green Raider offense and defense, outscoring them 37-3 and winning the game by a final score of 65-37. Lets go into a deeper recap of each teams’ night once again . . .

Ridley gave everything Garnet Valley could handle on offense. John Heller made a lot of improvements from last year to this year as he was able to escape the pocket and throw on the run, making very difficult for the Garnet Valley defensive line and corner backs. Then, their offensive line did a great job of being able to provide Heller with time and also allow him to have an escape route out of the pocket. Heller threw for 311 yards and threw for two touchdowns. Tahir Mills was also potent for Ridley as he had a very good day with 97 yards, one running touchdown, and on touchdown pass on a trick play. He elusiveness made him hard to bring down all night. But, in the second half, they could not adjust to Garnet Valley’s defense as all they got was a field goal. On defense, they had a rough time with Garnet Valley’s offense. The Jaguars had scored the most points in the game for the first time in a while. But, they were able to constantly apply pressure as Busenkell fumbled on and another turnover on offense. There may be some adjustments for Ridley.

Garnet Valley had on of the best second halves in a long time. Jason Bernard had 220 had 184 yards running with one touchdown. He has been outstanding since he went in for Shane Reynolds. Then, Ryan Saunders had three touchdowns as well. After that, Max Busenkell quietly had a good night going seven for ten passing with 118 yards and two touchdown passes to Joey Halloran and Sean Gallagher. The really started clicking in the second half as they were able to get down the field at will. Lastly, once the offensive line started to gain confidence, a lot of holes started to open up. On defense, they had a lot of trouble containing Mills and Heller as they gave up the most point in a have an a game in about two years. But, they were able to make some good adjustments and only let up three points the entire second half. Speed on this team has been a huge factor for GV at every position so far this year and it showed tonight. Again, this was arguably one of their toughest games in a long time, and Garnet Valley did not miss a beat.

Ridley plays at home against Harriton at 7:00 PM and Garnet Valley plays Radnor at home at 7:00 PM as well. Both of these teams tonight showed they are District One caliber and have a good chance to do damage. This should be a fun few last months of the regular season in the Central League.

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