Del Val League: Mid-Season Report

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Dylan Johnson | September 30, 2022

DELEWARE COUNTY PA- It feels like just yesterday when everyone was longing for the high school football season to resume again. Just like that, in a blink of an eye, we are already halfway through the season. Down here in the little corner of PA is Delco, home to the Del Val league. Let us check in on them and see how they are doing.

CHESTER CLIPPERS (5-0):

The Del Val Championship is Chester’s to lose. Riding through the halfway point with an undefeated season they are destined to reclaim that Del Val championship title they lost a year ago. Chester looks to repaint history after starting last season out 7-0, they were staring down the top spot in their division. Then came what no one saw coming, four straight losses to end the season. Two of those being leagues games to Chichester and Academy Park, the Del Val title fell out of their hands.

Look forward to this season Chester, in their five games, have shut out four teams and have only allowed 10 points total through five. The Clippers offense, led by freshman, Jalen Harris, has outscored opponents 233-10. With his 20th passing touchdown of the season, he broke the school’s single-season passing TD record. Reminder we are only halfway through the season.

Chester currently sits tied with Academy Park at the top of Del Val with a league record of 1-0. Down the road, they will see an easy schedule with their opponents having a combined record of 7-17. Within those five games, three of them will be league matchups.

Remaining Schedule: West Chester Henderson (0-4), Penn Wood (0-5)*, Downingtown West (4-1), Chichester (1-4)*, Academy Park (2-3)*

INTERBORO BUCCANEERS (3-2):

If there is anyone with a decent chance of giving Chester a run for the best Del Val team, it is Interoboro. If the Buccaneers did not fall to the Clippers just two weeks ago, it would have been a 50/50 for Del Val. With the Buccaneers’ only losses coming to two undefeated teams, they are a force to reckon with.

Their backfield is blessed with the feet and toughness of RB Abubakarr Kamara. Last week he torched Oxford’s defense to break Interboro’s single-game rushing record with 309 yards. To add to that feat, he walked across the goalline 4 times to walk away with 4 of 7 Interboro touchdowns that night. Any team would be grateful to have their own Kamara, but here on earth, there is only one.

Tonight they face up against the only team they cross with a winning record during the second half of the season. Other than that, every other team has a losing record. This regular season could end very well for the Buccaneers, where they could find themselves in the PIAA playoffs come November. Unless Chester makes a fatal error, the Del Val title sits just out of reach on the top shelf. If there is a team to count out, it is not this one.

Remaining Schedule: Kennett (3-2), Chichester (1-4)*, Academy Park (2-3)*, Avon Grove (2-3), Penn Wood (0-5)*, Ridley (3-2) [Turkey Bowl]

ACADEMY PARK KNIGHTS (2-3):

Head Coach Jason Vosheski got his team ready for league play by leading them into a gauntlet. Through the first half of the season, they faced five opponents with a combined record of 17-7, three of them being undefeated. The hard work, grit, and grind all pay off as “iron sharpens iron.” To the Knights, that sits them in the driver’s seat as they share the league’s number one spot with Chester.

RB Terrance Oliver continues to beat down teams out of the backfield. Writing the story for his last dance, he wears down defenses left and right. It sets up for QB Darrel Fields and his receivers to take care of his unfinished business. Fields can turn up the field with his feet or drop it into the hands of WR Anis Hunter through the air.

They dig into the back half of the season in hopes to take control of Del Val. It will be no easy task for them, but it is achievable. They will close out their season with three straight league games with their season closer being against Chester.

Remaining Schedule: Avon Grove (2-3), Downingtown East (4-1), Interboro (3-2)*, Penn Wood (0-5)*, Chester (5-0)*

CHICHESTER EAGLES (1-4):

Chichester returned this season with something to defend, the Del Val title. After etching a historic season into stone last year, they looked to mimic it again this year. For Ed Buck, he provided a fresh mindset and scheme for an Eagle team who struggled to even put together a winning season before him. That season though, is in the rearview.

After losing a huge senior class and Staring Reeves, the Eagles have struggled the first half of the season. They needed to develop a new way of moving the chains. Opening the season exactly how they did last year, with a home game against Harry S. Truman the script was flipped. Truman sought revenge and got it, routing them 19-2. Their only win coming against the now 0-5 Cardinal O’Hara seemed like a season to throw in the back of the filing cabinet. Despite their record, it is not over. Coming off a game where they held West Chester Rustin to 7 points in the first half, they only show progression. Chichester is rebuilding, yet they are a solid team as a whole. Seniors such as Erskine Wilson, Eyan Thomas, Quadir Blackwell, Andrew Foster V, Shawn Bedwell, and Connor Mullin hope to end their final season with a bang. While they are 0-1 in Del Val do not count them out just yet.

Remaining Schedule: Unionville (2-3), Interboro (3-2)*, Penn Wood (0-5)*, Chester (5-0)*, Bishop Shanahan (2-2), Sun Valley (2-3) [Turkey Bowl]

PENN WOOD PATRIOTS (0-5):

In an attempt to bounce back from last year’s winless season, Penn Wood came out flat to start the season. The donut in their record does not tell the story of the Patriot’s season. There is more to it. Starting the season with a 5 game skid is not ideal, it is not the end of the road either. Tackling opponent’s with a record of 15-8 proved exactly what it would be, a hard time.

Ato Troop has prevailed many seasons through his tenure as head coach. This season he plans to do the same. His offense, is set around QB David Anaglate, who looks to find his footing come the home stretch. The Patriots, on paper, look like an easy win, they still find themselves in the Del Val race. Having played no league games, they sit at 0-0 in league games. After they host Sun Valley tonight, they have their ducks lined up in a row to play four straight league games to end the season.

As many know, the Del Val league can never disappoint. Over the years, undefeated teams have been taken down by below .500 teams. Here in Delco, the underdogs feast on doubt. That is why Penn Wood could turn their season around at any moment. It is unlikely you see them hoist the title come the end of October, but in Del Val, no one is out of the race yet.

Remaining Schedule: Sun Valley (2-3), Chester (5-0)*, Chichester (1-4)*, Academy Park (2-3)*, Interboro (3-2)*

All info and stats listed above are current as of 9/29/22.

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