Explosive Run Game Carries Garnet Valley to First Round Victory
Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs
Willie McGonigle | November 2, 2025
GLEN MILLS: When one thinks of the Garnet Valley triple-option offense, they usually think of nice, long 12-13 plus play drives that eat the minutes off the clock. On Saturday night, the Jaguars ran just 12 plays in the first half of their District 1 5A First Round playoff game against visiting Upper Perkiomen. However, with those 12 plays, the Jaguars’ offense compiled 279 yards and scored five touchdowns on its way to a 49-35 victory over the Indians at Moe DeFrank Stadium.
The catalyst for the Jaguars’ first-half onslaught was the play of Travis Griffith, Fischer Travis, Nick Potts, Jack Del Buono, and Liam Genthert. The big boys up front did their job, paving the way for the Jaguars’ 412 yards of total offense, including 355 on the ground.
“We talk about execution, we usually like to sustain long drives, but you know our offensive linemen were opening up some big holes, and our guys running the ball were running physical.” Jaguars head coach Eric Van Wyk said of his team’s first-half attack.
“We were physical up front; that’s kind of the motto we live by is that you got to be physical upfront, and that’s what we did tonight,” Griffith said.
The biggest benefactor of the Jaguars’ offensive line’s performance was their fullback, Paxon Hunt, who rushed for 214 yards on 17 carries and four touchdowns, including five carries in the first half that netted 125 yards and three touchdowns. After the game, Hunt was quick to give credit to his boys upfront, saying, “I love them, they dominated, we’ve got some dogs, there isn’t another O-Line in the country that I would want to be behind than them.
The Jaguars came out firing on the game’s second play. QB Coltan Turner kept the ball himself on an option and raced 36 yards down to the Indians’ 29. Two plays later, Hunt bulldozed his way in from 21 yards out.
On their second drive, the Jaguars needed just two plays to tack on to their lead when Billy Krause raced in for a 24-yard touchdown.
Following an Indians punt, the Jaguars took on the UP 48 and on their first play they handed the ball to Hunt, and that’s all they needed as he rumbled his way to a 48-yard touchdown and a 21-0 Jaguars lead with 5:31 left in the first quarter.
On their third possession, the Indians showed signs of life, putting together a nine-play 77-yard drive that was capped by Grayson Sabo connecting with Kane Krier for a 37-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 21-7 with 1:36 left in 1st quarter.
The Jaguars responded almost instantly after Turner connected with Krause for a 25-yard gain on the first play of the ensuing Jaguar drive, then on the second play Hunt again got loose and went 44 yards to the endzone, making it 28-7.
Back came the Indians with a 13-play 61-yard drive that Sabo capped off with an 8-yard touchdown run, cutting the Jaguars’ lead in half at 28-14.
Three plays were all the Jaguars needed to bring their lead back up to 21 when Turner took the air and found a wide-open Michael Buono for a 32-yard touchdown, making it 35-14 with 2:10 left to play in the 1st half.
Once again, the Indians responded with a nine-play 65-yard drive that Sabo capped off with a one-yard sneak, making it 35-21 heading into the locker room at the half.
Carrying momentum from their last-minute score, the Indians came out and, following a 38-yard kickoff return by Zach Adam, the Indians drove 52 yards on ten plays with Sabo finding the endzone for a third time with another one-yard sneak, cutting the Jaguars’ lead down to 7 at 35-28. Feeling the momentum was on their side, the Indians decided to attempt an onside kick, and it worked as they recovered it; however, the Indians couldn’t capitalize on the extra possession, has ultimately the Jaguars’ defense forced them to a turnover on downs.
The Indians’ defense finally stopped the Jaguars’ offense on their next drive, but then on their ensuing possession, Turner came up with an interception for the Jaguars.
Following the interception, the Jaguars went back to their old ways, sustaining a nine-play 56-yard drive that was capped by Hunt’s final score of the night, this one from four yards out, and opened a 41-28 lead for the Jaguars.
Following a three-and-out for the Indians, the Jaguars went back on the attack with an eight-play 67-yard drive that ate nearly five minutes off the clock. Anthony Gifford capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run.
The Indians, though, showed why they won the PAC Frontier Division with a never-say-die attitude, marching 55 yards on eight plays with Sabo capping the drive with a nine-yard touchdown, making it 49-35 with 43 seconds. The Jaguars recovered the ensuing onsides kick to ice victory.
The Indians left an impression on Van Wyk, who said, “I was really impressed by them. I thought they showed up with a great game plan. Their quarterback (Sabo) was really impressive.”
The 7th seed Jaguars improved to 8-3 and on Saturday will travel to the 2nd seed Chester. The Clippers are considered by some to be the team to be the favorite to win the district and Van Wyk and his Jaguars are looking forward to the challenge. “We’re excited for the opportunity. We have a lot of respect for Coach Shaw and Chester. I know it’s going to be a great atmosphere there, and I can’t wait to get the chance to play them. Kick off of that matchup is scheduled for 1 pm.
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