NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA - The Tigers of Marple Newtown prepare to play their first game in the newly renovated Harry Harvey Field on Friday, September 30th, 2005. Festivities are to start at 7 PM.
From the pictures below, you can see that the field is coming along quite well and will be ready for football on Friday night. Special ceremonies will take place commemorating this special event that will include the family of the late Harry Harvey.
Contact Jim Allsman at jma158@comcast.net.
ARDMORE, PA – One minute. That’s all it took, just one minute. It takes longer to brush your teeth, check voicemail, or even to make a bag of microwave popcorn. In their 14-7 victory over the Lower Merion Aces, the Tigers, in only one minute out of their total 23:20 time of possession for the game scored twice in two separate possessions – 4 rushing plays, 89 yards total.
The Aces came out pumped and were excited to be playing in front of their home crowd. Jeff Nance, the Lower Merion running back took the first hand off from Aces quarterback Adam Ellison and rushed for a gain of 27 yards. The Aces first drive ended with a 10-yard touchdown run by Nance capped with an extra point by Alex Kadesch.
The Tigers second drive started from their own 35-yard line due to Kadesch’s kick-off going out of bounds. Liberty handed off to Moccia, while the offensive line exploded and took the ball 65 yards in ten seconds all the way to the end zone for their first touchdown of the afternoon. Both teams set the tone for what many thought to be a high scoring afternoon. Ted Seiler’s extra point attempt was low and subsequently blocked.
Travis Wrambel kicked off to the Aces 15 yard line and the Tigers special teams held Brandon Dunston’s return to one yard to the 16. At this point, the defense pinned their ears back and went to work holding the Lower Merion offense to a paltry –2 yards in only 3 plays. On 2nd and 5 for their own 21-yard line, Pete Massaros dropped Nance in the backfield for a 7-yard loss. On the next play Ellison passed incomplete to intended for Mike Conry setting up 4th and Montgomery Avenue. Kadesch dropped back to punt on the next play only to have it blocked by TJ Pretti. The punt barely made it 10 yards to the Lower Merion 24 yard line.
The Tigers took over with spectacular field position, letting Moccia rumble toward the goal line in just three plays. On 3rd and 3 from the 17-yard line, Matt Moccia scored his second touchdown of the afternoon, hardly even getting touched by defenders. The offensive line was playing superb on this fall afternoon. Jon Liberty passed complete to Pat Aigeldinger and converted the 2-point conversion to go ahead 14-7.
The defense allowed the Aces to reach Tigers territory only once more in the first half getting all the way to the MN 15 yard line. The Aces switched up their running attack and let fullback Mike Mazzone rush for 27 yards in 5 plays before a huge passing play from Ellison to Dunston resulted in a 30-yard gain. On first down from the MN 15 yard line, Ellison ran the ball and fumbled which the Tiger’s Dave Hansell recovered. This was an incredible stop by the defense at a critical point in the game.
The Aces offense was never dealt a good hand for the remainder of the half and the Tigers defense was relentless. The Tigers were able to secure very nice field position just before halftime with a rush by Ellison resulting on a 12-yard loss on first down. Mazzone and Ellison combined for another 13 yards over the next two plays. On 4th and 9 Kadesch attempted to punt only to get a poor snap and never got the punt off in time. The Tigers offense took over on their own 21 and got to the 12-yard line on 1st down. Liberty could not connect with Scarboro on the next 2 passing plays and had to settle for a Ted Seiler field goal attempt that was wide left and no good with only three seconds left in the half.
The second half was less dramatic than the first. Lower Merion reached Tigers territory twice and Marple was only successful in getting past midfield once. Penalties were the Achilles’ heal for each team in critical moments of the game. The Aces ended the game with 4 penalties for 40 yards while Marple had 7 for 66 yards total including an untimely personal foul. This is something that the Tigers will have to address before their next opponent.
The balance between the passing and rushing game that the Tigers have been looking for over the last eight quarters was discovered on their opening drive. Liberty passed complete for 12 yards in 2 plays. By the end of the game, Liberty had 4 completions on 8 attempts for 47 total yards.
For the second straight week it might as well have been “The Matt Moccia Show.” The kid put on a clinic for up-and-coming high school running backs rushing the ball 27 times for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns. This performance was highlighted by Central League MVP honors for week 4 of the current season.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon on the Main Line, the Tigers earned their second win – marking their first win this season in the Central League. They improved their record to 2-2 overall.
Other defensive notables are as follows: Dave Hansell and Mike Talley each had 8 tackles, Ted Seiler had 7, Matt Moccia had 5, Dan Scarboro, John Rutecki, Pat Aigeldinger ended the game with 4 tackles each, while Pete Massaros had 3.
Pete Massaros and Mike Talley combined for one sack on the Aces QB Nance.
Game 5 vs. Springfield at THE NEW Harry Harvey Field at Marple Newtown High School
The 2005 Tigers football team will play their fifth game on Friday, September 30, 2005 against Springfield. Friday evening will mark the opening game in newly renovated Harry Harvey Stadium at Marple Newtown High School. Inaugural ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 7 PM. Mark your calendars and be sure to come out and support the Tigers.
Contact Jim Allsman at jma158@comcast.net.
UPPER DARBY, PA – Defense was the theme of Friday night’s game and despite their 17-0 shutout loss against the Upper Darby Royals, the Tigers defense came ready to play. Going up against one of the top 10 teams in Southeastern Pennsylvania according to local publications, the Moccia-lead defense held the Royals to 6 points in the first 3 quarters of this ball game.
Prior to Friday night, I was convinced that Upper Darby would be a contender for the Central League title this season. I was wrong. This team is good, but will struggle scoring against really tough defenses. They met their match versus the Tigers Friday night.
Once again, Matt Moccia led the defense with 8 tackles and 2 sacks including 3 tackles for losses. He was all over place defensively along with Ted Seiler and Dan Scarboro (each had 8 tackles) providing immense pressure during key times of this game.
On the Royals second possession, Simoni Lawrence led the Upper Darby rushing attack while QB Blaine Fox started to find his rhythm. On 4th and 13 from the Tigers 35 yard line, under pressure Fox threw an interception into the hands of John Rutecki who provided excellent coverage for the Tigers all night. It was a big play with 2:35 left in the 1st and it ended a drive that looked as though was going to end with Upper Darby celebrating in the end zone.
During their next offensive drive, Upper Darby scored with a Dan DiBona 23 yard field goal. That was the first of three on the night, hitting pay dirt from 27 (4:30 in 3rd) and 39 (3:28 in 4th) yards respectively.
Just as the second quarter was ending, Upper Darby had the ball and made it to the Tigers 43 yard line in 5 plays. On 3rd and 3, Fox dropped back and fired a pass down field only to have it intercepted again, this time by Mike Ervin at the 19 yard line. Another huge play provided by the Tigers defense that had to make the Royals wonder if they were going to be able to score or would they have to rely on DiBona’s leg for the rest of the evening.
By halftime, the Tigers knew it was going to be hard to score as they managed to get into Royals territory only 3 times never getting past the 45 yard line. On the other side of the field, the Royals went into the locker room scratching their own heads. The running game was adequate but to get into better scoring position the passing game would have to be better than it was. Fox had 5 completions on 12 attempts for 41 yards and 2 interceptions.
Shortly after the Royals second field goal, they took over with 2:39 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Starting from their won 45, Upper Darby went 28 plays in 4 yards assisted by a 15-yard personal foul on the Tigers defense. On 2nd and 16, Fox’s intended pass for Simoni Lawrence was intercepted by Dan Scarboro at the 1-yard line and returned 26 yards to the Tiger 27. At this point, I believed the Tigers would hang around long enough to score somehow, some way.
Marple took over on offense and Matt Moccia rushed for 21 yards on 2nd and 10, his longest of the night, which brought the Tigers almost to midfield. Penalties haunted the Tigers once again taking them all the way back to the Tiger’s 38 on a 15 yard personal foul call on the offense. Travis Wrambel, who had 9 punts for 301 yards including one inside the 20, punted to the Royals 29 and Allen Williams returned it to the 31-yard line.
That started a Royals offensive drive that was 9 rushing plays for 69 yards – Simoni Lawrence had 4 touches for 39 yards including a 2 yard rushing touchdown and Vernon Gillis had 4 runs for 30 yards. Fox pass complete to Nick Ciccone for the two-point conversion at 5:53 left in the fourth.
That drive essentially ended the ball game besides the late DiBonna field goal in the fourth.
Moccia ended the game with 13 rushes for 41 yards and zero catches.
Other defensive notables are as follows: John Rutecki and Toby MacCart each had 7 tackles, Dave Hansell and Pat Aigeldinger ended the game with 6 tackles, TJ Pretti had 5, while Mike Ervin, Travis Wrambel, and Pete Massaros had 2 a piece.
Game 4 vs. Lower Merion Aces at Lower Merion High School
The 2005 Tigers football team will play their fourth game on Saturday, September 24, 2005 against the Aces. Kickoff for this match up is set for 1:30 PM at Lower Merion High School – Montgomery Avenue in Ardmore. Mark your calendars and be sure to come out and support the Tigers.
The Last Word
Speaking of defense, hats off to Upper Darby for putting on a fine defensive performance in front of their home crowd. Not only did they shut the Tigers out, but they also held their offense to 63 yards in 33 plays for the game and turned the Tigers passing game into the Wooly mammoth – extinct.
With all of that said, this Tigers offense must take pressure off of Moccia and other rushers like Scarboro and Aigeldinger by successfully passing the ball. In their first two games, the Tigers offense had a nice balance of rushing and passing in their scoring drives. Only 1 out of their 4 scoring drives so far this season did they rush the ball every play. Of the other 3 drives, approximately 40 percent of the yards gained came from the passing game.
The offense may have taken a slight step backward this week however, this defense has taken a massive step forward each week. With key players like Matt Moccia (did I mention this kid is really good?), Dan Scarboro, Ted Seiler, and Pat Aigeldinger playing on both sides of the ball, Coach Ray Gionta is going to have his work cut out for him.
Contact Jim Allsman at jma158@comcast.net.
HAVERTOWN, PA – Playing in their second “home” game at Haverford High School, the Tigers played host to the Haverford Fords and lost, 14-7. Make no mistake about it, this was a home game for the Fords as their fans packed the home stands and made their presence known.
On the gridiron, the Fords made their presence known as well letting the Tigers know on the opening drive whose house it was. Led by QB Matt Rementer, they went 64 yards in 9 plays, ending with a QB sneak by from the 1-yard line. That drive included 2 big plays by Rementer passing to Matt Cahill for completions of 15 and 27 yards.
With a little over 3 minutes to go in the first quarter, the Tigers started their second, and only scoring drive of the game. Starting from their own 21, Marple quickly found themselves in a 3rd & long situation until Jon Liberty hit Matt Moccia for a 16-yard pass completion. Two penalties committed by the Fords including roughing the passer, gave the Tigers automatic 1st downs on key 3rd down situations.
In Ford territory, Liberty kept the drive going with a 9-yard completion to Toby MacCart and a 13-yard completion to Moccia. Dan Scaboro and Jon Liberty made additional rushing contributions on the drive. On 1st and Goal on the Haverford 1-yard line, Moccia pounded his way through the line for the Tigers only touchdown of the game. Ted Seiler’s extra point attempt was good and tied the Fords, 7-7 with 6:22 left to go in the 2nd quarter. The Tigers went 79 yards in 15 plays and held the ball for more than 9 minutes in their best drive in the last 2 games.
In the second half, Matt Moccia fumbled on the first drive of the 2nd half and was recovered by the Fords Brandon Kamin in Tigers territory. Haverford RB Scott Lipschutz rushed for 36 yards in the first 3 plays. Matt Rementer ended the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tom Durkin to put the Fords ahead. Sean Richway made the extra point attempt for Haverford.
The Tigers offense made it into Ford territory 3 times in the 2nd half. Once again, Travis Wrambel helped give the Tigers excellent field position punting 3 times for 96 yards including one punt inside the 20. Because of missed opportunities in the passing game, the Tigers went 4 plays and out on every drive in the 2nd half.
The Tigers defense played tough in the 2nd half by keeping the Fords to 72 total yards in 27 plays. In the end it was not enough, as the Tigers offense could not capitalize. Ted Seiler and Matt Moccia lead the defense with 8 tackles including 1 for a loss. Seiler also had one sack. Travis Wrambel had 6 tackles including one sack for a loss of 12. Dan Scarboro and Pat Aigeldinger had 5 tackles and Toby MacCart had 3. Aigeldinger also had one sack.
The Tigers offense had 7 total first downs – 3 rushing, 2 passing and 2 penalties. Matt Moccia was the Tigers lead the rushing attack with 14 touches for 33 yards. Total offense for the Tigers was 45 plays for 101 yards with an average of 2.2 yards gained per play.
Game 3 vs. Upper Darby Royals at Upper Darby High School
The 2005 Tigers football team will play their third game on Friday, September 16, 2005 against Upper Darby. Kickoff for this match up is set for 7:30 PM at Upper Darby High School. Mark your calendars and be sure to come out and support the Tigers.
Contact Jim Allsman at jma158@comcast.net.
HAVERTOWN, PA - The Tigers of Marple Newtown kicked off the holiday weekend and their football season with a win Friday night. Led by the rushing attack of Matt Moccia, the Fightin' Tigers secured their first victory of the season at Haverford High School against the Red Devils of Avon Grove.
On the Tigers first drive of the game, the offense went 65 yards in 8 plays in 4 minutes 43 seconds. From their own 37-yard line on 3rd and 8 yards to go, QB Jon Liberty connected with Pat Aigeldinger for a 17-yard completion and his longest pass of the game. The drive ended in a 24 yard rushing touchdown by Matt Moccia at 7:17 in the first quarter.
The Red Devils fired back on the ensuing drive going 65 yards in 7 plays in 4 minutes and 12 seconds. Starting from their own 35, QB Vaughn Charlton turned up the heat early by completing a 26-yard pass to Javan Sanders. That drive was capped with a 23-yard touchdown reception from Charlton to Clinton Johnson.
The Tigers defense was dominant and able to hold off the Red Devils long enough to let the offense get back on the field. On their third possession, Matt Moccia put the team on his back by rushing 25 yards out of the 50 yards gained in 7 plays. Pat Aigeldinger contributed to the rushing attack with a 9 yard run to start the drive. The drive ended with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Liberty to Sean Spratt with 7:48 remaining in the second quarter.
Marple Newtown’s offensive unit controlled the clock in the first half, 16:20 to 7:40 and the Tigers defense only allowed the Red Devils offense to get into the Tigers territory once during the first half.
In the second half, the Tigers defense came out after half time and held the Red Devils on their first possession in the 3rd quarter to –5 yards in 5 total plays. The last play of the drive on 3rd and 14, Ted Seiler sacked Charlton for a loss of 12 yards. QB Charlton pulled double duty and punted into Tigers territory and they started on their own 44. That defensive stand proved to be very valuable as it shortened the field for the Tigers – their average drive start for the game was the 45. The Red Devils defense made adjustments during halftime holding the Tigers offensive unit in their first 3 drives to just 31 yards 12 total plays.
Marple was able to stay in scoring range due to Travis Wrambel’s punting. He had 5 punts for 190 yards for an average of 38 yards per punt. Four punts were placed inside the 20 including one that was downed on the 1-yard line. That punt allowed the Tiger defense to smother Avon Grove on their 4th drive of the second half, 4 yards in 3 plays. Charlton punted from the 5 and the Tigers took over on offense on the Red Devil 27 yard line. On 2nd and 7 to go, Dan Scarboro rushed the ball for 24 yards and a touchdown at 7:32 in the fourth.
The Red Devils started their 9th drive of the game from their own 25-yard line and went 71 total yards in 12 plays. In their most impressive drive of the game, Avon Grove had four 1st downs including 2 pass completions for 16 and 18 yards to Josh Gimble. Charlton lifted the team with his legs rushing for a gain of 14 and put the Red Devils in Tigers territory for only the second time in the entire game. On 4th and 2 Charlton dropped back and threw a pass to Bill Lotter in the corner of the end zone only to have it intercepted by Sean Spratt.
Spratt and the Tigers defense cooled off any heat that the Red Devils generated on that drive in the fourth quarter. The Red Devils barely got within the 35-yard line on their last drive and only went 16 yards in 8 plays – Charlton could only complete 2 out of 8 attempts.
The Tigers defense was lead by Dave Hansell with 8 tackles including 1 for a loss. Ted Seiler, Matt Moccia and Mike Talley each had 6 tackles. Dan Scarboro had 5 tackles and Pat Aigeldinger and John Rutecki had 3 each.
The Tigers offense had 10 total first downs – 6 rushing and 4 passing. Matt Moccia was the Tigers leading rusher with 23 touches for 111 yards. Dan Scarboro rushed the ball 6 times for 43 yards and Pat Aigeldinger had 5 for 19 yards. Total offense for the Tigers was 49 plays for 237 yards with an average of 4.8 yards gained per play.
Game 2 vs. Haverford Fords at Haverford High School
The 2005 Tigers football team will play their second game on Friday, September 9, 2005 against Haverford. Kickoff for this match up is set for 7:00 PM at Haverford High School – Darby Road in Havertown. Mark your calendars and be sure to come out and support the Tigers.
Due to current stadium renovations, Marple Newtown played their home opener at Haverford High School. When the Tigers play the Fords next week, Marple Newtown will be the home team, playing host to the Fords at their own field.
The Last Word
After the game Coach Gionta told his team, “We played with a lot of heart tonight and were going to get better each week.” It was evident that his players knew hard work and heart were going to be key factors in success for this season. Toward the end of Friday’s game, Matt Moccia was shook up on two different plays and was right back out on the field the next play. That’s all heart folks, and nothing was going to keep him from making contributions for the good of the team, hurt or not.
Sean Spratt made a huge play in the 4th quarter by intercepting a potential touchdown in the end zone. That would have put the Red Devils one touchdown away from tying the Tigers and would have given them a huge boost in momentum for the remainder of the game. When asked if he thought that play deflated the Avon Grove chances of making a comeback late in the fourth Coach Gionta told me, “The Red Devils have big play-making abilities on offense and that interception was a big factor in us winning.”
Contact Jim Allsman at jma158@comcast.net.
