Jaguars Continue Road Dominance at Harry Harvey Stadium

By Chris McSweeney
Tigers Radio Network

NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA - Friday night was a tough one to swallow for the Marple Newtown Tigers. Garnet Valley came into Harry Harvey stadium and continued its perfect form away from home. However, it was not without a valiant effort and fight from the Tigers. In a game in which weather was as much of a player as anyone on either team, each team displayed heart and a great deal of character. With rain that lasted all day and temperatures below 50 degrees at kickoff, it was expected that each team would struggle in all facets of the game.

This however did not happen last Friday. Both teams came out and played to a close 7-0 Garnet Valley victory. It was a defensive struggle to say the least. It was hard for the offenses to get going in the horrible conditions but both running attacks were working. Both quarterbacks were protected well also. The Jaguars only score of the game, and the one that ultimately decided the fate of Friday night’s game, came in late in the first quarter.

With 2:09 remaining in the 1st quarter, Marcellus Irving took a carry down the left side from 15-yards out and took it to the house. It was some tough running and proved to be the only score of the game. Both the Jaguars and Tigers continued to plow away at the opposing defenses but neither would break. The Tigers continued to display their running attack throughout the whole game. The Tigers had 11 first downs and 10 of these were a result of a rushing play. The same held true for the Jaguars who had 16 first downs, 13 of which came from rushing plays. It was quite clear that both teams had established their rushing attacks and battled in the trenches all night long.

Ryan Duffy continued his great season by adding 78 more yards to his rushing total. He has stepped up to be the feature back in this offense and it is proving to be a very good thing. Alex Warden led the Jaguar's rushing attack on the other side of the ball with 101 yards in Friday night’s contest. With all the running plays from Friday night, there were a lot of tackles to be had. Vince Christiana led the way for the Tigers with 7 tackles. Matt Gregory, Brian Kelly, and Carl Kasarsky followed him with 6 tackles each. Playing outstanding defense on other side of the ball was Eric Warden. From his linebacker position Warden made a total of 12 tackles, one of which was a sack on quarterback Kevin Johnson. Eric Warden timed his blitz to perfection and got in free on the quarterback in the fourth quarter forcing the Tigers to throw deep on the next play resulting in a Johnson interception, his first of the season.

It’s tough to have a loss in a game like Friday’s, but that is how it goes and unfortunately the Tigers had to be that team. But they went down with a fantastic fight and played strong for all four quarters. With tough weather and an even tougher opponent, the Tigers played their hearts out. They look to get back to winning ways next week at Upper Darby High School.


Contact Chris McSweeney at cem5053@psu.edu.
Contact EyeOfTheTigersBlog.com at jma158@comcast.net.