Last week, everything was clicking in a 49-21 win over the Lower Merion Aces. Any win is an important win for the Jaguars in getting a high seed for the playoffs. This may not have been a nail biting, roller coaster ride like the Springfield game, but it was a great experience for the Jags. The offense and defense both came to play. The defense was at first caught off guard by Lower Merion’s offense, but the players adjusted very quickly and only allowed 14 points. The offense was on point and dominated the entire game, scoring a solid 49 points. Now, let’s go into more detail about what happened during this intense game . . .

The offense quickly bounced back from a lackluster game last week against Springfield, obtaining 324 rushing yards and 221 passing yards. That is by far the most passing yards in any game and the first time that Garnet Valley has had more passing yards than their opponent. The Jaguars before this game did not have more than 100 passing yards in a game this year before Lower Merion, and last Friday they had over 200. The rushing attack was once again spectacular. They got 324 yards on 53 carries and averaged about 6.1 yards per carry. That is an number that shows how skilled this offense is and why this team is 7-0. This year the offense has had two less than spectacular games against Haverford and Springfield in which they scored a total combined 20 points. After those game they have scored a combined total of 91 points and have averaged 345.5 rushing yards in those games. 

The Jag’s defense is also one of the best in the Delco county and potentially even the state. They showed why they are such a good defense on Friday night, holding Lower Merion to 213 passing yards and 67 rushing yards (280 total). This year, Garnet Valley is third in the Delco county in allowing yards per game to be 196.9 yards per game. They are only ranked behind Penn Wood and Upper Darby. Additionally, what the defense proved on Friday night was that they can adjust very quickly. On Lower Merion’s first drive, they went right down the field for a touchdown. What they used on those drives was a strategic series of wide receiver screens and short passes. They have two wide receivers, Jaden Goodman and Jaden Helton, who are both very skilled. Eventually after the first drive, they only allowed seven more points (one touchdown was on a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown). Once again, against a dangerous offense, Garnet Valley’s defense countered with incredible force.

This week, there is a big game against the 6-1 Radnor team and could be the NBC 10 game of the week. Students and members in the community can vote for the Garnet Valley vs. Radnor game on the poll that NBC 10 has created; the link to the poll can be found on both the GV Athletic and the GV Football twitter accounts. Radnor this year is an extremely strong team, but nobody expected this type of play from Radnor. Radnor ranks 3rd in yards per game on offense and ranks 5th in yards per game on defense, so the upcoming game will be a huge test for the Jaguars this week.