By: Alec Eskin

Over the last few weeks, all of the Garnet Valley teams have had a tough stretch of games in which they have overall preformed very well. Each team has picked up a big win at one point or another during these last few weeks. The baseball teams won on Thursday against undefeated Strath Haven. Next, the softball team won against Marple Newtown Then, the boys lacrosse team won against Conestoga away. After that, the girls lacrosse team against Springside Chesnuthill away as well. Overall, a very good few weeks for all these programs and is setting up to be a good rest of the regular season heading into District playoffs.

The baseball team has made a lot of improvements over the last few weeks. Their pitching has been much better behind the arms of Jake Demcheck, Jake Potts, Colin Simmons, and Ryan Wooten. This has included a complete game by Demcheck against Harriton and a strong preformance from Potts and Simmons against Strath Haven. They currently have a 5-5 record and sit at 8th in the Central League. The next game for the baseball team is TBD do to COVID-19 protocols.

The softball team has much improved from two years ago. They just picked up a huge win against Marple Newtown on a six run 3rd inning in which JMU commit Morgan Mesaros hit a grand slam over the left center field wall. They have also gotten some really good hitting from other parts of the order as well. Kayleigh Saboja has transition well into the lead off hitter after being 7th in the lineup to start off. Then, Annie Bechtold has been huge at clean up this year especially after two years ago when this team lacked a right handed power bat. On the pitchers mound, Anna Sidlowski has been the ace that the softball team was hoping she would become and more. Her upriser, fastball, and off speed pitches have been spot on and she has been hitting her locations in the strike zone. Then, Kelly Cornog did a very nice job after Sidlowski got the week off by not giving up any runs in a complete game win against then 8-1 Marple Newtown. This team is currently 9-3 and has 2nd place in the Central League. They play next at home against Radnor on Monday at 3:45 PM.

The boys lacrosse team has been exceptional this year. They have continued their states like play from two year ago with the help of many players. Bishop Barnes, Max Busenkell, and Shane Reynolds have been huge on the offensive side of the ball. Barnes had a hat trick against Upper Darby on Senior night in which Garnet Valley won by a final score of 17-4. He also recently committed to Salisbury University for lacrosse as well. Then Max Busenkell has really been huge for other aspects on offense lately. Opposing teams will not let Busenkell to get a open shot himself, so he will often make pinpoint passes to another attacker or midfielder to get Garnet Valley wide open goals. Then on defense, Andrew Ceavney, Sam Morin, and Luke Shoemaker have formed a wall and not been letting much through. Morin has been very physical on defense which has been leading to a lot of turnovers for the opposing team. Sometime of these times he was being physical defending an attacker knocked him down and or broke a lacrosse stick. All of which are big reasons why he is going to Towson. Then, Shoemaker has made some very slick plays. He has make some really nice stick checks and creating a lot of turnovers. Also, he had a nice behind the back goal against Upper Darby. Their record is 11-3 and are in 2nd place in the Central League and 5th in District 1. They will have some tough games down the stretch including one against Wilson (Reading) today.

The girls lacrosse team has also been playing really well this year. They have just come off of a big win a work ago against Springside Chestnuthill. Attackers Maddie Kalish, Sophie Kingsborough, and Kendall DiCamillo have able to execute on a lot of their shots. They were also able to pick up a big win against Penncrest yesterday in dominating fashion by a final score of 13-3. Then, midfielders Kaitlyn Stankavage, Kaitlyn Henning, and Sydney Pyon have been all over the field this year. One thing that has given them a huge advantage on offense is their speed. Particularly from Kalish and Stankavage. They have been able to shake defenders by just running around for a few seconds and giving themselves open shots. Also, those backdoor cuts that are usually executed by Kingsborough, Pyon, and Maya Langin have been a big reason why they are so efficient on shot selection. The patience from the offense overall has been leading to a lot of scores. On defense, Mary Rose Berry, Morgan McClintock, Erin Barnes, and Sierra McLaughlin have continued to light it up on the defensive end of the field. All of them have heavily contributed to Garnet Valley having one of the best defenses statistically in District 1 and in the state of Pennsylvania. This team will have some tough games down the stretch of the season as they will play both Unionville and Manheim Township. They are currently 12-2, 3rd in the Central League, and 4th in District 1.

Tennis this year also had a historically great year! They were able to make it to the District 1 championships for the first time in a while!

Both of the track teams have also had one again really good seasons. Kevin Genthert just won the javelin competition in the Delco Championships. Then, Eric Albright just shattered the 400m record set by Hunter Small in 2015 by running a 49.47 in that race. He has just committed to Maryland to further his track and academic career. Then, on the girls track team, Alyssa Wert just qualified for the 200m dash in District 1. Then, Anna Saboja, Marina Kondo, and Maddy Stango just finished 1st, 2nd, and 4th respectively for the 100m hurdles in the Warrior Invite.

Lastly, bocce just finished undefeated with a 4-0 record. Congratulations on a great finish to a really fun and exciting season!

Overall, it has been a very good spring sports season from every perspective. There have been some hard fought games in which every team has been a part of. The season it seems like is far from over as both teams are sprinting towards the finish line in this spectacular 2021 season. No one can predict the future, but it seems like that all of these teams have a chance to go far in their respective seasons and playoffs.