High School Football Top 10: Garnet Valley Sits Atop District 1 6A
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There was a time, not that long ago, when Garnet Valley's Mike Ricci was coaching out in the corn fields. Now the Jaguars' coach has a state-of-the-art facility to play in, and he's been one of the most successful coaches in District 1 the last decade.
The little school isn't so little anymore. As October starts, the Jaguars find themselves atop the PIAA District 1 6A point standings at 6-0 and if the playoffs were to begin today, Garnet Valley would be hosting Central League rival, No. 16 Upper Darby. The Jaguars reached the District 1 championship last year, where they lost to North Penn.
The foundation of that district runner-up returns.
Did Ricci see this success coming?
"We never look down the season, we're really good at focusing on the game in front of us," Ricci said. "What I really liked about this team during preseason was how how hard this team worked. Each team wants to emulate or surpass what the previois team did. I tribute a lot of our success to the effort we have in the weight room."
The foundation of the team is senior three-year starter Josh Ciarrocchi, a stubby defensive lineman who Ricci says you'll be hard pressed to find a more character player than him. Ciarrocchi scored defensive touchdowns his sophomore and junior years, and last week picked off a screen pass against Haverford High School. Other key players have been senior linebacker Mark Moriarty, who's come back from torn ACL his junior year to start this season and senior quarterback Ryan Hamby, who scored a perfect 800 on the math portion of the SAT and who's provided great leadership.
Senior running backs Danny Guy and Matt Lassik fuel the Jags' high-octane running game and senior tight end Jon Ricci has provided strong blocking, with left tackle Kyle McCullough, left guard Jake Erley, center Tom Mahoney, right guard Ryan Shomo and right tackle Esso Adigwe, who lost 40 pounds over the summer to earn a starting spot and "has been a huge asset to our team," Mike Ricci said.
If the PIAA District 1 6A playoffs were to begin today, there is also something quite glaring that sticks out: North Penn, the defending champ that enters the weekend as the No. 5 seed, would have to host Coatesville, the No. 12 seed. Both teams began the season on paper as two of the better teams—if not arguably the best—in District 1.
It's something that North Penn coach Dick Beck and Coatesville coach Matt Ortega will be watching closely.
Here's what the District 1 6A matchups would look like Oct. 6, 2017:
1. Garnet Valley 6-0 (161.667 Ave. points) vs. 16. Upper Darby 4-2 (111.667)
2. Downingtown East 6-0 (148.333) vs. 15. Bensalem 4-2 (113.333)
3. Central Bucks West 5-1 (145.000) vs. 14. Pennridge 4-2 (123.333)
4. Neshaminy 5-1 (143.333) vs. 13. Owen J Roberts 5-1 (123.333)
5. North Penn 4- 2 (143.333) vs. 12. Coatesville 5-1 (131.667)
6. Pennsbury 5-1 (140.000) vs. 11. Haverford 5-1 (133.333)
7. Central Bucks South 5-1 (138.333) vs. 10. Harry S Truman 5-1 (135.000)
8. Perkiomen Valley 5-1 (136.667) vs. 9. Quakertown 5-1 (136.667)
Delaware Valley Top 10 For Oct. 6, 2017
1. St. Joe's Prep (Record: 4-0)
2. La Salle (Record: 5-1)
3. Downingtown East (Record: 6-0)
4. Archbishop Wood (Record: 4-2)
5. Coatesville (Record: 5-1)
6. Imhotep Charter (Record: 5-1)
7. Garnet Valley (Record: 6-0)
8. Timber Creek (Record: 4-0)
9. Vineland (Record: 4-0)
10. Millville (Record: 4-0)
Southeastern PA Top 10 For Oct. 6, 2017
1. St. Joe's Prep (Record: 4-0)
2. La Salle (Record: 5-1)
3. Downingtown East (Record: 6-0)
4. Archbishop Wood (Record: 4-2)
5. Coatesville (Record: 5-1)
6. Imhotep Charter (Record: 5-1)
7. Garnet Valley (Record: 6-0)
8. North Penn (Record: 4-2)
9. Pottsgrove (Record: 6-0)
10. Springfield-Delco (Record: 6-0)
South Jersey Top 10 For Oct. 6, 2017
1. Timber Creek (Record: 4-0)
2. Vineland (Record: 4-0)
3. Millville (Record: 4-0)
4. St. Joseph (Record: 4-0)
5. Camden Catholic (Record: 3-0)
6. Lenape (Record: 3-0)
6. St. Augustine (Record: 2-2)
7. Rancocas Valley (Record: 4-0)
8. West Deptford (Record: 3-0)
9. Paulsboro (Record: 3-0)
10. Holy Spirit (Record: 3-1)