Like the cherry blossoms on Penn Charter’s campus, spring sports are in full bloom. This edition covers athletic events played between April 11 and 17.
Visit the Penn Charter Athletics webpage for the most up-to-date game schedules and scores.
BOYS TRACK & FIELD
History was made at the Fords Track Classic at Haverford High School on April 12. Penn Charter junior Nate Johnson finished 4:22.05 in the 1600 to place first and capture a new school record, breaking the previous mark established by Shawn Morgan OPC '93 in 1990.
Junior TJ Zwall also placed in the race, finishing second, while sophomore Britton Armbrister was victorious in the 110 hurdles. In the shot put, Michael Gambone landed a second-place finish, as did both the 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams. Oliver Jackson finished fourth in the 300 hurdles.
The Quakers split a pair of Inter-Ac meets at SCH Academy on April 17, taking down the Blue Devils 69-50 while falling 86-40 to Episcopal Academy. Some highlights of the Inter-Ac showdown included Armbrister winning the 110-meter hurdles and Myles Jacobs capturing first place in the triple jump. Additionally, the 4x400 relay team captured first place, with the 4x100 and 4x800 quartets each running to second-place finishes.
Other top-three finishers included Zahir Kalam Id-Din (third, 100-meter dash); Zwall (third, 800-meter run); Peyton Burnett (third, 1600-meter run); Jacobs (third, high jump); and Mason Knight (second, triple jump).
The Quakers are now 2-2 against Inter-Ac opponents this season.
BASEBALL
The Quakers found themselves in an early 3-0 hole at home against SCH Academy on April 16 but refused to quit, setting the stage for a dramatic conclusion. Trailing 4-3 with runners on first and second and one out, junior Garrett Mathias came to the plate in the bottom of seventh and doubled home both runners on a 2-2 pitch for a thrilling walk-off victory. The slugger finished the day 2-for-3 with four RBI, while starting pitcher Will Vieira settled down after a tough first frame to toss six strong innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts.
“Garrett is a power guy and one of the best hitters on our team,” head coach Justin Hanley said. “He made adjustments in the middle of the at bat and got a fastball to hit after hunting for one the entire AB. It was awesome to see everything fall into place for him.”
As for Vieira, Hanley credited the senior for making adjustments as the game went on in a continued effort to better locate his off-speed pitches.
“That really stabilized him,” Hanley said. “If he doesn’t make those mid-game adjustments then we are probably losing that game.”
The Quakers (7-5, 2-1) dropped a 10-0 non-league decision to Gloucester Catholic on April 13; however, junior Cole Stocks’ breakout season continued the day before at Episcopal Academy. The recent starting pitcher stepped up in the rotation and has been a revelation to date. Against the Churchmen, he allowed just one hit in a complete game 3-0 shutout, getting through a tough EA lineup in just 83 pitches with three walks and three strikeouts. Mathias (RBI single) and Joey DiBenedetto (two-run triple) provided all the run support in the first. Stocks will face his toughest test yet on April 19 against Malvern Prep.
“You don’t have to be perfect to beat Malvern, but you have to be near perfect,” Hanley said. “They have 17 kids on the bench and all of them can play. The way Cole is throwing, it’s not a normal matchup for them because there’s no book on him around the league yet. If we can sustain their runs and clean up our defense, then I think we’ll be OK.”
SOFTBALL
Following a 7-2 loss to Episcopal Academy on April 11 that dropped PC to 0-2 in league play, the team responded with two consecutive victories.
First up was a Saturday morning showdown at Germantown Academy on April 13. The Quakers struck first with two runs in the second inning on a two-run home run by Lauren Gedraitis and added two more runs each in the fifth and seventh innings. Macie Bergmann added two hits and two RBI, as the offense backed a phenomenal pitching effort from Ryan Hatty, who struck out 13 Patriot batters in a complete game victory.
“It’s always a good day when you beat GA,” head coach Charles Warren said. “It was really good to see the girls perform well. The communication and defense were solid, and Ryan was dealing in the circle. We were always ahead and we stayed relaxed and focused.”
Three days later, the PC bats showed up in full force in a 14-3 non-league win over Lawrenceville School. Macie Bergmann stayed hot at the plate, going 3-for-4 with six RBI and two runs scored, while Maddie Bergmann also had a strong performance hitting in front of her sister with two hits, four RBI and three runs scored. Hatty crossed the plate four times, and Maddy Wray had two hits and two runs scored from the leadoff spot.
The explosive offensive effort buoyed the return of Gedraitis to the pitching circle. She tossed five strong innings, allowing three runs on six hits with five strikeouts and only one walk.
“It was nice to see her find her groove and stride,” Warren said of Gedraitis. “We’re spoiled to have two really good pitchers.”
The Quakers (5-6, 1-2) will next be in action over the weekend with a noon non-league first pitch at Mount Saint Joseph Academy on April 20.
GIRLS LACROSSE
The Quakers ran their win streak to six over the past week with wins over Germantown Academy and Moorestown, continuing a recent trend of shutting down the opponent with tenacious defense and strong goalkeeping.
Against Moorestown on April 17, Molly Dougherty led the attack with three goals and two assists, while Grace Walter tallied two scores. Aditi Foster, Harbor Campbell and Kenighan Mattice also scored for PC, and Maeve Magarity came up with 12 saves in goal. The defensive unit, led by senior Nora Maione, was once again excellent.
“The effort and energy all over the field has been awesome,” head coach Colleen Kelly said. “It doesn’t matter if they make a mistake because they know they can get the ball back by making a stop. I’ve got to give a huge shout out to [assistant coach] Deb White for her work with the defense as a whole. They have been playing great all over the field.”
Penn Charter also dominated Germantown Academy 12-2 on April 13, and the team has allowed three goals or fewer in three consecutive games. Foster led the way with five goals and four assists, while Campbell (three goals) and Walter (two) also produced multi-goal efforts. Magarity made six saves.
“I think in the past we may have found ourselves not keeping our foot on the gas and letting teams stay around for too long,” Kelly said. “What I was particularly happy with was in both games this week we came out of timeouts and breaks as if the score was 0-0.”
Following a non-league tuneup against Bishop Shanahan on April 20, the Quakers (7-5, 4-1) will prepare for a showdown with Episcopal Academy on April 23, the only league opponent to beat PC so far. Penn Charter sits a game behind EA in the Inter-Ac standings, so next week’s road tilt will be a tremendous test.
“Every opportunity we have to play and compete is something to be grateful for,” Kelly said. “We always want to make the best of those 60 minutes when playing great teams and continuing building on ourselves. Playing with discipline and doing the little things is the difference between winning the day or not.”
BOYS LACROSSE
Penn Charter exhibited some strong game-to-game improvement last week after dropping a 16-2 decision to Episcopal Academy on April 12. According to head coach Conor Resch, the defeat was mostly credited to the Churchmen dominating 50/50 ground balls while also putting relentless pressure on the Quaker attack.
“Episcopal was buzzing around the field doing a great job of scrapping up [the ball] and preventing us from getting the bounces we usually get,” Resch said. “To this point the team has 100 percent bought in and the effort has been there, so this game was kind of an anomaly.”
The team had a strong response against SCH Academy on April 16, even if it did come in a losing effort. The Blue Devils won 16-12, but the Quakers (2-9, 0-3) made them work every minute for it. Gavin Michener led the way with four goals and an assist, while Casey Felter added three goals of his own. James Joel found the back of the net twice, and Jack Sheward also scored while dishing out two assists. Charlie Kraus made 11 saves in a strong effort in the cage.
“We showed more of the scrap-it-up mentality that we’ve had this year,” Resch said. “We were battling harder and it showed with the results. I was happy with the offensive production, but defensively we made too many self-inflicted errors.”
Things won’t get any easier for Penn Charter when the team welcomes Malvern Prep to campus on April 19.
“We know they have awesome athletes all over the place,” Resch said. “We just need to trust each other as a team, make stops, clear effectively and finish the looks that we get. It has to be a one-at-a-time mentality.”
CREW
The Quakers returned to the Schuylkill River on April 14, the first time they got out there on consecutive Sundays since last month. The rowers who were able to compete were met with unpredictable and unforgiving April weather that limited participation to just the morning boys session.
“The wacky weather continues,” head coach Katherine Farrell York said. “We were happy to get four out of 10 races yesterday, but obviously disappointed that the afternoon conditions were un-rowable. It was looking like the Atlantic Ocean out there.”
The four boats that were able to get in the water competed admirably regardless of river conditions. Sophomore Avi Mondgock raced in the JV 1x category for the first time, serving as the only rower in his boat.
“We were so impressed with how calm, collected and focused he was,” York said. “Rowing a single takes a lot of courage, and we are looking forward to seeing how much he improves with some consistent practice.”
Complete results of the 4th Flick are below:
- Boys JV 1x: Avi Mondgock — fifth place, 8:16.53
- Boys JV 2x: Ross Lee, Jack Davey — second place, 6:07.59
- Boys JV 4x: Liam Haines, Alexander Brown, Tiernan Perkins, Rainer Malhotra — fourth place, 6:11.95
- Boys Varsity 4x: Mac Haines, Elias Moulton, James Foley, Jack Bowen — second place, 5:50.76
GIRLS TRACK & FIELD
PC remained unbeaten against Inter-Ac competition on April 17, picking up head-to-head wins over Agnes Irwin (89-24) and SCH Academy (89-44) while competing to an even 68-68 tie with Germantown Academy. Michaela Poland (400-meter dash), Alex Jaffe (800-meter run) and Alli DeLisi (1600-meter run) all won their respective events, as did the 4x100 and 4x800 relay squads.
In field events, Mariah Mays (javelin) and Milo Carpenter (high jump) also claimed victory. Other top-three finishers included Cassidy McCusker (third, 100-meter dash); Logan Lloyd (second, 400); Sam Jaffe (third, 800); Amy Fitzpatrick and Zsuzsi Pollock (second and third, respectively, 100-meter hurdles); Tisa Edwards and Carpenter (second and third, respectively, 300-meter hurdles); Kaylinn Bethea (second, long jump); Taylor McMillan (third, triple jump); Louella Whitaker (third, pole vault); Mays (second, shot put and discus); and Pollock (third, javelin and shot put).
Additionally, the Quakers were in action on April 12 at the Fords Track Classic at Haverford High School. DeLisi nabbed a second-place finish in the 800, while Poland was third in the 200. Mays finished third in the discus, sixth in the shot put and seventh in the discus. Whitaker had another nice showing in the pole vault, placing fourth.
BOYS TENNIS
The Quakers made it two wins in a row after capturing their first Inter-Ac victory of the season on April 16, knocking off Malvern Prep 5-2. The triumph comes on the heels of PC’s first win of the year on April 11 at Saint Joseph’s Prep.
Penn Charter (2-4, 1-2) will look to keep it rolling in league play on April 23 at Haverford School. It will be an opportunity for payback for PC, which lost to the Fords 6-1 on April 5.
Also next week, the Quakers will compete in both the Inter-Ac Singles Championship on April 25 at Germantown Academy, followed by the Shafer Doubles Tournament next weekend (April 27-28) at Germantown Academy.
Written by: Ed Morrone OPC '04
Photos by: Zamani Feelings