SportsZone for April 5, 2024

This SportsZone report covers Penn Charter athletic events played between March 21-April 2.

Visit the Penn Charter Athletics webpage for the most up-to-date game schedules and scores.


GIRLS LACROSSE

Penn Charter picked up its most thrilling win of the season to date on April 2 at Notre Dame, a 16-15 overtime victory that allowed the team to even its Inter-Ac record at 1-1. Ninth grader Caroline Tullo scored the game-winning goal while adding an assist and five ground balls against the Irish, while senior Aditi Foster (six goals), sophomore Harbor Campbell (four goals) and senior Grace Walter (three goals) all notched multi-goal performances in the high-scoring affair.

“The girls were able to persevere and step up in a tight game, and I’m very proud of them,” head coach Colleen Kelly said. “Inter-Ac games are always tough, and you have to figure out how to make the right play at the right time when the game is on the line.”

The team lost the opening draw in overtime, but PC didn’t quit, fighting back to cause a turnover, regain possession and score the game-winner to pick up a league win after dropping a 12-6 contest to Episcopal Academy on March 21.

“Honestly, it was awesome,” Kelly said. “We caused a turnover in the midfield, got it down to our end and from there they played a well-balanced read-and-react offense. Caroline made the right shot at the right time, and I was really proud to see a ninth grader with an opportunity in front of her make the correct call.”

Elsewhere over spring break, the Quakers traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for a pair of games. PC knocked off St. Thomas Aquinas 16-4 on March 25, getting six more goals from Foster and four from Walter. The team lost 19-13 the next day to American Heritage School, but Kelly was pleased with her team’s effort against a nationally-ranked opponent.

“Things couldn’t have gone better on the trip,” Kelly said. “We got better. The win was great, we played fast with everybody touching the ball on offense. Then we competed in a great game with a top team in the country. Overall we played some really good lacrosse on a trip that was fun for everybody. We still have a few things to fix, but it was exciting to see.”

The Quakers (2-5, 1-1) also dropped a 15-10 decision to Sacred Heart Greenwich (CT) back at PC on March 28, another tough out-of-state opponent that Kelly puts on the schedule every year. The games against top non-league competition certainly served Penn Charter well against Notre Dame, and the Quakers will look to keep it rolling at home against Agnes Irwin — a team that ended PC’s season in the 2023 PAISAA championship game — on April 5 at 3:30 p.m.


BOYS LACROSSE

The Quakers had their closest decision to date on April 2, a 16-12 defeat at the hands of Westtown School. Although PC fell behind 15-5 in the game, the boys did not quit and put some pressure on the opponent as the game wound down. Senior Gavin Michener had four goals and two assists, while junior Casey Felter had four scores and an assist of his own in the losing effort. Senior Zack Curtin added two goals, as did senior James Joel, who also won 19 of his 31 face-offs. Ninth grader goalie Charlie Kraus made 16 saves in the cage.

“One thing I’m happy has not changed is the effort, which has still been at 100 percent,” first-year head coach Conor Resch said. “There haven't been any situations where the guys shied away from the moment or the pressure. To be down 15-5 and battle back to 16-12 — I’m pleased with the effort, if not the result.”

Even in a tough loss to Lawrenceville the preceding game on March 27, the Quakers (0-6) only trailed 3-1 after one quarter. “We are seeing some really good flashes,” Resch said. “We have moments where it’s like, ‘Yes, we can stick with some of the best programs in the nation.’ What we’re also seeing is we haven’t had that one game where we put four quarters together. We’ve had some slip-ups, but overall it’s been encouraging.”

Resch praised several members of the roster for bringing it on a daily basis, whether in games or at practice. He complimented Joel for being a workhorse in the face-off circle who has set a really good example for the team’s younger players. The defense, headlined by seniors Eian Kilpatrick and Curran Rahn and sophomore Dom Comatile, has been steadily improving while correcting early-season mistakes. Offensively, the attention that Michener draws from opposing defenses has opened up more opportunities for Curtin, Felter and senior Lucas Weinstein, the latter of whom has strung together multiple strong performances up top.

After two more non-league games, the Quakers will open Inter-Ac play at home against Haverford School on April 9 at 4 p.m.

“You want to be playing your best lacrosse once the league schedule rolls around,” Resch said. “Kids ramp it up for these games and care tremendously, and I’m anticipating that same kind of feeling now that I get to be at the helm here. I can tell we are chomping at the bit to play these teams.”


BASEBALL

The Quakers headed south to sunny Fort Pierce, Fla. over spring break, playing six games over the course of four days, with the first four serving as scrimmages. The team went 1-1 in the games that counted, knocking off Lawrence Academy from Massachusetts 3-1 behind a brilliantly-pitched contest from junior Cole Stocks. Stocks, who had been splitting time between varsity and JV, tossed a complete game, allowing just one run and one walk while striking out 10 batters. 

“Because we used a lot of pitchers in our first few scrimmages, we gave the ball to Cole,” head coach Justin Hanley said. “He hasn’t thrown a lot of varsity innings, so we were hoping to get four or five out of him, and he comes out and throws a complete game with 70 percent first pitch strikes. He got ahead of every hitter and was wildly effective. He’s here to stay and has so much untapped potential.”

Unfortunately, during PC’s game the next day against Christian Brothers Academy (NJ) senior ace Christian Clauss pitched to just two batters before Hanley had to remove him due to elbow pain. Clauss will likely miss the rest of his senior season, but Hanley expressed optimism that Clauss would be fine in time to begin his collegiate career at Holy Cross next season.

“It was a big cloud that hung over the game,” Hanley lamented. “Christian has given so much to the program, so your heart breaks for the kid. From a team standpoint we were already kind of thin at pitcher, so losing him hurts.”

Junior shortstop and leadoff hitter Tazio Perkins relieved Clauss, and though he surrendered five earned runs to a potent Christian Brothers lineup, Perkins did strike out seven batters and kept the Quakers (4-2) in the game in an eventual 8-3 loss. Junior first baseman Garrett Mathias knocked in two runs to punctuate a strong trip swinging the bat, and ninth grader Noah Hall continued his hot start with a triple at the plate while pitching the final inning in relief. 

All in all, the trip was a positive experience for PC. Earlier in the itinerary, the Quakers got to scrimmage New Jersey’s Delbarton School at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, allowing the team to play on a Division I baseball field. 

The Quakers, who also knocked off Lawrenceville School 1-0 on March 21 back in Philly, had a week off upon returning from Florida but will return to action for a pair of non-league games at Neshaminy and versus Bonner-Prendergast on April 5 and 6, respectively. The team opens up Inter-Ac play next week against Haverford School at 4 p.m.


SOFTBALL

The softball program spent part of its spring break at the Jackie Robinson Training Center in Vero Beach, Fla., playing three games (and two scrimmages) over a three-day period. The Quakers officially went 1-2 while playing some very talented teams from Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. They saved their best for last, knocking off National Cathedral School (DC) 24-1 in the team’s final game down south on March 25. 

Every player who started had at least one RBI, with sophomore shortstop Maddie Bergmann leading the way atop the lineup with four walks, runs and RBIs each. Junior pitcher Ryan Hatty also plated four runs on two hits and a stolen base, while sophomore Maddie Wray, senior Macie Bergmann, junior Arielle Willis and sophomore Jordan Simon all added two RBIs apiece. Hatty pitched five strong innings in the win, allowing only one run on two hits while striking out nine. 

“We did what we needed to do, execution-wise,” head coach Charles Warren said. “A game like that also allowed us to get everybody in the game and rotate a lot of personnel.”

Although the team lost its other two games that counted to John Carroll (Fla.) and Milton (Wis.), Warren was still pleased with PC’s competitive effort. Senior Payton Handler got to log some innings as a pitcher when Hatty fell ill for a game during the trip, and Warren was also complimentary of Simon and fellow sophomores Avery Goodheart and Nora Prasad, all of whom made the best of the playing time they received.

Warren also said the team worked on its chemistry and bonding, pairing seniors and underclassmen as roommates in an effort to get to know each other better in a big sister-little sister type of scenario. The girls were able to go to the beach as well as enjoy a big team dinner, exercises in camaraderie that the team doesn’t get to take advantage of as frequently while busy with school, games and practices back in Philadelphia. 

“In these team-building activities we all got to speak about our focus and goals as a team for the season,” Warren said. “There are a lot of benefits to being in a different atmosphere and environment than the norm. It really paid big dividends for the team’s togetherness. The seniors passed the torch to the juniors and underclassmen, and teams that do well in the Inter-Ac communicate well with a tight bond. We’re excited for the rest of the season.”

The Quakers (2-4, 0-1) will pick their season back up at the Hun School on April 6 at 2 p.m.


OTHER TEAMS

A quick scheduling update on the rest of our spring squads. 

• BOYS TENNIS: The Quakers, which have been idle since March 14, were scheduled to return to the court on April 3 against Germantown Academy, but that one was washed out due to inclement weather and rescheduled for May 15. Instead, PC will next be in action on April 5 against Haverford School at 4 p.m.
• BOYS AND GIRLS TRACK & FIELD: The girls track & field team was scheduled to have its first Inter-Ac meet of the season on April 3 against Baldwin School, GA and Notre Dame at Notre Dame, but it was postponed until April 30 due to rain. As a result, both the girls and boys track programs will debut on April 6 when both participate in the North Penn Open at 9 a.m. at North Penn High School.
• CREW: The crew team was scheduled to have its 2nd Flick/Horvat Regatta on March 24, but rainy conditions on the Schuylkill River prevented the Quakers from competing. There was no race last Sunday due to Easter, so PC will next get in the water on April 7 for the 3rd Flick.  

Written by: Ed Morrone OPC '04

Photos by: Zamani Feelings