The fall 2018 season is in full swing, with several PC teams asserting a powerful presence early on. Read about the details of the last two weeks' games and see more photos below.
Varsity girls cross country won the George School Invitational on Saturday. Sophomore Emma Zwall finished first, and senior Mary McDavid finished eighth. Penn Charter defeated over 20 schools, including Friends Central, Germantown Friends, Germantown Academy and Lawrenceville. The girls varsity team is currently a force to be reckoned with in the Inter-Ac. Last week, they finished second in the Quad X relays, then defeated Episcopal and Notre Dame in a tri-school meet a few days later.
At the Briarwood Invitational, varsity boys cross country finished sixth overall out of a field of 14 schools and 95 runners. Three PC athletes finished with medals: sophomore Finn Glew took fifth, freshman Oliver Leedale-Brown took 11th and sophomore Drew Gillespie took 25th.
In the Graham Athletic Center, varsity girls water polo defeated Lawrenceville 15-7 in what was a strong team effort all around. The Quakers played a confident, controlled defense, and eight PC players put up goals.
Meanwhile, varsity boys water polo lost 19-13 at home against Lawrenceville in their second match of the season. Sophomore Liam LaBarge was the Quakers' lead goal scorer, earning six. The boys swim against Friends Central on Sept. 21.
And varsity boys soccer won their away game against Father Judge 2-0 on Saturday, leaving the team with a sturdy 4-1 record so far this season. Sophomore Nico Krueger and senior Max Lubowitz scored the Quakers’ goals. The boys varsity crew takes on Archbishop Ryan on Sept. 20.
Varsity football was in fine form as they took an assertive 35-6 victory over Central High on Friday. Senior Eddie Saydee scored four touchdowns—including a 62-yard punt return and 33-yard interception return—and logged 191 yards total moving the ball. Junior Kyle Jones claimed the Quakers’ second of five touchdowns with a 15-yard scamper in the second quarter. The team has a record of 2-1. They host Upper Dublin September 21 on Maguire Field.
Also on Friday, varsity girls soccer tied the SCH Blue Devils 1-1 at home. It was their first game this season that didn’t result in an outright win. Junior Toni Linus scored the team’s only goal with a textbook header off of Emma Maley’s corner kick early in the second half. A penalty kick put SCH on the board with 13 minutes remaining, and the exceptional overtime efforts of PC goaltender Riley McDade eventually settled the match at a draw.
Varsity girls water polo found its groove again with a big 18-9 win at The Hill School. The girls’ goal-scoring effort was led by juniors Hayley Hunt and Sam Boyes, who put up seven and four, respectively. On the defensive end, senior Molly Visco and junior Sally Foley earned the Quakers 13 steals between the two of them.
Varsity field hockey couldn’t get on the board against SCH on Friday. They lost 0-5 on Perrott Field. The team travels to Episcopal Academy on Sept. 21.
And varsity boys golf lost to LaSalle 205-191 in their second match of the season. They face Germantown Academy next, on Sept. 18.
Girls varsity water polo suffered a tough loss against public school powerhouse Pennridge in the Graham Athletic Center on Wednesday. Although junior Hayley Hunt brought the team some early offensive momentum, scoring 4 goals on 7 shots, the girls’ defense wasn't consistent enough in the second half to keep them in the contest. Pennridge’s shooters took advantage of man-up opportunities to finally net 14 goals to Penn Charter's 5.
The Quakers start their season 1-1, with Hunt scoring a formidable nine goals in two games. They travel to The Hill School on Friday and host Lawrenceville on Saturday.
Girls varsity soccer defeated Nazareth Academy 3-0 after the game was called early due to lightning. Sophomore Janae Stewart scored PC’s first goal off a corner assist from freshman Kayla Bradby. A penalty kick by junior Sara Shipon brought the Quakers to a 2-0 lead before Stewart, unassisted, rounded things out with another point, her fourth in two games. The team is off to a fiery start, with a 4-0 record and three shutouts so far this season.
And girls cross country defeated Episcopal Academy 20-42 and Notre Dame Academy 18-43 in a tri-school meet on Tuesday. Sophomore Emma Zwall won the race and senior Mary McDavid finished second. PC took 9 of the top 15 places in a field of over 50 racers.
A little rain didn’t stop boys cross country from making its presence known at the Cherokee Challenge in Marlton, N.J., on Saturday. Competing among 100+ schools in races of 400+ runners, two PC athletes made the top 10. Oliver Leedale-Brown won the freshman boys division outright, completing the 3200 meter course with a time of 10:42.88—a comfortable 12 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. And Finn Glew took eighth place in the sophomore boys run, clocking in at 10:46. Not bad for his very first high school meet.
Girls cross country finished second overall in the Quad X Relays at Belmont Plateau, where they were pitted against 12 other schools in a four-person-relay style run. Sophomore Emma Zwall’s individual time put her in the top three for the day.
Varsity football lost to Conwell-Egan 14-41 at home on Maguire Field. Egan's first possession produced a touchdown from fourth and long. PC sophomore Aaron Maione then tied things up in the second quarter, running a clean 8-yard sweep to conclude the Quakers’ offensive drive. Egan scored on a fourth-down long pass seconds before halftime, and scored again on a PC turnover in the third quarter. Later in the third, senior Eddie Saydee muscled his way through traffic to complete a 15-yard touchdown, narrowing Egan’s lead to 21-14. But Egan gained momentum in the fourth quarter, putting three more touchdowns on the board in the last 11 minutes of play. The Quaker varsity squad is currently 1-1 this season.
