In a fitting end to a terrific fall season, Penn Charter dominated the 132nd PC/GA Day with a final tally of 7.5-2.5. See photos from the day’s events here.
PC golfers won the first point on Wednesday, defeating the Patriots 4.5 to 3.5 with a team chock full of young talent. Leading the Quakers were senior Dylan Topaz, sophomore Patrick Isztwan, sophomore Yun du Toit and eighth grader Holden Hummel. Sophomore Josh Felter earned the half point.
On Saturday, girls cross country got the day started off with a strong 19-44 win. Inter-Ac champion Emma Zwall, a sophomore, led the pack for PC, finishing first place overall and winning the MVP trophy.
Boys cross country outpaced GA by a narrow margin. After the race ended in a 28-28 tie, tiebreaker rules went into effect, and the sixth PC finisher—sophomore Jess Anderson, who ran a personal best—decided the victory. Freshman Oliver Leedale-Brown led the Quakers, placing third overall with a time of 17:13. The PC top-five was rounded out by junior Zion Weeks (fourth overall), sophomore Finn Glew (fifth), sophomore Drew Gillespie (seventh) and junior Luke Jaspan (ninth).
Field hockey lost 7-0. The girls held GA off the board until seven minutes remained in the first half, and went into the half down just 2-0.
Girls soccer battled to a 1-1 tie after both teams failed to score during two overtime periods. Senior Emma Maley netted the Quakers’ only goal with 19 minutes left in the first half. She shared the MVP trophy with GA’s Riley Axenroth. Goalie Riley McDade, a junior, had a great game keeping the Patriots' offense at bay. PC's Inter-Ac championship team finishes its season with a league record of 9-2-1.
Boys soccer clinched a solid 3-1 victory. Junior Jude Shorr-Parks scored the Quakers’ first two goals, and senior Billy Melnick scored number three on a beautiful pass from junior Ryan Bradby. Shorr-Parks and Melnick have both been offensive leaders this season. Senior Kyle Earley played a great game in net and shared the Rumpp Trophy for MVP with Melnick.
Girls water polo won 11-6 in a hard-fought match that remained close until the fourth quarter, when the Quakers pulled ahead. Senior Molly Visco took home the MVP trophy; she had three goals during the game. Junior Sam Boyes was the leading goal scorer, with four, and junior Hayley Hunt scored three. Junior Sally Foley netted one goal and had ten steals. Senior Natalie Driscoll contributed three assists. Goalkeeping duties were shared by seniors Zoe Tierno and Abbey Quinn, who played exceptionally well.
Boys water polo lost 15-5 against GA’s formidable 2018 team. Senior goalkeeper Will Tanner still managed to make an impressive 19 saves against the relentless Patriot offense.
Girls tennis won 4-3 and dominated singles. In that division, senior Brinlea LaBarge, senior Leila Sor and junior J.J. Birnie all won their matches. Sor was awarded the MVP trophy. In the doubles division, sophomore Olivia Schwartz and eighth grader Lexi Bari earned the crucial fourth point for PC.
Football finished the day with an outstanding 41-14 win in which senior Eddie Saydee (25-277) scored five touchdowns and was awarded the Geis Trophy. (Senior) Junior QB Kyle Jones picked up the Quakers’ first touchdown in the first quarter, running the ball in from five yards out. In the second, Saydee took a screen pass 43 yards into the end zone, putting the Quakers up 14-0 at halftime. On the first play of the third quarter, Saydee ran for a massive 80-yard touchdown. He followed that with a 33-yard run, raising the Quaker lead to 27-7 by the end of the third. Saydee’s final touchdown was on a five-yard carry in the fourth quarter. PC's offense generated over 500 total yards and the Quakers defense held GA off the board until the game was in complete control. The Quakers finish their season at 4-1 in the Inter-Ac, 8-2 overall. The senior football players finished off impressive careers winning 17 of their final 20 games, equaling the number of wins the seniors of 1906 had in their final 2 years.
