Chester’s Sekai Brown-Murray celebrates after an interception against Strath Haven last month. (PETE BANNAN/MediaNews Group)
By Matt Smith –
We are three weeks into the football season, and each team in the Del Val League has reason to feel good about where it stands.
It’s too early for bold proclamations, but it’s been a long time since this many teams in the conference looked capable of putting together competitive squads.
The league schedule doesn’t begin until the weekend of Oct. 2-3, but the early returns have been encouraging.
Chester remains the team to beat. The Clippers are 3-0, reloaded despite losing plenty to graduation, and remain the heavy favorites to run the league table for a fifth consecutive season.
But everyone else in the Del Val has the potential to make things very interesting.
Academy Park is 2-1 and senior-laden, with plenty of returning experience. Interboro is 3-0 and appears to have its best all-around roster since its District 1 Class 4A championship four years ago. Chichester is 3-0 and could have its best team in decades.
Penn Wood is still rebuilding at 2-1, but there are signs the Patriots could make some noise. The team is also navigating an unimaginable loss following the death of senior teammate Richard DeShields in a fatal shooting in Lansdowne earlier this month. The Patriots will carry his memory as they move forward, every game providing another opportunity to honor a teammate and friend.
Both AP and Penn Wood took losses in Week 2, but both games were close, low-scoring affairs.
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