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By Brian Carroll
Taking nothing away from the massive preparation and effort that has gone into the first six weeks of the 2023 football season, Week 7 of the Central League schedule has had a game circled for months. After Strath Haven and Garnet Valley did not meet in 2022 and both ran the table to share the Central League title, fans of both programs wondered if this week’s game could have similar implications. Sure enough, the Panthers and Jaguars both sit undefeated in league play, and two of Delaware County’s most dominant programs of the last 40 years will indeed battle for first place in Glen Mills this Friday.
Garnet Valley sits at 5-1 this season, their only blemish being a 17-13 loss on opening weekend to 6A #1 seed Central Bucks West. Since then, Head Coach Erik Van Wyk and the defending District 1 6A champions have stayed the course, riding their veer/triple option offense and an aggressive defense to five straight victories, including last week’s 10-8 defensive gem against Lower Merion. Injuries have necessitated a bevy of ball carriers, with quarterbacks #9 Tyler Lassik and #19 Luke O’Donoghue each having success on the ground and connecting on timely passes through the air. Top targets in the passing game include seniors #11 Dante DeVuono and #1 Kai Lopez, while eleven different runners have followed senior linemen #69 Dylan Bledsoe, #78 Max DiAntonio, and #73 Lucas Possenti to big gains on the ground.
