Chet's Corner - Is Radnor About to Shock Everybody?
If sporting events were decided on paper, then history would look a lot different. Would we have ever seen the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LII? Or the New Jersey Devils win the 1995 Stanley Cup Final? Or really for that matter, the Radnor High School Red Raiders win the first round of the District 1 5A playoffs against Marple Newtown in 2018? No. And that is exactly why they play the games - because upsets happen.
Now, don't get me wrong, Penn Wood is favored in this game (-6.5 as of today, October 31st) and are a great team. But if you look closely, you'll see Radnor is set up really well to pull a major upset on Kerr Field. I chatted (or should I say, Chetted (Chet-Ed, ha ha ha)) with a fellow member of the Radnor Football Family, the one and only Chris Long, to talk Radnor Football. Chris had this to say:
Per Google Maps, I type this 1,157 miles away from Radnor High School. I spend my Fridays monitoring the happenings on the frozen tundras of Minnesota high school football. I’m certainly far from an expert on Eastern Penn prep sports.
I do have a years-back connection to Delco as I played prep hockey in the Delaware Valley Hockey League. My first career hat trick came just up the road against Lehigh Valley. Yes, my D.C.-based squad often navigated the confluence of I-76, I-276 and I-476 gazing in wide wonder at the majesty of King of Prussia Mall, wondering how the heck one properly pronounces Bryn Mawr and Conshohocken.
But my adult life has been out here in Minnesota, where blustery winds already blow and subfreezing temps are hinting winter - and the end of the football season - are approaching. Out here we have a mystical connection to the gridiron game. (Ok, let’s not discuss the NFC title game from a couple years back).
We know things. We sense things. Especially those of us who are name twins with one of the great NFL pass-rushers of the last decade.
So allow me to gaze into my starting-to-frost-over crystal ball at Radnor v. Penn Wood.
Turning a phrase from the climactic courtroom scene in 'A Few Good Men' ... "these are the facts, and they are undisputed”:
•Penn Wood's a solid football team that really his a solid stride the last few weeks.
•Radnor might have their daubers down a bit after the tough loss to Marple Newtown in the regular season finale.
But in the immortal words of College GameDay’s Lee Corso - “Not so fast my friend!”
Points will be at a premium in this one. While both teams have shown they can score over the course of the season, defenses always tighten up as the season rolls along.
Every possession matters in the playoffs, and while I see a low-scoring clash - I like Radnor’s ability to maintain possession and not turn the ball over.
Comparing the match-up between the two team’s units - I have to give the Radnor ‘D’ an ever-so-slight edge over the Penn Wood ‘O’ as compared to the reverse matchup - especially in line-versus-line.
So in the spirit of last year’s heroics by Jahmair Rider (whose name I apologetically botched in my debut analysis last week)… I see a late touchdown - maybe not the absolute *final* play like Jahmair’s all-timer - but in the final two minutes or so to provide the winning margin.
I’m seeing something along the lines of 17-14 Raiders.
In yet another classic, Tom Ryan and the Raiders march onward to what will be a very tough 2nd-round test against 3-seed Academy Park (yes, I’m assuming they’ll get by Oxford).
Chris is exactly right - Conshohocken and Bryn Mawr can be difficult to pronounce! He is also right that points will be at a premium in this one. It is going to be an ugly, defensive game. Playoff football is won in the trenches. While Penn Wood has struggled with some injury misfortune, Radnor's front 7 on defense and front 5 on offense have really started to gel as units. So look for Radnor to come out and surprise some people here. There is a lot on the line, and the team is aware of that. Senior captain Patrick Boujoukos spoke earlier this week of the playoff atmosphere.
I've missed the playoff atmosphere for a while. The intensity always takes a step up and it was very noticeable last year. I know our coaches are spending hours watching film and preparing the best possible game plan to win on Friday. We all are very excited for the opportunity to compete against a great team like Penn Wood and can't wait to get this week going.
The Radnor Football Family will not be denied. They will come out in droves and turn this into a Raider home game. It is what they have been doing all season.
Now, don't get me wrong, Penn Wood is favored in this game (-6.5 as of today, October 31st) and are a great team. But if you look closely, you'll see Radnor is set up really well to pull a major upset on Kerr Field. I chatted (or should I say, Chetted (Chet-Ed, ha ha ha)) with a fellow member of the Radnor Football Family, the one and only Chris Long, to talk Radnor Football. Chris had this to say:
Per Google Maps, I type this 1,157 miles away from Radnor High School. I spend my Fridays monitoring the happenings on the frozen tundras of Minnesota high school football. I’m certainly far from an expert on Eastern Penn prep sports.
I do have a years-back connection to Delco as I played prep hockey in the Delaware Valley Hockey League. My first career hat trick came just up the road against Lehigh Valley. Yes, my D.C.-based squad often navigated the confluence of I-76, I-276 and I-476 gazing in wide wonder at the majesty of King of Prussia Mall, wondering how the heck one properly pronounces Bryn Mawr and Conshohocken.
But my adult life has been out here in Minnesota, where blustery winds already blow and subfreezing temps are hinting winter - and the end of the football season - are approaching. Out here we have a mystical connection to the gridiron game. (Ok, let’s not discuss the NFC title game from a couple years back).
We know things. We sense things. Especially those of us who are name twins with one of the great NFL pass-rushers of the last decade.
So allow me to gaze into my starting-to-frost-over crystal ball at Radnor v. Penn Wood.
Turning a phrase from the climactic courtroom scene in 'A Few Good Men' ... "these are the facts, and they are undisputed”:
•Penn Wood's a solid football team that really his a solid stride the last few weeks.
•Radnor might have their daubers down a bit after the tough loss to Marple Newtown in the regular season finale.
But in the immortal words of College GameDay’s Lee Corso - “Not so fast my friend!”
Points will be at a premium in this one. While both teams have shown they can score over the course of the season, defenses always tighten up as the season rolls along.
Every possession matters in the playoffs, and while I see a low-scoring clash - I like Radnor’s ability to maintain possession and not turn the ball over.
Comparing the match-up between the two team’s units - I have to give the Radnor ‘D’ an ever-so-slight edge over the Penn Wood ‘O’ as compared to the reverse matchup - especially in line-versus-line.
So in the spirit of last year’s heroics by Jahmair Rider (whose name I apologetically botched in my debut analysis last week)… I see a late touchdown - maybe not the absolute *final* play like Jahmair’s all-timer - but in the final two minutes or so to provide the winning margin.
I’m seeing something along the lines of 17-14 Raiders.
In yet another classic, Tom Ryan and the Raiders march onward to what will be a very tough 2nd-round test against 3-seed Academy Park (yes, I’m assuming they’ll get by Oxford).
Chris is exactly right - Conshohocken and Bryn Mawr can be difficult to pronounce! He is also right that points will be at a premium in this one. It is going to be an ugly, defensive game. Playoff football is won in the trenches. While Penn Wood has struggled with some injury misfortune, Radnor's front 7 on defense and front 5 on offense have really started to gel as units. So look for Radnor to come out and surprise some people here. There is a lot on the line, and the team is aware of that. Senior captain Patrick Boujoukos spoke earlier this week of the playoff atmosphere.
I've missed the playoff atmosphere for a while. The intensity always takes a step up and it was very noticeable last year. I know our coaches are spending hours watching film and preparing the best possible game plan to win on Friday. We all are very excited for the opportunity to compete against a great team like Penn Wood and can't wait to get this week going.
The Radnor Football Family will not be denied. They will come out in droves and turn this into a Raider home game. It is what they have been doing all season.
We all are very excited for the opportunity to compete against a great team like Penn Wood and can't wait to get this week going.Nothing is guaranteed and nothing comes easy - but one thing can always be counted on when it comes to Radnor Football - they will play 60 minutes of football. You will not want to miss this one, folks. My official prediction is Radnor 21 - Penn Wood 14
Great article!
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