With a new school year beginning, a new football season comes with it. The Friars are coming off an 8-2 season, and are looking to build off of last year’s success this fall.
Many changes have occurred since last year. Malvern hired a new coach, many players graduated, and other players continue to grow and develop. For some players, colleges have already been involved.
A new coach, Aaron Brady, was introduced last spring and came to Malvern from Gonzaga Prep, a private school in Washington DC.
Brady has changed this program already during the offseason by inviting incoming freshmen to the team’s summer camps, something that the football team has never done. Coach Brady brings an intense and hard working environment to Quigley Field during practice, and the team hopes that it will translate to success in games this season.
Some Freshmen have even been invited to practice and play with the varsity team. Freshmen like O’Shaan Allison, Cole McCabe, and others, have not gotten ample playing time thus far, but are still a vital part of the team.
Unfortunately, the team lost many notable seniors that will play college sports this fall.
Troy Gallen, who broke multiple rushing records in 2013, is playing football at Delaware University, alongside teammate John Nassib. Nassib played both tight end and defensive end for the Friars, and had great success at both positions. The loss of these two players will impact the team significantly.
Other notable seniors who graduated include Kevin McKnight, Jake Anderson, Matt Brown, Hunter Paulus, and Jordan Majors.
Even with key players leaving, the current senior class is still very strong. The captains, Trevor Morris and Alex Hornibrook, both look to have big seasons.
Trevor Morris, Alex Hornibrook, and Hayden Mahoney are three players that have currently committed to Division I colleges. Morris will be playing at Rutgers University, Mahoney will be attending the University of Miami, and Hornibrook is going to Pittsburgh University.
When sophomore nose guard Justin Titchenell was asked about the team’s biggest goal of this year, he said, “Probably to win the Inter-Ac. That’s our number one”.
The team started out the season with a 38-27 loss against Roman Catholic on August 29th.
But in their first home game on September 5th, which was televised by Comcast Sportsnet, they won in dominating fashion by a 20+ points. Dymond Wright, running back, had a tremendous game with four touchdowns and over 100 rushing yards.
On Friday, September 15th, Malvern Prep had an away game against St. Mary’s in Annapolis, Maryland. Malvern won 16-13 with a game winning field goal by Danny Giannascoli.
“This year I really look forward to watching the seniors lead Malvern Friars to a great season,” said Sophomore and Malvern football fan Raymond Baran. “Hornibrook, Trev, and Mahoney really have put the team on their backs this year and are doing a great job leading them. I think also with the help of the student section we could really have a good season.”
It will be interesting to see how this upcoming football season plays out. With a new coach, new players, and new leaders, this team has the potential to succeed this year.
