GV Football - Playoff Game 3 vs Quakertown

Playoff game 3 saw the #1 seed GV Jags hosting #5 seed Quakertown. And it was a battle.

We scored on a 1 yard Shane Reynolds TD run. Then they scored. 7-7. Then we scored on an 18 yard Ryan Saunders TD run. Then they scored. 14-14. Then we scored on a Ryan Saunders 49 yard TD catch, and missed the extra point. Then they scored. Quakertown 21-20. Then they kicked a field goal and the half ended with Quakertown up 24-20. They had some speed and some good skill position players.

For the second time all year (the first being against Ridley) we trailed at the half. In the Ridley game, we made adjustments at the half and scored a ton of points in the second half to cruise to a convincing win. With luck, the same pattern would repeat itself here.

It did.

In the third quarter we scored 22 unanswered points. Our defense stopped the three Quakertown drives on a 4th down stuff and picked off their QB twice. This resulted in a Reynolds 68 yard TD run with Reynolds 2-point conversion, a Reynolds 1 yard TD run, and a Checcio 20 yard TD run with a passing 2-point conversion to Joey Halloran. 42-24 GV at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Reynolds goes for a 68 yard TD to take the lead

Quakertown started the 4th quarter with a drive ending in a TD pass, getting to within 42-31. Our QB threw an interception on the following drive, but we stopped another Quakertown drive, turning the ball over on downs. Our first play after the 4th down stuff was a 69 yard TD pass to Halloran, with a Halloran 2-point passing conversion. 50-31 GV.

With time winding down, Quakertown completed a long TD pass and 2-point conversion, getting to within 50-39.

On the next drive, with a 4th and 2 at the Quakertown 44 yard line, Reynolds ripped off a 44 TD run (his fourth of the game), and capped it with a 2-point conversion run, to put us up 58-39, which is where the game ended.

I'll give Quakertown a lot of credit. They had a lot of good players, and played hard all the way to the end of the game. We also played well. Our defense gave up some points, but made some big fourth down stops when we really needed them, and we had three interceptions (two by safety Drew Jackalous and one by our QB/CB Max Busenkell).

Our offense scored touchdowns on 8 of 12 possessions. Reynolds was the star of the day, carrying the ball 26 times for 261 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 two-point conversions. He also had the "Earl Campbell" play of the day, absolutely running over/through a defensive back trying to slow him down on a 40 yard run down the sideline.

GV is now 13-0 on the season, and in the 3 playoff games, Shane Reynolds has accounted for ~650 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns, and two 2-pt conversions. Not a bad three weeks...

Next up is the Division 1 AAAAAA championship game, which also serves as the PIAA state quarterfinal, against #3 Coatesville. In the 5 years pre-Covid, we met Coatesville in the Divisional playoffs 3 out of the 5 years and have lost all 3 times. They are a very good team, and have been our kryptonite. We have never won the Division 1 title class AAAAAA, while Coatesville has won a Division 1 title and a state championship just in the last few years. We have our work cut out for us...

Cavalcade of Bands - Hershey Finals 2021

On a cool day with rain threatening, the GVHS marching band took the field at Hershey stadium at 9:35am, in class "Patriot A", and performed the last judged performance of Grace's high school career. I'm not sure how we got to this point so fast...

Ready to start the show

Grace helps conduct the first and second movements from the right side-stand.

Beginning of the 3rd movement, Grace on the stand

...and then conducts the third movement from the center stand.

The full performance is HERE. Grace takes the center stand at 5:15 and conducts to the end...

I'm totally biased, but the third movement is the most musically complicated, and Grace nails it.

The GVHS marching band is in a transitional period of trying to rebuild the program as a competitive entity. These things don't happen overnight, and must be considered in the perspective of it being a multi-year endeavor.

At the Conestoga competition we scored a 34.x, which is not a fabulous score from a competitive band standpoint. At this Hershey competition, we scored a 37.x. While not a top-tier score from an objective/competitive sense, it is the best score that the GVHS band has recorded in at least the last 6-7 years. And it is a nice accomplishment for a band that is trying to find its identity balancing the desire to be competitive with the reality of accepting all band members who want to participate.

As a band parent riding buses to away games and competitions these last 4 years, I have had the opportunity to discuss the "competitive band" versus the "take all comers" band philosophy with the Director on many occasions. His perspective, which I agree with, is that we need to try to be the best band we can be, with the implicit limitation/consideration that many of our band members also participate in various sports and other activities. One of our drum majors is a tennis team player. One is a wrestling team member. One (mine) is a drama club choreographer and lead performer. Numerous members of the band have other activities. If you want to accommodate those other interests, you don't get to dictate that these kids do band as their first priority and nothing else. Some schools do. And those schools will likely always score better than our band.

But I digress, as I generally do. Our band went to the Hershey finals. They did great. And my little girl stood on the center stand and conducted the third movement. And they got the highest score that a GVHS band has gotten in at least 6 or 7 years...

GV Football - Playoff Game 2 vs Central Bucks West

Our round 2 playoff game in District 1, AAAAAA, was against the 8th seed, Central Bucks West. As the #1 seed, we had another home game.

CBW stunned the home crowd with a 2 play, 70+ yard TD drive, capped by a TD pass accounting for almost all of that yardage.

GV responded with a TD drive capped by a 10 yard TD pass to Joey Halloran. 7-7 game.

After a CBW INT and a subsequent GV punt, CBW reeled off a 40 TD run on the 1st play of their drive, and missed the extra point to lead 13-7 at the end of the 1st quarter.

To start the second quarter we had a punt followed by them having a punt.

GV then had a drive with a huge Sean Gallagher 14 yard pass reception on 4th down to continue the drive ending in a 5 yard Shane Reynolds TD run.

CBW punted on the following drive, and as band parents sitting in the stands, one of the other parents turned to me and asked "do you think we can score with only 39 seconds to go in the half?"

"Hold my beer".

After an incomplete pass, and with 33.3 seconds remaining in the half, Shane Reynolds took a center handoff and cut back to the right side and raced 57 yards to the end zone. 21-13 GV. Scoring drive: ~12 seconds. 

Reynolds goes for 57 yards, 33 seconds in the half

To start the second half, GV took the kickoff and reeled off a 76 yard drive, culminating in a 2 yard TD run by Reynolds, his third of the night. GV 28-13.

After a short CBW punt, GV had a 1 play drive: a 47 TD run by Reynolds, his 4th of the night. GV 34-13.

And the band played "And when the Saints go marching in". For the 80th or 90th time this year. I've lost count at this point... Go band!

CBW ended the 3rd quarter and into the 4th quarter with a drive that ended with a 4th and goal at the 1.5 yard line. We stuffed them at the one-half yard line, and took over on downs.

We then embarked on a 99.5 yard, 6 and a half minute drive capped by a Ryan Saunders 1 yard TD run.

41-13 Jags, and we ran out the clock on defense.

#8 Central Bucks West down, next week number 5 Quakertown up, in another home game.

Shane Reynolds had near 200 yards and 4 touchdowns on the night.

Band season isn't over yet!!

Conestoga Cavalcade of Bands

Grace's Senior year of band is winding down. We will have playoff football games to play at for as long as the team keeps winning. We have the big Hershey PA band competition finals next Saturday. And tonight we had the last regular competition - the Cavalcade of Bands event at Conestoga High School.

The link to the GVHS Band YouTube video of the performance is here.

Despite a scheduling snafu that had our band piling off buses 25 minutes before their scheduled performance time, and the fastest we have ever put props together, the students came through and performed very well, getting their highest score of the year. This should make them feel good going into Hershey next week.

Grace is on the right side stand for the first two movements, and conducts the third movement from the center stand before taking a bow on behalf of the band.

I'm happy. I'm a little sad. It was a good day.

GV Football - Playoff Game 1 vs Haverford

The Division 1 6A playoffs began tonight, with #1 seed Garnet Valley hosting #16 Haverford.

Three weeks ago we beat Haverford 55-14, but things can change, and you can't take anything for granted in the playoffs.

And of course that also means that marching band season continues, and Grace gets to lead the band in additional halftime performances (or pre-game in tonight's case).

Stop looking at me, Dad!

Tonight's band performance was their best of the year, and served as a good warm up for the Conestoga competition we will be traveling to tomorrow. But that's a different post...

...but I'm glad you care.

The game itself was...methodical. There weren't many spectacular plays, and we made some sloppy mistakes which will need to be corrected in the future against tougher competition, but we won easily 42-0.

Our offense was a little out of sync, but our defense was stout, and by the start of the second half we were playing backups and operating on a running clock, having gotten out to a lead of 35 points or more one drive into the second half...

We are now 11-0, having outscored our opponents 531-118.

Playoff round 2 next week will have GV hosting Central Bucks West. CBW is 9-2, and has outscored their opponents 257-159.

So GV's average game score is 48-11, and CBW's is 23-14. Hopefully our offense continues to roll.

More importantly, another week of band season.

Go Jags!