Over the past two weeks, numerous Radnor sports teams have either advanced to the PIAA State Tournaments or finished their enjoyable seasons. With the unfortunate conclusion of LM week and the weather (sort of) getting colder, the Radnor Sports Roundup delivers an update on such school events.
—Margarita
Cheerleading – Trinity Emery
With the 2023 football season coming to an end, the cheerleaders switch gears to their competition season. The cheerleaders are going to Downingtown West High School to compete with local schools on the 12th of November. Soon after, they have their Northeast Regional competition on November 18th in an attempt to get a bid for the National competition. We wish the cheerleaders the best of luck and make sure to follow the @radnorcheer Instagram for updates!
Crew (Boys) – Dan Kaper
The Radnor Boys Crew team raced a large array of boats at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta, including a Varsity 4, two JV 4s, a Varsity and JV 8, a Varsity pair, and a Novice 8. We had rowers competing multiple times over the 2.5 mile course, placing solidly among the pack. Unfortunately, the eight suffered a collision with another school and was pushed low in the ranking. The Navy Day regatta went well, however, with two fours placing in the top 10 out of 32, (6th and 10th). Without their minor finish line misunderstanding, the V4 could have placed even higher than 6th, but the results remain as is. Regardless, RBCC continues to push forward, and you can expect to see the team seek vengeance at the Frostbite Regatta at Mercer Lake.
Crew (Girls) – Arielle Mims and Caitlin Roeltgen
The Radnor Girls Crew team raced three varsity fours, two varsity eights, and two JV eights at Head of the Schuylkill Regatta. HOSR is the largest Philadelphia regatta, with over 8,000 competitors, and all seven boats raced well. The team also raced four boats at Mercer Fall Classic the weekend of November 5. The day consisted of a long headrace and a 2k sprint in the afternoon, whose times were combined to determine the final times. This week RGCC heads back to Mercer to compete in their last fall regatta.
Cross Country (Boys) – Niva Menon
This past weekend, the Radnor Boys Cross Country team ran one amazing race at States. After earning 6th place, with a time of 15:22 at Districts, senior Luke Bodden qualified for the PIAA State Championship—where he placed 9th overall. Congratulations to Luke Bodden and the Radnor Boys Cross Country team for all their accomplishments this season!
Cross Country (Girls) – Niva Menon
This past weekend, the Radnor Girls Cross Country team took on States with extreme power. Previously, at the District Championship, senior captain Zoe Margolies ran an impressive time of 18:04 in the 5000-meter run. This time not only secured her in the spot of 6th place overall but it also broke a school record. Margolies then qualified for the PIAA State Championship, where she placed 22nd overall . Congratulations to Zoe Margolies and the Radnor Girls Cross Country team for all their accomplishments this season!
Field Hockey – Cailin Kelly
The girls are in States! Since the last roundup, Radnor Girls Field Hockey has had an amazing two weeks. They competed in the first and second round of Districts, both on Encke, where the girls did not let any goals in. The team successfully beat Phoenixville (4-0) and West Chester East (3-0). In the District Semifinals, the team brought Mount St. Joseph into double overtime, causing sudden death. Senior Annabelle Parente scored the game-winning goal, beating them 4-3. Seniors Grayson Buono and Sadie Schultz were able to make some impressive shots in the postseason as well that cannot go unrecognized. On Saturday, the team played Villa Maria and unfortunately lost by one goal in overtime (1-2). Nonetheless, on Wednesday, RGFH took on Bonner Pendergast for Round 1 of States on Encke at 4:00pm and they had an unbelievable game, ending in a 10-1 win. The State Quarterfinals will be at Hershey at 5:00pm on Saturday. To say the least, the team has had an exciting season so drive all your friends and be there to support. Go RGFH!
Soccer (Boys) – Margarita Moreland
The Radnor Boys Soccer team is prevailing over competitive opponents with no end in sight. On October 30th, many of the Varsity players attended the National Honor Society induction ceremony. The boys rushed from the auditorium down to Encke Field to play in the District 1 Semifinals against Lower Moreland. Senior Nate Lucchesi scored twice for the Raptors, while JD Harmelin and Andrew Marino also supplied goals. Numerous assists were completed by Brayan Chavez, Michael Savadove, and Jack Ennis, and the game concluded in a 4-0 victory. That following Thursday, the boys traveled to Norristown Area High School for the District Championship against Springfield (Montco). The team demonstrated their skills both offensively and defensively—Nate Lucchesi and Andrew Marino placed goals in the net for the Raptors and Aidan Damiani achieved crucial plays from the backline. Springfield attempted to score but the goal was nullified by the referees. Instead of relying on the “luck of the call,” the team certainly played their hearts out and the Radnor community could not be more proud of them. Ultimately, the boys stepped onto the bus with a District Championship trophy (2-0 win). On Tuesday, November 7th, Radnor was scheduled to face Lampeter-Strasburg in the First Round of the PIAA State Championships. Due to an incident involving a bomb threat, spectators and both teams were forced to evacuate campus almost one minute into the match. The game was rescheduled to Thursday, November 9th, at Harriton High School. We will continue to support the team (or take photos, from my experience) as the boys move on to States.
Soccer (Girls) – Kayla Cormier
On Thursday, October 26th, Radnor Girls Soccer hosted a thrilling game against Bishop Shanahan. The girls managed to come back from a 0-1 deficit, securing a 2-1 win over their opponent. Both goals were scored by senior Selah Koleth. The victory enabled Radnor to advance to the District 1 AAA semifinals, which was a home game played on Halloween. Unfortunately, the team brought their all to the field but fell short against Villa Maria in a 0-1 loss. “Sometimes the chips don’t fall where you need them too,” said head coach Jake Solderitch. “We had plenty of opportunities that we didn’t finish, which ultimately ended our season.” Although RGS didn’t advance as far as they had planned, they still achieved an impressive record of 11-6-3. This past Sunday, the Radnor Girls Soccer teams and families attended a banquet at St. David’s Golf Club. The program honored coaches and players alike, and our seniors delivered sentimental thank-yous and goodbyes. Congratulations to RGS for a spectacular season. Until next autumn!
Ultimate Frisbee (Girls) – Sofie Jubelirer
The past two weeks have been nothing but thrilling for the Radnor Girls Ultimate team. With two back-to-back tournaments, KitKat and Coconut Classic, RGUF concluded its fall season with a bang. On October 29th at Edgely Fields, the girls stormed the field in their Cat-in-the-Hat costumes to play SLA Masterman. The team was nervous but excited, as this was their first time playing 7 v. 7 for the entire season. After a win in the first game, the girls took on Lower Merion for their second match of the day, easily securing another win. However, it all came down to the last game against Strath Haven. After a long and tough battle with limited substitutes, the girls pushed through, erased Strath Haven’s 5-2 lead, and came out victorious. The 3-0 record granted them the title of KitKat Tournament Champions. However, their winning streak did not end there. Up north in Freehold, NJ, RGUF competed in the two-day Coconut Classic Tournament. Day one was challenging, with only a few subs, but Radnor succeeded against LM (13-3), Jackson-Reed (13-3), and Strath Haven (12-9). Day two, however, was nothing less than amazing. Starting off with a 13-0 win against West Windsor-Plainsboro, the girls felt good going against Columbia Sparkle Motion (13-3). Once again, they dominated the field, leading them to play Strath Haven and Haverford’s combined team in the tournament final. With observers on the field (which are similar to referees but ultimate frisbee is a self-refereed game), the pressure was on. Yet, Radnor did not crumble but rose to the challenge, triumphing with a score of 13-6. (Tournament games are typically capped at 13 points.) The team celebrated their second tournament win with two cupcake cakes, one for the girls’ spirit award and the other for the girls’ tournament championships. Radnor Girls Ultimate finished fall with a perfect 9-0 record, including three victories over Strath Haven in the span of two weeks. Although the season is over, there is a lot to look forward to for the spring and the team can’t wait to see what this next season will bring!
Football – Arielle Mims
On Friday, October 27th, the Radnor Football team had their Senior Night game against Springfield. Prior to the game, the seniors players were recognized for leading the team this season. After the ceremony, the team put up a tough fight against Springfield, with Bryce Cohen and Mikey Enright both scoring touchdowns. They unfortunately lost, the final score being 14-63. As many of us know, Radnor Football took on Lower Merion on Prevost Field this past Saturday. Eager to see the 127th meeting, the stands were packed with people. The student section was filled with kids showing their Radnor pride after the electrifying pep rally the day before, as well as many friends and family in the rest of the stands. The band was in attendance as usual, playing familiar songs such as “Sweet Caroline” and “Best Day of My Life.” Much was at stake, including the half day and the trophy that had been safely in Radnor’s possession for over a decade. Nobody knew what to expect, as the team went into the game with a 1-10 record and Lower Merion was going into the game with a 5-5 record. Some would say it could have gone either way and everyone rooting for Radnor had hoped for the winning streak to continue. Unfortunately, during the first quarter, junior quarterback Matt Szychulski went down with an ACL tear and was taken out for the rest of the game. With backup quarterback Luke Reilly taking his place, the game continued. A touchdown pass was thrown to Tucker Graham in the second quarter, making the score 6-35 as the first half ended. With an entertaining halftime, including a stellar performance from our marching band and the crowning of Radnor’s Homecoming King and Queen, the spectators hoped that the team would bounce back against their biggest rivals. Another touchdown was scored by running back and senior Bryce Cohen. Ultimately, Radnor was not able to close the gap, losing 12-56. The Radnor community applauds the team for their continuous efforts all throughout the season. Let’s hope to beat LM and get the trophy back next year!
Interested in writing about Radnor sports for the Roundup? Contact Margarita Moreland ([email protected], 267-546-7775) or stop by the next Radnorite meeting.
