Boy’s Basketball

The Raiders finished their Central League campaign the way it started—with wins. The first came all the way back in early December, with a resounding 77-41 thrashing of Springfield, and culminating in February with a close 48-46 nail biter over Strath Haven. The team’s 11-11 record was enough to obtain the 14th seed in the 16-team playoff for the District 1 5A crown, but a loss in the first round to Unionville snuffed out the hopes for a Cinderella run. “Something we had been aiming for was to make districts since we haven’t been here for a few years. I was proud of them for trying to play our game as best we could against a really good team,” was what coach Jamie Chadwin had to say about his team, putting into perspective the success of this year’s squad. A saving grace from the final game was the dominant performance of Jack D’Entremont, who dropped 25 points, including nine in the second quarter and a breakaway dunk that switched the game’s momentum.

This year was a breakout season for D’Entremont, who averaged 13.9 points and 1.5 three-pointers a game while shifting from his once predictable perimeter game to a new, well-rounded style that sees the junior as a scoring threat from anywhere. Star sophomore Lewis Robinson was able to continue upon his freshman success by leading the team in scoring (14.1 points) while shooting 70.2% from the line. The Raider’s backcourt included the new addition of sophomore Jahmair Dixon, with Robinson and him combining to be one of the youngest and most exciting guard duos in the league. Seniors Bennett Mueller, Doug Campbell, Sean Mullarkey, and junior Pat Boujoukos all had successful campaigns, getting significant minutes for a playoff team.

The team is losing some valuable senior leaders but will only continue to improve as the underclassmen core of the team continues to develop and play together throughout their high school years.

Girls’ Basketball

As Brienne Williams drove into the lane and drew a double team, there was only one possible ending to such a play. The sophomore guard found teammate Ellie Mueller in the paint for a routine layup, something she had done many times before. In fact, this bucket marked her 1,000th career point, a remarkable milestone considering the forward is only in her junior year. Mueller would go on to finish with 29 points along with 7 rebounds and 3 steals, a career night for her, and it could not have come at a better time. This is because the most outstanding achievement from the District One 5A playback game was the 58-52 win over West Chester East, as it guaranteed the Raiders their fourth state championship berth in six years.

This year has been the perfect storm for the Raiders, as star performers Mueller and Williams have combined with senior leadership from Audrey Rosenblum and Holly Holtsberg (who had 11 blocks in the playback game), and solid play from juniors Julia Rigolizzo, Missy Massimino, and sophomore Cierra Hopson, to create a nucleus with the potential to compete with any team in the area. This was shown through games such as the 58-53 double-overtime thriller against Haverford High, in which Mueller nailed two free throws with no time on the clock to force the extra period. The team also found success across state lines, winning two games on a team trip to Orlando in mid-December, proving the team can pose a threat to any team they come up against. With a loss in the first round of states, the team is saying goodbye to their senior leadership, but with Mueller and Williams returning for another year, the success of RGB’s program is just beginning.

Wrestling

At the end of a successful Central League season that saw RAWR finish with an 11-6 (4-3) record, numerous Radnor wrestlers still fought in the postseason to obtain individual glory. In the league championship, Radnor finished with 117.5 points in 7th, tallying one champion (Jahmair Rider), one runner-up (Noah Pepper), and one third place finisher (Bobby Hydrisko). Rider and a host of other Radnor wrestlers would move on to the District 1 3A Championship, where the senior captain would continue his dominance and add another championship to his tally. Joining him in qualification for the Regional Championship was Hydrisko (3rd place) and freshman Damian Falcone (4th), who both capped off impressive performances with placements at their respective weight classes. At Regionals, all three wrestlers lost in the first round, with Hydrisko finding some success by going 1-1 in the consolation rounds, but Radnor’s successful campaign still came to an end with the elimination of the three qualifiers.

Captains Rider, Tommy Subak, and Noah Treangen led by example with excellent senior leadership throughout the season, with other major contributions coming from seniors Kai Mulligan, Ifeyan Gavin, Drew Brown, junior Chris Henkel, and freshman Mason Brown. Coach Torresani, who is leaving in the offseason, was able to leave on a high note after a successful season. Looking to next year, Coach T’s loss will be a blow for the close-knit program, but by using some of the resilience that the team has been able to muster all year, the program will rebound next year with its promising young core of underclassmen.

Boy’s and Girl’s Swim and Dive

At Bucknell University for the PIAA 3A State Championships this weekend, one name dominated the field in a variety of events for Radnor—Cullen. Patrick Cullen, a senior heading to Boston College to swim next year, landed on the podium in two events, finishing sixth in 50 Freestyle and nabbing a fourth-place finish in the 200 Freestyle Relay. Nick Mlodzienski, Wil Cosgrove, and Andrew Davis joined him on the podium for that relay, with Mlodzienski also finishing just outside of the final positions in the 100 Butterfly. Jack Undercofler would join Cullen, Mlodzienski, and Cosgrove on another relay, the 400 Freestyle, that would win the ‘B’ Final and finish in ninth. Overall, at the state championships, Radnor finished in 10th for the team title, rounding out a successful campaign that saw the boys finish second in the Central League and fifth in the District. It also ended the successful career of Cullen, who ended the year with a combined 3 league and district championships to his name.

On the girl’s side Casey Cullen, the younger sister of Patrick, finished third in the 100 Butterfly, and she is only a freshman. In fact, four of the five Radnor girl’s swimmers that finished within the top 5 of an event at the Central League Championships were freshmen. At Centrals, Cullen finished second in the 100 Butterfly, fourth in the 500 Freestyle, and she was part of a third-place relay including Ella Fulton, Kelsey Wakiyama, and Avery Barber. Barber would also finish fourth in the 100 Free and Audrey Collins got fifth in the 200 IM, securing the girl’s team a fifth-place league finish. While the majority of the swimmers who made it to states were freshmen, seniors Cameron Kelly, Christine Lu, and Zoe Metzger also ended their careers with successful seasons, as did all of the senior swimmers graduating in the spring.

In all, the boys will lose some key seniors but the girls have some of the best freshmen in the state that will continue their success throughout the remainder of their high school careers.