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That's changed quite drastically. For one, the 10-team league will now boast 12 schools, with the inclusion this year of Garnet Valley and Harriton.
More importantly, of the 12 teams, five made the PIAA District 1 playoffs last season (Ridley, Haverford and Conestoga in Class AAAA, and Garnet Valley and Strath Haven in Class AAA), with Garnet Valley reaching the state finals in Class AAA and Ridley reaching the state semifinals in Class AAAA.
The league returns the defending District 1 Class AAAA champion (Ridley) and AAA champion (Garnet Valley).
So, it's easy to say the Central League has a newfound respect. And Garnet Valley, once considered a tiny school out in the Glen Mills woods, has become an area powerhouse strong enough to rival perennial league and area power Ridley.
"From top to bottom, it has become a good league," said Strath Haven coach Kevin Clancy, who has won two PIAA Class AAA state championships and has guided his team to four state title games. "I think it's because of the quality coaching you have in the league now, where guys are all getting more numbers of kids coming out.
"Garnet Valley makes this league that much better. Believe me, I know. We know better than anyone else in the league how good Garnet Valley is. We used to scrimmage them every year and watched their growth from AA, to AAA, to a quad-A school. They've always had great coaching. Now they have great talent. Like I said, we should know."
Garnet Valley beat Strath Haven, 42-7, in the Class AAA playoffs on its way to winning its second straight PIAA District 1 Class AAA championship.
"But that was last year," Garnet Valley coach Mike Ricci said. "Our attitude coming into this year is we don't even talk about last year. Last year was special, with a real special group of seniors who showed great leadership. Our goal is to establish a new identity with this team and this group of seniors, who in my opinion have the same promise and potential as the previous group of seniors we had. There are a lot of similarities there, but we'll be faced with a number of challenges every week in the Central League."
Penncrest coach Paul Graham, who played at Upper Darby, said: "I remember playing in the Central League when you had a few weeks off. Not anymore. The big difference now is everyone has a year-round program, where kids are committed to football. They're in the weight room, they're going to passing camps over the summer. It wasn't always like that with kids in this league."
Dan Ellis is a newcomer to the league, taking over at Springfield, as a first-time head coach. Ellis, an all-state quarterback who led Downingtown to the 1996 PIAA Class AAAA state championship, has a different perspective about the league he knew as a player and the current makeup as a coach.
"Playing and coaching in Chester County, the perception was that the Central League was two teams - Ridley and Strath Haven, and that was it," Ellis said.
"It has changed. Look up and down this league, there are no guaranteed wins anymore. Now you have a Garnet Valley team with its skill players all back, and they're tested."
One big bonus for Garnet Valley is that the Jaguars return most of their key skill-position players. Running backs Jared Bonacquisti and Tim Keyser combined to score 37 touchdowns last year. It's a team that averaged 32.2 points a game and surrendered just 11.5 per game, finishing 13-2 overall with an independent schedule, and 5-1 in the playoffs.
"Garnet Valley coming in certainly makes things a lot tougher for all of us because you can't deny they're a quality team," Haverford High coach Joe Gallagher said. "We already have Ridley, Conestoga, Upper Darby, Strath Haven, Marple Newtown, and now we have another dude on the block we have to contend with. That's pretty nasty. It's what this league has become." *
Send e-mail to santolj@phillynews.com.
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