'Jelly' holds Malvern's D together

BEGINNINGS of stories sometimes fall right into your lap.

Exhibit A: One of the headliners for Malvern Prep's defense is a 5-9, 190-pound senior linebacker named Sam Schmucker.

Ask him how many times he has been hit with the Smucker question and he'll shoot back, "Thousands." Ask him how sick it makes him and he'll respond with a chuckle, "Very sick."

He'll also note, "We're not related. My name is spelled 'S-c-h.' Theirs is 'S-m.' I'm used to it all by now. My high school coaches call me 'Jelly.' My grade school coaches called me 'Jelly' . . . It's been that way forever. I've accepted it."

Now, everyone can call him an outright champion.

Saturday, Schmucker involved himself in seven tackles (one for a loss, two others at the line) as the Friars muffled visiting Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 23-0, in a last-day showdown of Inter-Ac League unbeatens.

The title was the second for third-year coach Kevin Pellegrini (shared in 2009) and the 22nd for the family. Dad Gamp, now an assistant to Kevin, collected 20 (16 outright) from 1978-2008.

What's the ol' line? If a team wants to make a name for itself, the defense has got to be good?

Malvern's was. SCH was held to 121 yards total offense and star rusher Cedric Madden, who finished the season with 1,486 yards and 23 touchdowns (and 24 of his team's 27 six-pointers overall), was held to 68 yards on 17 totes.

The starting unit for coordinator Kevin Whitney included ends Connor Mahoney (Northwestern commit) and Dan Riordan, tackles Shannan Green and John Bradford, outside linebackers PJ Finley (interception) and Joe Nilan, Schmucker at inside linebacker, cornerbacks Brad Elkin and Fran McArdle, and safeties Joe Carlini and Reiley Syrek. Corner Blake Gunther is out with an injury, but is expected back for the Thanksgiving tussle with St. Joseph's Prep.

Schmucker said the Friars received pregame inspiration from linebackers coach E.J. Moyer, who provided tapes of Malvern's previous five games against the Blue Devils.

"We had a good fight against them because of their size and ability to get off the ball," Schmucker said. "We had to shed blocks and fill holes. The d-linemen did a great job of taking on the blockers and making plays when the linebackers couldn't get to them.