Penn Charter

Schools, students, and coaches who compete in the Inter-Academic League probably feel a sense of kinship when the Inter-Ac is mentioned. Almost any student-athlete can relate to the feeling of a league win. As for the championship, that carries the most weight. Rachael Garnick, a senior on the Penn Charter softball team, said her "stomach drops" from excitement at the mention of an Inter-Ac title. The cocaptain knocked on wood while discussing the prospect of the Quakers' first league championship since she has been a member of the squad.

BY THE TIME he's ready to play Saturday night, Michael Keir might be exhausted from shaking his head back and forth. Keir, a 6-2, 215-pound quarterback from Roman Catholic High, remains bothered and bewildered, even disgusted, by the fact only 28 players will represent Non-Public vs. Public - the roster limit is 50 per team - in the 39th annual City All-Star Football Classic, set for 7 o'clock at Northeast High. "Twenty-eight? That might be generous," Keir said yesterday. "Since they counted up that many, I'd bet we've lost a few more.

Two of The Inquirer's Top 10 football teams - No. 7 Norristown and No. 10 Plymouth-Whitemarsh - were scrambling yesterday to find new opponents after their scheduled games with Penn Charter were called off because of a conflict in eligibility rules. Norristown, which had been scheduled to visit Penn Charter today, could not find an official opponent, so it will scrimmage Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey. Plymouth-Whitemarsh, which was to meet Penn Charter at home on Sept. 29, is "desperately looking for a game," athletic director Charles Forster said.

Bill Michuda, whose teams won 20 games or more in his three seasons as basketball coach at Penn Charter, has resigned the position to seek a teaching job. Michuda, who served as a full-time substitute teacher last year at Lower Merion High, apparently is in line for a teaching and basketball coaching position at Souderton High. "Even if he doesn't get the Souderton job, Bill just felt it wasn't the best situation for our kids, (with his) having to come over from Lower Merion every day," Bill Gallagher, Penn Charter athletic director, said yesterday.

Central's Chris Bing was giving up only two inches to Penn Charter's Mike McGlinchey. It was the nearly 100-pound difference in weight that caused the most concern. "Yeah, it was hard," Bing said. "He's a big kid. I just tried to put my body on him, push him as far away from the basket as possible. " McGlinchey fared well Saturday, collecting 25 points for the hosts, but it was the rail-thin Bing and the visiting Lancers who prevailed, 59-42, in a nonleague basketball game. "I think I've got some scars after that," joked Bing, a 6-foot-7, 180-pound junior.

It is hard to believe that a Penn Charter boys' basketball team that looked so dominant last night actually was struggling with a 6-6 record at one time this season. But that seems like ages ago to the Quakers, who rolled to a 69-44 Inter-Academic League victory at Episcopal Academy. The win was the seventh straight for streaking Penn Charter (13-6, 5-0), the defending league champion. Episcopal dropped to 15-3 overall, and 2-3 in the league. Penn Charter entered the game ranked sixth in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Inquirer.

Minutes after yesterday's 35-6 demolition of Valley Forge Military Academy, Penn Charter football coach Bill Gallagher admitted that he was worried before the game started. The reason? The Valley Forge game was sandwiched between last week's 14-7 non-league win over a tough Shawnee team from New Jersey and the start of the Inter-Ac League season next week against Malvern Prep. So if the Little Quakers were going to suffer a letdown, Gallagher feared this would be the week.

With his team facing one of the top quarterbacks in the area, Episcopal Academy coach Jim Auch couldn't have asked for more ideal weather Friday when the Churchmen went to Penn Charter. Overcast skies, steady rain and increasingly muddy conditions dictated a grind-it-out football game. But Auch watched in dismay as Episcopal (2-5-1 overall, 0-3 Inter-Ac) turned over the ball six times and played suspect defense in a 35-6 loss to the Quakers (7-0, 3-0). "I didn't have any visions of grandeur," Auch said.

BY THE TIME he's ready to play Saturday night, Michael Keir might be exhausted from shaking his head back and forth. Keir, a 6-2, 215-pound quarterback from Roman Catholic High, remains bothered and bewildered, even disgusted, by the fact only 28 players will represent Non-Public vs. Public - the roster limit is 50 per team - in the 39th annual City All-Star Football Classic, set for 7 o'clock at Northeast High. "Twenty-eight? That might be generous," Keir said yesterday. "Since they counted up that many, I'd bet we've lost a few more.

Baseball PUBLIC LEAGUE A FIRST ROUND GAMP 15, Saul 0 Masterman 17, Rush 2 PUBLIC LEAGUE AAA FIRST ROUND Franklin Towne 15, Martin Luther King 0 TRI-COUNTY LEAGUE SEMIFINALS West-Mont Christian 7, Renaissance Academy 3 BICENTENNIAL INDEPENDENCE Holy Ghost Prep 8, Bristol 6 New Hope-Solebury 6, Lower Moreland 5 INTER-AC LEAGUE Germantown Acad 6, Episcopal Academy 2 Malvern Prep 4, Springside Chestnut Hill...

The Interboro softball team lost some key pieces from its back-to-back Del-Val League champions. But the Bucs still have Olivia Encarnacion and Lindsey DellaVecchio, and you can't go wrong with a top ace and a clutch bat. They played their roles perfectly Monday, leading host Interboro to a 2-1 win over Chichester in 10 innings, and a third straight league championship. Encarnacion struck out nine in a complete game. DellaVecchio went 3 for 5 with two doubles, scored a run, and drove in the game-winner.

Emma Dahle scored a game-high seven goals Saturday afternoon and coach Lauren Rubin earned her 100th career win as Friends' Central steamrolled visiting Lawrenceville, 19-9, in nonleague girls' lacrosse. Rubin is in her 10th year as head coach. Dahle, a junior, has 90 goals this year. Ashley Tedesco added six goals. In other nonleague action, Sabrina Tabasso scored four goals and assisted on two to lead host Harriton past Episcopal Academy, 9-7. Caleigh Foust added a pair of goals for the Rams.

Kayla Quinn allowed just three hits in the last four innings on Friday afternoon, and Penn Charter held off host Episcopal Academy, 2-1, in an Inter-Ac League softball game. Jess Drossner pitched the first three innings to earn the win, and Nikki Ray provided all the offense the Quakers needed with a two-run homer in the first. Taylor Long and Dana Giles had doubles for Episcopal. Also in the Inter-Ac, junior catcher Emily Speakman went 2 for 2, scored twice, and drove in a run as Agnes Irwin rolled past visiting Baldwin, 10-0.

Valley Forge Military Academy's loss turned out to be Springside Chestnut Hill Academy's gain. "It was a good experience, but it just wasn't for me," Zach Jancarski said of his two-year stay at Valley Forge. "I mostly decided to go there because my dad [Dave] was a military guy and thought I should give it a try. " With the aid of Jancarski, now in his third year at Springside Chestnut Hill, the visiting Blue Devils crushed Penn Charter, 16-1, in five innings Friday to keep alive their bid for an Inter-Ac League championship.

Schools, students, and coaches who compete in the Inter-Academic League probably feel a sense of kinship when the Inter-Ac is mentioned. Almost any student-athlete can relate to the feeling of a league win. As for the championship, that carries the most weight. Rachael Garnick, a senior on the Penn Charter softball team, said her "stomach drops" from excitement at the mention of an Inter-Ac title. The cocaptain knocked on wood while discussing the prospect of the Quakers' first league championship since she has been a member of the squad.

We continue our top-10 baseball rankings with the best catchers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. This subjective list, compiled with the help of area coaches and scouts, is based on defensive skills, including receiving and throwing; hitting abilities; and potential to excel at the next level. Please note that we did not overlook La Salle's Chris Melillo. While the senior might end up being an everyday catcher at Notre Dame, he has played mostly first base for the defending PIAA Class AAAA state champs.