Defending District 1 6A champ Garnet Valley advances with a 28-21 win over Owen J. Roberts

Written by: Joseph Santoliquito on Friday, November 3rd, 2023. Follow Joseph Santoliquito on Twitter.

Tyler Lassik & GV coach Eric Van Wyk

GLEN MILLS, PA — There is a nuts-and-bolts quality to Garnet Valley senior quarterback Tyler Lassik. Whatever needs to be done, he’s willing to do it. Maybe that attitude comes from being the ninth and youngest of nine, and it explains why he wears the No. 9 for the Jaguars, the two-time defending PIAA District 1 Class 6A champs.

The Jags entered this year’s District 1 Class 6A tournament as the No. 8 seed. But they still hold that title until someone knocks them off, which is what visiting No. 9 seed Owen J. Roberts intended to do Friday night.

After some tense moments, Captain Nuts-and-Bolts Lassik, a two-year starter and three-year member of the Jags, bailed his team out by completing seven of eight passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-21 victory over the Wildcats (8-3).

Garnet Valley (9-2) now advances to the district quarterfinals to play what has turned into a District 1 rivalry with No. 1 seed undefeated Central Bucks West next Friday night at West’s historic War Memorial Stadium in a rematch of the season opener for both teams.

Garnet Valley and CB West will face each other for the fifth time in two years. The Jags have won three of the previous four games, which includes last year’s District 1 Class 6A championship and 2021 second-round victory over the Bucks on their way to the district crown. The explosive Bucks got back at Garnet Valley in their season opener, 17-13.

But the Jags were not going to be going anywhere if not for Lassik managing to pick apart the OJR defense in the first half and drain the clock in the second.

“We did find a way,” said Lassik, who rushed for 77 yards on 17 carries. “They showed a three-down front and they sent their linebackers a lot, so over the middle should be there with play-action. When you send a lot of guys, you can’t account for all the receivers. You just pinpoint your best matchup.”

Lassik was the long snapper as a sophomore and started as a defensive back as a junior, where he still starts.

He knows what it is like to win because it is all he has been used to at Garnet Valley. But this season the seniors wanted to put their stamp on the program, though still aware of what they are carrying as the two-time defending District 1 Class 6A champions.

“We talk about among ourselves as branding ourselves as our own group,” Lassik said. “We know we are carrying something, but you have to evolve with a new team. We have to do it our own way, and it’s not because we are Garnet Valley and can show up and do it, we have to earn it.”

The Jags earned it Friday night.

They never trailed, but after losing a fumble with 6:22 to play at its 43, and clinging to a 28-21 lead, the Garnet Valley defense had to clamp down. After reaching the Jags’ 32, OJR fell apart. The Wildcats were flagged for a false start then a delay-of-game penalty and were facing a fourth-and-20 at the Jags’ 42. What looked like a hook-and-lateral play fell apart when the Wildcats’ last gasp fell incomplete.

From there, Lassik and the Jags took over, running out the remaining 3:39.

Lassik’s 10-yard scoring run on the last play of the third quarter proved to be the winning difference, as Garnet Valley staved off the second-half push of OJR quarterback Derek Hinrichs and receiver Matt Gregory, who connected for nine completions for 104 yards and one touchdown.

“This is a new season with new guys, and this senior class really worked hard from the start,” Jags’ coach Eric Van Wyk said. “It’s starting to really pay off now.”

Garnet Valley took a 21-7 lead into halftime on the arm of Lassik. He completed his first six passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns, a 50-yard connection to Luke O’Donoghue with 5:59 left in the half, and a 23-yard TD completion to tight end Caden Olinger for a two-score lead with 1:29 remaining.

The Jaguars had shredded the OJR defense for 225 total yards of offense over the first two quarters.

Credit the Garnet Valley offensive line, left tackle Max D’Antonio, left guard Joe Anzalone, center Dylan Bledsoe, right guard Lucas Possenti, right tackle Brayden Green, and Olinger the tight end for most of that.

“I thought our guard play, Lucas Possenti and Joey Anzalone, really stepped up tonight,” Van Wyk said. “That collective group did a really nice job. We have thrown the ball that much, and it’s mainly because of Tyler, who has the ability to throw the ball. I think he’s showing that right now. The challenge was to be physical this week, and I thought we did match that. They stick together. It seems like it is a theme every week that we have battled adversity every single game.”

The Wildcats did not help themselves in the first half.

A muffed punt, recovered by the Jags’ Chase Wilt at the OJR 20, led to Garnet Valley’s first score, a 20-yard Ronnie Leraris run through the middle. The Wildcats then stung themselves in the second quarter with an interception by the Jags’ Nolan Carroll at the Garnet Valley 2, which resulted in the Jags’ second score.

OJR was able to move the ball, picking up 132 yards of total offense and seven first downs, but the Wildcats were stymied by the two turnovers that translated into 14 Garnet Valley points.

Scoring Summary

Owen J. Roberts (8-3) 0 7 7 7-21

Garnet Valley (9-2) 7 14 7 0-28

1st Quarter

GV – Ronnie Leraris 20 run (Mike Medici kick), 4:42

2nd Quarter

GV – Luke O’Donoghue 50 pass from Tyler Lassik (Medici kick), 5:59

OJR – Derek Hinrichs 5 run (Ryan Touhey kick), 3:35

GV – Caden Olinger 23 pass from Lassik (Medici kick), 1:29

3rd Quarter

OJR – Matt Gregory 58 pass from Hinrichs (Touhey kick), 2:17

GV – Lassik 10 run (Medici kick), :00

4th Quarter

OJR – Adam Stahl 5 pass from Hinrichs (Touhey kick), 7:32

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.

Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball

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