Malvern scrimmages DePaul to cap off successful preseason
WAYNE, NJ – Malvern dropped a tight preseason scrimmage 21-14 Thursday at DePaul Catholic, as the Friars look ahead to Week 1 against La Salle.
It was a slow start for Malvern, with them going down 14-0 early. However, Skyler Smith found Andrew Pellicciotta for a 40-yard completion before later finding Pellicciotta again for a 15-yard passing score, which put the Friars on the board in the second quarter.
In the third, backup quarterback Jackson Melconian connected with PJ Holmes three times for 45 yards on a drive before Chris Smith punched it in for a seven-yard rushing touchdown which tied it at 14-14.
DePaul would tack on a third touchdown to jump back out in front, and with the varsity portion of the scrimmage being only three quarters, the Friars were running out of time. Skyler Smith would find Luke Hardy and Ian Files both on 30-yard deep balls late, but the third-quarter clock ran out before they could complete the drive – which ended the varsity game.
While the scoreboard signaled a loss, with it being only a scrimmage, it was a win in head coach Dave Gueriera’s book.
"It was a real good day for us," Gueriera said. "I feel like when you can come scrimmage a team like this – New Jersey state champ last year – you can see some things, right? You can see some things that you need to fix, but then you can also see some of the good things; and I thought we had a lot of really good things that we can build on.
"You don’t plan on winning a scrimmage," he added. “You want to get everybody reps, you wanna funnel players in and you’re really looking for depth; and it’s about trying to see what you have. If you wanna win a scrimmage, then you can play your 1s the whole time but I don’t think that would be getting the team any better."
Skyler Smith went 6-of-10 through the air for 130 yards and a touchdown while also gaining 15 yards on the ground himself, and Melconian also saw a nice day under center going 8-for-15 with 125 yards passing.
"I thought both QBs played well," Gueriera commented. "Both led good touchdown drives, both had a really good handle of the offense, and I also thought we protected well on the line, which really helped them with time. So, overall, both played really well."
Seven different names touched the ball through the air, with diversity of ball touches being something Gueriera was definitely happy about Thursday.
"We have the ability to spread the ball around," he said. "We have some good weapons. It’s our job as coaches to get different guys touches in the right spots."
Chris Smith also had a solid day on the ground, going for 10 rushes and 35 yards plus a touchdown. Holmes had four catches for 55 yards as well.
"I thought Chris ran hard,” said Gueriera. "As did Zeke (Bates) and I’d also like to get Achilles (Tucker-Turner) some more touches but overall I thought the running back group as a whole did a decent job today, especially in pass pro… PJ has definitely improved. I think his speed has improved and he’s catching balls better this year. He works hard in the offseason and you can see it with his performance."
Malvern struggled last year when they had this same exact matchup but at home – they failed to get much going offensively despite some highlights on both sides of the ball and took a 10-0 loss to DePaul.
"We definitely looked much better this year compared to last against them," Gueriera said. "If it was a full, real game, it would definitely be a really good game."
The Friars beat La Salle 35-0 last year in Week 1 at Ocean City, which this year will be the third year in a row that they face off in a season-opening Beach Bash at Ocean City High School.
"We’re definitely going to be getting the best version of La Salle. They’re a good team, they’re well coached, and it’s gonna be an interesting game Friday."
Quinn Riley '25