Carey's Corner
FROM THE MALVERN ARCHIVES
A LOOK BACK
September 2020
Malvern has been in the Inter-Ac since 1950. Ted Silary has listed the MVPs since 1969 (www.tedsilary.com). I would like to add to the MP list any player who was an MVP from 1950 to 1968. I have to believe a Malvern Friar or two won the MVP during those years. My guess is during the Mayock years? Your help is appreciated. Please send any information to Rcarey5171@aol.com so I can update the archive and recognize all of Malvern’s best.
I have been around Malvern Prep since 1969. I have played with, coached and watched many players who wore the Silver and Blue helmet. Over the years there has be an amazing amount of talent that has walked onto that field and “Defended the M”. These players were All Inter-Ac, All-City, All-Main Line, All-State and many other All-Teams. However only a select few have been recognized as the top player in the Inter-Ac league. To quote the line in the Tina Turner song,” Simply the best, better than all the rest”.
Here is the list of Malvern’s best
OTHER NOTES OF INTEREST
As you can see, the best player award/MVP is like the Heisman, it usually goes to a skill guy- RB or QB. Special shout out to big fatties Herb Beck and Steve Galczenski who were 2 of only 3 linemen (Kyle Chaffin PC the other) to ever receive the award (1969 through 2019). Since 1969, a total of 51 years, MP has had a player or players in the top spot in 26 of those years. Co-MVPs happened 11 times and tri-MVPs once. Speaking of co-MVPS, it has only happened three times when two players from the same team were recognized as the best. Congrats Derek and Gal (also Penn Charter in 1993 and 1998). Only 5 times has a player been named in back to back years. MP has three in Pat Van Horn, Mike Augsberger, and Keith Maguire. The other two were John Haldeman in 1970 and 1971 and Dox Aitken in 2014 and 2015, both of Haverford School. I played against Haldeman and watched Aitken. Both were excellent football players who played lacrosse in college. There have been many quality players come through the IA over the years. To win the award two times is quite an accomplishment. Congrats Friars
As a quick aside, Mike Mayock’s (2008 Gamper team) dad won the award in 1975 for Haverford. The player breakdown looks like this- 24 players from MP, 13 from PC, 8 from GA, 6 from EA and 3 from CHA.
In 1991 Brian Gallagher was co-MVP with Dave Stilley of Haverford School. If you had both of those guys in the same backfield I would feel very confident you would never, and I mean never, have needed to throw the ball. That would be a coach’s dream. Brian has the MP school record for carries in a season at 277. He ground out 1,266 yards on those carries. Good for 7th all-time at MP. Stilley was only one of eight IA players to reach the 3000 yds career mark (Chris Downs leads the list). In 1991 he rushed 307 times for 1476 yards. Combined, these two runners had 2,742 yards on 584 carries. Throw in 26 TDs and is it any wonder that the QB would have just turned around and handed it to one of them?
Mike Cappelletti was also All State in Lacrosse. Unlike Billy Conners Mike played football in college at Penn State instead of lacrosse like Billy did at Duke. In keeping with the multi-sport theme not only were David Orr, Ryan Polley and Bill Lockhart MVPs in football they were also All-City in baseball.
Derek and Chris Downs made the 40 year All Inter-Ac team and the 50 year All City team. I know Chris Downs name pops up multiple times. Seriously, how could it not? Not only was Chris an MVP of the IA his senior year, he was also named the best player in the Inter-Ac from the decade of the 90’s.
Ian Mitchell proved he was no one year wonder. He went on to re-write multiple league and school records at Dickinson College. He added Dickinson’s offensive MVP in 2007, 2008 and 2009 to his IA MVP.
Keith Maguire must be a pretty good athlete and MVP worthy when you have a highlight catch actually show up on ESPN Top 10. I do not think that even happens in my dreams!..... And what a catch it was. It was the kind of highlight that you rewind multiple times to convince yourself what you saw really happened.
Ryan Nassib was another, in a line of multi-sport Friar athletes, who went on to star at Syracuse and then get drafted by the New York Giants.
Dan Onorato was selected at linebacker his senior year in 2003. That year he was also Malvern’s starting QB and threw for 1,526 yards. At the time it was a school record. Currently that season yardage put him right behind Alex Hornibrook and Drew Gunther on the all time list.
I am sure you have heard the phrase it is not the X’s and the O’s but the Jimmies and the Joes. Malvern’s success has been the result of both. Excellent coaches calling the plays and many “Jimmies and Joes” executing them. It is no wonder why MP has consistently remained one of the top high school programs in Southeast Pennsylvania.
More to come……………
09.14.20
