Radnor QBs turn to Rider to roll past Harriton

RADNOR — Sam DiLella trotted in from the sideline with the play as Radnor executed its two-minute offense, and wide receiver Jahmair Rider didn’t give it a second thought.

To the senior wide receiver, it didn’t much matter whether DiLella was under center or if starter Sean Mullarkey was making the call. In this instance – second and goal at the 9 with 30 seconds left in the first half – Rider knew he was running a slant, cutting hard to throw off his corner back. And either QB, Rider knew, was more than capable of having the ball waiting for him when he broke off his route.

Rider made that catch just before halftime Saturday, his first of two TDs from DiLella to go with a kick return score in Radnor’s 42-8 win over Harriton in a game postponed from the evening before.

“Nothing really changes,” Rider said. “They’re both excellent quarterbacks. I have faith in both of them. We lined up and Sam, just like Sean would’ve done, gave the slant signal, and that’s when I knew he saw it.”

Rider caught a five-yard score from DiLella with 2:20 left in the third quarter, capping seven catches for 118 yards. He added an 87-yard kick return in the fourth quarter after the Rams (1-2, 0-2 Central) got on the board.

Quarterback switches have become routine for Radnor the last couple of years, with Saturday’s juggling benefitting from Radnor coach Tom Ryan doing so by choice. Two years ago, Mullarkey stepped in as a sophomore when starter Pat McDermott was injured. Last year, the hard-running Mullarkey missed a game, allowing DiLella to pass Radnor to a win over Conestoga. The junior DiLella will be plenty prepared to take over as the starter next year, but until then, he’s contributing in the present.

Mullarkey was 4-for-6 through the air for 81 yards, finding Vernon Harper for a 35-yard touchdown on a lovely double move by the wideout. Mullarkey also carried six times for 49 yards.

DiLella was 6-for-9 for 90 yards and two scores.

Click HERE to read the full article.