Football Notebook: Radnor proves it belongs with Delco’s elite

If there were any questions about Radnor’s toughness and talent, those doubts were put to rest, once and for all, last Friday night.

In going to overtime with undefeated Garnet Valley (8-0), one of the top teams in District 1 Class 6A, the Raiders proved they are a team built to win now.

Maybe we should’ve known all along.

Radnor (6-2) is the No. 5 team in the Daily Times Super 7. One could argue they are the second-best team in Delco, behind only Garnet Valley. And, quite frankly, one could wonder exactly how much “better” Garnet Valley really is.

It’s unusual for any team to feel good after a heartbreaking loss, but Radnor is a different story. The Raiders showed, back in Week 3, that it was not the same old Radnor team that has underachieved for years. Every season the Raiders produce talented players who move on to the collegiate level, which is a testament to longtime coach Tom Ryan and his staff. But no Radnor team under Ryan’s tutelage has learned to put it altogether, until this year.

The Raiders began 4-0, beating Marple Newtown in three overtimes and then scoring 63 points against Ridley. At that time, they were clearly a team to watch.

When they suffered a 40-16 defeat at Haverford High (7-1), the No. 2 team in Delco, perhaps there was concern that the loss would have a lingering effect. Although the Raiders came up short, they were never deterred. So they turned the page and continued winning lopsided games. Two weeks ago they put up 35 points against Springfield. Garnet Valley scored only six against Springfield in a shutout the week prior.

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Quarterback Sean Mullarkey and his Radnor teammates have served notice that they have turned a corner in their development into one of the Central League’s upper echelon of teams. (Pete Bannan/Digital First Media