Radnor High School | Archive | September, 2018

RADNOR — There’s a two-word phrase that Radnor’s offensive line lives by. It’s short on verbiage and strong in meaning.

“One O-line,” said Anthony Laudicina, the Raiders’ senior left tackle and a University of Buffalo commit.

It’s unity. No one player is better than the other. There are no egos. There’s just one goal: do your job, do it well and do it together.

“It’s really a team thing,” senior center Henry Collins said. “(Offensive line) coach Dave (Bowen) has done an amazing job, with his strategies and teachings. We’re just learning from him every day. You can’t ask for more from a coach.”

Bowen was an All-Delco football player at Radnor and standout for Boston College. After graduation in 2016, he returned to his alma mater to join  former coach Tom Ryan’s staff.

The “One O-Line” mantra comes from former Radnor line coach Mick Bonner, who coached Bowen at Radnor.

“Dave has taken a lot of stuff from Coach Bonner but I’ve noticed he’s brought a lot of stuff from Boston College,” Ryan said. “Dave and my offensive coordinator Larry DiSipio really game plan together offensively. I don’t really even get involved in the offense; I don’t need to. I have two great, young guys who care about this program who both played here, who were both captains here. I know the offense is left in good hands.”

The current starting lineup consists of seniors Laudicina, Collins, Nick Scheri, Archer Darrah. Lincoln Twedt is the lone junior. He is filling in for injured senior Ryan Bernicker.

“I’ve been lucky the last couple of years to have a group of guys who just come every day to work,” Bowen said of his linemen. “They’re not flashy guys, they just work.

“I mean, Lincoln plays more Dungeons & Dragons than he watches film …”

That last comment elicited laughter from everyone. Lincoln simply smirked and nodded.

“I’ve got a group of guys that want to get better and they enjoy playing together,” Bowen added. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Radnor’s offensive linemen are often left out of the spotlight, taking care of business for senior quarterback Sean Mullarkey and skill players such as running back Matt Cohen and wide receiver Jahmair Rider. They don’t mind getting overlooked.

“Matt’s never the kid who likes to brag,” Scheri said. “He’s always very humble and appreciative. That’s just makes you want to go out there and block for him even more.”

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PETE BANNAN – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Radnor offensive linemen Henry Collins and Anthony Laudicina are helping to provide a wall of protection for Raiders quarterback Sean Mullarkey this season.

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RADNOR >> Radnor quarterback Sean Mullarkey looked his running back up and down and offered an honest assessment.

“He’s not that big,” Mullarkey said of Matt Cohen. “I mean, no offense, but he’s not that strong either.”

Cohen smirked. Mullarkey laughed somewhat nervously, before finishing his thought: “But he just hits the hole so unbelievably hard. And they can’t tackle him. He does everything you could want in a back.”

In other words, don’t underestimate Cohen, nor Radnor for that matter. Cohen accounted for 295 yards of total offense and scored five touchdowns, three of 50-plus yards, as the Raiders whooped visiting Ridley, 63-21.

It was a program-defining win for a team that, seemingly, always came up just short when the big boys were in town.

“I remember last year after games, my locker was next to Sean’s,” Cohen recalled. “And Sean would just be like, ‘why is this the Radnor way? That we always lose close games?’”

The Raiders, with 25 seniors on the roster, have flipped the script, at least through a 4-0 start. And perhaps no one has done more to change that reputation than Cohen, who has rushed for 605 yards in four games.

“Matt has deceptive speed,” Radnor coach Tom Ryan said. “He’s a weight-room kid. He’s not the tallest kid in the world, but he works as hard as anybody.”

Cohen also runs with purpose. Last week, he got caught from behind on one play in the Raiders’ 42-8 victory over Harriton. In his own words, he “worked on that this week,” as if that was something the back could improve on in such a short time.

Well, he did. Cohen broke through holes created by Radnor’s stout offensive line and raced into the secondary. Once he was in the open field, he beat everyone across the goal line.

“I wasn’t really getting hit that much,” Cohen said. “I just saw the end zone, and no one was really there.”

After he started his evening with a one-yard plunge for six — as the Raiders went ahead 7-0 — Cohen filled the highlight reel. He had a 54-yard catch-and-run off a wheel route in the first quarter to answer a Ridley touchdown. He then broke off nearly identical runs in the third quarter, the first of 53 yards, the second 59, to send the result into euphoric territory for the home side.

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Pete Bannan — Digital First Media Radnor’s Matt Cohen, left, did a lot of running past Ridley defenders Friday night, scoring five touchdowns in Radnor’s 63-21 romp over Ridley

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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.

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Radnor’s Jahmair Rider caught two touchdowns and returned a kick for another in Radnor’s 42-8 win over Harriton Saturday.

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