FEB. 20
PA. INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT SEMIFINAL
Friends’ Central 56, Malvern 49
   The Friars came in having advanced past Westtown in one of their best wins of the season, in which they pulled out a one-point win in an exciting 4-5 quarterfinal game. Despite having beat Friends’ Central earlier in the season, Malvern came in as a heavy underdog. The Malvern student body finally responded to calls by Friarside Chats and by students Paul Ryan and Rory Magargee. Friar Nation came out in full force for the final four. Two student sections filled up about a half hour before tip-off. The stands were filled with beach shovels intended to heckle Friends’ Central point guard and Camp Greenlake look-alike HJ “Zero” Gaskins. Paper cutouts of NBA rookie Michael Beasley were also handed out because of his noticeable resemblance to center Dominic Morris.
  Morris, standing at 6’7, won the opening tip-off. It is not an official stat, but most of the crowd agreed that was the first time Lamon Church had lost the tip this season. The loud crowd was calmed by three first quarter threeballs by Gaskins, the last coming at the buzzer. However, Malvern hung tough. They were carried by the leadership of senior guard Brendan McNulty, who played his last game in a Malvern uniform. McNulty and DeQuann “DasBOOT” Walker brought Malvern within three at the half, trailing 30-27. The crowd still showed great energy, helped out by freshman mascot Jake Stokes and Cookie Monster. Later, it was revealed that inside the Cookie Monster suit was junior Nick “Bishop” Pund.
  Few fans were surprised when Dominic Morris started to take over the game in the third quarter. Friends’ Central opened up a 43-29 lead, while much of the visiting crowd started to get cocky. Some people didn’t appreciate the parents vs. students arguments, but that’s a whole other issue. It looked as if Malvern had nothing left after a tough third frame left them down by 11 entering the fourth quarter. They were now without star forward Lamon Church due to injury. However, Brendan McNulty wasn’t going to go down that easy. He showed unbelievable hustle all the way to the final buzzer. His four point play in the fourth quarter ignited the crowd. It looked like the turning point to a monumental comeback when Malvern brought the game within three in the final two minutes. Freshman stud Brendan Kilpatrick chipped in when he hit some important shots and came up with two big blocks on the defensive end, finishing with a team high 13. The crowd kept bringing it louder and louder, and the comeback was almost complete. The Friars fell short in the final minute when Friends’ Central converted on their free throws and got the lead back to seven, despite the student section’s best efforts (“Hit the weight room”, “You are 40”, “Little people big world”, etc.).
Season Wrap Up
-The Phoenix went on to defeat GA in the finals on Saturday, led by former Penn Charter star Travis “Danny Almonte” Robinson. I have to admit I am a little anxious to read the next edition of “Tim’s Take” covering this game (JP Tim).
-Malvern ended the year on a positive note, putting up a good effort against a more talented team (or at least more experienced talent). Overall, the team finished 21-8.
- The future looks bright. The Friars were led largely by underclassmen this season. They will lose only three seniors. This is not to say they will not be missed, specifically captain Brendan McNulty. Brendan kept a young team in contention for the Inter-Ac. Many will disagree with this, but I would call him the team’s MVP.
- This was also the last game for seniors Bill “Bobby Boucher” Connors and John “Sunshine” Rawlings.
- Next year, Malvern returns 6 sophomores, 3 juniors, and 1 freshman. Tracy Peal, Ryan Creighton, DeQuann Walker, and Lamon Church will return as starters for Coach Jim Rullo. We will see senior leadership from James Carney, John Malick, Henry “I got Friends’ Central where they are today” Lobb, and Ryan Creighton.
- It wasn’t the loudest season from the student body, but we did have a core group of regulars. Rob McCabe, Paul Ryan, Mike “Kilpatrick got nothing on me” Mayock, Chris and Vince Travaligni, James Connolly, Rory Magargee, Mark Sherman, Simon Williams, Joe Price, Jack Moran, CJ Mooney, and John Malick were there from the start. (There are a few others, sorry if I didn’t get your name in.)
-Special thanks to the pioneers of Friarside Chats and to Ted. Without Brian Thomas, half of these nicknames wouldn’t have appeared.
-As for me, I hope to return with next season with RC and the rest of Coach Rullo’s boys. Thanks to everyone who read (if there are any of you). Stay warm by the Friarside.

FEB. 18
PA. INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT, QUARTERFINAL
Malvern 32 Westtown 31
   Only one night after Malvern put up a season high 73 points, they battled Westtown in a low scoring affair. The visiting team brought a big crowd that outweighed Malvern’s dismal Wednesday night cheering section. Westtown proved they possessed unbelievable athleticism, but it didn’t translate into any useful production. Early in the game, Lamon Church failed in that department when he had a ball go in and out on a powerful dunk in the low post. However, Monny made up for his miss with some tricky ball handling and passes. He finished with a team high 11 points. Ryan “RC” Creighton also threw around his tough frame under the basket, injuring Westtown’s center. I would estimate Ryan was outweighed by close to 100 pounds.
  Westtown’s fast paced defense caused Malvern to force a lot of their shots. Malvern not only struggled to hit jumpers, but couldn’t work the ball low. Tight defense kept the Friars in a game in which the offense struggled. In the final minutes, senior Brendan McNulty came up with a big steal and assist to DeQuann Walker to put Malvern up four. They held a three point lead, 31-28, in the final ten seconds. Westtown held the ball in the backcourt, but it was stolen by the speedy…..Tracy Peal. Tracy came up big defensively, and put Malvern up four with a foul shot following the steal. A buzzer beating three ball from Westtown made the final score an oh-so dramatic 32-31.
Notables
-- There was a lot of question among the crowd as to whether or not Sean Gordon had actually been wearing a jersey underneath his team warm-up. It was rumored that Pat Flanagan had stolen Sean’s jersey to wear underneath his Malvern Basketball sweatshirt.
-- Malvern was dominated in the crowd. Westtown traveled very well, but the student section seemed more like church pews. Malvern is an underdog going into the final four. The team could really use a big crowd to create an exciting atmosphere and even a potential momentum changer.
-- Clearly, they are an underdog. Friends’ Central has three Division I- caliber players. Before a disappointing loss to Academy of the New Church last week, they were 23-1 and #2 in the Inquirer’s rankings. Of course, there only other loss came in overtime at Malvern back in December.
-- The whole final four will be played at Malvern. The Friars face Friends’ Central at 4:45 Friday, followed by the GA-Hill School at 8:30. The championship will be on Saturday at 4:45.

FEB. 17
PA. INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT, FIRST ROUND
Malvern 73 Abington Friends 57
   It’s playoff time. That is not something that Malvern Athletics is used to, being outside the PIAA. Even the lacrosse team will not be able to compete in the state playoffs this season (Sorry, no more of that “4 to 1” stuff this year). However, the basketball team is seeded #4 in the PA Independent Schools Tournament. The tourney shapes up similar to an NCAA bracket, with 16 teams seeded in order. The teams are from the Inter-Ac and Friends leagues.
   Tuesday, we saw the opening round 4-13 matchup when Malvern advanced past Abington Friends. DeQuann “Bootsy” Walker got things started early for the sluggish Friars. Despite some missed free throws and other first half mistakes, Bootsy kept Malvern within reach at halftime, trailing 25-23. The team stepped up in the third quarter, benefiting from some questionable foul calls that provoked a rowdy parent to get thrown out of the gym by athletic director Kurt “All Business” Ruch. Malvern outscored Abington 21-11 in the third quarter, opening up a late lead that was easily held. Consecutive three pointers by Ryan Creighton and Brendan Kilpatrick expanded the lead. Malvern easily pulled away in the fourth, and the final score made the game look like a laugher.
Notables
--   Malvern boasted big scoring numbers from DeQuann Walker (21), Brendan McNulty (15), and Brendan Kilpatrick (13).
-- Malvern advances to the second round to face Westtown tomorrow night. Malvern suffered a tough 15 point loss earlier in the season in a road game at Westtown.
-- Westtown has been an inconsistent team this season. They recently broke a nine game winning streak that was started after a close one-point loss to powerhouse Friends’ Central. However, they lost a non-league game to Episcopal by 14 in December.

FEB. 6
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 43 Haverford 40
   The night was kicked off with the news that the game would be played in the always classic Dougherty Hall. As it turns out, the O’Neil Center roof had a leak. The gym gave an old feel, with the Inter-Ac banners hung on the wall beside the court. The worn Germantown Academy banner had turned orange, and the Episcopal banner showed a color that nobody could quite figure out. This blast from the past came on Malvern’s senior night, honoring four students who will graduate this June.
  It was a low scoring affair. Haverford controlled the time of possession from start to finish. They went to Malvern knowing they would face a superior opponent and designed their game plan according. The Fords were helped out by their fiery (and often pesky, if I might add) head coach. Malvern shot poorly from both the line and the field throughout the game. The halftime score showed a CYO middle school-esque 18-12. The crowd saw an unexpected halftime show, performed by two of Malvern’s own. Radnor-Rec star Rory “I rep Rosemont way too hard” Magargee and JV stud John Moran faced off in a highly anticipated one-on-one match up. Sadly, it was a disappointment, as Rory dominated start to finish.
  The third quarter wasn’t much more exciting. Despite their impaired vision from hair blocking their eyesight, Haverford continued to control a slow paced game. When the Malvern lead was cut to 19-18, freshman Brendan Kilpatrick hit a huge three pointer that got the lead back to 4. Kilpatrick finished with 10, 6 coming from 2 important treys. Haverford junior AJ Jones helped keep the team in it, scoring 16 of Haverford’s 40 points.
  The fourth quarter finally saw some offense. Malvern opened up a 40-31 lead with 3 minutes remaining, led by senior captain Brendan McNulty. He was helped out by great defense from a group of Malvern seniors heckling Haverford’s Joe O’Rourke. The Friars survived the press defense and hung on to win 43-40.
Notables
-Brendan McNulty carried the load offensively, scoring 15.
-Paul “Big Red” Ostick continued his quest for Malvern super fan of the year. Paul leads the league in alumni appearances.
- Malvern officially closed up Inter-Ac play with a 7-3 record. Their regular season record was 20-8.
-Malvern now awaits the Independent Schools Tournament is our substitute for the PIAA state playoffs. Malvern has a good chance in the tournament, having upset high-powered Friends' Central earlier this season.
-Seniors:
Bill Conners
  Bill will attend Duke University on a lacrosse scholarship. Bill was a two-way all league football player and the Inter-Ac’s MVP for Malvern this fall. He will play varsity lacrosse for the fourth straight season this spring. He is in line to graduate with a state championship, MVP award for the city’s top football team, captain of two sports, and an important role on the basketball team. With his busy three sport schedule, he was unable to keep Chris Dallas-Feeney from sneaking in a relationship with his younger sister.
Brendan McNulty
  Brendan was elected as the team’s co-captain along with junior Ryan Creighton at the beginning of the season. He emerged as the leader of a noticeably young team this year. He did so under pressure from his cheering sections, filled with Notre Dame girls and his entertaining little brothers.
John Rawlings
  John, the team’s version of a well traveled veteran, didn’t see too many minutes this season. But, his presence was always a noticeable joy to the Malvern crowd. His three ball against Bonner stands as one of the best moments of the season. John made his first start against Haverford.
  Team manager Joe McLeod was also honored for his hard work under Coach Rullo as part of the Senior Night festivities.

JAN. 31
SHOWCASE GAME
Camden Catholic 48, Malvern 44
   Malvern and Camden Catholic tipped off at about 5 p.m. Saturday as part of the all-day tournament at Villanova University. A hefty fifteen dollar admission forced me to call in a five dollar favor from a friend just to get into the Pavilion. $15, that’s the Main Line for you. After the financial crisis was settled, Tracy Peal got things started early for Malvern. Tracy tied his season high with 11, which was set on the previous night at Episcopal. His buzzer-beater at the end of the first half put Malvern up 2. The game appeared very evenly matched, which was an accomplishment for the Friars. Camden Catholic was expected to be one their best opponents this season, if not the best. The second half play showed a much quicker pace then the first half. Anthony D'Orazio led a charge for Camden, helped out by teammates Tim Crawford and Brian “Get a Slice” Rice. D’Orazio led all scorers in the game with 16. Despite assistant coach “JoePa” Redican’s pleas, Malvern fell on the short end of a few calls. However, the score was tied at 32 after three quarters. The Friars had a chance to pull out a close win against a respected team. The big shots just didn’t come at key moments in the fourth quarter. Most of the offense came from DeQuann “Bootsy” Walker, who has established himself as the go-to guy for head coach Jim Rullo. Much to the dismay of the various private school girls in attendance, stud sophomores Mike Dougherty and Sean “The Family’s Best Athlete” Mooney weren’t able to help out. Wait one more year, boys. In the end, Ryan Creighton was questionably called for his fifth foul on an inbound play in the final twenty seconds. Camden held on and defeated Malvern by four.
   After the game ended, the crowd stuck around to see Plymouth Whitemarsh’s C.J. Aiken dominate against Holy Ghost Prep. We also saw some great moves from the Plymouth-Whitemarsh cheerleading squad at halftime. Malvern closes out its regular season schedule on senior night next Friday at the O’Neil center against Haverford.

JAN. 30
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 49, Episcopal 44
  A legitimate amount of Malvern students made the trip to the new Episcopal campus, now in Newtown Square. Joe Price and Dave “54” Umile were among a group of Delco seniors that took advantage of a game played close by. A few others made the Friday night game coming from Wing Bowl earlier that day.
  Malvern opened up an 11-2 lead early, but let the Churchmen creep back into the game and keep it close for most of the contest. The Friars didn’t shoot well, but they took a 22-14 lead into the locker room at halftime. Billy “Superstar” Connors’ quarterback arm gave Malvern a chance for a buzzer-beater, but they couldn’t connect. Senior Brendan McNulty led the way early, carrying the offense when most of the scoring options had been struggling. In the second half, the crowd could tell that Malvern was clearly the better team, but they continued to let Episcopal hang around. They didn’t open the game up with any sort of big shot when they had the chance. However, they held the lead thanks to another great game from leading scorer DeQuann Walker. DeQuann once again finished with a team high 13 points.
  To Episcopal’s credit, they fought hard to keep the game within reach in the final minutes. They ignored the loud yelling against the referees by the team parents and stuck to their game. Omari Grier and Corey Goodman led the way once again, scoring 30 of the team’s 44 points. In the closing seconds of the game, hustle play and defense by Lamon Church and Ryan Creighton sealed the deal, and Malvern hung on to win 49-44. EA’s players seemed surprised. Going into the game, they felt that they matched up well with Malvern (position by position). No luck with that position by position thing in basketball either, but at least this one was closer than a 45-point game.
  It might not have been pretty, but it was a win. That’s become the norm, as the Friars have won three straight and six of their last seven league games. The outside shot at a share for the Inter-Ac crown is still alive, but the Friars would need help from Episcopal and Penn Charter to come through with a few upsets. Aside from the late season excitement from the basketball team, Malvern Athletics had a much bigger story this week. Long time football coach Gaspare “Gamp” Pellegrini announced his retirement. This came after 31  one successful seasons as head coach, the last of which brought Malvern a 10-0 record, an Inter-Ac championship, and a number one ranking in the area. Coach Gamp leaves behind an unbelievable legacy (which Ted has all ready informed you of), and his presence will certainly be missed by the remaining members of this season’s 10-0 team.

JAN. 23
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 58 Chestnut Hill 46
   A tight bunch at the top of the Inter-Ac standings exists after Malvern defeated Chestnut Hill. Coming off a loss at Germantown Academy, the Friars came out strong on their home court against the Blue Devils. The early offense was provided by freshman phenom Brendan Kilpatrick, who has emerged as a top scoring option for Malvern. Kilpatrick has made himself known at Malvern in various ways recently (more to come on that). The home team built a first half lead, helped out by good minutes off the bench from James “Black and Blue” Carney. The Friars looked to be going into the locker room up 10, but a buzzer beater from CHA’s Kevin Maguire brought the Devils within seven. When I say buzzer beater, I mean it was ruled a buzzer beater. The shot flew from half court well after the clock hit zero. As Pat Flanagan was walking to the locker room at halftime, he questioned if the ball was released five or six seconds after the clock hit zero. Anyway, the score was 21-14 at halftime.
  The sophomore tandem of Lamon Church and DeQuann Walker kept the lead for Malvern in the third quarter. Church finished with 14 and Walker with 11. Both played well defensively in the paint also, containing Gary “I’ve come a long way since BThom ripped me” Lawrence. The Malvern crowd also had a hand in controlling the Chestnut Hill big man. When chatter began about the henna tattoo on Gary’s arm, he responded with a always classic “Meet me in the parking lot!” There was no need for a claim like that from Sean “The Worm” Ferguson. When Ferg became irritated with the Chestnut Hill crowd, he simply walked in front of them and stood there for about five seconds with his arms folded. The students were well behaved after this instance. They sat in their seats silently with their hands folded, graciously complying with Sean’s wishes. O, and by the way, why were forty year old men leading that cheering section?
  The Friars took care of business late, hitting foul shots and dealing with Chestnut Hill’s press defense. They held off a small fourth quarter comeback that brought the Blue Devils within six. Malvern finished up with an 11 point win, handing CHA their second league loss and preserving a small hope for an Inter-Ac title.
Notables
  - Big men James Carney and Tracy Peal succeeded in the paint. The two finally saw minutes at the same time Friday, and the inside game continues to improve before the Friars enter the final stretch of the season.
  - Late in the game, Carney also showed off his transitional game with a Sports Center-type layup.
  - As pointed out by JV All-American John “The Mail Man” Malick, number 10 Andrew Kraft bore a striking resemblance to former Malvern student Jack Mackinerny.
  - Brendan Kilpatrick finished with nine. His three balls are complemented by some big time trash talk. The Malvern student body has received e-mails from Brendan periodically this season. The most entertaining was this one, written on the afternoon before Malvern’s win at Haverford:

“aight lemme give it to ya norristown style.
tonight the mp ballas are playing the hford fords at 730 away. be there. i was chillin like a villian with zark (out on a date no big deal) and she was teaching me some low post moves so im thinking ima drop 21 with the new moves (on and off the court). ill probz be hitting 5 threes and just working the low post. no big deal. check this - im a freshman playing varsity with a junior girlfriend - no big deal. looking to have a big game is detrain "booty booty booty rockin errrwhere" Walker as he struggled to find his touch last game but is still confident since he threw down on james carney earlier this season in practice (with his mid section/crotch in the face of james kind of Vince Carter dunk) Brendan mcnulty will be playing at his best knowing that hes in the area of his former pull katie shimandell and word might get around to her about the game. Johnny "i go raw" Rawlings is looking to get solid time and to scrap baskets and knock down some tre ballz that i kick out to him so i get my assists up- no big deal. Rumor has it that john will be dyig his hair black but leaving his chest hair bleached like eddy noterbartes chest. Money mony is still trying to pull da gurl mims from jk and is continuing to ask Sean mooney for advice. after the game mike doc plans to show and tell his skillz in the locker room but is hoping to catch a few balls that are thrown to him this game unlike EA. good thing hes a qb. billy "big head" conners said he's cutting the elastic part of his shorts out to use as a head band so it fits appropriately. he is fresh from the maxwell award dinner and looks to get solid minutes although missing practice (practice? were talking about practice? itz kool hes BC the STAG from St. Agnes) so he can holla at the supporting shawty lo's after the game in hopes to get over his secert/ (former) love (joanna kirby and) franny morris. James carney looks to pick up where he left off out in cali and be a dominate force under the hoop grabbing every rebound in sight. hes hoping to get solid playing time due to the fact trish hayden will be in attendance so he can show his skillz not only off the court but also on the court. T "pain" peal is currently in chapel praying he makes a layup tonight and hopes he gets 20 touches like he desereves. the RC racerrr is looking to echo his performance of last game both offensively and defensively in spite of his baby gurl M^2 not being there last game. no1 really cares about sean gordan so that dont matter besides he needs a new pair of basketball shoes besides to the 1998 nik's he rocks. Mike "PB" said that err1 hit up chilies afta the game for half price appetizers after 9 oclock. he said he'll be there with paul ryan munching away and picking up hot broads like paige nassib. Mike PB still hasnt told mike bolt thats he's chillen with his gurl and still has bill conners clueless about his relationship with all 3 of his sisters. should be some drama-lama after the game between those respective parties. Aight brothas i gota go eat some protien with sean mooney n gordo gordan so we dont look like we've been neglected from food for the past 5 years. peace up N-TOWN down.”
- da kid killa

  Grammatical/spelling errors aside, that e-mail is funnier than any edition of Friarside Chats. To get Kilpatrick off the hook for some of his trash talk, nobody believes that Brendan actually wrote that e-mail.
   Lastly, “no big deal."

JAN. 13
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 56, Episcopal 46
  Malvern built some momentum with their second straight Inter-Ac victory. The Friars beat a rejuvenated Episcopal team, which had recently beaten Chestnut Hill and the Haverford School. In between the two wins, EA lost a heartbreaker in double overtime to Penn Charter, 54-53. The Churchmen had been led by two big scorers, Omari Grier and Cory Goodman. The tandem was not the same as the 2005-2006 season with current Duke and North Carolina stars Gerald Henderson and Wayne “The Rain” Ellington, but they have led Episcopal back into contention in the Inter-Ac. These credentials are beside the fact that Episcopal is assistant-coached by Bud Tosti, the former Malvern head coach and father of school wide icon Joe Tosti.
  But enough about Episcopal, the Friars were the real show. Coach Rullo mixed up his normal rotation of players, opting to start freshman Brendan Kilpatrick in place of Tracy Peal. Rullo also mixed in sophomore Mike “8 inches” Dougherty during the first quarter. The team coped well, taking a 23-17 into the locker room at halftime. Gritty play and important leadership continued from guard Ryan “RC” Creighton. He handled the ball extremely well and added tough defense on the other end of the floor. He showed a glimpse of a good long-range jumper and finished the contest with 10 points. Ryan will be the next player to receive a UNC scholarship from these two schools,…for lacrosse.
  Malvern came out in third and put the game out of reach. They expended their six-point lead to 19, outscoring Episcopal 19-8 in the quarter. Sophomores DeQuann Walker and Lamon Church showed unbelievable athleticism in the fast-break play and underneath the basket. Both players showed great speed and power, controlling rebounds in a game that big men Tracy Peal and James Carney saw limited minutes. Church and Walker combined for 27 points, 1 shy of accounting for half of Malvern’s offense. Episcopal played the full court press starting in the fourth quarter, but good transitional play by the Friars helped prevent a big comeback. Brendan McNulty added 11 as the Friars won by ten.
Notables

-         Most of the home crowd left the gym midway through the third quarter. At first, Friar Nation looked weak and non-supportive. It was soon discovered that the main event on campus took place at this time. Malvern squash star Matt Avellino took part in an all-important showdown against a nationally ranked player.

-         A Friarside exclusive interview with an anonymous Malvern player took place after the game. When asked about his defensive plans in the upcoming game against the Haverford School, he did not seem at all concerned. He claimed, “Their football team hasn’t scored a point against Malvern in four years, so we should be worrying more about our offensive game.” He was later told that Malvern had not been held below 40 points in any of those four games.

-         The match up against Episcopal marked the grudge match with transfer student Chris O’Brien. OBee stuck around for the first half but claimed he had to leave because of previously made dinner plans. He was later spotted eating at the Township Line McDonald's.

-         Great work continues from manager Pat Flangan, not only with the stat sheets, but also on the court. Rumor has it Pat is dominating the CYO division. Pat claims he is just doing his duty to help St. Pius claim its title as Delco’s best.

-         The second game between Malvern and Episcopal is set for Friday, January 30 at the new Episcopal campus in Newtown Square. This will be the first major varsity event for Malvern on the new campus, as the fall teams played their games at Malvern.

JAN. 9
INTER-AC LEAGUE
Malvern 53 Penn Charter 40
  Malvern had previously dropped their first two league games in an ugly fashion. Three days after losing the Inter-Ac opener to Germantown, Malvern traveled to Chestnut Hill for a Tuesday afternoon match up. The Friars came away with an 0-2 record after an embarrassing 14-point defeat to the surprising Chestnut Hill squad. Malvern returned home Friday night for a showdown with the Penn Charter Quakers.
  The home crowd arrived just in time for tipoff, coming from West Chester where the Malvern hockey team had lost 4-0 to rival Holy Ghost Prep. So, Friar Nation wasn’t too happy. You could tell by the turnout. The cheering section consisted of a limited number of students, none of which were on their feet at any point during the game. Numerous whispers were heard about Penn Charter graduate Matt Ryan, who was seated in the next section over. Ryan, the Atlanta Falcons' quarterback and Rookie of the Year, had come to watch his younger brother John. John Ryan, like his older brother, dominated Penn Charter athletics. The Malvern defense just didn’t have an answer for his offense. Ryan finished with a whopping 1 point. Maybe football is his sport. (To be fair, he spent most of football season injured.)
  The first half play didn’t add any excitement. Malvern led 21-19 at the break. Junior captain Ryan Creighton provided the Friar fire. RC fought an injury suffered in a rough dodge ball game (?) and finished the game with 8 points. It looked as if Malvern was the better team on the floor, but they did not build any sort of momentum in the first half. The tempo of the game seemed lethargic. In the third quarter, the slow play continued. Penn Charter came back to even the score at 29 entering the final frame. In the fourth, it seemed like everybody finally woke up. Malvern opened up a double-digit lead within the first 3 minutes. Sophomore Lamon “Lance Armslong” Church showed great style and also teamwork. He came up with two big steals and executed on the fast break. However, instead of going up for the dunk, Lamon passed both times to find teammates open for an easy layup. He also showed incredible talent in his ball handling skills throughout the game. The real surprise in the fourth quarter surge was Brendan Kilpatrick. The ninth grade star finished the game with 9 points, and later confirmed supermarket tabloid rumors about Villa junior Laura Zarkoski. Malvern ended up on top by 13 at the final buzzer. The leading scorers were Brendan McNulty and DeQuann Walker, each finishing with 12.
Notables
- Steve “Tenndichs” Krueger decided to grace us with his presence. Steve was one of the few loyal students who made it out on Friday night.
- Lamon Church solidified himself as a big time player for Malvern. Although he finished with only five points, Lamon played like leader for his team. His maturity as only a sophomore has been impressive.
- In a post game interview, seniors Billy Conners and Brendan McNulty were asked about their plans for after the game. The two responded in unison, “I’m partying like a Jarkstar.”
- Sophomore Sean “Saint Annie’s” Gordon is now dressing for varsity games. The Malvern roster now consists of 7 underclassmen and 5 upperclassmen. It looks like Malvern has a good future in front of them.
- The Malvern Alumni and faculty continue to show great support for the team. Former Malvern stars like Tom Grandieri, Paul Ostick, and Matt McManus were all in attendance to watch their old school.
- Next up for Malvern is a home game against the resurgent Episcopal team on Tuesday afternoon.

DEC. 9
NON-LEAGUE
La Salle 56 Malvern 54
  The Friars traveled to LaSalle on Tuesday December 9. It was disappointing to say the least. The Friars had a good lead going into the half, but a “sloppy” third quarter put Malvern down to the Explorers. Malvern battled back from the deficit and hit a shot to put Malvern within just two points with 7 seconds left. The inbounder held the ball on the sideline until 1 second was left and than threw the ball high up as the clock ran out. with there was no 5 second called on LaSalle, Malvern lost by 2, 56-54. Many people wanted to feel sorry for Malvern, now a 4-2 team, but there was no room to feel sorry. Two days later the team traveled down to a hostile environment in St. Joe’s Prep.
-By: Basketball manager Pat Flanaghan.

DEC. 11
NON-LEAGUE
Malvern 49 St. Joe’s Prep 48
  The Malvern turnout wasn’t great; no surprise considering the distance between the two schools. An already weak fan base struggled in supporting the team in their trip to Girard Ave. The students were still in celebration of Malvern’s 34 points that defeated Prep’s “Cougar” 27. Plus, the drive from Malvern to Prep takes almost as long as Hawk Talk does to put out a new article. Anyway, the game didn’t start off so great. Malvern’s hope to redo the work of Matty “Ice” McManus and the 2007 Friars looked unlikely when the Hawks held a 14-point lead late in the game. Big spot shots by junior Joe Nardi helped build the Prep’s lead. Since Malvern looked to be on the losing side, I received many suggestions as to how to write this edition of Friarside Chats. I went against the idea of taking each Prep player’s main line love interest and personally tearing it apart. But, all of a sudden, the tides turned. Freshman Brendan “Killa P” Kilpatrick led the Malvern charge back to a 49-48 W.
  Rewind. Nardi had helped the Prep to a 22-12 lead after the first. The “Crimson Tide” was heckling Malvern almost as if they had won on Thanksgiving. Malvern captains Brendan McNulty and Ryan “Tyco that’s how you spell RC” Creighton held the game within reach during the second quarter. The halftime score was: Prep 35 Malvern 26. Trailing by 14 entering the fourth, it didn’t look good for the Friars, but Coach Rullo put his team in a brutal press defense. Bill “Blue Devil” Conners brought some aggressive defense to backcourt. The momentum quickly flipped. Malvern pulled to within two, and then big shot fell. Kilpatrick dropped a huge three to give Malvern the lead. Ryan “Butterfinger” Creighton couldn’t handle a pass from DeQuann Walker that sailed out of bounds, so Prep had the ball down 1 with ten ticks left on the clock. The crowd was wild; the pressure was on. The ball was inbounded and controlled. With three seconds left, Kilpatrick came up big again with a clutch steal to seal the win for the Friars.
Notables
-DeQuann Walker led Malvern in scoring with 14.
-St. Joe’s football coach Gil Brooks has finally been located after Prep’s embarrassing four loss season ended. Brooks had been MIA since Thanksgiving Friday. Prep’s junior football players enjoyed the break, claiming it was the most free time they’d had since the seventh grade.
-Hawk Talk’s final article ripped on Malvern senior Andrew Layne pretty heavily. Hearing about the accomplishments of Steve and Chris brought Hawk Talk readers to thinking about another sibling: Brinkman? Is that Brian’s brother? Is he any good?
- Hawk Talk’s articles had some great jokes, like the Bobby Hill police story and the Snitch chants. However, it was taken entirely too far. Racial jokes, questioning our academics, and somewhat offensive remarks on players’ girlfriends are in bad taste (especially considering how Prep lost the game).
-Stealing a page out of Friarside Chats? The MJ “4-5” reference was clearly used about Billy Conners in the first article.
-Lastly, get your facts straight. Ryan Donavon didn’t even play against Malvern.

Malvern 61, Academy Park 30
  Much to the chagrin of student council representatives Paul “Chris Cringle” Ryan and Dave Bemer, the basketball team drew a good Saturday night crowd and stole the attendees to Malvern’s annual Christmas Mixer. The big crowd saw a blowout win, highlighted by unbelievable fast break dunks by Lamon Church and DeQuann “Bootsy” Walker. Fan favorite John Rawlings saw his first good minutes of the young season while the Friars rolled to an easy win.

Malvern 44, Salesianum 39
  A Tuesday afternoon crowd came to the O’Neil Center to see Malvern recover from a slow performance to beat Delaware’s “pride and joy”.  Eddie Ravert and Allison “Animal Cracker” Bohs were among the Malvern faithful. Sadly, Coach Rullo’s birthday was celebrated only by poor field goal percentage and DeQuann Walker’s best imitation of Michael Jordan at the 2002 NBA All Star Game in Philadelphia. When all was said and done, Malvern hit their free throws and took care of business in the fourth quarter, led by star forward Lamon Church.

Malvern 62, Friends’ Central 53 (OT)
  In the most anticipated match-up of the season so far, Malvern finally brought a big cheering section to face the star-powered Friends’ Central. The Phoenix boasted a team of big name transfers and retired NBA stars looking to relive some memories on the high school court. The team even brought a nice entourage of JV players and rowdy parents to support their team, but the Malvern stands were the best we’ve seen in the past two years. The group was led by seniors Paul Ryan, Joe Miele, and Matt Devlin with help from some underclassmen and an unusually large amount of Notre Dame girls (I guess they came to watch the game?).
  Former Penn Charter Quakers HJ “Hector Zeroni” Gaskins and Travis Robinson teamed up with Dominic “Michael Beasley (As coined by James McCanney)” Morris and came out strong for Friends’ Central. However, Brendan McNulty and Ryan Creighton controlled the tempo well for the Friars. After going down 11-2 in the first quarter, Malvern stuck with it and trailed 24-20 at halftime. Consistent play by Billy Conners and Lamon Church helped keep the game within reach.
  The Friars made their run in the second half, charging back to take leads of 5 and 6 late in the third quarter. That’s when the crowd woke up and Malvern started playing with fiery emotion and hustle. Malvern turned tides and controlled the tempo late. With the game tied at 46 in the final seconds, Malvern took its final possession of regulation. Sophomore DeQuann “Bootsy” Walker was fouled after missing a put back shot.  With just over 1 full second left, DeQuann went to the line for two shots but missed both and sent the game into overtime.
  Malvern dominated the overtime period, jumping to an 11 point lead halfway through. There was no one big play or star player, but the Friars simply walked right through the Phoenix defense to a big lead in OT. With Morris (Beasley) and Robinson fouled out, Zero couldn’t carry the load. After some obnoxious attempts by the JV team to stir up a comeback, the Friars pulled it out 63-53.
Notables
-Big man Tracy Peal played well defensively, keeping Beasley in check and preventing the 6’7 center from taking the game over.
-Ryan Creighton fought hard through an injury and added great hustle to the backcourt.
-John “Cheechapalooza” Alberichi was among many notable Malvern alumni present.
-The O’Neil stands finally produced some solid chants. (DEFENSE, ZERO, YOU’RE A FRESHMAN). Not to mention Andrew Layne’s “3” signals…..
Malvern will travel to Coatesville to play West Chester Henderson and compete in the Annual Augustinian tournament over Christmas, played in San Diego this season. After their return, Inter-Ac play will start up on January 3 at Arcadia University.

DEC. 10
Intro and Non-League Games
  Friarside Chats is back. Your new columnist this season is Malvern Prep Junior Colin Newby. A member (more or less) of the undefeated, Inter-Ac champion football team, I hope to carry on the tradition of Matt and Brian “BTHOM” Thomas, Ted Rawlings, and Kevin Newby. With statistical and technical help from Malvern team manager Pat Flanagan, the new column hopes to bring back the same atmosphere of the Friday night cheering sections we’ve seen in recent Malvern history. The Friarside, in its third year, has followed Coach Jim Rullo since his first season as Malvern head coach. In the previous two seasons, Rullo brought upon a new era of Malvern Basketball, having not shared the Inter-Ac title since 1995 or won outright since 1981. An immediate impact in ’07 was followed by a transition year with a young team in ’08. The 2009 team still might seem a little young, but the experience of last season should prove paramount as the season progresses.
  Competition in the Inter-Ac will be intense. The favorite out of the gates is Germantown Academy, led by junior Cameron Ayers. Episcopal, Haverford, Penn Charter (led by baseball star and fan favorite at Malvern Mark Rhine), and Chestnut Hill all return some key players in their quest for the Inter-Ac crown. We’re anxious to see if Malvern’s point totals in these games will eclipse the offense of the football team (53, 43, 56, 55, and 18).  Although I’m not a fan of the terms “Quaker Crew”, “Kingsley Crazies”, or “Friar Nation”, the student sections are the most exciting aspect of high school basketball. The cheers should be a great boost for our team (definitely something to look forward to), and Malvern expects the same from the competitors.
  Shaping up the starting lineup this season are captains Brendan McNulty (Sr. G) and Ryan “RC” Creighton (Jr. G) with frontcourt help from sophomores Tracy Peal, Lamon Church, and DeQuann Walker. On the bench, Malvern quarterback/laxer/guard/MVP Billy Conners returns for a senior season. After taking the junior year off, the future Duke Lacrosse player will be “throwing on the 45” and coming out of retirement for the Friars. More youth comes off the beach with Brendan Kilpatrick (Fr.) and 6’5; 85 lb. center Sean Mooney (Soph.). John Rawlings (Sr.), James Carney (Jr.), Henry Lobb (Jr.), and Mike “Kneel Down” Dougherty (Soph.) fill out Rullo’s remaining spots.  Lobb, a lacrosse star transfer from Friends Central, will only be dressing for Non-League games due to eligibility rules.
  Malvern has opened with a 4-1 record. The season was started with two solid wins on the opening weekend at Philadelphia University against Abington Friends and the Solebury School. After the Friars beat Shipley at home, the first real test of the season was set for Friday, December 5 against Bonner. The game had been decided in the final seconds the past two seasons, so the competition seemed to be on an even level. Malvern, however, showed their potential by defeating Bonner 63-32 at home in a front of a weak version of the so-called Friar Nation. The cheering section’s most loyal assets have been faculty members like Leo Kindon, Fran Kenny, and John DeAngelis. Bonner was the first of three Catholic league teams on the schedule. Malvern was slapped with a hangover loss the following day. Episcopal (Virginia) traveled to the O’Neil Center and handed the Friars their first defeat of the year. As expected, Malvern Prep’s reputation as the freshest school on the court was upheld. Rullo’s boys appeared well groomed, while their opponents sported some backward shorts, loose warm-ups (showing some crude cleavage), and jerseys without undershirts. A few Malvern seniors had to be escorted out of the building due to severe sickness at the “sloppy” attire. Following the disappointing loss to Episcopal (Virginia), Malvern will travel to La Salle and St. Joe’s Prep this week.