Central Bucks West Falls To Garnet Valley In District Championship

GLEN MILLS, PA ? Central Bucks West saw their dreams of a district football championship shattered Friday night in a 35-7 loss to Garnet Valley.

After defeating Perkiomen Valley in the semifinal on Nov. 19, the 9-4 Bucks traveled to Glen Mills, Delaware County to take on the 12-0 Garnet Valley Jaguars in the PIAA District 1 Playoffs.

The Bucks were no strangers to the Jags having lost to the Delco team, 41-13, in the second round of the District 1 Class 6A playoffs in 2021. The Bucks also played the Jags in this year's season opener. The Jags defeated the Bucks, 14-7, in that game.

Garnet, the reigning district champions, scored first with a 26 yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter from Quarterback Matt Mesaros to Drew Van Horn.

The Bucks responded by marching down the field, but two penalties pushed the squad back to the 30 yard line where the drive ended at fourth and goal.

The Jags responded by driving the ball 70 yards down the field with Joseph Checchio taking the ball from the one yard line into the goal. Going into the half, the Jags led 14-0.

In the third quarter, the Bucks got on the boards with an impressive 30 yard touchdown run by Eli Boehm with 4:14 left in the quarter. The score made the game 14 to 7.

But it would be the last time the Bucks would see the goal posts.

The Jags went on to score another seven in the third making the game 21-7. They finished it off with two more touchdowns in the fourth.

While the loss was heartbreaking for the Bucks, their season was impressive, coming back from a 1-3 start to defeat several top ranked teams including rival Central Bucks East and North Penn.

"What a season these guys had," reads a posting on the CB West Football Facebook page. "Tonite may not have ended the way we wanted, but we could not be more proud of them! They returned home to the heroes' welcome they deserved. Once a Buck, always a Buck. We love and will miss our seniors; thanks for the memories!"

"This is a special team," commented Jennifer Fassbender Estes. "These guys have heart and grit. They have an ethic that will be in them off the field and for the rest of their lives because they played the game. No one can take that from them."