Garnet Valley’s Jack Krautzel takes a shot in a recent game. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
By Matthew DeGeorge
Seeds are just numbers, most coaches will tell their players come playoff time. Such a mantra has become truth in some places, however, nowhere truer than Garnet Valley.
There was no shock Tuesday night when Garnet Valley, as a 14 seed, booked its third straight states berth with a 63-49 win over No. 3 Spring-Ford. Just as there may not have been much surprise for 24th-seeded Springfield when it pulled its second straight upset, downing No. 8 Bensalem, 47-42.
Those upsets make three Delaware County boys teams headed to states in Class 6A, with fourth-seeded Chester taking the more conventional favorite’s path, booking its place via a 59-54 win over reigning district champ Plymouth Whitemarsh. That two of the trio defied the pre-tourney seeding process shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, given the volatility of District 1 hoops.
“The seed only means something to everybody outside of Garnet Valley,” Jaguars guard Jack Krautzel said after scoring 20 points against Spring-Ford. “We know how good we are, so we don’t care about the seed. It just shows how well-coached we are every single year, because I don’t know how many teams can say they’ve made it to the district quarterfinals four years in a row.”
In a bit of kismet coincidence, Springfield is following the path last blazed by Garnet Valley.
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