Malvern football retools after record-setting senior class
Suiting up this season for Malvern High football are Roy Simmons, front left, Elijah Heropulos, Brodie Powers, Julius Gore, Owen Ball, Rocco Marinucci, Josh Untch, Darnell Jackson and Aiden Sprague; Grady Barkley, second row left, Luke Thomas, Stephen Harmon, Karsen Farmer, Brennan Mitchell, Jaxon Jones, Nate Ezell, Bentley Vukich, Camrin Detchon and Bryson Casler; Zach Perry, third row left, Bentley Mosberger-Gardner, Braden Earley, Rocco Farro, Jacob Rubins, Levi Crawford, Gavin Everhart, Gage Haught and Andrew Walters; coach Jacob Foster, back left, coach Noah Albright, coach Curtis Metzger, Jeremiah Fach, Devyn Crater, Landyn Heropulos, head coach Matt Chiurco, coach Francesco Borsellino and coach Adam Haught.
Thomas Clapper
Last year was the end of an era in Malvern football as the Hornets lost a talented senior class led by the QB-WR duo of Jared Witherow and Rodney Smith.
Witherow, the Inter-Valley Conference and East District Player of the Year, was also named to the All-Ohio Second Team, while Smith, who currently suits up at Ashland University, was East District Offensive Player of the Year as well as first team IVC and All-Ohio.
Those accolades were well deserved as Witherow and Smith rewrote Malvern’s record books while leading the Hornets to within seconds of a Division VII, Region 11 final appearance last season.
Alongside this pair, Malvern, which finished 11-2 in 2024, also said goodbye to Braidon Miller(DE/T), Drake Hutchison (RB/WR/OLB), and Jordin Detchon (WR/TE/DL). All three of these players were recognized by the IVC and East District for their play, plus Miller also received an All-Ohio honorable mention nod.
None of this is to say there exists a dearth of talent on this team; far from it, says eighth-year coach Matt Chiurco, When you’ve made the playoffs six consecutive years and have compiled a 45-11 record since 2020, you’ve got to have plenty of talent.
“We lost a very good senior class, but we do return a good group of players,” Chiurco said. “We have some very good skill players and have a lot of juniors and seniors ready to contribute. We are very excited about this team and believe we can have another very good year.”
In order to experience that very good year, Malvern will rely upon its 12 returning starters – five on offense and seven on defense, including seniors Owen Ball (TE/LB), Julius Gore (RB/LB), Darnell Jackson (OL/DL), Roy Simmons (WR/DB), Rocco Marinucci (WR/DB), Aiden Sprague (WR/DB), Josh Untch (WR/LB), Brodie Powers (RB/LB), and juniors Camrin Detchon(WR/DB) and Luke Thomas (RB/LB).
Gore, a three-year starter who had nine rushing TDs last season while splitting carries with Hutchison, is slated to get even more touches this fall. He’ll be spelled by Thomas and Powers in the backfield. Meanwhile, Simmons, after nabbing 70 receptions and nine TDs, leads a receiving corps that returns several players and adds junior Grady Barkley.
“Julius, Roy and Luke Thomas are really good athletes and we will certainly find ways to get the ball in their hands, but we feel we do have a good core of receivers in Untch, Sprague, Marinucci, Barkley and Detchon that will get their fair share as well,” said Chiurco..
But who gets to distribute the ball to all these weapons, filling the big shoes left by Witherow?That would be junior Jaxon Jones.
“He’s a junior and has quarterbacked our JV team the last two years,” said Chiurco of the 6’4” Jones. “Jaxon is a lot like Jared, a top notch kid, great student, good leader, similar frame and big arm. We’re really excited to see Jaxon grow this year and believe he will do a very good job of leading us.”
With the losses on offense, Chiurco envisions the defense being the team’s strength, particularly with Ball, who Chiurco refers to as the “leader of the defense.”
We bring back a lot of experience on that side of the ball and believe our linebackers and secondary are going to be very good,” said Chiurco. “Owen is one of the best individuals I have coached in my 20 years at Malvern as an assistant coach and head coach. He might be the smartest player I’ve ever coached and knows exactly what we want on that side of the ball.”
Chiurco says he is “cautiously optimistic” about the Hornets chances to have a good season, saying, “We don’t have as much depth as we’ve had in recent years, but we’re hoping as the season progresses we can build on that.”
After going undefeated in the IVC North in 2024, the Hornets should be in the thick of the conference title dogfight, but Chiurco acknowledges the increased competition for the crown.
“We’re going after our fifth IVC North title in six years, but we believe the IVC North will be the most balanced it's been in years, with a lot of teams heavy in juniors and seniors,” he said. “It will be a grind nearly every week.”
