Malvern roundup: Gore’s 99-yard run, Rayborn’s district bid highlight week

Football

The defensive stand was the jab. Then Julius Gore’s 99-yard TD run was the uppercut to the chin.

The result: previously undefeated Strasburg was knocked back on its heels as Malvern kicked off its Inter-Valley Conference North schedule with a 16-10 win over the Tigers on their own turf.

The Sept. 26 matchup featured two teams with potent rushing attacks and strong defenses, so Hornets’ coach Matt Chiurco knew it would be a closely-fought affair.

“We knew it was going to be a battle and our guys rose to the occasion in the second half,” he said. “Our defensive stand midway through the third quarter to hold them at the one-yard line was huge.”

Two plays later, Gore, who finished with 185 yards on 23 carries, burst through the line on what Chiurco described as “an unreal sequence of events” allowing Malvern to come back from a 10-8 halftime deficit.

The Hornets stung first as QB Jaxon Jones teamed up with Roy Simmons on a 40-yard scoring play. A two-point run by Gore was successful and Malvern held an 8-0 lead. The Tigers (5-1, 0-1) responded as Brody Baughman threw to Ryan Becker for a 13-yard TD as the Hornets’ lead was trimmed to one. A second-quarter field goal by the Tigers gave them the 10-8 lead going into the half, setting up the third quarter drama.

Jones completed 10-of-17 passes for 89 yards with a TD and an interception. Simmons led the receivers with 49 yards on six catches while Josh Untch added two catches for 20 yards. Defensively, Brodie Powers, Owen Ball, and Darnell Jackson each recorded nine tacks for Malvern (4-2, 1-0).

Golf

Since Malvern does not have a girls golf team, Kami Rayborn has been golfing on the boys team her entire career. Come tournament time, however, the senior competes individually in the Div. II East District Sectional Tournament, which was hosted this year by Carroll Meadows Golf Club Sept, 23.

Rayborn’s 18-hole total of 86 was the sixth-lowest score of the day, qualifying her for the district tourney. This is Rayborn’s third consecutive trip to districts. The next day, the rest of the Hornets competed in the Div. III East District Sectional Tournament, which was held at Cambridge Country Club. Rayborn’s success must have provided good karma as the Hornets advanced as a team to districts.

With the top six teams qualifying, Malvern finished fifth with a score of 344 on what Coach Lance Gram charitably described as “monsoon conditions.”

Cooper Kiehl needed to be cooled down with water as he was blazing hot after carding a 79, which tied for the seventh-best score of the day. Cam Good wasn’t too far behind with an 82 that tied for tenth individually. Ayden Pelle and Parker Bowe posted scores of 90 and 93, respectively, to cap the scoring for Malvern.

Cross Country

It may have been a crowded course, but the Hornets’ Emma Maher stood out as she medaled at the Charlie Fondale Memorial Cambridge Invitational, hosted by Cambridge High School Sept. 27.

Maher finished 30th in a field of 160 runners in 22:41. She was followed by her sister, Olivia Maher, who placed 45th. Lexus Buchman continues to set new lifetime PRs every meet as she finished in 27:04.

On the boys’ side, the Hornets placed 15th out of 21 teams with a score of 383 points. Leading the way for Malvern was Dalton Pennington (18:53), who placed 44th in a field of 201 runners. He was followed by Jacob McClelland (54th), Dekon Pennington (105th), Cooper Dorr (110th), and Karsen Farmer (138th). One note: Parker Babiczuk set another lifetime PR, finishing in 26:35.

Volleyball

The Hornets had a busy week, playing three matches. It was a bit of feast or famine as Malvern was swept by Minerva and Strasburg, but in the middle, the Hornets managed a sweep of their own against St. Thomas Aquinas

First, Malvern hosted Minerva Sept. 22 for a nonconference match and the Lions won 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-22). Whitney Smith led the Hornets with 10 kills, Avery Sprague led on defense with 12 digs, and Ashlyn Bush dished out 19 assists.

The next day, Malvern traveled to St. Thomas Aquinas with brooms in hand as the Hornets won 3-0 (25-8, 25-6, 25-12). Sprague and Addy Mitchell both finished the match with 12 points and four aces, while Ella Debo led with 10 kills. Bush had 21 assists while Zoe Sikorsky led defensively with 12 digs.

On Sept. 25, the Hornets visited Strasburg for an IVC North match, but the Tigers were too much to handle, winning 3-0 (20-25, 15-25, 17-25). Smith led with nine kills and 14 digs, while Bush was the assist leader with 18 and top server with 11 points and one ace. Reese Cole led Malvern (3-13, 1-6) with four blocks.