The year is 2008. This is the year that will always be revered in Harriton athletics as a historical moment. This is the year Harriton enters the Central League. This is the year Harriton becomes a Class AAA school. This is the year where Harriton joins the ranks of Springfield, Ridley, Lower Merion and Conestoga. This is the year where Harriton has the potential to make themselves a known team. This is the year that Harriton has waited for since it opened its doors exactly 50 years ago. Some of the Harriton teams have been able to flourish in the new settings, new opponents, and new aggressiveness. While, some of the Harriton teams just have not found their footings yet.
One sport that seems to prosper in the Central League is soccer. Both girls’ and boys’ varsity teams were contenders in districts this past year.
The boys’ varsity soccer team seems to enjoy the new level of competition. Head coach Biff Sturla, who picked up his 100th win coaching the boys soccer this past fall, could not have been more excited to join the Central League. In 2006 the boys went 12-0-0 in the Del-Val league and each year were either first or second in the league. He thinks that “Moving into the Central League has been a huge challenge because the schools have a MUCH larger student body to draw players from and most schools are very talented in soccer.” Their top rivals are Lower Merion, Conestoga and Strath Haven, all in the top 15 in the Southeastern PA rankings. To keep up with the regular tough games the boys have had to readjust and “learn to be ready to play many strong opponents in a row and learn to get up for them. We don’t go deep on our bench so those in the starting lineup sometimes go all 80 minutes now, causing more injuries and fatigue. Many of them need to stay out of action on a practice after a game so they can rest and recover for the next game.” Well their discipline has paid off as they were given the privilege of competing in districts this year.
The girls’ varsity soccer can’t seem to stop improving. This past year “they finished a number of spots above where they did last year” according to assistant coach Mark Marion-Landais. The girls are “more ready for two important games each week, and have stepped up their play in order to be competitive in the league. They have also become more aware of what it takes to make it to the playoffs coming out of the central league.” He owes their success to pre-season conditioning and a pretty regular practice schedule that “consists of drills that focus mainly on ball skills and skill building, as well as drills or activities that focus on maintaining the fitness that the team achieved during pre-season.”
Tennis has had nothing but success in the past decade regardless of what league they have competed in. The Harriton girls’ tennis team has held the PIAA State Class AA Tennis Title for the past six years and a consecutive nine-year winning streak for the District 1 title since 1999. Even if the boys and girls varsity tennis has not felt the transition, don’t worry the Central League has definitely felt them. “The girls have played a Central League schedule for the past 3 years. In 2008 they were undefeated and in 2009 and 2010 they had 2 losses each year and placed 3rd each year. In 2008 the boys tied for 1st and last year they came in second,” said head coach Jack Ladden who has witnessed and experienced these many wins. The reason why there was no transition period according to Ladden was, “When we played in the Del Val League we still played all of the top teams in the Central League and won most of those matches. While for tennis the Del Val League was won each year prior to 2008.” So how do the girls and boys condition? They condition by beating each other in challenge matches during the season.

Football has unfortunately not done well since their transition from the SCCL league. They are having trouble keeping up with the competition right now and this is due to the lack of depth and experience. “They work year round, practice for two hours everyday, lift twice a week during the season and three times a week in the offseason. Our kids put in a 12 hour work week and our coaches probably put 20 hours a week in with game planning and film work,” According to head coach Matthew Barr. “The only team we can honestly measure ourselves against as a program right now is LM, and we’ve beat them 4 out of the last 5 years so I think that bodes well for us.”

Fortunately, girls’ lacrosse has done well since entering the Central League. Last year they made it to second round in playoffs. The Del-Val league and the Central League could not be any more different for lacrosse. The Del-Val league contained only three other girl’s lacrosse teams with many inexperienced players on their teams. The Central League on the other hand has 12 good teams with more experienced players. Their success as a team last year was made more impressive since “last year 7 of the 12 teams made the district playoffs with both the state champion Radnor and runners up Springfield as these teams.” according to head coach George Dick. With winning there has been better attendance and commitment at practice and games. When asked what the girls’ goals are for the upcoming season Dick responded “Our goal is to be competitive in every game that we play and we hope that we will be there this season which is our third year in the league.”no.
The golfing team has found some difficulties with the transition due to fiercer competition. “The teams that win the league typically have players that average close to par in many matches. We never experience this in the Del Val League” said head coach Sarah Pussey. Last year the team finished third in the league but this year they were in the middle of the pack. The key to winning in golf is to have “a team that can have a couple of good players who can shoot low scores.” Golf is not a well-known sport at Harriton. The team before and after the move practices once or twice a week at Philadelphia Country Club when they have matches. “Because of limited course availability, the golfers are responsible for finding time to practice on their own as well.” Well let’s hope with the golfers increased practice time that they will also improve as well.
Crew is one of the largest sporting clubs at Harriton with the most interest. This being said, crew is regarded as a club sport. This means that rowers have to pay club dues for their boats, equipment, and boathouse. It also means “the Central League does not recognize rowing as a league sport, so crew has been unaffected by the transition. We still compete against Lower Merion, Radnor, Conestoga but no other Central League schools field a team,” said Coach Calimag.
Volleyball is another sport that has been affected by the change. The Harriton volleyball team has always been small in number and has never experienced cuts. Instead they always are trying to recruit girls. This poses a problem since they are now up against Central League Schools that are double or even triple their size. The coaches have tried to increase some of their pre-season practices to “two a days” or double sessions with weight room visits to increase the girls endurance. Head coach Kellie Russo says, “it has not been easy for the team but they have held on and have always done the best they can do on the court.” The coaching staff would have preferred to stay in the Del-Val since the Central League is extremely competitive in Volleyball making the girl’s often feel overpowered by the larger schools. An idea they are trying to float around is the possibility of going “Independent”.
After an rough first year, the wrestling team has been able to pull themselves together and form a solid team. “One of the individual goals for many of our guys was to make at least honorable mention. We had some on the First and Second teams last year, as well as an honorable mention,” said Anthony Ciarlello, head coach. One of the biggest problems the team has faced is lack of enthusiasm for off-season workouts. Guys are willing to be on a three to six month diet, but they are unwilling to participate in off-season workouts, which will help in mat experience. The other major problem is the team size. Harriton wrestling is a small team whereas the wrestling teams at Radnor, Haverford, and Stoga, are huge and are able to fill a varsity and J.V. line-up and wrestle year round. If all goes well, the boys can hold onto their improvement and continue to get better.
Girls’ basketball has struggled with the transition. There are a few factors leading into this problem according to head coach Carla Coleman. “The level of play increased once we entered the Central League therefore the expectations and commitment of the players needed to increase as well,” said Coleman, “Losing a great senior class who were starters for 3-4 years in the program the year before we entered the Central League has caused us to really rebuild the program. That being said, these players have spent 2 years in the league which helps us tremendously.” To deal with the increased level of play Coleman suggests for her players to attend the clinics her and her staff run twice a week in the spring, summer, and fall. These clinics “allow for players to continue developing their skills in the off season which will help them improve as a basketball player.” She also suggests for her players to participate in summer leagues like Narberth and to try-out for AAU programs. “The commitment has to be for the players to put in the extra time in the off season and not rely on developing their skills the first day of official practice. Players are made in the off-season… Teams are built in season.” Hopefully the girls can start the season fresh and ready to take the league by storm.
Boys’ basketball was in the top division of the league when they were in the Del-Val, leading them to play the three best teams in the State. “Moving into the central league got us away from those teams, but brought us into a deeper league, with more quality teams. We also had to get used to playing different style of teams, the Del Val was more run and gun with a lot of athletic players. The Central league is more of a half court league, with coaches controlling each possession. Both leagues are physical, with excellent athletes,” said head coach Jesse Rappaport. Harriton is the only AAA school in the Central League. To make up for Harriton’s disadvantage with population and height, Rappaport makes the players work in the offseason. “This fall a lot of our players are conditioning at summit training center 3 days a week, while others are training here at the high school 3 days a week. This involves running, lifting, and a comprehensive ply metric program to help maximize our potential.” The coaching staff offers twice a week for two and a half hour workouts in the offseason. If the coaching staff did not offer these extra options “we would be staring at humiliation, and empty playoff visits, in such a talented league,” said Rappaport, “we have been fortunate enough to improve every year, and make the postseason for the last 3 years, including a run to the district final for two years ago.”
The boys’ swim team has been working hard since the transition. They, like so many other Harriton teams, are outnumbered. Head coach Dennis Hagan thinks “the teams are much better and deeper than before. However this has made the boys train harder then they did before. Being part of the central league makes for better races and a more exciting environment that the boys can and will thrive on the more they compete against the other schools of the league.” The boys have intense two-hour workouts for five days a week that include cardio, core work, and weights outside of the pool. At the beginning of the season they do base training that transitions into endurance type workouts then speed training and “finally for champs we taper to maintain our speed and training that they have done up to that point.”
Some teams have prospered with the move, others not so much. However, each coach tends to agree that his or her teams are making headway and taking a turn for the better each year. If all goes well, a few years from now we will have all of our teams competing in the playoffs and becoming a dominant force in the Central League.