The Devon Dialogue GRANDPARENTS’ SPECIAL EDITION
volume vii, GP issue | November 2015
proudly publishing for five decades
Devon Preparatory School
A Magical Run Matthew Kelly ’16
There is a type of pure bliss one feels maybe once in a lifetime, twice if lucky. Devon Prep’s soccer team felt that one cold, dark night on the football field of William Tennent High School. It was the pinnacle of the team’s season; for the eleven seniors it was the pinnacle of their high school careers. The Tide had taken Plumstead Christian, last year’s state semifinalist, to overtime at 1-1, and, five minutes in, the team had won on senior Tanner Daggett’s golden goal. The players had won a spot in the district final. Never before had any of them been there, and never before had they beaten their next opponent, New Hope-Solebury. In the end, Devon lost to New Hope. The Tide had taken New Hope to halftime at 1-1, but a crucial formation change led to New Hope scoring five second-half goals. However, this defeat did not discredit Devon’s fantastic season. The season was marked by the return of senior Matt Bevilacqua, and the introduction of freshman Nick Bello. They, alongside with Drew Maslanka ’18, Dan Shannon ’17, Andrew Welsh ’16, Tanner Daggett, and Jimmy Loftus ’17, made up the core of the side. Other seniors, like Tony Gallo, Grant McKnight, Harpreet Cheema, and Mike Love, put in strong performances whenever they were on the field. The Tide won notable victories in the regular season against Plumstead Christian on Senior Day (3-1 Devon), and against Church Farm School in overtime after playing four other games that week (3-2 Devon). The team finished the season with a respectable record of 12-7-1. The future also looks bright for the Tide with a core of youngsters and veterans returning next year. Freshmen Connor Kelly and Jake Thomas both earned callups to the varsity team at the end of their junior varsity season, and next year they will be crucial players for varsity. Key returners will be Dan Shannon, Jimmy Loftus, Willson Camp ’17, Drew Maslanka, Frank Byrd ’18, and Tyler Wright ’18. These players will make up a solid team, which will look to build on this year’s excellent season.
Tanner Daggett ’16 streaks past the New HopeSolebury defender in the district final.
Devon’s varsity soccer team surges to the District 1 Final, finishing with a 12-7-1 record. See Left.
A November Break
Features
Devon seniors skim along the waters of the Everglades on their trip to sunny Naples. See Page 2
Running to Remember The cross country team runs in remembrance of senior teammate Michael Nicolas. See Page 4
No Sleep, No Problem Max Verna ’16
On Friday, October 24, Devon’s Christ ian Act ion Prog ram (CA P) began its annual f undraiser, Up for a Cause, for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The event lasted from 7 p.m. unt il 7 a.m. t he nex t morning, going for a total of t welve hours. The event att racted more t hen 120 upper school students and raised more t han $25,000 for childhood cancer research. The long night, consist ing of f un, friends, and food, k icked off w it h a performance from The Nort h Philadelphia Footstompers, who woke up t he students w it h t heir drumming and music. The Footstompers, an award-w inning drill team of young people, are sponsored by Project Home and St. Elizabet h’s Communit y Center
in Philadelphia, an establishment t hat CA P has helped out numerous t imes in t he past and has formed a close bond w it h. A f ter pumping up t he students, some of t he Footstompers challenged t he students to a game of basketball, which star ted t he t radit ional Up for a Cause spor ts tournament. In t he tournament, students compete against each ot her in spor ts such as basketball, soccer, and football. W hile t hese spor t tournaments were going on, v ideo game tournaments, board games, and pingpong were also tak ing place. This night was made successf ul by CA P moderator Mrs. Elizabet h Eshleman and by t he generosit y of bot h parents and students of t he Devon Prep family.
Matthew Kelly ’16 (left) watches the ongoing activities holding St. Jude’s $25,208 check.