Sophomore quarterback Jordan Longino surveys the Father Judge defense during the Patriots' 31-21 win. Longino, already a star on the hardwood, is working to make a name for himself on the gridiron. (Photo by Jonathan Vander Lugt)

For the past three years, Germantown Academy has dueled Father Judge in its nonconference schedule. The games are always emotional, because Judge is GA head coach Matt Dence's alma mater.

“It's where I learned to love the game,” Dence said. “I learned how to play football on this field and how to be tough.”

“I was glad to impart a little bit of that in the way I could – my team was tough today,” he continued, after the Patriots' 31-21 win. “They brought it.”

It wasn't always pretty, but Dence's squad did indeed get the job done.

“In the first quarter we went right downfield, and they stopped us at the one yard-line,” Dence said. “Then they came right down the field and scored.”

Germantown Academy rebounded to build a 21-14 lead by the end of the second quarter, but struggled to add to it despite a pair of stellar chances in its first two drives after halftime.

On the first, Jordan Longino connected with Jerry Griffen-Batchler for a 23-yard strike right before an 18-yard Trae Vance run set the Pats up at the Judge 29-yard line. Three plays and -12 yards later, GA punted.

“We have a young team in certain skill positions – the only place we're senior-heavy is on the offensive line,” Dence said. “It's just a bit of youth, a bit of inexperience and frankly a little bit of poor play calling on my part.”

The next Patriot drive, a long one that went all the way to the Judge nine-yard line, ended in a field goal. Judge gashed through the GA defense on its next turn, needing just eight plays to go 77 yards and score.

“One of the things we've done well in these first three games is that when a team scores on us, we answer,” Dence said. With the Judge offense rolling and only a three-point lead with three minutes remaining, that's what he needed his team to do.

“That was one of my first experiences in a game like that,” said sophomore signal-caller Jordan Longino, “but my coaches did a good job of keeping me calm.”

Germantown Academy's Jerry Griffen-Batchler (9), breaks up a would-be touchdown pass to Father Judge's Katob Joseph. Griffen-Batchler had a nice day on the other side of the ball as well, leading with the Patriots with 56 yards and a score on four receptions. (Photo by Jonathan Vander Lugt)

As it turned out, all Longino had to do was hand the ball off. Vance added to an already-stellar day with 68 more yards on just five carries, punctuated by an 11-yard scoring jaunt to put the game out of reach.

“I see it in practice every day – it's nothing new,” Longino said. “ is a great runner. He's very shifty and very fast in the open field.”

On the subsequent drive, Judge came out swinging – the Crusaders moved the sticks once in part because GA was playing prevent defense – but ultimately turned it over on downs.

Vance, in what is quickly shaping up to be an attention-grabbing season, was outstanding. He ran for 178 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, and now has a total of 421 yards and five scores on the season.

“He's a 100-yard back,” Dence said. Last season, Vance sustained a high-ankle sprain (a dreaded injury that never fully heals without an off-season of rest) before breaking his collarbone with two games to play.

Now that he's healthy, “He's someone you can give the ball to a lot,” Dence said. “He probably played 70 snaps on defense too.”

Elsewhere, Jordan Longino continued to adapt to his role at the helm of the offense, throwing for 83 yards and a score on an efficient 7-for-9 day. On the season, he's 25-for-37 with 306 yards and four touchdowns each through the air and on the ground.

“People say he's a natural, but he works at it,” Dence said. “He's a high-end basketball recruit, and if he keeps this up he'll be a high-end football recruit too.”

“The best part about him is that he's really even keel,” Dence went on. If he bobbles a snap, he'll calmly pick it up and run for seven. I don't know what 'it' is – but he's got it.”

GA's Trae Vance bullies through the Judge defense. Vance was stellar in the Patriots' win, racking up 178 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. (Photo by Jonathan Vander Lugt)

Up next for the 3-0 Patriots is a home date against Kipp-Dubois Collegiate Academy, a charter school located amongst the smattering of them that flank Belmont Avenue in West Fairmount Park.

“We definitely have some improvements to make, but there's nothing wrong with being 3-0,” Longino said. “We need to execute a little better on defense, and you can always improve on offense but I feel like we're doing pretty well right now.”

Around the area:

It was a good week elsewhere in Northwest Philly. In the Inter-Ac, Penn Charter handled Central for a 35-6 blowout win, while Springside Chestnut Hill topped Roman Catholic 28-14. La Salle, looking to snap its season-opening three-game losing streak, won 58-28 over the Haverford School.

The Quakers, now 2-1, rolled on the strength of a 92-yard, 4-touchdown day from senior running back Edward Saydee. The multi-faceted standout finished with two scores on the ground, one on an interception and another on a punt return. Penn Charter will host Upper Dublin, out of the Suburban One American conference, in its fourth non-league tilt next week.

The Blue Devils kept their unblemished record (now 3-0) intact with their win over the Cahillites. Ke'Shawn Johnson had a monster game – 156 yards and three scores on nine receptions – fed by senior Aaron Angelos, who threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns on 14-for-21 passing. The Blue Devils take on their third opponent in the Philadelphia Catholic League next week at Archbishop Ryan.

The Explorers relied on a varied and explosive run game against the Fords – quarterback Sean Daly ran it 10 times for 97 yards and a touchdown, Jalen De Vose ran for 92 and a score on 10 more, Samuel Brown went for 80 yards and a score on five tries and senior Manny Quiles exploded for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. La Salle totaled 501 yards on the ground and will look to continue that momentum in two weeks when they next kick off against St. Joe’s Prep.

Thanks to TedSilary.com for information used in this report.