I am an SCH student, and that I’ve only been able to watch SCH games. I’ve tried to be as unbiased as possible in these rankings and judge them purely based on facts.

In years past, three teams have dominated the Inter-Ac: Malvern, Haverford, and EA have sole possession of every title since 2019. Malvern and EA hold two to their name, while Haverford holds just one. Even still, these teams have always been considered the “top tier” of Inter-Ac teams, stretching back for quite some time.

But times have started to change. SCH defied all odds last year, bursting onto the scene after finishing the previous year 0-5 in Inter-Ac play, and then finishing in second place, one win away from an Inter-Ac title. It’s the first time since 2019 that SCH, GA, or PC finished within the top three. The last team to do it was GA, who finished secondnd after a 7-2 season.

The gap has been slowly closing, and this year, it looks as if the race toward a title is tighter than ever before. Seniors graduated, new transfers are in, young stars are beginning to blossom, and the standings aren’t so clear-cut now.

All teams have a serious case to be the favorites in the Inter-Ac, and this article is going to be breaking down each team’s case, and placing them in a ranking to see which team has the highest chance of winning a title. It’ll evaluate these teams based on a multitude of factors, such as strength of schedule, current record, and what we know about the teams in general.

#6 – EA
Record: 2-3
Wins: Blair, Hill School
Losses: La Salle, Lawrenceville, Salesanium

Why they could win: EA is a key example of the shifting landscape in the Inter-Ac. Formerly a consistent top 3 team, they land at #6 here. Despite that, EA is one of the few teams who’ve been properly ‘prepared’ for the Inter-Ac. They’ve played quite possibly one of the hardest stretches in the Inter-Ac so far, with La Salle, Lawrenceville, and Salesanium being high-quality teams who could compete with Inter-Ac opponents Not only that, they’re well coached and when not playing those high-tier teams, have dominated.

What’s holding them back: While they have played a hard stretch of opponents who can compete in the Inter-Ac, they’ve been completely and utterly outclassed by those teams. La Salle, probably the best team of those three losses, dismantled them 48-3. Lawrenceville’s 10-7 win over the Churchmen is likely the most impactful, as its result can be used to evaluate the skill of some other teams on this list. But, with all the teams they’ve played, they are very well prepared to take on the Inter-Ac.

#5 – Penn Charter
Record: 4-0
Wins: Peddie, Pennigton, Boys Latin Charter, Kiski School

Why they could win: Penn Charter is one of the few teams to still boast an undefeated record right now. On top of that, their offense has been incredibly dominant over these first three games. They dropped 42 points against Boys Latin Charter and are currently are averaging 37.5 ppg over a four-game span. Up until their game against the Kiski School, their defense had only allowed seven points. It’s easy to argue the Quakers to be higher; however, they haven’t fully proved themselves.

What’s holding them back: Penn Charter’s strength of schedule isn’t very convincing so far – at least, not with what they’ve displayed. Most of their competition isn’t at the level of an Inter-Ac opponent, leading many to question if this offense and defense can sustain their production against Haverford or even EA for example.

Furthermore, they weren’t a strong team last season, going 4-5, and only 2-4 in Inter-Ac play. Not only that, but the Quakers lost a good few seniors, a fact which threatens their case for being a top-tier team in the Inter-Ac. Their game against the Kiski school, a 45-28 victory for the Quakers, brings forth questions about this defense.  Still, there’s a chance that this offensive production is sustainable during the Inter-Ac, and if so – watch out.

#4 – GA
Record: 4-1
Wins: Peddie, Central, Northeast, Father Judge
Losses: Lincoln

Why they could win: Statistically, GA might have the best offense in the Inter-Ac. They’ve been on a tear through the early stages of the season, averaging 40.2 ppg so far through five contests, which is the highest in the league. Their biggest offensive explosion was a 62 point blowout against Central. Regardless of who you’re facing, 62 points is absurd. They’ve got a great QB and WR duo, who last year showed signs of promise, but now have started to blossom into true threats.

What’s holding them back: It’s probably confusing how a 4-1 team is ranked so low. However, their victories have not been clean, not for the level of competition they’ve played. Their defense is one of the weakest in the Inter-Ac when valuing in strength of schedule, letting up about 21.2 ppg to teams that they theoretically should be dominating.

Another game that sticks out when trying to value and rank GA is their performance against Central. Despite putting up 62, they let up 30 points to their opponent, which again, will be used when comparing them to other teams. Their loss to Lincoln early in the season displayed a lot of flaws with the team, and its not clear if their defense has enough to hold the high-powered offenses of Inter-Ac teams. Still, if their offense keeps producing at this ludicrous rate, they’ll be a big threat.

#3 – Haverford
Record: 3-2
Wins: Wyoming Seminary College Prep, Gilman, Wyomissing
Losses: La Salle, Monsignor Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast Catholic

Why they could win:  Surprised to see Haverford down here? They’ve consistently been a top-tier team in the Inter-Ac, but they are third in the rankings. Haverford boasts a hgh strength of schedule, arguably one of the strongest in the league. According to MaxPreps, La Salle and Monsignor Bonner are top 25 teams in PA, and most of their other opponents are still quite solid.

Their defense has been great too, letting up 20.3 ppg through the season so far. At the end of the day though, it’s Haverford. Those familiar with Inter-Ac football know how dominant they are year in and year out. It’s hard to bet against them. However, they’ve got some issues that need to be worked out if they want to snatch a title.

What’s holding them back: They have been disappointing so far offensively, as the Fords have averaged a meager 16.4 ppg, with the most points they’ve scored in the season being a meager 21. Furthermore, when they lose, they lose big. La Salle was a game they lost 34-6, and Monsignor Bonner was a game they lost 39-14. Top teams or not, there’s cause for concern with numbers like that.

What really  is quite odd is that Haverford hasn’t been able to separate themselves from their opponents. Their biggest win was by 17 points, but truthfully that’s not much compared to other teams in the league. Their offense is genuinely concerning – can it keep up with Inter-Ac offenses? Haverford has a chance every year, but it looks like this year they’ve got to rely on their defense to do the dirty work. If that defense can do its job though … keep your eyes open.

#2 – SCH
Record: 5-0
Wins: Central, Lansdale Catholic, Lincoln, Hill School, Lawrenceville

Why they could win:  SCH was a total underdog last season, but now heading into the 2024-2025 season, they’ve leapt into a totally different tier, and it shows. The quality of their wins isn’t as strong as other teams, such as Haverford, but they’ve beaten down Inter-Ac caliber teams. Lawrenceville and Lincoln both snagged victories over Inter-Ac teams, both EA and GA respectively. Other teams they’ve played, such as Central, hung 30 on GA’s defense, while SCH held them to a total shut-out, signaling that there might be a gap in the quality of the teams.

Speaking of shutouts, their defense has been outstanding – posting the lowest ppg average amongst Inter-Ac teams, only allowing 5.4 points over five games, with two shutouts. The total would be lower, if a last second touchdown wasn’t scored on their JV defense against Lincoln. Removing that, and counting strictly the varsity, they’ve let up only 4.2 ppg.

Offensively, well, it can’t get any better. New junior QB Liam Zelman has proved he’s the QB of SCH’s future, dominating on the ground and in the air through the first 5 games, with junior Aaron Clark as his favorite target. Senior RB Finn Whittle is continuing off an all Inter-Ac 2nd team mention from last year, and the Devils offensive line has been superb. All of this has led SCH to average near 40 ppg, and that’s with the offensive starters usually coming out after the third.

What’s holding them back: Really, the only thing holding SCH back has been the strength of the talent they’ve gone up against. They haven’t played too many teams that would be considered elite and only two teams that could be considered Inter-Ac caliber in Lawrenceville and Lincoln. Those two can be considered elite due to their victories over other Inter-Ac teams.

Other than that, there’s not a lot to hold SCH back. One could look at QB Liam Zelman’s lack of experience in the Devil’s offense, or lack of time playing against Inter-Ac defenses, but Zelman has looked calm, collected, and leader-like. The only question is, has SCH’s massive production only been due to the fact that their competition is somewhat lackluster? Or, is SCH really legit? If this team performs like it has been, and continues that throughout the Inter-Ac season, then they’ve got a high chance at winning their first Inter-Ac title since 2009.

#1 – Malvern
Record: 3-2
Wins: Gonzaga, Salesianum, Delbarton.
Losses: La Salle, Roman Catholic

Why they could win: Malvern has the strongest schedule so far. Their losses to La Salle and Roman Catholic are somewhat understandable. La Salle is the #1 team in PA and has dominated other Inter-Ac teams, so it’s not surprising. Roman Catholic is #5, and Malvern only lost by one to both teams.

Then, there are the wins. Salesianum, Gonzaga and Delbarton are easily Inter-Ac level opponents, with each of those teams being ranked in the top 6 of their respective state, and Gonzaga and Salesianum being #1 in DC and Delaware respectfully. Malvern has only played against Inter-Ac competition, and they’ve excelled when facing teams like that.

Malvern is also the reigning champion, and they’ve dominated over the years. In the six years that Malvern has had their current head coach, they’ve won 4 titles. It’s a team with not just history, but a well coached one as well.

What’s holding them back: In a similar vein to Haverford, Malvern hasn’t won many games convincingly. Most of their games are 1 score games, and they’ve yet to have a dominant performance against any of the teams where they score 30 or more. To be fair, that shouldn’t be too surprising based on their schedule.

But, there’s also the losses. Malvern’s two losses to La Salle and Roman Catholic show that the team isn’t unbeatable and gives a blueprint for future games. They’ve also graduated a lot of seniors, including last year’s league MVP, Andrew Pellicciotta. Here’s a reason they’re #1 here – don’t be shocked if they go back to back.

Phew! Ok, that’s it for the Inter-Ac rankings. A lot of details were needed for this one, but at the end of the day, these are my own rankings. This list went through many, and I do mean many iterations. There’s a bunch of room for changes, big or small here.

Feel free to suggest or make some changes, debate and argue over your own lists, and crown your own Inter-Ac champion, or predict the best team! The Inter-Ac will resume play after a quick bye week, and your SCH Blue Devils will play Penn Charter on Thursday, October 10th at 3:00! The game will be at SCH, and will be livestreamed on Gametime Sports.

l be at SCH, and will be livestreamed on Gametime Sports.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Andrew Pellicciotta is currently attending Navy. This is incorrect. He is a senior and plans to attend Navy next year.