Haverford pitcher/outfielder J.J. Sims and Garnet Valley first baseman Matt Hendrixson announced their commitments to play baseball at the University of Rhode Island.

Interestingly, Sims and Hendrixson played together during their middle-school days at the All-Star Baseball Academy in West Chester.

Sims, a swifty base-runner, swiped 17 of 18 bags last season for the Fords. Hendrixson, who boasts a sure hand at first base, also has power potential at the plate. He batted .300 for the Jaguars in 2008.

For more on their commitments, check out Saturday's edition of the Daily Times.

Somehow, you get the feeling that Garnet Valley didn't want its football season to end under these terms.

Not when the Jaguars outgained Neshaminy in total yardage. Not when the Jags held a 14-0 first-quarter lead. Not on their home field in the District One Class AAAA semifinals.

The No. 2 Jags fell to the No. 3 Redskins, 21-14, Friday night amidst such high hopes after scoring two touchdowns in an eight-minute span.

The Daily Times triple-teamed the game in print coverage, with football writer Jon Campbell handling the game-story duties.

Despite losing in the semis, deputy sports editor John Lohn reports that the Jags have a bright future ahead of them. After all, did anyone expect the 2007-08 Class AAA state runners-up to run the table in the Central League and go 12-0 in Class AAAA?

Neshaminy, which boasts a number of talented running backs, questionably went to the air ... and had success against the Jags. 'Skins QB Brian Titus was awful efficient, at 9-of-14 for 87 yards, and made each of his completions count.

VIDEO FOOTAGE: The Daily Times also had photographer Bob Gurecki on hand to grab footage of the game. Check it out.

It's time for the postseason! The District One Class AAAA playoffs open today, with five Delaware County teams kicking things off:

Garnet Valley at Owen J. Roberts
Strath Haven at Hatboro Horsham
C.B. West at Upper Darby
Chichester at Plymouth Whitemarsh
Interboro at Cheltenham

From what I can tell, all the games will be at 3:45 p.m. with exception to the Upper Darby game, which begins at 4:30 p.m. The Royals' baseball and softball teams are both hosting playoff games today, so the district staggered the schedule a bit.

On Thursday, the Class AAA and Class A playoffs begin, with a few other Delco teams playing as well. More to come on those teams as the playoffs progress.

Garnet Valley seniors starting pitcher Eric Van Wyk and shortstop Justin Lamborn recently have announced their committments to play baseball at the college level.

Van Wyk, who is 2-0 and has not given up a run through 16 innings, is headed to La Salle where he will continue his pitching career. Lamborn, who leads the Jaguars (5-1) in hits in this young season, will play at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County.

Want to know more about their committments? Check out Wednesday's Daily Times for a feature story on the Garnet Valley duo.

Academy Park coach Rick Pergolini has been absent from the sideline for close to a month.

Complications from a May 2006 kidney transplant have kept Pergolini either in the hospital or resting comfortably at home the last four weeks. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Times, Pergolini said he wants to return this week for the Knights' final two games.

The Knights would welcome his return, since they are desperately missing their coach. Said senior Anthony King: "...when I have a question about basketball or anything, he's the one I go to. Without him here, it's like, 'Well, who do I go to? Who do I turn to?'" Check out the story and read up about Pergolini's health status only in Sunday's Daily Times.

Elsewhere on the hardwood, there were only a few games Saturday featuring Delco teams:
...Playing its third game in four days, Glen Mills showed its fatigue in a loss to a Coatesville team that has won 15 of its last 18 games.
...Marple Newtown got 32 points from Soutiri Sapnas in an upset of Garnet Valley.
...Delco Christian has two big guns in Jon DeShields and Jake Godino. But every now and then Pete Hughes (16 points) flexes his muscles. He did Saturday in a win.

There were only a handful of boys basketball games in Delaware County Tuesday, but here's what we learned:

1. Chester has all but locked up the Del Val League title. Penn Wood, which had suffered just a single loss in league play, was the last hope to upset Chester. But the Clippers won by an 82-70 margin, and in fact haven't lost to a Pennsylvania team since last season's Class AAAA state title game.

2. Monsignor Bonner is for real in the Catholic League. Longtime power St. Joseph's Prep couldn't even slow down the red-hot Friars, falling 51-48. The only team standing in Bonner's way in the CL South is Roman Catholic, with whom the Friars have a rematch next month.

3. Garnet Valley will be a handful next season. The Central League might not be rolling out a red carpet when the Jaguars join the league for the 2008-09 season. GV beat up on Kennett, 64-55, and improved to 10-7 on the year. But the Jags could very well be 15-2. Five of their losses were by two or fewer possessions, including two 1-point defeats.

On a related note: You should definitely make time to check out one of the many Central League matchups tomorrow and help a good cause in the process. Some of the proceeds from Wednesday's Central League boys-girls hoops doubleheaders will be donated to Coaches vs. Cancer, a very worthy charity. For a full schedule, pick up today's Daily Times.

Scoring 20 points per game is not enough to make Marple Newtown sophomore Soutiri Sapnas smile. Sapnas is pretty darn competitive and wants to win.

His performance Friday night in a 61-58 loss to Upper Darby proved the fact that he does not like losing. After the game, Sapnas overlooked his own 32-point effort and instead chose to focus on improving the Tigers' chances of winning.

"Yeah it's great to lead the team (in scoring), but I'd rather do it in a win," said Sapnas, who scored a career-high 34 points last month against Friends Central. "We're staying in games and cutting down leads but we can't get it all together. ...We're close."

Sapnas is the only sophomore among the county's top 25 scorers, ranking fifth with a per-game average of 20.2 points. For more on Sapnas, read a profile story on him from earlier in the season.

And for more on Upper Darby's win Friday over Marple Newtown, pick up today's Daily Times.

On another note, basketball fans can rejoice! Eight games, including a nearly-full Del Val League slate, will be played Saturday -- including Karon Burton (pictured above) and Chester. What's my pick for game of the day? Garnet Valley at Academy Park, 3 p.m. GV's Tim Lang and J.J. Rapczynski are a fun duo to watch.