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TRENDING:
WEST CHESTER – They’ve been playing varsity boys’ soccer at West Chester Henderson for seven decades now. And when the greatest players in program history are mentioned, Josh Jarden is now prominent in the discussion.
During his final campaign in 2024, Jarden put together one of Henderson’s best single seasons and was a driving force as the Warriors maintained their Ches-Mont dominance, completed an unblemished regular season, captured a district crown and advanced to the PIAA Quarterfinals.
“His speed and skill on the ball made him dangerous every time he touched the ball,” said Great Valley head coach Dave Moffett.
“Josh is not the biggest guy but he’s super strong, he has incredible balance and he’s really fast,” said Henderson head coach Chaz Wilson. “Those right there makes him a bad matchup for most guys he played against. But he also has got a nose for the goal and how to create chances for himself and others.”
The postseason honors have been rolling in for Jarden including Ches-Mont National MVP, All-State, All-Southeastern Pennsylvania and All-East Region. You can now add Daily Local News’ Player of the Year to that lengthy list.
This fall Jarden amassed 26 goals in 24 outings, and added eight assists. His goal total is the second most in a season by any Warrior in at least the late quarter century, trailing only Fred Chamber’s 50 in 2003. And it wasn’t just about the number of goals that impressed Wilson, it was the timing.
“Every game I tried to get (a goal) early. If you can do that, heads drop for the other team,” Jarden said of his habit of scoring in the opening 10 minutes of action.
“If opponents sent numbers in Josh’s direction, it created more one-on-ones for his teammates,” Wilson added. “Josh also took a lot of pressure off his teammates this season because he scored a lot of early goals.
“It just allowed everyone to play with more confidence.”
For the season, the Warriors went 23-1, and only trailed just once at any time of any match. A lot of the reason was that Jarden put so much pressure on opposing defenses, it was difficult for them to mount much of an attack. As a result, Henderson surrendered just six total goals.
“On the way to the district title we played 22 games and Josh scored in 17 of them,” Wilson pointed out. “We went into every game knowing we have a guy that is probably going to score for us.”
A native of West Chester, playing soccer just came naturally for Jarden. His father, Howard, loved the game, and his older brother, Ethan, was a star for the Warriors from 2017-21. The two brothers played together for one season when Josh was a freshman.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been playing soccer,” Jarden said. “And Ethan’s helped me tremendously throughout my career. We’ve trained and practiced together.”
Four years ago, Jarden began his high school career with the junior varsity, but was elevated to the varsity for game No. 5 and promptly registered a hat trick.
All three goals came in the second half of a clash against Coatesville.
“Ethan assisted on two of those three goals. He knew how I play and played to my strengths,” Jarden recalled.
“We saw it right away,” Wilson added. “After his first game we were like, ‘wow.’ That put us on notice that he was ready.”
Jarden proceeded to notch 26 more goals over the course of his first three seasons and the Warriors captured league titles each year. And then, despite drawing all kinds of attention from opposing defenses, he wrapped it up with a monster senior season and finished with 55 career goals and 25 career assists.
“He created a ton in his first three seasons and didn’t always get the goal. But this season it was going in the net for him,” Wilson said. “Everybody knows who he is, so to have his best year, by far, it just shows how dominant he was. They knew about him, they tried to stop him and they couldn’t.”
Henderson won its fourth straight Ches-Mont crown in ’24 and then knocked off defending state champion Conestoga on PKs to capture the program’s eighth district championship – the first since 2016.
“Winning districts was more important to me than all of the goals I’ve scored in my career,” Jarden said.
“The season is long and grueling, and it’s hard to keep a high intensity level every day, but Josh does it,” Wilson said. “The defenders he goes against never get a break because he never takes a break.”
When asked to describe his game, Jarden said: “I have an attacking mindset. There are times when I’ve been selfish with the ball, but I want to win above all else. I’m not always the most vocal, and that’s something I need to work on, but I try to lead by example.
“Anytime I fail, I understand that it’s going to happen, but I cannot stop. I know if I give up, I’ve already lost. It’s a personal mental battle, and I’ve learned to be mentally tough over the years.”
Jarden caught the attention of coaches at NCAA Division III Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) during a couple showcase games last year. In June of 2023 he received an invitation to a clinic in Troy, N.Y., and committed to RPI about a week later. He plans to major in engineering.
“They were the second school that really wanted me – and I could tell,” he said.
Wilson and his staff are currently trying to verify where Jarden ranks all-time in scoring at Henderson dating back to the start of the program early 1950s. He can, however, confirm that Jarden trails only Chambers, who had 83 goals from 2000-03.
“In the modern era, Josh is definitely one of the best players we’ve ever had,” Wilson said.
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