Haas sticks with it, Fords finish perfectly

HAVERFORD — Alec Haas’ lacrosse stick has a faux-wooden finish to it, a throwback to the hard-nosed edge he brings to the field.

But for the first three quarters of Friday’s game with Culver Military Academy, Haas’ impact was less about what the Haverford School midfielder did with his stick than its sheer dimensions.

Between the first and second quarters, Haas was flagged for an illegal stick, the referees ruling that the shaft was too short. A three-minute unreleasable penalty was levied, and Culver promptly scored four unanswered goals, imperiling what the Fords hoped would be one last win in an unbeaten season.

The player that the Fords, to a man, identify as the unsung hero on the top team in the nation wouldn’t let that be the event that defined his day, though.

Haas earned a bit of redemption, scooping up a crucial groundball late in the game and spurring a counterattack by assisting on a Grant Ament goal that went a long way in cementing Haverford School’s 13-9 win.

“Sigh of relief,’ Haas said of the goal. “I felt really bad at halftime and just seeing the ball go in, knowing that I could help the team that way, was gratifying.’

The victory completed a 26-0 season for the Fords, a journey along which they’ve claimed titles in the Inter-Ac regular season and inaugural Inter-Ac Challenge. They’ve felled every national power in their path, ending with the Indiana school Friday which draws its talent from across the Midwest and Canada.