Video: Relive the Haverford-Upper Darby Thanksgiving classic
The 94th edition of the Haverford-Upper Darby Thanksgiving Day rivalry was one for the ages Thursday. It featured everything: Highlight-reel touchdowns, record-setting performances, big defensive plays and a classic ending. Here’s video of some of the action, starting at the most important juncture: Jack Donaghy’s game-winning 19-yard run with 19 seconds left to play.
Haverford jumped out to a 14-0 lead behind two passing touchdowns from Donaghy, but Upper Darby evened it up one play into the second quarter on this 10-yard scamper by Christoff Minott to tie the game at 14.
From there, though, Donaghy and Haverford took over. The Fords rattled off three straight scores, the first a six-yard connection between Donaghy and Kareem Bernard.
On the ensuing drive, Donaghy hit Bobby McClure for a 21-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone, part of the yardage that made Donaghy the second-most prolific passer in Delaware County history, for a season and his career.
Finally, Donaghy organized what appeared to be a half-ending drive that he capped with a two-yard dive with 19.1 seconds left to grow the lead to 35-14.
But Minott had other ideas. Aided by a penalty, he marched down the field in two plays, hitting Brandon Morton for a 31-yard tally as the first half expired to cut the deficit to 35-21.
Upper Darby’s Isaiah Bruce started to impose his will in the second half. This 21-yard dash set up a score and sent Bruce past Sun Valley’s Tony Canci for the single-season Delco record and Simoni Lawrence for the Upper Darby career mark.
Bruce barreled his way to the goal line on the next drive, setting up Minott for a score …
… then covered the final seven yards himself on the next drive for a 42-35 Upper Darby lead, a fourth consecutive score by the Royals.
But the Fords weren’t done. Donaghy kept the game-tying drive alive with this 16-yard hookup on fourth-and-10 with Chris Trainor, allowing Donaghy to later find Matt Corbett for a 15-yard touchdown that took him over 300 yards on the day and tied the score at 42.
