Treangan, Radnor take advantage of Harriton’s miscues

LOWER MERION >> In case fans at Harriton weren’t watching closely enough, they might have sworn they were viewing Thursday night’s game on instant replay.

The second quarter followed a broken-record type of script: Harriton’s offense commits a turnover, Radnor scores, and Harriton turns it over again. That happened for Harriton three times on four plays.

“It’s just a lot easier when your offense is starting at their 30(-yard line) instead of on your 15,” said Raiders quarterback Sean Mullarkey.

Radnor pummeled Harriton, 41-0, for its second straight Central League win.

In all, Radnor’s defense forced four turnovers and limited Harriton to 85 yards on 44 snaps — an average of 1.93 yards per offensive play. Harriton’s offense never crossed midfield; meanwhile, the average drive by Radnor’s offense started only 36 yards from the end zone.

Not even the Raiders (4-2, 2-2) had fully comprehended their degree of dominance until halftime.

“It wasn’t until then that we looked at each other and said, ‘We’re up four touchdowns and we’ve barely played any offense,’ which is a good feeling when you’re trying to play a team game,” said Radnor cornerback Jack Treangan.

Harriton (0-6, 0-4) might have had a chance in this one, so long as the Rams could have maintained possession of the ball for more than a minute at a time. Harriton committed three second-quarter turnovers in a span of four offensive snaps.

First, Treangan intercepted a pass from Harriton quarterback Jack Rosenfeld and took it 60 yards for a touchdown. Two plays later, a busted pitch play resulted in lineman Aidan Dunn’s 27-yard score on a fumble return. And linebacker Ryan Bernicker scooped up a loose ball in a pile of people on the Rams’ next snap on offense.

That last one didn’t result in a Radnor touchdown, to Harriton’s fortune.

But Treangan contributed once again before intermission, blocking a punt and giving Radnor one more shot at the end zone. Mullarkey made it count, juking twice and breaking four arm tackles to reach the end zone on a 17-yard rush.

Radnor seemed content heading into the locker room with a 28-0 lead. Harriton seemed befuddled. The Rams managed 33 yards on 26 first-half snaps.

“We don’t think about the stats like that. We’re just locked in and trying to make plays,” said Radnor defensive lineman Joaquin Hollero, who had six tackles for loss. “And now that this is over, Ridley is next on our schedule and that’s all we’re thinking about.”

The Raiders broke their postgame huddle shouting their record in unison — “4-2.”

They are only one victory away from matching last year’s total, a five-win season that was adequate enough to land the Raiders in the District 1 playoff bracket for the first time in school history.

This time around, they are thinking bigger.

“It’s definitely a lot easier to play down the stretch when you’re getting the job done early on,” said Mullarkey, who accounted for four touchdowns. “We can stay looser, but we still need to get the job done if we plan on making the playoffs, getting home field, and all of that. First off, we have to beat Ridley next week. That’s what’s on our mind.”