Rainout won’t douse Radnor’s enthusiasm

RADNOR >> For years, the Radnor High football program had anticipated a night like it would experience Friday.

Finally, the youth and feeder programs were spinning talent toward Provost Field. Some recent rebuilding years had yielded a 25-senior roster. The Raiders were off to a 2-0 start, including a 24-21 victory at Marple Newtown last week to open the Central League season.

Friday, there would be a visit from 1-1 Harriton, and a neighborhood-rivalry opportunity.

Then …

Rain. And lightning. And thunder. And more rain. And more lightning. And finally, after a 90-minute delay, the postponing of the game until 3 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s disappointing,” Raiders coach Tom Ryan said. “Both teams were suited up and ready to go. We even went back down (to the field). Unfortunately, it’s out of our hands.”

Radnor athletic director Mike Friel made the decision to postpone the game, but not after at least two strong efforts to play. The Raiders and Rams were close to the scheduled 7 p.m. kickoff when lightning appeared in the distance.

With that, they were chased back into their locker rooms. By then, the Radnor band had been halfway down a ramp, heading to the field, stopped in mid-march and made a precise and impressive about-face to the parking lot.

About an hour later, the players returned to the field and were preparing to line up for another kickoff when Friel called another delay.

Soon after, with the rain falling harder, the game was postponed. The initial plan was to play at 10 a.m. Saturday but, according to Ryan, players from both teams were scheduled for ACT testing Saturday morning. With that, the Saturday J.V. game was cancelled the afternoon kickoff was scheduled … weather permitting.

“We just have to learn to adjust,” Ryan said. “And hopefully we will come back tomorrow and get a good game in.”
The veteran Radnor coach is anxious to continue a promising season.

“We’ve been waiting a couple of years for this, with 25 senior leaders,” Ryan said. “We have had some good teams in the past but this is a group that we hope to continue to win games with.”

Though Radnor is widely expected to advance to 3-0, Ryan is wary of Justin Mellor’s Rams.

“They are well-coached,” Ryan said. “Coach Mellor does a great job, him and his staff, and it would have been nice to get it in tonight. But both teams are adjusting and we will just have to go forward from here.”

Ryan is aware of the dangers of any border-rivalry matchup, particularly when it is thrown a little sideways, as the Radnor-Harriton match was Friday.

“They are close in proximity, but every Central League game is important,” Ryan said. “So we treat each the same.”
Harriton got Radnor’s attention with its 24-0, Week 1 victory over Valley Forge Military Academy. The Rams, though, were defeated, 14-0, by Penncrest in their Central League opener. Among Ryan’s most important tasks Saturday will be to have his players as ready to play as they were Friday night.

“We’ve been through this in the past,” Ryan said. “The one thing is, they will go home, dry everything and regroup. And we’ll just treat it like another normal game except we are playing in the daytime.”