Haverford’s defense sets tone early in 54-7 win vs. Harriton

Haverford >> Following Haverford High’s 54-7 win against Harriton Friday evening at Cornog Field, Ford head coach Joe Gallagher lauded his defense, which in the first half held the Rams to one first down and 34 total yards (rushing and passing).
“Right now, we play off our defense,” said Gallagher. “Our defense sets the tone for any success that we have. And it’s not just one or two guys, it was a collective effort out there tonight. I don’t know if it’s their best performance of the season – they’ve been pretty consistent so far.”
The Fords (4-0, 3-0) have collectively outscored their four opponents 161-33.
Ten plays into Friday’s contest, the Fords had recovered two fumbles and built a 14-0 lead. By the end of the first quarter, the hosts led 27-0.
On the first play from scrimmage, Harriton (1-3, 0-3) lost a fumble to Haverford on the Rams’ 24 yard line. Ford junior quarterback Jake Ruane then took charge, firing passes to senior wide receiver Carington Hooks and sophomore Trey Blair to move Haverford down to the 1-yard line. Senior running back Jon Klee plunged over for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Four plays later, Harriton lost the ball again on a fumble deep in their own territory. On the very next play, Ruane jaunted down the right side into the end zone to make it 14-0.
“[Wide receiver] Jordan Mosley threw a great block for me on the outside right,” said Ruane. “Our whole defense did a great job tonight. Harriton likes to run that triple option, but our defensive line, our linebackers and our secondary did a good job of shutting them down.”
Even though Harriton fell behind 14-0, the visitors did not throw a pass for the entire first half, instead trying to rely on their running attack. On their third possession of the game, the Rams tried three running plays (which netted one yard) and then punted.
Two plays after receiving Harriton’s punt, Haverford senior tailback Travis Weiss broke free for a 56 yard touchdown run to make the score 20-0 with 5:19 to go in the first quarter.
Then, following seven straight running plays by Harriton (and the Rams’ only first down of the half), the Fords took over and scored on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Ruane to Mosley on a curl route as the first quarter ended.
Coming out of the locker room with a 34-0 halftime lead, Haverford scored on the fourth play of the second half, a 52-yard touchdown run down the right sideline by Ruane.
“It was a read option play,” said Ruane. “I could see that the left side was clogged, so I kept the ball and headed right, made one guy miss, and all I saw was green grass.”
Harriton got on the scoreboard with 6:59 left, working up a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that included only one pass. The big play was a 53-yard run by Harriton quarterback Jake Rosenfeld on 3rd-and-2 at the Rams’ 28-yard line.

Harriton head coach Justin Mellor said, “Haverford is an unbelievable team. We shot ourselves in the foot a few times out there, but after the game [our team] talked about the importance of staying together and continuing to work hard, being in position to make plays.”

Haverford High 54, Harriton 7

Harriton          0   0   0    7 —  7

Haverford      27   7   7   13 — 54

First Quarter

HAV: Klee 1 run (Scheivert kick)

HAV: Ruane 25 run (Scheivert kick)

HAV: Weiss 56 run (kick failed)

HAV: Mosley 18 pass from Ruane (Scheivert kick)

Second Quarter

HAV: Weiss 2 run (Scheivert kick)

Third Quarter

HAV: Ruane 52 run (Scheivert kick)

Fourth Quarter

HAR: Bookstaver 1 run (Navgajara kick)

HAV: Wint 5 run (Stowlell kick)

HAV: Ney 11 run (kick failed)

TEAM STATISTICS

HAR        HAV

First downs             4                10

Rushes-Yards      30-114     26-257

Passing yards            9             83

Total yards              123          340

Passing                   2-3-0       7-11-0

Punts-Average       2-31.0      1-37.0

Fumbles-Lost           3-3            0-0

Penalties-Yards       5-42         2-23

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: Harriton — Bookstaver 10-19; Rosenfeld 12-77, 1 TD; Spruill 2–4; Tishgart 1-0; Torbeck 3-9; Sullivan 1-9; Navgajara 1-4. Haverford — Klee 2-3, 1 TD; Maginnis 2-29; Ruane 2-77, 2 TDs; Blair 2-12; Weiss 8-88, 2 TDs; Ney 5-19, 1 TD; Wint 5-29, 1 TD.

Passing: Harriton — Rosenfeld 2-3-0, 9 yards. Haverford — Ruane 6-10-0, 76 yards, 1 TD; Maginnis 1-1-0, 7 yards.

Receiving: Harriton — Marshall 1-8, Spruill 1-1. Haverford — Mosley 4-53, 1 TD; Ney 1-7; Hooks 1-14; Blair 1-9.