Spring-Ford uses Haynes’ career night to power past Norristown

ROYERSFORD >> The prowess of Spring-Ford’s aerial attack has been well-documented.

Quarterback Ryan Engro, who set the school record for passing yards earlier this season, came into Friday night’s game against Norristown leading the area with more than 1,200 passing yards in four games, while four of his pass targets were among the area’s top 10 in yards receiving.

The Rams’ offense displayed another dimension Friday night against the Eagles with senior running back Armante Haynes leading a ground attack.

Haynes rushed for 230 yards and added two touchdown runs of 60-or-more yards in the second half to help his team pull away for a 40-14 win over Norristown in a Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division contest that was much closer than the final score indicated.

“Blockers were flying around, meeting the holes,” Haynes said of the keys to his big night. “Lineman did their job, focused, and QB made good calls.”

.@SFRamsFB RB Armante Haynes after his career night running the ball in Friday’s win over Norristown. pic.twitter.com/byCQWJQqAG

— Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue) September 21, 2019

Haynes describes himself as a power back, seeking out contact from defenders who take the brunt of the hit. He showed that off on several runs in the first half, when he carried six times for 47 yards as the Rams passed the ball 17 times.

In the second half, Haynes showed off his speed, running 10 times for 183 yards, including 102 yards in the fourth quarter. He busted off a 63-yard touchdown run to turn a three-point Spring-Ford (3-2, 1-0 Liberty) lead into a 24-14 advantage with 7:15 left in the third quarter. Then, he put the game away with a 67-yard touchdown run with 3:56 left to cap 23 unanswered Rams’ point.

Haynes has become a much bigger part of the offense after last season, when he toted the ball 24 times for 80 yards and a touchdown in 2018. Still, his yardage output Friday night nearly matched his season total, as he came into Friday’s contest as the Rams’ leading rusher with 232 yards and four touchdowns.

“It was nice to see,” Rams’ senior James Albert said of Haynes’ night. “We know his potential.”

Norristown (0-5, 0-1 PAC Liberty) trailed 17-7 at halftime after a pair of Engro touchdowns and a 42-yard field goal by Rams’ kicker Grant Sillyman.

Spring-Ford defensive back Nathan Capers intercepted a pass from Norristown quarterback Nick DiNolfi on the Eagles’ first drive of the second half, but the Eagles’ defense, aided by a pair of Spring-Ford penalties, made a stand near its own goal line to force a missed field goal attempt and get the ball back.

Immediately following the missed field goal, Norristown senior Isiah Tucker reversed fields for an 80-yard touchdown to make it a 17-14 game with 7:35 left in the third quarter. Haynes broke off his 63-yard touchdown run on Spring-Ford’s next play from scrimmage to put the Rams up 24-14 just twenty seconds later.

A safety by Spring-Ford gave the Rams a 26-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter, where a 33-yard touchdown pass from Engro to BJ Beard and a 67-yard touchdown run by Haynes finished off the game’s scoring.

“We had them at certain times, and it was still a ball game going into the fourth quarter,” Norristown second-year coach Joe Milligan said. “This week, we just kind of turned ourselves over and shot ourselves in the foot. It was all big plays.”

Norristown started PAC Liberty Division play with a 36-6 loss to Spring-Ford last year. The Eagles followed with a 14-7 loss to eventual league champion Perkiomen Valley in their next contest before winning two of their final four games in 2018.

The Eagles have enough offensive talent for another second-half turnaround this year with the likes of Tucker, who led Norristown with 76 yards rushing and 46 yards receiving, and Zion Malone, who had the team’s other score on a 40-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Junior quarterback Nick DiNolfi looked sharp early before finishing 11-of-27 for 136 yards passing.

While playing nine first-time starters on defense, the Eagles showed some potential, holding a potent Spring-Ford offense silent for nearly 18 minutes from the end of the first quarter to midway through the third.

“We’ll keep growing,” Milligan said. “The more sound we play the better. It’s getting these kids to understand that. Most teams already, they’ve been doing it together. This being our second year, getting them to realize that, I think we’ll be alright.”

Though Haynes headlined the offense for Spring-Ford, Engro finished the game 18-of-27 for 190 yards and three touchdowns, even finding a new pass target in Rams’ offensive and defensive lineman Ryan Kolander, who caught a 16-yard touchdown for Spring-Ford’s first score of the game. He also found Beard, and Nick Teets for scores.

Beard, Albert, Teets and Dante Bonanni all had three or more catches for Spring-Ford, with Beard, Teets and Bonanni sharing the team lead at 41 yards receiving. Engro added 25 yards on the ground along with 17 yards from sophomore Harry Adieyefeh Jr. to round out the Rams’ offensive leaders.

Spring-Ford’s top rusher last year was Stephen Brill, who finished the season with 432 yards and six touchdowns. After Friday night’s game, Haynes has already surpassed those totals through the Rams’ first five games with 462 yards on the ground.

Haynes’ season-high coming into Friday night was a 102-yard outing against Harry S. Truman in the second week of the season. He also had an 80-yard performance in the team’s opening loss to Central Bucks South before rushing for 25 yards in Weeks 3 and 4.

What could the Rams’ offense look like if he can put more performances together like Friday night’s?

“It could be very dangerous,” Haynes said. “It will spread out the defense, and it will create more opportunities for all of us.”

“It’s exciting,” he added, “and I look to improve on it.”