Students, parents, alumni, and Havertown residents alike gathered at A.G. Cornog Field on Friday, October 12 to watch their hometown Fords take on the Penncrest Lions in a week 7 Central League matchup. The game was followed by a special ceremony to honor local families who have lost loved ones to cancer, an annual Haverford Football tradition known as Fords’ Fight For Life Night. This year the event raised $6000 for the Kevin Cain Memorial Foundation, a local non-profit organization that raises money to help cancer patients and their families pay for their treatments and living expenses.

Haverford came into the week with a 5-1 record (3-1 in the Central League) to go along with plenty of momentum from the previous week’s 42-27 victory over Unionville and a three game win streak. Penncrest, on the other hand, came into the game with a 1-6 record following a tough 45-7 loss against Lower Merion, which was one of four consecutive losses for the Lions.

With the way the two teams’ seasons have been going, it should come as no surprise that Haverford steamrolled Penncrest in a landslide 70-7 victory. The Fords’ starting offense exploded for 49 points in the first half alone, with several different players scoring touchdowns in the first two action-packed quarters.

Junior running back Chasen Wint rushed for two scores on Haverford’s first two drives of the game, and added a third touchdown just before the end of the first quarter.

¨This game was a fun one,” Wint said about the victory. ¨I feel like the whole team played really well, and it was for a great cause.¨

Junior receiver/running back Trey Blair also found the end zone multiple times, first catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Ruane (senior) and later exploding for a 53-yard touchdown rush. Blair would finish the game with over 100 total yards and was the team’s leading rusher with 78 yards on just two carries. Ruane himself scored three times, twice on the ground and once through the air.

The starting offense’s performance was so impressive that head coach Joe Gallagher had them take the rest of the night off, as the second-team offensive unit took over to start the second half and continued to build on Haverford’s lead. Senior running back Luke DeCarlo rushed for two touchdowns in the third quarter, and junior Max Wright topped off the blowout victory with one last rushing score in the fourth.

Haverford’s offensive players weren’t the only ones that stood out on Friday night. The defense did an excellent job shutting down Penncrest’s offense, holding their opponents to just 98 yards of total offense and only 7 points on the night. Amazingly, the Lions finished the game with -12 rushing yards, as the stout Fords’ defense dominated the line of scrimmage all night. Senior defensive end, CJ Weh, in particular, stood out as one of the most dominant players on the defense, racking up four sacks and three more tackles for loss.

“This was best game I’ve ever played at Haverford,” Weh said about the win. “We won because of how tough we are on both sides of the ball, both physically and mentally.”

Weh and the defensive unit played a huge part in helping Haverford advance to 6-1, now sitting at second place in the Central League.

Haverford closed out the night with an emotional ceremony following the game in honor of local Havertown residents who have lost loved ones to cancer. The team wore special jerseys that were sponsored by Havertown families, and during the ceremony, each player presented their jersey to their sponsor as their names were announced over the PA system.

Fords’ Fight For Life Night was a huge success in raising money for the community and in bringing the community closer together, and the players were glad that they could put on such a great show for all those who participated. Haverford looks to build on their impressive season on Friday, October 26, as they take on Ridley in their quest for a Central League Championship.