DOWNINGTOWN- On Friday night, November 15, the Fords fought to continue their winning record in this year’s District playoffs. As the scramble-heavy offense of Downingtown West took a 35-7 lead with 2 minutes left in the first half, things did not look hopeful for the Fords. The Downingtown West offense posed a mixture of formations, causing problems for the Fords’ defense. In addition, several penalties did not favor the Fords. Despite this, Senior quarterback Trey Blair led the Fords down the field to score with 1:01 left in the half. The Fords were still down by three touchdowns, but one could sense something special brewing. From the stands to the field, everyone knew that the Fords were still in it.

After an inspiring half-time performance by the Haverford band, Downingtown West took the field and tried to seize the Fords’ momentum. However, late in the third quarter, Senior Jimmy Callahan had other plans. Callahan blocked a punt and helped the Fords come back to within three touchdowns. 

Several plays later, the 6 foot 4 inch Downingtown Senior quarterback, Will Howard delivered a strike for a 52-yard touchdown to seemingly put the game out of reach at 49-28. But, in typical Haverford fashion, the Fords stormed back with two touchdowns to cut the lead to seven. The latter touchdown featured “birthday kid” Will Higson, bulldozing his way into the endzone following a successful onside kick by Ryan Wellington.

Down by seven with two minutes left, the game was anything but over. Unfortunately, Howard’s overrated supporting cast was no match for a third-and-short. The future Kansas State Wildcat gave the Fords a little taste of their own medicine. Howard utilized a read option to scamper down the field 13 yards and essentially end the game.  

In a season filled with ups and downs, this loss showed the true character of Haverford. Down by 28, this game should have been long over. Nonetheless, the Haverford student section remained twice as large as the opposition. Trey Blair, with a nagging injury, refused to be benched to prevent further injury. And most importantly, the 2,000+ Haverford fans were not disappointed.