Pergolese and Palumbo enable Haverford to gain a playoff berth
HAVERFORD » Fords coach Luke Dougherty got the call Sunday night. It was a gift.
Academy at Palumbo of District 12 was in search of a Week 10 opponent. Haverford High was in the same position, looking for some team to play. They Fords’ desperately needed another win. They could have gone scoreboard watching Friday night, safe and dry from the monsoon-like conditions in the Philadelphia region, and kept their fingers crossed that the power-point gods would help them sneak into the tournament.
They had been idle because of the Upper Darby game on Thanksgiving. Palumbo had a 4-1 record, so that was a plus. Dougherty had opportunities to play a juggernaut from Maryland, on the road, but kindly said no. Thankfully, Palumbo came a-knockin’.
“I’m so happy to find this game,” Dougherty said. “Their coach reached out to me. All of the out-of-state teams reached out. St. Francis Academy (of Baltimore), they’re on ESPN a lot.
“We were trying to sort out something local and I’m so grateful for Palumbo coming out and playing us. I told our kids, that’s a 4-1 team, and in nicer conditions they’re going to be able to move the ball. They like to throw the ball, so nicer conditions would’ve helped them out a little bit. I’m just proud of our kids for battling tonight.”
Well, that’s one way to describe Haverford’s 55-0 poundingof Palumbo at A.G. Cornog Field. It was a big win for a firstyear coach and a young team, because it means the Fords (5-5) are going to the District 1 Class 6A playoffs as the 16th and final seed.
For openers, however, the Fords next week will travel to top-seeded and Central League champion Garnet Valley (100). GV handed the Fords a 55-14 loss just two weeks ago.
In a driving rain, the Fords and Griffins were heavily restricted. Haverford loves to air the ball out, too, with good-looking junior quarterback Tommy Wright and
No. 1 wide receiver Ethan Mahan teaming up to give defensive secondaries headaches. But on this miserable night, Wright was just 3-for-4 for 57 yards, while Mahan pulled down one catch for 28 yards. The rest was up to the running backs and offensive line, so the Fords went out and dominated.
Four running backs — Collin Cassidy, Christian Pergolese, Jake Snell and Ryan Sweeney — amassed at least 75 yards on the ground. Leading the way was the senior Pergolese, who ran for 129 yards on 12 carries with a pair of scores.
“I think we always had a chip on our shoulder this year,” Pergolese said. “We knew coming into this season that we have a lot of hard-working guys and we’re going to put everything on the line. We took a few tough losses, but we always tried to keep our heads up as best as we could and prepare for the next week and just kept rolling through the season.”
Cassidy, a junior, accounted for the first of eight Haverford touchdown scampers. He finished with 101 yards on 10 carries. Snell (80 yards on eight carries) and Sweeney (75 yards on eight carries) each rushed for a pair of TDs. Wright also found the end zone on a QB sneak.
Defensively, the Fords held the Griffins to 43 yards on 29 carries. They forced 10 Palumbo fumbles and recovered two. Tommy Touhill and Justin Marciano were among the Haverford standouts.
As freshmen, the Fords seniors went 0-10. Now, having won three of their last four contests, they are 5-5 and bound for a rematch against the familiar top-seeded team in the district. They will, as heavy underdogs, attempt to spoil Garnet Valley’s perfect season in the first round of the Class 6A tournament.
“I want these guys to embrace the moment. This is huge for our team,” Dougherty said. “You know, Garnet Valley’s Moe DeFrank (Field) is an unbelievable playoff atmosphere, let alone a normal Friday night. I want our seniors to enjoy it and our young guys to see what it looks like to be in that setting, go out and show what we can do.”