coach John Rothberg figured there was nothing to lose. It’s why he pulled out a sink, ceiling fan, grill, any and everything he could in trying to beat Haverford High School Friday night.
But despite pulling out some fun and intriguing plays, the Aces couldn’t get over a lack of offense in falling to Haverford, 40-7, on its newly renovated field.
It was the first victory of the season for the Fords, who move to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the Central League, while Lower Merion fell to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the league.
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Rothberg tried a few onside kicks, a few muddle-huddle plays, where most of the players shift to one side of the field, and the quarterback and center are on the other side.
“To be honest, we had nothing to lose, and we’re going to be like that,” Rothberg said. “We try to have a lot of fun, and the kids appreciate that. We tried to establish the run game and we tried opening the playbook, but Haverford sat in the box and packed it.”
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The Fords turned the ball over two times on their first three possessions, were stung with myriad penalties, but bore through it all to win.
Haverford capitalized on big plays. Four major plays by the Fords were for 30 yards or better that set up four touchdowns. Brendan McKain was responsible for two of the four major plays for Haverford, scoring on a 34-yard touchdown near the end of the first half and his 30-yard interception return for a touchdown turned the game around midway through the third quarter.
Defensively, Haverford shut down the many looks Lower Merion had. The Aces had just five yards rushing and finished with 45 yards of total offense and three first downs during the game.
Up next, Lower Merion hosts Neumann-Goretti Sept. 24 at 1:30 p.m.
