Football: Penncrest fumbles away everything but a win

LOWER MERION >> Penncrest coach Rick Stroup’s final remarks Friday night summarized what had transpired over the previous three or so hours.

“There’s not a lot to say,” he said.

Penncrest beat Harriton, 21-6, in a game that will certainly not go down in Central League or Delaware County lore.

The teams combined to fumble the football 19 times — most coming on poor Harriton snaps — while not reaching 300 yards of total offense. Six of those fumbles were lost. One resulted in a safety. The game’s leading rusher, Penncrest’s Caleb Mahalik, had just 63 yards.

But Penncrest did win. It is now 2-1, 1-1 in league play (Harriton drops to 0-3, 0-2). The Lions do have that, at least.

“A win’s a win,” Stroup said. “It’s better to win **** than lose good. That’s all.”

The veteran coach wondered if the steaming hot weather, or the fact that it was the first week of school, contributed to the sloppiness. He knew the Lions didn’t practice well enough. He knew a performance like this likely would not have resulted in a win against any other team in the league.

The players heard that and saw that, too. They figure they can rebound and re-focus.

“We’re pretty committed with each other, we’re a family,” senior leader Mike Wilson said. “We have good chemistry, team chemistry. I think once we got everything together, once we start getting focused — no mistakes. We need to have continuous plays and go down the field.”

That’s what hurt Penncrest in this one. Mark Ullman’s 80-yard touchdown return was called back for a penalty on the opening play of the game. Drops stalled the following drive. A fumble ended a series early in the second quarter. A lack of communication between quarterback Chris Mills and wide receiver Manny Ruffin put a stop to a quest for points before halftime.

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