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MIDDLETOWN — In what will surely go down as one of the games of the season, Haverford stormed back from a 21-point first half deficit to stun a hard-luck Penncrest squad 30-28.
Quarterback Tommy Wright used his arm and legs to power the Fords’ comeback. Wright completed 22 of 32 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns. The signal-caller also rushed for 81 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown with 51 seconds left in the game.
Wide receivers Ethan Mahan (11 catches for 107 yards) and Ben Fleming (seven catches for 96 yards) played central roles in the rally as well. Mahan had two touchdowns, and Fleming grabbed an interception for Haverford (4-5, 3-3 Central).
For Wright, a game like this was the product of a lot of offseason work with his receiving corps.
“A lot of the work comes unseen, off-the-field, during the offseason,” Wright said. “We practice all of this stuff more than anyone could ever realize. Our coach told us that we were going to need to step up and we realized that as captains and seniors. We had to be responsible enough to execute and get the job done.
“Penncrest is a very good football team. I think a lot of people underestimate them. Going into halftime, I was focusing on not getting down on myself and staying positive.”
It was a game that tested — and showed off — the Fords’ resilience.
“We’re not big on getting down on the kids, so our halftime M.O. was figuring out what adjustments we can we make,” Haverford coach Luke Dougherty said. “Penncrest battled, and they’re a good football team. (Lions coach) Paul (Graham) is an unbelievable coach. Jeff Allison is an unbelievable defensive coordinator, so we knew they were going to make it hard on us. My guys didn’t hang their heads at halftime, there was no negativity.”
Dougherty was particularly impressed with the play of Wright, Mahan, and Fleming.
“I challenged then this week – those three specifically,” Dougherty said. “I told them I thought we could move the ball through the air a little and they delivered for me.”
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Haverford’s Tommy Wright, seen in a September game against Garnet Valley, threw for 288 yards in a 30-28 come-from-behind win over Penncrest Friday. (PETE BANNAN-DAILY TIMES)
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