On Halloween Friday, October 31, the Panthers varsity football team (8-2) faced off against the Upper Moreland Bears (6-5) in the first round of the PIAA District 1 5A playoffs.
The game began very slowly for Haven, with both sides of the ball struggling. The defense struggled to stop the Bears’ run game, and by the end of the first quarter the Bears led 7-0.
Haven’s offense came out with some energy, with junior Landon Barlow breaking out for a 31 yard touchdown early in the second quarter.
The defense continued their struggles, however, with the Bears scoring again going into the half, relying on their passing game for success.
The Bears continued their relentless attack coming out of the half, scoring another passing touchdown in just 5 plays, leaving Haven down 21-7.
“Coach was hyping us up [in the locker room]. He said, ‘do you want to go out? Do you want to go out like this? And we sure didn’t,” junior Yosef Ali said.
The tides turned in the third quarter with junior Jalen Starr having a long kickoff return, leaving the Haven offense a mere 10 yards from the endzone.
“That [the kick return] just made the whole team hype. That made us play with more passion,” Starr said. “I just ran for my life.”
The return allowed senior Ryan Mudrick to punch it into the endzone on a 6 yard run, bringing the game within one score, 21-14.
With lots of momentum built, the defense was re-energized going into the following drive, and senior Quinn Kell recovered a forced fumble, giving Haven possession again.
“Early in the game, everybody felt that [the struggle], and I had to make a play. So I went in there, made a play, and did what I could,” Kell said. The forced fumble led to another touchdown from Mudrick during the third quarter, evening the game out at 21-21.
After battling on both sides of the ball, Ali scored on a fourth down run play during the following drive, putting Haven up 28-21 with 9 minutes left in the game.
“Coach game-planned us for this week, when they talked to us at halftime it really motivated me to come out and do as good as I can,” Ali said.
The defense continued playing strong, forcing the Bears to be scoreless through the rest of the game.
Ali would ice the game with another touchdown, running 37 yards to cap the comeback game off 35-21.
The Panthers look forward to the next round of the PIAA District 1 5A playoffs and will be playing at home on Friday, November 7 against the Unionville Longhorns (7-4)
