By Ruthanne Morris
The Panthers came up short on their first possession, failing to score with 4th and goal from the 2-yard line. But Chris Rosini gave the Panthers the boost they needed, pulling down his first interception of the season inside the Ram’s 40-yard line. Ryan Morris targeted Thomas Foster with a 28-yard missile and the Panthers were back in the red zone. Foster finished the job with a 6-yard rush, followed by a 1-yard sprint into the end zone. Steven Seal converted the PAT and Haven led 7-0.
Defensively, Lee Holbert pressured Harriton’s quarterback, and the Rams were soon forced to punt. Strueck rushed the punt and Haven got the benefit of a short field to start their next drive. That was all Sean Daly needed as he rushed for the second touchdown of the game. “Golden-footed” Steven Seal split the uprights again and Haven stretched the lead to 14-0.
Again the defense was stalwart with the exception of one brilliant 50-yard pass that put the Rams at first and goal. But Nick O’Connor and Steven Seal would have none of that, throwing tackles for huge losses and backing the Rams up to 4th and goal from the 18. Seal tacked on a 7-yard sack and the Panthers took possession on their own 25 yard line.
Foster and Jon Morris combined for some fine running to move the sticks but then the Rams defense broke through on two plays to sack Ryan Morris and the Panthers were facing 4th and 11. Morris connected with Daly for a 32-yard completion and just a few plays later, Foster was crossing the goal line again for his second touchdown of the game. Seal added the extra point and Haven led 21-0 as the first half ended.
Harriton came out firing in the 3rd quarter and quickly scored but Foster broke up the 2-point conversion so Haven still led 21-6. It took less than 12 seconds for Sean Daly to answer back with an 85-yard kickoff return, notching his second touchdown of the day. The extra point attempt went wide right and the score stood at Haven 27, Harriton 6.
After a short kickoff return, Harriton took over on the Haven 40. The Rams chipped away with the short passing game, but O’Connor’s hard tackle for a loss set them up with 4th and 6 and they could not convert. Haven took over on the 32 but fumbled on the first snap and Harriton recovered. The Panther defense again showed its mettle on big plays by Holbert and Rosini and the Rams turned the ball over on downs.
Jon Morris and Thomas Foster continued strong running to move the chains for a first down. Purrington and O’Connor got their turns at it and gained another first down. Chris Rosini fought for another 9-yards, and Ron Winklevoss found a new target in Zach Politarhos for an 18-yard gain that put the Panthers on the 1 yard line. Nick O’Connor did the honors, crossing the goal line and Seal once again added the extra point. The Panthers held on to win 34-6.
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