He was tough to ignore on Saturday because he was omnipresent. Wherever a Malvern Prep player was with the ball, so was No. 47, Haverford School junior Matt Galambos. He made a game-high 12 tackles. He intercepted a pass for a touchdown—the first pick-six of his high school career—and when he wasn’t doing all of that, he was catching passes and causing problems all afternoon for perennial Inter-Academic League power Malvern Prep. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker made first-team all-Inter Ac. He’s going to be all-Inter Ac again this season, but it’s coming with a little more …

He’s gotten a little lost in the woodwork of the Haverford High School football team this season. Mike Gentile is the kind of player a football coach can appreciate, because the keen eye of a coach sees all of the little things that amount to the large things someone like Haverford senior defensive back/wide receiver can do on a football field. He has no time to rest. While other players play one side of the ball, Gentile doesn’t come off the field. “Michael is a full-time player for us; offense, defense, special teams, he’s been leading the team in receptions,” Fords’ coach Joe Gallagher …

Haverford School football coach Mike Murphy likes having the Inter-Academic League championship trophy in his office. He’s not about to give up any time soon—but it is that time of year again. It’s Malvern Prep time. Haverford School is the two-time defending Inter-Ac champs. Two years ago, the Fords shared the title with Malvern Prep and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. Last year, the Fords won the title outright. Murphy is not ready to let go just yet. Haverford School beat Malvern Prep the last two years. Malvern Prep is 7-1 overall and Haverford School is 6-2. The two rivals will meet at…

Mike Clancy’s stats won’t blow anyone over. That’s because the Haverford High School senior has had a big chunk of his rushing numbers taken away from the major sacrifice he made through the first part of this season. When junior quarterback Eddie Durkin was unable to play through the early portion of the year nursing a broken right hand, it was Clancy that stepped in to replace Durkin. The thing is, Clancy is not a quarterback. The Fords got off to a rocky start, and Clancy’s rushing numbers suffered. He had the thankless job of being the square peg wedged into the round hole that was fitted…

The Haverford School did a number of positive things in its 55-0 whitewash of Germantown Academy last Friday. But perhaps what stood out the most was the Fords didn’t block not one, not two, not three, but four punts—with three of the four leading to touchdowns. With the victory, the Fords moved to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in the Inter-Academic League. Haverford School’s Anthony Hill and Sema’j Reed each blocked a punt, with Reed picking up the blocked punt and scoring. “Our special teams coach saw something in (Germantown Academy’s) protection and we went after it,” Fords’ coach Mike Murphy said…

Haverford High School has changed the course of its season. The Fords at one time looked like a sinking ship, but with the return of quarterback Eddie Durkin, they have won four-straight games and are closing in on a District 1 Class AAAA playoff berth. Victories over Conestoga this Friday night, and another rough game against visiting Garnet Valley the following week stands in the way of the Fords. The Fords are out of the Central League championship, but at 5-3, if they can win the last two games, they could qualify for the district playoffs. “In the front of our minds, it’s Conestoga right…

Haverford School coach Mike Murphy could glean at least a morsel of something from the Fords’ 7-3 Inter-Academic League loss to Chestnut Hill Academy. The Fords’ front seven on defense played against one of the best backs in the area, Chestnut Hill’s Cedric Madden, who’s rushed for 350 yards in a game and almost 1,000 yards in five games. He had trouble breaking free from the Fords’ defense, which held Madden to 80 yards on 25 carries. “Our defense played well; we hurt ourselves,” said Murphy, whose team dropped to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in the league. “We had interception returned for a …

Chris Lee is the definition of what high school football is all about. This will probably be it with football for the Haverford High School 5-foot-8, 170-pound senior linebacker. He most likely won’t play in college (though his 3.9 GPA and 1,960 score on the 2,400 SAT guarantees him a place at whatever elite school he’d like to attend). But Lee does live and breathe every second when he is on the field. It’s understandable, considering Lee suffered a break in his lower back his sophomore year that required him to wear hard-plastic body brace from under his arm pits to the top of his hips. …

The Haverford School coach Mike Murphy feels his team is right where it should be entering the Fords’ Inter-Academic League season opener at Chestnut Hill Academy on Saturday at 2 p.m. Haverford School, the two-time defending league champs, is 3-1 overall and Murphy likes the way his offense and defense is playing. “I really like the way our kids are playing up front, and we have five senior linemen that bring experience, and it allows us to do a lot of different things, which makes us tough to prepare for,” Murphy said. “I think offensively, I’d give us a ‘B,’ and defensively, a ‘B-plus,’ …

Haverford High School coach Joe Gallagher has been waiting for the return of Eddie Durkin. Gallagher has been saying his team would be much different team with Durkin back, and that came to fruition in the Fords’ 32-7 victory over Octorara last Thursday, behind two touchdown passes from Durkin and one rushing touchdown from the junior quarterback. Durkin missed the first five games with a broken right hand. The Fords sit at 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the Central League. Haverford still has a good chance to make the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA playoffs, but there is no room for error. The Fords …

The Haverford School sits at 2-1 and the Fords have looked good in all three games this season. Part of the reason is how senior quarterback James Chakey is running the offense. He’s thrown five touchdowns—in one half—this season in a 56-15 victory over Lawrenceville Prep and directed the Fords to a comeback 26-21 win over Pennridge in their season opener. The Fords run an option offense that’s filled with many decisions. Chakey has been right most of the time. “James plays within our offense,” Fords’ coach Mike Murphy said. “I tell him when I need a hero. What we want is for James to play …

Eddie Durkin has been waiting … and waiting. The Haverford High School 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior quarterback has been waiting almost 11 months, to be exact, to throw a football in a game again. He started every game as a sophomore and was going to be the focal point of the Fords’ offense this season, until he broke his right hand this summer. Durkin will make his first start this Thursday night when the Fords travel to Octorara for a nonleague game. Haverford is 2-3 overall and are 2-2 in the Central League. “I feel terrible over what happened; I made a huge mistake (breaking the hand) and …

The Haverford School came within 27 seconds of being undefeated, but the Fords couldn’t contain West Catholic and fell Friday night, 18-14, in dropping their first game this season and going 2-1 overall. What Fords’ coach Mike Murphy found out, however, was how sturdy his offensive and defensive line is playing against the large, aggressive West Catholic front. “We are a physical football team, but we need to finish plays when we have an opportunity to put a team away,” Murphy said. “We were up 14-0 and we came out and stopped them on first drive of the second half. We didn’t execute a play …

Tom Fior plays with a verve that’s unstoppable. The 6-foot, 200-pound Haverford High School defensive end came up with a fumble recovery and a sack in the Fords’ 27-0 Central League setback against Springfield last Friday. He was one of a few positives in what was a forgettable game. “I think I’m having a good year and the rest of us on the defensive line,” said Fior, a three-year starter at third base for the Fords’ baseball team. “We call ourselves the wolfpack and we stick together. I love baseball and football, but I think I’ll probably play baseball in college. That means these are my …

Chris DiBello knows what it was like to go winless through the month of September. Not anymore. The 5-foot-10, 220-pound starting Haverford School senior center/middle linebacker went through it last year, when the Fords started their season off 0-6. There’s been a complete reversal this season. Haverford School won its seventh-straight game, piggybacking off of five-straight victories last year, beating Lawrenceville School 56-15, last Saturday. The Fords have begun this year 2-0 and will play the powerful West Catholic this Friday at Widener University at 7 p.m. The Haverford School will …

Marcus Sydnor certainly has the genetics. His father, Chris, was a star at Radnor High School in the early-1980s and went to play at Penn State. The 5-foot-10, 150-pound Marcus has his father’s speed, as a two-way starter for Haverford High School as a slot back and wide receiver. His 43-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter of Haverford’s 40-7 victory over Lower Merion last Friday was his first career varsity touchdown. He’s hoping to contribute a little more as the season progresses. “Overall, varsity is way different than junior varsity, and you have to adjust by getting stronger …

Let's see who did well this week: Week 2 1. Cardinal O’Hara (1-0) vs. Neumann-Goretti   2. The Haverford School (1-0) vs. Lawrenceville School  3. Springfield (2-0) vs. Penncrest4. Marple Newtown (2-0) vs. Strath Haven5. Episcopal Academy (1-1) vs. Hun School6. Conestoga (1-1) vs. Ridley7. Haverford High School (0-2) vs. Lower Merion See how Haverford High School did this past weekend by clicking here. And do not forget about The Haverford School. See how they did by clicking here.