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Schools

Haverford School Fords Fall To O'Hara, 27-17

The Fords seniors leave winning two league titles.

For some, it was difficult to reflect on the many, many good things they achieved, because the scoreboard on a breezy, chilly gray Thursday, November afternoon read: Cardinal O’Hara 27, Haverford School 17.

Dusk was setting in as coach Mike Murphy was telling his team—specifically his seniors—how proud he was of their season and careers at Haverford School. All most of the seniors could do was look down, when actually they had a lot to look up about, like two-straight Inter-Academic League championships, and turning the Haverford School program around in their three years many of them had as varsity players.

“This was a rough way to finish, but I had fun my senior year, we did do a lot of great things here,” Fords’ quarterback James Chakey said. “We came out a little up a little short on the outcome we wanted in the league, and today, but it was a great ride with these guys.”

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had a hard time walking off the field the final time. But the Fords’ senior linebacker/center accomplished a great many things—including a hot tub. Dibello’s interception return for a touchdown in the won him a bet with his father, a hot tub in the basement.

Though it ended on a down note, DiBello came with some lasting memories, “like my teammates, I’ll never forget them. It was an unbelievable time with these guys, and did accomplish a lot of things. I will have a lot of great memories playing football for Haverford School.”

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Things are just beginning for O’Hara sophomores Dashawn Darden and Thaddius Smith. Darden, the Lions’ starting quarterback, hit Smith three times for 91 yards and a touchdown, giving the Fords’ defense problems all afternoon.

With the victory, O’Hara finished 6-4 overall, starting nine sophomores, and Haverford School, heavy in senior leaders like Chakey and DiBello, closed at 7-4.

O’Hara never trailed. The Lions went out to a 7-0 lead when Darden connected with Smith on a 28-yard touchdown strike. Again Darden was accurate, made a great decision and Smith found an open seam in the Haverford School defense for the score.

Two possessions later, because Haverford School averted early big trouble by stopping the Lions after losing a fumble, the Fords came right back. Chakey engineered a 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended when the Fords’ quarterback took a keeper into the end zone for a six-yard score, knotting the game at 7-7 with 2:21 left in the opening quarter.

But Darden proved hard to stop again. On the ensuing possession, he stepped up in the pocket and found a breaking Chris Colvin, another O’Hara sophomore, for a 56-yard gain. That set up the Lions’ go-ahead score, when Darden hit Jay Watkins with a 12-yard touchdown pass. O’Hara went up 14-7 and never lost its advantage from there, though the Fords did answer before halftime with a 44-yard Aron Morgan field goal.

The Lions extended their lead to 27-10 scoring on their first two possessions of the second half, but Haverford School managed the scratch back with Chakey four-score early in the fourth quarter, and an onside kick recovery produced another opportunity to close the gap. But a holding call stunted the drive and Shane Johnson’s 10-yard sack pushed the Fords back even further.

From there, O’Hara, guided by Darden, ran out the clock.

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