By Brian Carroll –
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein
Upon hearing the abrupt news in late August that Harriton’s varsity football season was being suspended after just one game, it could be easy to harp on the negatives. Opposing schools now had open dates that could not be filled, plans for Homecoming games and other special events needed rearranging, and playoff standings would be affected. Still, for all of the challenges that Harriton’s updated schedule provided, drilling down to one basic idea helps in the bigger picture: 26 players, including three Seniors in their final season, and their coaches still wanted to play football. While the weather didn’t cooperate last Friday so that Homecoming festivities could be included, the Harriton Rams, continuing this year with a Junior Varsity schedule, still made the trip to Wallingford on Monday night to take on the JV Panthers.
With only 17 players dressed for the game, the Rams had an uphill climb as the Panthers used a significant size and speed advantage from the opening snap. #6 Matt Tamayo connected with #23 Julian Huff on a deep ball to start the party with a 67-yard touchdown pass. The Wing-T attack for the Panthers then shared the ball beautifully over the next two quarters, with #27 Jon Bonhomme (106 rushing yards, 3 TDs), #42 Quinn Hogarth (45 yards, TD) and #20 Will Davis (29 rushing, 17 receiving yards) kept the Rams off balance through a dominant first half. The offense was set up beautifully with short fields all night thanks to an aggressive and ball-hawking defense. Huff had two interceptions, and #14 Owen Stancil added another. #33 Nate Brown (sack, fumble recovery) and #77 John Williams spent the evening disrupting the Rams’ backfield, while #17 Christian DeShields flew around for a half dozen tackles. #22 Mykhi Ross knocked down two passes in the secondary, while #21 Amari West tackled well in the open field and scored the Panthers’ final points with a fumble recovery at the Rams’ goal line. #66 Gavin Mickelberg was a hammer on special teams, recording multiple stops on kickoff coverage.
For the Rams, while the scoreboard didn’t land in their favor thanks in large part to five turnovers, they had several positive moments and reasons for optimism. #18 Josh Fishbein displayed a strong throwing arm, while #12 Charlie Gau completed half his pass attempts and led the Rams’ scoring drive. That drive in the 4th quarter was capped by a 32-yard field goal from freshman kicker #44 Sam Raphaelli, and Raphaelli’s subsequent onside kick was then recovered by #9 Jacob Gastner (5 receptions). #62 Carter Smith had a solid day at linebacker for the Rams, and it was easy to see why the Harriton coaching staff remains proud of their players’ commitment and dedication despite the season’s many obstacles. Bigger than any final score, the willingness of Rams’ players to absorb that late-August gut punch and continue fighting through the rest of their schedule is commendable, and a building block for life even beyond football.
In the meantime, Panther fans can continue to be hopeful that the talent and energy amongst the JV players could translate to Varsity success in the years to come. Hard work in the weight room and studying the playbook will be a necessity, but this group of Panther JV players indeed has an opportunity for something special on future Friday nights.
