Trio of Harriton Seniors Making the Most of Final Go Around(video recap included)
Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News
Willie McGonigle | October 20, 2026
Imagine working hard all summer to prepare for your Senior season, only to have the rug pulled out from under you after just one game. For Eli Rose, Jack Siano, and Everett Gentzel, that became reality on August 31, when the Harriton High School administration suspended the Rams’ varsity season. At the time, the decision was made due to concerns of player safety, low participation, and the sustainability of maintaining a competitive program. Harriton principal Stuart Warshawer didn’t rule out all football, saying in an email to the team that the school was “”actively exploring the opportunity to maintain a junior varsity football season.” Warshawer added, “A junior varsity program would allow our student-athletes to remain engaged in football, continue building relationships with their teammates and coaches, and gain valuable experience that supports their continued growth as youth athletes and individuals.”
When asked about the reaction he originally felt when the decision was made to cancel the season, Rose said “It was a little heartbreaking to be honest.”
Thankfully, the Rams were able to have a JV schedule, thus allowing the players the opportunity to continue playing the game they love and giving the seniors one more season of high school football.
Playing a JV schedule means sometimes playing on Saturday mornings and Monday afternoons or Monday nights–not the Friday night lights that Rose, Siano and Gentzel envisioned at the start of the season. However, a couple of the Central League schools elected to play their JV games against Harriton on Friday nights allowing the Harriton senior trio and opponents a chance to play on the bigger stage.
One of those schools that elected to play their game on a Friday Night was Strath Haven. But last Friday night the Philadelphia region was hit with a heavy rainstorm that forced the postponement until Monday night. Siano is thankful for the chance to keep playing: “I think it’s great, honestly, the fact that we lost all of varsity games; they allow us to continue to play. I think it’s very good on them, and it’s just great to be out here.”
Rams Head Coach John McAllister echoed Siano’s sentiments saying “I appreciate that a lot, every team we played so far, I thanked the coaches for continuing to play us and come to our field or let these guys have that experience of playing at night. I appreciate Strath Haven and the rest of the Central League for inviting us at nighttime.”
When asked about the season thus far, Rose said, “We still get our Friday night lights at the end of the day. It’s definitely different playing on Mondays, playing on Thursdays, Saturday mornings waking up early when I’m supposed to be sleeping. It’s a little hectic, a little chaotic, but we love it. it’s Rams football; we’ve been through this team through thick and thin. We love our teammates; they support us, they love us, and we love them back.”
Rose, Sirano and Gentzel will now go through one final week of practice before playing the final game of their high school career Friday night when the Rams celebrate Senior Night by hosting Haverford’s JV team. “It’s heartfelt; I’m just happy to get to play football. I am sad that I won’t be able to play again.” Gentzel said when asked about the feelings he’s experiencing heading into the final week of his high school career.
d1 strath harriton jv by PAFootball Newsdotcom
