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Haverford knocks off Strath Haven in run heavy low scoring game

Tagged under: District 1, Game Photos-Videos, Gameday Hub, News

| September 20, 2025

Adam Kilpatrick propels Fords to victory

Haverford took down Strath Haven 10-6 in a huge Central League matchup Friday night.

Here’s what I thought about the game heading into kickoff.

Haverford received the ball first to start the game. The main story was Haverford RB Liam Taylor, who was expected to get most of the carries following his fantastic season in 2024.  The Fords started the game with four straight handoffs, a majority of them going to Taylor, but they ultimately found themselves in a third-down scenario. On third down, Haverford ran a pitch back to Taylor, the ball was fumbled, and Strath Haven scooped it up.

Strath Haven QB and RB Luke Mulhern and Landon Barlow did not suit up for the game, and Haven had to send out Junior QB Jake Plunkett to fill in the role. Strath Haven runs a similar offense to Haverford, a pure running offense. Haven rushed every play of their first drive, but were stopped and had a tough decision to make on 4th and 7. The Panthers decided to send out the kicker, Matt Styer, for a 38-yard field goal attempt. Styer drilled the FG with ease and put Haven on top 3-0 with less than 5 minutes remaining in the 1st quarter.

Haverford continued their run pattern into their next offensive drive. Haverford got to third down once more and ran the exact same pitch play, and once more, the ball would come loose, but Haverford jumped right on it; they still had to punt it away to Strath Haven.

Strath Haven ran the clock, and after a few passes from Plunkett as well as multiple rushes, Haven found themselves in premier field position early in the second quarter. The Haverford defense strung together multiple stellar tackles, and Haven had to kick for three. Matt Styer is automatic, knocking home a 29-yarder that put Haven in the lead 6-0 with 9:23 remaining in the half.

Both teams would go silent for multiple drives after Styers’ Field Goal.

Haverford received the kick following Matt Styers’ 29-yarder and couldn’t get anything rolling. The Fords went three and out and punted it right back to the Panthers.

Strath Haven was locked up and forced to punt it back to the Fords.

Haverford would continue the chain reaction and be stopped, going three and out again, and being forced to punt it away to Strath Haven.

Strath Haven got the ball moving on their own side of the 50 and had an opportunity to extend their drive on 4th and 1 on their own 29. The Haverford defense showed up and forced a huge turnover, gifting them prime field position with over one minute remaining in the half.

Haverford continued to run the ball and found themselves having to make a hard decision aswell. The Fords elected to go for it on 4th down and 2, and it paid off. QB Adam Kilpatrick took the ball into the endzone himself on a rush that would swing the momentum of the game entirely. The extra point from Bobby Menear was up and through. The Fords’ gutsy decision to go on fourth down put them in the lead and ultimately won them the ball game.

Strath Haven took no chances with only 19.9 seconds remaining in the half and opted to kneel out the clock.

Here are my thoughts at halftime of this great game.

Strath Haven came out of the halftime break and put together a nice drive, getting the passing game involved and keeping the running game alive. Despite their solid offensive efforts, the Haverford defense came to play, forcing the Panthers to punt on 4th and 7.

The Fords got out to a hot start in the second half, compiling together a few nice rushes from both Liam Taylor and Adam Kilpatrick. Haveford would run 14 plays and drive 36 yards, setting them up for a chance at three. Bobby Menear hammered in the field goal and put Haverford up 10-6.

Both teams have to punt on their next two drives, and Strath Haven would have the ball deep in their own zone late in the fourth quarter.

On the first play of the Strath Haven drive, the Fords’ defense breaks right through, getting to Plunkett and forcing the ball loose. Haverford picked it up and had a chance to tack on more points.

Both teams played stellar defense in this game, and Strath Haven held Haverford to a field goal attempt that could have put them ahead by one score. The kick was wide left and no good. Strath Haven had a chance in their final drive, but needed to throw the ball downfield at a quick pace.

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Plunkett came out throwing, mainly looking for Jalen Starr. Plunkett’s first deep ball was broken up, despite the contact on the play; no flag was thrown, and the Panthers had to keep chucking it up. The Fords held Haven to a 4th down try; the Panthers needed to convert to keep their hopes alive. Jalen Starr broke free on the right side and had a wide-open touchdown to win the game. Plunkett’s pass was complete, but Starr was called out of bounds. Haverford took one knee, and the ball game was over.

Haverford played a strong defensive game and locked down the run, which led them to a victory over the Panthers in week 5.

Here are my thought following the games conclusion.

After the game, QB Adam Kilpatrick gave us his thoughts on his team’s hard-fought victory.

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