Just two weeks ago, many considered SCH’s season over. Sitting at 3-4 and just snapping a three-game losing streak with a win over GA, the Devils stumbled into a matchup against Penn Charter, knowing that a loss would end their hopes for a title.
They walked deep into enemy territory, matching up against the Quakers on their homecoming day, both teams knowing that a loss might end their seasons. And, in a battle of wills, the Devils showcased their desire to win, dominating the Quakers in a 42-7 rout.
Multiple Devils put on an incredible performance. The rushing game was on fire again, and it was a dominant day for sophomore standout William Howard, who racked up 192 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. But Howard wasn’t the standout on the ground.
Senior quarterback and Holy Cross commit Liam Zelman had his best game of the season, running for 95 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries. Head coach Rick Knox sung his praises in an interview with phillysportsdigest, calling him “A big, strong physical kid with a great arm”.
That arm was on display as well. Up 28-7 with five minutes to go in the second quarter, Zelman uncorked a 45-yard bomb to Buffalo commit and senior wideout Aaron Clark, who split the safety and took it to the house.
The win propelled SCH into a situation they’d been in all too frequently: win one more game to play Malvern for a share of the Inter-Ac title. The only thing standing in their way was Haverford, a team they hadn’t beaten since 2019.
Riding a two-game win streak, Coach Knox told reporters for phillysportsdigest that, “Every win increases the level of positivity and bleeds over to the next week of practice.” He continued, adding on that “After the Episcopal loss, we knew we had to win each week.”
With that knowledge in the back of their mind, the Devils came out firing. Howard got things started with a quick, 20-yard touchdown, as SCH clamped down on defense, forcing the Fords to play from behind. Seniors Sadiek Willis and Johnny Nosal ensured there was never a clean pocket to throw from.
Nosal put up one of his best performances of the season, recording three tackles, four pressures, a sack, and two stops on third down. “All season long we [were] talking about Haverford, Haverford, Haverford,” said Nosal in an interview with Gametime Sports. “They’re one of those teams that’re in the TikTok, Instagram comments talking crazy, so we knew we had to come out here and put on a belt.”
SCH was certainly dominating for the majority of the game, and things looked to be finished after Howard took a handout for 60 yards, shaking off tackles and stiff-arming his way into the endzone to go up 17-0 in the second quarter.
Momentum flipped, though, after junior kicker James-Brennan Rothschild missed a 30-yard field-goal attempt with about four minutes in the half, and the Fords wasted no time, capitalizing by taking a screen pass 60 yards to the house, and then getting the ball back to punch in a field goal as time expired.
It was a situation many seniors were all too familiar with. In years past, SCH had built big leads but failed to close the game out, losing in the final moments. But this year was different.
Willis, one of SCH’s most passionate players, forced a fumble inside the Fords’ 20, setting up SCH for a quick, red-zone score. Despite a missed extra point and fierce fight from Haverford, SCH scored another touchdown, though they failed the two-point conversion, and those points were the last of the game. The Devils walked out of the matchup against Haverford with a 29-10 victory and a three-game win streak.
“[This was] my favorite win of all time,” said senior tackle Kyle Cameron. “It was a great win…we were able to dominate up front.” Senior quarterback Liam Zelman agreed, adding that “It was a great win, but I don’t want it to be our favorite win, I want next week to be our favorite win.”
That game marks SCH’s third straight chance at a rematch against the defending champs, Malvern Prep. With 15 seniors on this SCH roster, not only is the team incredibly motivated to win, but they’re planning on leaving it all out on the field.
“We’ve got one week left together,” said senior center Kyle Knox during a postgame interview with Gametime Sports. “We’ve been at this since June…We have three practices, a walk-through, and one game left together.”
It’s been a truly dreadful streak against Malvern. For three straight years now, the Devils have made their way to a title game against the Friars, and in the past two, SCH has fallen. Last year’s contest saw the Devils come up short, losing 35-0. The year before that, the game was closer, but ended at 17-7.
This Saturday will be the final game for many of SCH’s talented players, as they’ll challenge the Friars for a share of the title at 1:00 PM. Come out and support your Springside Chestnut Hill Blue Devils in the matchup, or tune in live on Gametime Sports.
