Lego My Rego: Zach Rego’s Three Touchdowns Rally Haverford School Past Pennridge

After losing six straight to start their 2010 campaign, kicked of the 2011 season in style Saturday afternoon—scoring 23 of the game’s final 30 points to get a hard-fought season-opening win over visiting Pennridge.

After a dismal first half, the Fords surged in the third and final quarters: they got interceptions on consecutive series from Hannibal Mathis, Zach Rego, and Chris Morgan and parlayed the turnovers into a pair of touchdowns and a field goal.

1

2

3

4

Final

Haverford School (1-0)

3

0

11

12

26

Pennridge (0-1)

0

7

7

7

21

IN SHORT

The game started slowly, but closed with a bang.

The seminal moment came when, down 14-3 with 4:22 remaining in the third quarter and Pennridge driving, Haverford School’s front three flushed the opposing quarterback out of the pocket and forced a fluttering and under-thrown pass that junior cornerback Hannibal Mathis stepped in front of and intercepted—wresting both the ball and the momentum away from the visitors.

Though the Fords settled for a field goal on the subsequent drive, on the following Pennridge series, the home defense again applied pressure and forced a similarly ill-advised pass, this time intercepted on the Haverford sideline by Zach Rego and returned for a touchdown. Rego ran off-tackle for the two point conversion and a 14-14 tie.

After the kick, Pennridge again found itself in a third down, was again pressured, and again threw an interception—this time to junior Chris Morgan. Four plays later, Rego scampered in from 18 yards out to give the Fords a 20-14 lead with 10:15 remaining (in a puzzling decision, they went for, and missed, a two-point conversion after the score).

The Fords luck ran out on the kickoff though, as Pennridge returned it 90 yards for a touchdown and made the PAT for a 21-20 lead. It didn’t last long though, as two series later, the Fords drove 90 yards for a touchdown—all but ten of them coming from the the legs of Rego, who finished the drive with an eight-yard scamper.

Pennridge nearly got the last laugh, driving down to the Ford 15 on their final possession, but turned the ball over on downs with 25 seconds remaining.

FORD OF THE GAME

Zach Rego: The senior rushed for two touchdowns and a two-point conversion, intercepted a pass for another touchdown, and carried the ball seven times for 80 yards on the Ford’s go-ahead drive.

OTHER KEY PERFORMANCES

Chris Morgan: The junior’s fourth quarter interception led to the Ford’s first lead since the first quarter, and his deflection on the game’s final meaningful play ensured it was a lead they would keep.

Hannibal Mathis: Before the corner made his momentum-shifting third quarter interception, the Fords had been outscored 14-3. From that point onward, they beat Pennridge 23-7.

COACH’S TAKE

“We try and talk a lot with the guys during the game. We say ‘let’s not get too high and let’s not get too low.’ We try to keep an even keel." -Haverford School head coach Mike Murphy, explaining the attitude he encourages in his staff and players during back-and-forth games like Saturday’s.

THEY SAID IT

“Wow. When I saw that man, I knew it was a touchdown right away.” -Rego on his game-tying interception return.

COMING UP NEXT

Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. at Cardinal O’Hara