Radnor Falls to Lower Merion in Round 115 of Storied Rivalry

In the most recent installment of what many believe is the longest continuous public school football rivalry in the country, Lower Merion got a pair of touchdowns by quarterback/receiver Desmond Ellis and a gutsy performance by halfback Max Golden to top Tajee Bryant and the favored Raiders 21-14.

1

2

3

4

Final

Lower Merion

0

0

21

0

21

Radnor

7

0

0

7

14

IN SHORT

For exactly half of Saturday afternoon's 115th annual gridiron battle between the Radnor Raiders and the Lower Merion Aces, it looked like the outcome would turn out a lot like the rivalry's 114th, 112th, 111th, 110th, and 109th meetings. Home at Prevost Field, Radnor took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter on a four-yard touchdown rush by Tajee Bryant, stifled the Aces 1-2 backfield combo of Earnest Pendleton and Max Golden, and ended the initial half, by all indications, poised to win their 49th game in the series.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, they play two halves in these things.

The Aces, dull and listless for the first 24 minutes, roared back in the back end. They opened the third quarter by recovering an onside kick, Earnest Pendleton scored on an eight yard rush two plays later (the Aces, in a lucky break on the previous play, had a Desmond Ellis pass sail through the arms of a Raider defender and right to Max Golden, who scampered inside the ten). On their next offensive series, the Aces continued the momentum: Ellis, the senior quarterback, lined up at wide receiver, beat a Radnor corner to a jump ball along the right sideline, and scampered 70-yards for the touchdown and an Aces lead.

"It's a game changer," the versatile, and out of breath, Ellis said on the sideline after the score.

Problems continued for the Raider on the subsequent drive, as a muffed hand off by quarterback

Mike Koernick put the ball on the ground, and Lower Merion hopped on it at their own 30. Three minutes, and a couple nifty runs by Ellis, later, the senior quarterback rushed in from one yard out to give the Aces a 21-7 lead.

"They didn't change their scheme, they were running the same counter-trey stuff, they just executed," said Radnor coach Tom Ryan after the game, trying to make sense of the 21-point outburst his previously impenetrable defense allowed.

Despite the sudden deficit, the Raiders, down by not out, kept swinging. Koernick found receiver Garrison Jacques up the seam on the following possession, and the senior galloped 60-yards for the score.

It was as close as the Raiders would get though. Despite threatening to tie the game twice in its waining minutes, the Raiders were twice turned away by the suddenly stout Aces defense: Radnor turned it over on downs from the Lower Merion 12 with 2:14 left in the game, then, after their defense gave them another shot, Koernick threw an interception to Pendleton with 4.9 seconds left at the Aces goal line.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Lower Merion fans stormed onto the field and joined their players in a joyous mosh-pit. Gathered in a huddle by the west endzone, Radnor players fought back tears as their fans quietly exited the field and their head coach addressed them for, for some, the final time.

Until next November.

RAIDER OF THE GAME

Garrison Jacques—The explosive senior was all over the field on Saturday, scoring on a long receiving touchdown to, briefly, wrest the momentum away from the Aces.

OTHER KEY PERFORMANCES

Tim Wilson—The receiver/running back made plays by land and by air for the Raiders, serving as a capable complement to the more heralded Bryant in the running game while maintaining his mantle as Koernick's favorite receiver.

Tajee Bryant—Though it was surely a disappointing effort for Bryant, the shifty back scored on a four yard rush in the first quarter and was drew lots of attention from the Lower Merion defense all afternoon.

COACH'S TAKE

"It's my fault. We saw it coming, and I should have put a different group out there—Tom Ryan, on the onsides kick that changed the Raiders fortunes

THEY SAID IT

"I feel like I didn't do my job. We had a lot of close games like this. A lot of close losses."—Tim Wilson, on Saturday's loss being microcosmic of the Raiders disappointing season