October 12, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

CHA football goes 5-0
by Ed Mahon

It was obvious by half time: these teams weren’t in the same league.

Playing against their former Independence League opponent, visiting Chestnut Hill Academy (5-0) dominated, taking a 28-0 lead over Lower Moreland High School (4-2) on Saturday Oct. 7.

CHA was less than a week away from playing in their first Inter-Ac League game in 33 years against William Penn Charter School (3-2) in what senior captain Don Houck said could probably be the toughest game of the season. But before they could make their long-awaited return and rejoin the rest of the school’s athletic teams in the oldest prep league in the country, the Blue Devils had to keep their focus on Lower Moreland.

“In the second half we kind of shot ourselves in the foot,” said senior captain Wayne Crawford

Two Blue Devils fumbles led to two Lions touchdowns, one of them on a 77-yard recovery. Successful extra points made the score 28-14. But despite cutting their deficit in half, Lower Moreland couldn’t stop CHA’s run game, led by junior Rashad Campbell who scored four touchdowns on the day, and rushed for 235 yards on 26 carries to give the Blue Devils a 34-14 victory.

Head Coach Rick Knox thought that the tough second would be a lesson for his CHA players.

“The big point that I wanted to make to them: You can go from being a real good high school football team to a very average one in a matter of minutes when you lose your focus,” Knox said.

But troubles aside, Knox is looking forward to the next game. “We’re pumped. That’s what we’ve been working for,” Knox said. “I couldn’t ask for a better situation being 5-0 right now. So we’re psyched. It’s gonna be different though. I mean, we can’t make those kinds of mistakes and expect to win next Friday or the following Saturday. These games are very hard fought battles coming up.”

CHA will be missing two of their key players for those battles. Junior Mike Mattei broke his thumb against St. Pius X (Roseta), and the 6-foot-1, 175-pound quarterback who threw for 253 yards in the first five games with two touchdowns, will miss the rest of the season.

Senior Don Houck, an offensive lineman and captain, could also miss the rest of the season, but he’s hoping to make it back for the last few games. Houck a 6-foot-2, 275 pound lineman was running down the field to block for Campbell, when he turned his knee, felt a twist and heard a pop. He later found out he tore his ACL and had a bone contusion on his right knee.

“It sucks cause it’s senior year. That’s why I’m trying to get back. It’s hard sitting on the sidelines, watching them play, have fun,” said Houck, standing on the sidelines, dressed in blue sweatpants and with his jersey over a hooded sweatshirt.

Houck, one of the leaders on CHA’s dominating offensive line, will go to therapy three or four times a week for hour long sessions. He’s trying to keep weight on the right leg, making sure the muscles around his knee stay strong, which is why he doesn’t walk on crutches.

Houck said he wants to return for the last two games of the season, against fellow Inter-Ac teams Germantown Academy and Malvern Prepatory School, when CHA is “playing for the championship, hopefully.”

CHA hosts William Penn Charter School (3-2) at 3:45 p.m. Oct. 13.