Bob Wolfrum-Wyomissing

Wyomissing head coach Bob Wolfrum had concerns going into Saturday’s marquee matchup with the Haverford School. “Mentally, I had no idea where we’d be and I was really worried about our offensive line. They sort of proved themselves. They came to play,” said Wolfrum. The (2-0) Spartans ran for 287 yards and outgained the Fords 454-to-263 in a thrilling 29-26 victory. Wyomissing used its Wing-T attack to dominate the time of possession. “For the most part we got into them and there wasn’t anybody running free to make plays on us. Last year, we had problems with that. It was just a great effort…We ran the power game and the jet [sweep] game,” noted Wolfrum. The Spartans ran 79 plays compared to just 36 for the Haverford School. It was a reversal of a season ago when the Fords controlled the line of scrimmage in a 20-3 win over Wyomissing.

The Spartans trailed 26-22 in the fourth quarter when Justice Hardy took a sweep to the right. The All-State pick made a man miss at the 18-yard line and raced to the end zone with 6:49 to go. “Sometimes he just sees that he can beat people around the edge. I’m not gonna question him because he made some plays today doing just that,” explained Wolfrum. Hardy had 93 yards on 14 carries. The 5’9, 190-pound junior also completed a 41-yard halfback pass to Brady Focht in the first half. Marcus Armistead sealed the deal for Wyomissing with 2:08 remaining. The senior defensive back recovered a muffed punt by talented junior Marcus Jones at Haverford’s 27-yard line. That allowed the Spartans to run out the clock.

Wyomissing struck first on a 4-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Brady Eisenhower to senior halfback Danny Fleischood. That capped a 16-play, 80-yard drive that lasted seven and a-half minutes. Momentum shifted on the first play of the second quarter. The Spartans tried to run an inside reverse from Fleischood to Hardy, but the Fords got great penetration and forced a fumble. Matthew Jones, Marcus’ older brother, scooped up the loose ball and took it 82 yards for a touchdown. Matthew Jones is committed to James Madison and Marcus (6’3, 190) recently received an offer from Syracuse. The Haverford School has plenty of size to go along with their skill. The offensive line averages 276 pounds. Tight end Quinn Gallagher is headed to Columbia, and 285-pound defensive tackle Walt Frazier is going to Syracuse.

Wyomissing went in front 14-7 with 2:24 left in the second quarter. Eisenhower completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to senior fullback Tyler Niedrowski in the right corner of the end zone. That possession covered 90 yards and took nine minutes and fourteen seconds. The Fords answered 42 seconds later with a 31-yard touchdown run by Stephen Cobb. The extra point was blocked which kept the Spartans on top 14-13. After Wyomissing went three-and-out, Matthew Jones broke several tackles on an 85-yard touchdown catch from Zach Faragalli. The extra point was no good, but the Haverford School had claimed a 19-14 edge one minute before halftime.

The Spartans got the ball to open the third quarter and they went to the air. On third-and-13, Fleischood made a key grab for 14 yards to the 45-yard line. Eisenhower then found junior split end Andrew DiFabrizio who was wide open for a 55-yard score down the right sideline. The 2-point conversion pass was completed to Hardy for a 22-19 lead with eight and a-half minutes to play in the third quarter. Once again, the Fords responded in a hurry. A 62-yard drive ended with a 19-yard touchdown catch by Marcus Jones inside the left pylon. Faragalli finished 9-of-19 for 168 yards and two scores.

Eisenhower made a rare mistake with 29 seconds left in the quarter. The 6’, 155-pound sophomore was intercepted by linebacker Topher Jodz along the sideline. The Haverford School took over at Wyomissing’s 31-yard line with a chance to expand its 26-22 advantage. The Spartans’ defense stood tall, however, and forced a pivotal turnover on downs. Wyomissing limited the Fords to seven points in the second half and nine first downs on the afternoon. Hardy’s 35-yard touchdown sprint completed a go-ahead 70-yard drive. The Haverford School went three-and-out on the ensuing drive. The muffed punt ended their hopes with two minutes to go.

Eisenhower was 9-of-13 for 126 yards with three touchdowns. The Spartans were able to get him out of the pocket for quick completions. “When they started really loading the box up, we hit a bunch of little quarterback rollout dinks into the flat. We did that very well,” said Wolfrum. Brady’s older brother, Chase, rumbled for 111 yards. The 220-pound fullback got 25 carries in a physical contest. Wolfrum picked up his 374th career win over 39 years. After knocking off Southern Columbia on the road in Week 1, Wyomissing came out on top against another quality opponent. “If you want to be a bull fighter, you gotta fight the bulls,” emphasized Wolfrum.