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PLYMOUTH MEETING – Chris Smallwood – his right leg in an immobilizer - shook the hands of several teammates as he was taken from the field on a cart after Friday night’s District One AAA final against Bayard Rustin.
Smallwood’s teammates walked to their post-game huddle in silence.
This was not the way the way the Golden Bears’ dream of capturing their first ever district crown was supposed to end. But on a bitterly cold night at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, an Upper Moreland team that always seemed to find a way to win came up just short, falling 21-14 to the Golden Knights.
“We have been working for this all year,” senior Tom Knox said. “Since the end of last year and all during camp – this is where we wanted to be.
“We got here, but we just didn’t come out ready to play in the beginning. If the game was another quarter, we could have won. It’s a shame it was only 48 minutes. “
When the final horn sounded, just five yards separated the Golden Bears from the end zone and a possible tie, but with no timeouts remaining, they came up empty on four downs, thanks to three consecutive incomplete passes and a run for no gain with .02 seconds remaining on the game’s final play.
“Point two seconds left – the game is over regardless,” coach Adam Beach said when asked about the final play call. “We tried some passes. That was the same play we scored in double overtime to win the game (the last time the two teams played).
“The kids are very disappointed. They never had a district title, and they wanted one here tonight, and they came up (five) yards short.”
In the second game of the season, the two teams battled to a 0-0 tie after regulation, but the Golden Bears – who were without Smallwood – won it 13-7 in overtime.
Although Friday’s title game came down to the last play, the Golden Bears might well have lost it in a first half that saw the Knights open up a 14-0 lead.
“Personally, I didn’t know what was going on,” Knox said. “We knew what they were going to do, but we just couldn’t stop it. We didn’t come out ready. We weren’t ready to play.”
In an omen of things to come, it was three and out for the Bears on their opening possession of the game. The Knights didn’t do much better as the Bears’ defense forced them to punt after three downs.
Upper Moreland quarterback Mike Rosenbaum found Knox for a 25-yard completion on a third-and-long, but the Bears managed just one yard on their next three plays combined. The Knights weren’t fooled on a fake punt and took over on downs at their own 42 yard-line.
Eight plays later, junior Rondell White, who finished the night with 172 yards on 38 carries, took it in from two yards out to give the Knights – after Will Mau’s extra point – a 7-0 lead with 1:15 remaining in the first period.
An Upper Moreland fumble at midfield set the stage for five-play scoring drive that culminated with Rahmier White – Rondell’s brother – scoring on a 13-yard scamper, putting Rustin on top 14-0.
Things went from bad to worse for the Bears when – one play after a 27-yard Smallwood run that seemed as though it could ignite the team - the Knights came up with an interception and ran out the clock.
“Once the game started, I knew it was going to be a war,” Knox said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We knew how they were going to play. We knew they had a tough defense, and we couldn’t get our offense going. Without our offense, there was nothing we could do.”
The second half didn’t start on a promising note for the Bears, who – after forcing the Knights to punt – fumbled the ball away on their second play from scrimmage.
The Bears got a reprieve when they blocked Mau’s 33-yard field goal attempt, and one play later, Knox outraced every defender in his path, taking a Rosenbaum pass 80 yards for a touchdown. The Knights blocked the extra point to remain on top 14-6.
But not for long.
A failed fake punt on the Knights’ ensuing possession gave Upper Moreland the ball on Rustin’s 49, and then Smallwood went to work. After Knox picked up three yards, the Bears’ gifted back – who finished the night with 140 yards – had five straight carries, the final a five-yard burst into the end zone for a touchdown. A successful two-point conversion that saw Smallwood punch it in knotted the score 14-14 with 8:48 remaining.
“All year we’ve been a second-half team,” Knox said. “We didn’t really say anything. We just had to regroup, but the first half killed us.
“Against a team like Rustin, you can’t wait until the second half.”
The Knights answered with a 62-yard scoring drive that culminated with an eight-yard Rondell White touchdown run that put Rustin on top 21-14 with 4:42 remaining.
The Bears didn’t go down quietly but came up just short.
“We played better,” Beach said of the second half. “They were doing some things up front, and we made some adjustments. The effort was there the second half.
“I told the kids I was really proud of the way they came out in the second half. They had every reason to – going in at halftime down 14-0 - put their heads down. They came out in the second half and fought and got themselves right back in the game. We’re a couple of yards away from scoring a touchdown to send it to overtime. I’m proud of their effort.”
The Bears will return to the gridiron on Thanksgiving when they will face archrival Hatboro-Horsham.
“It’s bittersweet,” Knox said. “It’s a rivalry game. We love playing Hatboro, but we’d much rather be playing (Archbishop) Wood and still be in the playoffs.”
BAYARD RUSTIN 21, UPPER MORELAND 14
Bayard Rustin 7 7 0 7-21
Upper Moreland 0 0 6 8-14
BR-Ro.White 2 run (Mau kick)
BR-Ra.White 13 run (Mau kick)
UM-Knox 80 pass from Rosenbaum (kick failed)
UM-Smallwood 5 run (Smallwood run)
BR-Ro.White 8 run (Mau kick)
BR UM
First Downs 15 12
Rushing Yards 270 152
Passing Yards 0 123
Total Yards 270 275
Passing (C-A-I) 0-0-0 4-15-1
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 3-2
Penalties-Yds. 2-17 4-37
Punts-Avg. 3-22.7 2-37.0
RUSHING:
Bayard Rustin – Ro. White, 38-172, 2 TDs; Ra.White, 11-71, 1 TD; O’Donnell, 5-13; Josephs, 1-7; Michaels, 3-7; McGreevy, 2-0, Kurfis, 1-(-2).
Upper Moreland – Smallwood, 27-140, 1 TD; Knox, 2-7; Rosenbaum, 4-5; Kehoe, 1-0.
PASSING:
Bayard Rustin – Michaels, 0-0-0.
Upper Moreland – Rosenbaum, 4-15-123, 1 TD, 1 INT.
RECEIVING:
Upper Moreland – Knox, 2-105, 1 TD; Dennis, 1-10; Kehoe, 1-8.
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