Malvern Prep's Eric Purnell scampers in from five yards out for the game-winning score with 4:18 remaining in Malvern's 19-14 win at Coatesville. The Frairs stopped Coatesville on the 1-yard line on the final play.

By NATE HECKENBERGER
nateheckenberger@gmail.com

CALN -- It was something that haunted Malvern Prep all night.

Getting a big stop when it needed it was easier said than done. But when the biggest stop of the night was on the line, the Friars rose to the challenge.

With five seconds left on the clock on a third-and-goal from the three, Coatesville dialed up a stretch play to Dre Boggs to the boundary, but Malvern’s Joe Carlini stuffed Boggs at the one to preserve a 19-14 non-league victory at Coatesville.

The Friars (1-1) outscored the Red Raiders (1-1) 19-7 in the second half, with Eric Purnell’s five-yard touchdown scamper with 4:18 remaining the game-winner.

“It really doesn’t get better than that,” Kevin Pellegrini said. “There was so much excitement at the end of the game, knowing it could go either way. (Coatesville) is a really good team. They can throw the ball, their backs are good and they’re big up front, but credit to our kids for making the plays at the end.”

After Purnell scored to give Malvern its first lead, Coatesville took over at its 21. After gaining 22 yards on three plays, a holding penalty pushed the Red Raiders back to their 21 and made it second-and-28. But following an encroachment penalty on the Friars, Emmett Hunt hit Boggs for a 34-yard gain to revive Coatesville’s hope.

Malvern responded with its sixth sack of the game, and after two incompletions, the Red Raiders were faced with a fourth-and-nine from the Malvern 39. Once again Hunt came through, hitting Chris Jones for a 36-yard play to the Malvern three. Two incompletions and 11 seconds later, Coatesville’s last hurrah was whisked away by Malvern’s goal line stand.

“We knew we were going to get the stop there,” said Malvern’s senior defensive lineman Jordan Andrews, who recorded three sacks on the night. “They broke that long run, but once that final play was made it felt like we won the Super Bowl.”

All night long the Red Raiders shot themselves in the foot and then used their tremendous athleticism to bail themselves out. They were penalized 11 times for 91 yards and lost two fumbles, but also converted a fourth-and-12, a third-and-17, a second-and-26 as well as those two huge conversions on the final drive.

Malvern’s front seven controlled much of the game on the ground, minus a 75-yard TD sprint by Boggs in the first quarter. Aside from that jaunt, Coatesville had just 23 yards on 27 carries, including the six Malvern sacks.

“I’m still in awe of these guys and how they finished that game,” Pellegrini said. “After that tough (28-27 loss to Roman Catholic) last week we wondered how our team was going to respond. I think every coach would be proud of how that team responded.”

Both teams had their chances to add more points during a rather sloppy first half. Hunt and Jones were just barely off on a couple potential big pass plays, and Malvern squandered a possession that started on the Coatesville 24, following a fumble recovery.

The Friars gashed the Red Raider middle with fullback Connor Bohs, who finished with 93 yards. While he dealt with cramps in the second half, as did many on both sides, Troy Gallen and Hunter Paulus filled in with some tough running that played a major role in the comeback.

Paulus had runs of 17 and 12 in the fourth quarter, steamrolling defenders along the way, and Gallen’s 22-yard TD in the third was the result of some broken tackles as well.

“We had our chances, but we let them back into the game,” Coatesville coach Matt Ortega said. “Our kids played hard and there was cramping on both sides and it came down to who was going to make that last play. And they made the last play.”

Malvern Prep 19, Coatesville 14
Malvern Prep     0  0  12  7  -  19
Coatesville     7  0  7  0  -  14
                                                              Scoring
CV- Boggs 75 run (Bollenbach kick)
MP- Ford 2 run (kick failed)
CV- Boggs 33 pass from Hunt (Bollenbach kick)
MP- Gallen 22 run (pass failed)
MP- Purnell 5 run (Dolfus kick)
                                                           Team Totals
                       MP     CV
First downs     13    13
Yards rushing     264    98
Yards passing     25    264
Total yards    289    362
Passing     3-12-1    14-25-0
Fumbles-Lost     1-0    4-2
Penalties    4-20    11-91
Punts-Avg.     3-34.3    5-26.4
                                                      Individual Statistics
RUSHING - MP: Bohs 11-93; Purnell 8-69, TD; Paulus 4-33; Gallen 2-26, TD; Carlini 1-23; Gentile 2-18; Ford 8-2, TD. CV: Boggs 10-103, TD; Worley 6-1; Hunt 12-(-6).
PASSING - MP: Ford 3-12, 25 yds, INT. CV: Hunt 14-25, 264 yds.
RECEIVING - MP: Purnell 2-19; Carlini 1-6. CV: Boggs 5-97, TD; Jones 4-88; Williams 3-43; Boyd 2-36.
SACKS: MP: Andrews 3; Barret,; Paulus, Morris .5; Majors .5. CV: Burke, Phillips, Boykin.
INTERCEPTIONS: MP: none. CV: Worley