11 minute read
Football
sports
The football team poses for a photo before a game Football team looks to keep momentum going
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HAVERFORD FOOTBALL INSTAGRAM
Tate Conklin ’24, Charlie Keidel ’24
Fords football is moving full speed ahead and is more fueled than ever to come out on top. The athletes have gone through a lot together, especially the upperclassmen during the pandemic year, but they have persevered and are in a groove right now.
The Fords secured a massive 21-7 win over La Salle College High School on Friday, September 16. After being brutally wiped out last year, the team was looking for more than just a win. All of the players, including Sixth Former James Falk, wanted revenge.
“It was for sure a very good feeling after what happened last year,” Falk said. “We got ran off the field; we were done being disrespected.”
Fifth Former Sean Brodnik felt similarly.
“Everyone took last year’s game personally. We all remember the awful feeling and embarrassment,” Brodnik said. “We used that embarrassment to fuel us in this year’s game.”
Many teams viewed the Fords as weak competitors after last year’s performance.
“Teams felt that when they played us we were a reset button for them,” Falk said. “An interviewer called us a ‘nice little team,’ so this wasn’t just about beating La Salle for the first time, but earning some respect.”
Fords football currently sits on a 3-0 record.
SEAN BRODNIK ’24
Their hard work has been paying off, but another huge factor that helped them win the La Salle game was the student section.
“The student section definitely played a huge part in our win,” Falk said. “It really means a lot to us that people take time out of their day to come and support us.”
“They always bring energy and they’re always alive,” Brodnik agreed. “I feel like the student section really helped us build our momentum.”
In addition to the support from outside the field, The team hopes to support each other on the field and show their love for the game.
“I feel like this is the first team I’ve ever been a part of at Haverford where I can be 100% sure that the guy next to me cares about the team as much as I do,” Brodnik said. “I think that goes a long way.”
Fords football also exhibits drive and a desire to win.
“If I had to describe the team with one word, I would say ‘tough,’” Falk said. “This team does not go down without a fight.”
The team is eyeing the Inter-Ac title, but they know that they need to keep working hard to achieve that goal.
“Right now we feel good, but not satisfied,” Falk said. “We all know that there is a lot of work to get done and that this team still has a lot to improve on.”
Brodnik also looks forward to pushing the team to its limits.
“I’m very excited for the Inter-Ac schedule to start, it’s my favorite time of the year,” Brodnik said. “You know every game is going to be a battle. The obvious big test will be Malvern, but I feel like every team will be a tough opponent.”
Falk shared similar thoughts on what to expect during the Inter-Ac season.
“We still have two big tests on our agenda: Malvern and Archbishop Wood, who are two very good teams.”
Fords football is looking solid right now and they hope to keep their momentum going. Their huge win against La Salle is hopefully the start of many more to come. The overall spirit presented by the student body creates an exemplary environment for the Fords to play in and motivates them to dial in.
“Nobody wants it more than us,” Falk
said.
Cross country: “No one runs alone”
Ian Rosenzweig ’25
Historically a tight-knit group, the cross-country team is gearing up for a full fall season of races and a spirited community life. Led by Sixth Form captains Joey Kauffman and Colin Kelly, the team completed a summer of individual workouts culminating in a twoweek team preseason before the start of afterschool practices.
Despite the graduation of many Sixth Form runners last school year, the team remains strong and feels good about their prospects this season—they’ve set big goals, like winning PAISAA (Pennsylvania Independent School Athletics Association) State Championships and Inter-Ac championships. Kelly sees these goals as entirely achievable, especially with the current team’s skill and depth. He also thinks the team’s youth is a sign of a strong future. More than two-thirds of the team is composed of underclassmen.
“Three out of our top ten are freshmen […] our number one runner at this point is a sophomore,” Kelly said.
Upper school history and finance teacher Mr. Brian Long, who rejoined the team this year as head coach, believes that the team’s youth will allow for success in the future.
“I’m really excited for what we’re going to be able to accomplish over the next three years,” Coach Long said.
The young runners aren’t only bringing fresh talent and optimistic prospects to the team. They’ve also been incorporated into team culture and embraced cross country’s unique dynamic.
“We have a lot of great freshmen and they’ve all done a great job of embracing the team spirit,” Fourth Form runner Michael Crutchlow said.
Their willingness to join the team’s values is vital to their success. Kelly said that the team is much more than a group of athletes. “Every guy on the cross-country team has way more to [him] than just running.”
Coach Long thinks that the team’s uplifting culture is vital, even though cross country is technically an individual sport.
“Cross country is a unique sport in that it is very individualistic. But we, as a team, succeed when each individual performs at his best,” Coach Long said. “If we are all brought into racing not just for ourselves but for our brothers, we can hurt a little more, and ultimately, perform at an even higher level.”
Because the team needs to bond as a whole, cross country has a unique rule in place with a double purpose.
“We have an expression in cross country called ‘No man runs alone,’ and honestly I think that embodies the ideals of a crosscountry runner where we are a community,” Kelly said. “We’re not just out there to get the workout in.”
Coach Long added that the rule functions both as a “culture carrier” and as a safety precaution for runners training off campus during practices.
The rule builds a community that stays together, supports each other, and encourages dedication and respect.
“On the team we always focus on lifting each other up and making everyone feel good about running,” Crutchlow said.
This attitude is crucial to keeping the team together because of the inherent difficulty of the sport.
“Ultimately, running is just a very hard sport,” Coach Long said. “In other sports, running is a punishment. For our sport, it’s what we do every day, and we have to find some way to enjoy it. The way that you can enjoy it most is by sharing that experience with other people who are going through the same thing.”
Kelly said that this brotherhood makes the sport so special.
“Some of my most memorable and fun experiences at Haverford have been running with my best friends on the cross country team, just talking […] every single year, every runner says how strong a community we have and how amazing the friendships are that we make,” Kelly said.
While building culture is part of any team, Coach Long said that he and thenHead Coach Mr. Tim Lengel began building the team’s current culture eight years ago when they first joined the staff. Although Coach Long was absent from cross country last year, he was always a supporter of the team and an important part of their work.
“If there’s one force that was always behind Haverford cross country, it’s Coach Long. He’s always there,” Kelly said. “He brings a certain amount of initiative and seriousness to cross country. He keeps us checked in and he holds us accountable.”
“Coach Long’s training plan this summer [...] did a great job of getting us into good shape before school started,” Crutchlow said.
Regardless of the upcoming season’s results, the team will still meet many of its goals.
Coach Long had each student send him three goals at the start of the term: one athletic, one academic, and one social. He believes those goals are an integral part of the program’s mission.
“Our goal setting allows us to get to know each other beyond just running. This enables us to be more vulnerable around each other, and ultimately, build out a community that is quite special at Haverford,” Coach Long said. “[The goals] fit into the model of what we believe the program is all about, and it’s about developing young men not just to be better runners, but to be better people.”
MR. BRIAN LONG
MS. BARBARA LAPENTA
The cross country team poses for a photo
Sixth Former Luke Sekulic plays defense Water Polo eager to dominate another season
MS. DEB PUTTER
Tate Conklin ’24
Water polo is one of the most consistent teams. They reinvent their standards and relentlessly push forward. The group is composed of extremely dedicated players and leaders constantly striving for improvement. At its forefront is Sixth Former Former Luka Sekulic, a force in the water and a highly devoted, disciplined player.
Sekculic believes that the key to the water polo team’s success is their unshakable chemistry.
“We’re a pretty dynamic team; everyone understands their role,” Sekulic said. “We’re not like a typical team where we want everybody to think that they have the exact same role in the pool. Everybody understands their job; everyone knows what they’re supposed to do.”
Fifth Former Brady Stallkamp, another experienced player who truly embodies the family spirit of the team, echoed these beliefs.
“Our team chemistry is so much more important and so much more complex than any other sport’s chemistry,” Stallkamp said. “It’s one of the core aspects of the water polo team. We all get along; we’re brothers.”
Built around a solid group of upperclassmen, the Fifth and Sixth Formers hope to guide the younger players to follow in their footsteps.
“There is a lot of talent [among underclassmen],” Sekulic said. “Us seniors and juniors can take the things that we liked when we were underclassmen and build onto those ideas. We can take away the negatives we’ve felt in the past and create a positive environment where everyone is comfortable. We want to make sure that everyone is a part of the team and a part of our family.”
Fifth Former Stallkamp is also using his experiences from when he was an underclassman to shape his objectives for this year.
“When I was younger I was definitely influenced by some of the older guys on the water polo team that I really looked up to; the big guys like Luka,” Stallkamp said. “It makes you realize, ‘Wow, I can be that by senior year.’”
Right now the team is focusing on mastering different fundamentals to create consistent and efficient gameplans. The team’s work ethic is another huge factor in their success.
“One thing that we really want to focus on is building strong work habits,” Sekulic said. “Habits that carry out into more than just water polo, but into schoolwork, extracurriculars; anything in life.”
The water polo team’s tightly-knit dynamic goes much farther than the pool, it’s a matter of family anywhere and everywhere.
“Whether you’re on the bench or in the water, you’re always cheering for your brothers, always uplifting each other,” Sekulic said. “It’s important that we’re the ones that scream for each other and get loud for each other. That’s what builds our chemistry.”
“We are a family, we are a group; we all work together, we all work in the same pool, we all work the same hours, we all play the same games. We share our losses; we share our wins,” Stallkamp said.
So what exactly separates the Haverford water polo team from all of their competition? It is a combination of their powerful and unwavering team bond, hard work ethic, and ability to improve and adapt to any challenges that come their way.
“We’re very excited for this year, us as seniors and as captains are very proud of how the team is doing,” Sekulic said. “We’re very proud of how the team has overcome a lot of different battles throughout this season.”
Stallkamp said, “We’re all menaces in the pool, but what’ll really make us the best in the Inter-Ac is how we all bond and all help each other all the time.”
LUKA SEKULIC ’23 “One thing that we really want to focus on is building strong work habits. Habits that carry out into more than just water polo.” LUKA SEKULIC ’23
