Muddy mess

Turnovers, missed opportunities hurt Penns Grove in a 14-0 loss at Haddon Heights in the rain, mud

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

HADDON HEIGHTS — Bryce Wright’s uniform was a mess, wet and dirty. It was a reflection of how much he was involved and how messy were the conditions.

In the days leading up to Saturday’s game Penns Grove’s lead running back kept an eye on the weather forecast and each update reminded him how fun it used to be to play in the wind and cold rain that were blown in by Tropical Storm Ophelia.

“I was on TikTok talking about a rain game; I couldn’t wait to get out here and play in the rain,” Wright said. “I love this. Ever since midgets. I love this.”

What’s not so fun is losing in such miserable conditions. When you’re behind, the rain just seems colder and the mud more messy

It was messy for the Red Devils Saturday. Turnovers and missed opportunities haunted them again in a 14-0 loss at Haddon Heights.

The Garnets (3-1), meanwhile, didn’t mind the mess. When the game ended, right before the skies opened one more time, their players were giddily sliding head first on the muddy field, caking the front of their jerseys in prime Camden County real estate.

“We knew all week we were going to play in this and we took on the challenge and were excited to play in it,” Heights quarterback Drew Harris said. “Obviously you couldn’t really throw the ball, so we ran it and our O-line blocked very well and we took it to them.”

Harris scored both touchdowns in the game, the second one capping a 92-yard drive that was n almost miraculous under the conditions after his offense was backed up to its own end zone.

The Red Devils (1-4) had chances, they just didn’t execute well enough to bring them home.

They put together their best drive of the first half late in the second quarter, but the threat died when Harris intercepted a pass in the end zone. 

Turnovers have plagued the Red Devils all season. They had four more Saturday, not counting turning it over on downs twice. Their three possessions in the second half ended with two interceptions and a turnover on downs.

“It was exactly like I thought it was,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said. “I said we would either win or lose 14-0; that’s how it was. I don’t think they turned the ball over and we did, and it’s been the story of our season so far. I bet my life we broke the school record for turnovers.

“If we’re going to win low-scoring games we’re going to have to protect the ball better. I think we have our players and we have our identity. We have to get better executing.”

The Red Devils got it going in the second half and drove it into the red zone to open the third quarter, but a third-down fumble at the 16 increased the pressure to execute and Wright was stopped on fourth down before the line to gain creating a change in possession.

But that wasn’t the end of it. The Garnets were hit with a dead ball personal foul at the end of the play backing them up inside the 10 before starting on their long touchdown drive.

Harris took them 92 yards in 16 plays spanning eight minutes over the third and fourth quarters, ultimately slipping through the rush to score on a 10-yard run.

Conventional wisdom is the longer a drive goes, the better the chances are to mess up. The Garnets didn’t mess up. The Red Devils had a chance to cut the drive off before it could really get started, but Harris completed a third-and-12 pass from the 5 to move the chains.

“You can’t really cut on this,” Harris said. “You’re just slipping and sliding trying to get as many yards as you can.”

The Garnets dominated the first half. They ran their first 19 plays and 35 of their 37 plays in the half from inside the 50, but the combination of Penns Grove’s defense and the conditions afforded them only one touchdown.

Haddon Heights 14, Penns Grove 0

PG (0)		HH (14)
8	1st Downs	13
31-112	Rushing	31-102
3-9-3	Passes	10-20-0
8	Passing	96
3-1	Fum-lost	2-0
3-29.7	Punts-avg	2-25.0
8-60	Penalties	6-55

Penns Grove (1-4)	0	0	0	0 –	0
Haddon Heights (3-1)	0	6	0	8 –	14

Scoring plays
HH – Drew Harris 7 run (pass failed), 6:47 2Q
HH – Drew Harris 10 run (Josh Freeman pass from Drew Harris), 11:05 4Q