If they had played the entire game the way they played the second half, the outcome could have been very different.
But as it is, the New Hope-Solebury football team fell to Lower Moreland, 20-12, in a Bicentennial Athletic League game on Friday night at Lower Moreland’s Mark Mayson Stadium.
New Hope spotted its host a 14-0 halftime lead, surrendering a touchdown in each of the first two quarters while struggling to get its own offense going. New Hope quarterback Julian Estes connected on just one pass and threw two interceptions, both picked off by Lower Moreland’s Alex Kebuz.
The second half was another matter. In the third quarter, New Hope ended a long drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Estes to Jack Tangradi. The two-point conversion attempt failed, making the score 14-6.
Lower Moreland put another touchdown on the board late in the third period but failed on a two-point attempt to take a 20-6 lead.
In the fourth quarter, New Hope once again capped an extended drive with a touchdown, this time a 1-yard keeper by Estes. The two-point attempt failed.
Estes ended the evening with five completions on 14 attempts for 42 yards. He also had nine carries for 28 yards.
“There’s a lot of mistakes that we have to address,” said Estes, a junior. “As our coaches said, we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. We’ve got to batten down the hatches and start playing smart. We have to be football players instead of kids in football equipment.
“The first half was extremely shaky and I take almost the majority of the offensive blame for that, but the second half was so different. I’ve never been a part of a team that fought as hard as we did in the second half. It was really something special to be a part of.
“I know I’m going to be talking about this for many years to come that even though we lost to Lower Moreland, I’ve never been a part of a team that fought as hard as we did in the second half of this game.
“If we can apply that fight to the rest of our games, I don’t know that there would be a lot of teams that could beat us.”
A bright spot for New Hope was freshman Colin Foster. Foster, a running back and defensive back, had two carries for 7 yards, a 3-yard catch, and made key tackles on defense.
“He’s been remarkable,” said Estes of Foster. “Since the first day we put on pads, he has just thoroughly impressed me, flying around the field, making plays. I think he’s a 5-9, 150-pound middle linebacker, and there he is, making tackles in practice. I can’t wait to see what he does next season.”
For Foster, starting on the team is a longtime goal fulfilled.
“Ever since I was in kindergarten I’ve watched the team practice, I’ve watched games,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to play high school football for this team and I’m just glad I have this chance. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season. It’s fun when you’re playing.
“It’s been a great opportunity to get to play as a freshman. I’ve learned a lot from the coaches. It’s hard work, day in and day out, trying to work on my game, trying to work on being part of the team. There’s a lot of pressure that comes with it, but it is what it is. If you’re going to be playing, you have to deal with it.”
Nick Messick led New Hope with 14 carries for 52 yards, while Colin Fudala carried the ball six times for 45 yards and caught a 9-yard pass and Aidan Ferraez caught two passes for 13 yards each and had two carries for 3 yards.
“We definitely thought this was a winnable game,” said Messick, who has been with the team for four years. “It’s a tough thing to lose a game you think you can win, but as a senior, I’m really proud of the way this team fought. I haven’t seen fight like this in a very long time from this team so there were lots of positives, but you always want the win.
“It’s the game of football. Every play matters. You don’t go out there and hope to compete. You play to win the game. It’s a completely different feeling playing to win and playing to compete. I’ve had a lot of fun in this game even though it didn’t go the way we wanted.”
New Hope is 1-6 overall, 1-2 in the BAL, with the lone win an opening day forfeit by Renaissance Academy.
“We still have some games left and we will try to improve starting off,” Messick said. “Throughout the game we do well, but in the first couple of drives we start off too slowly. If we can fix that, we can take the team where it needs to be.”
New Hope returns to action on Friday, hosting Harriton in a non-league game on Friday night.
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