Haverford’s Tom Leibig watchs the ball head for the net late in the gam as Wissahicken’s #5 Chase Wilson and #33 Brandon Pace defend. Photo Pete Bannan
By Dillon Friday
When the final buzzer sounded Tuesday night, the Haverford half of a sold-out crowd spilled onto the floor for a celebration 44 years in the making. For the first time since Steve Joachim and Ray Edeleman got them to the 1970 state final before falling, the Fords were headed to the PIAA Tournament.
“Just look around,” said Haverford coach Keith Heinerichs, gesturing to the mob of red and yellow that engulfed his team. “We worked hard every day for this.”
How long had the drought been? Well, when senior captain Tom Leibig climbed the ladder to ceremoniously cut down the net, Heinerichs had to instruct him on how it’s done.
“The top strings,” the coach said, miming a cutting motion with his fingers.