Harriton played Lower Merion in a football game for the first time, on September 30, 1967
Harriton High School opened in September of 1957, but they did not play Lower Merion in football, basketball, wrestling or baseball – until 1967. Then came the advent of the Central League which debuted also in 1967, and the rivalry betweent the two schools was formed (well the sports rivalry was formed -there was plenty of “other rivalry” between Harriton and Lower Merion from the time “the new school” opened. Prior to the creation of the the Central League, Lower Merion played in the Suburban North League and Harriton played in Suburban South.
There was huge anticipation, especially among Harriton boosters, of the first matchup between the “cross-town” rivals. At that time, the student population of Lower Merion was almost double that of Harriton’s. And even playing against smaller schools, having a winning season in football was an experience unfamiliar to Harriton’s teams. What’s more, led by their iconic coach, Fritz Brennan, Lower Merion had a real football culture. Brennan’s career record at Lower Merion was 105-33-5.
Still, the Rams were almost giddy about the opportunity of playing against Lower Merion. In 1964, the football team at Welsh Valley Junior High was a veritable juggernaut. They were undefeated, untied and un-scored-upon. Joel DeLong, the quarterback of the unbeaten Welsh Valley, attended Penn Charter for his sophomore and junior years. But he transferred to Harriton before the start of the 1967 season. DeLong reunited with classmantes Tom Ullman, Hank McElwee, Rich Pocock, David Volpe, Frank Burger and John Gabriel – all standouts at Welsh Valley.
The first half of the game was exciting. Lower Merion led 7-6 at the break. But on the third play of the third quarter, Lower Merion’s Bob Blank took a handoff from quarterback Bob Cross, and ran 78 yards for a touchdown. Lower Merion tacked on two more touchdowns in third quarter, and one more in the fourth, enroute to a 35-6 shellacking of Harriton.