WE TAKE YOU back to Thanksgiving morning 2008.

Malvern Prep has just topped St. Joseph's Prep, 34-27, to complete a 10-0 season and bedlam reigns, among other places, along the sideline.

Hoping to become the starting quarterback in '09, Chase Gunther turns to Bobby Hill, slated to become the lead rusher, and shouts over the din, "That can be us next year!"

Damned if it didn't happen.

Well, not completely.

The Friars, crunched hard by graduation, finished 7-4 overall under first-year coach Kevin Pellegrini. But they claimed a share of the Inter-Ac League championship, and yesterday morning, at Villanova Stadium, they surprised St. Joseph's Prep, 17-16.

That verb fits because the Hawks had maintained a much higher profile this season. Just last Friday, however, they'd fallen in agonizing fashion to La Salle, 35-28, in the Catholic League AAAA final, and the new week brought the confirmation that star linebacker Mike Labor, also the fullback, would be unavailable due to ankle miseries.

Gunther knows from uncertainty. And battling back.

"When this season began," he said, "I had an idea I'd be the quarterback, but I didn't know for sure because, in part, we were mixing in some wildcat stuff.

"I just tried to focus on what I was doing and not worry about anything else. I got the job in the third week and from there, every time out, I just tried to prove, 'I do deserve this."'

Malvern's touchdowns went to Wally "Boomer" Spencer on an 87-yard kickoff return (after the Prep had built a 14-0 lead) and to Hill on a 1-yard run. Ultimately, Mark Tiberi's 22-yard field goal, hammered with 6 minutes, 22 seconds left in the third quarter, made the difference.

Gunther passed 9-for-17 for 127 yards. His best moment occurred on the 13-play, 58-yard drive that produced Hill's TD.

Because of a pair of penalties, the Friars faced third-and-21. Gulp... Glee! Gunther hit Mike Bolte for 32 yards.

"Mike was telling me all along, 'I can beat their cornerback on any play,"' Gunther said. "If the cornerback was back on that play, we would have gone with a hook. But he was up so we went with the play that was called, a fade.

"Mike started off at running back, but then he got a stress fracture and was supposed to be out for the season. When he came back a couple weeks ago, I was begging the coaches to put him at receiver. He's a big target. About 6-2. Runs about a 4.4 40. Can dunk."

He laughed: "He was the just the guy I needed."

The Prep's early scores came on Eric Neefe's 5-yard run and a 16-yard pass from Skyler Mornhinweg to Stephen O'Hara. In all, Mornhinweg passed 19-for-39 for 216 yards while Bobby D'Orazio (47 yards), O'Hara (42) and Desmon Peoples (31) made four catches apiece. Peoples added 111 yards on 16 carries.

Though O'Hara tackled Hill for a third-quarter safety, Malvern remained resolute.

Chris O'Brien had a red-letter day on defense, witness nine tackles and three broken-up passes. While logging a sack, he also forced/recovered a fumble at the Prep's 11 to set up Tiberi's field goal. JoJo Rava added an interception and six pass-defends.

With 2:07 to go, Tiberi uncorked a 49-yard punt to the Hawks' 1. A leaping Sean Gordon batted the ball to keep it from going into the end zone, and the recovery went to Reiley Syrek, who lives right across the street from Gunther in Chester Springs.

Gunther, who envisions becoming an entrepreneur, hopes to attend Delaware and play baseball (third base) or football. He knows this season's outcome, and how it happened, will help him.

"We knew people always saw us as underdogs," he said. "That fueled our fire."i