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Malvern Prep tops Haverford School for Inter-Ac lacrosse title

Quinn McCahon and Jack Traynor led the Friars to victory at Cabrini University.

The Malvern Prep boys’  lacrosse team gathers for a group photo after beating Haverford School, 17-13, Monday at Cabrini University for the Inter-Ac title.
The Malvern Prep boys’ lacrosse team gathers for a group photo after beating Haverford School, 17-13, Monday at Cabrini University for the Inter-Ac title.Read moreAaron Carter / Staff

For the entirety of Quinn McCahon's Malvern Prep career, people had only known the Haverford School as Inter-Ac champion, and that was simply too much for the senior to bear.

Monday night at Cabrini University, McCahon, Jack Traynor and the rest of Malvern's seniors finally finished off the Fords, 17-13, to win the Inter-Ac postseason championship.

"We were 1-9 going in, our senior class against them," McCahon said. "We definitely were tired of losing to them."

McCahon said, however, that this team was different than any of the others.

More confident and more together, McCahon said. And it showed.

The Friars (14-6) jumped on the Fords early, building a 5-0 lead after the first quarter that swelled to 11-2 by halftime.

"Absolutely," said Traynor, "we were tired of losing to them and it came down to who had a bigger heart. We came out firing. We played smart. We played hard. We played physical."

Traynor, who will play at Penn State, led the Friars with four goals. McCahon, who will play at Notre Dame, added three more.

But when the Fords and Friars collide, large leads don't last.

Haverford  (16-4) scored the final five goals of the third quarter and got within 13-8 when the fourth arrived. Scott Deck led the Fords with four goals.

With the Friars floundering, Traynor netted his fourth goal 20 seconds into the final frame.

"That was huge," McCahon said. "Jack's a clutch player. They went on a run and stopping that run was huge, and we can always count on Jack to do that for us."

The Fords did, however, get within 16-13 with about a minute left after Luke O'Grady scored his second fourth-quarter goal.

That's when Jordan Donaghy, who was forced into a faceoff role in midseason, won the ensuing draw by scooping a ground ball in traffic. Malvern controlled the action from there and salted away the final seconds.

"I think we've lost this big game to them every time in the last three or four years," said Malvern coach John McEvoy, "and every time we played tentatively. I think that's what these guys thought for the past couple days."

Malvern Prep             5    6    2    4    — 17
Haverford School      0    2    6     5    — 13
MP: Jack Traynor 4, Quinn McCahon 3, Seamus Glynn 2, Scott White 2, Jimmy Gabrielsen 2, Luke DiGiacobbe 2, Matthew Hilburn, William Pettit.
HS: Scott Deck 4, Adam Salvaggio 3, Luke O'Grady 2, TJ Malone, Chris Tsetsekos, Brennan McBride, Gavin Burke.
Saves: MP — William Pettit 8; HS — Harrison Fellheimer 5.