Eight minutes of game clock later, Malvern emerged with a 17-0 victory, one earned with a dominant, if not defiant, defensive effort that, at least for the moment, made up for the Friars' deflating loss the previous week.
"I'm real proud of the defense today to shut them out," Malvern coach Kevin Pellegrini said. "We're still trying to get better, but that was a great step in the right direction for us."
The defense sacked Keir six times in the first half, and picked off the junior twice in the second.
The Friars also recovered two fumbles, giving them four takeaways in all. What's more, Malvern - led by Mahoney, who recorded two sacks himself - brought boundless pressure on Keir, who, despite the INTs, was sharp in completing 14 of 18 passes for 119 yards.
One aspect in which Malvern can improve defensively is stopping the run: Roman's Marcus Kelly gained 125 yards on 14 carries (8.9 average).
But Malvern's defensive line was so good bringing pressure that Pellegrini had the luxury of rushing just three linemen a good amount of the game, allowing the Friars to drop players into coverage against an aerial attack that can be as good as anyone's in the area.
"If those guys don't get any pressure, that kid can throw all day," Pellegrini said, referring to Keir.
On offense, the Friars (1-1) did enough to win the game. Quarterback Tommy Rumer had only 39 yards passing, but ran for 6-yard score midway through the second quarter.
Eric Purnell broke a 17-yard TD run with 2:50 to go in the game. Playing without injured starting tailback Shawn Wilson, who sprained his left ankle against Ridley, Malvern rushed for 185 yards, with senior Paul Finley gaining 79 on 13 carries.
For Roman, it was a step back. Ranked No. 8 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by the Inquirer, the Cahillites came in off an impressive win over reigning PIAA Class AA champ West Catholic.
"If you would have told me we'd score zero points today," Roman coach Joe McCourt said, "I would have told you you're crazy. . . . The message now is we're not as good as we thought we were."
While Roman is left reeling, Malvern emerges from the weekend with a renewed sense of confidence.
"It was a tough loss at Ridley," Mahoney said, "but we made a promise to ourselves that we weren't going to pack it in for the season."
Roman Catholic 0 0 0 0 – 0
Malvern Prep 3 7 0 7 – 17
MP: FG Tiberi 22
MP: Rumer 6 run (Tiberi kick)
MP: Purnell 17 run (Tiberi kick)
Contact Evan Burgos at rallysports@phillynews.com.
